This week has been really hectic leading up to both kids’ birthdays:  Emma’s 16th on January 13 and Oliver’s 12th on January 18.  Between organizing the parties, the sleepovers and the gifts, I have all the regular stuff to do as well.  This week’s Scoop is all about things that save me time in some way.

Have a wonderful weekend.  Hope to see you bright and early Monday morning.

N˚ 1  The next time you bake cookies, make a double or triple batch and freeze them on a cookie sheet. Once frozen, put them in a large Ziploc or a container and bake up as needed.

N˚ 2  Astrid Tasks/To-Do List app, an amazing free personal assistant app

N˚ 3   Prepare your breakfast the night before.  Put all your fruit, milk, silken tofu, or yogurt in the blender pitcher in the refrigerator overnight. (You can even prechop a banana. It will brown, but that will not affect the flavor of the shake.) In the morning, set it on the blender and press the button  [tip from Real Simple]

N˚ 4  When you have a lot of garlic to peel for a recipe, this gadget really works and really saves time.  You stick 7 or 8 garlic cloves in the tube and roll it back and forth on a cutting board.  When you tip the cloves out, they’re all peeled and most of the skins are still inside the tube.  A quick rinse under the faucet and the peels are gone.  I love mine and use it often.