Christa Wagner

I have made this so many times and always ask people to try it before I tell them the ingredients.  They are an odd combination, but I assure you, your guests will love them.  Keep in mind you can prepare this one day in advance, as this dish is best when prepared ahead of time.

Ingredients:

• Kilbalsa – beef or turkey
• Grape jelly
• Yellow mustard

1. Cut kilbalsa into bite size pieces.
2. Boil kilbalsa for 15 minutes.
3. In a separate saucepan, use equal amounts of jelly and mustard; typically ¼ cup.
4. Simmer for 15-20 minutes on medium.
5. Refrigerate until needed, heat for five minutes. Serve with toothpicks.

We recommend using our Meal Planning Made Easy System in conjunction with our Guide To A Relaxing And Organized Thanksgiving. This will make the entire week’s meal planning and grocery shopping easier.

Stuffing doesn’t have to come out of a box. Here’s how you can quickly whip up a favorite Thanksgiving treat.

• 1 bag croutons
• 1 cup celery
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 cups water

Cut all vegetables the evening prior. Thanksgiving morning, boil the onions and celery in water until celery is soft. Add croutons until moist. Place inside cleaned turkey.

We recommend using our Meal Planning Made Easy System in conjunction with our Guide To A Relaxing And Organized Thanksgiving. This will make the entire week’s meal planning and grocery shopping easier.

Cranberries are a great fall favorite. Here’s a recipe for cranberry Jell-O salad, which can be prepared two days in advance:

• 2 cups cranberries – raw, whole round.
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 2 packages or 3oz. strawberry Jell-O
• 1 orange
• I cup crushed pineapples – drained
• 1 cup diced apples
• 3 cups water
• 1 cup walnuts

1. Wash and remove stems from cranberries and peel orange; chop both in food processor.
2. Mix with sugar and refrigerate overnight.
3. Dissolve Jell-O in 1 cup boiling water.
4. Add 2 cups cold water and cool.
5. Add remaining ingredients and place in 9 x 13 container.
6. Refrigerate until dinner.

We recommend using our Meal Planning Made Easy System in conjunction with our Guide To A Relaxing And Organized Thanksgiving. This will make the entire week’s meal planning and grocery shopping easier.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year. I have so many positive memories from Thanksgiving in my life and now John and I are starting our own traditions. I love relaxing at home with family, eating pumpkin pie, playing games, telling stories and laughing for hours. This year my inlaws are coming and I can’t wait to see them.

Of course, with Thanksgiving comes a lot of work and preparation. I’m not going to say its easy, because I actually remember starting to cry when I finally got my first Thanksgiving dinner on the table, but it doesn’t have to be difficult. It should be fun and relaxing.

Over the next couple of weeks we will share our Guide To A Relaxing and Organized Thanksgiving to help you prepare for the biggest meal of the year.

Before we get started, here are few tips:

• Stick to what you know. This is not the time to whip up a special souffle you’ve never tried before. That is only going to stress you out. We recommend using our Meal Planning Made Easy system to make meal planning and shopping easier.

• Do as much as you can in advance. We will walk you through the steps and heed our advice. If you plan and prepare in advance there’s no reason you can’t be in the living room with everyone else.

• Let guests pitch in. Who said you had to do it all? Let your guests help out. Let them bring the sides, desserts or appetizers. Having just one less thing on your plate can make a huge difference.

• Cut corners where possible. I’m not suggesting to skimp on taste, but do you really have to make homemade bread when we have fresh bread on every corner.

• Delegate to the family. There is so much to do. Cooking, cleaning, setting the table, doing this dishes, chopping, shopping, taking out the garbage, etc. Thanksiginv day is like any other day; get the family involved. Delegate to your family and ask for everyone to contribute to a more organized day.

Over the next three weeks, we will share with you our Guide To A Relaxing And Organized Thanksgiving. Check back soon for The Three Weeks Ahead Plan.

For help getting organized this holiday season, contact us at 778.839.5792. Christa Wagner is a professional organizer based in Vancouver, BC.

In a previous post, we recommended starting dinner earlier in the day, which saves time in getting meals ready for the family. If you are stumped on what foods can be prepared ahead of time, here are a few suggestions. Most of these make delicious leftovers, too!

• Casseroles – Usually you can make these ahead of time, then pop them in the refrigerator and take them out when it is time to bake

• Soups – They taste better when they simmer for a while anyway!

• Pizza – You can put the dough in the bread machine and leave it, then chop up all the toppings and place those in a container in the refrigerator. If you don’t have a bread machine or time to make dough, tortilla or pita bread makes a great substitute.

• Chicken for grilling – I usually parboil some chicken thighs or whole breast and marinade them. At dinnertime, pop them onto the grill for a few minutes and you have a quick meal!

• Salads – Throwing together a crisp salad all ready to go is a good and healthy addition to any meal! Pasta salads are great to make in advance too.

• Bread – If I get my bread in my bread machine by 1:00, it is ready for dinner. Fresh, warm,  homemade bread is delicious! If I am making dough for rolls, I will start it in the morning and in the afternoon get it all ready and bake right before dinner.

For more help, use our Meal Planning Made Easy system with step-by-step reminders to make meal planning and shopping easier for busy people.  For less than take-out, you can get dinner on the table every night.

I love this time of year. I love to nestle on the couch with a good book and a warm cup of coffee. I love to cook soups and other comfort foods that make you feel warm inside. I love to watch a good football game on a cool fall day. I also love to complete some fall projects so I can relax and enjoy this cozy season. Here are some suggestions:

1. Organize your closet. Review your wardrobe; donate anything you have not worn in a year, or doesn’t make you feel fantastic. (Need help in Vancouver with your wardrobe? Contact  Deborah Reynolds of About Face Image Consulting.)
2. Plan your meals. Meal time can be such a struggle.  Spend a few minutes each week to plan your meals to avoid spending money dining out.  Use our Meal Planning Made Easy System to help out.
3. Let go of old toys. Get together with your kids and go through the old toys they no longer use.  Have them help you decide what they no longer play with and donate them together.
4. Contain decorations. As the seasons change, put away last season’s decorations into a plastic container.  Label that container “Summer Decorations.” I have 4 large, plastic boxes that hold seasonal items–one season per box.
5. Start your holiday shopping to avoid last minute stress and overspending. Consider giving the gift of time this year like a massage, house cleaner or movie tickets. These gifts are always much appreciated and don’t take up any space.

If this list overwhelms you, then get help.  Hire someone to help you do this tasks you can’t or don’t want to do yourself – who said you have to do everything yourself? Let us know if we can help at 778.839.5792.

Christa Wagner is a Professional Organizer located in Vancouver, BC.

You’ve probably seen previous posts and information about my Meal Planning Made Easy System. Now I’m proud to officially launch this time-saving product, as well as offer a special recipe-book bonus. Read on to find out more!

Do you stress over what’s for dinner?  Are you wasting time and money not being prepared?  Do you make several frustrating trips to the grocery store?   I have worked with hundreds of Moms over the years, and it goes without saying you have so much on your plate. One of the most challenging tasks for Moms is getting dinner on the table.  I want to make this daily task a little simpler for you with my Meal Planning Made Easy System.

Our Meal Planning Made Easy System includes Our Grocery List, Our Weekly Meal Plan and Our Fallback Favorites in a simple-to-use system with step-by-step reminders to make meal planning and shopping easier for busy people. Here is how the system works:

1. Use Our Weekly Meal Plan to plan the week’s meals for your entire family.
2. Once you have your meal plan created, it’s time to use Our Grocery List to make your comprehensive list including food, personal items, cleaning supplies and more.
3. Using Our Fallback Favorites, you keep a list of all your favorite meals for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.

Our Meal Planning Made Easy System is simple and straightforward and you will save time, money and stress week after week. Purchase all three and start enjoying family dinners together.

Meal Planning Made Easyis simple and you can start using it today.  These lists can be yours immediately upon purchase, they are downloadable and you can print them up anytime after saving them to your computer.  The benefit to you is always knowing “what’s for dinner.”  
  
Special Bonus!
As a Special Bonus if you order Meal Planning Made Easy within the next 30 days, I will include  my Tried and True Family Favorites Cookbook.  Sometimes coming up with dinner recipes is impossible so I am sharing my personal favorite recipes I cook in my kitchen.   Your family will love them and now you always have my favorites to fall back on. 

Invest in Meal Planning Made Easy and for less than a pizza delivery and you can get dinner on the table every night of the week.

Last week on the Today Show, I learned about an interesting new website called Supercook.com.  I know one of the challenges of “what’s for dinner” is not having the ingredients in your fridge or just not knowing what to do with them if you do.  Maybe, you don’t have the time to review a recipe book. 

Our Meal Planning Made Easy System Helps You Get Dinner On The Table Every Night

Supercook.com allows you to “Open the fridge and pantry, type your ingredients into Supercook.com, and stand back. Supercook looks through its database of 300,000 plus of recipes and spits out the ones that match. The result? You start cooking right away, using food in your kitchen that would otherwise spoil. It’s a great way to find new recipes and economize at the same time.

For more help getting dinner on the table use our Meal Planning Made Easy system with step-by-step reminders to make meal planning and shopping easier for busy people.  For less than the price of take out, you can get dinner on the table every night.

As Vancouver Professional Organizers, we bring the plan, the products and the know-how to get organized and stay organized. We help you decide what’s important and make sure you have the right tools at your finger tips.  Contact us at 778.839.5792. 

A memory that stands out for me as a child was the first day of school each year.  Not because I loved school so much, but because my Mom did an awesome job of making my first day so special.  Every year on the first day, we each got to choose our very favorite dinner and that’s what we all ate on that day.  It was my special day and I just remember feeling so proud and loving my day.  Wanna know what my choice was for years?  Beans and weenies.  That makes me laugh – very fancy!

Our Meal Planning Made Easy System Helps You Get Dinner On The Table Every Night

Now years later I love to cook and make dinner nearly every night.  Cooking is my release; it’s my meditation and I just love to try and taste new dishes.  I thank my Mom for being such an amazing cook and for showing me the way, but also making dinner time such a special time in our house every single day.  When I go home to visit my family we cook, we eat, we drink wine, we laugh, tell stories, sing sometimes and it’s all centered around the food.  Hey I’m Italian – what can I say?

Many of you have children heading back to school.  Let your kids select their favorite meal for the first day of school and who knows, they may even take an interest in helping you with dinner a little more often.   

For more help use our Meal Planning Made Easy system with step-by-step reminders to make meal planning and shopping easier for busy people.  For less than the price of take out, you can get dinner on the table every night.

As Vancouver Professional Organizers, we bring the plan, the products and the know-how to get organized and stay organized. We help you decide what’s important and make sure you have the right tools at your finger tips.  Contact us at 778.839.5792. 

Our Meal Planning Made Easy System Helps You Get Dinner On The Table Every Night

You’ve heard me talk about my Mom in the kitchen before.  She is amazing.  My Mom can look into a the emptiest of fridges and make a masterpiece. I wish I had that skill as I am more of a cookbook cook, but I have learned a few of her shortcuts from the pro along the way.

1. Fast and Curios BBQ Kielbasi:  Now I know this sounds strange, but I can personally guarantee there will be no leftovers with this appy.  Slice store bought kielbasi and boil for 20 minutes in water.  Drain.  Take equal parts grape jelly and nothing fancy yellow mustard and bring to a simmer.  Add cooked kielbasi and simmer for 15 more minutes to marinade.  Serve with toothpicks.  Could also be a dinner at brat size. 
2. Alfredo Sauce in Minutes:  Warm butter in the microwave, add fat free half and half, bring to a simmer and then add Parmesan cheese.  Pour over your favorite pasta.  Mangia!
3. Take Advantage of Packets:  Like Taco seasoning, Fajita seasoning and Italian dressing seasoning.  All can make a fast and yummy dinner. 
4. Zucchini Parmesan:  Slice zucchiniand simmer in olive oil and garlic stovetop.  Add stewed tomatoes until soft.  Serve with Parmesan cheese. 
5. Roasted Potatoes:  I am proud to say these are actually my shortcut potatoes and they are so good I made them for Thanksgiving last year.  I made them according to recipe and then thru them into the turkey juices for the last 20 minutes.  Outstanding!  Lay two sheets of foil on top of each other, spray with cooking spray.  Cut as many potatoes as you need and quarter them.  Add olive oil, fresh garlic and rosemary (of whatever herb you have).  Top with foil and crimp.  Grill on medium heat for 30 minutes, rotating. 
6. Grilling:  5 Minutes on each side.   My Mom’s (actually my Dad’s) solutions for just about everything on the grill is 5 minutes on each side.  Chicken is the exception which is 20 minutes total at 5, 5, 5 and 5 flipping.  So add some terriaki sauce, BBQ sauce, Italian dressing, pesto or just about any marinade to meat or fish and grill it on medium for 5 minutes on each side. 
7. Blueberry Ice Cream:  Water and a packet of sugar, simmer on the stove for a five minutes.  Cool and serve over vanilla ice cream.  Fantastic and decadent. 
   

   Mom and Me In the Kitchen

8. Diet Fruit Dip:  Vanilla yogurt, lite cool whip, 1/2 packet sugar free Kool Aid or 1/2 small tub of Crystal Light (flavor is your choice(.  Mix and chill.  Serve with favorite fruit.   1/4 cup is 1 point on Weight Watchers.

I could go on and on.  The one thing my Mom has always taught me was to have fun in the kitchen and to keep short cut tools on hand.  Have fun with cooking and come up with your own shortcuts. 

For more help use our Meal Planning Made Easy system with step-by-step reminders to make meal planning and shopping easier for busy people.  For less than the price of take out, you can get dinner on the table every night.

By the way, my Mom also happens to be a great travel agent.  Her business is Personalized Travel and she can help you plan your next fabulous vacation at gigi.patchen@aol.com. 

Christa Wagner is a Vancouver Professional Organizer and founder of Savvy Solutions.  As a professional organizer, We bring the plan, the products and the know-how to get organized and stay organized. We help you decide what’s important and make sure you have the right tools at your finger tips.