Picking Your Fish

I love to eat fish, and all but one of my kids love fish, too. My favorite fish is orange roughy. A few months ago, I was talking to a friend and mentioned that I was making orange roughy for dinner. She told me that orange roughy are overfished and close to being on the endangered list.

I knew of a couple other varieties of fish that I don’t buy because of those kinds of issues, and I was starting to feel overwhelmed – how am I supposed to remember what’s okay to buy and what isn’t while I’m in the grocery store?

I started googling and found this site: Seafood Watch

Not only do they have a searchable index of fish, so you can see if your favorite seafood is sustainable, but they also have a free printable little guide that will fit in your purse, wallet, or coupon organizer. It lists “Best Choices”, “Good Alternatives”, and fish to “Avoid”, as well as a quick explanation of why your fish choices matter. I keep one in my purse, and one next to the desk where I do my menu planning each week.

There is an added benefit that most (but certainly not all) of the sustainable fish are a lot less expensive than the ones on the “avoid” list.

Linked to: Works for Me Wednesday – go check it out for a HUGE selection of  tips from lots of bloggers!

Index cards

My mother has always used index cards for all sorts of notes. She always has a little bundle clipped together with a binder clip in her purse, and she’ll whip it out to record how much she spent on lunch, or to note something she wants to mention to my uncle next time she speaks with him. Her grocery lists are kept on index cards, and a running to-do list, as well. She’ll even tape an index card to her front door to remind herself to grab something as she leaves the house. She’s had a Palm for years now that she uses, but still those index cards are her go-to organizational tool.  Kind of like a Hipster PDA before they were hip. Or something like that.

About a year ago, I started carrying around some index cards, and as much as I fear the whole “you’re becoming your mother” thing, I do find that they are perfect for on-the-go note taking. I end up using them in all the ways my mom does, but I also find that they work for notes left on someone’s door, quickie bookmarks (beats using grocery receipts), or impromptu flash cards when the kids  or I need to memorize something.

Making (just a little) room in my purse to carry a small packet of index cards is something that I’ve found makes my life just a little easier.