After a week like this one, perhaps this quote will help us to reflect:
Continue reading A Quote for Reflection
© 2017 Caitlin W Howe, LLC
Manners matter here! Not sure whether your comment is irrelevant, impolite, or disrespectful? Read my commenting rules Commenting Rules
The postings on this site are my own (unless otherwise stated) and don't necessarily represent any other organization's positions, strategies or opinions. Thanks!
This weekend, on Sunday, November 6, daylight savings time will end. We will “fall back” and turn back the clocks an hour. This means that we will gain an extra hour of time this weekend! How will you take advantage of the time? Consider a commitment to waking up an hour earlier. This way, you can get into the habit of having more time in the morning.
For starters, your body will be ready anyway. If you normally (this week) wake up at 6:30 AM, after this weekend, your body’s 6:30 AM will be the clock’s 5:30 AM. So, waking up early will feel like a regular morning. And, this also means that you won’t mess with your circadian rhythm.
The key will be to go to bed early. Most adults need 7-9 hours of sleep each night. So, try getting to bed between 8:30 PM and 10:30 PM if you plan to wake up at 5:30 AM.
Another bonus? The sun will rise earlier. If this sun rises normally at 7:00 AM this week, it will rise next week when the clock reads 6:00 AM. It will feel easier to wake up when the light outside is brighter for now – but as the days get shorter, you may want to consider using a natural spectrum lamp.
Here are 9 reasons for waking up early. If you wake up early, you have more time to:
Work out. Exercising first thing in the morning means that you don’t have to worry about getting to it for the rest of the day. And, early morning exercise gets your blood flowing to your body and to your brain – waking you up and making you feel energized.
Read. One way to be more productive is to read about productivity. Giving yourself more time to read content that will give you ideas on productivity will set you up for success. One book I reference frequently? Getting Things Done by David Allen.
Eat breakfast. Why do people say that breakfast the most important meal of the day? A healthful breakfast gives you the nutrient-rich energy you need to be productive. What’s more, people who eat a healthful breakfast weigh less than folks who skip it. Not a big pancake eater? There are so many alternative breakfast ideas. What’s not to like about good mornings with a healthy breakfast?
Meditate. Training your brain to be more resilient and calm means you will feel less stress throughout the day. I currently use the app Headspace, and in the past (when I was working to meditate for just five minutes a day), I used the Insight Timer app.
Eat the frog. In his book Eat that Frog, Brian Tracy recommends that productive people tackle the most important and the most difficult thing first thing in the morning. How great would it be if you had accomplished the most challenging item on your to do list before everyone else wakes up?
Pack a healthy lunch. Bringing lunch from home means you can have better access to healthy food throughout the day. Make sure to pack healthy snacks too.
Journal. Instead of traditional journaling, I write morning pages. Julia Cameron, in her book The Artist’s Way, recommends writing three pages of your stream of consciousness right after you wake up to spark creative thoughts. Unlike a traditional journal entry, morning pages don’t have structure; they simply exist to get your thoughts on paper.
Clean. As Gretchen Rubin says “outer order contributes to inner calm.” Take the extra time to tidy up your living space. And, don’t forget the economical green cleaners that can lend a hand!
Relax and reflect before the day begins. Enough said! Wouldn’t it be great to just have time to get yourself organized before the morning rush begins?
© 2017 Caitlin W Howe, LLC
Manners matter here! Not sure whether your comment is irrelevant, impolite, or disrespectful? Read my commenting rules Commenting Rules
The postings on this site are my own (unless otherwise stated) and don't necessarily represent any other organization's positions, strategies or opinions. Thanks!
As Halloween draws near, many of us will be thinking about the sugar that kids and adults will be eating. It’s funny, because added sugar lurks in many foods all of the time. In this post, we’ll talk about sugar and five tips to cut down on it.
Continue reading Five tips to cut down on added sugar
© 2017 Caitlin W Howe, LLC
Manners matter here! Not sure whether your comment is irrelevant, impolite, or disrespectful? Read my commenting rules Commenting Rules
The postings on this site are my own (unless otherwise stated) and don't necessarily represent any other organization's positions, strategies or opinions. Thanks!
A few weeks ago, my spouse and I decided to give up the TV with a 100% TV-free weekend. No shows to watch during Friday dinner, no late night Netflix on the IPad, and no TV breaks on the couch with a snack. And, it was harder than you might think! We didn’t realize how much time we spent being zombies in front of the TV. According to the American Time Use Survey, the average American spends 2.78 hours in front of the TV each day – that’s almost 6 hours in just one weekend!
Continue reading Why you should give up the TV (even for a weekend)
© 2017 Caitlin W Howe, LLC
Manners matter here! Not sure whether your comment is irrelevant, impolite, or disrespectful? Read my commenting rules Commenting Rules
The postings on this site are my own (unless otherwise stated) and don't necessarily represent any other organization's positions, strategies or opinions. Thanks!
I stumbled upon a quote from Tom Wilson this week that made me think a lot about finding happiness:
Continue reading Finding Happiness with a Smile
© 2017 Caitlin W Howe, LLC
Manners matter here! Not sure whether your comment is irrelevant, impolite, or disrespectful? Read my commenting rules Commenting Rules
The postings on this site are my own (unless otherwise stated) and don't necessarily represent any other organization's positions, strategies or opinions. Thanks!
A good wedding toast is something I’ve been thinking a lot about lately. My spouse is excited to be the best man at a wedding this weekend, and he has been planning his toast for a while.
Continue reading What makes a good wedding toast?
© 2017 Caitlin W Howe, LLC
Manners matter here! Not sure whether your comment is irrelevant, impolite, or disrespectful? Read my commenting rules Commenting Rules
The postings on this site are my own (unless otherwise stated) and don't necessarily represent any other organization's positions, strategies or opinions. Thanks!
Today, let’s talk about one strategy that can save you time in the kitchen without making you sacrifice a healthful, home cooked meal: The Roast Chicken. Roast chicken is my key to a better week. After I roast a chicken, I get about two cups of leftover chopped chicken, plus – I get a bonus because I use the bones to make homemade broth!
When I roast a chicken over the weekend, the leftovers from the roast are used in lunches and dinners for the week. This cuts my weekday cooking time, and also gives me ample opportunity to get more creative with my meals. For example, this week, I used leftover chicken in a casserole and in a chicken salad. Leftovers from this one roast chicken covered our lunches for the week and most of our dinners!
1. Chicken casserole (I make mine with pesto, chicken stock, brown rice, frozen chopped broccoli and frozen artichokes)
2. Chicken enchiladas
3. Chicken salad (I make a no-mayo lemon poppyseed chicken salad or a Mediterranean Chicken Salad)
4. Chicken soup
5. Tortilla soup
6. Chicken stir fry
7. Chicken chili
8. Baked ziti with chicken
9. Chicken and dumplings
10. Pizza with chicken and pesto
Now, some of you may not want to roast a chicken, and instead opt to get a rotisserie chicken. While I think that is ok to do in a pinch, rotisserie chicken can come with a lot of extra sodium. Instead, I keep it simple. Prepping a roast chicken doesn’t take too much time, and you can do other things around the house while you wait for your chicken to roast.
1. Choose an organic chicken from the grocery (Why organic? see why by visiting my post about sustainable food).
2. Clean your sink and surrounding countertops using green cleaners.
3. Cut a small orange into quarters and place it next to the sink.
4. Fill a ramekin with a teaspoon each of black pepper, dried thyme and rosemary and place the mix next to the sink.
5. Put a roasting pan next to the sink too, and set your oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.
6. Open the roast chicken packaging in the sink and let all the juices run down the drain.
7. Run water over and through your chicken. If there are giblets (these are the organs packed in the chicken cavity), take those out. I usually throw them away, but some people use it to make sauce or gravy.
8. Place your rinsed chicken on a roasting pan.
9. Fill the chicken cavity with slices of orange (lemon works well too!).
10. Sprinkle herbs on and in your chicken until the top, sides, and bottom of your chicken are covered.
11. Place your chicken in the preheated oven
12. Clean your sink and counter tops while the chicken is cooking.
13. After your chicken has cooked for an appropriate time (about 90 minutes – you can see when the chicken’s juices are running clear), use a meat thermometer to make sure the chicken has an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees fahrenheit. To do this, check the internal temperature in the innermost part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast. (see chicken from farm to table for more information about food safety and chicken)
14. Let your chicken rest for 10 minutes, carve, and then enjoy!
On this blog, I want to present creative ideas to make you more productive. And, one way to do that is to offer you strategies that will give you more time. If you want to eat healthfully on a budget, most of the time you have to cook at home. But, this takes up so much time! By roasting a chicken on the weekend, you can use the leftovers in many different ways to make delicious, healthful meals that won’t stretch your budget.
Let me know by commenting on this post!
© 2017 Caitlin W Howe, LLC
Manners matter here! Not sure whether your comment is irrelevant, impolite, or disrespectful? Read my commenting rules Commenting Rules
The postings on this site are my own (unless otherwise stated) and don't necessarily represent any other organization's positions, strategies or opinions. Thanks!
Hi everyone – I am taking a little break next week. I hope you are able to take a break yourself and enjoy this upcoming long weekend.
Continue reading Take a little break!
© 2017 Caitlin W Howe, LLC
Manners matter here! Not sure whether your comment is irrelevant, impolite, or disrespectful? Read my commenting rules Commenting Rules
The postings on this site are my own (unless otherwise stated) and don't necessarily represent any other organization's positions, strategies or opinions. Thanks!
As I plan for the fall (I can’t believe it’s almost back to school time!), I’d love to hear from you. What do you want to read about on this blog?
I’ve so enjoyed learning what you want to know and writing about your requests! Based on your suggestions, I’ve posted about the benefits of good mornings and waking up early. I’ve also written about a plant-based protein and resources to learn more about essential oils.
What do you want to read about? Let me know by commenting on this post, or by contacting me directly!
Have a great weekend!
© 2017 Caitlin W Howe, LLC
Manners matter here! Not sure whether your comment is irrelevant, impolite, or disrespectful? Read my commenting rules Commenting Rules
The postings on this site are my own (unless otherwise stated) and don't necessarily represent any other organization's positions, strategies or opinions. Thanks!
Today, a reminder to enjoy those little things in life that unexpectedly come your way.
Continue reading Those little things
© 2017 Caitlin W Howe, LLC
Manners matter here! Not sure whether your comment is irrelevant, impolite, or disrespectful? Read my commenting rules Commenting Rules
The postings on this site are my own (unless otherwise stated) and don't necessarily represent any other organization's positions, strategies or opinions. Thanks!
