Simplifying My Life

Well, I have had a whopping 9 weeks of experience in active parenting, and have discovered a few things:
1.  Although the baby sleeps 18 hours a day, those hours are sporadic and often times in 45 minute chunks.
2.  Planning to go anywhere to do anything takes forever.
3.  It is necessary for my sanity to simplify my life.

I thought of the things that stress me out the most.  Cleaning, laundry, dishes, and cooking came out on top.  I just felt like between the diapers and feedings, I could barely get my housework done, never mind doing anything fun or spontaneous.

The award for the biggest time drainer was my cooking and meal planning.  Ugh.  For years I have vowed to figure out a system that worked for us.  I needed something that could help me cut down on food being unused and tossed and making good use of the food I already had in the house.  I also wanted to cut our grocery bill significantly and only go to the store once a week, and Sam's Club for bigger amounts once a month.  I was also tired of trying to figure out what to make every night, only to find out that I was missing two ingredients from the recipe anyway.  Needless to say, I needed a meal planning makeover.

And finally, I think I have done it!  It may not seem like a big deal to you, but to me, it was nothing short of rocket science.  So I thought I'd share what I do.  It saves me so much time, money, and stress.  My grocery bill this week was $25.  No kidding.  And we try to eat very healthfully.

I set aside a morning each month (usually a Saturday so Brandon can watch the munchkin) and follow the steps on my meal planning worksheet (found below).

Step 1: Check and clean out freezer, refrigerator, and pantry for items already on hand

This kills two birds with one stone.  I pitch anything that is less than usable (which isn't much anymore) and list the things that I should use soon before they go bad in the left column above.  This also keeps my refrigerator clean and uncluttered, which was a huge problem before.  Ever found a moldy bag of deer jerky wedged in behind the produce drawer?  Yeah, me neither.

Step 2: List any special circumstances for the month

If we have dinner plans elsewhere, vacation, guests, or anything else that would throw off a "normal dinner", I list the day and circumstance in the right column so I don't forget to plan for those things.

Step 3:  Collect recipes for all meals and snacks based on what is on hand first, and arrange according to main or special ingredients.

This is the hardest part.  So to help, all month long I keep a folder on my desktop of recipes I want to try.  Then I can just pull from those.  I also made a list of our go-to recipes, just in case I need some back up.  Also, if I have two recipes that call for something special, like an expensive spice or cheese, I know I can use it up while it is fresh when I group them together.

Step 4: Separate recipes into each week that they will be used.

I try to do a different meat every night during the week.  But it's not hard and fast... we eat chicken, turkey, pork, salmon, tilapia, and lean beef.  It's nice to mix it up.  For a while, I felt like all we ate was chicken. (I'm sure you seminary ladies understand! :) )  I don't assign a specific day to a specific meal.  I buy ingredients for a week's worth of meals, and decide depending on the day what to make.  If I'm surprised by an extra meeting at church, and the need to make something quick, I'm not stuck with pot roast.  I love the flexibility.

Step 5: List meals for the week and make shopping lists for the grocery store and for Sam's Club.  

I use the sheet found below to help me organize my thoughts.  And I only write a grocery list each week, not for the month.  I do write a Sam's Club grocery list for the month.  We buy our meat and hearty produce (potatoes, onions, apples, etc.) there to get a bulk discount, and it works great!  We go there once a month to stock up.  Then I don't get stuck buying a $9 package of 3 chicken breasts at our local grocery store.  And at this point, I know how many servings of meat I get in a large package from Sam's, so I can estimate how much I'll need for the month.  I have a different one of these pages for each week.

Steps 6 & 7:  Shop for groceries, and prepare ingredients in advance.

This one is still kind of fluid.... I usually make my list based on recipes on Saturday, and shop on Saturday or Sunday afternoon.  The only things I really prepare in advance are chopped onions, and separating meat into individual bags for freezing ease.  I pull my individual servings out of the freezer a few days before I use them.  And if it's not on the list, it doesn't go in the cart.  

So that's the general idea!  I keep all my recipes for the week in this cute little drawer thingy, and once they're used I file them away if it's a keeper, or throw it away if the recipe wasn't great.  Then when I meal plan for the next month, I simply file it back in my recipe book.  

Seems complicated, but it works for me.  What works for you?  Any suggestions or tips you wanna pass along?