October Menu Plan

I know that I say this just about every month, but... how is it OCTOBER already? I thought that time picked up speed when I had the Munchkin, but being pregnant with Baby #2 just makes it go even faster.

ANYway...

It's a new month, which means time for a new menu plan! We ended up not fixing all the meals I had planned for September, so you'll see a few repeats in October. You may also see a few themes running through this month's meals... We have TONS of apples that we just picked, so a lot of our treats this month will be apple-themed. And I am also trying to use up most of the venison we have leftover from last year to make room in the freezer (Lord willing!) for this year's hunting season. We shall see.

October Menu Plan

Main Meals

Venison Tips & Gravy over Mashed Potatoes*
Hamburger (Turkey) Stroganoff*
Homemade Pizza (bread machine dough)
BBQ Chicken (crock pot)
Mexican Stuffed Shells
Slow Cooker Broccoli Cheese Soup*
Venison Fajitas
Overnight Slow-Cooker Venison Roast*
Lasagna (Stauffer's frozen... I had a coupon!)
*See this page for printables!

Sides & Treats

Yellow Squash Casserole

Green Bean Casserole

Butter Dip Biscuits

Peasant Bread

Easy Garlic Knots

Pumpkin Snicker-doodles

Blueberry Coffee Cake

Apple Butter

Easy Apple Dumplings

Apple and/or Pear Crisp

So there you have it -- this is what our household will be munching on in the coming weeks. Lots of yummy fall-inspired goodness to get us through the month of October. If you have questions or comments, please share!

Making the Most of Leftovers

Today let's talk about a controversial topic in households across the country... Leftovers!

Most people are not fence-riders when it comes to leftovers. They either love them or hate them. I recently watched an episode of Chopped in which the mystery baskets all had leftover food in them. I was not shocked to see the chef who said, "I hate leftovers!," chopped in the first or second round.

You can spend all the time in the world making a fancy meal plan, budgeting your groceries and clipping coupons, and slaving away in the kitchen to make tasty dinners, BUT if you end up throwing away uneaten food, you are WASTING YOUR TIME.

I have to admit, we do throw away our share of leftovers now and then. But I have some super-top-secret tips to share with you to help maximize your meals before they spoil.

Labels

What's my big secret for tackling leftovers? Label absolutely all leftovers before they go into the fridge or freezer. All I use is a roll of cheap masking tape and a Sharpie. I tear off a piece of tape, stick it to the lid, and mark it with the contents and the date. This helps eliminate the "When did I make such-and-such casserole?" question later on. Doubting whether or not something is still fit to eat seems to be a big problem when eating leftovers. A good rule to live by is "When in doubt, throw it out." Well, by taking the doubt out of the equation you'll know if things are still good to use. I also mark opened cans of spaghetti sauce, salad dressing and other condiments with the date (on the lid) so I know when to use them by.

Note: Speaking as one who has fallen off of the labeling bandwagon now and again, I can say with 100% certainty we eat up our leftovers better when they are clearly labeled. Keep the masking tape and marker handy so you aren't tempted to slack off!

Portion Control

Another big issue with leftovers is portion control. Many recipes make way more food than my family can possibly eat at one meal. If it's something that we eat well leftover, it's not an issue. If it's something that doesn't reheat well (like stir fry), any extra portions are essentially wasted (and money down the drain!). If you find yourself constantly throwing away leftovers from specific meals, cut the recipe in half the next time you make it to eliminate leftovers. Or, save yourself some time later on down the road and put half of the meal in a Ziploc bag and pop it in the freezer (cooked or uncooked, depending on the ingredients). For example, I made chili earlier this month and doubled the recipe, leaving us with three quart-sized Ziploc bags for later this fall. 

Note: Make sure to LABEL your frozen leftovers just as clearly as the ones that go in the fridge. Place them within easy access in the freezer, otherwise you'll end up forgetting they are in there!

Lead By Example

To change how your household handles leftovers, lead by example! If you want your husband or your children to be better leftover-eaters, then you need to do it yourself. Leftovers make great (and easy!) lunches during the week. Most are probably healthier than that Hot Pocket or boxed pasta, too. If you are the one planning dinners in your household, you have the power to work leftovers into your meal plan. You can serve it up buffet style and let everyone choose what they want. Or you can put a new spin on a leftover dish by adding fresh-baked bread or rolls and a vegetable side dish. Either way, you'll save yourself time making a whole new dinner, and money by not having to throw away the leftovers. 

I hope this post has been helpful! Nothing earth-shattering, but it is amazing how small, simple steps can help us live better, more organized lives.

Under the Kitchen Sink Revisited

When you love organizing, sometimes your "me time" is spent playing with the contents underneath the kitchen sink.

For those of y'all who don't know, we moved into a new place in late February. So all that work that I did getting the last under-the-kitchen-sink cabinet all clean and pretty was, well... wasted. Since this move was just across town, our approach to moving was the "just pack it up quickly and dump it over at the new place" approach. Which makes for a quick move... and a long period of reorganizing things later, one area at a time.

The under-the-sink cabinet at our "new" place is HUGE. It is the space under the sink plus about two extra feet of cabinet. Yikes! I crammed a whole lot of... "stuff"... in it when we moved in. And then immediately forgot what was tucked away into the dark and scary recesses of the cabinet. So when I pulled everything out to start organizing, here is what I ended up with:

I told you, there was a whole lot of stuff in there, from cleaning products to bubbles and water pistols. But
enough of the "before" mess, and onto the organizing!

Step 1: Empty Out the Space

• Clean the base of the cabinet and line it with contact paper or shelf liner. The point is to create a nice, clean slate for you to work with. I prefer to "splurge" on the heavy duty latex shelf liner ($5 at Big Lots) because it is durable enough to last through several moves. The cheap stuff from Dollar Tree has the tendency to stick to surfaces and leave little bits of itself behind. Yuck. 

Step 2: Purge

• Go through things and throw away what you don't need. (i.e. nearly empty bottles, fifty different wash rags, old moldy rubber gloves, etc) Keep in mind that not everything has to necessarily go back in this space. Some things may not belong, some can be trashed, etc.

Step 3: Containerize

• If you're like me, you seem to always have a stash of unused organizers on hand. I had several bins, handled caddies, and shelf risers to work with this time. Perfect for making the most of this cavernous space. Most of my containers come from Dollar Tree, but the shelf risers are from Walmart. Keeping things in the same color family really helps it look more organized in the end.

Step 4: Grouping & Placement

• Start grouping like items together. Not only will this help with organizing things, but you'll be able to double-check and see if you need to do further purging. Items you use frequently should be placed for easy access, and items you don't use often (but need to keep on hand for those rare occasions!) can be placed towards the back of the cabinet.

Step 5: Labels

• Labels can be as fancy or as plain as you want to make them. They can be scribbled in Sharpie on a piece of masking tape, or printed out and laminated. Mine are printed on copy paper, laminated, and adhered with a little loop of masking tape. I'm more likely to remember where things go if there is some sort of label. Labels hold you accountable to where you have decided to keep something, keeping you better organized in the long run. 
• Side note: I recently spent around $25 on a laminator and pouches for it, and let me tell you... I absolutely love it. If you are putting off buying one for some reason, just do it. You won't regret it. I've already got my money's worth with Bible class materials alone. 
  

The Finished Result

Start to finish this took about 2 hours, and that includes the time spent typing out labels and laminating them. There is still a little "wiggle" room for additional supplies. Sorry that there is no "overall" picture, but the sliding cabinet doors make it impossible to show the whole cabinet in one shot.

So what are you waiting for? The only one suffering from your messy under-the-sink cabinet is YOU. You are the one that has to get in there and find/use things. So take a little time for yourself and get it organized in the best way possible to fit you and your needs.

Meat Markdowns and Making the Most of Nap Times

The Munchkin took a three-hour nap today and as much as my pregnant self just wanted to take it easy, I decided to be a whirling dervish in the kitchen instead!

I recently snagged two large packs of fresh ground turkey at Food Lion. Six pounds of meat for a whopping total of $11.18. If you continue to do the math, you can see that comes down to just $1.86/pound. I don't know about where you come from, but here that is CHEAP. We eat ground turkey in EVERYTHING. Tacos, chili, spaghetti sauce, soups, etc. So when it goes on sale, I stock up!

Now, meat markdowns are only a great deal if you will actually use or freeze the meat before the 'use by' date. And as long as you have a few minutes, some freezer bags, and a Sharpie, you're all set! I like to divvy the meat up into one-pound portions since most recipes call for one pound of ground meat. These are three pound containers, so I eyeball it and stick the meat into pre-labelled bags. Then I smoosh all the air out, flatten them into nice little rectangles, and pop them in the freezer (making sure to rotate any older packs to the top of the pile to be used first). 

Want to know a neat trick about freezer bags? You can store AND defrost the meat in the same bag. When you need the meat, just open the bag a teeny bit and microwave it in short intervals until it is thawed and ready to go. How easy is that!? (Make sure, though, to check the directions on the box, because you don't want any melted plastic in your food!)

After just 10 minutes, I've managed to: 

1. Shave time off of dinner prep later on.
2. Save MONEY!!
3. Feel super organized and prepared. 

It doesn't get any better than that! 

**Tangential Note: Do not be fooled into thinking that Walmart has the lowest prices. If you shop at smaller chain stores, you can get a great deal if you shop smart. Some people like to price-match at Walmart, but I'd rather give my money to another store if I can. Stick to sales, and keep an eye out for markdowns. Our Walmart does not have a large variety of fresh meats to begin with, so they never EVER have markdowns on ground turkey. And rarely on chicken. So when an item you use a lot of goes on sale, make sure to stock up and save some $$ in the long run. Things like meat, cheeses, butter, and veggies are great staples to have on hand and freeze well.

The Updated Meal Planning Binder

Has this summer flown by as quickly for everyone else as it has for me? I have to admit that I haven't been writing out meal plans for a few months. *Hangs Head In Shame.* But now I'm ready for Fall and so is my meal plan! It seemed appropriate, since I've fallen off of the meal-planning wagon lately, to give my Meal Planning Binder a much-needed makeover. It's stuffed with printouts, old menus, and all kinds of random things. It's a MESS.

The first step was to take out EVERYTHING. And since I don't need a massive 2-inch binder, I'm going to transfer it all to this lovely 1-inch beauty:

Then, I put in a pocket for the monthly calendar on which I wrote my meal list. (Find a printable calendar here.) I usually choose between 10-15 main dishes, depending on what we have going on for that particular month.

Then, any printouts that I have for the recipes in this month's meal list go right after the calendar, in plastic sheet protectors. When I'm ready to use a recipe, I can just pop it out and use it without it getting *too* messy while cooking.

Now, what to do with the rest of all these print-outs? Sort through for those you want to save and those you want to toss. Make one section for "Tried & True" recipes, so you can use them when the mood suits you.

Also make a section for "To Try" recipes. (I try to cut back on printing, and only print out recipes from Pinterest when I'm ready to use them). This is the section I'll look through for inspiration when meal-planning, to remind myself of things I've wanted to try in the past.

Last but not least, I have a pocket with calendars already printed for the remaining months of the year, calling to me to make sure that I don't fall off the wagon again.

And there you have it! Your monthly meal list and all the recipes together in a neat little package, ready to use. And next month, simply shuffle the recipes you had in the first section back to "Tried & True" (or trash them if they are complete flops!), and start the process over again.

Notes on Meal Planning

I do my meal-planning at the end of the previous month, and ask the Hubby for suggestions. I'd ask the Munchkin, too, but then we'd just be eating "cheeeeese cackers!" for every meal. :-)

Overall, it does take a commitment of a few hours each month, but the payoff is well worth it. Once you get into it, you'll find a groove and likely start using about half of the recipes nearly each month. And it's so nice to have a go-to list of meals when you're doing that blank stare at the pantry an hour before dinnertime, feeling like you're in your own personal version of Chopped.

I hope this post has been helpful, and that you're able to find a method of meal-planning and organizing that works best for you and your family!

January Meal Plan: Venison & Homemade Spice Mixes

How is it 2013 already? And better yet, how is it already the FOURTH day of 2013? Yikes.

Since we weren't at home for more than a week at a time during most of November or December, I sorta-kinda slacked off on my meal planning.

I know, I know... *shakes head in shame*

But one of my goals for 2013 is to be more organized in an on-the-ball fashion, so let's get to it.

To start off your new meal-planning binder for the year, you'll need a free printable calendar, right? :) This great lady has several to choose from. I picked this one here: Free 2013 Calendar Printable 

For those who are new to my method of meal planning, here's a basic run-down:

• I make one list of meals to make for the month, using mostly things I have on hand but with a few things we need to shop for. For us this is about 10-15 meals, and we eat leftovers the other nights.
• Each night, I pick what I'll make for dinner the next day. In the morning I'll know what sort of prep I'll need to do for it, etc.
• I keep my meal list and a printed calendar in a binder along with recipes I have printed out. Keeping everything together saves time and fuss.
• Throughout the month, I cross off what I've made off of the list and jot it down on the calendar. It helps me keep track of how many "leftover" nights we get off of certain dishes.

This month I made sure to clean out my binder. It had become overrun with print-outs of new recipes I had tried, and then haphazardly shoved into a pocket somewhere. Not very OCD of me, eh? So I pitched all the recipes I never EVER wanted to try again, saved the "keepers," and thought really hard about what we would actually eat this month. I get tired of throwing out leftovers, so I came up with things that we would eat well the first/second/third time through. So, here goes:

Meals:

• Baked Macaroni & Cheese
• Tacos or Taco Salads
• Mexican Stuffed Shells
• Venison & Mushroom Gravy over Mashed Potatoes
• Venison Roast (Seasoned with Onion Soup Mix) & Scalloped Potatoes
• Venison Fajitas
• Venison Roast (Seasoned with Homemade Italian Seasoning) & Green Bean Casserole
• Homemade Pizza
• Hamburger Soup & Rolls (Rhode's Frozen Rolls)
• Breakfast Night - French Toast, Sausage, Scrambled Eggs

Extras:

• Easy Mint Fudge
• French Breakfast Muffins
• Banana  Bread

Now let's talk about a few things from this list. The first thing that probably caught your attention is the amount of VENISON on that list. The Hubby is a hunter. His family hunts. So this year we have been blessed with a freezer-full of roasts, steaks, tenderloin, and stew meat. I would never be able to pull the trigger myself, but deer meat is actually very delicious when cooked properly, and it is very good for you (very lean!). Plus, now I don't have to buy beef (or much chicken) for a good long while. :)

The second thing - anywhere you see "hamburger" or recipes that call for ground beef, you can automatically assume I'll be using ground turkey. Again, it's better for you, and it is SUPER CHEAP at Aldi. We don't have one in town, but whenever we drive through a place that has one, we bring our cooler and stock up.

Thirdly, I have three words for you... HOMEMADE SPICE MIXES. 

I have been using homemade Taco mix for a while now, and we like it much better than the store-bought packets. I've also found Italian Dressing and Fajita Seasoning mixes that we really like. Here are the recipes I've found online for a few homemade mixes:

Taco Seasoning

Use 2 T and 1 cup water per pound of ground meat

2 T chili powder

½ t garlic powder

½ t onion powder

½ t red pepper flakes

½ t oregano

1 t paprika

1 T cumin

2 ½ t salt

2 t pepper

Onion Soup Mix

Use ¼ cup instead of one packet

4 t beef bouillon

8 t onion flakes

1 t onion powder

¼ t pepper

½ t parsley

½ t salt

Fajita Seasoning

Use 2 T to replace one packet

1 T cornstarch

2 t chili powder

1 t salt

1 t paprika

1 t sugar

¾ t chicken bouillon

½ t onion powder

¼ t garlic powder

¼ t cayenne pepper

¼ t cumin

¼ t crushed pepper

Ranch Dressing Mix

Use 1 T per cup of sour cream

5 t onion flakes

7 t parsley

4 t salt

1 t garlic

Italian Seasoning Mix

1 ½ tsp garlic powder

1 T onion powder

2 T oregano

1 T parsley

1 T sugar

2 T salt

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp basil

¼ tsp thyme

½ tsp celery leaves (or ¼ tsp celery seed)

I made my sister a set of spice mixes for Christmas. Don't they look so much cuter than those paper packets from the store? I simply doubled or tripled the recipe and put them in half-pint canning jars. The labels were just printed on brown cardstock (in a free font I found online that looks like an old typewriter!), and cut out in an oval shape. A dab of hot glue, and voila! Adorable spice mix jars. :)

Well, that's all for today. Please leave comments or questions you have about anything!