Weekly Organizational Challenge - Meal Planning

Funny thing, this is a post I've been working on for a week or so - showing you how I meal plan - and it comes up as a weekly challenge!  Perfect timing. 

A little background - I've always enjoyed cooking.  Even when I was single, I would scour recipe books and try new things all the time.  I learned to cut recipes in half so that there wouldn't be too much for one person - or even for two, after I got married.  I've learned what seasonings we like, what we don't like, and how to prepare certain things that even surprise me every once in awhile.  I am by no means a chef - I'm just your typical home cook who messes up, makes bad meals, has a roast that doesn't turn out, a cake that is VERY dry but still enjoys cooking. 

We had really gotten into a rut as far as meals go for a little bit . . .well, like a year.  I've mentioned in other posts related to to this topic how we had tacos, spaghetti, beef strogenoff, every single week. The other 4 nights we ended up grabbing something out because life was just too busy.  Summers were great because we could grill but even that would get pushed aside due to "life".  Well, than I flipped the other direction - I was cooking a new recipe every single night and, let me tell you, there were some dooseys.  Wow.  The last straw was when I made three meals in a row that were horrible and we had to do a Taco Bell run.  Not good!!!  So, I finally started on something I had wanted to do for years - even tried to do - but I was determined to make it work!!

My Meal Planning

1. I went through all of my recipes and made a list of our favorites by category - beef, chicken, breakfast, desserts, ect.  This list is only the tried and true favorites - the ones we could eat every week and still love.  I originally kept this in my Home Management Journal but have found that it is  better housed in my Recipe Binder.  With this list I'm able to quickly plug items into our weekly menu.

2.  My Menu Sheet is my next big lifesaver.  I finally created one that actually includes a space for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Snacks and Cookies/Desserts.  I created this is word so I can either print it off and hand write the items  or I can fill it in on the computer and than print it off.  One thing that I've found works for me is that I gave each day a "category".  For example, Monday is Ethnic, Tuesday is Beef, etc.  This is not set in stone by any means but it helps keep me from throwing in Beef meals every single night.  Some weeks, like the one shown below, I just throw stuff in that looks good and have no rhyme or reason!  If you do nothing else, taking time out once a week or every two weeks to plan your family meals will really help you out a lot.  I used to be the one running to before coming home from work because I didn't have what I needed or waited to plan - this really has alleviated that pressure!

3. The next thing I do is gather all of my recipes.  One of the early weekly challenges was to create a Recipe Binder.  I have chosen to use a regular size 3 ring binder (Letter Size).  Over the years I've tried all kinds of ways to keep recipes and have discovered that having to retype recipes is not something I want to invest my time into but rather, by using a standard size binder, I can just print from recipe sites or pull recipes from magazines and they fit right inside.  I divided my recipe binder into sections that we use and put all of the recipes that I had ready, into the right section.  So, after I plan my menu, I go to the recipe binder and pull out the recipes I have - because my binder is "new", many of my recipes are saved on my computer in a smaller size for my old Rolodex so I use that time to print them (instead of printing everything at once!). 

4.  Once I've gathered all of my recipes, it's time to write the grocery list.  Several months ago, I took time to create a grocery list by aisle in my local store.  This has been a huge time saver at the grocery store for me.  When writing my list, I use both my menu and my recipes - I start by looking at Saturday and make sure I write down everything we need for Breakfast, Lunch, and dinner.  I continue through each day of the week so I'm sure I don't miss anything. 

5.  The last item I do to prepare for grocery shopping (which is really part of menu planning, isn't it?) Is coupons.  Now, I've tried everything and have finally come up with works best for me!  For years I did the coupon accordion files and yes, ended up many times with coupons in a mess on the floor of the store; than I got a binder and baseball card style holders.  It came with separators that had no connection to how I shopped so I found it not user friendly.  Next, I tried out Savings Angel.com.  I will say that it is a great site.  It does exactly what it promises and it WILL help you save money.  I liked that it had the enter ad from my store in the database and it included every item.  You could click on the item and make a grocery list.  I found, though, that I was spending 6-8 hours a week trying to get all of this done not to mention the cost of ink to print coupons from other sites.  Yes, it saved me money on food - sometimes close to 50% but, it really wasn't working for how I shop and, really, I was spending more money because of what I was buying.  So I had an epiphany :-)  I took my coupon binder with its sleeves and created new dividers based on the aisle in the store.  Yes, I have lots of dividers but now, I can easily flip through and find the coupons that match by aisle AND if I'm shopping and see a special deal, it's easy to find the coupon!  So . . once my grocery list is done, I flip through my coupons, pull the ones that match and  place them in the sleeve in the front of my binder to hold coupons for the week.  I also slip in my grocery list, menu and recipes.  Just an FYI - I carry my menu and recipes because there are times my store won't have something I need.  I can than pull all of the items out for that recipe and pick up something simple like ingredients for tacos. 

So, that's how I menu plan :-) 

 

If you head over to A Bowl Full of Lemons you can read another great idea posted by the guest poster for this particular challenge.  One thing she talks about is an inventory sheet.  This is an awesome idea - something I've used off and on over the years.  She has provided a link for an excel spreadsheet through another site that looks pretty neat.  I may check it out (or not LOL).  Both my deep freezer and my pantry are in the basement so sometimes I forget to check for items and end up buying things I already have for a meal - the inventory sheet might be a helpful tool! 

 

 

Creative Memories Spotlight - My Latest "Must Have" product

I have yet to be disappointed in a Creative Memories product after using the company for over 15 years.  Throughout the years, they have come out with all kinds of idea books and binders - all of which I have or have had through the years.  Personally, I am most creative when I can look at someone else's idea and morph it into my own so idea books are a life line for me! 

Recently, I got the Nancy O'Dell Page Planner set as a gift (thanks mom!)  Honestly, when I got it, I was a little doubtful of how I would use it or if it would be useful at all!  Boy, was I wrong!  I was finding that all of my pages where beginning to look the same so I decided to test out this product.  It is fantastic!



First, the Hummingbird Page Planner sells for $28.00.  It comes with 4 templates and an idea book.  The idea book is easy to use and each of the templates are coded with shapes and each side has a code as well so that you can easily match it up with the idea.  The measurements for each open square are printed on the template making it easy to use as well.



Second, is the Page Planner and Idea book (simple name, right!)  It is the came concept as the Hummingbird series and also sells for $28.00.

If you are a traditional scrapbooker, I would highly recommend these products!  (And if you are a frequent shopper you can also earn one or both of these for free! Click HERE for details on that!!)

Here are a couple of pictures of some of my recent pages I've completed using the Hummingbird Page Planner:

Yep, there is a grammatical error - I'd like to say it was on purpose but I happened to be walking past the table the other day and it hit me . . . .it should be Who's in the tub! LOL  That will be fixed before the book is done!

I love the fact that I can lay the template over top of a paper I'm planning on using, like in the first picture, and see what elements of the paper are going to show through before I lay my pictures out.  I also really like that I can space out writing and stickers, as shown in the second photo, and see how it will correspond with the photos as well.

So, add this to your wish list or pick a set or two up today!  I was at a crop recently and shared my templates with two others to try out - the both ordered both sets that day from the consultant hosting the crop because they loved them so much. 

I hope you enjoy this product as much as I do! 

Also - don't forget to order your National Scrapbook Day items soon - you can find them HERE.  With April here, it won't surprise me at all to see some of these products sell out in the next few weeks!!

As always, feel free to check out all of our products at my Website 

A Dinner Fit for a Resturant

Every once in awhile, I come across some recipes that are incredible.  It doesn't happen often, honestly, but there are those rare finds out there.  Sure, there are a lot of good recipes and I've shared many through my blog but those "restaurant" quality recipes - don't you just love them?   I recently made a meal that made my husband utter these words:

"This is something I would get at a restaurant - and I would order it every single time"

What a great compliment!!  I realized after the fact that I didn't take pictures of my own food so I'm going to borrow from the original blogs :-)

First up is, Baked Penne with Chicken, Broccoli and Smoked Mozzarella.  This comes from Mel's Kitchen Cafe.

*Serves 6-8

Topping:
3/4 cup bread crumbs (store-bought or make your own)
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:
1 bunch broccoli (about 1 ½ pounds), stalks cut off, florets trimmed into 1-inch pieces
12 ounces penne pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
6 medium garlic cloves, finely minced or pressed through a garlic press
1 teaspoon dried thyme
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 3), trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces
3 ounces smoked mozzarella, shredded
8 ounce jar oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped into pieces

In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs and butter and set aside. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking dish and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and make sure the oven rack is placed in the middle of the oven. In a large pot, bring the water for the pasta to a boil. Stir in one tablespoon salt and the broccoli. The broccoli cooks quickly so stay close! Cook the broccoli for 1 minute, until it is bright green. Quickly remove the broccoli with a slotted spoon to a plate. Return the water to a boil and add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 1-2 minutes less than how you would eat it normally (it will cook a bit more in the oven while baking). Drain the pasta in a colander and toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Leave it in the colander and set it aside.

Wipe the pot dry. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and return to medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and cook until softened and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and thyme; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add the flour, salt and pepper, and cook, stirring constantly, until golden, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the broth and cream; bring to a simmer, whisking often. Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until cooked through, about 6-7 minutes. Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes and smoked mozzarella.

Add the cooked pasta and broccoli to the sauce; stir to combine. Transfer the pasta mixture to the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with the bread crumb topping. Bake until the casserole is bubbling and the crumbs are lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

*The casserole can be prepared in advance with the following steps: after the broccoli is removed from the boiling water, plunge it into a bowl of ice water and cool completely. Assemble the casserole following the directions in the recipe. After the casserole is spread in the prepared baking pan, let it cool for 5-10 minutes before covering with plastic wrap and refrigerating for up to 8 hours. To bake, preheat the oven to 375 and bake uncovered for 30 minutes.

This was incredible.  It took more prep work than I usually do but it was more than worth it.  It would make a fantastic meal for company or a killer dish for a pot-luck. 

Along with this we had Roasted Asparagus, a recipe also from Mel's Kitchen Cafe.  I must say that I have never, in almost 10 years of marriage, made Asparagus even though it is Darryl's favorite vegetable.  I never really cared for it but, I must confess, I really enjoyed eating this vegetable and will be cooking this again.

*Serves about 4

1 pound asparagus spears (the thicker the better for roasting)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher/Coarse salt
Black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. While the oven is preheating, gently break off the lower ends of the asparagus. This is the tough part that isn’t so great for eating. The asparagus should break naturally when you bend the asparagus about 1-2 inches up the stalk. Discard the lower, tough portion.

Lay the asparagus in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil. Using your fingers, gently roll the asparagus to evenly coat with the oil. Sprinkle the asparagus with salt and pepper. Again, lightly roll the asparagus so the salt and pepper gets evenly distributed.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, checking often the last one to two minutes of baking, until the asparagus is tender when pierced with a fork. Serve immediately.

Finally, I saw this recipe for Easy and Cheesy Bread. over at Comfy in the Kitchen and decided to try it.  I couldn't find a round loaf of bread at my store but they had one of those round "Take and Bake" loaves.  It worked out ok but next time I would bake the bread first THAN make it based on the recipes.  It was very good though!

Easy and Cheesy Bread
1 round loaf of bakery bread
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup butter (1 stick melted)
garlic powder
parsley

Place bread on a foil lined baking sheet, reserve enough foil to cover the bread. Slice bread diagonally in both directions 75% through the bread making sure to keep it in tact. Fill cuts with cheese, pour melted butter over top sprinkle with garlic powder and parsley. Bake in a 350 oven for 45 mins. Open foil and bake another 10 mins until golden.

I will confess I was a little surprised by the bake time on this recipe.  I had the oven set at 400 for the other two recipes so I just slid this bread in about 10 minutes before I stuck the other stuff in and than uncovered it when I put the other dishes in so it cooked uncovered for about 15 minutes.  The bread was done and the cheese was melted completely through.  I feel like cooking it for 45 minutes would over cook it but maybe it is just me! (Especially if the bread is already cooked . . )

I hope you enjoy all of these!!

This week I'm linking up over at :

and

A Garden Challenge for teaching the tots!

As part of our Tot Time learning over the next few months we are going to be doing some gardening so what better thing to do than to take part in this Garden Challenge from The Homeschool Village!  The link ups happen once a month, the first one is obviously today!

Here's a couple of pictures of our current Gardening adventure. 

First, last fall the boys and I planted some bulbs after my husband (with help ha!) pulled out one of our big bushes.  We've been watching those bulbs start to push up through the soil.  I will say they are looking a little sad - they popped up when we had a few days that pushed 70 degrees but than we've had freezing temps again so we'll see if they survive

Second, I we have a box full of things to plant soon!!  The ground is still a little frozen and there are rumors of snow so we are waiting a little longer to plant!

Third, we do have plans to plant a small container style garden later this spring once the frosty temps really do stop dipping so low!!
We are getting ready to start our new month of learning and will be focusing on a few things - 1) Easter and 2) Spring. I have lots of resources that I've been pulling together but haven't finished my April calendar yet - plan on doing that this weekend!

What I'm Loving Wednesday

I'm loving . . . that it seems like spring might almost be in the air.  I'm still hearing about the possibility of snow in the coming weeks but I also have flowers starting to pop up through the dirt too!

I'm loving . . . that my husband was home on Monday :-)  He isn't home very often so the rare days he does get to be home all day is a true treat!

I'm loving . . .  that we finally hung up Nate's one year photo college - the best part is that it is hung where our clock used to be so every time I look for the clock . . I see Nate ha!!

I'm loving . . . that I've had some time to scrapbook this week. 

I'm loving . . . that Josh has officially nick-named Nate . . ."Eat" :-)  I do believe the name will stick for a long time!

I'm loving . . . that my husband fixed my computer, got rid of the virus it had, and figured out how to restore everything I thought I had lost.  He's the best.

So, what are YOU loving this week? 

One Project at a Time and The Two Week Spring Cleaning Challenge

One of my favorite sites is A Bowl Full of Lemons - Toni is the one that does the weekly organizational challenges that I participate in each week.  She is now also hosting a weekly link-up called

The link party is open each week from Tuesday-Tuesday and you can link up as the projects you are working on or have completed.  I think this is just one more way to get inspiration!  I don't know if I'll link up every week but I know I'll be linking up as I have stuff to do!  Projects are things I'm working on tons right now  - what better way to stay motivated than to share them with others!

There is another site that I started following recently called Ask Anna.  She gives inexpensive tips and ideas for organizing.  She is hosting a 2 week spring cleaning event that I've decided to join up with - more because I feel like I don't have time to get to deep cleaning the way I want and this might help jump start all of that, hopefully!! 

I've linked up with her for this and will be linking up for each "challenge" (hopefully) with hopes of winning the prize at the end!!  There is still time to join up if you would like and you can click here to get to a post that will also take you to the original post of explanation and to her post about what supplies you will need.  I've add the couple of items that I need to my shopping list for Friday. 

I told my husband recently that I feel like our house stinks - and why wouldn't it? Three kids in diapers in the house all day, windows closed, puke on the floor, crushed up cookies around in the corners . . I think it is time to really, really clean!! 

So - here's to Projects getting done and Clean smelling houses!!

Too Cute Not to Toot!

As always, lots of ideas I would like to make so I use these posts for two things - one to share the ideas I find with all of you and two, to save the ideas to make in the future.

One of my 40x40 goals is to make an apron.  I really like this one from A girl and a glue gun

I also saw this cute apron idea from While he was napping using placemats. I actually joined a giveaway on her blog to try and win one but if not, I guess maybe I'll have to try and make one instead. 

We just had a couple of baby showers at church so I'll tuck this idea away for the next one but this punch idea from Tidy Mom is so cute!

Just another hang up gives a really cute idea for making these adorable chicks to use for heating/cooling pads.

I love home decorating ideas (Not that I have room anywhere for new ideas but . . .well, I'm ready for some new things sometimes too!) Thrifty and Chic made this awesome mirror using PVC pipe.  How creative!!

I love this spring subway art from Today's Fabulous Finds

This baby blanket is so adorable - just one more sewing project on my list - this one is from Laura Thoughts.

This is a really cute craft idea for kids - a great spring break project or something for VBS too.  Check out the idea over at Mostly Food and Crafts

Enjoy Life and Love gives an easy tutorial for making a baby tag toy.

I've seen (and posted) about making the car mats before but this is a first for a race track.  This idea is from Chocolate Drool and Kisses (don't you love that name?) - I love that it can be rolled up and stored away for future use!

I just love this idea that is shared at Handprint and Footprint art - I had seen this idea last fall on one post and  couldn't find it again.  They show their version on this site and also give credit back to where they also saw it first :-)

She's Kinda Crafty shows a really adorable Easter Egg project.  It's a good thing Hobby Lobby is 45 minutes away or I might have to do a craft run . . .. maybe this weekend.  :-)

Here's another great necklace idea that I would love to make one of these days.  The idea comes from Hazel and Honeysuckle but I have seen it on other blogs as well.

This button art starting popping up a few months ago and I really like it alot.  This one for Easter is really adorable from Auntie Lolo Crafts shows one done in all pink buttons but I also saw one done in various pastels that also looked adorable.

Baseball is just around the corner and Sassy Sites shares a great idea for a treat bag for kids t-ball teams or it would also make a great Father's Day gift just by adding some tickets in the mix as well!

Just what I need, another idea for a project but when I saw this idea over at Miss Madisons Charmed Life it got me thinking.  My dining room table belonged to my parents who had it for years . .. we've had it for 9 years - it's a practical table but, sure, it could use a face lift.  This is just one idea, I've also seen one done in stripes that would be cute.  Some how I think this will be on the very bottom of my list though :-)

I'm feeling a little uncrafty lately.  I'm trying to work on some other projects going on here at home - the kitchen, the bathroom, getting ready to paint the house, and trying to get scrapbooking caught up  - and really had to let crafts go for now.  BUT I'm saving this ideas for the future and they are going to fit into my theme for next year (nope, not giving any clues!) once I'm done "simplifying" things this year!!!