Nifty Blogger Tips

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The Healthy Tipping Point book is organized around 53 tips for creating a stronger, happier you (one tip for each week of the year plus a bonus one).  Some of the tips are practical – like how to create your own non-stick cooking spray – and others are more philosophical – like how to stop beating yourself up over tiny mistakes. 

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You can buy the HTP book on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million, Indie Bound, or iTunes.

 

In honor of little ideas that can make a big difference, I thought I’d link to seven tips from bloggers – plus one tip from me.  These tips aren’t necessarily life-changing (well, I think my sock bun hair trick is pretty damn cool) but are definitely handy and fun.  I can’t tell you how often I do something and say, “I learned how to do that on such-and-such blog!”

 

Overnight Oats from Kath Eats.  Tasty oatmeal with no cooking involved.  Very tasty and very easy.

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A Tofu Tutorial from Daily Garnish.  This tutorial illustrates how to make crispy pan-fried tofu – a very basic recipe that you can easily mix up with different marinades and spices.

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The Ol’ Switcheroo from Ray and Jen.  I’m in love with this closet organization method that I’ve seen on multiple blogs because it basically requires no work – just a little time.  To start, you turn all your hangers backwards and, after wearing them, put them back in the closet with the hangers facing the right way.  After six months, it will be easy to identify which items you haven’t worn through multiple seasons and should donate.

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Smoothie ice cubes from Side of Sneakers.  This simple tutorial shows you how to make the smoothie ‘base’ into ice cubes, drastically cutting down on the time and prep work involved in making daily smoothies. 

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Nut butter parsnip fries from Oh She Glows.  A totally delicious recipe that puts a tasty and healthy spin on your regular French fry.

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River Rock Boot Trays from Dollar Store Crafts.  My buddy Nicole actually did this craft and the shoe tray looks so cute near her front door.

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The Sock Bun Top Knot from me, Healthy Tipping Point.  This hair trick – which involves wrapping your hair around a sock – was passed down from my mother to me and now to you!

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How to freeze soup flat.  I originally read about this method way back in 2008 on Kath Eats – to freeze homemade soup for later, fill up large Ziploc bags, lay them flat on cookie sheets, and place in freezer.  Here’s a helpful step-by-step breakdown of the process.

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Your turn!  Smile  I’d love to know what tips you’ve learn from blogs – healthy living, crafty, organizational, etc.

{ 52 comments }

 

  • Kelly August 7, 2012, 8:42 am

    The Fitnessista’s Protein Pancakes are the BEST thing I have learned from in the blog world. They are amazing and I have used them as a base to add all kind of flavor combinations.

  • Mackenzie August 7, 2012, 8:42 am

    Instead of letting fresh ginger go bad – peel it and blend it in a blender with a little bit of water. Freeze in ice cube trays and thaw as you need some fresh ginger!!

    • Reenie August 7, 2012, 11:31 am

      I also read on a blog….. to do the same for basil, rosemary (whatever herb you have) but freeze them in olive oil ~ in the ice trays. Then you can take them out when frozen and put them in baggies. Easy to grab when you are cooking.

      I found some cute small ice-trays at Target in their dollar bins.

      • Heidi August 7, 2012, 12:38 pm

        My life is complete. 🙂

  • Mel August 7, 2012, 9:01 am

    I love overnight oats! Do you think it would work as well if I used regular yogurt as opposed to Greek yogurt (there isn’t any where I live unfortunately!)? I would also have to say Green Monsters were another great blog find- not sure who patented that idea though! My best friend liked them so much she gave a ‘how to’ presentation on them for her speech class. I also discovered the wonders of quinoa from all the healthy living blogs I read.

    • Lauren August 7, 2012, 9:40 am

      Regular yogurt totally works!

      • alli August 7, 2012, 10:38 am

        agree! also, you can strain regular yogurt to produce a thicker-greek style- type yogurt!

  • Vikki August 7, 2012, 9:10 am

    This one wasn’t from a blog (it was from a frequent camper), but it is really a great tip and should be on a blog in my opinion. When you pack for a trip, pack your outfits in individual gallon ziploc bags. Squeeze the air out of them to save space in your suitcase. After you wear them, put them back in the same ziploc bag. When the trip is over, the dirty and clean clothes are still separate. I thought it was a nifty trick.

    • Sarah August 7, 2012, 11:40 am

      Oh good one! I absolutely hate it when my dirty clothes touch my clean clothes in a suitcase. This would totally solve that! Thanks!

    • Blair August 7, 2012, 12:07 pm

      I learned this when packing for a Ragnar relay. It was a great tip to keep all my sweaty clothes separate!

    • Jen @ The Well Read Fish August 18, 2012, 5:15 pm

      I like this idea but think that’s a lot of plastic waste. (I know, I sound like a west coast hippie).

  • Courtney @ Brussel Sprouts and Beer August 7, 2012, 9:10 am

    I also feel like I learn so much from other blogs. My favorite thing I have learned would be how to roast brussel sprouts without burning them. Now, I eat them all.the.time!

  • Ellen August 7, 2012, 9:17 am

    The river rock boot tray is an awesome idea, but not so great when you have a toddler. Rocks would be EVERYWHERE!

    • Christina August 7, 2012, 9:38 pm

      haha, that is EXACTLY what I thought when I saw that! Super cute but wouldn’t work for us for a few more years at least! 🙂

  • Brandi@StringCheeseRunner August 7, 2012, 9:18 am

    I don’t have any tips I can think of off the top of my head, but I’ve done the hanger thing and it is really awesome. I actually just donated three bags of clothing just by doing that!

  • Heather August 7, 2012, 9:25 am

    Thanks for the shout out! Isn’t it funny how the simplest tricks really can make a difference? I’m all for the sock bun. 😉

  • Angela @ Eat Spin Run Repeat August 7, 2012, 9:39 am

    These are such great tips! I have to say, I’ve learned a LOT from blogs, especially your sock bun trick! I love the idea of making the smoothie cubes. I’m checking that one out for sure!

  • Lauren August 7, 2012, 9:42 am

    Can’t wait to try sock bun! My favorite quick tip is ice coffee and milk cubes for quick iced coffee and lattees.

    • Donna October 5, 2012, 1:54 pm

      Works for Iced teas too!

  • Michelle @ Eat Move Balance August 7, 2012, 9:46 am

    My favorite tips from blogs have been: how to make and use a chia egg, using dates as a sweetener, and recipes that use a slow cooker (I don’t know why it took me so long to embrace the slow cooker!).

  • Haley August 7, 2012, 9:53 am

    I have no idea where I learned this, but it has been my best friend for a while now – before you chop an onion, put it in the freezer for 5-10 minutes. This keeps the onion from releasing the enzymes that make you cry when you cut into them. It really works!

    • Hayley @ Running on Pumpkin August 7, 2012, 11:26 am

      Really?! I honestly refuse to chop an onion because my eyes will be burning for almost an hour. I have someone else do it for me and I have to leave the room (not kidding!) I’m going to try this 🙂

      • Heidi August 7, 2012, 12:41 pm

        Genious!

      • Haley August 7, 2012, 1:42 pm

        Yeah really! My eyes used to burn and tear up SO bad – I couldn’t see a thing – and it works great for me!

        • Reenie August 7, 2012, 2:59 pm

          Thx ~ I’m going to try that. I’ve always wondered on the cooking shows…..why do none of them ever cry/eyes water when they are chopping an onion. I’ve never seen any of the chefs w/watery eyes. I too have to walk in the other room and grab a damp washcloth for my eyes. HA!

          • Sam September 6, 2012, 3:33 pm

            Try a matchstick between the teeth– or a spoon, fork or knife.

    • Stephanie C August 7, 2012, 3:01 pm

      I’ll second this! I refuse to cut onions unless there is enough time to put them in the freezer, otherwise it’s tear-city.

  • Alex @ Healthy Life Happy Wife August 7, 2012, 10:18 am

    I love the soup freezing flat idea! So great! Random tip: if you have a mosquito bite you can’t stop scratching, but a piece of tape over it. Stops itching! Weird but true!

  • Amanda August 7, 2012, 10:25 am

    I’d have to say it was something from your blog: The Diva Cup! There are some clever people in the world…

  • Michelle @ A Healthy Mrs August 7, 2012, 10:33 am

    Great tips! I love compilation posts like this — great info all in one handy spot!

  • Katie @ Talk Less, Say More August 7, 2012, 10:33 am

    I feel like I’m constantly sharing cool things I learned from blogs to other people. One of my favorites is definitely the banana soft serve. I always frozen bananas for smoothies but taking it a step further to make soft serve that requires nothing other than the bananas themselves (plus any toppings you want to add) is awesome!

  • Ali August 7, 2012, 10:37 am

    I learned to freeze soup in muffin tins and then pop them out and store in freezer bags for quick, individual portions of soup on demand! I use the same method for everything…chicken, pasta, casseroles…it’s amazing!

  • Kelly August 7, 2012, 10:44 am

    I have recently fallen in love with the blog http://www.iheartorganizing.blogspot.com … If you go to the “project gallery” your life will change forever. I really can’t even pin point one tip from this blog it’s all amazing!! Maybe one thing is her love of wrapping paper to beautify the inside of drawers, the backs of shelving units, or to completely breath new life into something like a used tissue box or soup can for cheap, green, and beautiful storage!!

    • Haley August 7, 2012, 2:08 pm

      Thanks for sharing the link – I love it!

      • Lauri August 7, 2012, 4:33 pm

        This blog is amazing!

  • Jack Sh*t August 7, 2012, 10:46 am

    Here’s a tip if you have old mushy bananas: go to the store and buy some new fresh bananas!

  • Amanda Hollenbaugh August 7, 2012, 10:47 am

    Depending on how you organize your shirts, I’ve got another tip. My husband keeps his shirts in color order (by rainbow order, of course lol…also, they’re mostly t shirts). When I put the red shirts with the red shirts, and the orange with orange, etc, I always put the just washed clothes in the front (left hand side) of the stash. Then after six months or so, I just take the ones from the back (right hand side) of each color. I just make note of what I’ve seen him wear in the past few months so I know how far left I can keep pulling.

  • Liz @ Tip Top Shape August 7, 2012, 10:56 am

    Love this post! So many great tips 😀

  • Christine @ BookishlyB August 7, 2012, 11:36 am

    I have tried so hard to conquer the sock bun with no luck so far- I’ll have to give your tutorial a shot.

  • Jessica @ New Girl, New City August 7, 2012, 12:22 pm

    Most everything I eat on a regular basis, I learned from the blogs.. oiaj, overnight oats, whipped banana oats, green monsters, yogurt messes… thank God for blogs!

  • Annette@FitnessPerks August 7, 2012, 12:42 pm

    I like freezing foods in ice trays –leftover broth, herbs, lemon + water. LOVe the idea of the smoothie trick!

    Great tips!

  • Heidi August 7, 2012, 12:49 pm

    this is a little OUT THERE…but I thought it was interesting that I just came across recently:
    (for those of us who have been raped, can appreciate this new genious anti-rape device!)

    It’s called, Rape-aXe.

    http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-20008347-10391704.html

    A South African doctor has created a female condom that puts teeth in the fight against rape.

    Literally.

    The anti-rape condom, called “Rape-aXe,” features rows of jagged hooks designed to attach to a man’s penis during penetration. Once attached, the condom can only be removed by a doctor – hopefully when authorities can arrest him, Dr. Sonnet Ehlers, the condom’s designer, told CNN.

    “It hurts, he cannot pee and walk when it’s on,” she said. “If he tries to remove it, it will clasp even tighter… however, it doesn’t break the skin, and there’s no danger of fluid exposure.”
    (Source: CBS)

  • Ellen @ Wannabe Health Nut August 7, 2012, 1:40 pm

    This is so much fun! I would totally rock the Sock Bun if I had enough hair. 🙂

    I have yet to master KathEat’s overnight oats, but I am not giving up! I’m going to pass the Tofu Tutorial on to some of my health coaching clients, and well, the Smoothie Ice Cubes have opened my eyes to a whole new world of possibilities.

    Here’s my tip to making a thicker, creamier smoothie: Freeze bananas WHOLE with the peel on. Then take it out and let it get soft and a little mushy. Peel and put back into the freezer to harden in a Ziploc bag or other container. It seems a little weird, but I came across this “trick” on accident and it really makes a difference in my smoothies!

  • ash August 7, 2012, 1:55 pm

    I love these tips! Overnight oats was life changing!!! 🙂

  • Lauri August 7, 2012, 4:26 pm

    My closet has enough room to hang clothes and several bars on which to hang them, but no good place to store purses. i saw on a blog somewhere the idea to hang purses to the bar using shower curtain rings. I don’t think I found it here but here’s the idea – I used the hooks that snap all the way shut so i don’t have to worry about the purses falling off…It doens’t work or clutches but I stuffed the clutches into other purses that do hang.

    http://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/organizing/storage-ideas-00100000066140/page3.html

  • Heather - Dollar Store Crafts August 7, 2012, 6:21 pm

    Thanks for featuring Dollar Store Crafts! I use the sock bun all the time – best mom hair ever! And I totally want to try the overnight oats.

  • Robin August 7, 2012, 7:22 pm

    Your suggestion to serve pasta and other veggies on top of greens was great. I do it all the time now!

  • Sam @ Better With Sprinkles August 7, 2012, 9:02 pm

    Te best thing I’ve learned from blogs: how many delicious things can be made in the microwave in mugs. 🙂 Both of the healthy, high protein variety and the I-just-want-some-chocolate-cake-right-this-second variety.

  • Josephine August 15, 2012, 3:55 am

    This is great! That darn hanger thing is so simple! I’ve been trying to figure out for a year how to track my clothes – all I came up with was pictures of putting a bead on my hangers after use.

  • Jen @ The Well Read Fish August 18, 2012, 5:19 pm

    Green Smoothies, Overnight Oats, and freezing bananas are the top on my list. But I’ve really found so many changes to foods – simple adjustments, alternatives, etc to make things healthier. I totally credit blogs with this change in my life.

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