Made from Scratch
In this chaotic modern world, we often forget to stop and take a break to appreciate the simple pleasures of the everyday. One of my biggest turn to efficiency these days has been to start preparing my own food, and especially making my husband's favorite breakfast bread - simit - a sesame bagel. When we began moving towards a minimal waste kitchen, we also found ways to improve the quality of what we ate too.
Since I've begun to focus on breakfast, it has helped to make me more aware of time and what I do with my time. Before it was difficult for me to even wake up at 8am, but now I'm starting to wake up even earlier like 6 or 7am. If we're lucky we will get some miles of walking in before even sitting down for breakfast. I noticed that making sure we have a proper morning routine really does change the outcome for the day. My belief is that getting things done in the morning improves the amount achieved throughout the day.
If you've followed many minimalist blogs and tips from successful professionals, one of their major routines is to not overwhelmed their day with a busy schedule, but by being organized and deliberate about what they do. Simplify your day. For me my days are fairly simple: exercise, cook, study programming and family time. It is always important to focus on things that matter rather than wasting time on things that don't.
For those working on a minimal waste lifestyle, perhaps start by simplifying the start of your day, and make it something to look forward to. For the recipe above, one of my all time favorite recipe, comes from Delicious Istanbul by Olga Trez. I've tried making it overnight and in 3 hours, both turned out great. You can also cut the oven temp down to 425 degrees and keep the water tray inside the entire 20-25 minutes.
Remember, just like studying a new skill and getting fit, it requires consistency and deliberate practice in order to get somewhere.
