Tag: meal planning

  • Get 10 More Hours Out of your Week

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    If you are a busy professional, then chances are you have more money than time. If you constantly feel like you need 30 hours in a day to get everything done then it is time to take a closer look at where you spend your time. What if I told you that you can get 10 more hours out of your week?  Get organized and be real about what can be done in a given day or week and you will stop the dread and get more done.

    The Law of Delegation. If someone can do the job 75% as well as you can, delegate it. This could apply to the office or your home. At the office, we often take the stance of it takes too long to train someone to do a task, so I will just do it myself. That is very short sighted. If you take the time to train a person, then that task will be off your plate forever. You can’t be penny wise and pound foolish with your time.

    At home it could be dry cleaning, mowing the lawn, making dinner, doing laundry, house cleaning, etc. House keepers, dry cleaning companies that pick up and deliver, yard service companies, personal chefs. They are available in all metropolitan areas to help you get these activities off your list. If you don’t need help year round, consider hiring help for just a few weeks or months to get you through busy times at work, during an illness/surgery or after the birth of a child.

    Time Blocking. If you want to get something done, it needs to be on your calendar. Most people have hopes for their week instead of a schedule. Everything that you do in a week should be on your calendar (except for maybe meals and bathroom breaks). You may even need to put sleep and exercise on your calendar to ensure that you are hitting your target amount.

    Daily To Do vs. Master To Do. Constantly looking at a long master to do list is daunting. If you have a day in the office (or at home) that you are dedicating to getting lots of smaller tasks done, I recommend creating a list just for that day. We always feel more accomplished when we get to cross things off a list and it will help keep you focused. Don’t put more on the list than you can reasonable get done in a day and don’t be aggressive. It feels much better to completely finish the list and pull more off the master list than to not finish.

    Keeping a master to do list of EVERYTHING that you need to get done will help take the pressure off having to keep all of that information in your brain. My master list has everything from fixing a dripping sink, buying lacrosse supplies for my daughter and sending a birthday card to making business calls and registering for a networking event.

    What’s for Dinner? That is the dreaded question of the day. Whether you have a family or not, this one seems to cause everyone stress. The biggest roadblock to healthy eating is poor planning. Take a few minutes to plan each week and do one grocery shop. If you are too busy, consider ordering groceries from peapod.com or hometownharvest.com. If even that is too much time, hire a personal chef like Shirlé at www.fourcornerscuisine.com

    Night before prep. Mornings set the tone for the day, so make them as stress-free as possible. Prepare your work bag, clothes, lunches and kid’s stuff the night before.

    Done, but not perfect. I love this mantra and I think everyone needs to adopt it (except for accountants doing tax returns). Don’t set yourself up for failure or waste precious minutes by trying to make everything perfect. Send the birthday card even if it is late, the recipient will still appreciate it. Bring store bought items to the picnic because you had a crazy week. Stop stressing about things that only matter to you!

    Say “No”. The main reason that we have too much on our plates is that we PUT too much on our plate. It seems simple, but it is the hardest thing to learn. Next time you are ready to say “yes” to something, consider what else in your life you are saying “no” to. I guarantee that you will feel better saying “no”, than you will only putting in 50% effort to the thing you said “yes” to.

    If you liked today’s post, you’re welcome to use it in your own newsletter or blog as long as you include the following blurb: Tara Rudo, Life Strategist, helps working moms and families focus on what’s important. Get our FREE weekly tips and advice at www.NoMorePiles.com.

    Image courtesy of arztsamui at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

  • Meal Planning Made Easy

    The winter is upon us and it is the perfect time to work on your meal planning.  The days are shorter and full of school (or snow days), work, sports, homework and activities. The fast-paced afternoons and evenings, which leave us little time to make dinner every night. Even for those of us who love to cook, getting dinner on the table every night can be a challenge.

    The hours between 4pm and 7pm are often referred to as the witching hours. Babies are fussy, kids are grumpy and grown-ups are tired. Now, add hungry to that mix and you can see why they call it the witching hours.

    Often many families find they are scrambling at the last minute trying to decide what’s for dinner. Unfortunately most will find that they lack the proper ingredients or simply the lack of time or energy to make dinner. This leads to…you guessed it, take out.

    Maybe one of your new year’s resolutions was to cook healthier meals for your family.  Now is a great time add more vegetables or try new recipes.

    Meal Planning

    Meal Planning is key to cutting down on the stress and confusion during the dinner hour.

    1. The first step in meal planning is to clean out and organize your pantry and kitchen. Make sure to check expiration dates. It’s important to know what you have and to have the right things on hand. Organize your pantry the way you eat. Keep the pasta with the tomato sauce. This way when you want to have spaghetti you only have to check on place for the ingredients.
    2. Create a list of meals your family eats. Be sure to get input from everyone. This gives you a great place to start. Now pick one or two recipes you want to try. I recommend saving them for the weekend when you have a bit more time to focus.
    3. Sit down with your calendar and plan your week. If you know you won’t to be home in time to make dinner consider making a crock pot meal that day. Or using a meal from the freezer.
    4. Once your meal plan is set, make your grocery list. It’s a lot easier to shop when you know exactly what you need. Make sure you also have the ingredients for your “simple go-to meals”. Always have a shopping list and always take it with you when you shop! Make your own essential list and create a template so all you have to do is check off a list and leave room for the additional supplies.
    5.  Write it down so you don’t have to answer questions.  The first thing my and Tara’s kids ask every morning as soon as he wakes up is, “What’s for dinner?”.  Having a Write N Wipe Weekly Dry-Erase Calendar on the frig eliminates these questions.  Below is Tara’s calendar of meals this week.  She uses the word “Smorgasboard” instead of leftovers since kids (and husbands) often don’t like the idea of leftovers.  But, pulling all the leftovers out of the frig and letting the kids choose which items they want to eat sounds great!

      Magnetic Dry Erase Weekly Meal Calendar
      Magnetic Dry Erase Weekly Meal Calendar

    Meal planning is just the start. In a perfect world we would make a plan and follow it with no problems. But in the real world kids get sick, cars break down and you forget to pull the meat out of the freezer. So it’s just as important to have a plan B and sometimes even a plan C.

    • Simple go-to meals: Always have the ingredients for one or two simple meals on hand. A perfect example is spaghetti. A jar of tomato sauce and dry pasta can sit on the shelf and can be made in a flash. You can add whatever veggies or meat you have on hand. Find a few recipes that work for your family and always be sure the ingredient are on your shelf.
    • Try to prep ahead when you can schedule time after your trip to the grocery store to wash and prep you veggies for the week. If you have more time consider getting a head start and cooking a meal or two or at least chopping items ahead of time so you have them handy on the nights you need to get dinner on the table quickly.
    • Freezer Meals: Spending on day in the kitchen once a month can save you time and frustration several nights a week.
    • The 6 O’Clock Scramble: Still need help with meal planning. Consider signing up for an online meal planning service such as The 6 O’Clock Scramble. Every week you are sent a list of 5 recipes and the grocery shopping list. The website even let’s you customize your meals for what your family enjoys or for dietary needs.
    • Meal Swap: Consider joining or starting a meal swap group. Make one meal several times and swap with your friends.

    Hopefully this will get you on the right track. In the next few weeks we will discuss Freezer Meals and Meal Swaps in further detail. Also be sure to check our website and Facebook page for quick and easy meals.

    If you liked today’s post, you’re welcome to use it in your own newsletter or blog as long as you include the following blurb: Joan Robinson, helps working moms and families focus on what is important. Get our FREE weekly tips and advice at www.NoMorePiles.com.

  • Joanie’s Roast Chicken

    If you need an easy, throw together meal that has minimal prep, then you should try Joanie’s Roast Chicken.  This is a simple, yet impressive, one pan meal.  You can assemble it a day ahead and keep it in the frig overnight and then just pop it in the oven when you get home.  A crowd pleaser for even picky eaters, or impressive enough for guests.

    Here is what you need:

    2 – whole chickens (or 1 if you have a smaller family or don’t want leftovers)

    1 pound small potatoes of your choice (red, baby yukon, mixed), cut in half

    1-1 1/2  pounds root vegetables (I use a combination of carrots, parsnips, brussel sprouts, etc)

    2 large onions, quartered

    salt & pepper

    Cut up onions, potatoes, carrots, parsnips or any other root vegetables. Arrange the veggies in a large roasting pan. Place the chicken in the middle drizzle with olive oil sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake uncovered at 450 for an hour, maybe longer if the bird is larger than 5 pounds. Super easy and so good and all in one pan so easy clean up! Double the recipe and use the extra chicken for soup, quesadillas or casseroles.150001_10200237383315748_1398452446_nIf you liked today’s post, you’re welcome to use it in your own newsletter or blog as long as you include the following blurb: Joan Robinson, helps working moms and families focus on what is important. Get our FREE weekly tips and advice at www.NoMorePiles.com.