Inside: Get been-there recommendation on find out how to survive a kitchen transform–and feed your loved ones throughout the course of.
Practically 20 years in the past, we fell in love with a small, 100-year-old home on a reasonably, tree-lined road.
Largely, we fell in love with the bones of the home.
The kitchen, not as a lot.
The counters had been blue, the range was black, the fridge was off-white. It was useful however outdated. Clear however cramped.
We purchased the home figuring we’d have the kitchen reworked. As a result of how onerous might that be?
Yeah, proper!
The corporate we employed took the kitchen right down to the studs, pushed the ceiling up, leveled the flooring, dismantled an outdated coal chimney, opened up a wall, and located sufficient costly surprises alongside the best way to depart our authentic finances within the mud.
Did I point out I used to be additionally pregnant, sick with nausea and vomiting, and had a toddler?
In fact it was properly price it. At present I look again on the “earlier than” photographs and really feel grateful for our larger, extra fashionable house.
Nevertheless it wasn’t straightforward. And one of many hardest elements was retaining everybody fed with no working kitchen.
So I made a decision to stroll down reminiscence lane with our personal kitchen makeover in case you’ve bought a transform in your future and need assistance surviving the method.
I additionally reached out to my Real Mom Nutrition Facebook community for his or her greatest recommendation and bought so many nice ideas, I needed to share them right here too.
Plus, I’m sharing before-and-after photographs of our renovation and the little “kitchen glow-up” we just lately did.
6 Ideas for Surviving a Kitchen Rework
1. Make a Momentary Kitchen
Our contractor moved our outdated fridge into the lounge, the place we arrange a short lived kitchen house with a small desk, microwave, and toaster oven.
A folding desk or card desk is useful for this. And earlier than you pack every little thing away, put aside some objects that may assist you in your makeshift kitchen, comparable to:
- Espresso maker
- Chopping board
- Pots/pans
- Strainer
- Can opener
- Spatula and different cooking utensils/instruments
- Spices & cooking spray
Right here’s some reader recommendation:
“Discovering a devoted spot to have zones for various issues helped us. Cooking space, prep space, place for making lunches and many others. fortunately now we have an enclosed aspect porch that labored completely.”
“We moved fridge & microwave to our stroll out basement, purchased a scorching plate, toaster oven, and hubby constructed a kitchenette.”
“I had my makeshift kitchen arrange within the storage with the fridge, an induction scorching plate, toaster/convection oven and a microwave. Additionally had the crockpot and rice cooker useful.”
“We sealed off our eating room and made it a makeshift kitchen. We had our fridge in there, a desk, immediate pot, air fryer, and many others all arrange so we might entry it. We used paper plates and cups, and many others. we additionally bought just a few massive, heavy responsibility plastic shelving models to make use of as non permanent pantries. We packed every little thing in plastic tubs that we thought we’d use (a slicing board, just a few knives, and many others) it was rough-but we made it!”
2. Maintain your sink so long as attainable
Everybody, together with me, agrees that coping with soiled dishes is the worst a part of a kitchen transform. So in the event you can, grasp on to your kitchen sink so long as attainable.
You might also have a sink you should use in a basement, toilet, storage, or laundry room. However “don’t do dishes within the bathtub,” one reader cautioned. “It should kill your again. I ended up in PT due to that.”
READER TIP: “I stocked my freezer with crock pot dinners earlier than the work began and used gradual cooker liners.”
3. Lean on small home equipment
Whereas your oven’s out of fee, smaller home equipment can save the day. Listed below are some to contemplate (ask a buddy or neighbor to borrow in the event you don’t have one):
- Prompt Pot
- Air fryer
- George Foreman grill
- Microwave
- Toaster oven
- Sizzling plate/induction burner
- Electrical skillet
- Electrical griddle
- Camp range to cook dinner outdoors
READER TIP: “Be further good to neighbors and associates within the months/weeks main as much as the renovation so you may name in some favors & get invited to dinner.”
4. Time it proper
If attainable, schedule your renovation for hotter months when you should use your grill and eat outdoors.
Bonus: Summer season can also be when associates and neighbors will journey. One reader prompt a swap the place you water their crops and fetch the mail in trade for utilizing their kitchen whereas they’re gone.
READER TIP: “Our Blackstone grill is savinnngg me proper now. It principally does most of what you are able to do on a stovetop in a pan, it’s only a griddle: Stir fry fashion dishes, breakfast hash, and many others. in addition to burgers and whatnot.”
5. Meal plan & suppose E-A-S-Y
Having some form of plan in place may help cut back stress (you’ll have sufficient of that already). Grab my free meal planning worksheet in the event you’re a pen-and-paper individual.
Listed below are some reader solutions for lower-effort meals:
- Costco pre-made dinners
- Sandwiches
- Salad kits
- Dealer Joe’s frozen/microwavable meals
- Pre-prepped meal supply service
- Freezer meals you’ve made upfront that you could microwave
- Pizza supply as soon as per week
Think about filling a plastic bin with shelf-stable objects you should use for easy meals and snacks comparable to:
- Peanut butter
- Shelf-stable microwavable rice and pasta pouches
- Canned meals comparable to canned beans, soup, veggies, and fruit
- Power bars
- Complete grain crackers
- Prompt oatmeal
- Applesauce and fruit cups
- Cereal and granola
Seize extra concepts, plus 10 straightforward meals you can also make with no range, in my put up 45+ Healthy Dorm Food Ideas
READER TIP: “Don’t suppose you need to cook dinner – chilly meals are fantastic, too. Deal with it as an journey.”
6. Let go of guilt
Give your self grace whilst you’re going by way of a transform. As a substitute of beating your self up over disposable plates and frozen dinners, channel that vitality into selecting out new home equipment and selecting between 500 types of drawer pulls. Right here’s what else Actual Mother readers needed to say:
“Don’t attempt to save the atmosphere in 3 months (which means you should use paper plates for just a few weeks to save lots of your sanity), and keep your humorousness.”
“Paper plates, cups and plastic cutlery. Shake off no matter guilt you suppose it is best to really feel and name it ‘self-care.’ Make a listing of carry-out/dine-in choices you’ve got wished to try to work that expense into the finances in the event you can.”
“There have been MANY instances we simply had sandwiches and cereal for all 3 meals.”
“Maintain it easy as a result of life is difficult when your complete kitchen is torn up.”
READER TIP: “You may all the time get compostable paper plates and bowls in the event you use a composting service.”
Our kitchen transform
Listed below are some before-and-after photographs of our kitchen house, which was renovated 16 years in the past. What they did:
- Eliminated an higher block of kitchen cupboards and a peninsula separating the kitchen and consuming space to make one massive room.
- Eliminated a part of an outdated coal chimney and turned it into one aspect of an ornamental mantle over our range (the aspect cupboards have cabinets for spices, and many others.).
- Opened up a kitchen wall into the eating room.
- Eliminated a drop ceiling.
- Eliminated laminate flooring and wove the unique flooring from the eating room into matching hardwood within the kitchen.
- Put in new perimeter cupboards and black granite counters, plus a kitchen island with a soapstone countertop.
- Relocated the again door.
Our kitchen “glow-up”
Now that our kitchen is sufficiently old to drive, it felt like a great time for just a little refresh.
So we changed the backsplash and the pendant lights to offer the room just a little enhance with out spending a complete lot of cash.
Hello! I am Sally, a registered dietitian and mother.
I imagine that EVERY mother can really feel profitable and assured about feeding her children. Be a part of my subscriber neighborhood and I am going to ship you my greatest kid-tested recipes.
