Since I’ve started my new job I feel like the days are too short. There is definitely not enough hours in the day for me to do all that I love. Cooking is one of those things that has suffered since I started working full time. (Cleaning my house has been put on the back burner several times but I’m not too concerned about that.)
The adaptation to this new schedule has taken some time and I thought I’d share some tips on what I do to make the work week easier and make more room for free time. These are probably tips that you’ve heard of before but they really do make a huge difference for me.
1. Soup
Who doesn’t love a bowl of comforting soup after a long day of work?
Is it weird that while at work I day dream of the soup waiting for me for when I get home from work? Well, even if it is weird- I don’t care! Yes, I day dream about soup. Yes, I’m okay with this fact.
No, the soup doesn’t just magically appear in my fridge. I make it on Sundays. Andy and I have been making them together and it’s unbelievable how quick it is. We make a big batch that makes about three dinners worth for during the week. We don’t eat the soup on the day we make it because it always tastes wayyy better the next day, and even better after two days! That’s the best part, the leftovers are amazing!
Yummy Toppings
This particular soup is definitely one to blog about. It’s Quinoa Corn Chowder with Lima’s and Aji and the recipe is from Terry Hope Romero’s new cookbook Viva Vegan. Its has yummy quinoa, corn, potatoes, and delicius aji paste. The flavor of this soup is amazing! We topped the soup off with salsa, raw cashews, cilantro, green onions, daiya cheese, and crushed tortilla chips. So delish! This cookbook is seriously worth buying for this recipe alone! It’s so amazing. Andy and I have made it twice now. We have yet to try other recipes but I predict lots of latin food showing up on the blog in the future…..
2. Salads!
Another time saver is to make a huge salad at the beginning of the week for lunches. When I say salad, I mean the kinds that also taste better as the flavors marinade together. Heavier salads like quinoa, bean, pasta….. definitely not leafy salads.
Lunch is a snap when you do this. I like having these “heavier” salads on top of mixed greens. The heavy salad stays in a big container in the fridge then all I have to do in the morning is take a container and put a couple handfuls of mixed greens and add a couple scoops of the pre made salad. Voila! Lunch is done!
Bean salad and Mixed Greens 
3. Going to the gym with a friend or your significant other.
When I first started my job I found it so hard to make it to the gym. After a long day of work I just wanted to spend some time with Andy. I was feeling so low in energy due to lack of exercise and all of the holiday treats that I was eating. Exercise is so important so the fix for us was to start to go to the gym together. We get to spend time with each other and get active! It’s the best thing we’ve ever done.
4. Once a week grocery shopping.
Before I got this job, grocery shopping happened whenever we realized we needed something. A huge time saver has been to do a big grocery shop each weekend.
This definitely took some practice. Grocery shopping once a week requires meal planning and thinking ahead. I don’t really spend too much time meal planning nor do I really stick with what I’ve planned out. The Sunday soup really helps with planning because I’ll only have to think of two meals for dinner. I just make sure I have ingredients for two dinners on hand and I’m good to go. We also keep a good stock of canned and dry goods in the pantry for quick meals and snacks. The only thing that I have trouble with is produce. I don’t want it to go bad so sometimes I’ve found that I don’t buy enough. I’m getting better though!
Well those are my major tips for making the work week manageable. I hope you find them useful because they make my life so much easier!
Question: What are your tips for saving time and/or making life easier?
The Dress….
The Shoes….
Me – the Bride 
My beyond wonderful Bridesmaids- minus one
The Decor….
Carrot with Candied Pecan…
All of the cupcakes were made and decorated by yours truly and a bunch of my home girls. Don’t they look amazing? We are so proud! Shawna and I actually hand made each and every fondant pearl on the vanilla ones. They took some real hard work but were so so worth it!
