Spring Cleaning Round 1

I've got the Jessica Black song stuck in my head right now (thanks Young and Thrifty) *facepalm*

I'm putting some music on to drown it out.

My boyfriend is out of town this weekend for his friend's/former roommate's bachelor party. I'm a little jealous he gets to spend today on the slopes in Banff, but at the same time it really was for the best. After working last weekend, and severely neglecting my house cleaning for... oh... the last 2 months? My place needed some attention.

I have done some cleaning in the last 2 months, just not the reorganize/good scrub down type of cleaning. Seeing as it is actually spring now, despite the rolling hills of snow outside, I figured now is as good a time as any to start my spring cleaning :) I find the longer daylight hours really help with my motivation. I do suffer from SAD during the winter months, and my motivation is all but shot during that time. Just ask my gym clothes.

3 garbage bags later my place does look cleaner, by a long shot, but I'm looking around at how much stuff I have, wondering "where did this all come from?" The occasional item isn't mine, like a chai tea pot left here by my former roommate (making arrangements to have that returned right now), but 99.99% of the stuff in here is mine. Of that 99.99%, I'd say 95% I paid for. That's a lot of money!

Wow that's a lot of money....

I wish my desire to hoard money was as strong as my desire to acquire things. I binge spending, then I purge the items when they build up too much. It's like I'm bulimic with my possessions.

I have a pile of boxes downstairs that I still need to go through from when I moved in last year. They haven't been entirely unopened, I just need to actually find proper locations for the stuff in them. Either that or purge further.

Garbage bag #4?

I've had the urge to have a garage sale for a while now, I just don't have an actual garage to host it out of. I put a status update on my facebook asking everyone I know on there if they're interested in doing a group garage sale; I figure if someone is going to come to a garage sale we may as well make it worth their while.

Has anyone else noticed that garage and garbage are only one letter away from each other? A little coincidental given what I'm talking about, all things considered.

Ah well. It was a productive afternoon of cleaning. I'm kind of using writing as a reprieve before working on another area. I think I'll finish up the kitchen then go work on a couple basement boxes. I've been enjoying spring cleaning a lot more since getting my own place. Its refreshing.

Dear god, I sound like Martha Stewart.

Oh well. Has anyone else started their spring cleaning yet? Any garage sale plans this year?

Quick Fix

I’ve always worked in what most people would consider atypical industries for a petite young woman. Material Testing Technician, Oilfield Operator, Construction Engineer… Unusual, but quite enjoyable for the most part. They pay reasonably well, but they do have their downsides too. For example, I worked on a large interchange project in Edmonton a couple years ago. The drive to work was super short (7 minutes, mostly waiting at red lights), but the hours were long. I’d find myself joining the other guys on site for fast food at lunch, and ordering in for dinner, because it didn’t feel like there was much time for anything else. I was tired, I was lethargic, I was crabby, my clothes weren’t really fitting anymore, and most importantly: I was sick of take out.

One week later in the construction season, I got a day and a half off for a weekend (rare!) I went home, flopped on the couch, and started listing all of the things I could make in 15 minutes or less. I posted it on my fridge, with the heading “No Excuses!” That way when I came home I could look at the list, pick something to eat, and make it in the same amount of time as it would take to drive somewhere and wait in line. Not only that, but I could control what was actually going into my food. The amount of oil, sugar and salt that was poured unnecessarily into my food at fast food restaurants was churning my stomach.

I no longer work for that company, and my work hours have gotten a lot more reasonable, but the appeal of having a list of quick meals I could make is still there. I have a busy couple of months coming up, as I’m going to be taking 2 university courses while maintaining a full time work load. Unfortunately I forgot the original list on the fridge when I moved out of the townhouse, so I figured it was time to make a new list! Here are some of the meals I can throw together quickly:

Fusili with Pesto and Ricotta Cheese

Super quick and tasty! Longest part of the who process is boiling the water!

Homemade Egg Drop Soup with Spring Rolls 

I keep spring rolls from the Asian market stashed in freezer

Omelet or Frittata with assorted fillings

Mushroom & cheese, chicken & salsa, ham & bell pepper, go nuts!

Green Salad with Nuts, Fruit and Cheese

For those days I really wanted to forget about working on site

Penne with Bolognese Sauce and Garlic Toast

If the meat is thawed, this really takes no time at all, even from scratch

Soba Noodles with peanut sauce

Cook noodles, mix with peanut butter/soy sauce/ sesame oil. Add chicken, carrot & green onion or eat plain

Pita Pizzas

Throw a little sauce and cheese on a pita with whatever’s in the fridge

Breakfast for Dinner

Scrambled eggs, pan fried ham, fruit salad, heck even cereal works

Paninis

Again, use whatever is on hand, grill and press it until it’s toasty

Miso Goup and Green Salad with Sesame Soy Dressing

Either grab miso paste from the health food/Asian store, or try it dried

Leftover scramble

Potatoes scrambled with eggs and whatever meat/veggie is leftover in the fridge

Apricot Chicken with Couscous and Yogurt

Pan fry cubed chicken breast, glaze with apricot jam/water/chili pepper

Quinoa Salad

Toss quinoa w/ nuts, chopped peppers, onion, seasonings, sesame oil, whatever…

That’s just a quick list. There’s lots of resources on the internet for this one too. Check out the recipe generator from Real Simple that churns out recipes for quick dinners. They all have pictures, and look really tasty!

http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/dinner-15-minutes-selections/index.html

Shape magazine has a whole section on their website dedicated to quick healthy meals too:

http://www.shape.com/healthy-eating/meals-and-menus/quick-and-easy

Eating well also has an article with a bunch of quick healthy meals:

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes_menus/recipe_slideshows/15_minute_dinner_recipes#leaderboardad

What are your quick go to meals when you’re in a hurry? I’d love to hear and add to my list before I start getting busy in January!