This is the first time that I have participated in a round-up. I have been doing the Menu Plan Monday for a few months now and have found it to be wonderful. So when the round-up this month was organizing recipies I knew I had to take part.
I actually have several different ways that I organize my recipies. I have a shelf full of cookbooks, a small Lonengberger recipe basket, and my menu planning recipies.
When Laura from Organizing Junkie challanged us to sort through and get rid of cookbooks that we no longer use I went to my shelf and took a look. I was actually susprised that there were only two or three cookbooks that I don’t use on a weekly basis. Of those three there was only one that I never use. So that one went. The other two that I don’t use much, are barbeque cookbooks that I use a lot in the summer. So I decided to wait until after the spring and summer to decide wether or not to get rid of it. I did straighten up my cookbook shelf so now it looks much neater.
Before, Doesn't look too bad, but if you look close you can see that it occasionally becomes a resting place for other things.
The stuff that sometimes ends up on the wrong shelf
After, not much different, but looks a little bit neater
I don’t use a lot of loose recipies, so my recipe basket does not get much use. Over the years however I have accumulated quite a number of loose recipies that had filled up my basket and made it a mess. So I went through all the recipies and weeded out the ones that I don’t use, which were most of them. I then typed up the ones I was keeping on the computer if they were handwritten ones or on a page that was bigger than 4″x6″. I made my own dividers out of index cards and post it note tabs. On each index card I have written what is in that catigory so that I can easily find something. There is not much there now, but at least it is organized so I can easily add to it as needed.
Recipie basket before, notice there is no lid.
Before
After, look I can use the lid again
After
Recipies to be filed go on top
My menu planning is my big organizational project that has been going on for a few months now. I work on a 12 week rotating basis for my menus. To keep everything in order I use a binder system. I have two binders, one for breakfast and one for dinner. Each week has a front page that shows the meals for that week, next comes the shopping list for that week and then each meal has a page with all the recipies for that meal. This way anybody can pick up my binder, find what week I am on and then find the meal they are cooking and cook it without any problems. This is especially helpful with my kids food allergies. If my husband and I are away they person watching the kids doesn’t have to worry about what they are going to cook and how to cook it. I made some covers for the binders so that I know which one is which without having to open them up. I also put each days recipies in a plastic page cover to keep them protected while I cook, since I tend to be a messy cooker. I also have a pad that I found at Target that is my central shopping list. I keep that on my fridge and check things off as I need them. When I am getting ready to go shopping I take out my meal plan shopping list and add what I need to my central shopping list. This way my shopping list only takes a few minutes to get together.
Menu planning binders
Breakfast
Dinner
Front Page of Week
Central Shopping List
this is my whole menu plan for week 1 so you can see what it looks like.
Week 1: Meal Plan
Day 1: Roast Beef, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, Mixed Vegetables.
Day 2: Chicken Fajitas, Tortilla Chips and Salsa
Day 3: Chicken Sandwiches, Tater Tots, Fruit Salad
Day 4: Beef Stew over Rice
Day 5: Meatloaf, Baked Potatoes, Green Beans
Week One Grocery List
Produce
2 Onions
2 Tomatoes
Orange -1
Apple – 1
Grapes – 1 bag
Pineapple
Potatoes – 5lb bag
Carrots – 1lb bag
Green Beans
Green Pepper – 1
Lettuce – 1 Head
Meat & Fish
3-4 lb beef roast
2 Chicken Breasts
4 Chicken Patties
1 lb. Ground Beef
Refrigerated
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Shredded Cheddar Rice Cheese
Eggs
Frozen
Tater Tots
Dry Goods
Salt
Pepper
Worcestershire Sauce
Thyme
Oregano
Flour
Italian Salad Dressing
Salsa
Canola Oil
Tortilla Chips
Bread Crumbs
Steak Sauce
Ketchup
Onion Flakes
Chicken Stock
Bread Crumbs
Active Dry Yeast – 1 package
Sugar
Baked Goods
Flour Tortillas
Week 1, Meal 1
Roast Beef
3-4 lb. beef roast
½ cup water
¼ cup chopped onion (or 1 Tbsp. onion flakes)
Dash of salt and pepper
1tsp. Worcestershire sauce
½ tsp. thyme
½ tsp. oregano
Place all ingredients in a crock-pot and cook on high for 5-6 hours, or on low for 8-9 hours.
Just before serving, remove the roast to a platter and slice. Cover with a little gravy or pan juices. Keep warm until served.
(Serves 6)
[Save leftover roast and gravy for meal 4: Beef Stew]
Mashed Potatoes
4 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
½ cup chicken stock
Cook potatoes in boiling (slightly salted) water for 15 to 20 minutes, or until fork tender. Drain off the water and save it for the gravy. Use an electric mixer or potato masher to whip the potatoes smooth. Add the chicken stock until the potatoes are the desired consistency.
Gravy
Pan juices from roast
Potato water from mashed potatoes
½ cup water
2 Tbsp. flour
In a skillet, reheat the pan juices, and add 1 cup reserved potato water. Mix together the water and flour, and then add a bit at a time to the gravy, until it is the desired consistency when bubbling.
Mixed Vegetables
1 bag frozen mixed vegetables
Empty bag into a steamer. Steam vegetables until tender. Serve with salt and pepper.
Week 1, Meal 2
Chicken Fajitas
2 Chicken breasts, grilled and sliced
1 Onion, sliced
1 Green Pepper, sliced
1 Tomato, diced
1 Cup shredded cheddar rice cheese
8-10 small flour tortillas
Salsa
Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Grill and slice chicken. Either grill or Saute the pepper and onion. To serve put chicken, pepper and onions, tomatoes, cheese, salsa, and tortillas on the table. Allow everyone to make his or her own fajitas.
(Serves 4)
Tortilla Chips and Salsa
1 bag favorite tortilla chips
1 jar favorite salsa
Open the bag of tortilla chips and arrange on a plate with a bowl of salsa in the middle.
(Serves 4-6)
Week 1, Meal 3
Chicken Sandwiches
4-6 chicken patties
4-6 hamburger buns
Lettuce leaves, torn
1 Tomato, thinly sliced
Optional Toppings:
Mayonnaise
Ranch Salad Dressing
Bacon Strips, cooked
Rice Cheese Slices
Cook the chicken patties according to package directions. Serve chicken patties on hamburger buns and place toppings on table.
(Serves 4-6)
Hamburger Buns
1-cup warm water
1 package active dry yeast
1 Tbsp. sugar
¾ tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. canola oil
About 2 ½ cups flour
Pour the warm water into a warmed mixing bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the water, and then sprinkle the sugar and salt over the yeast. Let set a minute or two to proof the yeast. Add the oil, and stir in as much of the flour as you easily can, about 2 cups. Work in enough of the rest of the flour to give you dough that is easy to handle, turn it out onto a floured counter top and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Round the dough up into a ball, cover it with the upturned mixing bowl, and let set in a warm place to rise until double in bulk, about 45 minutes. Divide the dough into 8 equal parts and form each part into a ball. Set the balls of dough slightly apart on a greased baking sheet and let rise until doubled in bulk, again about 45 minutes. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for about 20 minutes, until done.
(Makes 8 Hamburger Buns)
Tater Tots.
1-package tater tots.
Cook according to package directions.
(Serves 4-6)
Fruit Salad
1 Orange, peeled and diced
1 Apple, cored, peeled, peeled and diced
2 Cups seedless grapes
1 Can pineapple chunks
Any other fruit of your choice
Mix all ingredients; chill for at least 30 minutes.
(Serves 4)
Week 1, Meal 4
Beef Stew
Leftover beef roast from meal 1
Leftover gravy from meal 1
2 Potatoes, peeled and cubed
3 carrots, peeled and sliced
½ cup diced onion
1 or 2 cups water
Dash each of salt, pepper, thyme, and oregano
Cook potatoes, carrots, and onion in the water (1 cup for a thick stew, 2 cups for a thinner stew) with salt, pepper, thyme, and oregano for 15 minutes. Drain off a bit of the water (if desired) and stir in the leftover gravy and beef roast. Cook and stir until everything is heated through.
(Serves 4)
Brown Rice
1-cup brown rice
2-½ cups water
Cook Rice according to package directions.
Week 1, Meal 5
Meatloaf
1 Lb. Ground Beef
1 Egg
¾ cup Bread crumbs
1 Tbsp. onion flakes
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. Steak Sauce
¼ cup Ketchup
Dash salt and pepper
Combine all ingredients. Shape into a loaf in a 9”x9” pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 60 to 75 minutes or until it is done. Serve with additional ketchup.
(Serves 6)
Green Beans
1 package frozen green beans or fresh green beans
Steam Green beans in a steamer for 5 – 10 minutes or microwave on high for 4 minutes.
Baked Potatoes
4 – 6 Baking potatoes
Wash and wrap potatoes in tin foil. Bake at 450 for 1 hour. Serve with margarine and salt and pepper.
This is how I organize my recipes. Enjoy.
This is an area in our kitchen. As you can see I don’t use the area to cook or prep. it is in a spot in the kitchen that makes it hard for that. It has become a catch all for everything I don’t know what to do with. I would like to be able to use the counter top and the cabinets as my area. Kinda like my desk, only I can’t sit at it, because I keep my pots and pans in the lower cabinet. The upper cabinets though could be completely cleaned out and everything that is in there can be housed elsewhere in the house. So that leaves a blank slate for all my stuff. The counter top can also be completely cleaned off to make room for my laptop, and anything else I want to keep there, like my pencil and mail holder, which you can see in the pictures below. I would also love to have something on the wall underneath the cabinet for putting up important papers, and notices, like calendars, etc..
This is the kids desk, and mine at the moment. You can see my pile of stuff that will be moved to the other area in the kitchen. Next to the desk we will be getting a new shelving unit to house all our homeschooling supplies. I will probably put our quiet time toys in that shelving unit as well. (the legos you see in the above pictures along with some things we have in the playroom) We love the Besta shelving units from Ikea. We have several that we use in our living room for our entertainment center (you can see them a little bit in the first picture of the kids space, they are dark brown.) They hold a ton and you can completely customize them for your individual needs.