Weekly Routines
Originally post at KimMosiman.com on Jan. 22, 2017
My weekly schedule is pretty set. I can slip fun things in here and there, but if I miss any one key task, especially on the weekend, I can guarantee I’ll be scurrying the next week to catch up.
Sunday is prep day in our house. It includes laundry, meal plan, cleaning out the fridge, grocery shopping, and meal prep.
Laundry first! My laundry room is right inside the garage door and it’s not very big, so I sort all the clothes by color on my bedroom floor to keep them out of the way of the rest of my work. I start a load before my first cup of coffee and work through it all day long.
Meal planning is next…I grab a cup of coffee and my iPad and scroll through Pinterest and a few other magazines to gather ideas. I make a list of things I’ll need for the recipes I choose.
Cleaning the fridge used to be a once a month thing for me… now that there are less people eating here, the little jars and bowls of leftovers get lost much easier than the large containers did… I go through leftovers, decide what to eat today, what to freeze and what to toss. I also go through my produce drawer to see what needs to be used up before I go to the store and purchase more.
CONFESSION: I collect fruits and veggies like some women collect shoes and I’ve been known to forget the most perfect little eggplant in the bottom of the drawer until it is unrecognizable.
My new “clean the fridge first” system has helped me cut my wastefulness considerably. I pull the still edible (but sad and limp) veggies out to make stock and place the “good” ones in a large plastic container to be used first. If something is questionable and has the potential to ruin the flavor of a dish, I toss it.
~I pull meat from the chest freezer in the garage, to thaw in the bottom drawer of the fridge.
~Most importantly…. I check things OFF my plan list as I go, so I don’t end up buying something I already have.
Usually, after cleaning the fridge, I’ll make breakfast, trying to use up leftover meat and veggies in a skillet hash or quiche.
I rinse the dishes and start the dishwasher, so everything is ready when I get home to prep.
Grocery shopping used to be a hit or miss thing. I’d fly in after work, grab something that sounded good and arrive at home to discover I already had half of the things I purchased in the cupboard.
By the time I finish breakfast, it’s time to start another load of laundry, then I grab my list and go to the store. I like to get there before the rest of the world wakes up, so I can wander the aisles and pick just the right things. My list always includes specifics like olive oil, Parmesan, or oats, but it also includes some general items like” vegetables and fruit”. I don’t buy food if it doesn’t look good or smell fresh, so I don’t put usually specific produce items on the list.
I look through the whole section first- checking quality and price. Often, you’ll find great buys in the organic section, but if you’ve already picked up what you want in the front of the store, you won’t take time to look.
~ If I’m buying greens, I buy tubs of washed and prepped. HONESTY time. I eat more salad if it’s ready to go and it fits better in my fridge
~ If I’m buying vegetables, I always look for firm, bright color and no sign of decay.
~ If I’m buying fruit, I look for bright color and then I smell it. If it smells “like fruit”, I’ll inspect further and look for signs of decay. Why smell? I’ve discovered that due to high off-season demand, some foods are grown and ripened in environments that don’t allow the flavors to come through. For example, yesterday I saw some beautiful strawberries- they were bright and very fresh looking. I picked up the box to smell them and…. there was no smell. Nothing.
How do you think they are going to taste? EXACTLY! Like nothing. I’d rather buy frozen than settle for something marginal that will sit in my fridge and spoil.
When I get home, I fold a load of clothes and tumble the machines…usually this is my last load. I unload the dishwasher and fill the sink up with hot soapy water, so I can clean as I go. I place three pots of water on the stove to boil, for oats, rice and eggs. I unpack my groceries, placing ready to go items (yogurt, milk, berries, etc.) in the fridge and leave everything I’ll need for prep time out on the counter.
Meal Prep will consume the next hour or so…
I start veggie prep first. If I’m making something in the crock pot, I’ll place the insert on the counter so I can add as I go. If I’m making a recipe, later in the week that calls for diced veggies, I’ll put a put a container out for that too. You might as well dice celery up at the same time you’re cleaning it for snacks!
~Raw peppers, celery, cauliflower, grape tomatoes, pea pods and radishes get washed first and then arranged in a large plastic container that’s been lined with dry WHITE paper towels.
~Next, I clean hearty fruits, like grapes and I make fruit ice cubes with lemons and berries.
~I finish adding ingredients to the slow cooker, and make marinades for meat if that’s in the plan.
This is when I cut onions, if I need them for recipes, so the flavor doesn’t carry through everything else.
I place oats and rice in glass containers and put the hard-boiled eggs under ice, allowing all to cool completely before storing in the fridge.
I hope this helps!!
This routine has made it easier for me to eat healthy (and stress less) throughout the week!
How do you prepare for the week?
Prep Day Quiche
Author: Kim
Recipe type: Breakfast
Prep time: 20 mins
Cook time: 45 mins
Total time: 1 hour 5 mins
Serves: 4 servings
This quick and easy meal can help you use leftover veggies!
Ingredients
- 2 TBS. olive oil, divided
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 clove garlic
- 8 oz. container fresh spinach or kale
- 8 oz, contained mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
- various vegetables, sliced
- ¼ cup sharp cheddar, shredded
- 2 TBS. grated Parmesan
- 6 eggs, lightly beaten
- ½ cup milk of choice
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- ¼ cup shredded mozzerella
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350
- Heat 1 TBS oil in a large skillet on medium heat
- Add onion and garlic, saute 2 minutes until beginning to soften
- Add greens. Saute until wilted.
- Remove greens to a large bowl lined with paper towels. Allow to cool and cover with additional paper towels. Squeeze excess moisture out. This may take 2 or 3 times
- Heat remaining 1 TBS oil. Saute mushrooms and vegetables until tender- about 5 minutes.
- Spray pie plate or casserole with non-stick spray. Cover bottom of dish with greens.
- Layer mushrooms and other vegetables on top of greens
- Sprinkle Cheddar cheese on top of vegetables
- In a separate bowl mix Parmesan, eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Whisk well.
- Pour egg mixture gently on top of vegetables
- Sprinkle with mozzerella
- Set pie plate on a cookie sheet and bake for 45-50 minutes at 350.
- Quiche is done when golden brown and sharp knife inserted in to center comes out clean
