Organizing a Spaghetti Fundraiser

As many of you know, I went on a construction mission trip last year down to the Dominican Republic.  I wasn't able to go again this year, but I wanted to help the team going raise funds for building supplies, so a friend and I decided to host a spaghetti dinner.

I wanted to share my tips for cooking for 30 people and staying organized....

1 - Pick something easy and that is cost efficient.  I picked pasta because it took almost the same work to make it for a huge group vs. a small group.   Also, I was able to plan ahead and buy sauce and noodles on sale since they kept well.  I started about 2 months before I was planning on hosting and capitalized on store BOGOs and Super Double Coupons.

2 - Add a simple homemade touch.  I picked simple items to add to store-bought sauce, such as ground beef and veggies.   Make the items going into the sauce the evening before.

Here is how I did this:
-For meat sauce, I browned the meat and refrigerated it in a Premier (seen in 2nd photo on left of stove)
-For veggies sauce, I sauteed onions, tomatoes, and zucchini.

That way, the day of, I was able to toss the ingredients plus store-bought pasta sauce into the microwave in a 14 cup Premier to get warm since the stove was fully used for different pasta types. Since I work until 5pm, this was really helpful in saving time.

3- Give a range of time for people to stop by. This minimized the seats needed, because people came over a 3 hour span of time.  Also, if the weather is good, utilize inside and outside seating so that people can spread out.

4- Provide a "on the go" option for people in a rush or with other commitments that wanted to support yet couldn't sit for awhile.  We sold 3 dinners this way by putting them in TakeAlongs.

5- Provide a shoebox or other box for silent donations, so people are able to freely give what they would like.  For this purpose we suggested the amount you would spend on groceries or eating out on a weeknight.

Overall, it was a great success.  Let me know if you have any tips for organizing fundraisers for future ones!

Recovering with the help of Rubbermaid

My husband recently had shoulder surgery, and I quickly turned into Nurse Megan for the days following the procedure. I was making countless trips to the kitchen for refills of drinks, different snacks or to get his meds. We moved an extra coffee table to his good side so we could have his phone and remote within reach. I realized that I should take full advantage of this table, and use it to cut down my back-and-forth trips to the kitchen. (Not that it's THAT far to the kitchen...but this also made it more convenient for Eric to have things accessible.) Here is his "station" looked like.

SNACKS: Instead of having chip-clipped-bags and boxes of snacks, I used Rubbermaid Lock-Its canisters to hold different snacks: chex mix, wheat thins and his favorite doritos. Having containers that have a secure seal was ideal because you never know when one of our cats will knock something over. (You can see Jill in the background of this photo.) I also had snacks in the cabinet already in our new modular canisters (love them!), so I brought those out, which held chex cereal and pretzels.

DRINKS: Because of the three different types of medication he was taking (which I also kept at the table to eliminate trips to fetch those), we were going through a lot of water and 7up. It was a little hard for Eric to tip his head back from the pain in his neck (from where they put in the nerve block) and shoulder. Even though I did keep his soda in the frozen mug, I used two Rubbermaid sip bottles for his water. I would refill both at one time so it would be longer in between refills, and I put koozies on them to keep them cold longer. (Sidenote about the mug: Eric is from Ohio and a huge Buckeye fan. We have two frozen mugs - one Michigan and one Ohio State - and it just worked out that I happen to take the pic when we had the Michigan one out. Classic!)

MEDS: I used a white board for his meds schedule so I could keep them straight. (It's leaning up against the table in the bottom/right of this photo.) Each of the meds had a different time between doses (some 4 hours, some 6), and he couldn't take them all at once because it would make him sick. Each time he took anything, I wrote down the time, which med(s) he took, and how many of each. The white board worked wonders!

PATIENT: Eric gives his station (and Rubbermaid) a thumbs up! He feels a little better each day, and in six months hopefully his shoulder will be back to normal - and back to playing basketball (which is what he cares about!) 

Recipe to Remove Small Kitchen Frustrations

This post was generously written by professional organizer Lea Schneider owner of Organize Right Now, LLC. Lea works in Pensecola, Fl and writes a fabulous blog. Feel free to reach out to her if you could use some help organizing!

It was a recipe for frustration.

Take four children under the age of six; add two parents, occasional babysitters, grandmothers, a kitchen without enough cabinet space and an economy not conducive to home remodeling. Mix it all together and it spells chaos. That’s when my phone rang.

The mission was to see if I could create more space in a modern kitchen with limited storage. I can tell you that it is a real challenge in newer homes. Since they are designed with an open concept, it becomes very difficult as overhead cabinets are often eliminated in favor of a view.

As a professional organizer, I often deal with too-much-stuff in too-little space. Most often, we spend our time dealing with the too-much-stuff part of the job by making good decisions about what to keep. But what if you’ve already eliminated the clutter and you really need to keep what is left? That’s sums up this organizing adventure.

I have to say that making enough space for this large family to really cook and enjoy family meals was made possible by three things:
1.    They were open to new ways to organize the kitchen.
2.    There was under-utilized laundry room storage.
3.    My very favorite organizing product, Rubbermaid Slide ‘n Stack Sliding Baskets, fit the space perfectly!

In the adjacent laundry room, we cleared built-in lower cabinets of their typical laundry room clutter. Out went the citronella candles, dog biscuits, flower vases, assorted light bulbs and miscellaneous cleaning products. The usable items went to new suitable homes.

Rubbermaid’s Slide N Stack Sliding Baskets were quickly installed in the cabinets that you once needed to sit on the floor with a flashlight to access. Now, everything stored was easily at their fingertips. 

Frequently used food items, such as snacks and breakfast cereals, were left in the small pantry in the kitchen. All of the dinner ingredients, such as rice and pastas, were moved to the baskets in the laundry room. Labels made it quick to find what was needed.

Not only did the baskets add a tremendous volume of space to the kitchen, it made grocery shopping easier. It is simple to see if more rice or soups are needed or if plenty are on hand.

Pantry for One, Anyone?

I recently wrote a guest post for lonelygourmet.com. However, it was so great I decided to post it here also. AND GUESS WHAT? The post was so great I was invited to their radio show Foodie Fridays on Friday May 14th at 7 pm EST. So join in :)

For while now I have been talking to Laurie (aka @lonelygourmet) on Twitter. We have something in common. Most of the time we are both cooking for one. Laurie gives great advice via Twitter and her web site for singles cooking for themselves.

Like Laurie, I have gotten TIRED and SICK of going out to eat and microwaving frozen meals. I have started to cook more often and testing out recipes. However, I feel like I am never prepared; I don’t know what basics I should have in my pantry. The other day, I finally asked Laurie what she would recommend that I stock my pantry with!

Here is what she gave me (that I slightly changed it to fit my needs):
 
Laurie’s List:   

•    Flour               
•    Sugar
•    Oatmeal
•    Rice
•    Cereal
•    Spaghetti/noodles
•    Chips
•    Cat/dog food
•    Coffee/tea
•    Miscellaneous pre-mixed seasoning packets (taco seasoning, gravy packet, etc)

Spices:
•    Minced onions
•    Garlic
•    Salt
•    Pepper
•    Italian Seasoning
•    Poultry Seasoning
•    Pumpkin Pie Spice 

I then decided to give Laurie some advice about how one would go about organizing all these supplies in their pantry! The first step is to put those supplies that come in awkward bags in canisters – Modular Canisters that take up less room in your pantry. Also, LABEL!!! Baking soda and baking powder look very similar so pull out a Sharpie or label maker and label (with expiration date).

 Next is group like items together on your shelves. I have all my baking supplies on one shelf (high up because I do not bake as often as I cook), all my tea and coffee together (lower shelf because I use these everyday and it’s easy to reach), all my chips/snacks together, etc.

 

If you have wire shelves in your pantry like me, here is a suggestion. Your spices and packets probably fall over and tumble between the wires. I put the packets into an extra Modular Canister I had with the lid off and the spices into a TakeAlongs container I had (lid off on this one too). That way they do not topple over. Plus with my spices, I can grab them all at once and use what I need without multiple trips to the pantry. 

        

        
Now with my pantry stocked and organized I am ready to cook more often! What tips do you have for pantry necessities and organization?                                                  

Easy Find Lids to be on The View

I am very excited for Monday!   The ladies of the hit show The View are going to be talking about our food storage.   You will have to tune in to listen to all the great things I am sure they'll say about our Easy Find Lids containers. Let us know if you see it!

Premier Commercial Launch

As Lauren alluded to in her post Friday, our new commercial featuring the NEW! PREMIER food storage containers launched yesterday!

You'll once again be allowed to see the poor lady get toppled by her unorganized food storage cabinet. Plus, you'll see our new Premier containers show off their stain resistant power!

So in case you do not happen to catch it on TV, we have a it here on our blog to watch.

If this has inspired you to go buy Premier, check out the coupon currently available on our site!

Premier On TV

On Monday, we launched our New Premier TV spot.  

I thought it might be fun to give you a "behind the scenes tour" of what it was like to shoot the commercial.

The first tool we use is the story board - it combines a script with photos of what is shown, so we can get a feel of what the approved spot is like to plan out the shoot. 

Next is the shooting board - since it makes sense to sometimes shoot things in different order than the normal flow of the spot, this board helps us "organize" all the shots we need to get.  It also helps the crew know what's next.  This is especially helpful to the food stylist to know what to prep in which order.

This is one example of us deciding whether to have the lid on the bottom or not for the food shots - one of many decisions we make on shoot day. We went without the lid in the real ad.

Below is a video about the foods we used.  We wanted to pick foods that connoted "staining" since Premier solves for that.   We also wanted to pick lots of fun colors.  We were shooting a birds-eye view so you can see the "trick" that the food stylist used to add a base to the bottom of the container. 

We would love to know if you see the spot and what you think of it!  Also, make sure you download a coupon to try the new Premier!

Weeknight Dinners, Simplified

Everyone wants to cook fresh, healthy food for themselves and their family. Homemade food is tastier, more affordable, and better for you than going out to eat...But these days, its often difficult to balance life and get dinner on the table!

Whether a working woman (or man) or a busy stay-at-home mom, things just get in the way of this nutritious priority. Recently my sister gave me a recipe book for making meals ahead of time and freezing them for future use... That got me thinking, I ALWAYS have more time, energy and moxie to make this want a reality... during the weekend. The key for me was to start planning my weekly meals, grocery shop for the week, and pre-prep food over the weekend to help out my work week. Here's a shot of our soon-to-be spaghetti and meatballs dinner:
 
    

I whipped up some  homemade sauce (super easy and cheaper than the jarred kind!), portioned out some for dinner and froze the rest. The veggies were bell peppers, onions and zucchini strips; prettily prepped and ready for sauteing. Even the turkey meatballs (totally bought, I cannot make those things!), I pulled out of the oddly-shaped package and neatly stacked in my Premier with the rest of the dinner. Results? Easy, fast, delishious weeknight dinner that can be cooked up in a flash!

Modular Canisters Make Me Happy

I recently re-did my "baking cabinet" because we had new and improved modular canisters launch! 

The current situation was okay but not optimal:
Pros #1: Decent space
Con #1:  I couldn't see what was in the back.  For instance, I had to take down the front small canisters to reach the big flour and sugar ones in the back (which just so happen to be commonly used). 
Con #2:  The jumbling on the bottom wasn't well organized.  I have glass front cabinets so I like it to be a little neater than this.  Also, the Crystal Light containers kept tumbling out.

Since the new modular canisters launched, I'd been wanting to try them out.  My process was:

Step #1:  I took everything in the middle out.  
Step #2:  I put the ingredients in new modular canisters
Step #3:  I took the Crystal Light out of its package, and put it in the little pull out drawer.  For more on the drawer, see my previous post on how much I love these too.

And...ta-da!  Big improvement!  The new canisters are short but deep, so I can see ALL my ingredients now.  I started putting little food storage containers on top of them as well for the  ingredients I have only small quantities of. :

 

I also labeled them with my Dymo label maker.  That step was helpful so that I could tell things apart.  For instance, the Troyer's pancake mix looks the same as the wheat flour.  The cornstarch looks similar to the powdered sugar. This helps me quickly grab what I need to bake.

Overall, I am impressed with the design of the new canisters and how they helped me organize baking supplies.

A New Way of Eating

I had decided that 2010 was the year I wanted to get healthy, and stay healthy.  I joined my local YMCA and started the grueling process of working out, eating right, and getting more rest. Find your local YMCA at www.ymca.net.

Nearly three months later, I found that my initial regimen just wasn't cutting it.  It took me nearly 20 minutes of huffing and puffing it to get a mile racked up on the Elliptical, and more willpower than I could muster to walk away from the junk food. Now, with ease, I can run 1.5 miles in under 14 minutes and StairMaster my way to a mile in 12 minutes. And I'm proud of it.

However, I wasn't prepared for the ravenous hunger that I experience with working out 5+ hours a week. I found it was easier to pass on the junk food, but when my everyday menu was looking more like an appetizer, I knew I was in trouble.

Through research, I found that I need to be eating more. Eat more to lose weight?  Insert confusion here.  I keep a daily food journal, and after looking it over, I was eating what I thought was enough.  Now, I find, that I need to continue to eat my 3 meals, but include healthy small snacks throughout my day. The key to small is portion control. In doing this, I keep my metabolism up and my crazed hunger at bay.

Snacking can get out of hand quickly if you aren't prepared for it.  To keep control, I use the #7J55 Easy Find Lids 1/2 cup containers; they are great for maintaining my snacking.  In these, I pack a serving of almonds to eat with a piece of fruit or a small serving of low-fat cottage cheese to pair with whole wheat crackers.  I noticed that if I packed the same amount of food in a larger container, I felt as though I wasn't eating as much.  It's a visionary trick I play on my stomach, and I can eat the proper portions while making it look as though I was eating much more.

I have spent a lot of time on the internet finding suggestions for healthy snacks, the proper way to eat 5-6 times a day, and stumbled across a few helpful websites:

• To track and count calories: http://caloriecount.about.com/
• 6 meals a day and the benefits regarding cholesterol: http://my.clevelandclinic.org/heart/prevention/askdietician/ask4_02.aspx
• Pros and Cons of eating 6 meals a day: http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=56254
• Healthy snack suggestions: http://www.self.com/fooddiet/2009/06/30-healthy-snacks and http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/healthy-diet/HQ01396

Finding my niche in the gym is the hardest thing I could do. Persistence did pay off and I know now what my body can handle, responds to, and my limits. If your gym has a personal trainer available, many offer a free session that you can utilize to get whatever questions you may have answered.

Here's to a healthy 2010, and the start to a happy new lifestyle!