Things I Love: Rescue Remedy

Disclaimer before we get started today: I’m NOT a doctor. If you’re on medications or have serious medical issues, check with your doctor about this first. Use your brain wisely, Sunshine.

Now that that’s out of the way.

I discovered Bach’s Rescue Remedy while I was an event planner. Planning 80+ events per year with 100-1000s of people can be a touch on the stressful side. (Insert sarcastic smirk here.) There’s only so much that exercise and vodka can relieve…sometimes you need a little extra help. Not to mention that it wasn’t like I could drop everything and start running or martini-ing when my day would go sideways. If the morning blew up, I could have breakfast for lunch and pretend to start my day over. Not much you can do in the afternoon but wait it out until happy hour.

Not really a successful strategy.

I’d seen ads for Rescue Remedy but had never bought it. It seemed a little pricey for such a small bottle. I can now, however, tell you that it is worth every. single. penny. This stuff is glorious. It just smooths the edges in a totally natural, non-addictive way. It comes in a few different forms so you can choose the delivery system that’s best for you. The spray is my personal favorite. Even though I’m nowhere near as stressed out as I used to be, I still keep a bottle in my purse should the need arise. It also allows me to show my particularly anxiety-ridden clients what it is and let them take it for a test drive if they so choose. If you have a high stress life or are just particularly wound up in general, take it for a trial run yourself.

I LOVE this stuff!

Have you ever used Rescue Remedy or any of the other Bach Flower Remedies? What do you think?

Food Geek Friday: Guacamole

Last year, I had the pleasure of doing some recipe testing for the gluten-free cookbook, Gluten-Free Made as Easy as 1,2,3: Essentials for Living a Gluten Free Life by Chef Angela McKeller. If you’ve recently been diagnosed with a gluten-allergy or are trying to avoid it in general and don’t know where to start, this is an excellent resource.

And no…I’m not just saying that because I’m in it.

Twice.

I’m noticing a lot more of my clients diagnosed with gluten issues recently and this book helps make sense of it all – what gluten is, how it affects the body, what to look for when eating out, what to cook when eating at home. Even booze options.

And who can go wrong with gluten-free booze options!

Being Texan, one of the recipes I wanted to try was her guacamole. It’s already naturally gluten-free to begin with, but it’s always nice to have the reminder of “common” foods out there that are gluten free. I love guac on everything.

EVERYTHING.

I really just have a love affair with the avocado.

Since it’s a simple recipe and you aren’t actually cooking any of it, a major key is to get the best quality ingredients you can afford. Then just let them do their magic. I used a potato masher for the avo because I like it to stay fairly chunky.

Homemade Guacamole Dip

Serves 15-20

Ingredients:

• 3 ripe avocados, pitted and chopped
• 1/8 cup lime juice
• 1 cup diced roma tomatoes
• 1/4 cup diced red onion
• 1/4 cup diced yellow onion
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 2 cups GF baked corn chips

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, combine avocados and lime juice. Mash with a fork until somewhat smooth, but still has plenty of texture.
2. Add tomatoes, onion, garlic, jalapeno, and cilantro. Stir until well combined.
3. Serve with corn chips and enjoy!

Quick Tip: Plastic Bags Suck

What does a professional organizer do over a long weekend?

Weeds out her own home.

Bus man’s holiday? Naaaaah. I have a birthday looming and always like to create some space for my personal new year.

Something I always tell clients is that if there’s something that you hate every time you see it, fix it. Every time I open up my “bag drawer,” it pisses me off. The plastic bags are out. of. control. Take a looksie for yourself:

Hot mess, huh?

So I decided it was time to take my own advice and fix it! (In truth, it was totally a feng shui attack.) I pulled out all the plastic bags and threw them on the floor in front of the tv. Then I grabbed a cup of coffee, put on a fave tv show and got to work.

First, I checked the bag for holes and tossed any that were damaged. With the good ones, I used the flag fold. (Thank you, Girl Scouts.)

Flatten the bag and make sure to get as much air out as possible.

Next, fold the bag in half, length-wise.

And again.

Press out as much air as possible and fold the handle end up. I liked to hold my finger across the end so too much air wouldn’t sneak back in. This is very important later.

For my next trick, I folded one corner up to the edge of the other side to start forming a triangle.

Then took the bottom corner and folded it up.

Continue folding it over itself until you get to the end. Then tuck the end into one of the “pockets” made by the wrapping action.

And voila!

Once it was done, I put them all back in the drawer. The difference in amount of space it takes up is HUUUUGE.

Sometimes when it comes to organizing, it’s really all about efficient use of space.

Since posting the above picture on the interwebs, I’ve had a few friends tell me they did this with their bags too and love it!

Did it take some time to set this all up? Yes. Will it take a little more time to fold a bag before putting it into the drawer instead of just throwing it in? Yes.

Does it help my sanity that this drawer doesn’t assault my eyes every time I open it? Yes.

Worth it. Totally worth it.

To recap:

Once the bags are finished, there are a myriad of ways to store them. You can stored them in a drawer as I have done or use an empty Kleenex box or jar. If I didn’t have the drawer, I’d probably have wrapped a large jar in contact paper and kept them in that on my counter top.

How do you store your plastic baggies?

Happy Memorial Day 2013

Via Creative Commons. Click for original photo by Carl Wycoff

Thank you to all the soldiers that are no longer with us, as well as the friends and family that were left behind. It’s a beautiful sacrifice that not everyone is willing to make. Your valor and courage has not gone unnoticed.

Wishing everyone a fabulous Memorial Day!

Food Geek Friday: Creamed Kale (Dairy-free)

This past weekend, I picked up a bunch of kale from the farmers market. Then I saw this post from Just Eat Real Food on Facebook.

It was like The Universe telling me, “Make it happen.”

And I did.

It was soooooooo good and still awesome as leftovers. Greens can sometimes make for nasty leftovers, you know.

I made this Monday night paired with sautéed, fresh, Copper River salmon and paired the leftovers with some steak on Tuesday night.

Yes…I ate an entire bunch of kale in two servings. It’s that good. I wish I had some more right now.

Seriously, make this happen in your own kitchen this weekend. Pretend it isn’t healthy if it’ll make you feel better.

Creamed Kale

via Paleo Parents

Ingredients

• 1 bunch kale, stemmed and chopped
• a little fat to coat your pan – I choose coconut oil. Bacon grease or butter will rock too.
• 1/2 tsp each of: garlic powder, ground cumin, ground coriander, ground cardamom, ground clove
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 can full fat coconut milk

Directions

1. Heat large skillet over medium heat and add fat of choice. Once hot, add kale and saute until it begins to soften, approx. 6 minutes.
2. Add salt, pepper and spices and stir to mix.
3. Pour in coconut milk and stir to mix.
4. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. It’s finished when the kale is completely wilted (though I still like a little “bite”  to mine) and the coconut milk is thick enough to coat the back of your spoon.
5. Enjoy!

Notes:

• With these proportions, you’ll end up with a lot of extra sauce. I separated the excess from the kale to use as a sauce for other meals. Or you could just add less coconut milk…your call.
• If you’re not familiar in the ways of canned coconut milk, do NOT use a can of coconut milk that has been in the fridge. It will have separated and be a pain in the arse to work with. Make sure you use a room temp can and shake it well before opening.
• If you’re not a coconut fan, that’s OK. I’m not either. There’s just the faintest hint of sweetness but not an overwhelming coconut taste. Just try it and see what you think. If you hate it, I’ll eat your leftovers.

 

Things I Love: Walk Me Up

click for source

If you have issues waking up in the morning and use your phone as an alarm clock, I have *THE* app for you.

Walk Me Up.

This thing is fabulous. You have to walk around to turn it off. Don’t even try to shake it.

Or do.

I got a good laugh when it told me to stop shaking the phone and then reset itself back to zero steps.

There’s even an “evil mode” where it removes the option for hitting a snooze button.

Evil indeed.

I’ve only used it a couple of times so far but I love it. I usually don’t set an alarm so when I do it can be challenging to get my ass out of bed. This is perfect for getting me up and moving.

Pro tip: Setting the alarm noise to something you don’t hate otherwise you’ll end up walking around the room cranky. Don’t be a cranky-pants.

For my iPhone users, this one is Android only. Don’t feel bad. There are TONS of other apps that are iPhone only. Welcome to our world. There’s a cocktail at the end of the bar to soothe you.

(For the record, I was neither asked nor have not been paid to say any of this. I just dig it and wanted to share.)

Quick Tip: Use a Tray

Want to make a random or not so random collection on a countertop or other flat surface look pulled together instantly?

Put ‘em on a tray.

Photo Credit – Cornelius Photography

Yep. Sometimes it’s as easy as that.

Photo Credit – Cornelius Photography

What would have originally just looked like randomness is instantly pulled together to create a cohesive look.

What do you have out that would look better on a tray?

Food Geek Friday: Food Expiration Guidelines

I’ve been working in a lot of kitchens recently, so I thought I’d share my thoughts on expiration dates with the entire class.

Expiration dates are…tricky.

First and foremost, know that expiration dates on food are NOT regulated.

Also known as – We the food manufacturers are pulling dates out of our collective asses as a “favor” to the consumer and will put them in random places you can’t find on the packaging, if we bother to give you a date at all.

Pro tip: when cleaning out your pantry, pair like with like and THEN check for dates. It goes a little quicker because similar foods tend to have the dates in similar places. If it’s dated anyway.

So since it’s all pretty arbitrary and there’s a bit of semantics at play, let’s first take a look at the different types of dates you’ll find: sell by, best by, and expires on.

Sell by – This is for the store. Sell this item by said date and then take it off the shelves. If it’s been properly handled by you after purchase, it should last at least another day to few days depending on the food.

Best by – This one is when it will taste the best, but it won’t necessarily kill you if you eat it afterwards.

Expires on – this is theoretically when it starts to spoil and you most likely won’t want to eat it afterwards.

But remember…these dates are arbitrarily chosen by the manufacturer. Because of this, there are a few factors on their end that they’re considering but don’t want you to:

1. If they give you the *true* longevity, they may scare people with the fact that their food won’t die for many, many years. After all, the further out that date is, the more leery you may become of said food. (And rightly so.)
2. They hope that these items will sit on your pantry for a while and then the next time you clean out your pantry you’ll see the expiration date and toss it. Higher turnover due to expiration dates means more sales for them. Remember Sunshines, they are first and formost in the business of selling food and making money. If short-changing an expiration date is going to help get them to their goals, they’re not going to lose sleep at night by doing it.
3. Overall the date will be a bit conservative because from the legal standpoint it’s better that someone throws away perfectly good food rather than get sick and sue.

Here are my rules of thumb:

• Fridge – Sniff test will pretty much give away anything nasty in the fridge. If you don’t have a good sense of smell, enlist the help of someone that does.
• Freezer – Toss it. Freezer burn tastes naaaaaaasty.
• Dry goods – I like to operate with a general 3-6 month buffer on things that haven’t been opened. If you’re within a few months past the expiration date, go ahead and use it. If you’re not going to use it, send it to the food bank or give it to a friend that will.
• Dried spices – These guys actually start loosing potency from the moment they’re opened. I always go with a sniff test first. If you can smell it, it should be ok. If you can’t smell it, toss. Old spices won’t hurt you, but they sure as hell won’t do your dish or taste buds any favors.
• Beverages – depends on what it is. Many dried beverages, like tea, fall into the dried spices sniff test category. Liquids can be iffier…unless it’s liquor. That stuff stays pretty much good forever. But why do you have old liquor???

If you find yourself tossing a bunch of old foods then it’s time to reevaluate your meal habits. Plan more. Purchase only what you need for the week. Eat up what you already have first. This saves you money and waste.

My challenge to you – clean out the pantry, fridge and freezer this weekend and report back when you’re finished. How many bags did you toss? What was the oldest expiration date you came across? My current client records thus far are 6 giant carpenter bags of foods and an expiration date of 1992. (Not the same home, BTW.)

Disclaimer: this is all purely based on the dates and assumes that everything has been handled and stored properly after purchase. If it hasn’t, all bets are off.

All the World’s a Stage…and it’s Organized.

Photo Credit – Tracy Davis

For the last month and a half, I’ve been rehearsing and then performing as a lady’s maid to the Marquise de Berkenfeld in THE DAUGHTER OF THE REGIMENT in the Fort Worth Opera‘s 2013 Opera Festival.

If  there’s anything that HAS to be organized, it’s an entertainment production and especially one of this scale. As an audience member, you may think you have an inkling. After all, there’s a huge cast, costumes, tons of props so that has to happen somehow.

You only get a sliver of it.

Take a peek behind the curtain and you’d be amazed. You’ve got the stage manager and their staff. Prop management and staff. Costumes and their staff. Wigs and make-up and their staff. Lights and sound and their staff. Maestro and the orchestra. Etc. etc. Not to mention all the stuff that comes with each of those people and departments. There are about a kajillion moving parts to make this happen to give you a couple of hours of entertainment.

If one thing goes wrong, it can set off a domino-like tail spin that can be not only problematic, it can even cause physical harm.

Talk about organizing for your life.

Everyone HAS to be on the same page. Backstage can be quite hectic, but it’s a very specific and controlled chaos.

How so?

Impeccable organization.

IMPECCABLE.

Seriously. It’s organizing porn back there.

Buddha Buddy hanging out a prop table in rehearsals. Don’t think he appeared in the show. Don’t recall seeing him after rehearsals. Love him all the same.
Photo Credit – Tracy Davis

Everyone has a specific role and they do it. For instance: at one point in the top of Act II, there’s a person off-stage to make a quick switch of taking a boot out of my hands and handing me a dressing gown. If that person missed, I would miss my next cue, the next gag and then throw off the whole rhythm of the scene.

NOT entertaining.

Everything has a specific place where it lives and that home is labeled.

It’s glorious. You can see what’s there and what’s missing.

So how do you turn your chaotic home into controlled chaos? Take a few tips from our backstage:

1. Get everyone on the same page. If there are multiple people in your home, everyone – EVERYONE that lives/works in your home – MUST be on the same page with what the goals are for the home. Otherwise, you’ll start to feel like a resentful hag that has to pick up after everyone else. Nobody wants that. She doesn’t feel good.
2. Give everyone specific jobs. When you know it’s your job to do “X” at a specific time, then it becomes easier. It eliminates all excuses and doubt.
3. Obsessively label everything – like our prop tables. I mean, check out the dice up there. There’s a tiny, specific box where they live. If that’s how specific you need to get for your family, DO IT. Whatever it takes to make it work, right?

Now, this could be a major change and culture shock for your family. As with making any major change in the way you do things, it’ll take time for everyone to adjust. Be patient and offer daily, GENTLE reminders until it sticks. Over time, you won’t need to be as hard core with the labeling and other tips but but it’s good and necessary until these things become habit.

Where in your home can you simplify? Where can you create a smoother running machine?

3 Tips to Light a Fire Under Your Ass and Take Action

My newest post for She Owns It is up! Enjoy

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In Steel Magnolias, Olympia Dukakis as Clairee Belcher says, “The only thing that separates us from the animals is our ability to accessorize.”

My Sunshines, the only thing separating you from the cluttered masses is the ability to light a fire under your tookus and take action.

Yes, darling, it is indeed that simple.

Or is it?

Continue reading…