Category: Let’s Get Organized

Making Meals Simple

Every family has their go to meals that are easy family favorites, but if you are like our family, it can be easy to get stuck in the same patterns week after week. We often forget a fantastic meal we made once. That is why we have come up with a system that helps us remember the meals we love, helps us vary what we eat, helps us grocery shop each week and is even a little fun. To set the system up, we collected a list of meals we loved and wrote them all down on popsicle sticks. We then placed the popsicle sticks in a jar and choose 7 meals each week before we go grocery shopping so we know exactly the ingredients to purchase. When we have made a meal, we take the stick and place it into a second jar. This way we don’t repeat meals until we rotated through all our favorites. Here is one of our favorite easy meals, maybe it will make it into your family’s meal repertoire too.

 This meal hails from Jordan and is even better the second day when the flavors have combined overnight.

Kunda na Nazi (chick-peas in coconut milk): 

 Combine in saucepan:

– 2 c. cooked or canned chick-peas, drained (500 ml)

– 1 tomato, chopped

– 4 whole cloves or 1/8 t. ground cloves (.5 ml)

– 2-3 cloves garlic, minced

– 1.5 c. coconut milk (375 ml)

– 1.5 t. ground turmeric 

– 0.5 t. salt (2 ml)

– Optional: 1 small nub fresh ginger grated

 Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer at least 20 minutes to blend flavors. Serve with rice.

 Simple, and delicious! 

Closet Organization

We live in a country of plenty where we often have way more clothes in our closets and dressers than we will probably ever wear. If you are anything like me, you probably have your favorite items and stick to wearing them.  Then you have a whole slew of items that you like but you don’t know what to wear them with. Finally you have those items you might wear once as a statement piece but actually you know you will probably never wear them again. One way to simplify your life is to go through your closets and pare down until you have just what you want and know you will wear. When doing this, you have to be totally honest with yourself, which may take some practice. You also have to give yourself permission to give away the clothes you don’t wear.

Here are some questions that could be helpful. Ask yourself: When was the last time I wore this particular pair of shoes? Do I feel comfortable when I wear this dress? Do I feel like myself when I wear this shirt or these pants? If you answered negative, or more than a year, to these questions, consider donating. If you are not quite ready to get rid of some things, go ahead and pull it out of your closet but put it aside in a bag for a couple weeks. If you decide you want it after all, go ahead and grab it out of the bag. If you can’t even remember what you put in there, donate the bag after a designated period of time. Life will feel fresh and simpler. What are your tips for organizing your closet??

Summer Meal Recipe

These following recipes pair great for a fresh summer meal of which you will definitely be wanting seconds!

 Fresh Quinoa Salad

4 cups cooked Quinoa

½ c. Cranberries

½ c. Walnuts, coarsely shopped

2 cooked chicken breasts, sliced

½ c. Feta

1/3 c. balsamic vinegar

Combine and enjoy!

 Minty Watermelon

 4 cups seedless watermelon

1/8 cup lime juice

¼ cup mint leaves

Cut watermelon into cubes and combine with lime juice in bowl. Fold in mint leaves and enjoy! 

Let’s Get Organized!

Laundry

Laundry and keeping your clothes organized can be very overwhelming tasks sometimes. One of the best ways to keep on top of this is to create a system you know will work for you and stick with it. For example, one thing I know about myself is that I don’t always have the time to put away clothes that I’ve worn once but aren’t dirty enough to wash. Instead of having these clothes pile up on the floor or a chair, I’ve devised a two basket system. In this system I have two laundry baskets. One for dirty clothes that need to be washed and one for those that are not quite dirty and just need to be put away when I have the time. These both sit out of sight on the floor in my closet. This way I am not overwhelmed by the overflowing laundry as I walk in the door of my room, I am reminded to put my clothes away as the basket becomes full, and I have a longer amount of time between laundry loads. Another way to make laundry simpler is to simplify your wardrobe. More on that coming soon. What are some of the ways you organize your laundry?