Ann Gambrell, organizing, healthy food, fast food

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Fast Food…at home!!

Sunday, May 23rd 2010 @ 10:37 AM post viewed 150 times

Fast Food…at home!! by Ann Gambrell

Cook? Who has time to cook? Too busy driving kids to and from sports activities, dance classes, martial arts, school, friends’ homes, play dates, and more? Well, you are not alone. Most families are very busy and in many households both parents are working outside the home as well.

We’re inundated daily, with TV, magazine and newspaper articles touting the importance of good nutrition, healthy eating and dining together as a family. To add to the guilt trip is the continuous commercials, billboards fliers, etc. for fast food and speedy drive through meals…. including discount coupons! Great!! Dining out and take out are costly ways to feed your family, to say nothing of the poor nutrition and bad habits it encourages.

So, if you are concerned with nutrition and helping your children grow into healthy adults…here are some ideas to consider:

Check the bookstores for a quick meal cookbook. Be sure the ingredients are few in number and lists the nutritional values of each recipe. Many recipes are fast & tasty and full of calories & fat. Be sure the recipes look like something you would realistically consider cooking and food your family would actually eat! Check out online recipe sites for quick and easy also.
Plan a week’s menu, including eating out 1-2 times a week. Occasional fast food is OK, but not every day. Get the family involved in planning as well as the cooking. Make a list of what they like. Include their favorites each week. Invite one to cook each week. Those too young to cook can help set the table.
Keep good fast food in the house. Frozen pizza crusts (some are wheat) can be topped with healthy ingredients, containing much less fat & calories as delivery pizza. Add a big tossed green salad and you have a quick and nutritious dinner. Buy the individual size crusts and each child or adult can make their own individual pizzas! Does a pepperoni happy face ring a bell? And…the low fat cheeses and pepperoni and salami slices are very tasty.
Consider buying a slow cooker cookbook. One may have been included with your cooker. The evening before, plan what you will put in the pot…chicken or meatballs or a roast or ribs or a pork loin or whatever meat your family likes. Add some veggies & sauce or broth. The next morning, load the pot and set the dial. Psst…get those special slow cooker bags to line the pot to eliminate messy pot clean up. They are great!! Then head go about your busy day and when you arrive home, the house smells like someone has been cooking all day. Add a salad, some bread or wheat rolls and bon appetito’. Let the kids choose the recipe and help load the pot. One of my favorites is to slow cook (frozen or fresh) turkey meatballs or sausages with a tomato sauce. Serve it over pasta. Another favorite, and super simple idea, is to slow cook chicken breasts and fresh or canned mushrooms with canned cream of mushroom, celery or chicken soup. Toss in some veggies for added nutrition. Cook it slow and low. Serve this over brown rice or pasta. Add a nice big side vegetable or salad for a complete and delicious meal. A real no-brainer and tasty too! Yumm!
Pantry meals are also great and simple. Stock your pantry with an assortment of pastas, rice mixes, orzo and couscous, along with a selection of jar sauces, Alfredo, Tomato, Pesto, etc. You will have another dinner on the table in minutes. Frozen veggies; corn, peas, greens, potatoes, etc. are all easy to store, quick to cook and easy to add to main dishes or as sides. Keeping tortillas, ground beef or turkey, a variety of canned beans on hand will ensure another quick meal in the making. Add pre-washed, bagged greens and grated cheese and it’s "make your own taco night!" You can do this and the family can help.

You CAN have Fast Food at home, which is nutritious, simple and easy on the budget!

Editor's Note: Ann Gambrell is an organizational consultant and speaker available to inform and entertain audiences. She facilitates weekday and Saturday Clutter Support Groups and teaches organizing classes through the Torrance Adult School. To learn more, phone Ann at 310-212-0917 or request her for FREE monthly email tips email gambrellann@aol.com. You will be glad you did!

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Blog Entry

Sparkling Laundry Tips

Friday, May 7th 2010 @ 1:54 PM post viewed 121 times

Sparkling Laundry Tips by Ann Gambrell

Not fun….but necessary. Doing the laundry that is. Unless you send all your laundry out with the dry cleaning…. someone has to do it! So why not make it as simple and pleasant as possible? Here are a few tips to help lighten the load…..

Be sure there is a laundry hamper in each bedroom and bathroom. This also helps to keep the rooms tidier. Yes!
Get the family involved. Have them bring the hampers to the laundry area on wash day. And returning their clean clothes to their rooms adds to their responsibility. As soon as they are able to do so….kids should do their own laundry. Simple verbal instructions regarding sorting, amounts of detergent, softener, etc. will help. Then post an instruction chart nearby for easy reference. Trust me…when they run out of clothes they will see the value!
Sort each load into plastic laundry baskets. They can then be stacked up and out of the way until they are washed. Sorting on the floor is just too messy. It also makes it easier to just toss in a load when you’re on the run. And I know you are!
Separate whites, darks & medium colored items. Items to be chlorine bleached should be washed last to avoid drips on any other items. Ouch!
Be sure not to pour the bleach directly on the fabrics. Most washers have a bleach dispenser which helps. Be sure that items with a lot of lint (throw rugs, chenille, etc) are washed separately. And empty the lint tap before each load for maximum dryer efficiency.
Turn dark or brightly colored items inside out. Friction during washing causes colors to fade.
Delicate items (lingerie, knit tops, etc.) should be placed into mesh laundry bags. They won’t get tangled up during washing and they will last longer.
Turn on the washer and place detergent and any other additives into the washer before the clothes. Keep a stain remover nearby for spots. Quickly check for stains as you are loading the washer. They are much more difficult, if at all, to remove later….especially after they have been dried.
Shake out the washed items before placing in the dryer. They will dry faster. To evenly dry items, place fabrics of similar weights together. EG: sheets VS towels.
Be sure to empty all pockets to avoid disasters. I could tell horror stories of my early days in the laundry room. Does gum, marking pens, notes from the teacher, etc. ring a bell?

Last tip: Any money found in the washer or dryer belongs to the one doing the laundry. That’s only fair! Oh, I forgot…the only fair is the county fair!

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