Vmeals Daily Dish

Back to School Giveaway!

2010-09-03T09:26:00.000-04:00

Whew! Our first video blog post is up. September is going to be really fun! Make sure to look for us on Facebook and follow @vmealscs on Twitter to keep up with everything going on. Click through to find out how to enter our Nook giveaway.

The Vmeals team will be firing up the blender and headed to Margaritaville this afternoon to enjoy our last blast of summer. Hope you have a great Labor Day weekend ahead.

5 Reasons You Don't Have Enough Time

2010-08-31T15:05:00.000-04:00

I wish I had a dollar for every time someone told me they wished for more hours in the day. I’ve wished that myself – bemoaning the way the time seems to fly by (unless you're at a 4th grade recorder concert listening to Hot Cross Buns for the gazillionth time…but never mind about that).

My quote queen, Melissa, sent this one to the team this morning:

"Do you procrastinate? Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein." ~ H. Jackson Brown Jr.

I remember reading that one a long time ago, and it really made me think. Time is a constant. What changes is our attitude, our language, our choices. When we adopt a poverty mentality, there will never be enough time. So let’s get real here. Here are 5 reasons you probably don’t have enough time:

You don’t know where your time goes.

Sometimes we just don’t realize how much time we spend on certain activities. You know you have to work, eat, sleep. Maybe you go to church or volunteer or have a hobby. Maybe you have kids or take care of aging parents. We all juggle many commitments, but have you ever really mapped out how you spend your time? Do a quick rundown of all the activities and obligations you have in the course of a week and do the math. Is it realistic to think you can squeeze it all in?

You can’t say: No.

Most of us are way over - committed. When you don’t have a realistic picture of how you spend your time, you are likely to keep running up a time debt. Think about it: if you never balanced you bank account, you would likely run into the red -unless, unlike myself, you have unlimited resources. You don’t do you? No, I didn’t think so. Time is like money. When you know how much you have to work with, then you can say no to some things you just can’t afford.

You really are wasting time.
Some of the loudest whiners I know regarding time management woes are the same people that spend an inordinate amount of time complaining, gossiping, over-sharing on Facebook and so on. You know who you are. Cut it out.

You are sabotaging yourself.

If you want to get real, there may be some bad habits you need to address. Do you stay up too late watching TV (a top time-waster)? Do you oversleep, run late, wait ‘til the last minute, fail to prepare, procrastinate, fail to follow up, work in a chaotic, disorganized space? I could go on and on. Something as simple as laying out your clothes the night before and arriving to an appointment 10 minutes early can give you enough margin in your day to completely change your perception of time abundance.

You have forgotten what’s important.

Ever get to the end of a busy day – exhausted - with nothing to show for it? You spend all day putting out fires and managing interruptions and never get to what really matters. Do you know what really matters to you? If you wish you could read more, maybe you need to turn off the TV. If you want to build a stronger family, maybe you need to be intentional about protecting time together. If you want to impress the boss, you may need to make an appointment with yourself for some uninterrupted time to work out that great idea or organize that strategic project.

And one more thing: I’d suggest rethinking what you think is an important priority every so often. For a long time I thought it was really important for me to run a marathon, and yet I was really resenting the time commitment required for training. Once I honestly examined my motivations and realized that this wasn’t really as important to me as I thought, I could release that obligation. Not only did I free up some time, but I freed myself to enjoy the time I was running.

Do any of these strike a chord with you? Have you found ways to restore your perception of having enough time?

What is Really Holding You Back?

2010-08-27T13:44:00.000-04:00

[I know I usually like to talk food on Fridays, but I felt a rant coming on. Here it is. I feel better now. Please feel free to add your thoughts in the comments section.]

She's probably making more than you.

Recently, a friend (my lovely blonde friend) sent me this article that suggested that blondes not only have more fun, but make more money as well. We laughed and thought this would make fun fodder for the blog.

Then a few days later in the Sunday paper, I read an article (in the weddings section) that said women who kept their own last name instead of taking their husband’s name tended to earn more. Hmm. The article didn’t give any explanation why this might be and I wondered how exactly your name could impact your income. Still, I found these seemingly coincidentally related articles more entertaining than anything else.

Then I came across this article that cites a study that concludes childless women are more successful than mothers in the workplace. OK, now I’m just ticked off. I’m a brunette, married mother of three who took my husband’s last name. Is that what’s kept me from being Secretary of State (my childhood dream)? I don’t think so.

While I can certainly see a correlation between certain lifestyle choices that could impact one’s professional choices, I know that our life paths are much more complex then statistical trends might convey. What really has gotten in my craw, however, is that the proliferation of this type of article targets (one might say attacks) the choices women make.

Now to be fair to the guys, the first article I referenced did mention that men would do well to be tall, left-handed and mustachioed. There is also data that suggests men who are married, go to church and drink alcohol (I’m guessing not at the same time), earn more. Ladies, if you want to earn more, you should be pretty, blonde, and drink alcohol – but not too much. Just make sure that doesn't lead to love and marriage and babies.

On the surface these stats are kind of funny, until you realize that they really chip away at a woman’s worth in the workplace as well as in the world. The implication is that we are "falling behind" professionally based on some deeply personal and deliberate decisions.

Shouldn’t we be talking about the education, skills, and experiences that inform a woman’s career choices rather than ascribing outcomes based on hair color or marital status? Shouldn’t we really be talking about why we want what we want, not just how to get more?

What do you think? Is there something holding you back or are you just where you want to be? Do you feel like the choices and tradeoffs you've made have been fair, reasonable, expected?

Ever Wish for an Email Do-over?

2010-08-24T10:21:00.001-04:00

In golf they call it a mulligan when your first shot off the tee is a dud and you get to try again.

Have you ever hit “Send” - launching an email into the ether - and immediately wished for an email mulligan? Sometimes you just realize you need to add or correct something and you don’t want to look unprofessional by sending your message out like scatter shot. Our inboxes are clogged enough already.

Sometimes you realize a split second too late that you have sent your email to the wrong recipient. This is rarely a benign snafu – there is almost always some humiliation attached. Have you ever sent a snarky email about your co-worker to that same co-worker? Maybe even your boss or a client?

And sometimes you just never should have committed that thought to electronic perpetuity. My office mates can tell from down the hall when I’m angry typing. It may be cathartic to tap out my frustrations, but then I allow reason and prudence prevail and hit “delete” – almost always.

Well, now there’s good news (for those of us who use Gmail at least): the “Undo”button.

It’s not easy to find, but this Mashable article gives you step by step instructions on how to enable your “Undo” option. Now if Google could just come up an “Undo” button for that last donut I just ate…

Lunch You Can Feel Good About

2010-08-20T12:02:00.000-04:00

It’s no surprise that we here at Vmeals are big proponents of online ordering, and normally I would be telling you that Vmeals is the only way to go. However, I have found another place that I really think you ought to try: the Gulf Café.

The Gulf Café isn’t just any old restaurant website where you can order food online for delivery or pick up. The Gulf Café is a virtual café highlighting the best of pretend seafood.

According to their website, nearly a third of America’s seafood comes from Louisiana, and we all know the devastation that the oil spill has visited upon that region. It is an epic ecological, environmental, and economic disaster that Louisiana families can scarcely bear.

The Gulf Café has cleverly found a way to highlight the problem, celebrate the food, and provide a way for us to help. Go to their website, browse the menu, make your selections and pay. Your lunch tab then becomes a tax-deductible contribution to the Greater New Orleans Foundation, an organization that can mobilize help for affected families in the fishing industry.

Instead of lunch, you get that warm fuzzy feeling that comes from contributing something tangible to a community in need. (Of course, if after you visit the Gulf Café you’re still looking for that full belly feeling, you know where to go.)

2010-08-19T17:38:00.001-04:00

Some of the sweetest souvenirs of summer are the friends we pick up along the way. Don’t you have vivid memories of those kids you met at camp or while spending the summer with your grandparents? Maybe even a special summer romance?

I have lifelong friends that I only saw one week each summer. Maybe the reason these encounters stand out is because they took place out of the ordinary time, place and routine. They are by definition extraordinary.

As the summer fades we want to stay connected. That’s why we are encouraging all of our customers to “Like” us on Facebook and/or follow us on Twitter. This way you’ll be the first to know about some pretty fun stuff we have planned for the fall: discounts, deals and giveaways that only our friends will hear about – aaaaand we really just want you to like us.

To sweeten the deal, we’re even offering VCAP points for our friends that post to our Facebook page or RT our Tweets (if you don’t know what that means, then you probably won’t be doing it). So let's keep the conversation going, shall we?

Monday Motivation-Still Weighing Your Options?

2010-08-16T09:11:00.000-04:00

"Nothing will ever be attempted if all possible objections must first be overcome."

Planning, developing strategy, thinking things through, learning from experience – all these things are good and right and important – but not everything can be planned and accounted for ahead of time. There is a reason we admire the risk takers and innovators. Someone has to be first; someone has to be brave and try new things so the rest of us can see and know what is possible.

Even if you aren’t blazing a new path for the rest of the world, you may need a little courage to try something new for yourself. Most of us are concrete learners, which is just another way of saying we learn the hard way – through failure. That’s OK. Just remember that it is action that propels us forward, not perfection.

Economy in Recovery? We're Really Not Buying it.

2010-08-12T17:16:00.000-04:00

For the past year economists have been saying that the recession is over, but here on the ground, we’re not buying it-literally. Now even the economists are scaling back expectations and predicting the recovery will continue to be sluggish for a while. As one put it: We have an epidemic of thrift.

That struck me as funny. Remember when thrift was a virtue? Just goes to show that you can have too much of a good thing. Despite modest signs of recovery, businesses are reluctant to hire or spend and that impacts consumer confidence.

So while cheap may be the new chic, we may be starving our economy by being so frugal. I say we get out there and spend, people! Hit those back to school sales for office supplies (because we all love office supplies, don’t we?), get yourself a snappy new outfit, go out to eat – or better yet – order lunch for the whole office.

I don’t advocate that we go back to reckless spending and conspicuous consumption, but perhaps we do need to take a deep breath and start investing in our future again, one purse or pizza at a time.

Working Class Heroes

2010-08-11T17:00:00.002-04:00

Admit it, you’ve had some kind of fantasy about quitting your job at some point in your life, right? Of course you have – we all have.

I once worked as a waitress in a restaurant where there was a very sympathetic manager. When you gave notice, you were allowed to act out your take-this-job-and-shove-it fantasy on your last night. I never did it, but I can see how it would be very satisfying. (Don’t underestimate the personal development potential of any job that requires you to interact with the public.)

The internet has been buzzing about two of the latest job-chucking heroes. Perhaps you’ve seen the "I Quit!" slide show that “Jenny” emailed to her entire office calling her boss out for his creepy pet name for her and his impressive hours logged on Farmville. Sadly, it turns out that this declaration of independence from the office was a hoax, but it certainly touched a nerve and spoke volumes about the state of the work force.

These days, when those of us with a job are grateful to have any kind of income, there’s no doubt that this job market can make those in a disappointing, frustrating, or boring position feel trapped, like an indentured servant. It’s no wonder we applauded Jenny’s pluck.

The other story is a true story – and personally, I think it shows a lot more flair. A fed-up Jet Blue flight attendant snapped, grabbed 2 beers and jumped down the emergency exit slide. So long suckers! And you thought airline passengers were cranky? The story even inspired Jimmy Fallon to pen the Ballad of Steven Slater – no doubt destined to become a classic.

There are probably better ways to handle a difficult work situation. With a little creativity and determination, you can make the job you have the job you want. If not, I’m not suggesting that you get 2 beers and jump, but you may want to stock the office fridge just in case. (Note to boss: I love my job! The beer has been stocked for team building purposes.)

What is your exit fantasy? Have you ever quit a job with style?

The Difference Between Time Management and Task Management

2010-08-10T17:49:00.001-04:00

I’m a runner – not a particularly gifted one, but determined. As such, I have a strategy for getting though most of my work outs: I break it down into small bits. For example, I pick a point – the next mailbox or driveway or top of the hill – and then I talk myself through to that point. I reach that mini-milestone, pick another and repeat.

This is a tried and true method of accomplishing a task, breaking it down into manageable pieces. It is a very effective way to push past the mental blocks we run into when we have a big goal in front of us. We move ourselves out of the deep end where we feel overwhelmed and a little panicky into a place that feels safer and more manageable - and there is the added benefit of accomplishment. We all love to cross things off our to-do list.

So while this may be a great tactic for chewing up a task, I’m coming to believe it is a pretty poor strategy for time management. I have found myself navigating my days by just coaching myself from one task to the next. Do you know what I’m talking about? You go from one fire to the next. You think, “I just have to do this " or I just have to get through that”. This may be a great way to get up a hill, but it puts the emphasis on the urgent rather than the important – not always the same thing.

So while it may be very useful to divide up a big project into smaller efforts, don’t forget to take a step back once in a while and take a look at the big picture. Are all you efforts, all your accomplishments, all the things you cross off your to-do list on which you spend most of your precious days and hours in the service of something bigger? What is most important to you – advancing your career? Learning a new language? Writing the next great American novel? Then make sure that that some of your daily tasks (those small, bite size chunks) are supporting that goal.

I don’t push myself from driveway to driveway just to say I’ve run past 50 driveways; the effort is part of a larger plan to prepare for a race or get stronger or faster. Why do you push yourself through your day?

The Vacation State of Mind

2010-08-05T18:19:00.000-04:00

Time management is not one of those things you like to think about while you're on vacation. When I go on vacation I tend to think of all the things I want to do that I think I don’t have time for in real life – more reading, running, sightseeing, beachcombing – whatever the locale inspires. I usually don’t do nearly as much as I imagine I will.

We think that we have a problem with time management because we have too much to do and not enough time to do it. You may be tempted to view time off from work as a time out from some of your responsibilities or as an opportunity to do some things that you wouldn’t have time to do otherwise.

I think what makes vacation time different from regular time, isn’t that we have more time, we just finally give ourselves a break from the mindset that we are time impoverished. Even when I don’t do everything I had hope to do, I don’t fret about it. I don’t sit around wishing there were more hours in the day. (Well, sometimes I do wish there were a couple more days in the vacation.)

When we are out of our usual routine, we adopt a pace that is a little better suited to our individual needs. We feel like we have more breathing room because we are no longer trying to shoe-horn our daily activities into boundaries set by others (unless, of course, you vacation with people that have an agenda, a plan, a schedule – I try to avoid these people).

As Christine Louise Hohlbaum, author of The Power of Slow: 101 Ways to Save Time in Our 24/7 World, says “When you embrace time with an abundant attitude, you actually have more of it. You can expand your experience of time itself simply through your mindset.”

I know this to be true from own personal experience. When I can move through my day doing exactly what I want in the order I choose, I am more productive. I understand that if I am to hold down a job and be a member of decent society, I will have to take into consideration the needs, demands and schedules of others. Even so, it is still possible to change our relationship with time.

Time doesn’t need to be the enemy. For a few practical ways to retool your view of your time, see Christine’s article 10 Ways to Live Time Abundantly. Maybe adopting a vacation state of mind more regularly would actually help us be more productive.

Happy Cheesecake Day!

2010-07-30T15:20:00.000-04:00

It’s Friday, so let’s talk food.

It is National Cheesecake Day, so let’s talk cheesecake.

There are many varieties of cheesecake, including baked and unbaked versions as well as regional variations. These include:

• New York-style cheesecake relies upon heavy cream. Usually, cheesecake is made from cream cheese, eggs and egg yolks to add a richness and a smooth consistency. It is baked in a special 13–15 cm (5–6 inches) tall springform pan in many restaurants. Some recipes use cottage cheese and lemon for distinct texture and flavor or add a drizzle of chocolate or strawberry sauce to the basic recipe.

• Sour cream-style uses sour cream instead of heavy cream. This makes the cheesecake more resilient to freezing and is the method by which most frozen cheesecakes are made.

• Pennsylvania Dutch-style cheesecake uses a slightly tangy type of cheese with larger curds and less water content, called pot or farmer's cheese.

• Philadelphia-style cheesecake is lighter in texture, yet richer in flavor than New York-style cheesecake. In the United States July 30 has been unofficially declared National Cheesecake Day.[7] The origins of this unofficial holiday are unknown but in the last few years it has gained in popularity as food blogs have embraced it and The Cheesecake Factory has taken advantage of it to promote its namesake product.

(Thanks Wikipedia!) According to Wikipedia, cheesecake is defined as a dessert with a topping made with soft cheese on a base of “biscuit, pastry, or sponge”. The use of the terms “topping” and “base” remind me of a particularly lively debate that broke out about this time last year regarding the classification of cheesecake as a pie.

Charlottesville is a pie town and with a love of everything pie. Aside from some friendly competitive smack talk about who makes the best pie, the only note of discord I recall had to do with whether someone could enter a cheesecake in the pie competition.

Pie is crust with filling in infinite variations, but is cheesecake pie? It has a crust. It could have a filling similar in texture to key lime pie. Opposition to this classification was fierce. What do you think? Is cheesecake pie?

Since many of us are counting down the hours until Happy Hour, I’ve got a couple of fun variations for you: Margarita Cheesecake and Pina Colada Cheesecake. Oh yeah.

I came across this tasty looking Margarita Cheesecake on http://www.marthastewart.com/. Instead of the usual graham cracker crust, she makes the crust for this lime and triple sec flavored filling with pretzels. The perfect Margarita is a little sweet, a little sour and a little salty and this recipe looks to fit the bill perfectly.

I’m not a cheesecake master, but one of the best things I have ever made was a Pina Colada cheesecake. I made it for the first time to celebrate my sister earning her master’s degree. Even my mother who neither likes cheesecake (nor sweets at all for that matter) was suitably impressed. If my mother is impressed it has to be good!

Again, the crust is a big reason I love this cheesecake. It is made with shortbread cookies and toasted coconut. I also grilled the pineapple for the topping which was well worth the extra effort. (I will share my recipe if you leave a comment below.)

Happy Friday!

Seven Steps to Success

2010-07-26T12:55:00.000-04:00

Everybody at Vmeals is highly focused on doing their job well, whether it's calling a restaurant in Houston to confirm a lunch delivery is on schedule or providing an online ordering demo to a client in Chicago.

We want to do a good job and we know you want to do a good job too. That's why we work hard to ensure that every order is exactly right and on time. It makes us all look good.

For all of you kindred spirits out there, I thought I'd share a little bit of success wisdom that was sent to me by one of our team members here. Thanks, Melissa!

Seven Steps to Success:

1) Make a commitment to grow daily.

2) Value the process more than events.

3) Don't wait for inspiration.

4) Be willing to sacrifice pleasure for opportunity.

5) Dream big.

6) Plan your priorities.

7) Give up to go up."

— John C. Maxwell

As if Eating Well Weren't Reward Enough.

2010-07-21T13:09:00.001-04:00

What is the most rewarding thing about using Vmeals? A delicious lunch delivered to your office? I’d say there’s a good argument for that. Or maybe you’re just placing orders and Vmeals is easy, convenient and makes you look like a super star. Yeah, that’s good.

There are lots of great reasons to use us, but if you like icing on your cake (um, yes please), then be sure to enroll in VCAP. VCAP is the Vmeals Customer Appreciation Program. We love you – you know we really love you – but we like to show it with a little something extra. For every dollar you spend with Vmeals, you earn a point. Points accumulate and can be redeemed for awesome gift cards or Vmeals credit.

There are other ways you can earn points as well. Introduce us to a great new restaurant in your area that becomes part of the Vmeals network – points. Refer a friend or colleague who gives us a try – more points. Follow us on Facebook or Twitter – surprise “friends only” point specials. We even give you points just for enrolling.

Learn more about VCAP and be sure you are taking advantage of all Vmeals has to offer.

Take a Picture!

2010-07-15T17:38:00.000-04:00

Do you have a camera on you? If you have a phone, then you probably have a camera. (I, for one, am really glad there were no such things as camera phones when I was in college. Just sayin’.)

I use my phone’s camera mostly for taking pictures of my food. My husband is not much of a techie or social networking kind of guy (and that’s being generous), so I try really hard not to whip out my phone when we're together to check email or Twitter or update my Facebook status. However, if we are having the rare night out to dinner, I will almost always use it to take a picture.

I think he may find this a little embarrassing, but he indulges me. Why do I do it? Because I love food; I love talking about food and writing about food, and I do have a professional interest in food.

This is Restaurant Week in the host city of Vmeals Worldwide HQ, and the kids are all off at assorted summer camps, so we had the opportunity to try some place new - and yes, I took pictures. They aren’t good – it was too dark - and by the second course I was so enraptured by my meal I forgot all about my camera phone.

So what about you? We’d love to see your food photos. Post a picture of your Vmeals order on our Facebook page.

3 Things to Consider Before Your Next Picnic

2010-07-09T12:47:00.000-04:00

Summer is the time for picnics and parties and food on the go. Who knows more about food that travels well than Vmeals?

We work with restaurants and caterers who are expert in food delivery – that means more than just putting your order in a "to-go" box. When you take food off premises, there are many things to consider that we think about and discuss with our catering partners to ensure the best outcome.Whether you are hosting a picnic or bringing a dish to a neighborhood block party, here are a few things to consider:

Temperature

Temperature is critical to both the safety as well as the enjoyment of food. When you are planning your menu, ask yourself these questions: Does the food need to be served hot or cold? Will it be served immediately or will it be sitting out for a while? Will you need a chafing dish, grill, or coolers? Will it get soggy, limp or melt? Remember those french fries you brought home in a doggie bag? Not good. Food that travels well can brave the elements for an hour or two without diminishing flavor or texture.

Presentation

Let’s face it, you might be able to put together an impressive and meticulously prepared platter that looks gorgeous, but getting it from kitchen to dining table is not nearly as dangerous as toting it across town in your car. I can't tell you how many disasters and near-disasters I’ve had driving with one hand while trying to keep something from sliding, spilling or tipping with the other hand. (You may recall that’s why I moved my Peaches & Cream Cake from a plate to a bowl.) So consider how your food will be transported. Can it be put in a container with walls and a lid like a hotel pan or Tupperware? Can it be securely wrapped with foil or plastic on a tray so that it doesn’t get smooshed or slide away? Can it withstand a little jostling (or a lot, depending on how you drive)?

Serving

At Vmeals, all of our caterers make sure to bring all necessary set ups – i.e. paper plates, napkins, utensils, serving spoons, etc. There is nothing more frustrating than a rocking potato salad and no spoon to serve it or forks to eat it. (Well, a bottle of wine and no cork screw is pretty dang frustrating, too.) My preference is almost always to go with something that doesn’t require utensils. I love finger food! Not only does it cut down on dishes and clean up, but I like to nibble while I circulate – as long as I’m not circulating too far from the buffet.

One item that fits the bill on all counts are bar cookie or brownies. It is hard to go wrong with those. You could try these Blueberry Crumb Bars (seeing as it is National Blueberry Month) or these Oreo Cream Cheese Brownies (which would no doubt make you the most beloved party guest!).

You could always let Vmeals worry about all the details. Just sayin'.

What do you bring to a party?

Stay Cool with Vmeals

2010-07-06T15:47:00.000-04:00

I just saw this posted on Twitter today:

Typo notwithstanding, I think this forecast is good for most of the eastern seaboard. It is hot out there.

Don’t even think about going out to grab a quick bite – it could be deadly. Thank heaven for a little thing called online ordering. I’m thinking an ice cream bar for the office sounds good right now, don’t you?

We may be having a little fun with the forecast, but this kind of heat is truly dangerous. Dehydration, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke can sneak up on you, so take some simple precautions:

Stay well hydrated. Happy hour doesn’t count.
Seek shelter in AC or shaded areas.
Do not leave anyone in a car – dog, child, Batty Aunt Ida - ever.
If you have to be outside, stick to light colored loose clothing. A hat is probably also a good idea.
Check in on your neighbors. If you don’t hear the hum of AC at that sweet little old lady’s house next door, you may want to look in on her.

Stay in, order in, be safe.

Festive Foodie Friday 4th Fare!

2010-07-02T14:46:00.002-04:00

Still thinking about what to serve up on July 4th? What’s more American than hot dogs? Vmeals partner Candlewick Catering in Richmond, Virginia is offering a special hot dog bar for only $6.95 per person!

Just don’t invite Juliet Lee to your party. She’s been known to down 34 hot dogs in one sitting! Ranked 11th on the world competitive eating circuit, this diminuitive dynamo (5'4", 105 lbs!) could devour a party.

July is also National Blueberry Month, and I personally love to have a good excuse to make something delicious and patriotic - fresh berries, cake and whipped cream will do nicely, thanks. This year I’m going to try this take on the ubiquitous flag cake and bring these beautiful flag cupcakes to my celebration. You know how I feel about cupcakes!

Photo Credit: kellynbakes.blogspot.com

On behalf of everyone here at Vmeals, we wish you a very happy Independence Day. Is this a great country or what?

The Truth About Time Management

2010-07-01T11:54:00.001-04:00

I saw the title of an article recently that got my attention: The Ultimate Time Management Principle.

I don’t know if it caught my eye because I am always on the look-out for time management wisdom or because I wrote a post not too long ago with a very similar title (ahem), but when I clicked through to read the article, I was surprised by the “ultimate” tip. It didn’t have anything to do with lists or egg timers or systems. No, it was this simple: tell the truth.

So think about this for a minute. There are obvious time saving benefits to telling the truth. You save creative time and energy NOT making up stories or excuses. You don’t get bogged down in covering your tracks for the fibs, little white lies, half-truths, exaggerations and diverting omissions - and as the author of said article points out - imagine the time you would save if everyone else always told the truth! I know, right?

Sometimes it can be hard to spot the lie and identify the truth. In many offices, It is unnatural not to fudge, shift blame or claim credit that doesn’t really belong to you (or at least, not only to you). To see and speak the truth clearly into any given professional situation can feel dangerous, if not downright reckless. After all, your livelihood is on the line here. You are under pressure to perform, not only your job duties, but your role in the hierarchy. You don’t want to be the one that points out, “The emperor has no clothes.”

Relax. I’m not suggesting you become the company whistle blower or the I’m-just-being-honest guy everyone hates to see coming (unless of course, you really need to be). I am recommending that you consider the very real benefits of honesty.

I have on more than one occasion, failed - at things big and small. There are times when if I had been honest about my ability, my needs, my capacity – I could have prevented some of these failures. When we can see and tell the truth, we can be more realistic about our commitments and better manage the expectations of ourselves and others. I hope you can see how this could be a significant time-saver.

Not every failure can be averted, however, and our reaction to falling short can further compound the misery when we fail to tell the truth about how we failed. We cover, make excuses, point fingers – when if we just claimed responsibility for our own actions and decisions, the cool breeze of lessons learned and new opportunities could alleviate the burn. The truth really can set you free.

Got Peaches?

2010-06-25T14:12:00.000-04:00

Vmeals stands at the intersection of food and work. We try to offer some helpful tips on time management, productivity and navigating the waters of office life, but on Fridays I like to talk about my very favorite subject: food!

Summer arrived officially on Monday, and there aren’t many summer pleasures sweeter than fresh peaches. Last weekend I was at our local farmers market, and there was a new popsicle vendor. I went for the peach popsicle. Made with locally grown pureed peaches and not too much sugar, this was a perfect treat on a hot day, and I confidently counted this among my 5-A-Day fresh fruit and veggie requirement.

Peach picking is a popular family activity in these parts, and my neighbor and his two small boys brought me a big bag of peaches they harvested last weekend. Peaches are perfectly delightful on their own - and I’m sure I could eat my weight in them - but they are remarkably versatile in the kitchen.

One of my summer benchmarks is making peaches & cream cake. This simple moist sponge cake is flavored with peach wine and layered with fresh peaches and whipped cream (that’s real cream, whipped by me, scented by peach wine). The slight embarrassment I may feel while purchasing the cheap Arbor Mist peach flavored wine is well worth it for the end product.

I used to arrange this as kind of a traditional layer cake, but over the years, I’ve found it travels much better if I treat it more like a trifle and put it in a bowl. (That also makes it easy to just dig in whenever I walk by with a spoon.)

I’ll be making peach cake to share with my neighbor, but I also have a few other peach plans. I have a friend who makes the best fruit salsas. His strawberry salsa is pretty dreamy, but I love the peach salsa. The flavor is so fresh with cilantro, sweet peaches, sour lime juice, and the bite of red onion -it's perfect with some salty tortilla chips and cold, cold beer. (His wife makes a mean peach ice cream as well, so I'm still waiting on my invitation for our peach-a-palooza party. You know who you are.)

I’ll also be making peach chutney. Unlike the bright raw flavors of salsa, this chutney has a warm sweet spicy flavor. It is excellent atop pork or salmon, but my favorite way to enjoy it is on a bit of good bread with some chevre. (I've included the recipe below.)

Well I think I need to go peel some peaches. What’s your favorite way to enjoy them?

Peach Chutney

1 large shallot
1/2 inch piece of fresh ginger root, peeled
1 clove garlic
2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbs lemon zest
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tsp red wine vinegar
1Tbs light brown sugar
2-3 peaches, peeled and cut into chunks
1/4 cup finely choped scallions
2 Tbs fresh chopped cilantro

1. In a food processor, finely chop shallot, ginger, and garlic.
2. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat and sautee shallot mixture until tender (5 min). Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and let simmer for about 20 minutes.
3. Allow to cool. Serve with flatbread and goat cheese or on grilled or roasted meats.Can be made a few days in advance and stored in the fridge, but it is best to bring to room temp before serving.

5 Key Skills for Office Survival

2010-06-24T12:18:00.000-04:00

Photo Credit: mrMark

If you want to be an office superstar, you need to have skills, and I’m not talking about being proficient in the latest version of Microsoft Office applications.

You might be a wiz with numbers or a detail-oriented event organizer or even a top producing sales rep. You may have specific skills and accomplishments that you can list on your resume, what some refer to as core skills. These may even be the skills that got you hired, but if you really want to shine in these dark employment days, pay attention to the soft skills – you know – those personal traits and qualities that make you a pleasure – or a pain – to work with. Here are 5 that I think make an employee a keeper.

Communication

Everyone puts "excellent written and verbal communication skills" on their resume, but rarely is this actually true. In a perfect world everyone would have a solid grasp of grammar and spelling, but more importantly we would all understand how to communicate clearly. So before you walk down the hall, pick up the phone, or hit "send", take a moment to consider: What is your objective? To share information, solicit feedback or request a specific action? State it - in as few words as possible. You increase your odds of cooperation, collaboration and efficiently executed action items when you do this well.

Attention

While expressing yourself clearly and effectively is a magnificent thing, listening well is even better. Active listeners not only hear what is being said, but they have the ability to pick up other communication cues like body language, tone, intention - big clues to office culture. Pay attention to what those around you do and say. Absorb it. Process it. Be present. There is nothing more annoying than when reports and colleagues miss important information because they weren't really present while you were talking to them, either because they were trying to anticipate what was coming or they were distracted by their own agenda.

Intellectual Curiosity

Hard worker, team player, people person – well, of course you are all of these things, but what I really like to see in an employee is intellectual curiosity. If you have it, you want to know how things work. Not only are you skilled at paying attention to your professional environment, you ask questions and take things apart to look inside.

The intellectually curious never isolate themselves in their own functional silo. They know how all the parts of the business work together and see how their performance impacts the whole. They can see a few steps down the line and make better decisions that align with company objectives.

Ability to Take Direction

It is a rare person that can accept and digest feedback well. Some of the most memorable lessons I’ve learned have been on the heels of some criticism that stung. If you can take it without responding with excuses or defense, you have a wonderful opportunity for growth. Even if you think the instruction you’ve been given is wrong, carefully consider both content and intent. You will always learn something useful.

Courtesy

When all else fails, being pleasant, polite, and respectful never does. Being a delightful presence in the office often can and does make the difference when it comes to survival. Don’t get me wrong, being nice will not substitute for being competent, but courtesy is a great karma builder – and you never know when you could use a little extra dose of that.

What would you add to this list?

Dreams and Deadlines

2010-06-21T10:51:00.000-04:00

Goals are dreams with deadlines. ~Diana Scharf Hunt

I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by. ~Douglas Adams

I love these quotes, and I love them together. Wishing, hoping, dreaming are nothing without action, and nothing compels us to action quite like a deadline. Sometimes, however, we let a deadline slip up on us. We let it get so close we think, “Oh well there it goes. The deadline has won.” We give up the task and allow it to go unfulfilled.

Sometimes we need to let go, but sometimes I think we need to just finish. Have you ever been to a race where the loudest cheers were for the one that came in last, the one that didn’t give up just because there was no hope of winning?

You may miss one opportunity, but you’ll never know what else may be on its heels if you don’t stick around for the end.

Great Gift Idea For Dad

2010-06-18T10:18:00.001-04:00

Father’s Day is coming up this weekend, and I’ve seen lots of interesting gift guides. You can find gifts for geeks and gadget dads, golf dads, grill dads, gourmet dads and so on. There is a tool or toy for just about any guy on your list.

So sure – you could buy dad a gift, but when you want to tell someone how much you love and appreciate them, I’m a fan of the “Here, I made this just for you” category of gifts.

My kids have put their paint covered paws on just about every possible wearable item you can think of. (Nevermind that my husband has NEVER actually worn any of these heartfelt creations.) We’ve made magnets, mugs, loose change trays and applied paint and/or photos of their cherubic faces to every useful (and some not so useful items) a man might employ.

Adorable.

The best homemade gift by far, however, has to be food. It appeals to my anti-clutter, anti-crass commercialism streak, and I love food. Who doesn’t? So what would be better than giving dad a special treat made especially with him in mind?

I have just the ticket for you: a collection of recipes that call for beer. That’s right. One of my new favorite foodie websites, TasteSpotting, has a great collection. You can start with this Beer Cake recipe. It’s like coffee cake, so Dad can finally have beer for breakfast without getting the hairy eyeball from Mom.

For lunch you could try the Baja-Style Beer Battered Fish Tacos with Creamy Cilantro Lime Sauce and for dinner, Beer Can Chicken on the grill. Of course, the day wouldn’t be complete without dessert. One of my all time favorite recipes is a Guinness stout chocolate cake – the most delicious, decadent chocolate cake you could ever imagine – but this year I think I’ll break out the ice cream maker we got for Christmas and try the Dark Chocolate Stout Ice Cream. Hooray for special occasions – and dads!

What gift ideas do you have for Father’s Day?

Do You Have Lunch Order Disorder?

2010-06-17T15:57:00.000-04:00

Anybody else out there have lunch order anxiety? You need to order lunch for the office and for some, this can be stressful. It shouldn’t be stressful, and maybe you’re even a little embarrassed as you become increasingly angst ridden by the decision making process.

To me, one of the most stressful situations I can find myself in is standing in a crowded quick service restaurant (that’s code for fast food) with which I am not very familiar, looking up at a menu of biblical proportions with endless possible combinations and choices to make about sizes, toppings, condiments, and so on. Compound that with the fact that I am too vain to wear my glasses most of the time. I have to squint really hard and hope for the best.

And I’m slow. I need time to review the entire menu, weighing my options, lest I miss something really good.

And there are people around - lots of people - so I feel the need to hurry it up which only makes the performance anxiety worse.

And if I’m in the drive-thru? Oh boy.

My family usually only hits the drive-thru when we're on a road trip, and we only go to McDonalds. Not because I am that brand loyal or because they have the best greasy cheeseburger or even because they have McCafe coffee drinks that I’d pay 5 times as much for at Starbucks. It is simply because I know the menu intimately, and as we are driving I can have everyone decide in advance what they want so I don’t waste a single excruciating second at the order window super self-consciously thinking and deciding.

This is the reason it took me so long to discover eating at Subway. The “fresh fit” choices they were hawking on The Biggest Loser looked good, but when I went inside and saw the order maze and menu board, the black pit of despair started filling my stomach like so many mayo slathered sub rolls. Once my 10 year old trained me on the proper order procedure and briefed me on bread, meat, cheese, veggie, and condiment choices, I can now happily say that I have added Subway to my lunch repertoire. (So what if I order the exact same thing every time I go?)

When a friend or coworker asks me to go to lunch, I always suggest a sit down place. I play like I’m all classy like that and just want linen napkins and real silverware and someone to serve me – but the truth is, I’m buying time so I can review the menu at my leisure.

By now you either know exactly what I’m talking about or you’re thinking, “This woman need serious psychological or pharmaceutical help.”

I’ll assume the former and tell you there’s good news for us. Online ordering means never having to be rushed. 24/7 menu browsing on the web is a god-send for those of us with lunch order disorder, and just plain convenient for everyone else.

So next time you’re asked to get lunch for the office, don’t stress. You know where to go.

How do you learn patience?

2010-06-14T11:00:00.001-04:00

How can a society that exists on instant mashed potatoes, packaged cake mixes, frozen dinners, and instant cameras teach patience to its young? ~Paul Sweeney

Does the pace of life and work ever make you dizzy? It is no wonder that we feel compelled to multi-task, rushing from place to place and task to task.

You may not realize it, but hurry is the enemy.

While technically, productivity may mean getting more done in less time or with the most efficient allocation of resources, productivity is not an end unto itself. Don’t you really want to accomplish something? Then you need vision, focus, perseverance, and patience.

Can you learn to be patient? Yes. It starts with intention. Do you want to just do more or do you want to do something more significant?