Quick Tip Thursday

Today's Quick Tip isn't organizing related, it's food!

This is one of my favorite easy, inexpensive, delicious recipes.  It's great for a weeknight or for sharing with company.

Roast Chicken Breasts with Garbanzo Beans, Tomatoes, and Paprika
source: Bon Appetite via Epicurious.com
my notes in italics

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika* - the smoked paprika makes all the difference. Regular paprika is NOT the same as smoked.
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt or Greek yogurt
• 4 chicken breast halves with bones - I prefer to use boneless skinless chicken breasts or even chicken thighs.  I find the thighs are usually cheaper and have more flavor. 
• 1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained
• 1 12-ounce container cherry tomatoes
• 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 450°.
Mix first 5 ingredients in medium bowl.
Pour 1 teaspoon spiced oil mixture into small bowl; whisk in yogurt and set aside for sauce.
Place chicken on large rimmed baking sheet. (I line mine with foil sprayed with cooking spray to make cleanup easier)
Rub 2 tablespoons spiced oil mixture over chicken.
Add beans, tomatoes, and 1/2 cup cilantro to remaining spiced oil mixture; toss to coat.
Pour bean mixture around chicken.
Sprinkle everything generously with salt and pepper.

Roast until chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes.
Sprinkle with 1/2 cup cilantro.
Transfer chicken to plates. Spoon bean mixture over. (Or you can serve it on a big platter!)
Serve with yogurt sauce.


Huge thanks to my friend Stephanie for sharing this with me about a year ago.  I've made it many times since and always love it. I just love the sweetness of the cooked tomatoes.  This is very fast to prepare.  I usually do not make the yogurt sauce because it's not something I like but others think it's delicious.

Enjoy!

Quick Tip Thursday

If you have young children you've probably answered a few hundred thousand requests for plates, bowl, cups or milk or water, etc.  And while you adore those little faces sometimes your hands are busy with other things and stopping to get yet another cup of water makes you want to pull your hair out.

Try keeping some kid-friendly dishes down low so the kids can access themselves.  We keep ours like this:

They can get a plate while I cut the strawberries or a bowl while I grab the cereal from the pantry.  And the cups... I put the water dispenser in our fridge low enough that they can help themselves (while standing on a stool) and I don't have to be involved. 

It's such a small thing that helps so much.

We're lucky to have these pull-out shelves but I found that plates and cups were always falling off to the side.  Adding these inexpensive baskets keeps things corralled a bit more.

Quick Tip Thursday

This is something I've pretty much just always done. But it occured to me last week as my husband asked yet again for me to remove a loose string that not everyone may do this.

Keep a pair of scissors in your bathroom!  I keep mine in the medicine cabinet.  They come in handy more often than you might imagine.  Usually I notice loose threads while I'm standing in front of the mirror. It's so nice to just be able to clip it off right then rather than waiting until I go into another room (by which time I'll have probably forgotten about it.)

Other uses for scissors in the bathroom:
* Opening the shink wrap packaging on razors, mouthwash, shampoo, etc
* Cutting off an itchy tag from a shirt


How would/do you use scissors in the bathroom?


By the way, if you write the word scissors enough times it starts to look really, really strange!

Quick Tip Thursday

Today's tip is less about being organized than it is about not making yourself insane over something small. Do you ship packages? Ever? With family out of state, selling things online and returning online purchases I actually ship more things than I really imagine. I like to use clea packing tape for my boxes. I've been using the stuff for at least 17 years, since that first time I had to send myself boxes at college. And in those years I've found one trick that is basically fail-proof and always, always saves my sanity.

When you're done with the tape, tuck under one teeny little corner. This gives you a tab to pull it back up again when you need to use it next time.

It sounds so small, and it is.  But if you don't do it the results may not be pretty.  I know you've been there... your tape has stuck to itself and now you're trying to peel it apart in one piece.  But it's ripping into shredded pieces and you're getting little strips of tape.  Your frustrated and want to toss the whole thing in the trash.  (Yes, I know, I've had it happen too.)

But once you get that tape back to its full state do yourself a big favor and tuck under a corner.  You might lose 1/2 an inch of tape but you'll save your sanity and your fingernails the next time you need it.

Quick Tip Thursday

WARNING:  Beware!  Around your home and around your brain lurks a clutter foe so persistent in his schemes to keep you from having the home you want that he is nearly impossible to evade.  His name is Just For Now and he is cunning.

You may have met Just For Now when you brought in the mail yesterday.  He enticed you to drop that stack of catalogs and bills right there on the kitchen counter.  And he probably dropped by as you were helping your kids in from the car.  He encouraged you to put your car keys down on the coffee table while you helped get coats and hats and scarves removed.  And then he convinced you it would be okay to leave said winter gear on the arm chair by the coat closet.  After all, it's "just for now."

How can you combat this wiley enemy? With your dear friend Do It Now. I'm talking about the ability to stop when you hear yourself thinking  "I'll leave this window cleaner on the counter just for now while I check my email. I'll put it away right after I send this text message."
Instead think to yourself "You know, self, how about if I just return the cleaner to the cupboard right now.  It'll take an extra 15 seconds and will be one less thing to pick up later."

So when you hear yourself saying or thinking "just for now" in relation to where you put your things, realize that by combating just this one phrase you could potentially save yourself hours of work later on.

Think about it!

Quick Tip Thursday

"I need to {{fill in the blank}} my closet!"

You might fill in the blank with one of the following words:
* declutter
* organize
* clean out

Regardless of the verb you use the frustration behind it is the same.  You are tired of having too many things you don't love in a space that doesn't work.  But you put off doing a full closet reorganization because it will take too much time/money/effort.

Get closer to the closet you want by following this very simple step:

The next time you pull something out to put it on and go to hang it back up because it doesn't fit or you don't love it or it's out of style please for the love of all that is good do not hang it back up!

Take 10 seconds and do one of three things with it:
1. Toss it in the "donation" box (that you are going to put in your closet tonight!) if it's still in good repair
2. Toss in the trash if it's stained or otherwise un-donatable
3. Put it in your craft stash.  NOTE: this option is ONLY for those of you who are actual crafters.  Not those of you who are only crafters in the dark recesses of your mind.  Yes, old sweaters can be used to make throw pillows & draft dodgers.  But if you don't own a sewing machine or if the one you do own hasn't been used in 6 months or more, DO NOT save these things.  Refer back to option 1 or 2.

Quick Tip Thursday: Never Be Empty Handed

One of the most effective ways I've found to keep some semblance of order in my home (and with 3 kids that's not always easy) is to never leave a room empty handed.

Now, sometimes my hands are full of kids. 

But if I'm leaving any room, for any reason, and I don't have a child or two in my arms then I'm carrying something else that needs to be re-homed.  Maybe it's a dirty glass that gets put in the dishwasher, some forlorn stickers that need to make their way to the trash, a child's coat that needs to be hung up, or a basket of clean, folded laundry that needs to make its way to the bedroom.

It can be large or small.  But this small simple act of moving one (or more!) item out of it's misplaced position to the right spot will do wonders for keeping things a little less cluttered on a day-to-day basis.

Still looking for a New Year's Resolution - Never Leave A Room Empty Handed just might be it.

Quick Tip Thursday

It's time to get those gifts in the mail!!

If you have anything that needs to be sent out of town, please take time today and tomorrow to get it packaged up and put in the mail.  If you plan to ship using the United States Postal Service their last day for Christmas delivery of first class mail is Dec 20. 

See the complete list of deadlines here.
You can find the last days to ship with FedEx here (it's Dec 23 unless you want to pay for overnight).

To help you stay on track this season, avoid going to the post office or shipping store to get those packages sent.  Instead schedule a pickup right from your front door.  You weigh your package, pay for the shippng online, print out the shipping label and tape it to your package and then place it on the porch for your mail carrier.  It is actually quite easy.

Quick Tip Thursday

The holiday cards have started to arrive! 

I know how anxious you are to rip open those envelopes to see the newsletters and pictures inside.  But wait!  Don't throw that envelope away just yet.  Once you've had your fill of Christmas cheer from the card, use the envelope to check you address book and make sure you have the most current address for your friends and family. 

Feel too rushed to do it right away?  Then set up a little file folder with the envelopes and run through them after the 1st of the year.

Quick Tip Thursday

Do you have an artificial tree that comes in multiple pieces?  Is it a challenge each year to find the cords and get each section connected correctly?

This year, when you are putting up (or taking down) the tree add labels to any cord that needs to be plugged/unplugged.  Labels can be in many different forms

• printed labels from your trusty label maker
• handmade adorable tags that look like ornaments
• old bread bag closers that you write on

The keys to making it work are:

• Make the label easy to see/find amidst all the branches
• Make the label hard to remove (so it doesn't get knocked off)

Next year when you drag that tree up from the basement you'll get it lit on the first try (assuming you didn't break any bulbs!)

Quick Tip Thursday

Do you have a huge frustration over socks in the laundry?  Do you hate matching them and trying to find the right mates?

With two kids we are overwhelmed with little socks.  But about a year ago I made an executive decision and have never looked back...

Both kids wear the same socks.  Plain, boring, white socks.  I'm sure my daughter would love to have some crazy pink ones but since she's only 3 and I've never given her a choice, she doesn't know the difference.  We buy one brand, one style, one color.  Then it doesn't matter which kid's drawer they end up in.  And matching is a breeze.  And if you are really a free-spirit you could even skip matching them and just throw them in the drawer unmatched.  Then just grab two when you need them.

(Remember... this principle can apply to adults too!)

Quick Tip Thursday

Ann Landers Golden Rules for Living

If you open it, close it.
If you turn it on, turn it off.
If you unlock it, lock it up.
If you break it, admit it.
If you can’t fix it, call someone who can.
If you borrow it, return it.
If you value it, take care of it.
If you make a mess, clean it up.
If you move it, put it back.
If it belongs to someone else, get permission to use it.
If you don’t know how to operate it, leave it alone.
If it’s none of your business, don’t ask questions.

If only we could remember to follow these ourselves each day (and perhaps convince our family members to do the same) I imagine we would all have a life more organized.

Quick Tip Thursday

Cleaning your toilets. Not fun, I know. But necessary.

Like most people, I use a toilet bowl cleaner to give the toilets a good cleaning once a week (usually). But I also like to keep the bowl fresh between cleanings. Most any store with a housewares department sells very pretty toilet brush sets for $19.99 and up.

A cheaper solution, and one that works better in my opinion, is to use a simple container ($10) that matches your decor and an inexpensive toilet brush ($3). Fill the container with water and a small amount of liquid soap - like a hand-wash dishwashing liquid. This mixture will keep your brush a bit cleaner and gets off the gunk on the toilet. Wipe the toilet daily for best results.

Here are my toilet brush containers.

This is a vase that I no longer had a use for.

A crock designed to hold kitchen utensils.

Don't feel bound by those flimsy and expensive brush options at the local home-goods store. Find something unique that fits your home and make it work for you.

Quick Tip Thursday

Does the end of dinner mean a mountain of dishes piled high with stuck on gunk and counters overflowing with ingredients both in their containers and spilled out?

In an ideal world we would clean as we go. Each dish and utensil would be carefully washed and put into the dishwasher immediately, leaving a clean kitchen when the meal is ready for the table. I'm not sure about you but I don't live in an ideal world. Nor do I live on the set of a cooking show with a staff of assistants.

A middle-ground solution... as soon as you start your meal, fill one half of your sink (assuming you have a double) with hot water and a bit of dish soap. When you finish with a dish or utensil, just toss into the water. When your dinner is finished you'll still need to rinse them and load the dishwasher but you won't have caked on ingredients. The scrubbing will be mostly done for you.

Quick Tip Thursday

Vacation Reboot

About that summer vacation we just planned and packed for. How many times have you arrived back from vacation just to feel overwhelmed with the amount of work to be done getting life back to normal? How long have you continued to live out of your suitcase for a week after your return?

This summer, when you get home, put away everything the same day. If you happen to arrive home in the middle of the night, do it first thing in the morning. I know it seems overwhelming but I promise your transition back to the daily grind will be so much nicer if you aren't dealing with remnants of your vacation.

Take one hour to do the following:

1. Set the timer for 15 minutes (20-30 minutes if mom & dad need to unpack the kids stuff) and have everyone set off to their own room to unpack their stuff.

2. Throw in a load of laundry. If you think of it beforehand, designate a dirty laundry bag on your trip. Instead of having everyone repack their own suitcases with their own clothes, designate one bag to be the dirty laundry bag. As soon as you unload the car, take that bag to the laundry room and throw it all in to wash. (better yet, if you are staying with family or friends do laundry the night before your departure & come home with clean clothes.)

3. Sit down at the table for a quick break and an easy snack (microwave popcorn, a few pieces of fruit or cheese & crackers are good choices). Sitting at the table is key for this. If you let yourselves get comfortable on the couch in front of the tv you'll be unlikely to get back up.

4. Set the timer for another 15-30 minutes (depending on whether your kids can help and how much stuff you packed) and get to work putting everything else away.

I'll be surprised if your travel gear isn't entirely unpacked and put away after this hour (aside from what's churning away in the washing machine). If this one hour vacation reboot doesn't leave you with everything put away you'll be darn close. And you'll be able to get back to your life with a sense of peace.

Quick Tip Thursday

Do you consistently forget to return your library books on time and end up with late fees?
Treat return dates like any other appointment!

As soon as you get home with those books, put a reminder on your calendar on the due date with a quick list of the titles due that day. Then when you check your calendar each night for your list of appointments tomorrow (you are checking your calendar every night, right?) you'll be reminded to gather them up with everything else you need for the day.