Putting Pinterest to use: dinner this week and other ideas

There was a great story on NPR about Pinterest. Did you know Pinterest could rival Google as the next most useful search engine? While Google can show you web pages that include words about what you are looking for; all us crazy pinners are creating a crowd-sourced mega database of searchable le images. Fascinating how in our spare time, we have taken what started out as a digital bulletin board and turned it into a power house! Surely now you don't feel like Pinterest has been. Waste of time! 

I've been spending some time cleaning out my boards and reorganizing. I decided to start a new board that will only include recipes that I could make with stuff I have on hand. Me? Rationalize time on Pinterest? Nooooo. 

Tonight I was able to use up the last of the broccoli and made cheesy quinoa and broccoli patties. They weren't bad, but they need a little something. Could be something simple like salt, but I suspect a little more creativity with herbs and spices would take these babies up a notch. Any who...combined with a huge tomato from a colleague's garden and bam! Summer supper! 

I also saw an idea recently either somewhere on Pinterest or on thekitchn.com to make a "triage tray" in your fridge. Basically, the idea is to designate space in your fridge for stuff you want to use up before it goes bad. 

 
Such a simple idea might have saved the retried beans I threw in the trash tonight. I used a plastic placemat for my triage tray.  I'm thinking this zucchini noodle with tomatoes and balsamic glaze might be nice for dinner tonight! 

What's going to be on your table tonight? Any fun new recipes in the mix? What's your go-to summer supper?

Grocery shopping 101: August is off to a good start!

Despite not having a car for a whole month, I think we can call July a success in the grocery department. I ended up spending $174.27 for the month, and that included 6 bottles of wine. I shopped at the regular grocery store more than I would have if I could have driven to Aldi, so that also contributed to higher spending. Meh...still not bad. 

August is off to a good start. Loaded up for the next week and splurged a little on dinners for me and my main squeeze to have this weekend. Total bill was $79.39. Here's the breakdown.

I I went a bit over board, but I wanted to have a few extra nice meals. I spent $14 on steaks alone. Not something I would usually do for myself, that's for sure! I also got frozen salmon fillets which will last for quite some time. Looks like I spent a lot for one week if my goal is only $160 a month. Having my main squeeze here for the weekend, and it being the first shopping trip of the month both make for the higher total. It will all even out.

 Here's a little insight into my general strategy for grocery shopping.

• You are what you eat! I am by no means a perfect eater. I keep in mind what is necessary for health when I shop for food. With the occasional exception, try to steer clear of foods that don't contribute nourishment for health. The cuts down on about 80% of the grocery store.
• What can I do with what I already have?  I really try to assess my fridge, freezer and pantry before I head to the store. That way I can use up what I have instead of buying more than I need. Waste not, want not! I make a note of what meals would be possible if I just had 1 or 2 other things. Planing around what I already have helps keep the list to a minimum. I don't worry so much about planning the gaps. I tend to keep a mental tally of some favorite recipes so that I can fill in the menu gaps depending on what’s available when I get to the store.
• The mental list:  My shopping list is pretty stable from week to week. The way my store is arranged, I skip right through the first isle of chips and cookies and snacks to the back for eggs, milk, butter (when I need it), yogurt, and shredded cheese. Then I hit up the produce section. I go a bit crazy in this section! Whatever looks good goes in the cart until I have what I think is enough to get at least 5 generous servings of fruits and vegetables each day.  Then I go look at the meat. If something is on a crazy sale, I might buy it to put in the freezer. Then I grab anything else I might need to complete my mental meal plan. Example: If Italian sausage is on sale, I might go back for an onion and a bell pepper to make this pasta dish I like. Then I grab any staples I might be out of like rice, might grab a couple bags of frozen veggies if I’m out. That’s it. Easy when you skip most of the middle.
• Meal planning: I know a lot of people are big on menu planning, and I am too. If you can check out the flier before going to the store, then plan a few meals around what’s going to be on sale. At Aldi, I feel like not everything ends up in the flier. Sometimes I check my Pinterest boards to get ideas of meals I might like to cook during the week. I also only really plan on cooking 2-3 meals a week. The left-overs are great for nights when I'm too busy or tired to cook and they make for great lunches too. 
• Lunch planning: I generally try to use up leftovers for lunches and then take salads or bento-style lunches made up of little bits of this and that. I don't really buy anything particularly special for lunches. I don't make sandwiches or buy Lean Cuisine type of stuff. Using up whatever is around keeps the waste and cost down!

·     I don’t ALWAYS or NEVER anything, but I do try to keep a good routine for the grocery store. My grocery tips and tricks are what I try to stick by. Of course there is the occasional splurge! Eh hem...steaks.

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Time management tips for real life

When you look for tips on time management, you find the most obvious ideas on every single list. I'm starting to think that people are missing the point. "Keep a to-do list" is not the advice I'm looking for. Prioritizing your to-do list isn't very helpful either. I'm interested in making life more efficient and more productive.

In a recent seminar on time management, we talked about 2 personality types. Both are part of the Myers-Briggs personality survey. There are "judgers" and "perceivers." Some would say that judgers made a to-do list to use it and perceivers make a to-do list to lose it. Kind of unfair, but there is some truth in that generalization. I have a split personality. At work I tend to be the nose to the grind stone, efficient type. At home I look like a chicken running around after having its head cut off. That's usually how I feel too! People with either personality type can be productive, successful people. One isn't better...just different and recognizing how your gears turn can help identify strategies for being more organized, efficient, and productive at work or at home.

If you needs a couple of tips that go beyond the basics, here are three that resonate with me.

• Identify why tasks haven't moved off your to-do list. Are you dreading it? Is it just not all that important to you? Can it be broken up into smaller tasks?
• Learn to use small chunks of time to make progress. Gone are the days that I have an entire day to get in a groove and get a big task done. I've found that by making constant bits of progress when I have small chunks of time, I end up finishing tasks faster than I would have thought. 
• Make your to-do list work for you. As basic as it sounds, when you have a million things to keep up with a to-do list probably needs to go beyond some scrap of paper. I have friends who use excel spreadsheets, a bazillion post-it notes, online task managing tools, and notebooks. Find something that works to your advantage. 

I found a great daily planning printable from what used to be Life's a Journal and now is Thyme is Honey. Actually, the printable I use is slightly different. This must be an adaptation. Here's the low-down on what I like about it. 

1. It's one-sided, so I use the other side to take notes during all my meetings. 
2. To-do vs. Today's goals: I can keep a broader view of my projects and tasks in the to-do section. I write the items that will get done today in the goal section. I can refer back to previous sheets to track progress.
3. My "Dailies" are a) respond to emails, b) write for 45 minutes c) read 1 paper and d) organize for tomorrow.
4. I like the visual reminder to go get another glass of water. Hydration is good for the brain.
5. Appointments: Sure they are in Outlook, but sometimes it's nice to have them written down on the piece of paper that goes with me everywhere for the day.
6. Fitness and don't forget: These are my sections. It gives me permission to bring a little "perceiver" into my work day!

Now if only I could bring that judger personality home with me, I'd be a bit more organized at home too! I'd be curious to hear what helps you organize your day for the most productivity! Do share!

Finding a morning routine is the worst!

I am NOT good at mornings. I don't like waking up. I don't like getting out of bed. I just don't like the first half hour of the day. I'm trying to get better at it though. This is the quote I'm trying to remember when I wake up. I kind of want this concept to encompass the first 30 minutes of every day!

Seems like a new routine would make it all a bit better. So that's just what I'm doing! New morning routine.
a) set alarm 20 minutes earlier than usual and no more than one hit of the ol' snooze button
b) pick outfit, jewelry, purse (eventually this will happen the night before!)
c) put the coffee on
d) efficient shower
e) get dressed
f) put make up on
g) pour coffee
h) take Baxter for a walk and drink coffee, think about the wonderful things that will happen today
i) dry hair, smile at the wide awake girl in the mirror, run out the door!