Time Saving Tips: Meal Time

Throughout the years I have found several meal time saving tips that have really helped me save some time in the kitchen. When my husband and I come home from work sometimes the last thing we want to think about is what to fix for dinner. I am by no means an expert, but these are some items that I have found helpful and that I use from time to time or on a regular basis.

1. Meal plan. This is one thing that was a goal of ours this year and it is has helped tremendously so we don't waste as much food and don't fallback on completely unhealthy meal choices on a regular basis. I am not saying this never happens because our weeks and schedules often change, but we make healthy choices on a more regular basis now.
2. Crockpot meals. Wow! this is a total time saver. We have had and used a crockpot for years, but ever since Bry gave me the Healthy Slow Cooker Revolution cookbook for Christmas, this year so far we have used it a ton and the meals are good! 
3. Buy frozen cubed food products. I first saw these products (pictured above) at HEB several months ago and have since seen them at various stores throughout Houston. Since I shop all over for clients, I have come to find out that Wal-Mart and Trader Joe's also sell these products. I am sure there places do to I just haven't seen them there yet. The bad thing is they are not made in the USA. They are made in Israel. I have popped these into various dishes from stir fry to sauté veggies. They are a complete time saver.
4. Buy frozen fruits / veggies. I always keep a handful or frozen fruits / veggies on hand for things that I need to whip up in a pinch or moments when I just don't have time to prepare something. My go frozen fruits are organic strawberries, organic mixed berries and organic bananas. My go to frozen veggies are organic spinach, organic peas (I think Whole Foods has the best tasting ones), frozen green beans.  Although you don't have to get organic, I prefer that for my family and it really isn't much more cost wise when it comes to the frozen items. 
5. Wash and Chop. When you get home from the grocery or farmers market wash and chop items right away. By doing this you will save so much time during the week and it is such a time saver when cooking meals.
6. Squeezable containers. One thing my aunts had recently and we knew we "needed" it was squeezable sour cream. Wow, this stuff is great. The sour cream container doesn't get all gunky and it makes it super easy to put on tacos, baked potatoes, etc. 
7. Buy pre-chopped / pre-peeled items. When you don't have time and are willing to pay a little extra you can buy pre-chopped items. I really dislike chopping onions (I have onion goggles my brother in law gave me one year for Christmas), so most of the times I have Bry do it. If I am in a pinch and need something specific for a meal and don't feel like chopping, slicing or whatever I buy the pre-chopped items. Yesterday we were having family over for fajitas and had car troubles before we went to the store and I knew I would not have the time or desire to chop or clean cilantro so I bought it pre-chopped. I recently discovered Trader Joe's pre-peeled garlic and love it since I use garlic pretty often.
8. Juice fruits. In order to get me to drink more water later I have been juicing lemons and putting them into ice trays, which I talked about in a previous post recently. We also juice a ton of other items, which really come in handy. I really like having orange juice on hand and freeze it in gallon size freezer bags for when we have guest and can whip up mimosas in the morning. 
9. Freeze meals. Throughout the year I cook extra and freeze meals for days we just don't have time. This is big time saver. One of my favorite things that I really like to cook and freeze is stuffed peppers because I think they taste so good after they are been frozen. It's like the flavor just really sets in.
10. Buy frozen meals. We always have store bought frozen meals on hand as well. We buy frozen meals almost exclusively from Trader Joe's now because their frozen food is really good. Our go to items are their vegetable fried rice and any of their frozen asian food. We also keep frozen Trader Joe's appetizers on hand because sometimes on the weekends we will have an appetizer night or if unexpected guest drop by we can whip something up real quick. Also, we really like to have Costco cheese pizzas on hand because they are delicious. 
11. Restaurant food. Every now and then I will pick up something from a restaurant if it is something I know I want to eat or if I know I have people coming over and don't want to cook. Since this can be costly, I don't do it often. 
12. Apps. There are so many items out there that can help with saving time when it comes to groceries and meals like Instacart, Favor and Grubhub. My clients and I have used some of these services. I usually only use it for meal delivery when I can't leave a clients place. I am paying a premium, which I don't like to do on a regular basis. 
13. Hire help. I help people all the time with grocery shopping, picking up meals from restaurants, recipe research, etc. Hire me ;) or someone in your area to help you save some time. Some of my clients have chefs who pre-make meals for them or come into their homes and cook for them. If it is in your budget, it may be something you want to consider if you just have absolutely no time or the disposable income.

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Green Your Valentine's Day

Do you have plans for Valentine's Day? There are several small steps you can do to make your Valentine's Day a little more eco. Here are some of my tips:

• Get outside! This year Valentine's Day is on a Sunday, so it will be the perfect time to get outside, weather permitting.  Whether this is picnicking outside, taking a bike ride together going for a walk, gardening, planting a tree, etc., try to soak up some of the fresh air. 
• Visit farmers markets. If you are located in Houston visit farmers markets that are open during Valentine's weekend or day like Urban Harvest farmers market or East End farmers market. Farmers markets are also a great place to buy local gifts, like candles, plants, jewelry, etc. Here are a list of farmers markets in Houston: http://www.visithoustontexas.com/things-to-do/shopping/farmers-markets/
• Eat local. If you plan on going out to eat, choose places that source food locally or have eco building materials. Houston has such a great restaurant scene that you are bound to find something that has green aspects. You can also cook something at home, its romantic and special.
• Buy fair trade products. If you plan on buying chocolates or goodies for your partner, choose fair trade items. Most grocery stores sell fair trade chocolate or check out Ten Thousand Villages in Houston that has many different fair trade products. 
• Buy plants or flowers from a local grower. Instead of buying a bouquet of flowers from the local grocery store, opt to buy a plant that will last a lot longer. Check out local farmers markets for florists and plant growers.
• Buy organic / biodynamic wine or liquor. If you can, choose to buy organic and / or biodynamic wine or liquor that you can find at the grocery store or other speciality stores. There are many affordable options out there under $25. Whole Foods and Spec's are some of my favorite places to look for alcoholic drinks. 
• Shop local and / or eco. 
• If you plan on buying jewelry, consider getting conflict free diamonds, jewelry made with recycled metals or vintage jewelry. Try brilliantearth.com.
• If you are going for a day of pampering, consider using eco products like Tata Harper or going to an eco salon like Organic Spa Houston or Milk + Honey (they are currently not open, but have pop up shop with eco products) . 
• Visit local shops that sell items from local makers / artists like Manready Mercantile, Cactus Music and Space Montrose.

• Give Back. If you have children or just want to do it on your own make, cards for local hospitals and nursing homes. I have been doing this for years for Texas Children's Hospital. Adopt an animal for World Wildlife Fund.
• What to do in Houston on Valenetine's Day. Here are some eco and not so eco things to do in Houston on Valentine's Day:
• http://365thingsinhouston.com/2016/01/31/valentines-day-2016/
• http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/houston-valentines-day-ideas-what-to-do

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Client Busy Mama, Baby Closet Organization: Before & After

Last month I got a chance to organize two little girls closets and loved every second of it. Everything was so tiny and cute. I don't always get permission to photograph projects, so I was happy I got to photograph these closets. I really should have brought the good camera along, but only had my iPhone with me. A little back story, the two little girls closets I did one was a baby & one was a toddler. The one below is the baby's closet. I will do a part 2 for the toddler closet. There were a lot of hand me downs that's why you see several boxes labeled with months on them. I sorted the clothing and arranged by size & type in various sections. This closet was also used for additional storage. 

Before:

After:

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Time Saver: Lemon Water Cubes

In our neighborhood many of our neighbors have citrus trees and we are often given lemons. We planted citrus trees last year, but do not have any fruit yet. We actually think 2 of the trees died, which is a total bummer. Anyways....recently we were given a TON of lemons and usually I juice them and freeze the juice in jars. This time my mother in law suggested I put them in ice cube trays and pop into my water every so often for lemon water. Oh yea great idea MIL, why didn't I think of that sooner?! I actually have clients who do this on a regular basis as well. I guess it just needed it to hit me in the face. I juiced all the lemons in my juicer, but it is super easy to do it by hand as well. One of my clients uses Mumi & Bubi baby food trays and I love using these too because it is sooooo easy to pop the frozen lemon cubes out. They are made in New Zealand. I always put the leftover juice in jars to freeze and some in the frig to use. This is such a time saver and something that will force me to drink more water more often. I am going to post something, hopefully soon, of many time saving kitchen/meal tips I've learned from experience and from awesome clients. What are some of your time saving tips?

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2016 Goals

For the past couple of years I have been posting my goals for the year. Here are 2015 goals. 2015 was a great year, but at the same time a tough year with loss. When I was writing down my goals during the holidays without ever looking back at what I wrote (I need to do this more often through the year), I realized I wrote many of the same goals that I had last year. Not listed are goals my husband and I made together for 2016 that we want to accomplish together.

Let's recap my 2015 goals, which I think I can always work on:

• Be more positive: I think I did great with this, well, at least much better than previous years.
• Have gratitude: I am forever grateful for what I have, whom I am surrounded by, what I get to do, etc. etc.
• Be more patient: Still working on this one, but I think I did much better this past year.
• Be present: I really need to still work on this. I did ok.
• Go somewhere new: We went to Edisto Beach, SC and was able to explore Charleston and Destin, FL along the way. Some of us road tripped it and I rode with my aunt and uncle.
• Stress less: this past year was stressful in many ways. Still need to work on it.
• Try / learn something new: I tried a ton of new things this past year. I need to do a post about this.
• Accomplish yoga goals: I still can't do the splits, but feel I can hold me plank longer. 
• Host more parties and dinners in our new home: We had a lot of people over, but I didn't host as many as I would like. 

2016 Goals

Meal Plan: I love the cook, but frankly Bryan and I just don't always have the time to. This will save time, money and hopefully not waste as much. We ate out and many Trader Joe's frozen foods (we don't normally eat a ton of frozen food that I didn't prepare, but most of their frozen foods are really good and we love their fried rice)

Random Acts of Kindness: I have done this in the past, but I want to do it more this year.

Learn to Use my Camera: I love my camera I got last year and have learned so much about it. I have only really used it to take blogging pictures. I want use it to take more everyday pictures.

More Me Time: This past October I we were in Austin for a music festival and I stayed longer than Bryan to attend SXSW Eco. I rented an eco Airbnb. I LOVED having the downtime to myself. Don't get me wrong I love being around Bryan, but it was very stress free away from the general demands of life. I went to Black Swan Yoga, got a haircut at Milk + Honey, tried several different oyster places during happy hour, went to different eateries in general, did a little shopping (found a love for Outdoor Voices), watched tv, wrote, read and met up with a friend. It was fun and I want to do it again this maybe back to Austin because I LOVE Austin or somewhere else. Several years ago I would go different places here and there to decompress maybe I'll start doing that again like yoga, meditation, museums, zoo, etc. 

Try / learn something new: I am adding this again because I had so much fun with it the past couple of years.


2015 Business Goals Recap:

• Blog more for Eco Modern Concierge (perhaps the personal blog too): I did blog more than I had in the past, but not consistently like I would have liked. I think I may shut down my personal blog because I am not sure I want my life of my husband and I exposed like that. Still thinking about it....
• Work more and find something that really challenges me: I worked a lot more and so thankful for new clients and connections I made this past year. There were plenty of challenges along the way and I am always up for more!
• Collaborate with and meet new people in the area: Well I certainly met a TON of new people in 2015. I really got out of my comfort zone and went for it. I did get to collaborate with some great people.

2016 Business Goals:

Collaborate More / Establish Relationships: I would still really like to collaborate with more businesses, bloggers and people in general. Whether it is in Houston or elsewhere. I have great relationships with my clients, but I want to establish ongoing and good relationships with the people, businesses, vendors, etc. that I work with throughout the year. Along with meeting new people, businesses, etc to collaborate with and build working, business relationships with.

Write Down Successes (big & small): I want to really remember everything I accomplished (or didn't)  throughout the year and it's hard to remember if I don't write it down. I also just want to keep a log of who've reached out to, who has reached out to me, and just day to day things I do to hopefully grow & improve my business.

Teach / Write More Articles: This kind of goes with collaborating, but I would really like to teach more perhaps add some workshops or online courses and guest contribute on blogs. 

Join more Professional Organizations: There are several professional organizations that I have been wanting to join for sometime now and I just need to pay the money and do it. I try to look at it in a way where it is beneficial for price vs. how many clients come of it or connections I make through it. You never know who you will meet.

Up My Promotional Material Game: I really need to get new gift certificates and promotional material made. I want to try to source it locally and eco hopefully. 

Blog / Create an Editorial Calendar: I was really hesitant to put this on my list of business goals because blogging really hasn't been my thing. I enjoy it, but It takes sooooo much time. Hopefully if I create an editorial calendar it will be something that I can stick to and not pressure myself to write often. It's hard to come up with new, unique content that others haven't already covered. I'll keep on trying. 

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EMC on Blogs This Week

EMC was featured on 2 popular blogs this past Monday Camille Styles & Veronika's Blushing where I give organizing tips. Go check them out and happy organizing!

Camille Styles: I offer tips on staying organized with holiday gifting
http://camillestyles.com/living/life-lessons/a-professional-organizers-guide-to-gifting/

Veronika's Blushing: There is before and after photos of a pantry organization project I did and tips on how to organize your pantry. I will also be a regular contributor on there as well.
http://www.veronikasblushing.com/2015/11/organizing-pantry-eco-modern-concierge.html

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Made in the USA: The Incense of the West

I bought this teepee incense holder several months ago at a store in Houston called Manready Mercantile. I have talked about them before and you can find made in the USA items there. When I first bought this incense holder I had every intention of giving it away to a friend, but ended up keeping it for myself. It is a cool little item and is only $10 plus it comes with 20 incense cones. 

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