Chaletmomma

Recently an Instagram friend Chrissie Anthony Haim shared the ways she’s moved away from plastic food storage and plastic utensils in her kitchen. If you don’t follow Chrissie on IG you should - not only is she wonderful for taking the time to share these important and very helpful tips and resources but she’s an amazing Interior Designer and gardener. And for me personally she’s a fellow hockey mom!

In the fall of 2023 Chrissie experienced a serious health crisis and needed brain surgery - thankfully more than a year later she’s doing great. But, she has looked at alot of things in her life and knew the microplastics in her home had to go. I watched her Instagram stories weeks ago when she started a series about what she’s using now and bam I had a wake up call!

I pulled all the small plastic food storage and left over take out containers from my cabinet. I reorganized and took stock of what glass Pyrex and glass mason jars we already owned and decided what I needed to fill out my storage needs. Everything is linked - just click on the image.

I purchased this set of 4 glass storage with bamboo lids and silicone seals.

Next I went onto Target and ordered these two Pyrex sets: a 2 cup and a 4 cup. Since we’re a family of 3 and my teenager eats alot we don’t end up with much left overs. My husband made a big batch of stew and I stored it in a full Pyrex lidded set that belonged to my mom from years ago. So these coupled with what I already had should be sufficient.

2 Cup

4 Cup

The next things I looked at were our cooking utensils. We only had a few pieces that were suspect. I decided on this Greenspan set that are BPA free.

The next items Chrissie touched on were cutting boards, scented garbage bags and Non-Stick pans.

Replace plastic cutting boards with wooden here’s a link for a BPA free board from Target. All these man-made scents - garbage bags, air fresheners and candles are actually disruptors - they can take a toll on our bodies - go scent free. Be careful remove all non-stick Teflon coated pans from your home and cook on stainless steel and or cast iron. We already own All-Clad Stainless steel cookware and we also purchased All-Clad PTEF Free non-stick frying pan and my husband loves his cast iron pans also.

We all need to be aware of what cleansers we are using in our home and what we’re using to wash our dishes and clothing. Here’s the image from my Tips page of my cleaning products.

I’ve switched from Dishwasher Pods to liquid. because it’s not clear if the PVA plastic around the dishwasher and laundry pods is truly biodegradable - could these pods be contributing to the over population of microplastics ?!? I’m not sure but, I don’t think they’re a good idea in the Chalet anymore.

I use Earth Breeze for the laundry.

We know there is so much more would could be looking into. Personal Care, Grooming and Make-up! I’m looking forward to continuing to make changes for the betterment of mine and my family’s health.

Til next time friends I’ll see you over on the Gram!

Two dear friends Nicole and Melody came to the Chalet for a luncheon last week. Look it’s like we planned our outfits!

Many of you visit my website and read my posts because you follow me on Instagram and that’s exactly how I met these two wonderful friends. I’ve spent time with each of them before last week. So when I knew the boys would be away at a Hockey Tournament I immediately asked if they’d be willing to drive to the Chalet. Lucky for me they said Yes!

Today I’m sharing how I prepared for their visit. It’s extra fun to entertain when our homes are dressed for the holidays but, no matter what time of year - the most important question I ask any first time visitors to the Chalet is: “Are you allergic to cats?”

After my invitation was accepted in September I planned the menu.

First Course: Pumpkin Soup and a Baguette.
Main Course: Chicken Salad served on a bed of Romain Lettuce.
Side Salad: Diced Cucumber and Grape Tomatoes.
Dessert: Brownies à la mode garnished with Blueberries.

I offered various beverages: Cranberry Juice, Ice Tea, Seltzer and Hot Tea.

The soup was in a jar from Trader Joe’s, The Chicken Salad pre-made from a local market, The Brownies were a mix from Trader Joe’s. Friends I’m not fancy.

Tuukka never moved until the first course was served. I love these little candles with the snowman lids I gifted the ladies.

In the week leading up to the Luncheon I did my regular weekly marketing and I cleaned the Chalet as usual. I also straightened the coat closet ensuring their coats would fit.

*Two Days Before: I went to a local gift store and purchased a party favor - a candle with a snowman on the lid - wanting them to have a little something to remember the day.

*Day Before: I purchased delicious Chicken Salad and a baguette. I baked brownies. I hand-washed dishes, serving dishes, glasses and utensils. I gathered the placemats and napkins. I deeply cleaned the bath and decided to offer both a regular hand towel and holiday themed disposable towels.

*That Morning: I got ready - then I re-cut the flowers, set the table, placed the hand towels and a bottle of hand cream in the bath. The last thing I did was pop the hors d'oeuvres in the oven so they were ready when the gals arrived.

They were here from 11am until 430pm. Such a treasured afternoon!

Never one to let the fun end… one of my besties came over at 6pm and we ordered Pad Thai. After dinner I left only the Christmas Tree and the Mantel lights on - it was super cozy. You can just make out Tuukka in this image enjoying the fire. Unfortunately after staying up until 1am the previous two nights - my lids were super heavy by 10:45pm. It was the end of a magical day.

I truly love to welcome others in.

In 2019 I hosted a monthly Friday Morning Coffee of fellow school moms. They would get their kiddos to the elementary school and pop over around 8:45am - stay for an hour - have a cup of coffee and catch up. It was super casual sometimes I was doing dishes when the gals were walking in the kitchen door. My motto is just leave your shoes by the door and come on it.

These images are from a Mother’s Day gathering and from Christmas Eves.

We host our family on Christmas Eve every year. I will do all the same things I did prepping for the luncheon. I will clean, gather ingredients, make room in the coat closet, hand-wash all the dishes, utensils and any glassware. I will bake a few days before and the day before I will prepare my mother’s famous Crabmeat Dip.

On the day we will serve Crabmeat Dip, hot Hors d'oeuvres, Chopped Chicken Liver Pate’, Shrimp Cocktail, Cheese and Crackers and for dinner Swedish Meatballs, Mashed Potatoes and Greenbean Casserole. We will end with Magic Cookie Bars, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies, and Spice Cake.

Here are some recipes we enjoy!

It certainly doesn’t have to be fancy friends. It’s just about time together! Til next time I’ll see you over on Instagram and here are some additional articles you may enjoy.