The Best Tips & Hacks to Keep Your Car Clean and Organized

This post is sponsored by Reedman Toll Auto Group.

Most of us have a bag for trash, maybe even something to organize our paperwork in glove box. But there’s quite a few products – and hacks – to help keep your car clean and organized – no matter how messy it’s been in the past.

This is one of my favorite products to use for your car – and honestly this would make a great Father’s Day gift. This car seat gap organizer not only keeps your stuff from falling in the cracks – but also will hold your stuff. My favorite thing to put in these are my shades, my phone, and a pen and sticky note pad.
It also catches the loose change you drop, that fry that always falls from your bag and just grows into your cars carpet, and they are easily removed and wiped out.

If you are a woman, you’ve experienced the dreaded purse flop into the backseat. It’s the worst especially if you are traveling and are stopping at the drive-thru for another cup of coffee. This mesh front seat cargo holder not only keeps your purse from falling into the floor, but can hold your water bottle, box of tissues, or anything else you don’t want falling all over the place.

The trunk is always hard to keep organized; I keep my emergency kit along with a blanket, and some other “we might need” items , and sometimes it gets in the way with grocery pick up, or the kids throwing their stuff in the back. I picked up one of these car trunk organizers and it fits everything! It also folds down for when you need the whole truck area to move something.

One of my biggest pet peeves regarding having a clean car, is the cup holders. They always seem to be dirty, no matter what. A good hack for keeping them clean, is silicone cupcake liners. Put them in each cup holder in your car, and that way as soon as they are dirty you switch them out and put them in the dishwasher – and TADA! Clean cup holders all the time!

Seat hooks are another great investment for being organized in your vehicle – it can hold groceries, purses, coats, whatever you don’t want smashed to the ground and dirty shoes all over it.

A holder for the headrest for a tablet/iPad, not only keeps things organized, but keeps the kids busy on road trips! You don’t necessarily want to hand an expensive iPad to a 3 year old, so having it on the headrest like a built-in T.V.

Another favorite is the stash away car trash can. Its better than a grocery bag for garbage, and it holds other items as well (think sunscreen, tissues, ibuprofen) .

Another favorite – portable car vacuum. Talk about getting things cleaned up in a jiffy. I love it because we have a tendency to let messes go and we will ‘get to them later’, but with a vacuum just under your seat, or in the trunk, you can sweep out your vehicle at any time (even your lunch break!)

Have an old empty gum container laying around? Use it for all that loose change! You can put it in a cup holder, in the pocket of your mesh cargo holder, or in pocket of your stash away trash can. Either way you can easily reach for change for those tolls, or when you need that extra dime for your lunch.

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Mexican Street Corn Macaroni Salad

This Mexican Street Corn Macaroni Salad is a tasty twist on your traditional macaroni salad for your summer cookouts. Mexican Street Corn is one of my favorite ways to eat corn, so giving it this fun twist makes it even better!

 

Prep: 10 minutes | Cook: 15 minutes | Total: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

2 15 oz. cans corn, drained or kernels cut from  4-5 ears of fresh corn on the cob

1 ½ cups elbow macaroni, uncooked (certified gluten free if necessary)

¼ cup red onion (can sub with green onion)

⅓ cup chopped cilantro leaves

1 jalapeno, seeds and stems removed, minced

½ cup cherry tomatoes, quartered

½ cup black beans

½ cup queso fresco cheese, crumbled

1 large avocado, seed removed, chopped

 

Sauce:


½ cup mayonnaise

Juice of 1 lime

½ teaspoon chili powder

¼ teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon hot sauce (I used Sriracha with good results)

Pinch of cumin

Himalayan pink salt and pepper to taste

 

Boil a medium pot of water and cook pasta until al dente according to package directions. Drain and rinse in a colander under cold water. Set colander over a bowl and allow the pasta to continue to drip dry while preparing next steps.

Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. After skillet is completely heated through (about 5 minutes), add half of the corn so it’s in a single layer. Allow it to slightly char, about 5 minutes. Then, brown the remainder using the same process.

Place the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until smooth and combined. Taste and adjust spices if necessary.

In a large bowl, add cooled and dry pasta, charred corn, onion, cilantro, jalapeno, tomatoes, black beans, cheese and fresh avocado. Pour on dressing and toss to combine. Immediately serve.

*If preparing this salad in advance, add dressing and fresh avocado immediately before serving.

*Also, I would not sub the mayo for anything else. I tried plain Greek yogurt and it doesn’t work well!

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Slow Cooker Asian Lettuce Wraps

 

Ingredients

Ingredients (2)

  • 1 pound ground chicken
  • 1 red bell pepper chopped fine
  • 1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped

In Process 4 (1)

  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 1/2 cup hoisin sauce
  • 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly cracked pepper
  • 4 oz. sliced water chestnuts, finely chopped
  • 1 cup cooked rice
  • 3 scallions, thinly sliced
  • 1 head Bibb, Romaine or iceberg lettuce

Directions:

Cook ground chicken in microwave or stove until chicken is no longer pink, 3-5 minutes. Drain off liquid and transfer mixture to slow cooker. Crumble chicken and stir in bell pepper, onion, garlic, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, ginger, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper. Cover and cook on low until chicken is tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Stir in water chestnuts, rice and scallions. Let sit until heated through, about 5 minutes. Serve with lettuce leaves  Enjoy!

slow_cooker_asian_chicken_Lettuce_Wraps

 

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The Perfect Gift Guide for the Captain Marvel Fan

So I am totally a pro at this one guys – my daughter is Captain Marvel obsessed. She had her birthday right before Captain Marvel came out, so I scrounged the internet for the best Captain Marvel gifts I could find – and I wanted to share it with you!

This Captain Marvel Tervis Tumbler with lid would be a hit – this one comes in a 16 oz., but they also have a really cool one with her mohawk it come in a stainless steel 24 oz tumbler.

This Captain Marvel Bracelet is absolutely GORGEOUS and would be a perfect gift for any Captain Marvel fan in your life!

This Loungefly wallet is freakin’ awesome too. I got it for my daughter for Easter and she fell in love with it, and the purse that goes with it!

And I don’t care if you are a kid or an adult, EVERYONE’s gotta’ take a lunch to work now and again right? This lunchbox is awesome, and I’m half tempted to order it for myself.

I’m a big key chain fan, and I love the pewter key chains (I have several from vacation spots, they last forever!) So obviously I love the Captain Marvel pewter key chain. This would be a great add on gift – or for the stockings at Christmas!

You can never go wrong with clothing items, like a Higher, Further, Faster t-shirt, or even a aviator jacket (which I now have on my wishlist!)

A few more must have’s , if you don’t own a Pop Socket yet – WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? I’m not sure how I ever held my phone before lol. This Captain Marvel one would go well with a Captain Marvel phone case! This makes a great gift for anyone of any age that loves a hero!

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How To Determine A Quality Grocery Store

People go grocery shopping all the time. You buy new things, and before you know it, you need to purchase them again. Food is something that can’t stay put. We constantly eat, so a lot of things need to be repurchased. Grocery stores are the perfect spot to locate fresh fruit, vegetables, and other types of food.

Luckily they are very convenient and easy to locate. Chances are that a store like that is located around your neighborhood. You can quickly go out, walk a very short distance, and buy everything you need from it. Before you know it, you’re home once again preparing a good meal for the entire family.

However, not all stores have the same quality ingredients. It is advisable that you ask around for preferences before you head on to buy something. Some are too small, and people usually don’t buy a lot of stuff from them because they don’t have much to offer. On the other hand, bigger ones have a broader selection of ingredients that you can buy and use to cook meals. Click on the link to find out more http://www.cooking2thrive.com/blog/what-makes-a-grocery-store-great/.

By now, you must have a favorite grocery that you frequently visit to shop. Everyone does. In which supermarket you enter depends on your preference. But some facts determine the quality of a store. Some things attract people more to a particular grocery store than others. Here are some of the most interesting ones:

Bigger Space

Our brains are designed to function in a particular way. If we enter a store and see how big it is, it immediately intrigues us. With such a vast area, we are tempted to search it almost entirely. You would be probably thinking that there are a lot of products there that other shops don’t have. Sure, you can waste a lot more time in there than in a smaller one, but at least you get to see all the options that it offers.

And sometimes you just want to spend time looking at various products and deciding to buy something that wasn’t even on the shopping list. If you’re the type of person who likes wasting time in grocery stores, then the bigger ones are perfect for you.

A more full area means more choices and decisions. Let’s say that you’re in a different country that has a different culture and tradition. Entering a large store in a state like that only broadens your curiosity. You would want to find anything out of the ordinary or something that is not produced in your own country. Then when you head home, you can use it for cooking specialties. The selection of products is, and you wouldn’t know where to look first.

Organization and display

It’s not just about having a lot of products, it is how they are arranged and placed. A quality store needs to have an island, square and wall tables as well as orchard bins. They are the display tables where a lot of fresh ingredients are put. From fruit to vegetables, you can witness a variety of color placed on highly practical display tables.  Moreover, the tables serve as a way to organize all the other ingredients and products, as well as to give the grocery a specific look. First impressions always count.

Let’s say that you own a store. You would want customers to visit and shop all the time and as frequently as possible. Who owner wouldn’t? Therefore, the grocery must look organized to attract more people. Every quality store needs a perfect display setting that will immediately attract people’s attention. With this, you enhance your customer’s shopping experience. They will be back before you know it to shop again. For more details about the display, tables check out Lemontree products among others to find the best option. This can come in real handy if you plan to open one in the first place.

Polite and helpful employees

The employees of the store need to be at disposal at all times. Someone might not be able to find a particular ingredient, and there should always be someone from the employees to help them out. Employees should also be polite to customers because this will attract more of them. More customers are always good for business. If you’ve experienced a similar situation, then you know that you’re shopping from a quality store.

On the other hand, a lot of time employees are discontent about something, and they take it out on the customers. This can either cost them their job or the loss of a customer. Be sure to notice stuff like that. You deserve to be helped and treated with respect. After all, it’s your money, and the shop’s success depends on it.

On the other hand, if the employees are beneficial, then you will surely come back again to shop for ingredients. Also, you can recommend the store to other people. They will surely thank you for it.

The freshness of the products

Another crucial thing is that you get fresh products for the money you give to the cashiers. Some grocery stores are, and there are a lot of products placed in them. This doesn’t mean that employees shouldn’t check the expiration date as often as they can. After all, they get paid for doing that. Unfortunately, sometimes they miss something, and you can end up buying an expired product. If this happens, make sure to return the item and have it replaced with a new and fresh one. Click here for more.

The same goes for fruit and vegetables. Make sure that the items are colorful and fresh instead of brownish and incredibly soft. For example, if a banana is no longer bright yellow but brown, it tells you that the fruit has been there for a while and clearly no one has gotten rid of it. This shouldn’t happen in quality grocery stores. They should always display fresh ingredients so that people can enjoy eating them without feeling that something is wrong with them.

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