I am so not a veggie lover.  I could never eat all the veggies in a day that I’m suppose to so instead I’ve figured out a way to get around that.  I drink them!

The idea of green smoothies first came to me after reading many blogs on the subject.  I had already been making myself a fruit smoothie everyday to get my required fruits in, so it really appealed to me that I could add some veggies at the same time and be done with it.  So that’s what I do.

Every day for lunch I make myself a big tall glass of yummy green smoothie otherwise known as hulk juice to my kids.  They are absolutely delicious and believe it or not I actually crave them now if I don’t have one.  You can’t really taste the spinach at all and the fruit adds a nice touch of sweetness.  This is how I make mine but there are many different varieties and combinations you could try.

Org Junkie’s Daily Green Smoothie

One blender full of baby spinach (or a combination of any type of greens)

Approx 1 1/2 cups of cold water

Pulse and puree first two ingredients for a couple of minutes until well blended

(Note: because I don’t have a fancy blender, blending the spinach and water FIRST is the one step that made the biggest difference for me towards creating a green smoothie that was nice and creamy instead of thick and pasty)

Add to blender two to three cups of frozen fruit (any kind you like, I usually use the mixed fruit from M&M’s)

One banana

Blend until mixed and creamy

Add a couple of tablespoons of ground flax

Blend again

Drink up and enjoy!

(equals two servings)

Now if you are a bit reluctant to go all in at first you might want to start with a higher ratio of fruit to greens until you get use to it.  There really are no rules.  It’s just such a great way to get in a whole bunch of fruits and veggies in a really easy and delicious way.

If you have trouble eating your veggies, drinking them is a great alternative!

Freak?  What freak?  Oh stop you’re being too kind.  The freak is me!   For those new to my blog, don’t be alarmed, it’s how I like to affectionately refer to myself and well so do all of my friends in real life for that matter so why should you be any different?   Now you might ask if I can back that claim up and I’d say why yes, yes I can…let’s see, containers they talk to me oh yes they do and I’ve been known to talk back to them.  They comfort me and make me all silly and stuff.  It’d be embarrassing except everyone that knows me just shakes their heads and carries on as if the insanity might somehow go away if they don’t make eye contact.  I’ve been told, on more than one occasion I might add, that I should hand out geek disclaimer cards though when I introduce myself to the fine folks in my new town.  Whatever.

Anyway all that got me thinking that I haven’t done an Ask the Freak episode in awhile so why not today.  This means I go through the stack of emails I’ve got going on and pick one of your questions to finally answer.

Since I’m just about four years into this blog I’ve got a bit of blog material to refer to now and often it gets buried and is hard to find.  So you’ll see that sometimes I’ll elaborate on the answer here and other times I’ll just point you in the right direction to where I previously posted about the topic.

Today’s question is this:

Question:

I have recently started following your site.  I LOVE IT!  Thanks for sharing all the great ideas.  I was wondering if you have an idea on how to organize recipes I have printed out, clipped out of magazines, etc.  I have a ton of recipes in paper that I would love to organize to make them better and easier to find.  I was wondering before I start to come up with ideas if you have any ideas already in hand that you could share with me.  I would greatly appreciate the help.

Answer:

This one I can definitely point to because this was a huge unresolved issue in my life last year and many of you will remember the journey I took to finally get my piles and clippings of recipes under control.  I’m still using the same system today which says a lot :)

My Recipe Organization ~ Part One and Part Two

You might also find helpful Organizing Recipes to Suit YOUR Needs

and another post I did called Organizing Recipes (I’m nothing if not original in my titles :)) where I discuss a variety of different recipe organization options.

There really are so many great ways to organize recipes, perhaps you can help my reader out by sharing your method?

Organizing paper is tough and organizing school papers is often one of the worst offenders.  Gosh those cute little darlings of ours bring home a lot of stuff don’t they from crafts and other art projects with the younger ones to journals and essays with the older ones.  We can’t possibly keep it all that is for sure but it is nice to keep some of the special items for them to look at when they get older.

Awhile ago I posted how I use memory binders in my household to preserve some of the kids more special projects, a task I involve them in when deciding what to keep and what to let go of.

The other day I ran across another neat idea that two other ladies use to organize their kid’s school papers.  I emailed them both to ask if I could share it with you today.  I like to provide you with options when it comes to these things and to demonstrate that there are all sorts of ways for organizing any one thing.  Only you can decide what will work for your family.

Both Becca, of Blue Cricket Design, and Steph, of Somewhat Simple, (both awesome blogs by the way!) use the storage crate method for storing and organizing special school papers and I think it’s just terrific.

Here are a couple of pictures of Becca’s system:

As you can see the hanging file folders fit so nicely inside and she has a folder for each grade.  It would be so easy to drop papers in as necessary.

One of the nicest things about this idea is the stackability and space saving factor as shown on Steph’s post and in her picture below:

These could easily tuck inside a closet when not in use.  Be sure to read both of their posts (as linked above) for more information on where to get the crates and for creating fun title pages.

Thanks to both ladies for sharing their projects with us.  Very creative and definitely Storage Star worthy that is for sure!

As you can see, with my change of season, it’s getting harder and harder for me to get Menu Plan Monday up by 8:00 pm and it’s stressing me out a little bit.  So I’m not sure how I’m going to change it up to make it work for us but will keep you posted.  I may just set a later time on Sunday nights (in which case I hope my eastern linkers would forgive me) or perhaps first thing Monday morning.  Let me think about it some more and feel free to provide input but please remember there is no way I can possibly please everyone.

We ate some pretty tasty meals around here last week.  Every single recipe was a hit and will be going into my Family Favorites Recipe Index if it’s not there already.  Not too often that happens where we enjoy them all like that.  Yay!  If I had to pick my #1 favorite though it would have to be the Teriyaki Salmon in Foil.  Delicious and SUPER easy to prepare but I will let you in on a little secret.  I cheated just a little and used store bought teriyaki sauce instead to save time.  Doesn’t get any easier than that and no pans to wash, well except for the rice pot but that’s not much :)

So I love how many of you are coming by here each week to link up and share your menus.  I love the community we have going and I just want to say thanks for that by giving away to one lucky MPM participant this new Taste of Home Casseroles cookbook I picked up in the grocery store the other day.  You know how I love Taste of Home :)  I made the Mushroom Turkey Tetrazzini recipe out of it for our church potluck on Sunday and it was yummy.

To be eligible to win just link up to your menu plan post as you normally do, prior to Wednesday, March 17th at 12:00 pm PST, and I’ll randomly draw one winner from the list of participants.  Thanks for being here!!

For menu planning help this week please visit The Taste Zone for April’s Menu Planning Tips.

So here’s what we’ll be eating this week.  I hope it’s as good as last week :)

Monday: Caesar Pockets

Tuesday: Savory Spaghetti Sauce (family favorite) and pasta

Wednesday: Crockpot Honey Glazed Ham served with rice and veggies

Thursday: Leftover buffet

Friday: Chicken Salad Sandwiches

Saturday: Vegetable Chowder served with Easy Homemade Cheese Bread Biscuits

Sunday: Churck Potluck ~  Potato Sausage Casserole

WHAT’S ON YOUR MENU THIS WEEK?

Menu Plan Monday guidelines and banner selections are here.

Several years ago when I was in Ontario visiting my sister we spent some time reorganizing some of her closets.  That’s when we came across the boots.  The big bad bright blue boots.  She didn’t wear them any longer but they held special memories for her from another time.  A time when she was young and carefree and living in another country as an exchange student in Denmark.  To throw away the boots felt like she was throwing away that time in her life, so they sat in her closet year after year collecting dust until I got a hold of them.

So what was the compromise?  We took a picture of those oh so lovely boots (ahem), a picture of my sister lovingly caressing them and saying goodbye.  Then together we took them to the Salvation Army and I watched as she cried huge wracking sobbing tears of sadness.  Oh okay maybe she wasn’t exactly sobbing but I swear I saw a tear leave her eye as she reluctantly handed them over.

As difficult as it was though she did part with them, that part is true.  Now she has pictures of the boots to remember that time in her life and has a lot little more space in her closet to utilize for other things.  She still misses them terribly but she says she doesn’t regret giving them away.

Way to go girl, love ya! :)

I’m linking this post to Tanna’s new weekly event called Picture My Memories.  Document your memories and pass them on to future generations instead of STUFF.

PS:  I’ve cropped the picture above as the actual picture shows my sister trying to keep her face from going to the ugly cry.  Really it was just too much so I had to crop her out :)

One of the best parts of this blog for me are the awesome readers that enable my “habit”.  The emails and pictures I receive displaying all sorts of sweet organizing bliss, causing me to drool all over my keyboard, make me so happy that while I’m moping up my drool I’m also giggling incessantly.   It’s a little embarrassing but I don’t care.  I’m a nerd, it’s what I do.  Drool and giggle and not always in that order.

But once you see these pictures I think you’ll understand.  You may also do the drool, giggle, giggle, drool routine because seriously it’s basket heaven.   This blog reader, who just started a blog of her own called On The Fly, told me that she lives in an old house with no closets.  Her four kids share a room.  Four kids in one room is a tough organizational challenge in itself, never mind in a room with no closet.

So what did she do, she created a closet where a closet ceased to exist.  It’s stunning and functional and well so darn clever I just had to ask her if I could share the photos with all of you.  Are you ready for this?

and this

and then this

What a great idea!  These closet organizers are designed for closets but who says they need to be in a closet.  They aren’t expensive and sold in most department stores.  They also are totally adjustable which comes in handy when dealing with sloped roofs like that.  I love that she’s color coded the bins for each child and has a bin for each day of the week to organize the outfits.

Are you lacking in closet space?  This might be the solution for you and if you aren’t well then perhaps you want to just continue right on drooling and giggling along with me as you stare at the pictures for an hour or so a couple of more minutes :)

If you want to see what my newest favorite product is, that I absolutely love, be sure to come on over to my review site to check it out and also get 20% off today on the price.  Don’t miss out!

Some great links this week, some organizing related, some inspirational and some for just fun :)

I’m loving all these great chore charts to make (@ Somewhat Simple)

Such a great reminder ~ Somebody Wants What You Have (@ Amy’s Finer Things)

Great idea for Lego organization Organizing Toys ~ Taming of the Legos (@ A Soft Place to Land)

A Nosy Neighbor Approach to Deciding What Needs to be Organized (@ Complete Organizing Solutions)

A reminder that Aby’s Organize Your Closet online workshop starts today for only $24.00.  Speaking of Aby I just love this article she wrote recently…Can You Really Learn How to Get Organized?

Take your loved one to clutter court ~ Kijiji is having a contest and the winner will receive an in-home consultation with a clutter coach who will help you and your significant other reorganize your living space so that you two can live in perfect harmony.

Yada Home looks like a neat family calendar resource for managing your family’s tasks, events and lists online.

The next Woman Inspired Conference, called Get Revived, begins next week.  Click here for information and to register.  Be inspired!

Beautiful post on 10 Simple Ideas For a Welcoming Home (@ The Blessed Nest)

A neat Grocery List Download that would also make a great gift idea (@ The Creative Mama)

Rachel Anne from Home Sanctuary creates beautiful monthly scripture verse pictures that you can print out and frame.  This month’s is called Finding God’s Will: Micah 6:8

Check out this creative solution for a plastic bag dispenser made out of an old shirt (@ Vanilla Joy)

I have a serious problem with peeling potatoes because I’m left handed (that’s my story and I’m sticking to it!) and I was thrilled to find this post and video on the Econobuster site on how to peel a potato without a peeler.  So cool!

What great links have you found this week?  Share your favorite with me in the comments!

]]> http://orgjunkie.com/2010/03/take-note-weekly-links.html/feed 6 http://orgjunkie.com/2010/03/magically-organized.html http://orgjunkie.com/2010/03/magically-organized.html#comments Tue, 09 Mar 2010 06:46:37 +0000 Laura http://orgjunkie.com/?p=7246

Please join me in welcoming today Laurieann, of Motivate for Sanity’s Sake and owner of Organize It Mom!.  Now that we have newly organized spaces, it’s time to talk about how we are going to keep them that way.  Thanks Laurieann!

You’ve just spent all month cleaning out your closet, sorting and color-coding, and tossing.  You should be proud!  Rejoice!  Hey, maybe you should go shopping and get something for that new space in your closet.

Wait!

No!  Your job is not over yet.  In fact, the work has only just begun.  Really, sometimes sticking with it is the hardest part.

Once, I got a great compliment when my uncle came to my house and said to his wife, “Wouldn’t it be great if our house was magically clean like this?”  I was pleased but then I started to think about it… magically clean?  There was nothing magical about it.  It was me!  It was my hard work!  Let me tell you, there was nothing magical about cleaning behind my toilets with a toothbrush, or scouring my oven, or meticulously cleaning the floorboards and blinds.  In fact, it was the opposite of magic.

Usually, something that seems magical is really something that was a LOT of work behind the scenes.  The good news is, you’ve done the behind the scenes stuff.  But now it’s time to lean into the hard work of maintaining your hard work.

There are a couple of things you can do to make the leaning into it easier.

The first is to make sure the system works for you and not the other way around.  When you have a system that makes intuitive sense to everyone in the house… everyone in the house will use it.  Put the system RIGHT where the problem is.

For example, I used to be so frustrated that the newspapers were always piled up on the kitchen table instead of put away in their designated post-reading-until-recycled spot.  But then I measured the newspaper, went to the store and found the perfectly sized basket and put said basket right next to the table upon which the papers liked to pile.  Now those pesky papers are going where they’re supposed to… magically.

The second thing you can do is make your system so cool that by the time the novelty wears off, you’re already in the habit of using it.  When your system is so clever and creative that you love it, you’ll be so excited about using it everyday that before you know it, you won’t be able to remember what life was like without it.

Having a hole in my wall from the closet to the laundry room initially made doing the laundry fun. And now (after having the hole for a year and ½), it’s just a habit to do the laundry the minute the basket is full.

You’ve done a lot of work to get magically organized.  Now you just need to lean into it every day and keep it that way.  Good luck!

How is everyone today?  Hope you’ve all had a chance to get your menu plans completed for this week.  My “simplified” menu plan worked beautifully last week for us and so I’m going to keep it up.  Nothing too heavy, lean on the meats, big on flavor, healthy and quick to prepare.  I’m spending a little more time looking for recipes than I normally do but hopefully once I build up my recipe stockpile using this criteria things will speed up a bit.

I have to tell you about two recipes from last week that were absolutely delicious.  I highly recommend the Basil Tortellini Soup and the Pepperoni Pizza Pie.   I brought the Pepperoni Pizza Pie to the church potluck today and it was really good and I loved how quick and easy it was to make.  Next time I would mostly definitely double it.  And no I didn’t make the crust from scratch :)

Helpful Menu Planning Links:

5 Secrets to the Perfect Family Meal Plan @ Raising Healthy Eaters

Menu Planning on a Budget @ Money Saving Mom

So here’s what we’ll be eating this week:

Monday: Dinner at a friend’s house, sweet!

Tuesday: Cinnamonlicious French Toast served with fresh fruit

Wednesday: Teriyaki Salmon in Foil served with perogies

Thursday: Leftover buffet

Friday: Maple Rosemary Chicken served with rice and broccoli

Saturday: Spud Special Soup served with Bread Machine Wheat Bread

Sunday: ~ Church Potluck:  Mushroom Chicken Tetrazzini

WHAT’S ON YOUR MENU THIS WEEK?

Menu Plan Monday guidelines and banner selections are here.