LifeHackLiza tip 5/28/13 - "Sunday Supplies" (Food prep time saving)

A belated Happy Memorial Day to you all.

I hope you celebrated and also enjoyed a relaxing weekend. This post was delayed (I'll usually post the day after a Monday holiday), and my "Sunday Supplies" took place one day later, yesterday. 

That said, let me tell you all about...

SUNDAY SUPPLIES!

Sunday Supplies became a habit for me about three years ago. I had migraines for years and decided to try removing preservatives from my diet. (That combined with acupuncture, I'm happy to say, has done the trick!) So, I made another decision - that eating more fresh foods didn't have to be cumbersome. Thanks to Tupperware and Ziploc bags and SUNDAY SUPPLIES, eating healthily (and deliciously) became a piece of super yummy cake.

The key idea behind Sunday Supplies: do as much food prep for the week ahead on Sunday. 

Whatever you can accomplish will make your life so much easier... THAT'S WHAT LIFEHACKLIZA IS ALL ABOUT!

Sunday Supplies Tip #1:

Two lists: 

A. Make a shopping list and complete your grocery shopping by Sunday morning latest. 

(I like to shop on Saturday so my Sunday isn't too swamped with food shopping and prep.)

B. Make a food list for the week: Breakfasts, Lunches and Dinners. 

(Note: you're prepping almost all the food ahead of time so you can swap Thursday with Tuesday, or whatever you feel like, since you have all the supplies ready to go!)

Sunday Supplies Tip #2:

Set out a chunk of time on your Sunday for food prep that will still leave you with lots of time to enjoy your last weekend day. (My favorite time is 11am-1pm. I can get to the gym beforehand and eat lunch after... occasional grazing won't hurt!)

    

Sunday Supplies Tip #3 (The nitty gritty good stuff):

Slice and dice - let the food prep begin! 

• I like to start with breakfast. (You'll see my sample week menu below.) I divvy up cereal into Ziploc sandwich size bags and fresh or dried fruit into Ziploc snack size bags.
• For lunch, Ziploc snack bags are perfect for the sides like baby carrots, celery sticks, Wheat Thins, cheesesticks. For sandwiches, I don't make them 100% ahead of time, but I do portion the meat, lettuce, tomatoes and bread to make at work (no soggy sandwiches for me!)
• For snacks, my go-to's are Greek yogurt and apples. (No prep needed for the apples!) Greek yogurt I buy in a large tub and portion into plastic containers. I like to toss in some fresh berries - frozen also works!
• Lastly, it's dinner time... usually the most challenging food prep. Why a challenge? Sometimes I can't decide what I want to eat for meals 7 days in advance! What I usually do is decide what's for Sunday dinner and make 4 extra portions for the week. (If two don't get eaten, they'll just go in the freezer.) I like to switch things up with different side dishes when I'm repeating the main course during the week. Even though dinner often requires the most thought for me, it sometimes ends up being the easiest... because I slip and decide to cook on the spot occasionally on weeknights. But hey, even then I'm only having to prep one meal a day - and that is GOOD NEWS!

Sunday Supplies Tip #4 (last one!):

Be flexible and don't stress! Sunday Supplies is supposed to be FUN! Make yourself a Sunday Supplies playlist and let the tunes blare. If you start with only prepping Sunday breakfast supplies, you're still saving a big amount of time in the mornings and that should feel really great. A couple extra minutes of snooze time? Yes please! Before you know it, you'll be prepping lunches, snacks and dinners and finding yourself with lots of extra time! LIFE HACK!

LifeHackLiza sample menu:

Breakfasts:

Cereal: 1 cup whole grain cereal, 1/2 cup blueberries, 1 cup skim milk

Snacks:

Apples, Greek yogurt with frozen blackberries, baby carrots, Wheat Thins

Lunches:

Turkey sandwich: turkey, wheat bread, romaine lettuce, sliced tomatoes, mustard

Dinners:

Main courses: Chicken breasts with mozzarella cheese, fresh herbs, turkey bacon; Chicken chili

Starch: Potatoes - roasted quarters, baked, homemade fries

Vegetable: Broccoli (fresh), sweet peas (frozen), baby carrots

LifeHackLiza Facebook bonus:

Fearless Freezer Cooking

LifeHackLiza blog bonus:

Sweet Foodie, particularly Caroline's post on Canning Jar Salads - she is awesome!

So, I'm going to wrap it up now (GET IT? WRAP IT UP?!)

This week, I let you into my kitchen habits... 

Next week, there's a surprise waiting in the bathroom (it's a nice surprise, I promise!)

Until then,

Happy hacking!

LifeHackLiza tip 5/20/13 - Hang! Those! Scarves!

Alrighty people, here's my first post about a successful Pinterest-inspired hack...

Scarf hanging!

First, here's what shows up on Pinterest in a search for "hanging scarves."

And here are my scarves!

(Goodbye old, wrinkly piles!)

That peach-colored one is my favorite... $12 from Amazon and it comes in many other lovely colors!
Scarfand's Light Weight Jersey Infinity Scarf (Light Orange)

Here's a link to that cute purple one!
Elegant Solid Color Infinity Loop Jersey Scarf - Different Colors Available

LifeHackLiza Pinterest Bonus:

KIWI Knifing!

I tried this today while making a delicious smoothie (kiwi, green apple, spinach, banana, blackberries and greek yogurt)... and it totally works. SO easy!

Plus, this pin linked to an awesome article, "25 mind-blowing food prep techniques to save you time + frustration" via HellaWella.

Here's a video how-to:

Want a preview of next week's post? 

The theme is Sunday Supplies and it involves FOOD and time saving. 

MMMM... that's the only tasty tidbit I'm feeding you for now... Stay tuned!

Happy hacking!

LifeHackLiza tip 5/13/13 - Amazon Prime - a must, must must!

Oh me, oh my - this one is a MUST-DO!

Hat tip and a belated HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to my awesome mom for recommending

AMAZON PRIME!

For $79 a year (trust me, that's a bargain!), you get FREE 2-DAY SHIPPING on all "Amazon Prime-eligible" products on Amazon. It's pretty frickin sweet! Not only is 2-day shipping incredible, but Amazon often expedites shipping to 1 day... always an amazing surprise! There's no minimum order size, AND - drum roll please - you get instant access to tons of movies and TV shows! (SO MANY EXCLAMATION MARKS!!!!!!!!!)

LifeHackLiza Amazon Bonus:

Amazon Subscribe and Save

Just to make Amazon even more awesome and convenient, they created the "Subscribe and Save" feature. Simply "subscribe" to get an item, like toothpaste, delivered every 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 months and "save" 5%! 

If you order 5 or more items in a particular month, you'll save FIFTEEN percent on all of those products. Cancel anytime - no obligation. (Geez, I should really be an Amazon saleswoman!)

Below are some of my favorite Subscribe and Save items... no more lugging in toilet paper from the car for this lady! (Note: make sure to subtract 5% or 15% from the price when estimating S+S items.)

Want more fabulous Amazon products?
Visit my personalized Amazon store with LifeHackLiza featured goodies here!

Finally, here's a sneak preview of a soon to come post!

Happy hacking!

LifeHackLiza tip 5/6/13 - Mini Tupperware containers

Here's my LITTLE secret for the week!
(Keyword: little)

Rubbermaid Easy Find Lid Square 1/2-Cup Containers!

Isn't it cute?!

I found these in Safeway one day and knew they'd be perfect for salad dressing to accompany the salads I bring to work for lunch. I've also used the 1/2 cup containers for maple syrup, honey, and ok I'll admit it - vodka! Be careful to whom you lend these little guys - I have a few friends (who will remain nameless, but I'm totally calling you out here!) who have snatched these suckers. 

Want to grab some of these convenient containers? Head on over to Amazon to pick up a two-pack for about $5.

Let me know what you use them for in the comment section below! (@OrganizedMom used them for coin banks.)

Every week I'll be focusing these posts on one key tip, but offering a few bonuses and previews. 

This week's bonus - other awesome portable lunch containers!

Sneak previews of upcoming LifeHackLiza posts:

1. 
2. 

Happy hacking!

Welcome to LifeHackLiza

FIRST POST!

Hi! Let me start off by saying THANK YOU for reading! I am SO thrilled to start this blog. My friends tell me all the time that I'm full of life hacking tips, so I thought I would share them with you, one tip a week (on Mondays).

Why just one tip a week? Well, how often do you feel overwhelmed by all those Pinterest organization tips? Sometimes, one a week is all I can handle! Plus, I can confess to being guilty of reposting Pinterest tips without editing the message to share my own story - what fun is that?!

This blog is for life hacks I've tried in real life and quick anecdotes to go along with the tips. Please comment on my posts with your own thoughts, feedback and personal experiences... I can't wait to hear your stories!

Confused about what "life hacking" really is? Here's the UrbanDictionary definition: 

A tool or technique that makes some aspect of one's life easier or more efficient.

And, do you know what UrbanDictionary is? A LIFE HACK! You know that time your coworker used that cool word and you had no idea what it meant? You went directly to UrbanDictionary, didn't you? (Or maybe Google directed you there.) Voila! UrbanDictionary to the rescue - simple, easy, memorable. That's what I'm here to bring you.

Are you ready? Stay tuned... tomorrow is tip #1!

Don't forget to follow LifeHackLiza on Pinterest and Twitter @LifeHackLiza!

PS - About me: I'm Liza, a copywriter with a huge passion for organized chaos, everything Japanese, commercials and spicy food. If you love advertising, check out my other blog Homadge.com!