Ideals to Life

One of the best ways to establish a new habit is to build on an existing routine.

Trash day comes on the same day every week. It is a routine. Cleaning out food from the fridge that is growing as a science project is a task that you often procrastinate doing until you can ignore it no longer.  It is a task that would be the most effective as a routine. Since trash day is a routine that has already been established for you, build on that and try to make trash day (or the day before trash day) your routine day for cleaning out the fridge. This gives you a natural weekly reminder as well as an efficient way to not stink up the garage with the old food.

*Tip - To simplify this routine even more, read my easy idea for date-labeling food.

There are few things more stressful than needing to shuffle funds or worrying about your bank account going negative at the end of the month while you wait for the next paycheck to come in. Especially if you are self-employed, paychecks can often be delayed, putting great strain on the budget.

But with a just a little bit of organization and planning, you can easily eliminate this stress from your life.

Begin by setting up an additional checking account. This will be your “holding account” and it is what all of your paychecks are deposited into. Before each month begins, you and your spouse work together to determine your budget and the amount of money you need to meet that month’s expenses. On the first of the month, transfer the amount of money you determined that you need into your regular checking account. Any extra money in the holding account can then be transferred into savings. As that month progresses, your paychecks will again replenish your holding account and will wait for you there until you do your budget and transfer again at the beginning of the next month.

Gone are the days of living paycheck-to-paycheck. You will always be one month ahead.

*Tip - If you do not initially have the money to set your one-month-ahead-plan in motion, temporarily use your holding account as a savings account. Deposit your savings into that account until you accumulate one month’s worth of expenses.

After purchasing a new electronic, assembling a new piece of baby equipment, or installing a new appliance, you are usually left with an instruction manual. After it sits on the counter for a couple of months, it is tempting to throw it away, but it is risky. When you need an instruction manual, there isn’t an easy replacement.

As a part of your box system, designate a box for the sole purpose of storing instruction manuals. It removes the manuals from “clutter” status where they are likely to get lost, damaged, or thrown away and provides you with a predictable place to look if you should need it.

In an ideal world, I would use an all natural deodorant with no antiperspirant. I’m all too aware of the less-than-ideal ingredients in mainstream deodorants. But I will admit to you that I like to be dry and I like the extra-strength protection more. So it is one ideal that I have decided to let slide.

There is one simple thing you can do, though, to help reduce the amount of deodorant your body absorbs: wait for 10-15 minutes after you shower before applying your deodorant. The moisture and steam from the shower causes your pores to open, allowing them to easily absorb anything you apply to your skin. In contrast, pores close more tightly when your skin is dry and cool. So if natural deodorant isn’t your cup of tea, try making a simple adjustment to when you apply your deodorant. Maybe you don’t have to completely write off your ideal either.

I have tried a lot of chocolate cupcakes in my day, but this one hands-down, takes the cake. They are amazing. The assembly for any filled treat requires a bit of time and patience, but trust me when I say this recipe is worth it.

Chocolate Cream-Filled Cupcakes

Cupcakes
1 c flour
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/3 c cocoa powder
3/4 c sugar
1/2 c sour cream
1/2 c oil
1/2 c boiling water
2 eggs
1 t vanilla extract

Filling
3 T water
3/4 t unflavored gelatin
4 T butter, softened
1 t vanilla extract
1/8 t salt
1 1/4 c marshmallow cream

Glaze
1/2 c semisweet chocolate chips
3 T butter

1. Mix flour, baking soda, and salt.

2. Whisk (boiling) water, cocoa, and chocolate chips in a separate bowl until smooth and the chocolate chips are melted. Add sugar, sour cream, oil, eggs and vanilla to chocolate mixture and blend.

3. Fold the flour mixture into the chocolate and egg mixture. Stir until moistened.

4. Pour batter into 12 greased muffin cups. Bake at 325 degrees for about 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool slightly and then remove from muffin cups. Cool completely.

5. Filling: Mix water and gelatin and let it stand for 5 minutes. Microwave for about 30 seconds or until the gelatin dissolves. Add butter, vanilla and salt. Cool for about 5 minutes before mixing in the marshmallow cream. Blend until smooth. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until set. Set aside 1/3 c. Put the rest of the filling into a pastry bag (or us a ziploc bag with a corner clipped off).

6. Once the cupcakes have cooled, cut a cone shape out of the top of the cupcake, about 2 inches deep. Remove cone and cut off the tip (to create space for the filling). Fill the cupcake with about one tablespoon of the filling and then replace the circular top.

7. Glaze: Melt chocolate and butter in a bowl (30-60 seconds) and stir until smooth. Let the glaze cool (10-15 minutes) and then top each cupcake with about one tablespoon of the glaze. Let sit for 15 minutes and then use the remaining filling to pipe decorative curlicues across the top of the cupcakes.

I am famous for my laundry ruts. I do several loads of laundry one day and never complete the process. The clothes are cleaned, but they remain in laundry baskets for several days until I need the baskets to run new loads of laundry. The clean laundry then gets carelessly dumped on the bedroom floor. At some point that day, knowing that more loads of laundry are on the way, I might finally work on putting away the clean clothes from several days ago. Consequently, I become sick of folding laundry long before the new loads are dry. The vicious cycle repeats.

In response to my frustration over this major household management weakness, I recently imposed a new rule upon myself. Imagine my surprise when it truly worked!! But would it stand test time of time? Weeks later, there are still no piles of laundry on my bedroom floor.That, my friends, is a victory.

The rule is simple: Do not start a second load of laundry until the first load is washed and put away.

It sounds almost too simplistic to be revolutionary, but it works. I can complete one load of laundry. I might procrastinate on two loads, but one load can be completed quickly. It is manageable! We tend to work on chores and projects that we know we can successfully complete and having that small victory is both motivating and energizing. You will find that you actually accomplish more.

So the next time you find yourself in a laundry rut, try the One Load Rule and kiss those piles of wrinkled laundry goodbye.

When it comes to food, there are sale prices and then there are sale prices. If the item you are buying is less than 10% off, then it is probably a phantom sale and not worth stocking-up on. But when an item really goes on sale, how much should you buy? You don’t want to break your pantry shelves, but you also don’t want to run out before the next good sale. It is hard to make that call when you don’t know when it will be on sale again…or do you?

As it turns out, stores generally run on 12 week sale cycles and coupons follow a similar pattern. Your best deals are going to be found when you save your coupons to match those great, rock-bottom sale prices. But even if you aren’t a coupon clipper, just watch the sales and transition to making the bulk of your purchases based on the 12 week cycle. You will save a ton of money and can make a calculated decision on quantity based on the 12-week rule-of-thumb.

Note - There are always exceptions to rule. Start observing the sales at your store and you will soon see patterns emerge.

Taking vitamins and supplements on a routine basis is a challenge to keep up with, especially when you are orchestrating it for the entire family. The key is to keep the process as intuitive as possible. Simple decluttering and organization is the first step. Spend a few minutes this week cleaning out your medicine cabinet. Here are a few tips to get you started:

1. Get rid of expired medications and supplements.

2. Discard items that you no longer use.

3. Separate medications from nutritional supplements.

4. Further divide into adults’ and children’s groups.

5. Store your regularly used supplements at the front of the cabinet where they can be easily accessed.

This is one of my family’s favorite enchilada recipes. It is quick, easy, and packed with rich Mexican flavors without being too spicy. I have made it with ground meats and also with chicken before - both are delicious!

Enchiladas

1 lb ground beef, ground turkey, or shredded chicken
1 onion, chopped
1 t minced garlic
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1 8oz can tomato sauce
1 t paprika
2 t chili powder
1/2 t cumin
1/4 t salt
1/4 t black pepper
3 c shredded Mexican cheese blend
1 10oz can enchilada sauce
Tortillas, flour or corn (if making gluten free) (quantity will vary between 6-12 depending on tortilla size)

1. Cook onion in a little bit of oil until tender. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add cooked meat, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, salt, black pepper, chili powder, and cumin. Simmer for 10 minutes.

2. Pour 1/3 of the enchilada sauce into the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish.

3. Fill each tortilla with a scoop of the meat mixture (amount depends on size of the tortilla) and cheese. Roll up tortilla and place it into the baking dish seam side down. Repeat with all tortillas. Top enchiladas with remaining enchilada sauce and cheese.

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until bubbling.

Garnish with sour cream and cilantro.

January 11 - The girl loves her bows!

Photography 365 - 2010

Photography 365 Introduction