The Lone Empty Shelf

I've never had an empty kitchen shelf.

Never.

And now I do. 

WOO HOO.

Ok, it's a super small and awkward shelf, but still. It's empty and I call it a fantastic step in emptying out my house of stuff we don't need.

My road to a more minimalist lifestyle is beginning to take shape, I'm hoping that I can empty out the above closed cupboard of random leftover containers without lids tomorrow and get a box of stuff over to Goodwill. I'd wait for the Disabled American Veteran pick up, but it's still a month away and I just want to get rid of stuff. 

Another thing that I did was rid the kitchen of the rug beneath the dog water dish. All I would do is vacuum it and then it would be dirty in about two minutes. That went into the garbage and I've never been so thrilled to be rid of a chore. I hate cleaning so the less I have to clean the better. 

I also took the small kid's potty chair for the Monkey out of the bathroom since she prefers to pee on the seat that we put on the big toilet. One more less thing to clean.

Next up for small steps on Friday: open up a book case in the office and clear out one shelf. And then put away some crochet stuff in the book case. Or maybe move magazines there. I don't know yet. I don't have the heart to part with my Garden Gate or Domino magazines yet. I still read those and get a lot from them so... they shall be saved for now. A few weeks ago I went from having maybe 18 full magazine holders to 10. I can still part with more and toss more into the recycle bin. I also need to pare down office supplies - by that I mean throw away pens and markers that don't work, and see if we have doubles of tape dispensers, pencil sharpeners, too many folders, etc... and put those in a box for donation too. 

BioBag vs. Bag-To-Nature

Since beginning the organic waste program with our local city, I'm in love with it. I can throw so much stuff in the organic waste instead of the garbage can. It's freaking awesome. If you have the option, please do it! We do pay $10 per month for it, but it's worth it in the amount of waste reduction going to landfills and the burning plant. Examples of items we can toss - all leftovers, paper towel cardboard, egg cartons, fish, bones, paper towels, take out containers, paper q-tips, tissues.

I've used two brands of compostable waste bags and these are my (short but sweet) reviews:

Hands down, Bag-To-Nature is my favorite composting bag for the kitchen organic waste bags. They feel a little more like the plastic bags you get from Target and are much more stronger, easier to tie with the ends, and definitely contain the smells of organic waste tenfold over BioBags. These are a bit harder to find - I haven't seen these at Target but they are sold at Frattalone's Ace Hardware and the Lakewinds Co-op. I haven't bought any at the Linden Hills Co-op yet, so I don't know if they sell these or another brand.

BioBags are great for your regular compost when you take it out every night - these ones start composting immediately. As in, they don't work for your regular organic waste (leftovers, etc...) because once wet, well, it's all over for the strength of the bag. I can barely make it to the organic waste cart behind our garage without it breaking. Use BioBags for your greens for your backyard composter. These ones feel a bit more rubbery and softer - they've got a little stretch to them which means if you're tossing chicken bones, the bones will punch a hole right through the bag.

Below are pics side to side of the bags -

Wordless Wednesday - Garden Flowers

Fun Old Photos

Black and white photos are so much fun - especially when the people in them are your family and you know who they are and maybe even met them once or twice!

My sister has a TON of old family photos and at some point I will have to borrow them so I can scan them and print them for myself. We have a few old ones on the wall of Bimmer Man's family but I need some too!

With facebook I've been able to connect with a lot of family members, including some family that I had no idea that I had in Canada. It's nice to be able to use my french language knowledge!

Holy Guacamole

These two kids. They just kill me with silliness and laughter some days.

When it's time to cook in the kitchen I try to find things that the Monkey can help me make. Guacamole is one of those things.

I don't actually home make it anymore, instead I Sandra Dee the shit out of it. Why? Because I just don't have time for it - plus the Monkey can help me more this way.

I cut the avocados, spoon them into a bowl and she mashes them with a potato masher. 

I cut the corner of a pouch of Rick Bayless' Frontera guacamole mix and she dumps it into the bowl of mashed avocados and mixes it all together.

Then we eat.

Side Note: The Monkey has now surpassed the "Minnesota Spice" level of just pepper in her food and will now eat spicy guac, medium salsas, and will taste spice chinese food. I'm extremely proud of her!

Homemade Burgers!

I love burgers. I could eat them every day. 

Maybe.

Burgers are a pretty close tie with pizza (seriously, any type of pizza, it could even be on a tortilla, but no matter what, I'd still eat it!).

I haven't made burgers at home in YEARS because we've discovered the already-seasoned ready-to-be-grilled burgers at Byerly's. If you have not tried their Pub burgers, or their Asiago Garlic burgers, or their pizza burgers then you are seriously missing out on delicious beef. 

And those are the reasons why I haven't made burgers at home in years. 

But then I decided that I could probably make my own and they may not taste as great but they will definitely be great. And great they were, trust me. 

Super easy to make. Delicious. 

And even easier to freeze for burgers later next week. WOO HOO!!!

I doubled the recipe for myself and froze three patties for the next week. Freeze them flat and then you can stack them for easier storage in the freezer. 

Homemade Burgers

1 lb ground beef (I use organic beef - the highest fat content will give you a better burger but use what you want)

1 tbsp McCormick's Montreal Steak Seasoning
1 tbsp of minced garlic (I use the preminced garlic, I hate the smell of garlicky hands!)

At least 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, more if you really like it

Mix everything together with your hands in a big bowl. Divide it into 4 chunks. Shape the patties into discs and then press your thumb into the center. This makes for even cooking and the edges won't be burnt to a crisp before the center is done to your liking.

Grill about 5-7 minutes on each side. I grill a little longer for burgers for the Monkey since I like her meat to be a little more well done than my own.

Top with cheese - I like aged cheddar. 

Serve on toasted buns with your favorite toppings.

Return to Line Drying - Tips And Tricks

Bimmer Man set up my new clothesline outside. I"M SO EXCITED.

I honestly don't know any other nerdy hippie that would be SO EXCITED about a clothesline.

It's 40 feet long, so it stretches from our back sun porch to the garage. I can hang approximately a half load of clothes on it (well, we have a super capacity washing machine which does 2-4 loads of clothes at once compared to a regular washing machine. I generally do 4-5 loads of laundry per week).

So with line drying clothes the question becomes, do I really want crunchy clothes or not?

I don't line dry underwear or undergarments. Too embarrassing (but what did people do before dryers?).

I don't do towels either after I used a crunchy towel after a shower one day. I read somewhere that dermatologists suggest using line dried towels for exfoliating and what not but I really think it depends on the towel. Our nice Ralph Lauren towels are too crunchy but the ginormous Ikea towels aren't all that bad after line drying.

After a few weeks of line drying (and drying about 10 loads now...) I have a few line drying tips.

• Dry clothes inside out - brightly colored clothes won't fade and the pit stains in shirts will be sun bleached
• Dry them hanging upside down (so pants should be hung from the legs, not the waistband)
• T-shirts need to be dried inside out and upside down
• Napkins fold neater and much more nicely after being line dried (aka no ironing necessary)
• Socks take the LONGEST TIME
• White clothes are most definitely whiter after being in the sun (no more pit stains, yay!!)
• Vinegar in the rinse cycle (put it in the softener part of your washing machine) gets out excess laundry detergent which means less crunchiness since there's no leftover soap
• It's ok to fluff clothes in the dryer - but I just fold clothes straight from the line and put everything away (I bring out 3-4 blue Ikea bags to sort and fold depending on what's in the load - 1 for me, 1 for Bimmer, 1 for the Monkey, 1 for household crap). I feel like returning the clothes to right side out and shaking them a bit helps to get out the crunchiness

So there's my tips for line drying clothes. I'm really happy with my clothesline but I sure do feel like the neighborhood hippie with our clothes hanging outside!

Becoming A Minimalist

Simplifying life isn't easy.

I woke from a nap today thinking the following - the most important people that care about ME when I die are in the same house as I was in that moment. Anything else doesn't matter. 

Really, things are just things. Stuff is just stuff. 

I don't need 6 beer coozies, I don't need 4 different coffee mugs. Or 37 drink glasses. 

All I need are my loved ones.

And so I've started simplifying my life. Shelf by shelf I've been going through our stuff and either tossing or donating. It feels great. 

And so I started doing the same with my friends on Facebook. I've gone from 437 friends down to 3??. I'm not sure, I just ask myself "does this person really care about the crap that I post?" If my answer is no, then they get deleted. 

It feels wonderful. 

I don't really need Facebook. I don't need the digital world to "like" me to justify my life, to make me feel "liked" or needed. I don't care all that much anymore. I'm over 30, I have other things to do than care about what people think about my life (I wish I knew this in my 20's!). I post photos for my family members and for my favorite people to see what I eat, do, make, etc... 

However, it's now time for me to start on a new journey in my life. I'm simplifying everything. 

And it feels fabulous.

I'm going back to where I need to be. 

I 'm starting to cut out technology, cutting out all the extras. Letting my days be free and fluid with the Monkey. No tv, just music or quiet time. Living life, I guess is what you would say. 

I just need the peace and quiet of simplicity.

Someone Peed On My New Rug Already

It's now "broken in."

Bimmer Man came home from work last week and this was our conversation. 

Me: Someone in this house peed on my new rug.

Bimmer Man says nothing and looks at me. 

Me: No! Not me! I didn't pee on the rug!

(It was The Monkey, I swear!)

August Meal Planning

I still have quite a few freezer meals from last time so I don't have too much to plan out - woo hoo!!

BUT I bulk ordered sides - so in the cupboards I have Near East Mediterranean Curry Cous Cous and Near East Roast Garlic and Olive Oil Pasta. Both are delicious and the Monkey eats both so no worries on finding a starch.

Meal planning is so weird. I look at other blogs for meal planning ideas and while recipes LOOK FANTASTIC, I realize that when I put it down on my calendar that A) I don't have time; B) I am missing 2+ ingredients that I probably won't ever buy again; or C) I just don't want to make it because it's too involved.

Another thing about meal planning - there are things that I don't like that I see quite a bit -

• I hate quinoa, 
• I'm not much for elaborate breading of meat (I don't have room for all of that), 
• I don't deep fry things, 
• I don't have time to make a sauce or make a mix and then make dinner

And also there are only certain vegetables that I like and that the Monkey will actually eat:

• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Green beans
• Corn
• Tomatoes
• Cucumbers
• Water Chestnuts (I know, weird)
• Broccolini stalk thingys

Please notice what is missing - potatoes, asparagus, carrots, eggplant (which I don't like either), peppers and a few other veggies. I make french fries, tater tots, and homemade french fries but the Monkey refuses to eat plain baked potatoes or roasted potatoes. I don't know why (because she'll eat curried rice, LOL!). 

So in general when looking at other blogger's meal plans I have to switch up sides and make changes to recipes to suit our meal needs (like omitting hot sauce and switching from potatoes for a side to jasmine rice). 

I also have to work within our budget, so if that means that I only buy some lettuce, milk, butter, and eggs at the co-op, then so be it. My grocery budget sometimes has to be eating out of cupboards only (which is fine because they're usually stocked in general because every few weeks/months I buy certain items in bulk).

And the other thing with meal planning - I buy organic. We're up to eating 75-85% organic except for some frozen pizzas, cheese, and some pantry items. Organic can be expensive so I need to choose meals that fit within our budget. There are meats that we can't afford (like $17.99/lb for some meats at Whole Foods, seriously....) so I switch up marinades to cheaper organic beef and chicken cuts. Whole chickens are cheap but boneless, skinless breasts are the easiest for me to work with (Costco has organic chicken and beef for bulk purchases or else I order from my organic meat lady at the farmer's market).

So, as you can tell, I'm a super picky freezer meal planner and regular meal planner.

Onto what I have in stock...

Below I'm going to list my freezer inventory and my cupboard inventory so you can see what we usually have in stock. Then I just pick and choose what's for dinner from both lists. I choose a protein, starch, and veggie (sometimes I do two veggies and no starch).

I think this is the easiest way to meal plan for myself - that way I'm not tied down to a certain menu item because who in the heck knows what we'll actually be hungry for on Friday!!

Freezer Inventory

• Greek Chicken (Italian seasoning, olive oil, salt & pepper, sliced lemons), just marinated chicken in a freezer bag
• Plain "Just Bare" chicken breasts
• Sweet Glazed Chicken (ketchup, apricot preserves, worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, olive oil) in a freezer bag
• Margarita Chicken (alcoholic margarita mix, parsley, olive oil) in a freezer bag
• Thin cut beef roast
• Taco Meat
• Pasta sauce - meatless AND beef sauce
• Pesto
• French fries
• Peas
• Chicken sausage
• Ground turkey (which I think the dog might end up eating)
• Pork chops - two different marinades
• Steak (5 steaks)
• Mixed veggies - a few bags of random seasoned and plain veggies

Cupboard Inventory

• Annie's Mac & Cheese (mostly for lunches)
• Near East Garlic & Olive Oil Pasta
• Near East Mediterranean Cous Cous
• Black beans
• Tomato sauce
• Tomato paste
• Jasmine rice
• Honey
• Spices
• Flour & sugar
• Black olives
• Wildtree Organic spices, flatbread mix, cinnamon rolls
• Pasta - spaghetti and rotini

Gah. I know there's more but that's what I know I have off the top of my head. I stopped at the farmer's market and got broccoli, two types of beans, lettuce and a few tomatoes for this week for fresh veggies. 

Oy, meal planning is hard. We'll see what we end up eating this month!