Category Archives: Helpful Info
Something To Think About
Today the post is going to be short, because I want to share a quoted lecture that I was sent, and it was very profound. It is truly changing how I handle some of my fears and thoughts. I hope it helps at least a few of you, dear readers, and helps you start this year with a much better way of handling what life throws at us. The picture’s print is small, so be prepared to enlarge your screen. I’m sorry about that!
My Favorite Things, Part 2
Today’s post is going to get somewhat nerdy, so push the glasses into place and get prepared for some electronics. *grin* I can’t help it; if I’m going to talk about my favorite things, there must be some tech toys! I promise that all of mine are in the affordable range though, so they truly are favorite things, instead of things I daydream of. 😉
I have several different fans to help cool my heavy duty gaming laptop and I really love my Opolar LC05 Laptop Cooler with Vacuum Fan. It has several different silicone shrouds for best fit over the exhaust vent, a neat little set up for attaching the unit to the laptop, and boy does it work! Even at just the second wind speed (out of 13) it will take my laptop from being a bit scalding to the palm to almost cool, in a mere minute! At $25.99 on Amazon Prime it’s a pretty cost effective cooling option, especially for people that need a second (technically third, if you count the on board, of course) source of cooling for gaming laptops.
Hold onto your hat, because this next one will probably really surprise you…Tracey Mallett’s The Booty Barre Beginners & Beyond DVD is my next favorite thing. Despite the belief that people with disabling chronic illnesses just want to lay around, most of us spend a lot of time (plus effort, energy, and money!) trying to find exercises and stretches that work with our limitations. It’s super easy to get discouraged when five minutes on an exercise bike causes you to be in massive pain and unable to walk for the next 6 days, or ten minutes of learning tai chi causes your muscles to give out and you fall to the floor (let’s not discuss how many injuries one can get from such a small fall! *shaking head*), or a ton of other similar scenarios. We really miss being able to do things, and (really, really, really) want to lose the weight our medications and limited activity has caused us to gain, but it’s difficult. I found Tracey Mallett’s work out techniques completely by accident. She was featured on Hallmark’s Home & Family Show and what was so impressive is that she talked about adjustments that can be made for people that aren’t able to do the regular moves. She created workouts that she had previously incorporated the Ballet Barre for and made them doable for the home user, but then also gave options such as doing leg exercises from the floor on your hands-and-knees instead of trying to balance on one leg while exercising the other. Those with limitations really need to utilize the ole timer method when starting this though, because it is so easy to get caught up in the routine and overdo it. (It’s recommended that we set timers so that we stop our activity and rest, so that we don’t cause damage or extra pain, and we’re supposed to rest for an equal amount of time as the exercise, then.) Ms. Mallett is encouraging, yet not all excessively excited like most exercise hosts. Those chirpy folks make me want to strangle them and say very unladylike things to the television. *laugh* The DVD mentioned is only $16.99 on Amazon, but she also currently has some free examples on YouTube. It’s definitely worth a shot, especially if you are looking for exercises and stretches that allow accommodations. And especially if you dream of a little less jiggle when you wiggle. *wink*
These two items are grouped together since they are both Amazon products. Thankfully I bought both on sale, but they were both worth the investments for me. First, I have a lot of fun with my Amazon Echo. We wanted a Bluetooth speaker since I listen to a lot of music and books, plus I stream a lot of programs on my devices, and after a lot of research and discussion we decided that a multiuse workhorse like the Echo was the perfect choice for me. Yeah, I wrote us first, but realistically, she’s my gadget. *grin* I love the different skills that are always improving, it’s super handy to have a voice activated device that can give me measurement conversions and timers when my hands are busy or covered in product when I’m making soaps and lotions, and she is actually a really great Bluetooth speaker. I can move her all over the house easily and it’s a breeze to sync her with nearly every device I own. I don’t really care for having her wake name being set as “Alexa”, but they’re supposed to do an update someday that allows people to change the name. She incorrectly hears activation every few days from other words that have an “x” in them and I really hate that the television commercial for the product can activate her (especially when they had all of the Baldwin commercials for the product leading up to the Super Bowl), so suddenly I’m startled by some disembodied voice right beside me saying that she doesn’t understand what I’m asking. Meh. She’s a bit expensive at the current price of $179.99, but most of the decent to good Bluetooth speakers are just as expensive if not way higher. Moving on, I also got an Amazon Fire e-reader/tablet. For being so light it has a great processor, a lot of storage (and can be expanded via microSD), and so many freebies compatible with it! I was a loyal Nook user, with multiple versions of Nooks, until this little guy came into my life at Christmas, and I find that I seldom ever pick up my Nook anymore unless it’s to read a book I have on it all ready. Everything new is being loaded onto the Fire and there are way more books available for free for Amazon than the Nook, at least in the genres I’m interested in. The picture is so gorgeous that I love to play games on it when it’s too painful to have my laptop rest on my legs and boy howdy can it access the library’s e-books fast! I actually did a comparison between it and my newest Nook, and I was all ready reading a book’s description on the Fire before my Nook was able to finish logging me in. I am still very fond of my Nook, so please don’t take this little status change as a total desertion from the brand. *smile* I’m just really impressed with this little tablet, especially if you can catch it when it’s on sale! And I must mention, if you’re a Prime member you even get to select a book for a group of new titles that haven’t even hit the market yet. It’s a great way to get introduced to new-t0-you authors and some great possible future bestsellers without the bigger cost of a new release or bestseller.
Tying in with the Fire and Nook I’d like to mention a service that I really love called BookBub. It’s a free service that you can sign up for where you mark what types of books you enjoy and which reading platforms you have, and every day you get an email with a list of books ranging from free to $1.99 in the categories you specified (I believe you can even change it to once weekly, but I’m not positive and I’m not going to hit change to see, since I love my daily setting *grin*). My TBR list is so long I can get bored scrolling and I have found some new incredible favorite authors, since many authors offer their first book in a series for free. They even added another service recently that will send you notifications when favorite authors have new releases or sales. I may have one email every two weeks where it’s all misses, but there’s an average of about three books a day from my list that I’m interested in. If you love to read, this saves you time from trolling websites or the digital bookstore to see what free books are currently available, so you have more time to actually read. It’s such an awesome service and by the way, if you love to hoard cookbooks like me, they can even be added to the service’s list! *happy dance!
This part is going to be about a couple of television shows. I have a lot of options for watching videos (extended satellite, Amazon Video streaming, Netflix, YouTube, and Roku channels), so I don’t buy DVDs very often, but I bought these in box sets. There are a couple of sets of older television shows that I’d like to recommend for you to look into, if you haven’t had the chance to experience them yet. The Vicar of Dibley is an English comedy that we thoroughly love and actually watch certain episodes several times a year. Sadly many of the episodes have been pulled from Netflix and it’s getting harder and harder to find some of the episodes (and it’s not available on Acorn TV’s streaming service either), so the box set had to be in my life. Another show that is slowly slipping away is Eureka. Granted, I think the last two seasons aren’t nearly as awesome as the earlier ones, but it’s still one of my favorite shows, and I got several season box sets for Christmas since I’m so obsessed with the series. (Yep, I had an incredible, tech filled Christmas this past year!! *grin*) Larry is more of a good ol’ country boy instead of a nerd, yet I got him into the series, so that should give an extra vote for the series! I also got him into Scorpion and The Big Bang Theory. We finally stopped collecting box sets on TBBT, but we have the first few and still crack up at those early episodes. Scorpion is definitely a darker themed drama, but there is enough action and MacGyver-like moments to keep him interested, and enough intellectual and personality highlights to make me love the show enough to watch episodes repeatedly, despite having so many other new videos available to me. Despite everything that’s available, these two are my favorites. I even have the Eureka ringtone. I’m that girl. *laugh*
The last item I want to mention is an online 3D virtual world called Second Life (SL). In the simplest of descriptions, it’s like online chat and the Sims game joined together. It’s an interactive world that is created by the users, so most interests are represented and you can always find something interesting to do or explore if you are willing to try. You can shop to improve your avatar or SL home, you can hunt for free gifts from designers, you can go listen to music and hang out at a club, or you can hang out at your home with a few friends and play board games together. There are so many fascinating places that users have created! I’ve parachuted off of the Eiffel Tower, gone to a formal dance on a replica of the Titanic, participated in support group meetings for my illness, floated on a star in space, explored beautiful recreations of castles in Scotland, and even explored the incredibly creepy halls of a haunted insane asylum. The possibilities and the creativity are endless. I have gone to a variety of conventions, several memorials, and even went to a few RP sims (where I learned that I am just not that good at creating a fake persona for myself *laugh*). On the usual night I’ll visit a few of my favorite shopping spots to watch for good deals or freebies, then join my roommates/friends at our house to play some games together while chatting. I even have some virtual cats to play with, some crafting furniture to represent my real life (RL) interests, and I even have a library! *grin* I love to decorate our little home (okay, I went a little nuts and splurged on a mansion I found, but it is SO amazing that I couldn’t resist, and it has the perfect living room with overlooking sitting room for displaying a Christmas tree with lights and presents that I did! *shakes head and realizes I’m seriously fangirling my SL home* Anyway…) It’s a fun and interesting online world, but it’s also a great resource for disabled people or even people that need some socialization but aren’t able to in regular life. There are support groups for most any ailment, there are sims that provide information about resources available, and there are even volunteers at some places that are happy to just emotionally supportive for you if you’re struggling. I’ve met so many people in my years on SL who also have invisible diseases and it brings me to tears sometimes to see, and experience, the incredible support we all give one another, and this awesome resource that allows the homebound to just be normal for a bit. I like to think that my avatar is the representation of the inner me. She’s a lot skinnier, with a much better wardrobe and better hair, but she’s not a movie star clone. She’s more like the girl next door and more often than not she’s sporting a very nerdy t shirt or smexy Tetris nail polish. My second life is part of my real life and I’m actually a happier person for it, because it has truly helped me to cope while also giving me a creative outlet that helps to distract me from my issues, as well. I met some of my best friends in SL and would never have had the chance to meet in RL, so I’ll always be thankful for having my second life. I hope you’ll take a look at their site if this sounds like a good fit for you and if you decide to join, please don’t hesitate to send me an email or text, and I’ll happily share my SL name with you so I can help you get acquainted with, and enjoy, your second life. 🙂
My Favorite Things Part 1
Hi there! I have been coping with some emotional and medical issues, and honestly tend to become even more introverted when dealing with things, so I tend to opt for things that distract me, and blogging makes me WAY too reflective to be considered a distraction. *grin* I’m doing a little better today, so I wanted to take this opportunity to write. J In light of everything I thought I’d keep things light today and wanted to share some of my favorite things. I don’t believe I’ve ever done that, other than recipes, so prepare yourself for an eclectic collection of items. I added the links to Amazon for what items that I could, in case you’d like to check them out, so just click the hyperlink and it should give you a new window with Amazon instead of steering you away from the post. (I divided this into two posts with home and organizing being first and next with be electronics and entertainment.)
First up, I’m absolutely obsessed with all things Command related. Hooks, bins, and picture frame strips; you name it, I have them all! *grin* I especially love the cord hooks, wire hooks, and the all-purpose 3 lb. hooks. I have a hanging shoe organizer on a door with all of my extra cords, label maker, candle melts, and other knickknacks, but dedicated an entire row to command products so that I always have a variety on hand when I spontaneously decide to organize things. I even have one of the bins on the wall beside the couch holding both of my e-readers in easy reach, yet safe from the animals, and still able to charge. I’m tickled by the simplest things sometimes. *laugh*
Second, although there are a few features that are definitely missed, I love the performance of my Shark Navigator Deluxe Vacuum. It auto adjusts to carpet pile, which is my favorite feature, and picks up kitty litter really well, which is actually very rare. I wish it had a light, a spot for all of the tools to attach, and an edger, but it’s a powerful workhorse at just $123.99. It is super light and moves so easily, which means I can vacuum without causing myself more pain. (Seriously, it is so effortless that people will keep vacuuming when I have them test it out, instead of doing just a push or two!) Despite missing a few features that I like, I honestly wouldn’t trade this for a different brand.
My absolute favorite kitchen gadget, which I have even given as gifts because I love it so much, is the simplest piece of plastic that is seriously handy. The Jokari Baggy Rack Storage Bag Opener and Holder quite simply has clips that hold your zip bag open so both hands are free for filling the bag. I know that you’re probably thinking I am the laziest person in the world to need and love this little device, but think of how many times a zip bag has folded in on itself as you tried to put leftovers or some meat in? Or what about when you try to pour something with some sauce on it? Or had it fold as you were trying to spoon corn into the bag with one hand and holding your pot in the other, and those evil little kernels of deliciousness found their way under the edge of the cabinet, under your mixer, or made a wet path across the counter? I especially love it for when I’m doing meat prep, like chicken strips, and then I can even pour marinade in without worry (my wild, unexpected movements cause enough messes, so I need every bit of help available *laugh*). The holder works really well when pouring bagged ingredients in, too, like making your own trail mix. At $6.78 for a single unit and $10 for two, it’s a very cost effective gift that will be priceless for the recipient for years to come.
We bought a gas meat smoker and have been learning different techniques, etc., which brought on our first attempt to spatchcock poultry. Prior to this we always bought broke down birds and we figured I should use what little energy I have on other tasks instead of trying to break down whole birds. No shortcuts are allowed when smoking a whole turkey, though, so we did our research and bought the OXO Good Grips Spring-Loaded Poultry Shears (at an investment of $24.95). According to the “Man of the Smoker” (yep, that’s my nickname for him when he messes with the smoker) it’s pretty easy to spatchcock a thawed turkey with these shears, although it would be a little more difficult for someone with less hand strength (like me). They work so well in most food prep, though! They cut chicken into pieces easy enough that I prep a lot more chicken than ever before, they make short prep work when used on vegetables such as broccoli, and can even cut hunks of clingy fat that some of my knives have trouble with. The best part (for the one that has to do the dishes *laugh*) is that they come apart and are a breeze to completely clean.
Another often used kitchen gadget is my professional SaladShooter. I bought this through Walmart’s website years ago, so I have no idea what I paid back then, but I found one that looks almost identical to my unit and attachments here for $44.66. We mainly use it for cheeses, since we’re kind of obsessed with cheese and it’s a lot cheaper to buy a block at Sam’s Club. We had a lot of problems with packaged shredded cheese molding quickly too, especially during our humid, hot summers, but only shredding a few cups at a time when we want it on hand, and covering up the rest of the block until the next time, has massively cut down on waste. To top it all off it is running perfectly over 5 years later! If you buy one, make sure to keep an old toothbrush (dedicated to this task) with your kitchen washing items, since that’s the most effective way to get the cheese grime off of the grids and out of the grater holes.
Lastly, I thought I’d throw in one of my favorite desserts. The best part is that it’s a diet ice cream that tastes and feels just like the real deal in our opinion. Edy’s Slow Churned Ice Cream has several flavors with that awesome slow churned texture, yet they have half the fat and a third of the calories of regular ice cream (depending on what you eat, of course). I actually prefer this ice cream over regular ice cream, now! It can sometimes be difficult to find some of the flavors in the Midwest, but even plain ole vanilla floats my boat. *grin* I am a big sucker for the Mint Chocolate Chip though and it helps cool down my GERD, too, so I almost always have a legitimate excuse to eat ice cream whenever I’m wanting it without anyone making me feel like I’m just being a pig. *biiiiig grin* Yeah, I’m shameless sometimes.
Tune in tomorrow for the other half, when I totally get my nerd flag flying. Until then, happy pampering!
Paper Hearts
First off I want to say a heartfelt thank you for everyone that took part in the Invisible Diseases Awareness campaign and I am so tickled that some of the information I provided has helped some readers. That was an uplifting blessing that I was really needing and I am so happy I was able to help! I’ve been struggling with some issues due to treatments not working so well for me lately, so I haven’t been posting, but I have had a lifted heart following the awesome feedback from the Awareness post.
Today I thought I’d share a little concept that I think is absolutely brilliant, yet is so simple and versatile that I think it could be useful to almost everyone. I was reading something from Pinterest, which had a link to this site, which had a link to that site, and then I was down the Internet’s rabbit hole until I somehow landed on the Creative with Kids blog. Her post (I put the direct link to what I’m referencing for her blog URL) was about better communication and less anger with/between her kids (I’ll wait here while you go read the post….welcome back! *grin*). She described how she used little paper hearts as a visual cue to remind them and herself to speak and behave with more respect, etc. For some reason the concept stuck in the back of my mind over several bouts of insomnia and it hit me that the concept could be used in my marriage.
Paper Hearts
Larry and I have developed a really bad habit of putting ourselves down and focusing on our perceived negatives instead of our blessings and good traits, and I had been trying to find tips for changing this behavior for quite a while before I ran across the Creative With Kids post. Although Larry will listen to my ideas or research for improving things he’s not usually overly active with the standard therapy techniques, so I knew I had to use something that would stand out and would force him to take action, so that it would become a new learned behavior. Having to hand out and receive paper hearts would get annoying for us pretty quickly, which meant it was the perfect way to quickly ingrain the new behavior. It also had the additional benefit of being a visual cue, which is helpful to adults too since we have so many distractions and responsibilities that makes it easy to forget little projects, so we had a frequent reminder to be mindful of what we say. I used a few new disposable leftover containers and cut out a bunch of construction paper red and blue hearts. I set a container with the applicable hearts on the tables beside each of our usual resting spots, plus a collection container across the room so we could track progress (although we really sucked at that part honestly lol). When I said something negative about myself Larry would hand me a red heart or say “here’s a heart” as a verbal reminder, and he received the blue hearts. The act of taking the heart and then having to change what was being said to be more positive made a nearly immediate impact. The best part is that we can be out shopping or at the doctor’s office and can give the verbal reminder without calling attention to ourselves, yet still continue to improve no matter where we are. We still struggle with it and probably always will since we are both very self-conscious people, but it’s a LOT less often. What is even better is that we’re not focusing so much on our appearance and instead focus a lot more on being better people in our hearts. It’s incredibly liberating to release yourself from critiquing yourself, too. When you become accountable for what you say about yourself to others you suddenly see just how emotionally crippling negative comments about yourself can be.
I hope this handy little concept might help a few of you as well. I’ve thought about changing our use to instead improving our communication with one another, so when we feel that the other person is speaking to them in a hurtful or less respectful manner we are forced to address the issue and modify our behavior accordingly. We are both non confrontational and have a habit of keeping quiet when the other person hurts our feelings, etc. I think it will be quite eye opening to find out how often we communicate in less than a loving and beneficial way and addressing immediately will probably prevent some of those festering arguments with built up emotions becoming suddenly explosive. As you can see there are a lot of ways to utilize the concept. The Creative With Kids post has some absolutely brilliant ways of applying the concept with children, but since it’s such a versatile concept I thought I’d share our uses too. The next post will feature some new soaps I’ve been working on and I’m really excited to finally share them with you. Until then I hope you have a happy Tuesday! 🙂
Spring Cleaning
I’ve been in a stupid and totally self inflicted cycle of Spring Cleaning, paying the price for so much activity, recovering, and then doing another cleaning project to start it all over again. *laugh* My latest medication system has helped me to get a lot more done than I’ve been able to do for several years now, but it does take a few days to recover from each project. Since I want to utilize what energy and ability I have I am all about cleaning hacks. I found two that are super handy, so I decided to share their links with you and I really hope that you’ll check them out (and try them if you’re in the midst of cleaning!).
The first is for cleaning the inside of the microwave. I never used to mind cleaning a microwave, but in this house our microwave is mounted under our top cabinets right above our stove, so fun sized me has a lot more problems seeing into it let alone cleaning it. As a result it got messy and once I finally got onto a medication that made me stable enough to be able to stand on a chair for a bit to reach inside (and see lol) some stuff got cooked in. I hit Pinterest to see what hacks were out there and here’s the one at Practically Functional that really worked well for me (just click the name since I embedded the link there). Basically you fill a microwave safe bowl with the recommended liquids and steam lose everything. I went ahead and dropped a toothpick in my water and that turned out so well, because you can use that moist toothpick to get into the nooks and seams. I also dipped my cleaning rag into that solution after I finished steaming and it worked perfectly for the spots that were really stubborn despite the steam.
With the microwave above the stove, and a lot of frying done on said stove, the outside of the microwave had some horrific and thoroughly embarrassing (I can’t believe I’m actually admitting to this since it’s so embarrassing for me) grease spots and finger prints. Over at One Good Thing by Jillee there is a life altering post about removing grease. I have so many sensitivities to cleaning supplies that I am tickled to have found an easy method that I can actually tolerate! I’ll wait while you go and read the post (it’s not long, so really, you should go read it really quick and come back…). I used vegetable oil since I had it on hand, along with several paper towels, both of my cleaning rags, and quite a few toothpicks, but the outside of the microwave is now cleaner than when we moved in! It seems counter intuitive, but it cut the cleaning down to one session instead of working on this for days.
Next is to work on the filters and stove hood, but I gave that job to Larry since it involves a big pot and boiling liquids. I may be more stable since I started the Marinol, however I still have enough bruises at any given time that I don’t trust myself with that project. If you’d like to try out that hack it’s over here at One Good Thing by Jillee again and a lot of people say it works. Everything I’ve ever tried from her blog has worked so well that I tend to trust her posts. While he does that I’ll probably bite the bullet and do a thorough cleaning of the bathroom. It’s amazing how such a tiny bathroom can get out of hand. *laugh* Oh, and in case you’re scratching your head and saying Spring is pretty close to being over so why am I just now doing “Spring Cleaning”, well, I’m not setting a time limit on this year’s cleaning. My brilliant friend Leah asked me why I was pushing myself so hard to try to get all of this cleaning done quickly when I started planning out my plan of attack, especially since I haven’t been able to clean thoroughly for the past few years, and that question really gave me a lot to think about. As long as I’m finally able to get things done who cares how long it takes?! It’s also a handy perspective when it’s taking an average of at least four days of recovery per project. *grin* I have completely redone my home office, organized two shelving units (and corresponding rooms) that Larry assembled for me, redone about three-quarters of my kitchen, cleaned and organized the refrigerator, and cleaned and organized the storage room. I’m pretty proud of myself honestly.
Anyway, I hope you find these cleaning hacks helpful too and have a great weekend! I’ve been experimenting with a soothing bath blend while trying to ease the pain from cleaning and hope I can share a new successful product with you soon. Once I get this blend just right you’ll truly have some happy pampering ahead of you if you try it. *grin*
Freezer Space
I thought I’d share a little tip today that’s been a huge help after we binge shop at Sam’s Club. Have you ever bought that big package of hamburger there, or at Costco, because you realized how much cheaper per pound it was than you’ve been paying at the regular grocery store, but then start to hate all of that ground beef because it’s taken up half of your freezer? Could just be a quirk of mine, but the tip works, so I’m still sharing it. Figure out your own situation that it might apply in. *teasing grin*
We actually bought a smaller bulk package of lean ground beef this time, but fitting over five pounds of it into my freezer while I still have leftover buckets of ice cream from the 4th of July was still going to be a challenge. If you think about how you’re packaging your meat before you freeze it, you can get it all to fit so easily and it’ll make you look like the new Martha Stewart. Who doesn’t want to look all organized and on top of everything?!
Instead of taking a handful of the meat, dropping it into your bag, pushing all the air out, and zipping it up, you’ll want to take one more little step. Just flatten the meat out. Seriously. Yeah, I smacked myself in the forehead over that too. *grin* If you gently push the meat into the corners (hey, if you’re having a rough day you can even slap it around a bit, no harm no foul, just don’t break the bag) and try to get the whole package pretty level, and then zip, this is how nice they can look.
The best part is that you can stack your packages and you’ll be able to actually get more food in your freezer, since you’re not having to try to play food Tetris or balance things so no one gets knocked out by a frozen meatloaf when they open the freezer door. You can easily see what you have and they freeze so much faster, so then you can stand them up, stack them on top of the tater tots, or whatever. So simple and so incredibly handy!
(Sorry about mottled pictures, by the way. All of the packages at the store had gotten a little air. Please don’t worry though, the meat was fine. Larry used to be a butcher, so if he says it’s just affecting the looks, then it’s true. One of the few times I’ll admit to him being right about something…*laugh*)
I find myself putting cooked leftovers into bags like this too. Apparently it just becomes a habit. I let my fried ground beef cool a bit, spoon it into a zip bag, get it all flat, and stack my leftovers. Lol. Our freezer looks like a card catalog sometimes. I start flipping through frozen cards of meat trying to decide what meals to plan. *grin* This works great for shredded (cooked) chicken and beef, too. I also have a few “cards” of frozen watermelon and even bell pepper, too. (There are a few steps to freezing bell pepper, so please research before you try it. It’s seriously handy when you don’t live in the city though and can’t just pop in to a grocery store or market for a pepper!) Another great benefit to packaging this way, I massively cut back on the amount of freezer burn we would find. We all know I’m too prone to bad luck to think I suddenly developed a knack for handling foods (I mean, don’t you remember when I had whipped soap on my glasses and in my hair, or the lotion that splattered the wall?! *laugh*). Mostly it’s because you won’t have much air in that package to expose the meat. I think it also has to do with the fact that there aren’t any mystery meats anymore, so you’ll use it before it can go bad. When they’re packaged flat it’s easy to see what in the world it is, because you won’t have crystals or warm air splotches on the bag from breathing heavily because you’re juggling that frozen meatloaf on top of the round ice cream carton, while the Popsicles are trying to dive bomb onto your shoulder. 🙂
Hopefully you’ll give this simple tip a try (and hopefully it helps you as much as it has us, of course). If you have any other freezer tips, I’d love to hear them. Happy pampering!
Keeping It Green
Before you go and think this is going to be one of those boring PSAs about environmental stuff, I want to assure you that it’s far from it. I love to research, but fall asleep with that topic, so never fear. What I’m actually talking about is your leafy greens! Do you ever go to make a salad and get seriously irritated that it resembles a slimy swamp? I have found a method that keeps those greens looking (and tasting) good for a bit longer.
Larry likes to have a salad for his “lunch” (in quotes because it’s usually eaten at night) on workdays, but we only get groceries once a week, since we live in a rural area. Those last few days of his work week often left me scrambling to figure out something else to make for his lunch, because the second package of lettuce wasn’t so appetizing anymore. I figured that someone else must have trouble with this too and figured if the info is anywhere, then it’s on Pinterest. I sifted through a lot of pins, but finally saw one that was super easy to test and wouldn’t require any special tools. Over at PopSugar they wrote that you can get several more days out of your leafy greens (even some green herbs!) if you dry them well, put them in a zipper bag, and blog them full of air. I was pretty skeptical, but Larry’s always saying I’m full of hot air, so I figured I was set to try this.
Now, I’ve tried prepackaged salad and fresh romaine leaves. Since I can get a lot more lunches out of 3 heads of romaine leaves, I put in the extra work now. I cut off the bottoms of the heads, because this method really only works well for the leafy green parts, plus we’re not big fans of the bitter bases. I then cut up the leaves, which also gave me a chance to sift through the lettuce to dispose of any areas that were browning or wilted.
Chop it up
Next, give it a really good rinse. I used to rinse first, but then I found myself washing it all again once it was cut, because chopping exposed the rest of the lettuce to the hidden yucky spots that I throw out. Save yourself the work and water – rinse after you’ve cut it all up. By the way, that’s one head of romaine in the picture. Once it’s all clean you need to get it as dry as possible. This is a seriously important stage. I’ve learned that the more dry the greens are, the longer they last with this method. If you have one on hand, I recommend using a spinner. I then empty the spinner onto a towel and dry the lettuce with a few healthy pats (and shakes, rolls, and pretty much anything else I can manage lol).
Dry the greens
Once your greens are as dry as you can get them (some days I really suck at it, so don’t beat yourself up if it takes you a bit to get them good and dry), put them in a plastic zipper bag. Now, I’ve ventured away from the original instructions here just a little, because I’ve found that I can get a couple more days out of my greens if I add some paper towels to my bag. I use the select a size variety (not on purpose – I need to pay more attention when I buy bulk packages – but for this the smaller sized towels work perfectly), and have put single towels in all different locations. All that matters is that most of the lettuce has some paper towel nearby, since it will lose some moisture while hanging out in the bag, no matter how well you dried it. (Two set ups that work great: one towel on the bottom of the bag and one at the top & one towel down each side.) Also, trust me, don’t use the kind with the little white doodad that slides the bag closed. Go for the plain old zip it together with your fingers until the blue line turns purple to show it’s sealed, because now you need to blow into the bag. I found it’s a lot easier if you zip up all but about half an inch at an edge and then blow the bag up. You want to fill it as much as possible and keep blowing into it as you zip, or else some might escape, and your greens won’t stay fresh as long. I’ve been experimenting with this method for almost two months, so just trust me. *grin* That little tip about the white zip thing was learned the hard way, by the way. It’s disturbingly easy to get a bit of your lip caught under that thing and end up with a bloody lip. *rolling eyes* So far I’ve never popped a bag thankfully, but you want to make sure the bag is full of air, like this.
Fill ‘er up
You might have the same problem that I do, too. The towels like to move all around on me and one ended up moving to the top while one is on the side. lol Don’t worry about it. After about three days the towels will be damp, so change them out every so often. This bag will make a week’s worth of lunches and I’ll change the towels once. The best part is that the lettuce will look just as crisp and green in the last bowl as it does right now.
According to the website you can do this method with any leafy green and it’ll keep them fresh longer. I haven’t tried it on other greens or herbs, just romaine and iceberg. The key thing is that it has to be a leafy green. It doesn’t work for other stuff, like iceberg lettuce. There isn’t enough green to it for the method to actually work. If you try others, please post in the comments. I’ll update my pin and the post with your experience(s).
I hope you have a happy weekend!
Georgia's Pampering 