It’s no surprise to anyone that Americans are more overweight than any other industrialized nation.  According to a recent Gallup Poll, nearly 6 in 10 Americans (59%) would like to lose weight.  Americans live fast lifestyles, eat on the go, and many are no longer taking the time to eat proper meals.  Getting organized in the kitchen can make all the difference.  With some planning, preparation and the right equipment, it really doesn’t take that long to cook up a tasty and healthy meal.  Eating out at restaurants often take up more time than preparing a meal at home, and to make matters worse, we almost always eat more in a restaurant than we would if we ate the same meal at home.    

Take some time to find some easy, quick and healthy recipes and begin by preparing one or two meals per week.  Another way to really take control of your diet is to not only cook your meals at home, but to also weigh your food before serving.   Weighing your food will allow you to totally take control of your diet, instead of simply guessing your serving size.  For instance, the larger the dinner plate, the smaller the serving size appears, giving you the impression that you’re not eating enough.  So I recommend that you begin with using a smaller size dinner plate. 

Here are a few serving size recommendations:

 Meat, chicken, fish: 3oz

• Pasta, rice, oatmeal, potatoes, cooked vegetables: 4oz
• Bagel or muffin: 1oz
• Cheese: 1oz

Kitchen scales have become more popular in the U.S. and is the most accurate way to weigh your food.  It really isn’t that much trouble.  Keep your kitchen scale out on your countertop, ready to use at any time. There are many very attractive designs and some even measure calories.  Check out these and more at www.homestoragewarehouse.com.

Jacquie Ross is a Maryland based Professional Organizer, writer, speaker and owner of CastAway the Clutter! Jacquie has been writing for Home Storage USA since 2007. A member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), NAPO-Baltimore Chapter, and Maryland Association of Professional Organizers, she shows homeowners how to reclaim their time and space, and offers organizing and time management workshops and group presentations. Jacquie can be reached at jacquie@castawaytheclutter.com. Visit CastAway the Clutter to sign up for her free organizing tips and learn more about her presentations at www.castawaytheclutter.com

Football season is almost here and the American tradition of tailgating at football stadiums is still going strong.  

According to Wikipedia, a tailgate party is a social event held on and around the open tailgate of a vehicle. Tailgating often involves consuming alcoholic beverages and grilling food. Tailgate parties usually occur in the parking lots at stadiums and arenas before, and occasionally after or during, sporting events and rock concerts.

Organizing a tailgate party can be a lot of fun and relatively easy, especially when everyone is involved in the preparation.  Tailgate parties are usually a pot luck event, so don’t try to do it all yourself. Ask partygoers to each bring something to share or enjoy.  It may be a food item, cooking equipment or decorations. Some tailgate parties are huge organized events and partygoers bring their full sized grill, complete outdoor furniture set and more!  However, you can relax and keep it simple, yet still have fun.  Not everyone has a vehicle to transport these oversized items!

Typical equipment you’ll need include a tailgate cooler, grill, grill utensils, portable chairs, sun umbrella (if it’s hot outside), picnic basket and plastic ware, music/CD player and maybe some decorations.  Of course, don’t forget the food!  A tailgate party isn’t any fun without hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill.  Other fun food favorites include, chili, nachos, pasta salad, wings and ribs.  Actually, there are no hard and fast rules about what to eat.  Think superbowl party and it will be easy to come up with a menu.

Jacquie Ross is a Maryland based Professional Organizer, writer, speaker and owner of CastAway the Clutter! Jacquie has been writing for Home Storage USA since 2007. A member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), NAPO-Baltimore Chapter, and Maryland Association of Professional Organizers, she shows homeowners how to reclaim their time and space, and offers organizing and time management workshops and group presentations. Jacquie can be reached at jacquie@castawaytheclutter.com. Visit CastAway the Clutter to sign up for her free organizing tips and learn more about her presentations at www.castawaytheclutter.com

It’s officially picnic season and a wonderful time to sit back, relax and enjoy a picnic outdoors. Picnics are often avoided because it feels like to much work to prepare, but it doesn’t have to be that way. The key is to be organized and always have supplies on hand.

Begin by stocking up with everything you would need for a typical picnic and keep it in a convenient location. Supplies can be stored conveniently inside a picnic basket or a clear lidded container. Here are a few items you might want to have on hand:

• Picnic blanket
• Tablecloth
• Picnic basket, ideally stocked with dinnerware
• Beverages
• Real ice in freezer and/or ice blocks (blue ice)
• Pitcher sized beverage cooler
• Food cooler
• Paper napkins & plasticware
• Portable gas grill & supplies
• Kitchen towels or Food covers (to prevent bug contamination)
• Bug repellant spray & afterbite
• Sunblock
• Outdoor game set

If you prefer to picnic at a table, you may also have a folding table and camping chairs on hand. You can purchase a ready made picnic set that will also store all of your food and beverages inside a nice basket. This is the most convenient option and will save on preparation time. There are also ready made picnic sets for tailgate picnics, which include a small portable grill! Check these out at Home Storage Warehouse.

Finally, if you are having an adult picnic and plan to bring wine, don’t forget the corkscrew! Even better, bring along a wine accessory set, also including wine charms. When picnicking with a group, what better way to identify your wine glass than with a wine charm! Wine accessory sets come in an attractive case and can be stored with the rest of your picnic supplies. So stock up today on some picnic supplies and picnic at your leisure!

Jacquie Ross is a Maryland based Professional Organizer, writer, speaker and owner of CastAway the Clutter! Jacquie has been writing for Home Storage USA since 2007. A member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), NAPO-Baltimore Chapter, and Maryland Association of Professional Organizers, she shows homeowners how to reclaim their time and space, and offers organizing and time management workshops and group presentations. Jacquie can be reached at jacquie@castawaytheclutter.com. Visit CastAway the Clutter to sign up for her free organizing tips and learn more about her presentations at www.castawaytheclutter.com