Less Mess, More Yes

A Sweet (But Not Sinful) Treat

By Kellie Fournier of Sterilite Corporation

It can be tough when you are no longer able to have dairy products, and you’re trying to maintain a clean eating lifestyle. It is especially hard during the summer when all my boys want is ice cream, it’s super fun watching them eat this delicious frozen treat (can you sense my sarcasm?). So I headed to Pinterest in search of “nice” creams to help tame my sweet tooth. Who knew you could create such satisfying treats that mimic the creamy goodness of ice cream with only a few healthy ingredients?

Here are two of my favorite recipes so far – Coffee Nice Cream and Strawberry Nice Cream. I have found that each of these recipes are delicious eaten either immediately after blending or after being stored for a few days! I stored both the Coffee and Strawberry Nice Creams in Sterilite’s Ultra·Seal™ 8.3 Cup Rectangle food storage container.
Now I want you to brace yourselves for how hard these recipes are and for the overwhelming amount of ingredients that go into these nice creams. :)

Dairy Free Coffee Ice Cream Recipe – adapted from My Crazy Good Life

Ingredients:


3-4 Sliced frozen bananas (I used 4 medium sized)
¼ cup of very strong espresso coffee – at room temp
honey/sugar (I used a packet of Truvia) – sweeten the espresso to your liking, but remember to a use a little more than you normally would because the cold dulls the sweetness.
½ tsp vanilla extract (if you can find coffee extract – MCGL prefers this over the vanilla)

Instructions:

1. Brew coffee – add sweetener of choice.
2. Let it cool.
3. In a food processor or high-speed blender, add the frozen  bananas, coffee and vanilla extract. Blend until smooth and creamy. (This can take up to 5 minutes.)
   
   
   
   
4. Store in Sterilite’s Ultra·Seal™ 8.3 Cup Rectangle food storage container.
5. Freeze for an hour.
   
   
   

Dairy Free Strawberry Ice Cream Recipe – adapted from Wholefully

Ingredients:


3-4 Sliced frozen bananas (I used 4 medium sized)
2 cups frozen whole hulled strawberries
2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. In a food processor or high-speed blender, add the frozen bananas, strawberries and vanilla extract. Blend until smooth and creamy. (This can take up to 5 minutes)
   
   
   
2. Store in Sterilite’s Ultra·Seal™ 8.3 Cup Rectangle food storage container.
3. Serve immediately or take back to the freezer.
   
   
   

These have been my staples for the last couple of weeks, and I couldn’t be happier! I will be trying a new recipe next week, and I’m sure will be just as yummy – Chocolate Peanut Butter Nice Cream! 

Whether you have a dairy allergy or you’re trying to live a “clean” life-style, there are so many recipes available to help you stay on track! I hope you enjoy the nice creams as much as I have, and I’d love for you to share your favorite clean and dairy-free recipe!

Get Down with Vinyl!

By Kevin Guimond of Sterilite Corporation

It’s Here to Stay


Spotify, Sound Cloud and Pandora – you’ve probably heard of these music streaming services that continue to grow at a rapid pace. In contrast, physical media sales continue to dwindle, with one glaring exception – vinyl. In fact, vinyl record sales have grown for 11 straight years and in 2016 alone, vinyl record sales topped 13 million units! With sales booming, even Sony announced that they are getting back into vinyl production in 2018.

The vinyl trend is being driven by a wide range of listeners from Millennials to Baby Boomers, and artists from all genres and generations are catching on and are releasing their albums on vinyl. You may recognize the artist Twenty One Pilots, who has not one, but two of the best-selling vinyl albums of 2016. They join other greats like The Beatles, Fleetwood Mac, Prince and Miles Davis on this list. Check out the link above to see if your favorites made it!

Yes, I’m part of the growing trend and have a few of the most popular albums in my collection, such as Fleetwood Mac’s “Rumours.” I can see why it’s a top vinyl album with some of the band’s most popular songs “Go Your Own Way,” “Dreams” and my favorite, “The Chain.” Other great records within my collection include Styx’s “The Grand Illusion,” ABBA’s “Greatest Hits,” a unique live album from the legendary Elvis Presley, and many more. I feel fortunate to enjoy the experience of the warmer sound that fills the room, even with the occasional crackling noises which I feel add a level of texture to the overall nostalgic experience.


Store and Protect Them

With the investment my family has made in timeless vinyl records, I wanted to make sure to store them efficiently and keep them preserved. Here are my solutions:
Sterilite’s 64 Quart Latching Box stores the albums perfectly! The Latching Box lid and latch ensures my records are stored safely and prevent damage. It not only fits the many records my family currently owns, but there is space for plenty more. This Latching Box is ideal for those who have a large collection of records. Should you have enough to fill one box, you can securely stack a second on top without concern for damage. As you build your own collection, you can organize your stored albums and label by genre, year or even chronologically. Have fun and enjoy separating your country albums from rock, the 60s from the 2000s, or even ABBA from ZZ Top.


Sterilite’s File Crate is a good solution for those who have a smaller collection. In addition to handles that make it extremely portable, it provides ease of access to your albums. So if you’re just starting to form your collection or have a more limited selection of music that you like to listen to, this is your ideal solution.


I hope you’ll find these tips helpful whether you’re new to vinyl or a long-time listener. Rock on!