Getting Things Clean
Content
A Girl Genius Guide to Cleaning, Cooking, and Organizing
Contents Tools of the Trade Kitchen Living Room Bathroom Bedroom Floors Laundry Redemption Room Errands Mab Tatiana Recipes 3 5 8 9 9 11 12 12 13 14 15
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Hello, and welcome to working at Amy and Mab’s house. I have a few pointers for you before we dive into the nitty-gritty of the job. She is very understanding of any schedule changes you may have as long as you let her know. If you can’t make it for any reason, let her know. If you’re going to be late, even by ten minutes, let her know. If you do that, you will be just fine. Amy welcomes all and any suggestions once. If you suggest an idea or task to her, and she says, "No," don't bring it up again, unless Amy asks you to repeat and/or explain. Amy is flexible and understanding in general and in regard to any emergencies. However, if you've told her on one day that you plan to work a certain amount of time, and your plans change, please try, whenever possible to notify her by e-mail or voice mail before hand and not in person on the actual day. NOTE: Sweeping kitchen and living room and washing any dishes in sink should be done first the moment you walk through the door.
Tools of the Trade
Here’s what you’ll need to get the job done: The Tool Vinegar Bleach Green Works Its Use(s) Cleaning Floors and various other surfaces Cleaning floors and various other surfaces Cleaning kitchen counters and other surfaces that need a gentler touch To clean the glass tables Where find It Under the kitchen sink: left side Under the kitchen sink: right side Under the kitchen sink: left side Under the kitchen sink: left
Glass Cleaner
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Comet Clorox Bleach Spray Murphy’s Oil Soap Gloves
and mirror in the bathroom For ‚Comet Paste‛ which is covered shortly For cleaning bathroom, walls, and sinks For cleaning wood floors Wear while cleaning anything To sweep To mop kitchen and bathroom floors
side Under the kitchen sink: left side Under the kitchen sink: left side Under the kitchen sink: left side Under the kitchen sink: right side In the litter box nook In the litter box nook
Broom and Dust Pan Laminate Floor Mop (Mr. Clean mop with white and blue sponge) To mop living room and Wood Floor Mop (Green mop with brown hall way porous sponge) Used for mopping Green Bucket Tan Bucket Sponges Net Sponges Paper Towels
In litter box nook
In recycling corner; next to fridge Used for soaking clothes In recycling corner; next to fridge Used for bleach cleaning Under kitchen sink: right and Comet Paste side Used for dishes Under the kitchen sink: right side Used for wiping all sorts of On the chairs under the things bookshelf in the kitchen
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There are a few recipes for cleaning that you’ll need to know. There are no exact measurements that need to be prescribed to so once you get a feel for the ‘right’ amounts. Vinegar for floors: Use about a cup per gallon of water or two seconds of pouring per half a bucket of water. Make sure to always use hot water. Vinegar for spray bottles: Fill the bottle up with water up to the neck of the bottle and fill the rest of the way up with vinegar. Bleach for floors: Use about a cup per gallon of water or two seconds of pouring per half a bucket of water. Make sure to always use hot water. Bleach for spray bottles: Fill the bottle up with water up to the neck of the bottle and fill the rest of the way up with bleach. Remember that too little bleach/vinegar is worse than too much. Comet Paste: This is a wonderful tool to make things WHITE. Fill a small clear glass bowl with some Comet then add water sparingly, stirring, until a pourable paste is produced. Pour on stain and leave for about a half an hour. Then sponge it off thoroughly with water. If the stain isn’t gone, try again. This is used on sinks, the tub, and linoleum floors. Murphy’s Oil Soap: Use half a cup of Murphy’s for each gallon of hot water.
Kitchen
Dishes Hopefully, these should be pretty much self-explanatory. Amy doesn’t have a dishwasher so all dishes will be done by hand. The metal sink stopper doesn’t work the best so use the rubber one; it’s kind of tricky to fit in the drain but once you get it once, it’s easy. For really dirty dishes or baked on food in pans, put some vinegar
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and water in it and let it sit. You can also add some ammonia (if she has it) to the dishwater to aid in cleaning however if the smell gets to you then don’t use it.
Counters Counters should be kept clean, but as with dishes, this should be common knowledge. Once every week or two wash with a bleach mixture from the spray bottle. Between bleaching, clean with Greenworks. Make sure to never prepare food on the counters just after doing a bleaching. The Refrigerator (Or Icebox, as Amy calls it) The fridge should be thoroughly cleaned every 2-4 weeks, as needed. Veggies go in the crisper drawer in the bottom, condiments in the door, cheese in the door, butter in the door, drinks on the top shelf and everything else where it fits. You’ll have to do rearranging from time to time to keep things accessible for Amy. Try to not pack things from front to back, if possible. Just think about getting things out with one hand while packing the fridge. The freezer should be cleaned and defrosted every 4-8 weeks, as needed. Oven I keep the baking sheets in the oven. If you’re cooking anything, please remember to take them out. The oven needs to be wiped out every month with Greenworks. The stovetop needs to be cleaned off every month with Greenworks as well but may need to be cleaned more than that if you’re doing a lot of cooking. Make sure to either use Greenworks or the vinegar mixture. Don’t use bleach. Coffee Put two scoops of coffee in a filter in the top for 12 cups of coffee. Then press ‚On‛. Once the coffee is done, make sure to empty out the filter and used coffee grounds.
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Recycling Recycling is placed in the blue garbage can in the corner next to the litter box. Recycling goes out on Tuesday and is picked up Wednesday mornings and needs to be taken out to the curb every week. Glass cannot be recycled on the curb-side pickup and must be taken to City Carton once 15-20 glass bottles have built up. Everything else needs to be sorted into Paper, Plastic, or Metal in the blue recycling bin found in the car port. Amy’s is the one with the broken lid. There are two paper bags used for sorting: use both bags and the bin itself for sorting. Garbage Garbage needs to be taken out when it’s full which varies from week to week. Place garbage in the trash can closest to the mailbox. Don’t worry about taking it out to the curb as Beth, Amy’s current downstairs neighbor, takes both cans out. Garbage bags can be found under the kitchen sink on the right side. Steamer Another friendly appliance that lives in the kitchen is the steamer. Use it to cook rice, veggies and fish. The manual for the steamer is to the right of the microwave. Make sure to wash after each use. Recipes Amy’s favorite recipes can be found in the appendix at the back of this manual. From time to time, she may have you look through the recipe books in the kitchen for additional things to make but they will never be very complicated. (I’ve decided that they will be attached to the manual in a sort of appendix in the back. I’ll remove this sentence when I get the ‚all clear‛ from you. Just wanted to let you know what’s going on!)
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Living Room
The Couch The couch cover will need to be washed monthly and may require more frequent washings. It is very good at collecting crumbs and will need to be brushed off every day. The papers that build up on the couch will need to be gone through as determined by Amy. Otherwise, keep them in a neat pile on the right side of the couch if you are looking at it; left side if you are sitting on it. The Glass Tables These need to be kept clutter free and will need to have everything taken off of them and wiped down with glass cleaner once a month. Scent Diffuser This is a little white ceramic staple living on the wooden table in the corner of the living room closest to the door. A tealight is placed in the bottom of it and lit while scented oils are placed in the top bowl part. Tealights are found in the basket next to the scent diffuser and the scented oils are behind it. Put 12 drops of Sweet Orange and 3 drops of Eucalyptus for a fresh orange grove scent Place 12 drops of Sweet Orange for a clean orange scent Mix different scents for different feelings. Experiment. However, straight Eucalyptus is too strong. Use about 15 to 20 total drops per light.
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Bathroom
The bathroom will need to be cleaned weekly. This involves taking everything out of the bathroom and wiping down all the surfaces with bleach spray, cleaning the toilet bowl with Comet, washing the mirror with glass cleaner, and washing the tub with Comet paste. You will also need to mop the floor. More information about floor cleaning can be found under the floor section. Make sure to clean the outside of the toilet, the tank, the bottom, and behind it as well. Linen Closet The closet just outside the bathroom contains towels and bath products. Extra allergy medicine, hand sanitizer, tooth paste, and shampoo can be found here as well. Try to keep it as tidy as possible. Helping Amy Get Dressed You will also be helping Amy get dressed. This will mostly involve bottom-half clothing and shoes unless Amy asks otherwise. Getting her underwear and pants on over her feet and pulled up to her thighs will suffice as she can pull them up herself. Start with her right foot (which will be on your left side) when putting on pants or underwear. When putting on shoes, make sure to not tie them too tight.
Bedroom
The Desk
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The desk will need to be reorganized and the papers stacked and made tidy relatively often. Amy will also lose things in the desk that will require you to sift through papers. I suggest that while looking for something stack and/or sort the papers you have to go through. Papers You will notice that Amy accumulates a lot of paper. These will need to be sorted and put together. She has a large pink filing accordion-style folder that sits on top of the tubs at the foot of her bed. Each folder has a specific use. Simply pull out of the papers inside to find out what goes there. Make sure to keep the receipts together, the Hills Bank stuff together, J.P. Morgan stuff together, etc. Bedroom and
kitchen receipts need to be organized on a weekly or as needed basis.
The Bed The bed should be made every day and the sheets washed weekly if she is sleeping under them. If she isn’t, they can stay on the bed for up to a month without washing. The pink and yellow blankets will need to be washed once a month. While they are washing, another set of pink and yellow blankets can be found in the Redemption Room. Additional sheets can be found in the cupboards above the bed, above the dresser, and in the closet. The Dressers
I organized the dressers as follows:
Socks Sweaters/Long Sleeve Shirts Assorted Summer Wear Assorted Summer
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Wear Assorted Summer
Bras
Underwear
Summer Pants/Shorts Pajamas Fitted Tees/Camisoles Tee Shirts As long as you have a way you like, feel free to do it. This organization just worked the best for me. However, I would suggest having the dressers organized. Vacuuming The carpet in the bedroom will once or twice a week, as needed. The vacuum is in the closet in the living room. The rug in the bedroom doesn’t get vacuumed but does get laundered, usually when you wash the pink and yellow blankets from the bed.
Floors
Sweeping Sweeping will need to be done daily. Make sure to sweep under things such as the kitchen table and chairs, the glass tables, chairs, and scratching post in the living room. The couch will need to be pulled out and swept under once every two months. Mopping The recipes for mopping are found in the ‚Tools of the Trade‛ section. Floors will need to be mopped once a week alternating every other week with ‘regular’
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cleaning and ‘heavy’ cleaning. The ‘regular’ cleanings only need to be done with vinegar. Vinegar will be used to mop both laminate and wood floors. For the ‘heavy’ cleanings, start with vinegar and let it dry. Then use bleach on the laminate floors and Murphy’s Oil Soap on the wood floors.
Laundry
Pre-treating Sometimes you will need to pre-treat clothes. This will be done in one of two ways: Spray: For mild to moderate stains that aren’t set in, spray with the Oxymagic spray found in the bathroom and let sit until you do laundry Soaking: For heavy stains and set in stains. Combine three scoops of oxygen powder that is in the basement by the washer with hot water in the tan bucket. Soak clothes in it for one to seven days. Laundry The powdered detergent and various liquid detergents Amy uses. Use a full scoop of powdered or a cap of liquid for a full load of laundry. Dry in dryer.
Redemption Room
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This is a ‘catch-all’ room. Here’s what you’ll find in here: Greeting cards: on the white shelf right inside the door Blankets: in the closet Amy’s Mom’s stuff: in boxes primarily on the left side of the room Boxes of papers: on the left side of the room Books: on shelves and organized (except for the fiction books) Books The fiction books need to be shelved on the empty shelf in the back right corner. If you feel up to it, organized them by author. If not, just shelve them neatly. The other books are shelved and sorted in accordance to their labels and are in alphabetical order. Boxes of papers There should be about 14 boxes of papers that need to be sorted through. These will be gone through if Amy wants to do them. My advice would be to go slowly; perhaps one box every couple of days.
Errands
you go, keep track of you mileage. I kept a note in my car to remind myself, so that might help. Keep track of what Amy’s getting low on in the kitchen to speed up the list making process when it comes time to go shopping. I kept a running list on the fridge in the kitchen. Also make sure to park in the driveway when you bring groceries back. I found that the Hy-Vee on Waterfront carried the most gluten-free products over the
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Errands will be run as needed, sometimes on a daily basis. When
Hy-Vee on First Ave. Other places that you will frequent include New Pioneer Coop, the main Post Office, Washington St. Post Office, occasional take-out food from local restaurants, the cleaners, and Mc Donald’s. Sometimes, Amy will ask you to run errands with her, and/or drop her off in downtown Iowa City or Sycamore Mall, for example. Sometimes, Amy will ask you to also pick her up from errands she does. It depends on the specific day, errand and situation.
Mab Tatiana
I’ve saved the best and most important for last. If you’ve secured the job, you no doubt have won Mab over somehow. Though don’t let this fool you, you’ll have to cultivate the relationship with Mab or else you’ll be faced with her showing you her butt. If she is on the counters, use the purple spray water bottle on the counter to spray her on the butt and tell her to get down. Litter The litter box scoops itself but needs to have its tray dumped daily. You can dump it in a garbage bag that you keep by the litter box and wait until it fills up to take out or you can dump it right in the trash. I kept it in a garbage bag that I could twist shut to keep the smell down. When the litter in the box gets low, fill it with the World’s Best Cat Litter found in the litter box nook. Food and Water The food dish needs to be filled when it gets low from the cat food bag on the counter between the sink and the oven. Water needs to be refilled each day. Mad has a bulk feeder for water like her food dish on top of the fridge but loves dumping it
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out all over the kitchen. We never figured out how to secure it so she couldn’t move it but if you can come up with something, that would be wonderful. Toys and Playing Mab’s toys are usually strewn around the house. Her favorites are her rainbow and lemon because they are filled with catnip although she likes her jingly ball and white mouse. Don’t be afraid to play with her or talk to her, she seems to like it. She used to like me to chase her around the house but I can’t say if she’ll tolerate it from anyone else.
Recipes
Amy will occasionally give you pages from Internet and magazine recipes to try and possibly add to this section later on Chocolate Chip Muffins Makes 12 servings Ingredients 2 cups wheat/gluten free flour ½ cup white sugar 3 teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon salt ¾ cup of milk 1/3 cup vegetable oil 1 egg ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips 3 tablespoons white sugar
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2 tablespoons brown sugar Directions 1. Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease bottoms only of 12 muffin cups or line with baking cups. 2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, ½ cup sugar, baking powder, chocolate chips, and salt; mix well. In a small bowl, combine milk, oil, and egg; blend well. Add dry ingredients all at once; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened (batter will be lumpy.) 3. Fill cups 2/3 full. Sprinkle tops of muffins before baking with a combination of 3 tablespoons sugar and 2 tablespoons brown sugar. 4. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool one minute before removing from pan. Serve warm.
Pasta E Ceci (Pasta with Chick Peas) Ingredients 2 -16 ounce cans chick peas 1 small onion (diced) 2 cloves garlic (minced) ¼ cup olive oil 1 cup water 1 -16 ounce can chicken broth 1 -6 ounce can tomato paste 1 tablespoon parsley 1 teaspoon oregano
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¼ cup parmesan cheese Salt and pepper to taste 1 box linguine or other strand pasta Directions In a large deep frying pan, warm olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and sauté for about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté another 3 minutes. Next, add water, 1 cup broth, and tomato paste, and stir well, until all the paste is mixed in. Add parsley, oregano, salt, and pepper and allow to simmer on low 10-15 minutes. Next, add ceci beans and continue simmering another 10 minutes. Cook choice of pasta according to box directions. Drain. Add pasta to pan with sauce and mix well. If sauce is too thick, add more broth and simmer on very low heat. Allow to cook for about 5 more minutes.
Strawberries and Cream Mini Muffins Makes 24 muffins Ingredients 1 cup strawberries, slightly under-ripe, diced into quarter-inch pieces 1 squeeze of lemon juice 1 cup wheat/gluten free flour ½ cup sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder ¼ cup vegetable oil 1/3 cup sour cream 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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1 large egg 1 teaspoon powdered sugar Directions 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a 24-cup mini-muffin tin with paper baking cups. 2. Put diced strawberries into a bowl, spritz lemon juice on them and stir gently to combine. 3. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, sugar, and baking powder. 4. In a small bowl, beat together oil, sour cream, vanilla, and egg. Pour mixture over dry ingredients, stirring to combine with a wooden spoon. Fold in strawberries. 5. Divide batter evenly among the paper cups in the mini-muffin tin. Bake for 1214 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. 6. Remove tin from oven and leave to cool for 5 minutes. Take out the muffins and continue cooling them. When muffins are completely cool, sprinkle muffins with powdered sugar. Serve.
Aioli Makes one cup Ingredients 2 cloves of garlic 5 pinches of salt 2 egg yolks 1 tablespoon lemon juice
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½ cup olive oil ½ cup vegetable oil 1 cup mayonnaise Black pepper to taste Red pepper to taste
Directions 1. Cut the ends off of the garlic, peel it, and either chop it or put it through a garlic press. 2. Mix together garlic and salt. 3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks, lemon juice, garlic mixture, and mayo until well combined. 4. Start adding olive oil, drop by drop, whisking all the while. You can add it a bit faster as you go along, but the key to success is going very slowly at the start. Add vegetable oil the same way. Add black and red peppers to taste.
Hummus Noodles Ingredients 3 cloves of garlic 6 tablespoons olive oil 1 -4 ounce can of tomato paste ½ cup of hummus Directions
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1. In a shallow pan sauté garlic. Add tomato paste, stir (add olive oil if it gets clumpy.) 2. Add hummus and stir together until smooth. 3. Noodles should be cooking as you make the hummus sauce. 4. Drain noodles then add to pan with sauce and mix together. 5. Garnish with green olives and Feta crumbles. Broccoli and Cheetos Makes 6 servings Ingredients 2 cups heavy cream 3 tablespoons minced garlic 2 tablespoons minced shallots 6 black peppercorns 1 bay leaf 1 ½ cups grated aged Gouda ½ cup grated Parmesan Salt to taste 1 ¼ lbs (about 2 large heads) broccoli, cut into small florets, stems cut crosswise into ¼ inch slices 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon red chili flakes 2 cups original Cheetos, crushed by hand Directions
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1. Heat cream, 2 tablespoons of garlic, shallots, peppercorns, and bay leaf in a 2 quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring until reduced by half, about 6 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Stir in cheese and salt. 2. Strain sauce into a small saucepan. Set aside and keep warm. 3. Add broccoli to a large pot of boiling, salted water. Cook, stirring, until slightly al dente, about 3 minutes. Drain. Transfer broccoli to a bowl of ice water. When cool, drain and transfer to paper towels to dry. 4. Heat oil in a 12 inch skillet over medium high heat. Add remaining garlic and chili flakes and cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Add broccoli and cook, stirring often, until lightly browned, about 6 minutes. 5. Spoon cheese sauce among 6 serving containers. Top sauce with broccoli and a generous sprinkling of Cheetos.
Pasta with Grilled Artichokes Ingredients 1 pound of artichoke hearts, halved lengthwise Zest and juice of 1 lemon 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil Salt and pepper to taste ½ pound of spaghetti 4 tablespoons unsalted butter ¼ teaspoon crushed red chili flakes 4 cloves garlic, minced 2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan 2 tablespoons minced parsley
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Directions 1. Put artichokes, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and 6 cups water in a 4-quart saucepan. Boil, reduce heat, and simmer until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Drain artichokes; transfer to a medium bowl; toss with 4 tablespoons oil and salt and pepper. Heat a 12‛ pan over high heat. Place artichokes cut side down on grill pan and cook until tender, 6 minutes per side. Return grilled artichokes to the bowl and cover with plastic wrap; set aside. 2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add pasta; cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, 6-7 minutes. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup pasta water; set aside. Heat remaining oil and 3 tablespoons butter in a 12‛ skillet over medium heat; add chili flakes and garlic and cook, stirring, until garlic is soft, 4-5 minutes. Add remaining lemon juice along with zest, cooked pasta, and ½ cup Parmesan and toss together, adding reserved pasta water as needed to create a smooth sauce. Stir in remaining butter and parsley and season with salt and pepper. Te serve, divide pasta evenly between four bowls and top with artichokes; garnish with Parmesan and parsley.
Sibi’s Crustless Cranberry-Pecan Pie Serves 12 Ingredients ¾ cup melted unsalted butter or soy margarine 1 ½ cups granulated sugar 3 large eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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1 ¼ cups sifted pastry flour 1 ½ cups fresh or frozen cranberries 1 cup finely chopped pecans Directions 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 8 inch glass pie plate or 9 inch square cake pan. 2. Beat butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until thick and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Fold in flour by hand. Fold in cranberries and pecans. Pour into prepared pan, and spread evenly. 3. Bake 45 minutes, or until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Serve hot or cold. Aglio Olio: Garlic and Oil Pasta Ingredients 1 pound linguine 5 cloves garlic, minced ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper ¼ to 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil A handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped Black pepper to taste Directions Cook pasta until it’s al dente. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook garlic and pepper until it speaks. Toss drained pasta into the pan. Coat the pasta evenly with the garlic and oil. Add parsley and black pepper. Toss and taste. Adjust pepper and add a pinch of salt, if you feel it necessary.
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Lemon Garlic Spinach Ingredients 1 bag spinach 1 tablespoon garlic powder 2 ½ tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons lemon juice Directions Rinse spinach. Put spinach, butter, garlic, and lemon juice in a large microwavable container. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave for 5 minutes. Uncover and stir.
Regular Smoothie Ingredients 1 cup water 1 ice cube 1 tablespoon PB2 powder 4 squirts cherry juice 1 cup frozen fruit 2 full scoops Herbalife powder
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Directions Add all ingredients in blender. Blend on ‚smoothie‛ setting low for ten seconds, high for twenty, and low again until you can’t hear any chunks.
Prolessa Smoothie Ingredients 1 cup water 1 ice cube 1 scoop Prolessa powder 2 full scoops Herbalife powder Directions Add water, ice cube, and Herbalife powder in blender and blend until you can’t hear any chunks. Add Prolessa and blend for 5 seconds.
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Contents Tools of the Trade Kitchen Living Room Bathroom Bedroom Floors Laundry Redemption Room Errands Mab Tatiana Recipes 3 5 8 9 9 11 12 12 13 14 15
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Hello, and welcome to working at Amy and Mab’s house. I have a few pointers for you before we dive into the nitty-gritty of the job. She is very understanding of any schedule changes you may have as long as you let her know. If you can’t make it for any reason, let her know. If you’re going to be late, even by ten minutes, let her know. If you do that, you will be just fine. Amy welcomes all and any suggestions once. If you suggest an idea or task to her, and she says, "No," don't bring it up again, unless Amy asks you to repeat and/or explain. Amy is flexible and understanding in general and in regard to any emergencies. However, if you've told her on one day that you plan to work a certain amount of time, and your plans change, please try, whenever possible to notify her by e-mail or voice mail before hand and not in person on the actual day. NOTE: Sweeping kitchen and living room and washing any dishes in sink should be done first the moment you walk through the door.
Tools of the Trade
Here’s what you’ll need to get the job done: The Tool Vinegar Bleach Green Works Its Use(s) Cleaning Floors and various other surfaces Cleaning floors and various other surfaces Cleaning kitchen counters and other surfaces that need a gentler touch To clean the glass tables Where find It Under the kitchen sink: left side Under the kitchen sink: right side Under the kitchen sink: left side Under the kitchen sink: left
Glass Cleaner
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Comet Clorox Bleach Spray Murphy’s Oil Soap Gloves
and mirror in the bathroom For ‚Comet Paste‛ which is covered shortly For cleaning bathroom, walls, and sinks For cleaning wood floors Wear while cleaning anything To sweep To mop kitchen and bathroom floors
side Under the kitchen sink: left side Under the kitchen sink: left side Under the kitchen sink: left side Under the kitchen sink: right side In the litter box nook In the litter box nook
Broom and Dust Pan Laminate Floor Mop (Mr. Clean mop with white and blue sponge) To mop living room and Wood Floor Mop (Green mop with brown hall way porous sponge) Used for mopping Green Bucket Tan Bucket Sponges Net Sponges Paper Towels
In litter box nook
In recycling corner; next to fridge Used for soaking clothes In recycling corner; next to fridge Used for bleach cleaning Under kitchen sink: right and Comet Paste side Used for dishes Under the kitchen sink: right side Used for wiping all sorts of On the chairs under the things bookshelf in the kitchen
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There are a few recipes for cleaning that you’ll need to know. There are no exact measurements that need to be prescribed to so once you get a feel for the ‘right’ amounts. Vinegar for floors: Use about a cup per gallon of water or two seconds of pouring per half a bucket of water. Make sure to always use hot water. Vinegar for spray bottles: Fill the bottle up with water up to the neck of the bottle and fill the rest of the way up with vinegar. Bleach for floors: Use about a cup per gallon of water or two seconds of pouring per half a bucket of water. Make sure to always use hot water. Bleach for spray bottles: Fill the bottle up with water up to the neck of the bottle and fill the rest of the way up with bleach. Remember that too little bleach/vinegar is worse than too much. Comet Paste: This is a wonderful tool to make things WHITE. Fill a small clear glass bowl with some Comet then add water sparingly, stirring, until a pourable paste is produced. Pour on stain and leave for about a half an hour. Then sponge it off thoroughly with water. If the stain isn’t gone, try again. This is used on sinks, the tub, and linoleum floors. Murphy’s Oil Soap: Use half a cup of Murphy’s for each gallon of hot water.
Kitchen
Dishes Hopefully, these should be pretty much self-explanatory. Amy doesn’t have a dishwasher so all dishes will be done by hand. The metal sink stopper doesn’t work the best so use the rubber one; it’s kind of tricky to fit in the drain but once you get it once, it’s easy. For really dirty dishes or baked on food in pans, put some vinegar
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and water in it and let it sit. You can also add some ammonia (if she has it) to the dishwater to aid in cleaning however if the smell gets to you then don’t use it.
Counters Counters should be kept clean, but as with dishes, this should be common knowledge. Once every week or two wash with a bleach mixture from the spray bottle. Between bleaching, clean with Greenworks. Make sure to never prepare food on the counters just after doing a bleaching. The Refrigerator (Or Icebox, as Amy calls it) The fridge should be thoroughly cleaned every 2-4 weeks, as needed. Veggies go in the crisper drawer in the bottom, condiments in the door, cheese in the door, butter in the door, drinks on the top shelf and everything else where it fits. You’ll have to do rearranging from time to time to keep things accessible for Amy. Try to not pack things from front to back, if possible. Just think about getting things out with one hand while packing the fridge. The freezer should be cleaned and defrosted every 4-8 weeks, as needed. Oven I keep the baking sheets in the oven. If you’re cooking anything, please remember to take them out. The oven needs to be wiped out every month with Greenworks. The stovetop needs to be cleaned off every month with Greenworks as well but may need to be cleaned more than that if you’re doing a lot of cooking. Make sure to either use Greenworks or the vinegar mixture. Don’t use bleach. Coffee Put two scoops of coffee in a filter in the top for 12 cups of coffee. Then press ‚On‛. Once the coffee is done, make sure to empty out the filter and used coffee grounds.
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Recycling Recycling is placed in the blue garbage can in the corner next to the litter box. Recycling goes out on Tuesday and is picked up Wednesday mornings and needs to be taken out to the curb every week. Glass cannot be recycled on the curb-side pickup and must be taken to City Carton once 15-20 glass bottles have built up. Everything else needs to be sorted into Paper, Plastic, or Metal in the blue recycling bin found in the car port. Amy’s is the one with the broken lid. There are two paper bags used for sorting: use both bags and the bin itself for sorting. Garbage Garbage needs to be taken out when it’s full which varies from week to week. Place garbage in the trash can closest to the mailbox. Don’t worry about taking it out to the curb as Beth, Amy’s current downstairs neighbor, takes both cans out. Garbage bags can be found under the kitchen sink on the right side. Steamer Another friendly appliance that lives in the kitchen is the steamer. Use it to cook rice, veggies and fish. The manual for the steamer is to the right of the microwave. Make sure to wash after each use. Recipes Amy’s favorite recipes can be found in the appendix at the back of this manual. From time to time, she may have you look through the recipe books in the kitchen for additional things to make but they will never be very complicated. (I’ve decided that they will be attached to the manual in a sort of appendix in the back. I’ll remove this sentence when I get the ‚all clear‛ from you. Just wanted to let you know what’s going on!)
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Living Room
The Couch The couch cover will need to be washed monthly and may require more frequent washings. It is very good at collecting crumbs and will need to be brushed off every day. The papers that build up on the couch will need to be gone through as determined by Amy. Otherwise, keep them in a neat pile on the right side of the couch if you are looking at it; left side if you are sitting on it. The Glass Tables These need to be kept clutter free and will need to have everything taken off of them and wiped down with glass cleaner once a month. Scent Diffuser This is a little white ceramic staple living on the wooden table in the corner of the living room closest to the door. A tealight is placed in the bottom of it and lit while scented oils are placed in the top bowl part. Tealights are found in the basket next to the scent diffuser and the scented oils are behind it. Put 12 drops of Sweet Orange and 3 drops of Eucalyptus for a fresh orange grove scent Place 12 drops of Sweet Orange for a clean orange scent Mix different scents for different feelings. Experiment. However, straight Eucalyptus is too strong. Use about 15 to 20 total drops per light.
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Bathroom
The bathroom will need to be cleaned weekly. This involves taking everything out of the bathroom and wiping down all the surfaces with bleach spray, cleaning the toilet bowl with Comet, washing the mirror with glass cleaner, and washing the tub with Comet paste. You will also need to mop the floor. More information about floor cleaning can be found under the floor section. Make sure to clean the outside of the toilet, the tank, the bottom, and behind it as well. Linen Closet The closet just outside the bathroom contains towels and bath products. Extra allergy medicine, hand sanitizer, tooth paste, and shampoo can be found here as well. Try to keep it as tidy as possible. Helping Amy Get Dressed You will also be helping Amy get dressed. This will mostly involve bottom-half clothing and shoes unless Amy asks otherwise. Getting her underwear and pants on over her feet and pulled up to her thighs will suffice as she can pull them up herself. Start with her right foot (which will be on your left side) when putting on pants or underwear. When putting on shoes, make sure to not tie them too tight.
Bedroom
The Desk
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The desk will need to be reorganized and the papers stacked and made tidy relatively often. Amy will also lose things in the desk that will require you to sift through papers. I suggest that while looking for something stack and/or sort the papers you have to go through. Papers You will notice that Amy accumulates a lot of paper. These will need to be sorted and put together. She has a large pink filing accordion-style folder that sits on top of the tubs at the foot of her bed. Each folder has a specific use. Simply pull out of the papers inside to find out what goes there. Make sure to keep the receipts together, the Hills Bank stuff together, J.P. Morgan stuff together, etc. Bedroom and
kitchen receipts need to be organized on a weekly or as needed basis.
The Bed The bed should be made every day and the sheets washed weekly if she is sleeping under them. If she isn’t, they can stay on the bed for up to a month without washing. The pink and yellow blankets will need to be washed once a month. While they are washing, another set of pink and yellow blankets can be found in the Redemption Room. Additional sheets can be found in the cupboards above the bed, above the dresser, and in the closet. The Dressers
I organized the dressers as follows:
Socks Sweaters/Long Sleeve Shirts Assorted Summer Wear Assorted Summer
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Wear Assorted Summer
Bras
Underwear
Summer Pants/Shorts Pajamas Fitted Tees/Camisoles Tee Shirts As long as you have a way you like, feel free to do it. This organization just worked the best for me. However, I would suggest having the dressers organized. Vacuuming The carpet in the bedroom will once or twice a week, as needed. The vacuum is in the closet in the living room. The rug in the bedroom doesn’t get vacuumed but does get laundered, usually when you wash the pink and yellow blankets from the bed.
Floors
Sweeping Sweeping will need to be done daily. Make sure to sweep under things such as the kitchen table and chairs, the glass tables, chairs, and scratching post in the living room. The couch will need to be pulled out and swept under once every two months. Mopping The recipes for mopping are found in the ‚Tools of the Trade‛ section. Floors will need to be mopped once a week alternating every other week with ‘regular’
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cleaning and ‘heavy’ cleaning. The ‘regular’ cleanings only need to be done with vinegar. Vinegar will be used to mop both laminate and wood floors. For the ‘heavy’ cleanings, start with vinegar and let it dry. Then use bleach on the laminate floors and Murphy’s Oil Soap on the wood floors.
Laundry
Pre-treating Sometimes you will need to pre-treat clothes. This will be done in one of two ways: Spray: For mild to moderate stains that aren’t set in, spray with the Oxymagic spray found in the bathroom and let sit until you do laundry Soaking: For heavy stains and set in stains. Combine three scoops of oxygen powder that is in the basement by the washer with hot water in the tan bucket. Soak clothes in it for one to seven days. Laundry The powdered detergent and various liquid detergents Amy uses. Use a full scoop of powdered or a cap of liquid for a full load of laundry. Dry in dryer.
Redemption Room
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This is a ‘catch-all’ room. Here’s what you’ll find in here: Greeting cards: on the white shelf right inside the door Blankets: in the closet Amy’s Mom’s stuff: in boxes primarily on the left side of the room Boxes of papers: on the left side of the room Books: on shelves and organized (except for the fiction books) Books The fiction books need to be shelved on the empty shelf in the back right corner. If you feel up to it, organized them by author. If not, just shelve them neatly. The other books are shelved and sorted in accordance to their labels and are in alphabetical order. Boxes of papers There should be about 14 boxes of papers that need to be sorted through. These will be gone through if Amy wants to do them. My advice would be to go slowly; perhaps one box every couple of days.
Errands
you go, keep track of you mileage. I kept a note in my car to remind myself, so that might help. Keep track of what Amy’s getting low on in the kitchen to speed up the list making process when it comes time to go shopping. I kept a running list on the fridge in the kitchen. Also make sure to park in the driveway when you bring groceries back. I found that the Hy-Vee on Waterfront carried the most gluten-free products over the
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Errands will be run as needed, sometimes on a daily basis. When
Hy-Vee on First Ave. Other places that you will frequent include New Pioneer Coop, the main Post Office, Washington St. Post Office, occasional take-out food from local restaurants, the cleaners, and Mc Donald’s. Sometimes, Amy will ask you to run errands with her, and/or drop her off in downtown Iowa City or Sycamore Mall, for example. Sometimes, Amy will ask you to also pick her up from errands she does. It depends on the specific day, errand and situation.
Mab Tatiana
I’ve saved the best and most important for last. If you’ve secured the job, you no doubt have won Mab over somehow. Though don’t let this fool you, you’ll have to cultivate the relationship with Mab or else you’ll be faced with her showing you her butt. If she is on the counters, use the purple spray water bottle on the counter to spray her on the butt and tell her to get down. Litter The litter box scoops itself but needs to have its tray dumped daily. You can dump it in a garbage bag that you keep by the litter box and wait until it fills up to take out or you can dump it right in the trash. I kept it in a garbage bag that I could twist shut to keep the smell down. When the litter in the box gets low, fill it with the World’s Best Cat Litter found in the litter box nook. Food and Water The food dish needs to be filled when it gets low from the cat food bag on the counter between the sink and the oven. Water needs to be refilled each day. Mad has a bulk feeder for water like her food dish on top of the fridge but loves dumping it
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out all over the kitchen. We never figured out how to secure it so she couldn’t move it but if you can come up with something, that would be wonderful. Toys and Playing Mab’s toys are usually strewn around the house. Her favorites are her rainbow and lemon because they are filled with catnip although she likes her jingly ball and white mouse. Don’t be afraid to play with her or talk to her, she seems to like it. She used to like me to chase her around the house but I can’t say if she’ll tolerate it from anyone else.
Recipes
Amy will occasionally give you pages from Internet and magazine recipes to try and possibly add to this section later on Chocolate Chip Muffins Makes 12 servings Ingredients 2 cups wheat/gluten free flour ½ cup white sugar 3 teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon salt ¾ cup of milk 1/3 cup vegetable oil 1 egg ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips 3 tablespoons white sugar
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2 tablespoons brown sugar Directions 1. Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease bottoms only of 12 muffin cups or line with baking cups. 2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, ½ cup sugar, baking powder, chocolate chips, and salt; mix well. In a small bowl, combine milk, oil, and egg; blend well. Add dry ingredients all at once; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened (batter will be lumpy.) 3. Fill cups 2/3 full. Sprinkle tops of muffins before baking with a combination of 3 tablespoons sugar and 2 tablespoons brown sugar. 4. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool one minute before removing from pan. Serve warm.
Pasta E Ceci (Pasta with Chick Peas) Ingredients 2 -16 ounce cans chick peas 1 small onion (diced) 2 cloves garlic (minced) ¼ cup olive oil 1 cup water 1 -16 ounce can chicken broth 1 -6 ounce can tomato paste 1 tablespoon parsley 1 teaspoon oregano
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¼ cup parmesan cheese Salt and pepper to taste 1 box linguine or other strand pasta Directions In a large deep frying pan, warm olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and sauté for about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté another 3 minutes. Next, add water, 1 cup broth, and tomato paste, and stir well, until all the paste is mixed in. Add parsley, oregano, salt, and pepper and allow to simmer on low 10-15 minutes. Next, add ceci beans and continue simmering another 10 minutes. Cook choice of pasta according to box directions. Drain. Add pasta to pan with sauce and mix well. If sauce is too thick, add more broth and simmer on very low heat. Allow to cook for about 5 more minutes.
Strawberries and Cream Mini Muffins Makes 24 muffins Ingredients 1 cup strawberries, slightly under-ripe, diced into quarter-inch pieces 1 squeeze of lemon juice 1 cup wheat/gluten free flour ½ cup sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder ¼ cup vegetable oil 1/3 cup sour cream 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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1 large egg 1 teaspoon powdered sugar Directions 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a 24-cup mini-muffin tin with paper baking cups. 2. Put diced strawberries into a bowl, spritz lemon juice on them and stir gently to combine. 3. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, sugar, and baking powder. 4. In a small bowl, beat together oil, sour cream, vanilla, and egg. Pour mixture over dry ingredients, stirring to combine with a wooden spoon. Fold in strawberries. 5. Divide batter evenly among the paper cups in the mini-muffin tin. Bake for 1214 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. 6. Remove tin from oven and leave to cool for 5 minutes. Take out the muffins and continue cooling them. When muffins are completely cool, sprinkle muffins with powdered sugar. Serve.
Aioli Makes one cup Ingredients 2 cloves of garlic 5 pinches of salt 2 egg yolks 1 tablespoon lemon juice
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½ cup olive oil ½ cup vegetable oil 1 cup mayonnaise Black pepper to taste Red pepper to taste
Directions 1. Cut the ends off of the garlic, peel it, and either chop it or put it through a garlic press. 2. Mix together garlic and salt. 3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks, lemon juice, garlic mixture, and mayo until well combined. 4. Start adding olive oil, drop by drop, whisking all the while. You can add it a bit faster as you go along, but the key to success is going very slowly at the start. Add vegetable oil the same way. Add black and red peppers to taste.
Hummus Noodles Ingredients 3 cloves of garlic 6 tablespoons olive oil 1 -4 ounce can of tomato paste ½ cup of hummus Directions
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1. In a shallow pan sauté garlic. Add tomato paste, stir (add olive oil if it gets clumpy.) 2. Add hummus and stir together until smooth. 3. Noodles should be cooking as you make the hummus sauce. 4. Drain noodles then add to pan with sauce and mix together. 5. Garnish with green olives and Feta crumbles. Broccoli and Cheetos Makes 6 servings Ingredients 2 cups heavy cream 3 tablespoons minced garlic 2 tablespoons minced shallots 6 black peppercorns 1 bay leaf 1 ½ cups grated aged Gouda ½ cup grated Parmesan Salt to taste 1 ¼ lbs (about 2 large heads) broccoli, cut into small florets, stems cut crosswise into ¼ inch slices 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon red chili flakes 2 cups original Cheetos, crushed by hand Directions
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1. Heat cream, 2 tablespoons of garlic, shallots, peppercorns, and bay leaf in a 2 quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring until reduced by half, about 6 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Stir in cheese and salt. 2. Strain sauce into a small saucepan. Set aside and keep warm. 3. Add broccoli to a large pot of boiling, salted water. Cook, stirring, until slightly al dente, about 3 minutes. Drain. Transfer broccoli to a bowl of ice water. When cool, drain and transfer to paper towels to dry. 4. Heat oil in a 12 inch skillet over medium high heat. Add remaining garlic and chili flakes and cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Add broccoli and cook, stirring often, until lightly browned, about 6 minutes. 5. Spoon cheese sauce among 6 serving containers. Top sauce with broccoli and a generous sprinkling of Cheetos.
Pasta with Grilled Artichokes Ingredients 1 pound of artichoke hearts, halved lengthwise Zest and juice of 1 lemon 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil Salt and pepper to taste ½ pound of spaghetti 4 tablespoons unsalted butter ¼ teaspoon crushed red chili flakes 4 cloves garlic, minced 2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan 2 tablespoons minced parsley
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Directions 1. Put artichokes, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and 6 cups water in a 4-quart saucepan. Boil, reduce heat, and simmer until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Drain artichokes; transfer to a medium bowl; toss with 4 tablespoons oil and salt and pepper. Heat a 12‛ pan over high heat. Place artichokes cut side down on grill pan and cook until tender, 6 minutes per side. Return grilled artichokes to the bowl and cover with plastic wrap; set aside. 2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add pasta; cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, 6-7 minutes. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup pasta water; set aside. Heat remaining oil and 3 tablespoons butter in a 12‛ skillet over medium heat; add chili flakes and garlic and cook, stirring, until garlic is soft, 4-5 minutes. Add remaining lemon juice along with zest, cooked pasta, and ½ cup Parmesan and toss together, adding reserved pasta water as needed to create a smooth sauce. Stir in remaining butter and parsley and season with salt and pepper. Te serve, divide pasta evenly between four bowls and top with artichokes; garnish with Parmesan and parsley.
Sibi’s Crustless Cranberry-Pecan Pie Serves 12 Ingredients ¾ cup melted unsalted butter or soy margarine 1 ½ cups granulated sugar 3 large eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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1 ¼ cups sifted pastry flour 1 ½ cups fresh or frozen cranberries 1 cup finely chopped pecans Directions 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 8 inch glass pie plate or 9 inch square cake pan. 2. Beat butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until thick and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Fold in flour by hand. Fold in cranberries and pecans. Pour into prepared pan, and spread evenly. 3. Bake 45 minutes, or until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Serve hot or cold. Aglio Olio: Garlic and Oil Pasta Ingredients 1 pound linguine 5 cloves garlic, minced ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper ¼ to 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil A handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped Black pepper to taste Directions Cook pasta until it’s al dente. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook garlic and pepper until it speaks. Toss drained pasta into the pan. Coat the pasta evenly with the garlic and oil. Add parsley and black pepper. Toss and taste. Adjust pepper and add a pinch of salt, if you feel it necessary.
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Lemon Garlic Spinach Ingredients 1 bag spinach 1 tablespoon garlic powder 2 ½ tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons lemon juice Directions Rinse spinach. Put spinach, butter, garlic, and lemon juice in a large microwavable container. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave for 5 minutes. Uncover and stir.
Regular Smoothie Ingredients 1 cup water 1 ice cube 1 tablespoon PB2 powder 4 squirts cherry juice 1 cup frozen fruit 2 full scoops Herbalife powder
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Directions Add all ingredients in blender. Blend on ‚smoothie‛ setting low for ten seconds, high for twenty, and low again until you can’t hear any chunks.
Prolessa Smoothie Ingredients 1 cup water 1 ice cube 1 scoop Prolessa powder 2 full scoops Herbalife powder Directions Add water, ice cube, and Herbalife powder in blender and blend until you can’t hear any chunks. Add Prolessa and blend for 5 seconds.
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