Ready, Set , MUFFIN! + 10 minutes

Almost every single time I bake muffins I notice that there is
extra batter and I always end up tossing it out because I don't
want to bake another round of muffins with barely 2 or if
I'm lucky with 3 muffins in a muffin tin of 12.
So I recently discovered what to do with the extra batter!
Fill the foil or paper liners that you normally cook your muffins
or cupcakes in as if you're going to make more but instead put
them into the freezer either in the muffin pan if you have room
or even on a small plate. Once the uncooked muffin batter is solid,
take it out and just put it into a zip lock bag.

When you've had a looooong day from work and you want your
favorite muffin/cupcake without the hassle of making an entire batch-
just take out a ready to go muffin or 2 and bake it following the time
of your recipe adding 10 minutes to the time due to it being frozen.
It's best if you have a smaller convection or toaster oven you can
bake in due to the fact you are only baking a few muffins rather
than your regular sized oven...

But, if you've had a bad day at work.... maybe it doesn't matter-
STRESSED backwards is DESSERTS ya know.

Lemons On The Grill

Lemons are great for many things. They are good to rub
on your hands to get rid of strong smells like fish or even oil.
But, 2 ways to use lemons on your grill are:
when you are getting ready to grill- cut a lemon in half,
stick a fork in it and rub the lemon all over your grill grates
as the grill is warming up... this will help clean
your grates and it also gives your food a little lemony flavor
which usually works with many foods. Another of many ways
to use lemon on your grill is for salt.
Take some coarse sea salt and mix with lemon zest.
This lemon sea salt is great to sprinkle on some fish,
some types of steaks and on chicken. Add some extra
lemon juice and black pepper and you've got a simple
lemon pepper chicken.

Soak & Double Those Skewers

The most common skewers are the wooden bamboo skewers.
When you are using wooden skewers- the most important
tip is that you want to soak them in a water.
Soak them for at least 30 minutes. If you're

really in a hurry... you might be able to get away with 20 minutes-
but I really recommend 30 minutes or more. Soaking them in
water prevents them from burning when you grill them.
If your not grilling- don't worry about the soaking.

You can put any type of meat on bamboo skewers.
You can also skewer veggies and even fruit.
When you skewer smaller items that are going to be grilled...
use 2 skewers so that the food doesn't spin when you
try to turn the skewer over- especially when it comes to shrimp.

Here Fishy, Fishy, Fishy...

When you buy your fish or any type of seafood-
beware of soggy seafood. Fresh fish should be firm and shiny,
not slimy or soggy.
If you are buying the whole fish rather than a fillet-
you want to look your fish in the eye, making sure the eyes
are clear which indicates a recent catch and freshness.
Cloudy eyes in fish usually indicate that it's been on the
shelf for many days. Fresh fish should be vibrant and
almost glistening to the touch. Fishy fish is also not good.
Even though you are buying FISH... if it smells fishy...
don't buy it. It has gone bad. Don't buy fish or seafood that
is being offered at a bargain either... unless you are getting
a bucket of something by the shore somewhere-
seafood usually isn't going on sale unless it's getting older
and the store wants to get rid of it. Save the sales for the shoes!

Compost Your Scraps!

I have 2 composts while living in an apartment.
I have this silver little one that stays on the floor by
the trash can. and a 2nd one... a metal bucket with a
lid from Ikea.com which is bigger but still small enough
for an apartment.

I started one in the winter, by simply taking soil from
3-4 old plants that had died from freezing from being
on my balcony. And I started to add raw scraps from food.
The most common things that go into my compost are-
carrot & potato peels, egg shells, tea bags, coffee grinds,
onions skins and fruits that might go bad.
My soil in these composts have turned the soil very dark,
rich and healthy... I'm just waiting to get some plants to use my
recycled soil that is full of nutrients.... hmmm what
kind of herbs should I plant....?

Just make sure your bucket has a lid. A lid that will be
tightly sealed. There are many different types of composts...
for example some people actually buy bugs/worms to add
so the vegetation breaks down even more quickly...
I've found that you don't have to do that... just make
sure your lid is closed on your bucket and leave it alone...
just take a little shovel and mix the soil after about
2-3 weeks of decay. Don't be surprised when you take a
sneak peak in a week or so... just remember the soil is breaking
down and the food and it is decaying.

Plan Your Meals By The Week!

Keep a little more organized by....
planning your meals a week at a time.

make, buy, design, craft, be cReAtiVe
and have a list of what you're going to eat
for dinner for the week...
if you're home during the day... try all your meals...?

Some pros for writing and making your weekly list are:
~being organized,
~not having to say "what am I going to eat?" every single day
~being able to have a more productive grocery list
so you don't buy everything in sight or have to go back
daily b/c you forgot something
~getting up and starting the day off knowing what's for dinner
~being able to eat something different everyday and the stuff
you like or want all because you took 5 minutes to think about
dinner for the week
~lastly, it makes you a little more aware of what you are eating

Oh, & You Forgot Your Reusable Bags AGAIN!

I know, you want to use those reusable bags you got
for free or paid 99 cents for but if you are like me...
you seem to forget them.

Some people say to just keep them everywhere, a few in the car,
one near your purse, one near your door, near your keys, in the garage...
but that can also get annoying having bags everywhere.

For me, I have 3-5 bags and I keep all but one in the car.
I have one hanging right by the door where my car keys are.
I also have gotten into the habit of writing "bring bag" on my grocery
list as well which seems to help!