Major Cleaning (Tip #1) + Slim Guacamole

It has been super hectic for me these past two months, both at work and at home. After returning from my business trip, I not only gained a ton of weight as mentioned here, but my assistant left the company a week later. Now that work is finally settling down and is more manageable, I'm about to start renovations on my home, which is a lot more work than I imagined. It's crazy how much stuff can accumulate in a house over the years and there's unfortunately no time now to sort through everything to try to sell or salvage. While going through my closet and shoes, I have to toss and donate as I go, which is a good thing because I didn't do any Spring cleaning this year and really should be done once a year to accommodate the space you'll need from what you add to your wardrobe.

Starting to pack up my bulging closet... can't wait for my new walk-in :)

As I go, I'll try to impart some helpful tips. I've struggled with figuring out what to do with my old stuffed animals that I just can't bear to part with yet don't want to display out in the open. I've toyed with many ideas such as making a stuffed animal chair, putting them in a netted or bean-type bag, or putting them in a glass bookcase but I wasn't really keen on actually doing any of those until an idea randomly popped into my head one day. My purse storage system is terrible right now - I basically stuff all my bags in their dusters into a storage bin that zips up, with the exception of my new purchases, which I can't bear to do that to. After the renovations, I plan to have special shelves, similar to the ones above in my closet, to properly store my bags. Since it's recommended to stuff bags to keep their shapes, why not stuff my bags with my stuffed animals so they get some air and face time too every so often? That way, when I open up my bags to use them, it'll be a pleasant surprise to see my beloved softies. :) They'll be waiting in the cubby hole until the bag returns to it's place. So here's my first tip that I hope will be helpful - stuff your purses with your softies to kill two birds with one stone!

Bag: Tory Burch 797 Medium Satchel. Bear on left: Gund "Snuff".

Since I like to cook often, it's been really stressful using a mini fridge since my full-size one was given away. I can't wait until the renovations start next month and look forward to its completion! I've also kept my promise to myself to shop less after last month's major haul as you'll see in the upcoming one this month, which is probably due in part to the home renovations. On another happy note, I'm back down to my weight before my trip and look and feel the best I've had in a long time, which may be because I've been cooking at home more and eating less out since I've returned. Below is a recipe for a healthy guacamole I made that my family, A, and I really enjoyed and was the first dish to disappear:

SLIM GUACAMOLE

Ingredients:

1 Slimcado (can substitute another regular if you prefer/can’t find slimcado)

1 Haas Avocado

1/2 cup diced tomatoes

1/2 cup diced red onion

1/4 cup finely diced celery

1.5 Tbsp lime juice

1 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

1 tsp garlic

1/4 tsp cayenne

1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Mash the meat of the slimcado and avocado together, leaving some chunks.

2. Stir in all other ingredients, adjusting amounts to your flavor preference.

Yields about 2 cups (16 servings).

Nutrition per serving (2 Tbsp each):

52 calories

4g carbs

4g fat

1g protein

And these are the pita chips I made to go with it:

Pita Chips

Ingredients:

1 whole wheat pita

olive oil cooking spray

salt

cumin

garlic powder

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375F.

2. Cut pita into 8 wedges. Lay on a baking sheet lined with foil and sprayed.

3. Spray pita and sprinkle all seasonings. Flip pita and repeat so both sides are sprayed and seasoned.

4. Bake for 8-12 minutes, until crisp.

Serves 8.

Nutrition:

per serving (1 chip): 26 calories | 4g carbs | 0g fat | 1g protein

Leaving you with the quote of the day, "The best revenge is massive success."