Things I love: My Vitamix Blender

About a year ago, I went to the Philadelphia home show. I usually go every year. Most of the time it's just something to do and get ideas. Well, last year, they had a demonstration on the Vitamix Blender. I fell in love and bought one!

I must admit, the price was a bit of sticker shock but the 7 year warranty on it and the fact that the blades move so fast that they can boil water (or cook soup) sold me! I'm eating paleo so it comes in very handy. I had an Osterizer before but I hated the fact that it didn't crush ice and that the seal leaked if it wasn't tightened enough or if the ring got old. The Vitamix doesn't have a removable bottom blade assembly and it's easy to clean, you put some water in it and a couple drops of dishwashing liquid, put it back on the base, blend on high for about 20 seconds and then rinse it out. You're done!

The only downfall of the blender that I've found is that it is too tall to fit under the cabinet on the counter. I have to leave it separated when I store it. Actually, Vitamix fixed that with their newest version and they have the 64oz container that fits under the upper cabinets now on the counter. Oh if I had just waited a year! LOL!

So anyway, I'll be giving you some recipes every now and then for the Vitamix. Keep in mind that you can adapt them to any blender but you may have to cook the ingredients first if it's a soup or that if it's something that uses ice or whole foods that you may end up with chunks of ice or things not quite blended!

Did I mention how much I love my Vitamix?!?!?!

House Help: Time Management - My Favorite Websites

How many times have you said "I just don't have enough time!"  If you're like the average person, you've probably said that about a million times.  Recently, I just "haven't had enough time" to blog (something I love to do!).  But when it comes down to it, that's really not true.

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The problem most of us have is time management.  How do we get the things done that we need to get done and still have time to do the things we want to do?

The stigmatism that the single person falls to is "You don't have a whole family to have to fit schedules in for so I don't understand why you never have any time?  There's no one else to clean up after except yourself."

This may be true but, whether one person is in the house or five people are in the house, the bathroom still has to be cleaned, the pots and pans still have to be done, lunches still need to be made, and the dog still has to be walked!  In a family, these can fall to different people.  In the single person's life, there's only one person to do these tasks.  You guessed it (and it's not your Fairy Godmother!).  

That's where time management and organization comes in really handy!  The sites I'm listing here are great for single people as well as families!  You will see that some of them are geared towards family life but they are adaptable to the single person too!

FOOD

Once A Month Mom - Now don't let the name fool you!  This free website comes up with menus every month and teaches you how to "bulk cook".  Bulk cooking lets you cook for the month in 1-2 days worth of prepping, cooking, then freezing.  One of the great advantages of this website is that you can change the meal plan to reflect how many people you are cooking for.  It even gives you a step by step "what to do next" to optimize your time in the kitchen!  They offer 6 different menu plans including traditional, gluten-free, vegetarian, diet, whole foods, and baby food.  They also have recipe cards, shopping lists, and container stickers (which contain reheating instructions) that are downloadable/printable.  This is the way to organize your meals!

CLEANING

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FlyLady.net - Not only does this free website give you tips on your daily routine but also has a focus area every week that they call "zones".  I don't know how many times I've been late running out of the house for work in the morning because I couldn't find something to wear.  FlyLady will help you plan your time in the morning, during the day, and in the evening so you aren't feeling rushed or stressed all the time.  With simple two to 15 minute tasks each day, you'll find that your day is running smoother and you house is becoming cleaner.  What a novelty!

DAY-TO-DAY

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Cozi Calendar - Although this touts itself as a "family" calendar, I use this free website as the ultimate single person's calendar!  I have calendars set up for my work schedule, cleaning schedule, appointments, activity schedule, and workout schedule.  I can look at them each separately or I can see them all together.  It has mobile applications and will integrate with Google calendar too!  Not only does it have great calendar features, but you can also keep a journal and your shopping lists through Cozi. Can you imagine having to only go to one place to get all your to-do things?  

So, there you have it.  A list of a few of my favorite websites to help get me (and keep me) organized.  What's great about these sites is that they are all free (although more features are available if you upgrade on some to a paid subscription).  [**Please remember, if you're on a site that is free, keep it free by visiting the advertisers on the page.  Even if you don't buy anything, the click will still support the page!]  

Are there any sites that you like to use regularly to keep yourself organized?

Things I Love: My Keurig

Most households have a standard coffeemaker.  That big old thing that sits on your counter and usually has a half of a pot of coffee sitting in it from sometime in the past 24 hours.  Maybe you brewed it this morning and now it's dinnertime, and if you don't have a self-timing coffeemaker, then it's starting to turn into sludge.  Sounds wonderful doesn't it?

Meet my Keurig.  It's a single cup coffee brewer.  What's nice about this brewer is that you have a fresh cup of coffee whenever you want it.

The one I have is the Cuisinart Keurig.  Some of the great features of this particular one is that it has a self timer, you can set your brewing temperature, it has an auto off feature, it can brew 5 different sizes, it has a removable drip tray so you can fit your travel mug underneath of the brew spout, and it has a on-board storage location for your "my k-cup" brewer.

This coffeemaker is so easy to use that anyone can brew a good cup of coffee.  All you do is make sure the water chamber is filled with water, turn on the brewer, open the top, place a k-cup into the brewer, close the lid, choose a mug size, and press a button.  There you have it, the perfect cup of coffee every time.  

One of the great things about Keurig is they offer a wide variety of k-cups.  They have over 200 different varieties of coffee, tea (both hot and iced), hot chocolate and other beverages.  You can never say that you're bored with their selection!  My favorite k-cups include Green Mountain Coffee Nantucket Blend, Wolfgang Puck Jamaica Me Crazy Coffee, Timothy's Colombian Decaf Coffee, Celestial Seasonings Mandarin Orange Spice Herbal Tea and Twinings Earl Grey Tea.

But the number one suggestion I have is that if you're going to get a Keurig, be sure it's one that you can use the "my k-cup" with (not all the brewers will accommodate the my k-cup).  This will allow you to brew your own variety of coffee in the Keurig of your choice (and save some money too!).  Some of the brewers come with a my k-cup and some you can buy seperately.  The Cuisinart one has a location on the side to keep it in.  This is nice because you always know where it is and it protects if from getting dusty or damaged.

Here are some tips on using the my k-cup brewer.  First, you will need to make sure that your coffee is ground to the correct grind setting. The k-cup will need a coarser grind then your automatic drip coffeemaker.  My sister had suggested that it's more like the french-press grind.  If the grind is too fine, it will foam or you will have grinds in your cup (either way, not a good scenario).  

Second, you will not want to fill the mesh basket to the top.  You should leave about 1/4 to 1/8 of an inch at the top when filling the my k-cup.  You can always use less if you want a weaker cup but if you use more, you will definitely have grinds in your cup!

So, that's it, my Cuisinart Keurig brewer.  It's a must for the single person who won't drink a full pot of coffee in a day or for anyone who just likes a freshly brewed cup.  It's also great for households where there are different coffee drinkers and they like different flavors or brews.  Oh, and don't be fooled!  It's not just for coffee or tea!  It's great to heat up just the right amount of hot water for instant hot breakfast cereals too!  Enjoy!

Introduction

I've always wanted to create a blog about the single life.  Not the single life you see all over the news, reality tv, or in entertainment magazines.  I mean the real single life (there's no Snookie here!).  A blog about shopping and cooking for one.  A blog about living alone and taking care of your household.  A blog about being happy about being single.  A blog about... well... me!

I know there have to be more people out there that are single, without children, never married, and are content with that.  They've had to figure out how to cut a 6 person recipe down into just one serving.  They've figured out which recipes are okay to make the 6 servings and freeze for dinners later in the month (and which ones are not!).  They've figured out how to do all the chores that come with having a home and having to keep it clean and still have time for a social life.  (Yeah, I'm having trouble with that one! LOL!  I mostly get the house "clean enough".)

So that's my blog in a nutshell.  Don't think that this blog is just for singles though.  A lot of what I will post will be great for everyone.  Oh, and as for children, I have my fair share of nieces and nephews to blog about sometimes, it's just that family life won't be the focus of this blog.  So, I hope you stick around and enjoy my blog.