Time management - cooking, cleaning, and exercise

VaniVyas · Jan 15, 2015

Mrng Woke up at 5.00AM. Took bath, lit the lamp and went to kitchen.
First boiled the rice for sharkara pongal in the rice cooker. Meanwhile started preparing besie balabath for lunch. My prasadam was ready by 6.15. Garnished it so well and did pooja. Was very happy to do that on time.
Then made Horlicks and cleaned the kitchen platform. Was happy that I could keep the food in hotbox and empty all vessels so that kitchen looks good on a festive day.

did my prayers, send images of my prasadam to all my family members thru watsup. Got ready and reached office as usual.
After reaching office, the first thing that I have done is to post this prasadam for all my IL family members....

krvchitra · Jan 17, 2015

hi all i have made a resolution that i will be brisk from this pongal

VaniVyas · Jan 18, 2015

Woke up at 5.15. Prepared lady finger fry and a curry for lunch. Packed lunch box for me and DH. Prepared Oats for me and toasted bread for DH.

Cleaned kitchen stand and arranged vessels for washing separately.
I was ready on time to office. Planning to be more prompt and active in morning household chores.

VaniVyas · Jan 19, 2015

Today woke up at 5.25AM. Prepared brinjal and aloo curry and kootu for lunch. Since brinjal had to be chopped in the mrng was little late in completing the work so could not clear and clean the kitchen platform.
Made bread for BF for DH and oats for me.
Tomorrow will be my fast so planning to convince DH for having his lunch outside.

kkrish · Jan 19, 2015

Hi all.
Saturday:
First soaked rice and dhal for idli.
-After b'fast I pulled out all the vegetables in my fridge and listed them out.
-Once i listed them, against each vegetable I wrote what all I can do with it.
e.g Ladysfinger - sambar, dry curry
Cabbage - poriyal, kootu, fried rice.
Beans - poriyal, usili, korma, fried rice, avial
Carrot - fried rice, poriyal, kosambari(salad)
Spinach - Aloo Palak, w/ Tuvar dhal, w/ green gram dhal (milakootal), plain sundalw/coconut, w/tamarind (puli vitta keerai)
Cauliflower - korma, gobi parantha, gobi manchurian

-Then I listed all the foods that came up: fried rice, sambar, cabbage poriyal, beans poriyal, usili, avial, korma...

-Planned the weeks menu, listing the dishes for which I have maximum vegetable. As you can see I had many veggies for fried rice.

-Then rearranged the meals so that I had rotis and rice well balanced.

This took about 20-30 minutes.
__________

Then began preparing the veggies.
-Stringed the beans and chopped finely for poriyal and fried rice and long pieces for avail/korma.
-Same thing with carrots for fried rice.
-Steamed them with a sprinking of salt, cooled them and refrigerated them.

-Washed the ladyfinger and dried it, then put it in a box and back to the fridge. Will chop it only at the time of cooking.

-Separated the spinach for the different dishes, and packed them loosely and refrigerated them.

-Did the same for the rest of the veggies - some precooked, some just cleaned and repacked.

-Peeled onions and put them in the fridge. Easier to chop when ready to cook.

Checked for dry ingredients/ masalas that would be needed in the week's menu:
-Pressure cooked dhals, cooled, froze them in small portions.
-soaked channa for cooking later.. made pastes just for the first two days of weekday menu.

Lunch on Saturday was light. Just some curd rice. Then set out to prepare the dinner.
Ground the idli batter while cooking dinner.

Washed all the dishes and did a general clean up.

After evening coffee watched a movie.

I did nothing Saturday except this but felt good that I had a plan for our tummies the whole week.
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Sunday: Got up as usual at 5:23. Don't ask me why, but everyday my eyes open and see the clock showing 5:23am.
After coffee I made 80 idlis and ground a huge batch of chutney for 80 people for our Pongal celebrations.
It was raining heavily when we left of our hour-long trip to the temple.
Had a good time and came back around 3 pm.

Immediately went to bed and slept till 5:30 pm. Then made coffee and then cooked a light dinner.

Watched American football till bedtime. No other work.
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Today is a holiday.
Planning to go to the movie "imitation game" after lunch.
So will go and finish my day's cooking before that.

In the evening I'll get my work clothes ready for the week, and plan to do a couple more things.

You must have noticed that I did not post anything on exercise here. Yes, I've fallen back on that.
So need to get back.

*********************
Have a wonderful week.

Magee · Jan 19, 2015

Hi dearies!

After a very long gap i am here...will try to be regular here with my updates

Today went for scan, so made simple menu for lunch with Paruppu Rasam, Rice and bittergourd fry...From tomorrow will start my cleaning working.

I have to clean and pack all the kitchen vessels and other thing before Feb 21 however, i do it slowly and one by one. I am temporally moving to my Inlaws place (Tirunelveli) for delivery, will be back to my home after 6 months only so before going have to pack everythings to keep it rust free / Dust Free.

chithirainilavu · Jan 20, 2015

Hi friends,

It is really a very long time i have not updated here. Suddenly i became a silent reader and gave only likes for all the updates.

My general routine

Get up early at 5 a.m, after my bath routine, start with my pooja. Light the lamp, Wash the pooja vessels and get things ready for my DH to continue later. In the meantime, boil milk, make coffee decoction for filter coffee, keep dhal for cooking.

Have coffee with DH ( a small chat with him), continue with chopping vegetables, preparing breakfast, lunch, in between wake up kids with milk. Attending to their brushing, bathing and packing their tiffin, getting them ready for school. By 8.00 a.m I am through with cooking and go drop them in the bus stop. Come back and water the plants in garden (quite a big garden), DH leaves for office.

Around 9.30 maid comes washing vessels and sweeping and mopping. After that I am free for upto 12, then folding clothes, pressing clothes, any chopping or grating coconut cleaning one or two shelves will be done at this time. But I see that I get one hour of me - time, do enjoy my passions and hobbies.

DDs and DH come for lunch, put DDs for sleep, I also take a small nap and DH leaves for office. Again a break upto 3.30 continue with any pending work from morning.

Around 5 in the evening I take DDs for their dance classes and I go for a walk (my exercise part is covered here) and i also go for my sketching classes (one of my passion is fulfilled here)

After that take them for park and back at home. DH is also back from office, Tea and snacks time). Spend time with kids, help in their homework. Prepare Dinner and off to bed.

Whenever i feel it is going mechanical, i myself break the routine and do nothing and sit like that.

I have also enrolled in Pre-school primary teacher training course which also take my time.

______________________________________________________

KKrish mam, so happy to see you back here. It really gives motivation. Perfect planning of your vegetables sorting out and preparing menu based on that.

Magee, nice to see you here and do anything slowly and don't stress yourself and don't do more.

Hi to Vanivyas, priya, anupama, kalpana and other new friends

take care

have a happy week ahead

shara

VaniVyas · Jan 20, 2015

Mrng woke up at 5.20. Had bath. Prepared beans poriyal and chappati for DH lunch.
I am on fast today and made sabudhana for bf and lunch.

How I prepared the day before so that I can finish my cooking within an hour.
1. The green chilli and curry leaves for sabudhana were kept in bowl.
2. the grated coconut, curry leaves for poriyal.
3. batter for chappati ready in fridge.
4.In the stove, kept the vessel for all making all dishes, saucepan for milk in respective burners and covered them.
5.Water ready along with measuring glass.
6.Mrng I have to just pull out some containers from one particular shelf in the fridge. These are the things which I require in the mrng.
So all the cooking process will begin within 5 minutes of me entering the kitchen.

kkrish · Jan 20, 2015

Congratulations Magee! That's wonderful news. Take good care of yourselves. Good to be active but be stress-free.

Shara! Thank you for the warm welcome. I like your routine. Glad that you have enrolled in teacher training. As the kids grow we will have enough time on our hands and your plan is a good to utilize that time well.

Hi Vani...Your preparatory work to reduce cooking time is spot on. Very motivational.
It's exactly what this thread is about.

anupamag · Jan 20, 2015

wow, so many new posts, felt so good reading long posts.
My routine is almost the same weekdays. Wake up by 6, prepare lunch boxes, prepare DD and either me or DH boards her into the school bus and leave to office. Come back home by 5.30, dinner, DDs studies, little browsing, have dinner, DD in bed by 8.30 and we watch big boss and off to bed at 10PM.