Tag Archives | saving time

Snack Organizing

By Toni on April 15, 2012 in Survival Guide for Busy Moms

Home Reorganizing

I’m tackling organizing projects in my home one at a time in my Reorganizing 2012 Campaign. So why was organizing my snacks near the top of my list?

There are many reasons.

First, it’s the beginning step to reorganizing my pantry. By removing all of my snack items and storing them in easy-to-reach containers, I’m creating more breathing space to organize pantry items.

And, the most motivating reason for me is to save time. How can organizing my snacks save time, you wonder? It’s simple. With all our family activities: dance, gymnastics, day-trips and vacations, my kids can pack snacks on their own by making it easy for them to choose from. It’s like having our own home snack store… the Spilsbury Snack Shop!

Organize Snacks Step-By-Step

Step 1: Remove all snack items from the pantry

The first step in reorganizing any space is to start with a clean slate and see what you need to work with. By removing all of the snacks from my pantry and seeing them in one place, it was easy for me to decide how I was going to categorize and store them and what size containers I would need.

remove all snacks from the pantry

Step 2: Find Your Tools

Find the perfect containers to fit your style, your space… and your snacks. I decided on glass mason jars- 4 large and 4 medium to fit my long countertop.

Glass Mason Jars- on sale here for $22

Because I love to label everything, I decided to use chalkboard paint on my jars. Here is a quick tutorial for creating your own Chalkboard Paint Mason Jars:

Tutorial DIY Chalkboard Paint Jars

Step 3: Cold Storage

I found both of these bins at Target to store cold snacks in the refrigerator. Using insulated bags, the kids know where to go to choose snacks to pack.

cold snacks for on-the-go

this snack tote came from the $1 bin at Target

The Economics of Organizing

Staying organized saves time and money. Period.

By keeping snacks “at-a-glance”, I won’t overbuy at the grocery store because of not knowing how many cookies or fruit snacks we have at home.

While we’re out running around all day, here is a breakdown of what on-the-go snacking costs if you eat out or tote your snacks:

Notice the difference in snack nutrition? I also estimate that we save about $650 a year by having the kids pack their snacks. How’s that for some “food for thought”.

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Skip The Frosting Cupcakes- Smores Style

By Toni on January 30, 2012 in Dessert Recipes, Recipes, Saving Money

Smores Cupcake Recipe

For chocolate cupcakes you can use boxed chocolate cake mix like Pillsbury Chocolate or Dark Chocolate, or Betty Crocker Milk Chocolate or Dark Chocolate.

Or you can use my homemade chocolate cupcake recipe mix below….. if I do say so myself, this recipe is the bomb.

Skip The Frosting Chocolate Smores Cupcakes

Toni’s Chocolate Cupcake Mix Recipe

Ingredients:

flour- 1 1/4 cup
cocoa powder- 1/2 cup, like Hershey’s Cocoa
Toni's Chocolate Cupcake Recipe
baking powder- 1 tspn
sugar- 1 cup
butter- 1 stick
milk or dark chocolate- 4 oz., melted in microwave
egg whites- 3
milk- 1 cup
vanilla- 1 tspn
honey graham crackers- quartered, like Honey Maid Honey Grahams
jumbo marshmallows- like Jet-Puffed Marshmallows

Directions:

mix together flour, cocoa powder and baking powder
In standing mixer, cream together butter and sugar
add melted chocolate, egg whites, milk and vanilla; mix together until creamy
slowly add flour mixture until batter forms
bake until toothpick pulls out clean
five minutes before baking is complete, place graham crackers......
set timer about five minutes before baking is complete, at 15 minutes
add one graham slice on top of each cupcake then top with a marshmallow
continue baking another 5 minutes until marshmallow is toasted and toothpick comes out clean
.... and then marshmallows. Bake five more minutes until toothpick comes out clean.

For another great Skip The Frosting recipe, check out Skip The Frosting Red Velvet Cupcakes:

Skip The Frosting Red Velvet Cupcakes

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Real Red Velvet Cupcakes- Skip The Frosting!

By Toni on January 25, 2012 in Cupcakes, Dessert Recipes, Recipes

Red Velvet Cupcake Recipe

Creating new recipes can be challenging but fun. I wanted to bake my Skip The Frosting Cupcakes this year for Valentine’s Day and have used several Red Velvet cake recipes in the past.

Skip The Frosting Cupcake by Toni Spilsbury, 2011

I don’t know about you, but I like my Red Velvet cake to taste less like white cake with red food coloring, and more like- well, Red Velvet.

So what does “Red Velvet” taste like? With very little information out there, this is the question I asked myself.

And here is what… uh, myself answered.

Real Red Velvet Cupcakes- Skip The Frosting!

Ingredients

cake or all-purpose flour- 2 1/2 cups
sugar- 1 1/2 cups
baking soda- 1 tspn
fine salt- 1 tspn
ground cinnamon- 1 tspn
cocoa powder- 1 tspn
canola or vegetable oil- 1 1/2 cups
milk- 1 cup
egg whites- 4
red food coloring- 2 tbspns
white distilled vinegar- 1 tspn
vanilla extract- 1 tspn
strawberry extract- 1 tspn
marshmallows, jumbo (use strawberry marshmallows for Valentine's day)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
In a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cocoa powder
In another mixing bowl or electric stand mixer, whisk together oil, milk, egg whites, food coloring, vinegar, vanilla and strawberry extracts
Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients using a stand mixer until batter is smooth
Pour batter into lined cupcake tin
Set timer five minutes before baking is complete, approximately 14-16 minutes to add marshmallows
Finish baking for five minutes until toothpick comes out clean, total baking 19-21 minutes

https://tonispilsbury.com/real-red-velvet-cupcakes-skip-the-frosting/

For another great Skip The Frosting recipe, check out Smores Skip The Frosting Cupcakes:

Skip the Frosting Cupcakes- Smores Style!

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PLAN. ORGANIZE. SHOP. SAVE.

By Toni on July 23, 2011 in Saving Money

Meal Planning

For family dinners the key to saving time is planning. The key to saving money is also planning. And the key to saving even more time and more money is organization.

Steak Mushroom Casserole from The Organized Cook Weekly Meal Plan System

Here are the key steps for family dinner meal planning.

Meal Planning by The Organized Cook Pork Fried Rice

Pork Fried Rice from The Organized Cook Weekly Meal Plan System

Step 1- Plan

Plan your family dinner menu for the entire week

Step 2- Plan

Plan your grocery shopping day with list ready to go

Step 3- Organize

Organize your family dinner menu and your grocery shopping list in a way that will help you reduce waste and save even more time and money.

Sound like a lot of work? It can be.

The Organized Cook

What I’ve done with The Organized Cook is taken the task of planning and organizing your family dinners a few steps further to help you save even more time and money using organization as the key ingredients.

The Organized Cook Weekly Meal Planning System

Through cooking methods like “reusing your time” and “reincarnating the leftover”, family dinners will cost you less than $100 a week in groceries and often as low as $67 a week.

But that’s nothing compared to the amount of time you will save.

Baja Fish Tacos from The Organized Cook Weekly Meal Planning System

Ready to start saving? Let The Organized Cook do the planning and organization for you. Spend less time at the grocery store, less time in the kitchen and more time with your family at the dinner table. Subscribe Now.

Bon Appetit!

Toni Spilsbury, The Organized Cook

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