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Bullet Journal Bandwagon and Planners

It’s December. 2014 is ever so quickly coming to an end. It’s almost that time of the year when we start to romanticize the prospect of a new year: a new chapter; a clean slate. With 2015 fast approaching, one of the things most of us start obsessing about: planners and organizers.

I have recently joined the bullet journal bandwagon.

I watched the video a while ago–possibly around the peak of the hype–but was apprehensive to try it out. I take a lot of notes for a lot of different things that aren’t necessarily related and I just couldn’t see how one notebook could hold everything, without being a completely disorganized mess. It doesn’t help either that being organized is something that doesn’t always come naturally to me–it has to be an unrelenting, conscious effort.

[Note: If for some reason you’ve somehow managed miss hearing about bullet journaling in the past, here’s the website complete with an intro video and documentation.]

However, last month the multiple notebooks, sketchbooks and another separate planner finally took it’s toll. I wrote notes about everything. My problem was finding them when I need them. So after days of non-stop deliberating, obsessing and eventual (& inevitable) overthinking, I gave in and decided to give bullet journaling a try.

So far so good.

The main thing I like about the bullet journal: the flexibility. The system is flexible enough that I only need to carry one notebook with me at all times. I no longer need to bring a planner, a meeting notebook and a sketchbook everywhere–especially when I have to travel very light.

That being said, I have not completely abandoned my hundreds of notebooks (Not an actual figure, just an exaggeration. I’m sure you get the point). While I am not getting an actual 2015 planner, I am still keeping my sketchbooks and dedicated notebooks for business and photography. You might think, “Well Denise, doesn’t that defeat the purpose of bullet journaling? You’re supposed to funnel everything into one notebook!”

Well, not really. I use the journal as a daily brain dump. I jot down note, to-dos, reminders, factoids, etc. into the journal. Then when it’s time to connect the dots and more extensively explore a topic (for example, a Photography technique that I am learning), the go to a dedicated notebook (or file).

Not convinced that the Bullet Journal is for you?

That’s okay. We all process information differently and not all systems work for everyone. You could check out some free printables I’ve previously made and see if they work for you. I will still be posting them on my fridge, especially for shared tasks and chores around the house. You may clink on any of the pictures below.

BLOG POST PLANNERS:

TRAVEL CHECKLIST: (two versions available)

WEEKLY PLANNER SHEETS:

I am always interested to know what everyone else does to keep their daily (and professional) lives organized. Any specific methods that worked better for you in the past? If you like these kinds of posts or find any of the printables useful let me know. Or if you have any suggestions on how to make these printables more useful, let me know!

Fake A Banana Bread

Am I the only person struggling to keep on top of everything in my fridge? It’s a struggle to remember which food may go bad soon or which one would go stale when. And knowing about food waste stats like this and this, I feel even more remorseful of throwing anything out. My solution? Finding (easy enough) recipes that makes use of leftover ingredients and items that are about to go bad.

This is why I love making banana bread. One: It’s easy (read: pretty difficult to mess up); two: it tastes good; and three: it helps get rid of old, over ripe bananas—which we always have at our home.

It was perfect but then I remembered something that might be even better: Banana Bread Pudding. It’s delicious, even easier to make, lets you use over ripe bananas AND stale bread.

Banana Bread Pudding

Ingredients:

4-5 slices of bread, crumbled by hand or cubed

1 large egg

1/3 cup almond milk

1 Tbsp sour cream

1 Tbsp 10% cream (or liquid coffee cream)

1 large banana, mashed

1 Tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp cinamon

optional:

nuts
dark chocolate chips
blueberries

Instructions:

Preheat the oven at 350º F. Grease two mini loaf pans.
Pour the ingredients into a medium sized bowl and mix really well.
Allow bread to soak well by setting bowl in the fridge for 10 minutes or until oven is done preheating (whichever one takes longer)
Pour into greased pan and bake for 40 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.

Alternatively you may use:

2 hotdog buns instead of sliced bread
glutten-free bread or muti-grain bread
dairy and/or lactose free sour cream
coconut sugar, stevia or honey/ nectar instead of brown sugar
muffin pan or instead of mini loaf

Note: The resulting consistency is of course not exactly like that of regular banana bread. It is heavier and more dense.

Full Disclosure: Let it be known that I am not a great cook. Most of what I know about cooking and baking or generally making anything in the kitchen, I learned in the last two years. Kitchen Adventures chronicle my attempts at making food that’s better for my health and my tastebuds.

6 Guilt-Free Holiday Gifts

One of my bigger resolutions; one that I am constantly struggling to stick with is buying more consciously and conscientiously. With the holiday season though, it only gets even tougher. So much consumerism is attached to the holiday season–the lights, the decorations, the gifts & stocking stuffers, the activities… the list goes on. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for holiday spirit. I’m not saying I don’t succumb to it and spend more money than I should on gifts, decorations and wrapping paper, but sometimes it gets too much. It makes me want to quote the awesome Charlie Brown and ask, “Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?”

So in the spirit of holiday giving, here’s a list of gift ideas for the holidays that will not leave you feeling depressed like Charlie Brown was. 6 guilt-free gifts that should leave you feeling happy, for having given a thoughtful gift while supporting a worthwhile cause.

CBCF Calendars

The Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation (CBCF) tirelessly works to raise breast cancer awareness. It invests not only in breast cancer research and health promotion. In support of this cause, Shop4Charity is selling 2014 Calendar Sweepstakes, where 75% of the proceeds will be given to CBCF. The 28-page “A Year in Canada” calendars are only $25 CAD each or as cheap as $10 CAD if you buy 25 or more, making it a great, cost-effective holiday gift.

LSTN Amplifier Necklace

LSTN is a company that makes quality headphones and a few accessories, made with reclaimed wood. Partnering with the Starkey Hearing foundation, LSTN is able to carry out its mission of “[creating] a company that could create global change by providing high quality products that help fund hearing restoration and spread awareness for the global problem of hearing loss and hearing impairment.” By buying from and supporting LSTN, the company is able to make donations that reach hearing restoration programs in over 120 countries!

Featured on this list is LSTN’s Amplifier Necklace. At $20, it’s a great gift for that music lover on your list. The bonus: you and your loved one become a part of helping restore someone’s hearing.

stone + cloth

Stone + Cloth makes bags–backpacks, totes, tablet cases and utility pouches–and in turn directs the proceeds towards providing scholarships for children. This is done in partnership with The Knock Foundation, a non-profit organization that aims to help better the lives in developing countries by creating opportunities. In this case, though scholarships.

My personal favourite is The Lucas, in gray waxed canvas, which provides some water resistance.

Pencils of Promise

PoP’s vision and journey towards providing quality education for all started with (you guessed it) a pencil. Only having been founded in 2008, the 5 year old non-profit now prides itself 150 schools with the help and support of the local communities they’ve been serving. If you purchase this Pencils of Promise Limited Edition Tee, you’ll help send a child to school for over 4 months.

Liberty United Cuff

The recently launched Liberty United stems from Foundrie 47, whose mission is to help reduce gun violence in the United States by making jewelry and other pieces. These accessories are, recycled from illegal guns and bullets.

To the right, you’ll see Liberty United’s Skinny Bullet Cuff, which you can customize with a personal engraving.

Feed Philippines T-Shirt

Feed is a company that founded the FEED Foundation, whose mission is to aid the fight against hunger and malnutrition in impoverished areas around the world. Each product in FEED is environmentally friendly and and produced through fair labor practices. The Tee features on the left is in support of those recently affected by the typhoon (tropical typhoon) Haiyan. The typhoon,said to be the worst typhoon the Philippines has ever had to face, took thousands of lives. It also took many homes and livelihoods in the affected areas. This Feed Philippines shirt is only $33 and it will provide 10 emergency meals to those who were affected by the typhoon.

Note: I was not paid by any of these companies and/or organizations. I made the list in an effort to remind myself and my friends & family to consider giving back to a cause when doing their holiday shopping.

Did I miss any other guilt-free gifts? What are other notable social businesses or non-profits that you support?

Since I’ll Continue to Buy: Ethical Consumerism

The thing is, no matter how frugal and conscientious I strive to be, I am unfortunate enough to have consumerism deeply ingrained in me. I will always want something and it will continue to be a struggle between wants vs needs. So if I must really and absolutely give in and make a purchase, I figured the next best thing is to try to be a more ethical, conscious and conscientious consumerist. This involves supporting fair trade, buying local and buying from brands/ companies that give back. If you must shop, here are a few clothing/accessories brands with a cause and commitment to social responsibility:

Toms . This is one of the first brands that got me to really re-think how I’m using my money. Toms, if you don’t already know, started off as a buy one give one shoe company, promising to give a child in need a new pair of shoes for every pair purchased. They have recently started making Toms eyeglasses. Read more about their movement.

Ten Tree. A clothing company that helps you make an environmental difference by promising to plant 10 trees for every item purchased and by socially responsible manufacturing.

FEED. A company that later on started the FEED Foundation, is passionate about the fight against hunger and malnutrition in impoverished areas around the world. Each environmentally friendly, fair labor produced produced product bought from FEED supports a humanitarian program .

Warby Parker. Aside from its commitment to high quality prescription eyewear for less, it has also committed itself to partnering with non-profit organizations like VisionSpring to provide glasses to those who can’t afford them.

Epic Timepieces. Determined to help make a difference, Epic will provide a year’s worth of clean, drinking water (by distributing water filters) to those in less fortunate areas for every timepiece they sell.

Peace Bomb. Article 22’s peaceBOMB jewelry have not just a meaningful history, but also a great mission. Made with war metal scraps from, each bracelet purchased helps clear bombs (that have yet to explode) off 3 meters of land in Laos. Read more about it’s history here.

If we’re going to spend money on clothes and accessories anyway, why not make it count? Buy from companies and organizations that promise to give back to a cause you believe in. You get your shopping fix without the buyer’s remorse. I don’t know about you, but it think it’s win-win.

What’s your take on social businesses? And do you know of any similar companies with a great cause at its core?

Homemade Granola

We’ve been eating a lot of granola lately, which is really great because for a vegetarian, I feel like I still don’t come close to reaching the recommended daily fiber intake. Which is bad because, well, saying that fiber is good is an understatement (click here to learn more about fiber). But to be perfectly honest, granola (except for a few granola bars every time there is ABSOLUTELY nothing else to eat) was never part of my diet. No, actually, I didn’t know granola cereal existed until almost a year ago. So it’s a bit weird how I’m sharing a homemade granola recipe, inspired by Martha Stewart and A Beautiful Mess. Being able to make it from scratch and add whatever dried fruit, nuts and seeds I want just made it a lot more appetizing.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups Old Fashioned Oats (large flakes
1 cup Sliced Almonds
1/2 cup Sunflower Seeds
1/3 cup Pumpkin Seeds
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste
1/4 tsp Salt
1/3 cup Honey/ Maple/ Agave**

Instructions:

Preheat your oven at 325 degrees Fahrenheit. (I find that they burn easily at 350 F or higher and you’ll have to mix it more frequently.
Combine the old fashioned oats, sliced almonds, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds. Mix evenly.
In a separate bowl, combine the oil, vanilla bean paste, salt and the syrupy sweetener of your choice. Blend well. Pour this mixture over your dry ingredients and stir until evenly coated. NOTE: If you’re lazy like me, you might be tempted to just toss everything together in one bowl and stir. Good news! That’d be alright. That’s how I made it the first time *One bowl less to wash! Yeah!* But you run the risk of an uneven flavor.
Spread the raw granola mix onto a rimmed baking sheet (to about half an inch thick so it bakes evenly) lined with parchment paper. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. To make sure it cooks evenly, mix every 10 minutes. Watch the edges because they tend to cook (and may burn) quickly.
Once it’s out of the oven, stir in the dried fruit mix.
Once it has completely cooled, store in a dry airtight container. I’ve stored mine for up to a little over a week and they haven’t gone stale.

Variations: Feel free to add whatever nuts, seeds and dried fruit you like. Examples: walnuts, filberts, coconut flakes, dried mango, dried papaya. Be adventurous. Feel free to try other spices like cinnamon, nutmeg or cardamom.

** If you’re wondering which syrup or sweetener to use, it really boils down to the flavor your like. Although many literature argue the benefits of using a particular sweetener over the other, in the end, added sugar is still added sugar and should be taken in moderation just like anything else. I’m listing a couple of sources below if you’re interested to learn more about the nutritional differences between these sweeteners.

Honey, Maple Syrup or Agave –All Sugars are Pretty Much the Same || The Truth About Agave

I like my granola with sugar free yogurt. How do you like yours?

Find Adventures in the Everyday

I’ve lived in different cities, in 3 different countries, in 2 very different continents. I’ve had my fair share of travels and adventures, yet never enough.

I’ve lived in a few different places, and each time I move, I wish I had done more before I had left. It’s as if I am always so focused on the adventures to be had elsewhere, in another time, that I forget the adventures that could have been happening in the present.

So this year, and the many years to come, I hope to make the conscious effort to see the great adventures in the everyday. I want to learn to really be in the present and be involved. I want to be excited about the everyday. I want to be present.

Bullet Journal Bandwagon and Planners

I have recently joined the bullet journal bandwagon.

Not convinced that the Bullet Journal is for you?