Do you live in a tiny house? Or would you like to someday?
Our family of 5 has been living in a 300-square-foot tiny house for almost 3 months.
I expected to love living in a tiny house. And I did, as soon as we moved in! Even our teenagers love it.
I didn’t expect to be taught anew how to love well in small ways, in small spaces.
What do I mean? Given that we aren’t distanced by a large house, we are more often confronted with opportunities to scoot over, back up, move in, or step aside. In other words, to be kind and gracious to one another.
How To Cook Real Food In A Tiny House
Cooking Real Food has received a similar transformation — it has condensed all I know about cooking for a family into more efficient truths, lived out every day, every week.
So here’s how we’re cooking Real Food in our tiny house…
Tip #1 — Batch Cooking!
Are you familiar with batch cooking? If you aren’t familiar with it, it simply means to choose 1 to 2 days a week to cook larger portions or pre-prepare foods. This makes them easier to grab and serve throughout the busy week.
Many of us already practice this advice! It does make the week run more smoothly.
So what does batch cooking look like in a tiny house?
I cook up several pounds of chicken each Sunday. I usually choose a whole chicken to roast for Sunday dinner so I can make bone broth from the carcass during the week. At the same time, I bake about 3 pounds of chicken drumsticks — great for easy lunches! — and boneless, skinless thighs which work well sliced on top of a big salad for dinner.
On Sundays, I also make an egg-free baked good for my son who can’t eat eggs. This little treat goes alongside sausages or bacon for his week’s breakfasts, and makes my life sooo much easier!
When Monday rolls around, I make high-protein waffle batter for the whole week. I keep it in a quart-size canning jar in the fridge, where it doesn’t take up a lot of space, so it’s easy to grab and make into a quick, healthy breakfast.
To avoid big kitchen productions continually throughout the week, once or twice I open up our fold-down dinner table and spread out all of my baking sheets and pans. Then I carefully store what I’ve made so that it fits in our half-size fridge.
There are more examples I could give, but you get the idea!
Tip #2 — Paring Down Kitchen Appliances & Gadgets
What to keep and what to give away?
I gave away a lot of kitchen tools — and actually loved the process of getting rid of less-necessary items, lightening our load, keeping only the invaluable.
So, what remained when all was said and done?
My Instant Pot! I use it weekly for bone broth, hard-boiled eggs, and for making soup without heating up our house during the summer months.
I also kept (with tightly clenched fists 😉 ) my waffle iron! This is my favorite kitchen tool. I love making waffles for breakfast because they don’t need to be monitored or flipped like pancakes. So easy (and delicious).
The final item I kept? My blender. It’s big, but it’s worth the space it takes up… kind of like teenagers! 🙂
What did we give up?
A dishwasher! We tried a small one out for a while, yet all of us decided we prefer hand-washing in a tiny house. Not a meal goes by when we don’t wash and clean up completely. So the kitchen stays sparse and neat after every meal.
I also gave up my clunky Cuisinart food processor. I am looking for a little one though — mostly for pastry dough.
We also gave away our salad spinner, Crock Pot, toaster oven, and lots and lots of small pots and pans and gadgets that filled drawers in our old home.
Working Hard In A Tiny House…
A few years ago I worked with an energy practitioner. My job was to teach her clients about healing food protocols like the GAPS Diet. Her job was to work with them on breathing and movement techniques to complement their healing process.
An architect friend of hers designed homes for clients, incorporating her concepts into their living spaces. The purpose? To increase clients’ range of motion each to day. To increase movement!
The architect accomplished this by designing homes in such a way as to require reaching up, reaching down, reaching in, squatting, and twisting, more like the lifestyle of primitive, traditional cultures.
This kind of movement promotes wellness, in contrast to the more stagnant lives that many modern families live.
For example, most American homes orient kitchens so the appliances and dishes are easy to grab. Counter tops have cubbies where blenders can be pushed forward or backward when in or out of use. This adds convenience.
My husband designed pull-out drawers everywhere in our tiny house — under our cutting board counter and under our couch! There are shelves for dishes behind our kitchen table, which folds up onto the wall like a Murphy bed.
Our counter tops are not deep — there’s no room for cubbies! So instead of lamenting that fact, we lean and reach for items we put away after each use, embracing the extra work.
It brings me so much joy! Does that sound funny?
…To Stay Young
Let me explain… Work is hard. It is labor. This is the reality of the world we live in.
Early in our lives, we feel mild pain as we are forced to exert ourselves to get jobs done. Our parents teach us to persevere through this pain cheerfully.
As adults, we love our rest. But we wouldn’t enjoy our rest without work. We choose, in our spare time, to exercise and garden and help friends.
Choosing to do extra work in one’s home is no different. The purpose? It’s healthier!
I feel delight to put away my Instant Pot after every use. I have to pull out the heavy base of my blender every time I want to use it. I must squat down and reach deep into a shelf to get out my pie plate. All of this is good!
I am 44 years old, staying flexible by necessity but also by choice! I even must climb a ladder to get into our tiny bedroom, then climb a tiny set of stairs to get to our actual bed.
Yes, it’s like playing house. It never ceases to be exciting and fun. The extra work of living small is keeping me young, both in spirit and body.
So that’s what tiny house living, loving, and cooking is like for my family! In a year or so, I’d better write an update to let you know how it’s going all over again and give you a full tour!
Do you live in a tiny house? Do you hope to one day? I’d love to hear!
...without giving up the foods you love or spending all day in the kitchen!
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Megan,
It’s wonderful reading about your Tiny House!
We’re doing something similar in our kitchen (construction starts next week!).
While I loved the idea of having things in an appliance garage our space didn’t leave room for this. Instead we’re using pull out shelves and lesser used items are moving to a pantry in a different area.
I hadn’t considered the benefit of the extra movement we’re gaining! 🙂
Hi Millie,
Thank you!! I will love seeing the progress of your home and hope you share photos!! 🙂
I’ve been intrigued with Tiny Houses for a while. Thanks for sharing your experience!
Thanks, Sandra! You’re welcome!
Loved reading about this. Looking forward to a tour!!!
Okay, will do! 🙂
i loved hearing about your kitchen ,i want to streamline mine too ,i am inspired to clean out and le go of some stuff i dat use
Yes, it feels so good to donate all of these extra dishes and appliances and put away only the best basics! 🙂 Hope you enjoy the process!!
When do we get a post seeing inside the tiny house? 😀
Ha, Raia, right! There are some pics in this short video (https://www.facebook.com/eatbeautiful.net/videos/791971777644331/), of our bed, outdoor patio and main room/kitchen. The house will be finished in about 2-3 months, and then I’ll post more and better ones!…a post with a tour! 🙂 Thanks for asking!
This was so fun to read and helpful! We moved from a big house to a small cabin-like house. We had to give away a lot of things and are still adjusting to the small space. 3 of our kids had already moved out and our last one will be going off to school this fall. Thank you! I’m so glad I found you!
Thank you for sharing, Susan! I hope you keep adjusting and end up loving it!
I hope as you age you will be happy still with the extra movement. I know climbing up n down a ladder would get quickly irritating to me. But I hope to be RV living ASAP. So tiny I do agree with! Im training myself to use very small space for kitchen and using a small fridge. Thats hard as we eat ingredients, not packaged foods. Ingredients take up alot of fridge space. I have to shop often n I dont like that part at all.
My IP can be a crockpot too, yay and my blender stays too, we do smoothies often. My coffeemill gets used for grinding often. My food processor would prob stay too. I even have a dehydrator that gets used too often to lose. Sigh. I need to drag a shed for bks and kitchen tools behind the RV lol I am a bibliophile. Homeschool 🙂
Ah, getting rid of so many books was hard. We did keep a small bookshelf that is overflowing with books, but 6 large overflowing bookshelves full of books were donated. It was so hard.
I can empathize with you from one book loving homeschooling mom to another.
We’ve been in our 5w for 8 months now. I’m sure my books make us over the weight limit for towing but we are stationary on a farm at this moment.
Hi Helen, I agree with you about your point about when we are already aged! More safe and simplified solutions are necessary. The challenge of downsizing and reinventing new ways of living ethically are very satisfying however Aussie Kate
Hi Helene, yes, we have some of these same challenges. I kept this post brief, but we, too, home school and LOVE books. What we have are some outdoor spaces or outbuildings. One of our storage containers is our “library.” Under the gooseneck portion of our trailer we have our washer/dryer and freezer. So we’ve spread out a bit as needed. Regarding fridge items, there is a cold storage space on the farm for items that don’t need to be super cold, like veggies. And as far as the ladder goes, my only goal there is not to fall and break something as I age. 😉 So I’ll have to be mindful of safety issues. But it works great right now, definitely no irritation. 🙂 If we want to as we get older, we can move our bed to a different room. We really like creative solutions and having to be inventive.
Thnks for sharing what it’s like living in one; I watch Tiny House Nation some. Our house isn’t exactly tiny, but last August we moved from 2300 sq ft to 800 sq ft. We wanted to pare down, as we had even run out of attic space (another 2300 sq ft of Stuff! So for the kitchen–I love it! It is much smaller than I had, but everything is easily reached by turning around, or taking just one step.
Thanks for sharing, Cathy! We were in an 860 sq. ft. house before this tiny home. So we, too, transitioned.
We live in a 36 ft 5th wheel with two man sized teen boys and two toddler girls. If at some point we are ever done living in a rv full time, a tiny house is the way I want to go.
Cooking has been interesting with no counter space but you make it work.
I kept our vitamin, juicer, crockpot and bought an instapot. I only use the crockpot in the winter as it heats up the rv too much during the warmer months.
Sounds like a GREAT adventure!!! LOVE it! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
I’ve been looking at tiny houses for awhile wondering if I could live in one – along with my husband. Not sure I could. A real piano is a necessity for me – no keyboards, sorry! they are not the same thing. And I need sewing space. When we were in a smaller house, it was very easy to get irritated because of lack of space. 🙂 And we’ve camped in a tent trailer for many years. But I couldn’t climb a ladder or “crawl” or half-walk around a tiny house bedroom at my age with my infirmities.
But I love looking at the tiny homes, nonetheless! Can we see the inside of yours, please????
Thanks for the post. Also – I don’t see why you would ditch your crockpot!! That would be so handy to have in a tiny home. I wouldn’t give it away. I guess I’m not a good candidate for tiny living. HA! But I would love to see the inside of your tiny home. Can you please post photos?
Best to you!
Linda
Hi Linda,
Thanks for sharing. The only reason I could get rid of my crock pot is because I have an Instant Pot, which is faster, but does the same thing. So I don’t need both. And yes, photos! In about 2-3 months when the house is totally finished (trim, details etc) I will look forward to sharing more! 🙂
Living in a regular-sized house with my husband and 8 children sometimes makes me feel like I live in a tiny house! It’s a continual challenge to make our things fit in the space we have and to clean out what isn’t necessary.
I bet! 🙂
I loved reading your story. I have scaled down some myself. Got rid of the microwave and crockpot. I use my dutch oven for broths, beans, soups, and birria (Mexican style). I kept the taster oven though. Living in the Sonoran Desert means using the large oven as little as possible. I’d like to chuck the juicer as well but that’s my husbands toy although it makes getting greens in my diet possible.
Sounds great, Ursula. We have a storage container where I keep my juicer, for those special occasions when we all want that treat.
Hi Megan, Thank you for the lovely insights into your life! We have been permanently living in our RV for the past 10 years – and we (Hubby and I) love it! I wouldn’t want to live in a conventional home again!
One of the major things that we LOVE about our tiny space, is that it is so easy to keep it warm! We have what is called a “diesel heater” and it heats the whole space, it even has an outlet into our bathroom which blows through our towel rail too – whoo-hooo – and I have a warm toilet seat in winter and we also utilize the bathroom as a “drying room” for unexpected wet clothes and our undies.
Yes, we have also over the years replaced much of our heavy stuff, with lighter, smaller, more convenient ones. I got rid of my big and heavy (although beloved) AMC Classic pots and pans and bought a small stainless steel set as well as a few enamel bowls with lids (which I got as part of a “solar oven” package deal), which serves as pots, mixing bowls and serving dishes and is loved because they take up so little space. I also have two very big and clumsy enamel pots, that I use when Hubby comes home with a good catch of fish, to make pickled fish and fill a few quart jars for later use.
I’m glad you mentioned batch cooking, since I just recently (as in the last 2 weeks) discovered the beauty of it! And although I’m still new to this, I already love the “no cooking days” that it makes possible! Where we would otherwise have resolved to take-aways, we can now reach into the freezer and have something healthy and delicious instead!
Many years ago my mother had a Tupperware “Crisper” – it had a grid in the bottom, you add a tablespoon or two of water and then put the salad leaves on top of the grid and pop it into the fridge – even a wilted salad head came out crispy after a few hours. I found a “microwave rice steamer” that had a similar grid that I’ve used for my salad leaves, but I always lamented that it used so much valuable space in my fridge/drawers. Like you, I also gave away my big salad spinner, but I always lamented it and was seriously considering buying one again. But this is how I have now solved my crisper and salad spinner needs: I always wash all my greens (salad, spinach, swiss chard, all greens etc) immediately when I get home and before I put it away, that way I don’t have to bother when I want to use it. I add a folded dry, paper kitchen towel to the bottom of a zip lock plastic bag (yes, that’s a “Jiffy” is you’re wondering). After washing the leaves, I shake them as dry as they would get and adds it to the zip lock bag and put it in the fridge. As the water drains from the leaves, it dampens the paper towel which in turn keeps the leaves fresh and crisp! Yay! No more big clumsy crispers in my fridge or salad spinners in my drawers and my greens stays fresh, crispy and usable – a double win! Let me know if you have tried it and how it works for you! 😉
The other thing that I find invaluable is my vacuum sealing machine. Instead of filling my small freezer with tubs, I put it in vacuum bags. Even my soup that I batch cooked went into vacuum bags, although I didn’t vacuum them, I only sealed them, but they take so little space and freezes better than when put into a tub. But that is not the only thing that my vacuum sealer get used for! Anything that I need to put away for a while, books, etc, get vacuum sealed. I even have big bags for our winter/summer clothing so that I can put that which is not used away – I let out some of the air, but don’t vacuum it all the way or you will have a lot of ironing to do when you unpack them again! And those small screws and goodies that needs to be stashed somewhere until hubby could get the spares to fix whatever – vacuum seal it – that way it all stays together and takes little space.
I agree, my kitchen utensils are essentials! I use my blender and food processor, together with my citrus juicer the most. I also have a small hand mixer/beater. My dehydrator aren’t used enough to deserve its space, but I’m being lenient on it and don’t want to let it go, since the times when I do use it, it is invaluable.
I don’t use a crock pot either, although I have often wished for one, but now that you mentioned the Instant Pot (or Pressure Cooker as we call it in our part of paradise) is something that I should maybe consider instead.
Regarding clothing: I have a small mix-&-match “capsule wardrobe” (see https://insideoutstyleblog.com/?s=capsule+wardrobe for more info regarding this – this is just a normal link) with HEAPS of scarves to keep things interesting and exciting. I will probably have to lessen my scarves or find another way to store them – haven’t sorted that one out yet (suggestions appreciated) and I think I’m still a bit unwilling to get rid of my beautiful scarves too. 😉
During winter months we have a problem with dampness in our overhead lockers. So I store our clothing in the biggest zip lock (Jiffy) bags that I can find. The additional advantage is that if I pull one or several items out of the locker, it doesn’t mess up the rest of the items and it is easy to put them back again. Hubby decided that he want to keep his socks and undies in normal shopping bags, stuffed into the overhead locker – easy to pull out in order to look for the right pair and to stuff it back in there again.
We learned that “conventional thinking” doesn’t always work in “tiny spaces” – and what works for one person, may not work for another, seeing that we are all different and gloriously unique! 😉
We also only have drawers – yes, all our “floor cupboards” are drawers too. No more standing on hands and knees, trying to see what is in the back on the bottom shelf, since the whole “shelf” (drawer) now pulls out and I can get to everything effortlessly. After a friend saw my drawers, she had her husband install “pull-out shelves” onto their cupboard shelves (same as the ones for kitchen cubbies) so that she have it easier on her injured back.
I also loved your perspective on moving and getting “exercise” in our tiny spaces. 😉 And I have to agree on the opportunities to “be kind and gracious to one another” too. We call it our “excuses to cuddle”. We made our counter tops wider, which means that our walking space is smaller – so if we want to get past each other in that area, it is “hug-time” – and while hugging, we swing around passing to the opposite side. I know it’s not everybody’s cup of soup, but it works for us! 😉
May you continue to discover and enjoy the pleasures and intimacies of living in a tiny space!
Well, what a fun read you provided for me! 🙂 🙂 My favorite reaction to all of your details was when I thought, “No, don’t get rid of any of your scarves!!” Ha. There are things to keep, too. So that’s my suggestion. Scarves are like flowers: the more the better. They are so feminine, pretty, and they make us happy! (And take up very little room.)
I loved reading about your salad crisper idea, a great suggestion. Loved imagining the books getting vacuum sealed! And your warm toilet seat! 🙂
Of course I also loved your “excuses to cuddle.” This is how my husband, Tim, and I roll, too. And lots of snuggles with our youngest, and hugs for the teenagers!
Lots of love and blessings, and again, thank you for sharing your excellent details!
Hi Megan
Thank you for your lovely reply! 😉
LOL! Yes, the vacuumed books doesn’t decrease that much in size, but it does make them solid as a brick, so that I can force them into tiny spaces, without damaging the book. It also keeps the book clean, dry and fresh, should I store it somewhere where a bit of moisture do get to it. I hate it when I pick up a book and it has that “old paper smell” – well, vacuuming it prevents that.
And a BIG thank you for your support in keeping all my lovely scarves – I liked your flower analogy! :-)) I have meanwhile discovered a YouTube channel about hair wrapping and I love it – I think I’ve found a new hobby! (Search “Wrapunzel” on YouTube) So my scarves will definitely stay!
Love and blessings back to you too Meagan! 🙂
A way to store scarves:
I realize I don’t have a complete comprehension of your storage space, but maybe this might work for you. Buy round shower curtain clips and clip several of them onto the straight base of a plastic clothes hangar. Then thread your scarves through each clip. You can hang several lightweight scarves this way on one hangar. For bulkier scarves, just drape 2 or 3 scarves overlapping on the straight base of another plastic coat hangar. Hope this is helpful.
Hi Barb
Only saw your reply today!
Thank you for the great suggestion! I can see how that can work great! I appreciate that you have shared.
My wardrobe space is very limited (and already over filled), so I had to find another space for my scarves. After having tried a few different things that didn’t work so well, I found a few cardboard boxes that is exactly the right size for my folded scarves, which I folded according to the Marie Kondo (KonMarie) method, so that they can stand upright in the box.
After getting rid of things we haven’t used in a few years, and moving around a few things, I had space in a drawer for my scarf boxes. It works great, since I can immediately see all of my scarves as soon as I open the drawer. It is probably not as quick a solution as your clever idea, but I view at as part of my exercise routine. (Oh I liked that Meagan planted that idea in my head – so many things are not a drab anymore – just part of my exercise routine! 🙂 Thanks Meagan!)
By the way, I can highly recommend the KonMarie folding method – all Hubby’s clothes are folded like that in his drawers. It makes it so easy to pick exactly the right item and for the first time (in his life, I think) 😉 his drawers stay neat. And even though he pretends to be unteachable to fold his own clothes (and I let him get away with it – which is worse eh?) 😉 I still regard it as a small sacrifice and a total win to have neat drawers!
Thanks for reaching out Barb!
Love, blessings and sunshine to all!
Your movement-rich house sounds like it was inspired by Katy Bowman. Love her!
Agreed, she has been a great leader in this movement. 🙂
Making kombucha, cultured vegetables takes up space and especially space in the fridge. I also buy a gallon of raw milk every week to week and a half. What about eggs? Veggies? I cannot fathom how a 1/2 size one would work. Would be nice though.
Hi Ellen, I would love to hear what Megan’s thoughts are, but here is my 2c worth. Try asking the question differently, try asking “How can I make it work?” or “What can I do differently to make it work?”
In small fridges your biggest enemy is open space. Thus the space above the container and the shelf above it. Search for containers that can stack up to fill the available space. Or if you can’t find anything suitable, use that space to store (rather stuff) your salad greens (as described in my other post) in a Jiffy/zip lock bag.
Instead of storing the whole gallon of milk in one big container, can you store it in smaller containers that will better fill the space? Maybe ones that can fit one atop another? Or maybe next to each other, with Jiffy bags on top of it? Because I use my vacuum sealing machine extensively, I would probably seal the milk into bags which can either be frozen or used to store on top of other things in the fridge.
Also try to find square containers to fit into your fridge, as it utilizes the space so much better than round containers. In our first RV I had a very small pantry, but I was blessed to find square plastic containers that filled each shelve space properly and it was AMAZING how much I could fit into that little pantry by just transferring everything into those containers, instead of keeping it in its store-bought packaging.
Every person’s circumstances will differ, but look at what others have done and see how you can adapt it to suit your unique and glorious circumstances. Can you install a “drawer fridge” somewhere? (Look for them at RV or camping shops. Shops selling truck/heavy transport vehicle/road train/lorry supplies also has very handy innovations sometimes.) Or can you put a small camping fridge or freezer somewhere else where you can keep stuff that you don’t need everyday? Under a bench maybe? Friends of ours had too little fridge space in their RV and they installed a camping freezer in one of their outside lockers – so they’ve frozen all their additional items and took it out in advance when needed. Not only did it give them more fridge space, but the additional freezer worked much better than the little freezer compartment in their fridge.
With “tiny living spaces” one sometimes really has to think outside the box to find suitable solutions, but that is what makes it fun too! 🙂
Hope it helps!
Hi Ellen, sorry,, I forgot to comment on your question about the eggs.
Once again, everybody’s circumstances will differ, but if you don’t use too many recipes where you need to separate the egg yolk and the white, you can break them all open into a container and mix the eggs. Weigh the container beforehand, add the eggs, then weigh again and subtract the container weight, then divide by the amount of eggs – this is thus the weight of one egg. (Write it down – preferably on the egg container!) Whenever a recipe calls for an amount of eggs, put your mixing bowl on the scale and add the egg mixture to the correct weight.
Eggs stored in this way can be used in almost anything and can even be baked, although it will just be a flat yellow baked egg. Compensate for its lack of visual appeal by baking it in a fancy cookie cutter form. 🙂
Or use a glass to press a hole into a slice of bread. Add the bread to a frying pan and fill the hole with the egg mixture – for egg + toast in one! 🙂
If you plan on using a recipe that calls for egg yolk and egg whites to be separated, keep those eggs whole, but cut the egg carton smaller! You can either just tie your smaller egg carton with a large elastic band, to prevent the eggs from slipping out if handled without caution or put your smaller version inside a Jiffy/zip lock bag, and then tie it over with a large elastic band. If you are keeping 4 eggs whole, cut both ends of the carton and tie both ends of the carton together with an elastic band – so that it will look like a small 4 egg carton. 🙂
An electronic kitchen scale that can be re-set to zero at anytime is a “must have” in tiny living spaces if you ask me.
Many of my recipes I have converted to weight measurements. When I make the recipe, I put my bowl or pot on the scale and before adding each item that the recipe calls for, I zero the scale, so it can weigh the next item, properly measured as called for in the recipe. Example: next to 2 cups of rice, I’ll pencil in how many ounces it weighs, next to 1 tablespoon dried parsley, I’ll pencil in how much it weighs, etc. So that the next time I make the recipe, I can just put the bowl on the scale and tip the rice from the container without having to measure everything by cups or teaspoons. Disclaimer: I haven’t tried this with delicate baking like cakes etc, so I can’t comment on that, although it shouldn’t make a difference.
Hope this helps Ellen!
Hi Ellen, yes, I love what Summerdays said! That’s right: to think outside the box with a bit of twinkle in one’s eye for the appealing nature of adventure and challenge! How CAN we make it work (for the benefits derived)? Each person will find different solutions for their unique situation. For us, we have a cold storage room, that the farm owners had already built and allow us to use. That’s where we keep ferments, the lard we render, and our fresh vegetables. They also have a fridge in their garage where they let us keep 2.5 gallons of raw milk each week, because we only keep 1/2 a gallon in our tiny fridge. So we walk around their property to get or store our things. Another family could provide for themselves an outbuilding with these features. Regarding eggs, we keep them at room temperature whenever we can get them farm fresh, which is most of the time. Thank you for the great questions!
I agree about the small fridge. That would require much more often trips to the grocery store for all the fresh foods we eat. Maybe having the batch cooked meals would help as they might take less space than the raw foods. Will have to do some experiments as I would like to take long vacations in a teardrop trailer.
Yes, experimenting and figuring out what works is part of the fun.
Hi Hank
I only saw your comment now….
Places that do hunting or hiking gear, often also sell compact meals that are freeze dried and you can just add hot water, let it stand for a few minutes and start eating. Disaster preparedness places also have similar types of foods.
Light weight, takes very little space and quick to prepare…
Hope it helps!
Your tiny house is adorable!! I would love to see the inside :). I’m obsessed idea of a tiny house though I don’t think I’ll actually ever own one :/. You never cease to inspire me to try harder to cook well and healthy. It’s not so easy for me to stick with the routine but you make me want to because you can do it in such a smalll space…..I should be able to do it my space too. Looking forward to that update.
Thank you, Happy! 🙂 🙂
I really hope you give us a video tour one day real soon. I would love to see how you function in your new home. LOVE IT.
Okay, will do; thank you! 🙂
My husband is building a 28′ tiny house for our family of 6! We also have eaten the GAPS diet for the last half of a year so I definitely feel a connection to you! So good to read this article as we prepare to change our lifestyle. Thank you.
Yes, so very similar!!! Wonderful! So many blessings, and may you love the life!
I found this an interesting read as we have talked about down sizing to a fifth wheel.
I would love to know what your favorite brand/model of waffle maker is.
Sure, here’s the one I have and love: http://amzn.to/2tk1IE4
Good for you in your tiny house! My husband and I have been living in our tiny house – – a 550 square foot 5th wheel – – for two years now. It took awhile to get used to! It is amazing how much you can actually do without. My biggest challenge is seasonal clothing and kitchen space. Disclaimer: we have a house in Florida where much of our stuff is stored!
Happy tiny house living!
Thank you, Tammy! I should have included a similar disclaimer! We, too, have a storage space right next to our tiny house. It has made the transition possible, as well as seasonal living. Any family who has the means could build a simple outbuilding next to their tiny house for storage of overflow or seasonal items.
Ahhh, now some things makes much more sense! I was wondering about some of the logistics. Since we are traveling and we don’t have anywhere where we can store stuff, we have to keep everything with us in our 30 ft RV – either inside or in the outside lockers. Instead of towing a regular car behind (it is only the 2 of us), we opted to tow a little Suzuki Carry panelvan behind, and use it for additional storage. Just this past week we bought some plastic crates to re-organize the stuff inside the Suzuki, since we found that storing it in carton boxes doesn’t work that well for us.
It is so lovely to read how others are making small spaces work for them – thank you for sharing!
Now let me be off to do some more batch cooking! That is such a great idea Meagan! It is so satisfying to have a delicious home cooked meal, for less effort than to go and buy take-aways – what a winner that is!
Love, light and blessings to all!
Thank you so much for sharing about what you are doing and for all the comments that people have made. We just moved into a 5th wheel and right now I am feeling overwhelmed and discouraged about our eating so your article gave me hope. Please continue sharing your ideas and what you are doing with cooking and storing food items in your tiny space. Also would love to hear how you are dealing with health issues and staying healthy as I am just now trying to figure out how to do a GAPS diet and feeling very discouraged especially in an RV. Thank you so much.
Hi Stacy, I’m sorry you are feeling discouraged and so glad you reached out! Are you getting outside each day? Do you have energy for walks or other outdoor activities? Is it summer where you are? If it’s summer and you feel discouraged you may also need something else to boost you physiologically. Depending on your health, keep in mind that leaky gut often leaves us nutritionally deficient. Supplements like D3 + K2, B12!!, liquid minerals and many others can help to provide encouragement because we may be deficient in them. Of course, sunshine is key. Lots of midday sun really helps to boost the mood! Also, grounding/earthing- being barefoot on the dirt or grass. Logistically, an Instant Pot is key, or a slow-cooker, so you can keep soup and broth easy and almost mess-free. We do go to the market often and find items that don’t need to be refrigerated (many vegetables) to save space in the fridge. My prayer for you would be that you can get your emotions feeling strong enough that the 5th wheel life can become a fun challenge instead of discouraging hurtle. I know from personal experience that nutritional deficiencies can affect one’s mood and partially sabotage the stamina we need for GAPS. Many hugs for joy and perseverance!
Hello!
I’ve so enjoyed reading this article and the comments. (Found through the Traditional Cooking School blogposts) My family of 4 currently lives in a motorhome while waiting for our “stick and brick” home to sell in another state. I follow the Trim Healthy Mama eating plan and through it, am becoming a Purist! I’m eager to try making my own kombucha and other fermented, sprouted, and wholesome foods. Reading your post has inspired me to find a way to make it work now, rather than that elusive “one day”!
P.S. I’m also eager to see your completed tiny home 🙂
How lovely to hear, Cindy! Thank you for sharing! I’ll look forward to sharing a tour, for sure! 🙂
Hi Megan, I’m interested in purchasing your cookbook but have a couple of questions: In my family, I have a diversity of health issues related to food. One family member is gluten free, another who can’t eat nightshades or seeds, and a third who has no food allergies, but is overweight. Are there a sufficient amount of recipes to cater to each family member? Everyone loves desert, but it is elusive in our house due to the dietary restrictions. I am able to cook using alternative grains, and I see your desert recipes are sugar-free, but will this help the overweight family member – I don’t want to cut her off completely.
Hi Margaret, great questions! All of the recipes are gluten-free, many contain nuts; the ones that contain seeds can be interchanged with nuts. But if your family member also can’t eat nuts of any kind it will be too limited for your needs. Regarding the overweight member, yes: there are lots of nutrient-dense recipes, many only lightly sweetened or using stevia or a low-carb sweetener, if that’s helpful. 🙂
I love your article and you have inspired me to get a tiny house