I discovered something totally fab last week.   It is called Lemon.  You might think that I have rediscovered the amazing powers of lemon.  I adore lemons!  I enjoy lemon in my hot water with fresh ginger in the morning.  I have never tried a lemon dessert that I did not like.  However, the lemon I fell in love with this time is completely different…it is for receipts and organizing… And it is quite appropriately related to our Boot Camp project for this week.  Lemon is a receipt management tool!

I cannot say it better than the way Lemon describes itself: “Lemon collects all of your receipts, paper and digital, into one simple and secure place, so you can be organized and know exactly where you’re spending your money. Lemon works by connecting all the computers, phones and tablets that you use daily, allowing you to send all of your receipts to one place and then access them from any other.”

There are two ways in which you can save your receipts to Lemon:

- email a receipt from an online purchase to your account@lemon.com

- snap a pic of your paper receipt (even if is quite long) with your smartphone or your iPhone and the free app will do the rest of the work for you.

Once your receipts are saved to Lemon, you can tag expenses by categories.  So, if you wanted to know how much you spend on groceries per month or the amount of your monthly budget going towards expensive lattes, Lemon will have the answer.  While the most important features are totally free, if you want to be able to generate reports, export data, or upload unlimited receipts, you will need to upgrade to a $9 per month or $50 per year option.  However, most of us will benefit greatly from the basic free version.

Try it out!  You might be able to shed receipt clutter, get better organized, and feel more in control of your spending.  Who knows, you might find it “refreshing!”

Have you discovered an app or a program that is helping you get more organized?  Tell me!

I dread making lunches! Although I do not wish for my kids to grow up too fast, too soon, but it is with great anticipation that I look forward to the day when they will be independent enough to prepare their own lunches. Until then, I try to make the task of making five lunches every weekday a little less overwhelming by staying organized.

THE RIGHT TOOLS: If you have more than one school lunch to pack, consider colour coding the containers and lunch boxes to avoid confusion when packing lunches.  My littlest one starting Pre-K this year is getting pink, her favorite.

ONLY H2O: My kids drink water at school.  I do not buy juice boxes.  Each child has a water bottle and no one complains about the water only rule.

PRE-ARRANGED SNACKS: I have a variety of snacks prepared in my pantry and some in the fridge ready to go for the next day.  The struggle is always to have enough healthy snack varieties.  According to nutritionists, kids’ snacks, with the exception of cheese, should be no more than 200 calories per serving and contain no more than 8 grams of fat.

Some of the favorites in our house:

- fresh fruit or cut-up veggies

- dried mango

- yogurt

- cheese sticks

- lox (just plain)

- boiled egg whites

- roasted seaweed (from Trader Joe’s – my kids LOVE it)

- popcorn (Trader Joe’s makes wonderful pre-packaged popcorn snacks)

I hope to be baking a bit more of my own healthy muffins.  These days, I am sneaking flax meal into as many recipes as possible.  Here is a carrot zucchini muffin recipe that I think is terrific.  Throw in 3 table spoons of flax meal to add extra dietary fiber.  These muffins meet the nutritional requirements for healthy snacks too!

LUNCH STAPLES: At my kids’ school, only meat-free kosher meals are permitted.  Yes, it is an additional layer of complication to making lunches healthy!  Not mention, making them exciting to picky eaters.  There are two products we can’t live without and always have in our freezer: Morning Star Original Chicken Patties (they are actually imitation chicken protein) and Amy’s Pizza products.

In addition to the above, I try to make a batch of home-made macaroni and cheese every week.  It is helpful on those days when you are running late.  Every other week or so, I splurge on some sushi for the kids.  It is a good source of protein AND they love it.

LOVE NOTES: My kids love getting notes from me in their lunch boxes.  I have made a commitment to do more of that this school year.  I have prepared a bunch of little cards for easy writing in the morning.  No need for fancy.  Being sweet, funny, encouraging, loving, and supportive is what matters.

What are your tricks for making lunch preparation hassle-free?  I am also eager to learn about healthy lunches your kids eat.  Please share!

This post is linked to:

I have memories of my mother keeping a notebook with handwritten recipes. Not once, but several times during my childhood, I had the pleasant task of rewriting the recipes into a fresh notebook, as she liked them neatly handwritten and organized. I loved reading her notes in the margins about adjustments to the ingredients, cooking instructions, or the names of the people from whom she received the recipes. Those were the days before computers and the many other handy tools now available in the home to make organizing simpler. Since I got married and started keeping my own home, I have adopted a simple method for keeping MY recipes in order.

To find out how I keep my recipes organized, click here to view my guest post at Cook Kosher Blog today.

I am so excited to be a guest over at Whipperberry today!  I love this blog and I think you will enjoy it too.

Every organized hostess must master a handful of desserts to make entertaining simple.  I am sharing one of my go-to recipes and step-by-step instructions for making it.  Click HERE to check it out and also enter a great giveaway!