I have switched over to using the springpad weekly meal planner (which those of us over here at Spring Partners are pretty proud of, btw) to create my weekly meal plan & shopping lists. So far, so good. Here’s my meal plan for the week.
Has using the springpad weekly meal planner simplified my life? Absolutely. My favorite features: Reusing recipes, entering recipes directly from the web & automatically creating shopping lists.
A friend of mine made this a few months back at a dinner party & we definitely enjoyed it. I decided to try to recreate it…adding my own little twist (hint: it starts with balsamic & ends with vinegar).
Ingredients
1 bunch Asparagus (18-20 stalks)
10 slices Prosciutto
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 cup Aged Balsamic Vinegar
2 Tbsp Fresh Ground Black Pepper
2 cloves Garlic, crushed
Directions
Wash asparagus, break off ends & place on a plate. Mix oil, vinegar, garlic & pepper, then pour the mixture over the asparagus - allow to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes. Cut each slice of prosciutto in half, to make 20 pieces total. Warm a cast iron grill pan for 3-5 minutes over high heat. Wrap each asparagus stalk with prosciutto & place in the grill pan - only cook 10 stalks at a time. Turn the heat down to low & rotate the asparagus frequently with tongs, cooking for 6-8 minutes total.
Note: if you prefer your asparagus to be more fully cooked, consider boiling or steaming for steaming it for 1 minute before marinating.
Managing laundry isn’t something that many people get excited about. But, I’ve been trying a new system & am pretty pleased with it. It has not only saved me time, but has gotten rid of the need to buy a “presentable” laundry hamper to keep in the bathroom.
Here’s what you do:
Buy 3+ laundry baskets that are oval-shaped & are about the size of one load of laundry, which depends on your washer
Line them up in your closet
As you accumulate dirty clothes, drop them right into the appropriate basket - darks, lights, whites
When one of the baskets is full, pull it out, replace with an empty basket & wash that load (keep an empty basket stacked under one of the full baskets)
Doing this will eliminate the annoying process of digging into a hamper just to sort loads. You’ll also reduced the likelihood of washing loads that are too small or too big.
“Save the egg yolks when a recipe calls for using only whites, or vice versa. If you don’t plan to use the eggs immediately, pour them into an airtight container and freeze.”
When it comes to making our grocery dollar go further, little tips like this one can go a long way.
Quick Idea: Make smaller mortgage payments every other week, shortening a 30-year mortgage to only 24 years.
How it works: If your mortgage payment is $1500/mo, instead pay $750 every other week. At the end of the year, you will have paid 1 full extra mortgage payment. You will also have “prepaid” every month directly toward the principal, which will save a bundle in the amount of interest you pay over the life of the mortgage. Calculate exactly how much you’ll save by paying bi-weekly.
What to do: Spring the task list!
1. Be sure you can afford it - I recommend always having one full month’s mortgage payment in your checking account to cover the 2 months when you will make 3 (half) payments. Spring a household budget planner!
2. Contact your mortgage company to find out if they offer a bi-weekly payment. Most either offer it themselves or contract with a service.
3. Set up automatic payments for every other week or create a repeating reminder for yourself to write the checks. Spring a bi-weekly alarm!
I am going to try to only wash my hair every other day. Now, I do this with the full knowledge that I will have to suffer through a few greasy weeks as I adjust. I first got this idea when I read It’s Easy Being Green, but many a hairdresser has recommended it since. Here are the main benefits:
1. Save money on shampoo & water
2. Save time in the morning
3. Healthier hair
4. Hopefully longer-lasting hair color
Just to be clear, I will still shower every morning & likely wet my hair down (and maybe use use a touch of conditioner). Babysteps, people.
Will shampooing my hair every other day simplify my life? I’ll let you know.
Quick Idea: Sign up for ZipCar & use it as your 2nd or 3rd car.
Benefits include: Gas & insurance is included, you only pay for what you use (minimum of one hour in 30 minute increments), you get to choose the exact car & location you want to rent from, the entire reservation & pickup process is seamless, and you can usually find a coupon to almost completely cover the one-time membership fee.
Potential uses: Test drive a hybrid without the pesky salesman, Pack for a camping trip in a pickup truck or SUV, Make a trip to Costco or IKEA, Pick up your family & all their luggage at the airport, Hit the beach in a convertible.
There are a few other companies dabbling in car sharing & I encourage you to check them out. I can tell you that being a “Zipster” has definitely simplified my life.
If you’d like to improve your health & increase you energy level, try this idea: Eat only fruit before noon.
Here’s some advice to make it doable:
Buy fruit every weekend - Now that it’s apple season, buy one of those bags of McIntosh apples. When it’s avocado season, be sure to try eating one with a spoon!
Pack 2-3 days worth of fruit for work on Monday morning (6-8 pieces). Whatever you don’t eat the first day can sit on your desk until the next day (or it will make a great afternoon snack).
Try to take a few pieces of fruit to work every day, but if you forget, there’s already a backlog waiting.
Keep fruit in plain sight - a big bowl of it on the kitchen table, an apple in the car, a banana or an orange in your computer bag or purse, a small pile on your desk. It you get the urge to snack, whether it be from hunger or boredom or habit, you’ll be more likely to reach for the fruit!
Has eating only fruit before noon simplified my life? Yes!
The BlogHer conferences are all-around awesome events - I attended BlogHer ‘08 in San Francisco over the summer. This weekend, BlogHer is taking both Boston & DC by storm with one-day conferences.
Spring Partners will be there, talking about our awesome product springpad! If you can’t make it to BlogHer this weekend, I sure hope you check out the video demo. We are still in Invite-Only Private Beta, but leave a comment & I will contact you with an invite code.
Will springpad simplify your life? Absolutely!
Do you have your own blog? springpad’s got something special for you.
I was recently the lucky recipient of this great advice: Improving your life is about adding new things, not taking things away.
Here’s how it works: If you want to watch less TV, find a new book that you are excited to read. If you want to eat less junk food, add a salad to every meal. If you want to reduce your caffeine intake, focus on adding more water to your diet.
Make room in your life for the good things & the bad things will somehow just drop away.
Does this advice simplify your life? You tell me.
What are some some great books, salad recipes, or other good things you have recently added to your life?
Welcome to the employee blog of Spring Partners. Some of us are constantly on the lookout for that 'silver bullet' solution, others are life hackers, taking a pragmatic approach to squeezing every ounce of utility out of existing solutions. We're not only harnessing that passion in the product we're building but also sharing our insights on simplifying our lives here at thesimpleme.com. Meet us! Follow us on twitter
Spring the recipe!
