Category: Meal Planning & Kitchen Organzing

Scared of your Late Afternoon? Conquer the Witching Hour!

witch hatAround our house, we call the 3pm to dinner-time span the Witching Hour.  I find that time of day the most challenging.  At work, my energy and focus lag in the late afternoon.  At home, the kids arrive home from school hungry, and tired but wired.

We struggle to strike a balance between: warm, welcoming and relaxing; and the business of our lives, dinner, homework and getting back out the door for evening activities.

So, if you find the late afternoon a challenge, too, here are some ideas to make it a little less evil….

  1. Take a moment or two when your energy starts to lag, and refocus your brain and energy.  Assess what you still need to accomplish today, clear out brain clutter, and recommit to getting your tasks done.
  2. If you need a break, take a walk, grab an ice-cold glass of water, and take a few moments of calm.  At work and at home, everyone around you will benefit from a calmer, more-focused you.
  3. Lay out tasty treats.  I was inspired by this after a party, when the kids re-plated on a serving dish veggies and dip, and crackers and cheese after school.  It takes no time to chop some fruit and add a couple of sliced hardboiled eggs and crackers.  I have been trying to reach those recommended 5-9 servings of fruits / veggies a day, and this could help!
  4. Banish the TV and any other screens unless they’re used for homework. For example, computers and IPads for homework purposes are fine, but not for play until the homework is done.  And if the homework is done quickly, send them outside for some exercise or to the family room for some Wii action!
  5. Put your family to work.  Kids of every age can help make dinner, set and clear the table, take out the trash or put laundry away.
  6. Encourage independence and organized habits.  Have hooks available for everyone (kids and adults, too!!) to hang jackets, accessories and backpacks, and make it a habit.
  7. Remember the homework basket (http://colleencpo.wordpress.com/2012/08/14/an-organized-work-space-for-student-success/)?  Keep a basket at hand with the supplies your children need for completing their homework.
  8. Collect papers and process all at once.  Pile today’s mail, the contents of my briefcase, any papers that came home from school, etc.  Then open the mail, recycle/ shred / purge anything you don’t need, file papers you want to keep, and act on the papers that need completion.

A word here…. As I wrote up these ideas, it occurs to me that all of these ideas are good for all of us, adults and children alike.  Take a breather, refocus, eat a healthy snack, banish the TV, help each other, encourage independent and organized habits. Good for all of us, all the time!

I hope these ideas help you with your Witching Hour, too.  Try one or two this week, and let me know how it goes!

It’s 6 pm – Do Something to Help Today & Tomorrow!

I presented to the parents in my local school district last week.  We discussed tips and ideas to help our students get organized.  What a great group!  I loved speaking to all of them, and I also loved how everyone was willing to share challenges and ideas to support each other.

A Question I ask in my presentation is “Why should we bother getting organized, especially if we have kids?” We realize we are the parents, the Adult, and we set the example.  We want our children to do well in school and in life.  We want our lives to be less complicated, less stressful and more enjoyable.  And we want to be able to say “Yes” to new things. 

So, how can we set the example?  Get organized, be less stressed, enjoy life more.  This week and the next two, we’ll look at busy family times of day, evening, morning and after school.

Let’s say it’s 6 pm.  What can you do tonight that will make tomorrow run more smoothly?  Try one of these:

  1. Pack lunches for tomorrow (for the kids, and for you!!).  We use our lunch packing time to discuss nutrition, and what goes into a healthy meal. I have also found that the kids are more likely to eat a lunch they had a say in packing!  We pack lunches after dinner, so often the boys will pack leftovers like refried beans and cheese on a tortilla, or a piece of chicken.  And since we’re in the kitchen cleaning up from dinner already, it takes just a few moments to pack lunch for tomorrow.  If I have clients the next day, I will pack a lunch for me, since my lunch will always be healthier and cheaper than the fast food that is available between clients.
  2. Look at tomorrow’s Schedule:  Typically, our after-dinner adventures lead to checking out tomorrow’s schedule.  We check to what’s on the hot lunch menu, who has to be at school early or late, and who has what activities.  Checking tomorrow’s schedule provides an opportunity to place band instruments by the back door, and pack sports uniforms, a snack and water bottle for practice.
  3. Make time once a week, like Sunday night after dinner, for a family meeting /      planning session.  Review together projects and events for the coming week.
  4. Pack up the backpack tonight, after homework is done, and set it by the back door.
  5. Check the weather forecast, and pick out tomorrow’s clothes.   If you have small children, lay out their clothes on the floor in the shape of a person, facing down.  Then they can climb right in!
  6. Solve tomorrow’s problems today.  Because there is still time to go to the grocery.  Maybe this only happens in my house, but have you ever heard at 7 am, “Hey Mom,      by the way, I need 4 2 liters of soda for the band party.”?  The obvious mom response is “When is the party?”   And the answer is… wait for it….  Today.  So start the conversations early!  Another example:  the oldest son mentioned late last Tuesday that he needed to wear his black suit coat to his concert Wednesday night.  That would be the black suit coat he wore to homecoming, the one that was at the dry cleaners.  So first thing Wednesday morning I retrieved the now clean coat.  I am very glad I found out about it the day before, instead of at 5 pm Wednesday!
  7. Get to Bed on time!  All of You!

So, take a look at just this one part of your day, and how to make it better by being more organized and less stressed!  Let me know what works!

Seven Family Summer Survival Strategies

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Driving home from a client appointment last week, I had some time to think big ideas.  I felt that I should be dreaming up this week’s blog article topic, but I really wanted to map out my plan for making this summer fun and relaxing, and productive, too, for all the members of my household.

I had a light-bulb moment on the Tri-State tollway – I put the two together!  So let me share ideas that work for us always, and also a few new ones that I’m trying this summer!

Seven Family Summer Survival Strategies:

  1. Have everyone stick with Morning Routines (personal maintenance).  Regardless of when I, the little guy or my teenagers get out of bed, our routines remain the same: Get up, shower, have breakfast, make your bed, put your dirty clothes away, brush your teeth.  No matter when we wake up or what is on the schedule, these tasks need to be completed before we head out for the day.
  2. Stay on top of home maintenance.  Laundry, groceries, cooking, cleaning. You can pare down some work for summer, but these household tasks are essential.  And since my kids are capable and available, they are going to help.  Which leads me to……
  3. Chore Assignments:  Make and post a schedule of activities and chores.  We have never used chore charts and my boys are too old to earn stars or treats, but the assignments are essential.  I just created a dry erase board (made a template in MS Word, slipped it in a plastic page protector), with blocks for each child’s activities and chores for the day (including food prep like grate cheese or peel carrots, mow grass, clean basement, vacuum, take out trash / recycling, pack, put laundry away, unload dishwasher, dust bedroom).  I’ll write this up and post it daily, so even if I am off to work when the teenagers get out of bed, they will know their expectations for the day.
  4. Lay some ground rules, or remind everyone what they are.  For example:
    • No company when mom and dad aren’t home, but we are open to company       otherwise.
    • No TV before noon.
    • Basic hygiene still applies, no matter when you wake up.
    • Be home by 5:30.  HOME by, not leaving your friends house by, 5:30.
    • Cell phones and tech gadgets still get turned in at 10 pm.  Non-negotiable.
  5. Lay your own ground rules.  Mine include:
    • Maintain 5:30-7 am productivity hour.
    • Abandon TV viewing altogether, until I conquer my reading pile.
    • Walk every evening with my husband.  Relaxing and fun, and good for us both!
  6. Re-work your menu planning for summer.
    • We will stock our breakfast menu planning items (go to http://colleencpo.wordpress.com/category/meal-planning-kitchen-organzing/ for more ideas), since we do have early activities to get to this summer in the morning.
    • We eat lunch at home during the summer.  No school hot lunches for the next few months.  So I asked my sons for input, into what they want on-hand for their lunches.  I stocked up on sandwich ingredients, cut fruit and veggies, chips and leftovers.  Thankfully, these are all things the boys can make for themselves or each other.
    • We eat more fresh fruits and vegetables, thanks to my local farmers market.
    • In an effort to keep the house cool, I rely heavily on my crock pot and grill during the summer.  If I have to turn on the oven, I will make 2 or 3 items all at once (like bake cookies, bread and potatoes), to make the most of the hot oven!
    • May was ridiculously busy with after-school and evening activities.  I am just looking forward to cooking, and eating together as a family more consistently!
  7. Slow down and Have Fun!  We had a number of activities and tasks to complete this past weekend, but we also had some unstructured personal time, and it was lovely.  In addition, we’re all making our list of things we want to go and do this summer, like road trips, movies, adventures and hikes, and favorite ice cream haunts!

So, spend some time this week working on your plan to make your family’s summer great, too!

Breakfast Planning: Make It An Easy & Healthy Habit!

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Good morning! I worked with a coaching client last week, and we strategized ways to improve her family mornings. She is very health-conscious and creative, but does not feel creative early in the morning (who does?). So we applied some menu planning strategies to Breakfasts. It was such a great idea that I just had to write about it this week!

Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. It gives our body fuel and sets the tone for the day ahead. And why do we menu plan? To eat well, save time, make healthy choices, save money. Hmmmm…, yep, all of those work for Breakfast just like dinner!

Menu planning helps us to live better, and you can take this opportunity to improve your day. We have two big challenges in our house. First, I am a stickler for a balanced breakfast, supplying good energy and focus through the day.  We all operate best with a blend of fruits or veggies, good and complex carbs, and protein, but a balanced breakfast is not always a quick breakfast. Second, our morning schedule is crazy with 5 different wake times and 5 different start times for school or work. We need to have quick and healthy options that my teenagers can make for themselves.  So here is our plan!

With any menu plan, we start with our schedule. List the days, then list the events, activities or ideas you already have for those days (this is cobbled together from my client call and my life):

  • Sunday: Bagels from a nearby bakery
  • Monday: Smoothie with fruit from Sunday’s Farmers Market
  • Tuesday: Build Your Own Breakfast
  • Wednesday: purely portable, early morning meeting
  • Thursday: Build Your Own Breakfast
  • Friday: Dad’s late morning, he’s making omelets!
  • Saturday: Pancake Morning

Build Your Own Breakfast Ideas: A few years ago I put a spreadsheet on the fridge, to help my boys make healthy choices in the morning. The idea was to take one item from each category to build a better breakfast. The categories are:

  • Fruits: grapes, apple, banana, melon, orange juice, strawberries
  • Protein / Dairy: milk, yogurt, protein shake, peanut butter, bacon, sausage, omelet, hard-boiled egg, cheese stick
  • Good Carbohydrate: toast/bread, bagel cereal, pancakes , waffle, granola bar, breakfast bar

Other Tips to Make a Better Breakfast Happen

  • My kids love staying in hotels and hotel breakfasts. Take a cue from your favorite breakfast bar. We choose foods with our senses. Present good and healthy choices, and that is what your family will choose.
  • Our freezer is stocked with pre-cooked bacon (Costco), microwaveable turkey sausage patties, mini pancakes or French toast sticks (Market Day).
  • The bread basket holds whole wheat mini bagels or raisin bread for toasting.
  • The fruit basket has apples, bananas and oranges.
  • The snack basket has granola bars and protein bars (Nature Valley) and cereal bars (Special K)
  • The fridge holds leftovers (yes, I had tuna salad every day for breakfast last week), peeled hardboiled eggs and cut up cantaloupe.
  • If I am feeling really kind, I make a breakfast egg and bread casserole, and the boys will warm up a piece.
  • I made a coffee cake this evening for a school event, and my oldest son announced he loves that coffee cake and would eat it every day. So, note to self, throw together more coffee cakes and muffins, even healthy ones, and he and his brothers will eat them!

So, pick just one or two of these tips to try this week, to Build a Better Breakfast and start your days right!

Menu Planning as a Spring Survival Tool!

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(edited from April, 2011 post)dinner time

A friend called Spring “Hot Dog Season”.  I thought it was in deference to baseball, but it was because with all her family’s activities, that’s all she has time to make for dinner these days.   I recommended Menu Planning, and here’s why!

Menu planning is the strategic planning of your meals for the week.  It enables us to use our resources well, saving time and money, and making the most of our storage space. If we had special considerations like food allergies or a special diet, menu planning would be even more invaluable, helping us focus on what we can eat, not what we cannot.

So, how to do it?  On a piece of paper, spreadsheet or on this week’s calendar page:

  1. List the days of the week, and set some themes, if you’d like, to help you come up with ideas (my biggest personal challenge is just coming up with ideas).  For example, ours are:
  • Sunday: Family Dinner / New Recipes
  • Monday: Soup / Salad / Sandwiches
  • Tuesday: Italian
  • Wednesday: Mexican
  • Thursday: Grill-ables
  • Friday: Pizza / Lenten Friday
  • Saturday: Seafood / Grill-ables / New Recipes

2.  Come up with a list of 10-15 Favorites for your family, perhaps in keeping with the aforementioned themes. I try a new recipe every week or 2, and add it to our list of favorites if the family really likes it.

3.  Look at this week’s schedule, noting special events or arrangements.  Then put it all together:

  • Sunday (Sunday Dinner): Family Party in Michigan – No cooking for me!
  • Monday (Soup/Salad/Sandwiches) (CCD – early / easy dinner) – Chili / Mac and Cheese
  • Tuesday (Italian): Spaghetti and Meatballs
  • Wednesday (Mexican): Chicken tacos (make rice and chicken in the morning)
  • Thursday (Grill-ables) (Band After school, late dinner) – Pork Chops and sweet potatoes
  • Friday: (Meatless) – Pizza and salad
  • Saturday: (Grill-ables): (Birthday dinner) Corned Beef, Mashed Potatoes

Tips to make it work:

  1. Realize any good plan is a flexible plan. We use our menu plan as an inventory for what we have on hand. If my plan for today falls through, I can look at the menu for later in the week, and know what else I have on hand to cook.
  2. Enlist Aid: Get your family to help with planning and implementation of menu planning. When my sons help me plan, they are assured of having things they like to eat from every meal, so it is worth it to them to help me out.  In addition, they are more likely to eat  a meal they had a hand in preparing.  They are pretty good sous chefs, cleaning and peeling vegetables, shredding cheese, reading recipes or directions on boxes, setting and clearing the table.
  3. Cook dinner in the morning (or the day before).  Right now, our dinner hour is crazier than our mornings, so we get creative! Anything taking more than 30 minutes to make is relegated to the weekend, the Crock Pot, or a different time of day.  We love Spanish rice with our taco night, but it takes 35 minutes to make, so I make it in the morning and leave it in the fridge to warm up at dinner time. I have gone so far as to assemble 3 casseroles on Sunday for the next three days.
  4. Double up on your prep:
  • Clean and prep your veggies when you bring them home.  We shred a cup or two of carrots for recipes later in the week, dice extra onions or peppers, split up meat into appropriate serving sizes and add marinade while frozen.
  • We brown 3 pounds of ground meat at once, re-freezing it in 1 pound blocks, thawing as needed.
  • We also cook or grill extra meats to put in salads or soups later in the week. Which leads me to ….

5.  Get over your LeftOvers.

  •  You may have to sell the idea of Leftovers to your family, but they are a valuable component of menu planning. If it weren’t for leftovers, my hubby would eat out downtown for lunch every day. At $10 a meal. Yikes.  There are days we would starve if not for leftovers!
  • Call them something else, or Pair them with a positive experience. Instead of left-over night, call it Tater-Tot Night or Dessert night, or whatever will make your own family happy.
  • Pair a left over of one thing with a new side and a new veggie, or make it look different, like grilled chicken breasts from Monday sliced and layered on a Caesar salad on Wednesday.

Off to class and baseball practice and scouts, so glad I planned my dinner!  Try these ideas this week, and let me know what you think of menu planning!

Start With “Of Course I Can” and Go From There

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Start with “Of course I can” and go from there.  Are you thinking “Ok, ‘Of course I can … What’?”  Well, my friend, that is up to you.  But you can do it, whatever it is you focus your mind and heart and efforts on to accomplish.

Let me start with this week’s conclusions:

  • The power of positive thought is remarkable. And if we pay attention, we see obstacles disappearing.
  • We can make time for the things that are important to us.
  • The Holidays are a busy and wonderful time, and they can also be an opportunity for positive change.

I spent 10 hours alone in the car last week, on a brief but important road trip to Ohio for my uncle’s funeral.  He was a good man.

At first, I did not know if I would be able to attend since life is busy with family, work and the holidays.  I was able to attend, though, because of my awesome family and because God cleared the obstacles.  It really was amazing.

If I had focused on all the reasons why I should not go, well, then, I would not have gone.  Instead, I focused on how to make the trip happen, and it happened.  Try it.  Start with “Of course I can                “ instead of “No way, I can’t                              , not in December or today or at this age”.  And see how differently you feel.

We make time for the things that are important to us.  What is important to you?  My niece took an honors placement exam very early this past Saturday at her (hopefully) future university, then drove 2 hours home in time for a Choir performance.  Because both were important enough to make time for.  My son was double-booked last week with a volleyball tournament and dress rehearsals for a play, but he handled it all, with help, because it is all important.

What is important to you?  Really important?  Now figure out how to make time for it.

As often happens with lone road trips, I sing loudly, say a rosary, listen to a book on tape, then I let my brain mull over challenges I am facing.

  • Holiday party planning?  Check
  • Christmas Dinner menu?  Done.
  • To-Do List?  Check, check.
  • Idea for presentation next week?  Yep, check.
  • New promotional ideas.  Done.
  • Other projects for December – get through my professional and personal reading back-log… ummm….
  • Stratetgy to get back on track with weight and wellness?  Ummmm…….

Screeching halt (thoughts, not car).  I am driving through Northern Indiana, eating Mike and Ikes, watching the sunset. Professional Reading Project?  Healthy eating?  In December?  All the reasons why these would not work zipped through my brain.

Who has the time?  For work or health?  What about all the parties?  And the holiday foods?  And it’s cold outside!   I should eat more salads, but I don’t like eating salads or exercising outside (as preferred) in the winter.

However, I get frustrated with clients and friends who take the whole month of December off from making positive progress. So, learning from recent experience, I looked at the situation though the lenses of “Of Course I Can” and “removing the obstacles”.

Reading project?  in December?  Why not?  Nothing new on TV, might as well read!

And healthy eating?  Why not?  I make the menus, I can certainly add healthier items.  The parties we’re attending?  I can eat lighter through the day, or be more selective at the parties.

Who has the time?  Well, we could walk to school and to run errands, instead of driving.  And it’s not that cold yet!  Obviously I can find the time when something is important enough.

I started positive change that moment, last week, on that very drive home.  I put away the Mike & Ikes, and ate my apple instead.  And I did NOT stop for fast food for dinner, but waited 2 hours to eat healthy at home.  And today, I made a crock pot of minestrone soup minus the pasta, to replace salads for lunches this week.

So my challenge to you this week is to fill in the blank for yourself:  “Of course I Can                              “.  And see how far a positive outlook can take you.  Remember:

  • The power of positive thought is remarkable. And if we pay attention, we see obstacles disappearing.
  • We can make time for the things that are important to us.
  • The Holidays are a busy and wonderful time, but they can also be a time for positive change.

Get Baking for National Cookie Day!

toffee cookiesDid you know?  December 4th is National Cookie Day, so this week’s blog is all about Holiday Baking!  I carry wonderful memories of baking with my mom as a child, and now my kids and I do the same!

Before you bake the first cookie, examine your personal Christmas traditions and expectations.  Do your traditions add to or detract from your enjoyment of the holidays?  Do you have traditions that you love? Do you have any that are more trouble than they are worth?

An example:

My mom made frosted butter cookies every Christmas.  There was mixing, chilling and rolling of dough; frosting and sprinkles; assembly and display.  It was a lot of fun.

A few years ago, in addition to our annual favorites, I decided to add the butter cookies to our list.  Yikes, what a chore!  I quickly realized the secret is the time spent together in loving and creative ways, not the actual frosted butter cookies.  So we now stick with our specialties, I call and thank my mother, and I let others frost and sprinkle.

One meaningful family tradition that we keep is making lemon bars on Christmas Eve.  The story goes, I was making lemon bars on Christmas Eve many years ago when I realized I was in labor for our oldest son.  He loves that story, so the tradition stays.

After you examine your traditions, Create Your Plan!

Pick your cookies.  Keep the list reasonable, don’t go crazy.  Here are our favorites:

Look at your list, read all the directions and ask yourself some questions (my answers are listed, too):

When can I bake?

  • I realized  that baking on a weekday in addition to regular life is just too much, so  I’m sticking to weekends.
  • Then again, I can prep my cookie dough on weeknights when I am making dinner, ball it and freeze the balls, then bake them on the weekends.

For what events are the cookies needed? 

  • We give cookies as gifts, plus serve them at various parties.  The first party is December 16th.

What cookies freeze well?  Make those early.

  • Toffee cookies and biscotti.  So I will make those soon, bag them up and freeze them.

What dough requires chilling?

  • Magi’s turbans.  So I assemble that dough first on baking day and chill it while baking the others

What recipes tie up my pans for a long time?

  • toffee cookies tie up my cookies sheets for hours of cooling, so I make 4 pans all at once, and nothing else

What recipes use specialty pans (and free up the cookie sheets for other things)?

  • Peanut butter cup cookies require my mini muffin tins, so the cookie sheets are free for something else.  So I will probably make those on the same day as the biscotti or Magi’s turbans.

So, considering my answers, here is my plan:

  • Today      – toffee cookies (4 pans cooling on the counter right now)
  • 12/9           –      2 types of biscotti, peanut butter cup cookies
  • 12/15        – magi’s turbans and just-for-fun cookies
  • Oreo           truffles are optional for the day after Christmas for a late-in-December party

Other tips:

  • Share specialty spices, supplies or baking dishes with friends or family to defray baking costs.
  • Enlist Aid.  Most of our specialty cookies require some type of candy.  My sons are great about helping with assembly and un-wrapping, and we all enjoy the time spent together.
  • Assemble cookies all the way to placing the balls on cookie sheets.  Instead of baking them, put the cookie sheets in the freezer and freeze the balls.  Store them in a freezer bag, and when you want fresh cookies, make a dozen or two as needed.  No need to defrost, the frozen dough can go straight into the oven!
  • Don’t store peanut butter cookies or mint cookies with anything else, or everything will taste like peanut butter or mint.
  • Try a cookie exchange:  Plan an event with 5 or more friends.  Have each attendee bring many dozens of their specialty cookie, and then swap at the cookie exchange.  Everyone goes home with a variety of yummy homemade cookies, and you can concentrate on one type you make really well.

Enjoy your baking and have a great Christmas season.  As for me, I need to go clean out my freezer to make room for the first batches of cookies!

Holiday Planning Checklist: Week-by-Week

This from my 8 year-old last week…

“Mom, did you ever have the feeling that the clock is moving way too fast? I swear, it was 8:15 and 10 seconds later it was 8:23.”

Yes, sweetie, I’ve had that feeling.  All the time, actually!

I presented a Holiday Planning Class last week.  Giving that class always motivates me, too!  The most well received hand-out was the Holiday Planning Weekly Challenge.   I shared it with a client, too, and she couldn’t believe that preparing for the holidays could be that easy. I won’t say “easy”, but “simpler, less stressful and better prepared” sound pretty great.  Here are some suggestions to make your season better, tweak these suggestions to fit your life.

Week of November 19

  • Appreciate your friends and family members, and all the good things in your life.
  • Finalize Thanksgiving Menu
  • At Thanksgiving, tell or email family about upcoming Christmas concerts, children’s programs and parties
  • Pantry-shop to get rid of clutter, and stock up on cooking / baking  supplies
  • Hang outside lights, don’t turn them on
  • Plan Holiday Party:  dates, guests lists and menus, and choose invitation and RSVP deadlines
  • Buy multiples of your standard hostess gift, like nice wine or candles.  Make sure it’s something you use, in case you have extra left over
  • Encourage kids and adults to purge and donate
  • Heavy clean and de-clutter, or make some calls for assistance!

Week of November 26:

  • Stock up on gift certificates for teens, stocking stuffers, teachers etc.
  • Buy Stamps, while you can still get Holiday stamps!
  • Stock up on cooking and baking supplies
  • Complete your Christmas Card list, and confirm addresses (keep a copy for next year!)

Week of December 3:

  • Stock up on gift certificates, stamps, and cooking or baking supplies
  • Have Christmas photo taken, or start letter
  • Plug in or turn on Christmas lights
  • Complete out-of-town shopping / wrapping
  • Start Christmas shopping for local recipients
  • Find and clean holiday dishes and tins

Week of December 10:

  • Take out the “First Out” Box.  Our “First-Out” box is also our “Last In” box.  It contains the items that are used for the entire Advent and Christmas seasons for us, like our crèche, some children’s books, our Advent Wreath and candles, etc.
  • Continue to stock up on gift certificates, stamps and cooking and baking supplies (spread the costs out over several weeks)
  • Finish teacher gifts, like gift certificates and cards
  • Check decorations; donate any that will not be going up this year!
  • Start Cards
  • Ship all out-of-town packages
  • Complete Christmas Shopping
  • Holiday donations, service projects

Week of December 17:

  • Finalize Christmas Menu, who is bringing what
  • Decorate the house, and buy / set up the tree
  • Finish shopping and gift wrapping.  Load into labeled bags or boxes, one for each of your destinations
  • Start baking cookies
  • Mail out your Christmas Cards
  • Take a breath, and take a break.  The house is decorated, your gifts are bought and wrapped, cards are mailed, travel plans are completed, and donations are made.  Sit calmly in your living room, reveling in the beauty of your stress free holiday prep and beautiful decorations.  Go to a party or 2!

December 24, Christmas Eve:

  • Last minute baking / cooking for Christmas Eve
  • Family Christmas Eve traditions
  • Make ahead dishes for Christmas Dinner, if possible
  • Lay out outfits for Christmas morning Mass

Christmas:  Tuesday, December 25:  Enjoy!!!

Week after Christmas:

  • Invest in some sale priced Rubbermaid or Sterilite storage containers
  • Put your decorations away by category and label the container
  • Remember to put your “Last In” away last, so you can grab it first next December!

Take steps now to make your holidays more peaceful and enjoyable!

Reclaim the Top of Your Refrigerator

I was having a writer’s block last week and asked my Facebook Fans and Friends to suggest blog topics.  They really came through for me, so thanks to all for the inspiration!

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One of the first to responses was “What to do with all that [stuff] that has accumulated on the top of my refrigerator” (see above, front and side views).  I love this question because we have all probably been there, wondering the same question.  And I also love it because spending half an hour on this one little project is going to make you feel great about your kitchen.

So, here’s what you do, if your fridge looks like this one….  Tackle the project using Julie Morgenstern’s SPACE.  Sort, Purge, Assign a Home, Containerize and Equalize.

  1. Grab a step-stool, a clean counter, and perhaps a young helper and Clear It All Off and wash it down
  2. SORT Your stuff.  In these photos, I would say Cook books, Lunch boxes, Mail and Papers, playing cards, school supplies, vitamins?  Group your items into different categories that make sense to you.
  3. PURGE your stuff.
    • You choose what stays and goes.  Some things DO belong up there, and some things DO NOT.
    • Trash old, outdated or mysterious food products, broken items (like the green bowl), and old mail.
    • What goes somewhere else in the kitchen or home?  What’s in that Target bag?
    • What can stay? Things that only the parents / tall people use; seldom used items; big single items that don’t look too cluttered.
  4. Steps 3 and 4 ASSIGN A HOME AND CONTAINERIZE are the really important steps in this project.
  5. ASSIGN A HOME  There are challenges with tall spaces like the Fridge top.  Small things get lost. It is great storage space, but lacks structure and physical boundaries.  One rough open or close of the door can send stuff flying.  I look at that bundle of mail, and imagine the whole thing hitting the floor and flying everywhere.  Gravity.  Ever have a box of cereal dump on your head?  If we store big clunky items up there, we risk pulling things down on our heads.
  6. Containerize:
  • We need to get creative when it comes to containerizing on the Fridge top.
  • Use the space well but strive for a streamlined visual presentation.
  • Our fridge is tucked under our cabinets.  I need easily moved storage solutions if I want to access those hard to reach cabinets.
  • I suggest Book Ends, Baskets and Boxes, well labeled, for fridge-top storage.
  • Use bookends for cookbooks, or for boxes of cereal or crackers.
  • Baskets offer a nice visual while covering up their contents.  These two baskets are on top of my fridge.  The left one holds our lunch bags, and the right one holds recycling items like batteries, medications, etc., until drop-off day.
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  • Boxes, like lidded photo boxes, can corral small or seldom used items like recipes, holiday cookie cutters, etc.  They can be purchased inexpensively at a craft store and can match your kitchen colors, or just choose white to make them blend in to the landscape.
  • The Fridge top is great for items that are not too big and bulky like large serving dishes or serving baskets.  I have large serving trays at the back of my fridge-top, covered with a cloth.

7.  The last step of the organizing process is to Equalize, or maintain.  Tidy up the top of your fridge when clean your kitchen, or make a date to do it once or twice a year.

So, the next time you have 30 or 60 minutes, you can complete a project just like this and improve a room and your life.  Who knew?  Friend-who-sent-me-the-pictures, I would love to see an after-picture!

P.S. A few words about:  Cookbooks.  Do you need and use the cookbooks you have?  I have some cookbooks in a cabinet, but my go-to resource that I use multiple times a week is a large white 3 inch binder.  I’ve assembled the binder over time, adding favorite recipes to different categories like “baking” or “meal ideas”, etc. I still have a few cookbooks for inspiration, but the binder is the best. I have pockets for recipes I collect that I want to try, and plastic page inserts to slide the magazine pages or papers into (plastics means I can wipe them off if I spill). When I need to read the recipe, I stand the binder up in a large plate holder.

3 Tips: Frozen Dough, Favorite Cookies and Creative Gift Giving

I love to bake, and I love to share what I bake.

I learned how to bake from my Mom, and I bake a lot for my Dad.  My Dad is a great guy, but is, shall we say, difficult to shop for.  He encourages creative gift-giving, which is tough when he is the guy who truly has everything he needs.  But it just so happens, he loves cookies.  So last year for Father’s Day, I researched Cookie of the Month Clubs.  There are few out there, but they all cost A LOT for a few cookies.  Then I realized that my cookies are better than most, so my gift to him was a list of our top 10 favorite cookies, with optional raisin and nuts, and a batch of homemade cookies of his choosing shipped to him every month.  He really likes the gift, so much so that he asked me to renew the offer this year.

     So, Tip # 1 for the day is to think outside the box, or in this case, inside the oven, when it comes to gift-giving.  This is the season for graduations and wedding, so be creative when you think about your friends and family, and consider what they really want may be some of your time or talents, and not just $$ or a gift in a box (thought those are lovely, too!!).

At the same time I was baking today, a reader responded to my recent menu planning blogs and reminded me of a fabulous cookie-related tip that I just had to share!  I often suggest this tip around the holidays, but as this reader proves, it is a great idea all year around!

From Laura:  “As I was making cookies for my teenage son and his friends yesterday, I thought it would be a good idea to cook half of the cookies and make the remaining batter into frozen pucks like the ones we purchase for fundraisers, to use later.  I also thought it might be a good idea to put the dough in mini muffin tins while they freeze, to help with consistency of size and shape. Freezing the dough also helps eliminate the temptation of mom eating the cookies!  Next time the boys are over, it will be easy to bake up a couple dozen fresh, homemade cookies.”

     Tip #2, I suggest taking cookies all the way to ready to bake on the cookie sheet, but pop them in the freezer instead of oven.  Once frozen, place in a freezer bags then bake as needed, no need to thaw.  A few caveats:  do not tell your family that there are frozen dough balls in the freezer.  And store them in an opaque container, labeled something un-interesting or even undesirable like “beef tongue” or “brussel sprouts” if you want them to stay around for a while.  🙂

And Tip #3 is the actual recipe for our current favorite cookie, here is the link: The Traditional Nestle Oatmeal Scotchie Recipe and our secret is adding 1 ½ cups dried cherries to the dough with the morsels.

Thanks to Laura for sharing her idea, and I hope you try and enjoy the cookies!

The recipe below, from the Nestle Website:

  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or grated peel of 1 orange
  • 3 cups quick or old-fashioned oats
  • 1 2/3 cups (11-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ®  TOLL HOUSE® Butterscotch Flavored Morsels
  • OUR ADDITION, 1 1/2 c. dried cherries.

PREHEAT oven to 375° F.

COMBINE flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in oats and morsels. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

BAKE for 7 to 8 minutes for chewy cookies or 9 to 10 minutes for crisp cookies. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

PAN COOKIE VARIATION:  Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan. Prepare dough as above. Spread into prepared pan. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes or until light brown. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Makes 4 dozen bars.