Lessons On A 500 Calorie Diet!

March 7, 2012 in Inspiration, News, Tips with 0 Comments

 Ditch the Cans: I discovered that canned food may be convenient, it is much easier to use frozen veggies. I can also reduce the exposure to BPA chemicals found in the liner of most can food.  I am now going to pursue preserving my own food. I may not be able to do all my food preserves but a little more is better than none at all.

 Beauty Within: I discovered I use way too much dressing & sauces and by doing so I lose the actual flavor and texture of fruits and vegetables. I need to reveal the beauty of my food by slight enhancing and avoid overpowering my food. Did you know how sweet Cauliflower can taste?

 Its So Sugar Sweet: I discovered I really don’t need sugar as much as I thought. I realized that I like creamer in my coffee more than sugar and can go without the sugar. I realized that I could reduce the amount of “refined sugar” and supplement more with agave and/or honey. If I do decided to use sugar I should look for sugar that is organic and unbleached or 100% beet sugar. Did you know that some sugar is processed by bone char or “natural charcoal” made from cow bones? Not only are you eating sugar with no nutritional value, lots of calories but also including cow bone? Yikes!

If I can’t eat it don’t use it: I discovered that there is a lot of chemicals out there! The chemicals I really don’t need in my body or on my body. I realized I could make my own products and feel better about what I am putting in or on my body. I now make my own baby powder, shaving cream, butter cream, deodorant, face toner and face scrub. I am on my way to looking at mouthwash, cleaning products and more! I may not be making 100% of my products but I will commit to making more each year. For the stuff I do not make I will pay more attention to the labels. If I can’t pronounce an ingredient and I can’t eat it- I will be definitely saying no thank you.

 My thoughts are not I! I discovered that I was eating a lot from my mind than my body. Some days on the diet I was so hungry! I thought I was going to die and I thought I need a big meal. But I learned that I was far from dying and after 2 bites of food I was fine. It was all in my mind…I realized how much power and energy I was giving to my thoughts and that made me think how many times do I allow my thoughts to dictate my actions in my life? I am now more aware of those thoughts I don’t struggle to push them away I let them be and soon they float away and I go on with what I was doing. I wonder how much we all give up in order to entertain those negative thoughts…that will be for another blog some day.

Bread, Bread Don’t Go Away: I discovered I am really not that much of a bread person but after this diet I realized I would love to make my own bread, pizza etc… So I am now in research mode finding some good home made recipes. I don’t want to use a bread maker I really want to make it from scratch all the way. Keep you posted on any recipes I come across.

 I Saw RAW: I discovered that I do need to eat more raw food. I am not converting to a raw diet but I am being more conscious of my daily intake of raw food.

 Join My Breakfast Club: I discovered I don’t need to be in the breakfast club. Breakfast is whatever I want to make it, so if I want to eat steamed spinach, salad, or even soup! I don’t have to follow the normal protocol of eggs, pancakes, bacon etc… I can create my own club.

 I’ve Gone Coconuts! : I discovered coconut oil is a great alternative to promote healthy cooking. Not only did I end up using less oil but the oil could reach a higher heat level. I also use it in my butter cream and deodorant. Now that’s multi tasking!

 I Need A Drink! : I discovered that I do need to drink more, of course plain water. I found that the more I drank the better my complexion was, the less I ate, and I just felt better. I also created drinks that had no sugar but packed with great flavor. I made Watermelon juice, mint, cucumber and bit of cilantro juice and I didn’t need to add sugar to them at all.

 Stomach Grumblings: I discovered a grumbling stomach is okay it’s way better than a grumbling spirit. I realized that grumbling over my life was causing more damage to my soul than a few grumbles from my stomach. I need to feed my soul as much as my stomach.

 As you can see it has been such a discovery for me. Yes, I did lose a lot of weight, which is great but the process was so much more important for me. I was able to take 6 weeks and really spend time with my habits and yes, some habits were in need of a little TLC. I was not spending my energy in working out, nor was I in competition with anyone. I was able to just spend a lot of time with food and myself. I was able to learn

where I “lost” myself. I was able to devote all my energy to ME. I was not distracted with how many steps I took, how many minutes I spent on a treadmill. I was able to use my time to re-evaluate my eating habits and take note of when I used food to replace an emotion.

 I now realize the important part of a diet is spending time with the inside, if you can discover the connection between your mind, body, and spirit. If you can lift the weight off your shoulders you will be able to easily shed the pounds of weight in your life.

I may keep this weight off and I may not but it does not matter because I now have learned how to connect with my mind, body, and spirit. Yes, some pounds have lifted but most importantly I am pounds lighter in spirit- I am now free to walk into something NEW.  That is best part of my weight loss!

 

Ps. I lost a total of   27  pounds!

 

Planting Peacefulness,

Shelley 

Getting Beyond Putting It Off

March 5, 2012 in Budget Saving Ideas, Inspiration, Organization Ideas, Time Management Ideas with 0 Comments

 

{image by Shelley Rubalcava}

Let’s be honest we all procrastinate on taking action on certain tasks. We know we need to complete tasks but can’t seem to get ourselves to facing the inevitable- getting it done! 

Sure there are methods to moving yourself from stalling to doing; you can reward yourself after you have completed task, you can write down the steps involved and tackle them one step at a time. While these are great motivators I think the best Motivator out there is hiring someone like me!

Not only will you keep your eye on task but also your task will be completed. It will be much easier than reminding yourself every day of the un-finished task.

Has something been looming over you?

Ask yourself these questions:

  • What have I needed to finish?
  • Why have I been avoiding?

Now let me ask you, what’s the first step you need to take?

Hint…hint… it begins with an S and ends with a Y, you got it Shelley!

How It Works?

 First make a commitment to YOU!

Make a list of all the tasks you really would like to finish, write them down. Call me! I offer FREE consultations and together we can come up with an individual a plan that works for you.

Have a question  or need additional insight to your project? Contact me

It’s time to see your life FLOURISH! 

Planting Peacefulness,

Shelley

How Do You Start Your Day?

March 1, 2012 in Organization Ideas, Time Management Ideas, Tips with 0 Comments

Give yourself the best gift!            

     Give yourself the gift of time!

If you can save  time in your week, wouldn’t it be great to spend the time saved on-YOU?

Take a moment this week and pick out one task that is in need of revamping.

Remember, you are looking for time,  try to streamline one of your tasks.

Once you do, take those extra minutes and invest them in YOU!

Hey a few minutes a day for yourself, can make a difference of having a good day or bad day.

If you found time, feel free to  share how you spent it.

I would love to hear how you found Peace in your day.

Planting Peacefulness,

Shelley

Here’s The Deal…

February 27, 2012 in Balance and Peace, Inspiration with 0 Comments

{image by Shelley Rubalcava}

 

 

Being Disorganized is Costing you

MONEY & TIME.

Questions to ask yourself:

Are you tired of being tired?

Are you tired of losing items?

Are you tired of  apologizing for being late, unprepared, and/or distracted?

Gain TIME and SAVE Money. 

How?

 In one single step- Call me for a Consultation! 

 I offer a wide variety of services, go ahead and take a peek . I can ease the load and lift some of the burden off your shoulders. I can help you through the step by step process of de-cluttering your life. I can simply offer ideas on how to manage your hectic schedule. I can help strategize better systems, custom made for you.

During our consultation we will discuss your concerns, issues and immediate needs. Then together we will look at my services and choose the services that are best for you. You may be thinking ” I should be able to do this myself!” or “ I am so embarrassed of my mess!”  Push those thoughts aside, Life gets messy and you may be in need of some additional support. 

A Free Consultation is not a Commitment,  however it is a step in a productive direction. Set up a consultation, even if it is to merely check out my services, or  call to discuss potential support in the future. 

I am different from other professional organizers in that I offer options, provide resources, and I love to come up with ideas. Organizing is not a one size fits all neither is it a magic 1-2-3 formula.  Organization is different for each individual, my job is to co- create a system that works for you.

It’s time to fill in the gaps in your life!

It’s time to regain balance in your life!

It’s time to harness in your hectic life!

It’s time for you to fill in the blanks!

If I were more__________________  I could feel___________________.

Planting Peacefulness,

Shelley

Make It Yours!

February 23, 2012 in Designing Peace with 0 Comments

This last year my husband and I finished  remodeling our kitchen. I could  of expanded and made our kitchen a mega size kitchen with many add-on’s, like a walk in pantry. But after much thought, I decided to keep our kitchen the exact same size,with only one caveat make each cabinet mega functional. In order to achieve that, I had to  create new habits in my shopping,organizing, and planning. 

The more space you have the more you have to manage and the more you have to manage, the more work. When I  hear someone say their home is 4500 sq ft, I  used to think aahhh to have space BUT now I think eeekkk all that space to manage. Don’t get me wrong I like space but most people tend to overfill the space instead of enjoying the space. 

I decided to share in this post my kitchen with you, these pictures were taken just as I woke up in the morning-no staging here, to early to deal with that! 

I wanted to share some tips on how I maintain a small space filled with a lot of stuff. 

There. 

I said it.

Boom.

I have stuff! 

It’s okay to have stuff ,as long as it is stuff  that you USE.  I can say safely say,I do use all my STUFF.

Notice it’s a galley style kitchen-space challenged.

 

Categorize like items

                       Most frequently used oils are placed near my stove which equals an easy grab while cooking. A shorter reach keeps messes to a minimum.

My most frequently used appliances are on countertop

I have hardly any counter space so  I keep most of my appliances in cabinet.

Items that are used once or twice a year should not occupy valuable space. Store them in a far, far away cupboard or garage.

Create zones

I love to chop and prep facing my windows, directly outside is my bird sanctuary and organic garden. This is my chop/prep zone.

Let usage dictates storage

Organize cupboards with access in mind

Position heavy things below the counters, lighter things above them. Place items within reach.  

Frequently used items, keep where you will be using them.

Rearrange the fridge

Keep the coldest items below, delicate vegetables are better in the crisp drawer.

Put items in compartments such as drawers, bins, Zip loc bags etc…

Create Zones

Keep areas consistent, baking together, spices together, sauces together- see the pattern? 

TOGETHER=easy to manage.

Pantry can be any shape, size and still be useful.

Keep your pantry well stocked with frequently used items

It’s happened to all of us at some point, you go to organize your pantry,  you then realize half your food has expired. Don’t worry you can avoid having to throw out future food. Try this, each month start at your pantry when planning your grocery shopping. If you buy something and end up not using PAY IT FORWARD give it to a girlfriend, neighbor, relative let them use it before it expires.

Would you like some support in getting your kitchen organized? Contact me I can help you get your kitchen move from non-functional to mega-functional.

 

Planting Peacefulness,

Shelley

 

I Love My Boards!

February 22, 2012 in News with 0 Comments

 

I have mentioned in previous blogs I have a limited amount of space in my home. This week I decided to focus on creating a priority station in my kitchen. I found these cute small cork tiles at Staples for a few bucks.  They fit perfectly in the interior of my Kitchen Cabinet door.

 

The top board is for me a place to jot down notes when I am in a hurry or when I have an idea and don’t want it to fade into the seams of your brain.

 

I also popped up a mini calendar and it really is mini, huh? I added page tabs, which I use in my recipe books. 

I placed an in reach pen because I am forever in need of a pen!

 

The second board is dedicated to my hubby. I am forever repeating the same “Honey Please Do!” which is more annoying for me than him. So I decided to create this to do list, now I tell him to look at the list. I also date each item listed, which comes in handy when he asks “When did you tell me about that?” 

Not sure if you can read the card above his list ?

“Has anyone told you how extraordinary you are?”

I figure that subtle message may help get my to do’s completed 

 

It’s a small space but it is  helpful for my  home care priorities. It  is still limited on space that way  I won’t be tempted to junk up. It’s working great and I am  finding it very convenient.

 

Planting Peacefulness,

Shelley

What You Hold True…

February 20, 2012 in News with 0 Comments


{image by fortune cookie}

Well we are 2 months into the New Year and like many others you probably made some aggressive resolutions and you most likely have had some success. This month is the critical month to see if you will maintain what you originally set out to achieve.

This post is dedicated to “time” –how and what you do with  it. One of my most popular services is Organization. People feel they need to be organized and get their clutter under control. But one of the most important caveats to Organization is Time. You need time to be organized. It’s how you make the most of your minutes that counts. 

 Prioritize your goals.

Sure you have a lot of clutter but what clutter do you find most frustrating? Which is critical to your well-being? Which tasks have more bang for your time invested. Once you figure that out, force rank the rest of the areas in your home and/or life. Believe me, you can have clutter in home and in your mind and both are equally important to identify.

 Keep it Manageable. 

Once you have indentified the areas, you probably are feeling overwhelmed! Where do you begin? That’s where you may need my services. I can help you with the beginning, middle or end of the process. Sometimes you need that push in the right direction and from there things can begin rolling down the road to success.

Plan your time.

You need a plan with that action! The first step in committing to a project is creating time for the project. By setting time aside you will be able to control how your time is used. If you don’t schedule it, it most likely will not get done. Make sure you schedule sessions with me or on your own at your peak energy times. Avoid scheduling time to organize your clutter after a 10-hour work day. Just thinking about that is very un-motivating!

Give to Get.

The hard cold fact is you just can’t do everything. Have some heart-to-heart mental conversations with yourself.  It’s important to find where your Peace of Mind really lies. Decide what is important and also what you’re willing to give up in order to reach your goal. You may need to let go of a responsibility in order to gain control of your cluttered office. 

 There are 24 hours in the day, each and every day.

You can Invest your minutes or Spend your minutes.

You need to decide which one it will be.

 

How are you Investing your minutes lately?

 

Planting Peacefulness,

Shelley 

Reclaim the Cooking Space

February 16, 2012 in Budget Saving Ideas, Tips with 0 Comments

{image by Skånska Matupplevelser}

 

Usually when I am cooking with a new recipe I try to plan on doing that recipe when I actually have time to pay attention. If I have no time it goes in my keeper file until time becomes available. Based on experience there is no need to rush a meal just to say you did it- I have been known to take a couple of years to get to a recipe. I don’t sweat it; I made the recipe didn’t I?

New recipes I approach from a methodical point of view. I read and re read and re read, no typo there I really do read the recipe a lot! I then take all requested ingredients out and place on counter top. I then yes you guessed it re read the recipe to find out what ingredients go together. I really dislike cooking a meal and having 20 million (slight exaggeration) plates, spoons etc lying around and we know what lying around means- CLEANING UP.

I don’t enjoy a recipe that requires the clean up to be longer than the food prep, are you with me on that?

When I get a new recipe I usually try to get a comprehensive idea of what I’ll be doing.  I measure, chop, mince, dice etc I get all items in order. This step, referred to as mise en place [miz ɑ̃ plas], has always been necessary for me. I like to understand the recipe and also it allows me to take some notes and potentially coming up with adding other ingredients for the next time.

 How do you approach cooking a new recipe?

Would you like to prepare some new recipes with extra help? My services include food prep, cooking and grocery shopping. 

 

Planting Peacefulness!

 Shelley

Finding Your Peace Plan…

February 15, 2012 in News with 0 Comments

In search of PEACE? I can support you in finding your PEACE.

Pursue your dreams: It takes one simple act of making a decision to live your dream. Allow yourself to be absorbed in the process of going after your goals. If you can make that decision and align it with action you are on your way to reaching your dream. I can support you.

Excuse perfection: Setting the bar high is good but make sure you don’t set an impossible expectation. Remember the rewards do not lie within a life lead perfectly but rather a life lead with passion. I can support you.

Attainable goals with measured increments: If Peace is your objective it is important to be able to measure your progress. Staying on track and meeting your target deadlines is essential to your success. I can support you.

Create your vision into a reality: When you identify what is truly important to you, you become motivated to figure out ways to achieve your dreams. You develop the necessary attitude and skills and you begin to establish a plan that will help you carry out those steps.I can support you.

Excel Beyond: As you pursue peace within your lives you will begin to start living to a different standard and your world may look and feel different than you could ever imagine it. You may find opportunities to share your peace and inspire someone to live a life of peace. I can support you.

 

 Planting Peacefulness,

Shelley

What Kind of Cook Are You?

February 13, 2012 in Cook This!, Tips with 0 Comments

My hubby eating some comfort soup

Do you cook to relax and unwind?

Is cooking a favorite pastime for you?

Do you cook to feed your family wholesome healthy meals?

Regardless of the type of cook you are, it’s important to find your own rhythm to cooking. Find recipes that mirror what you enjoy, like, and taste.  Don’t aspire to cook elaborate meals if you only have 30 minutes to prepare a meal. I say this all the time: “every recipe has it’s day.” This may be the day or decade of 25 minute meals but that’s okay. Your day will come soon enough. Don’t get discouraged because there will be time in your future!

All recipes need basic rules to follow:

1. Plan time

2. Prepare

3. Organize

Or just follow this one rule: Set up your mise en place (miz a plas), which is simply doing the above before you begin to cook.

I am sure you have reaped the benefits of being organized and prepared in your life. Consider this: a new area to reap those benefits. Good habits will benefit you in the kitchen.

 


Planting Peace,
Shelley

 

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