Simple Spring Recipes!

Simple Spring Recipes!

Looking to kick up your repertoire in the kitchen? Try cooking seasonally using the following recipes from Food & Wine.com. Each features beautiful spring produce complete with wine pairing. For more recipe suggestions see our Mangia! Board on Pinterest here: https://www.pinterest.com/5aspace/mangia/

Grilled Apricots with Burrata, Country Ham and Arugula
Recipe by Travis Lett
http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/grilled-apricots-with-burrata-country-ham-and-arugula?xid=emailsharebar

Thai Crab-and-Green-Mango Salad

Recipe by Laurent Tourondel

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/thai-crab-and-green-mango-salad?xid=email

Pea-and-Bacon Risotto
Recipe by James Tracey
http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/pea-and-bacon-risotto?xid=emailsharebar

Healthy Heart, Healthy Body

Healthy Heart, Healthy Body

            

February is Heart Health Awareness month. The Go Red for Women campaign has done a wonderful job bringing to light the effects of heart disease in women. What are some simple steps we can all take to increase our heart health as well as our overall health? Let’s visit the American Heart Association Go Red for Women website for some helpful tips. https://www.goredforwomen.org/#

1. Participate in regular cardiovascular exercise to increase and maintain heart health. The AHA (American Heart Association) recommends that we participate in at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic activity 5 days a week or 25 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity 3 days a week. Combine your cardiovascular exercise with Moderate to high intensity strength training exercise at least 2 days a week. 
   
2. Eat a diet rich in heart healthy foods such as leafy greens, extra virgin olive oil, fish, nuts, and berries. The darker color in the produce, the more antioxidants it has to aide in your heart health. 
   
3. Learn to manage your stress. When we become stressed, our bodies release adrenaline into the blood stream. This causes our blood pressure and heart rate to spike. If we are constantly under stress, our body never gets a chance to rest and recover. The constant release of adrenaline will cause sustained damage to our artery wall. Practicing yoga, taking a few deep breaths, and learning to manage our stress will go a long way to increasing our heart health.
   

This activity infographic was on the Go Red for Women website. Here’s the link: https://www.goredforwomen.org/live-healthy/heart-healthy-exercises/what-exercise-is-right-for-me/

For more tips on heart health, visit https://www.goredforwomen.org/#. For Health & Wellness tips and healthy recipes, visit our Pinterest board at https://www.pinterest.com/5aspace/. Here’s a short video posted on the Go Red for women website of exercises we can do using things we have at home.

https://www.goredforwomen.org/live-healthy/heart-healthy-exercises/andia-winslow-kitchen-workout-video/

Planning a Kitchen Remodel?

Use a Rental  Unit at a Storage Facility in Moraga,  near Lafayette

A kitchen remodeling project takes a lot of planning, patience and organization to get the job done on time, on budget and with the least amount of stress. You may not have a fully-functional kitchen for weeks or months, depending on how extensive your remodel will be. Instead of cramming all your kitchen accessories, furniture and appliances into the rest of the house, why not rent a unit at a storage facility in Moraga near Lafayette?

Storage Options During Kitchen Remodeling

Whether your kitchen remodel is a big project or a small one, for the time you will be displaced, it is easier to move your stuff out of the way so that you do not have to worry about things being broken and cluttering up the rest of your living spaces. Luckily, you have a great option for storing your kitchen stuff while the remodel is in progress.

• Quick and Easy Kitchen Remodels - For a kitchen remodel that is not likely to take long, you may not want to move all of your kitchen items out. Instead, you can set up a temporary food preparation area in one half your kitchen while the other half is being remodeled, or in another room. You may want to leave your table and a few kitchen accessories in this temporary kitchen too. Save out what you’ll need for everyday living, and store the rest of your dishes and other kitchen items packed in boxes in a small storage unit for the few weeks while your kitchen will be under construction.
• Extensive Kitchen Remodels - For a longer, more in-depth remodeling project, you will want to move most or all of your kitchen items out of the house. This is because with a longer kitchen remodel job, your contractor needs the space to work, and you do not want kitchen items cluttering up the remainder of your house for months. If you are not purchasing new appliances, you should be able to fit your kitchen appliances and equipment into a small, single-room unit. If your kitchen remodel will interfere with your adjoining living spaces, you may want to also move items from those areas into the storage unit as well. This way, you can protect them from any damage.

While you are planning your kitchen remodel, do not forget about your furniture and décor. You can save yourself the hassle of broken items, the pain of cleaning up paint and dust, and just store it all where it will stay safe. Take a look at storage rentals in  Moraga near Lafayette and see how affordable it is to relocate items from your kitchen while it is being remodeled.

Call 5A Rent-A-Space at (925) 631-7000 to learn about our storage rentals in Lafayette while you are remodeling your kitchen. Learn more by reading our FAQ page or reserve your unit online today. Not sure how much space you need? Use our “Space Calculator” and find out instantly.

A Senior Loved One Moving Into Your Home?

Make Room by Renting a Unit at a Storage Facility in Moraga, close by Lafayette!

As our loved ones age, they may need more personal care. Moving your loved one into your home is a great way to help them and even ensure they stay close to the entire family. You will need to think about what to do with their personal belongings; not all of their things will  fit in your home. How do you make your home comfortable for the entire family, including your loved one? Will you need to move some of your stuff out? Renting a unit at a storage facility near Lafayette can be the answer to your problem.

Making the Transition Easier

Moving is stressful for anyone. For your senior loved one, they are giving up some levels of independence and maybe even moving away from the home they have lived in for decades. Try your best to make this transition as easy as possible for everyone.

• Respect their possessions. There may be some items your loved one cannot put in a storage facility. Try to make room for those, especially if they are sentimental pieces important to your senior.
• Do not store items in your garage. Because your loved one may live with you for several months or even years, you may think about storing stuff in the garage to make room in the house. However, items stored in the garage can get dusty, have other items inadvertently stacked on top of them, or be damaged in other ways. A better option is to rent a unit at a storage facility in Moraga, near Lafayette where the items can be protected.
• Handle their furniture and other items as if they were your own. Take extra care with your loved one’s items and treat them as if they were your own. Wrap delicate and breakable décor pieces, protect furniture and package everything well so that it can withstand both the move and the extended storage time.
• Make space. You may need to clear out a room. Do not clutter up the rest of your house with the items you move out. Instead, put them into storage and while you’re at it, see what items throughout the house you can downsize. That way, the entire family, including your senior, won’t feel cramped for space.
• See how else you can help. The transition will be stressful for everyone. Address all the elements of the move, settling in and new living arrangements with as much calmness as you can. See what you can do to help your loved one adjust. Ask if they need anything and if there is something you can do to make them more comfortable.

Taking in a senior loved one is a big responsibility, but one that will be appreciated more than you may ever know. You can make everyone more comfortable and maximize your living space just by tucking away the items you do not need in a storage facility in Morage, near Lafayette. That way everyone can enjoy time with one another without tripping over each other’s possessions.

Call 5A Rent-A-Space at (925) 631-7000 to learn about our storage facility in Lafayette. Read our FAQs  to learn more about self-storage or reserve your unit online. If you are not sure how much space you will need for your loved one’s furniture, use the “Space Calculator” to get a better estimate. 

Electronic Waste Recycling

E-Waste

           

Everyone can admit to wanting to keep up with the latest and greatest in technological devices. At some point in time we look at the growing pile of old iPhones, iPods, laptops and charging cords and wonder what to do with them. The best practice when disposing of these items is to look for a way to recycle them. According to the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), “Recycling one million laptops saves the energy equivalent to the electricity used by more than 3,500 US homes in a year.” And for every million cell phones recycled, “35 thousand pounds of copper, 772 pounds of silver, 75 pounds of gold, and 33 pounds of palladium can be recovered.” And recycling produces jobs. http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/materials/ecycling/donate.htm

Here are a few tips for recycling your electronics:

• Make sure they are all wiped clean of all personal data. Don’t know how to do this task? Walk into an Apple store and ask them for help. They will make sure no personal information pops up on your phone.
• If you can, remove batteries from your devices, they may need to be recycled separately. 
• Decide if you want to donate or completely recycle your electronic. If your old IPhone is still functional and you only wanted that new upgrade, think about donating it to a charity. If it’s your old lap top that finally gave up the ghost, recycle that completely. 

Want to know where to recycle your electronics? Contact one of the following businesses.

• 5A Rent-A-Space: Our three site locations have monthly e-waste events. Contact our locations for more information: in Foster City, Ca, Moraga, Ca for monthly recycling and Lahaina, HI for periodic recycling. http://www.5aspace.com/
• Companies such as Best Buy, major phone carriers (Sprint, LG, Samsung, and ATT) and electronic manufacturers (Sony, Panasonic, Samsung, Apple etc.) often recycle mobile devices, laptops and televisions. 
• Cell Phones for Soldiers (http://www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com/) is one of the many companies that take donated phones and provide them to soldiers who are in need of a low-cost way to call home.

  For more information concerning recycling, e-waste and other related topics, see our company Pinterest profile.  https://www.pinterest.com/5aspace/

Valentine’s on a Budget

Valentine’s on a Budget

It’s that time of year again where “love is in the air” and people start to make plans for Valentine’s Day. As is the case with New Year’s Eve and Mother’s Day Brunch, the cost of a meal out can be expensive. If you want to do something special for the one you love, and don’t want to break the bank, take a look at the following suggestions to help you enjoy your holiday in a meaningful and cost effective way.

• Make dinner from scratch at home. Cook each other’s favorite dishes, buy some sparkling cider or wine instead of Champagne (Note: Martinelli’s Apple Cider at $3.69 a bottle and La Marca Prosecco at $14.00 are excellent budget conscious choices). Cooking together requires teamwork and communication. The quality time can be a great respite in the midst of chaotic schedules.
  
• Have Kids? Spend time baking cookies or cupcakes that the kids can decorate with frosting and sprinkles in Valentines colors. Then make it a movie or game night with the kids. Quality time over high dollar amounts always makes a positive difference in kid’s lives.
  

• Pack a picnic and go on an excursion, just the two of you. It could be ice skating at an outdoor rink (weather permitting), visiting a local art gallery, or going on a hike with a picnic lunch; the sky is truly the limit.
  

• Write a handwritten note instead of buying a fancy card. It may sound old fashioned, but writing a heartfelt note stating how much you love your spouse or partner is usually deeply appreciated.
  

• Make your gift from the heart, whether it’s a photo book from Shutterfly of your favorite photos, a craft made at school by the kids, or planting your spouse/partners favorite flower in the backyard. All of these things say to your other half, “I was thinking of you, and am making the effort to give you something that is meaningful.”
  

 For more Valentine’s Day ideas and suggestions, check out our Valentine’s Day Board on Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/5aspace/seasons-greetings/