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• Space for roles, tasks, and appointments
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• Designed to make all aspects of your life funnel into each week, in one place

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“One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas day. Don’t clean it up too quickly.”  ~Andy Rooney

Time Saving Tips for Christmas Day

Make a breakfast casserole the night before and just pop it in the oven on Christmas morning

Set the table the night before

Use disposable baking pans and trays for meal prep

Put out a veggie and/or fruit tray for snacking throughout the day

Charge the camera batteries and set up the tripod the night before

Have a large garbage bag staged beside the tree the night before to hold discarded wrappings

Use a gift bag to hold all the bows and ribbons you plan to recycle as things are unwrapped

Have an empty clothes basket for each child to put their gifts into after they get unwrapped

Andy Rooney will be missed this Christmas, but he is right – Don’t clean up too quickly, savor your holiday with your loved ones and soak up the memories.

For at least 15 years I menu planned weekly in an effort to feed 5 hungry children and an even hungrier husband.  It helped me to save time, money and, best of all, know what to take out of the freezer ahead of time.  I used a small binder with menu plan sheets and grocery lists.  I did it so consistently that  I could probably create a 365 day cookbook/ menu planner for busy families because I saved many of the weekly menu plan sheets.

Well, now my husband and I are empty nesters I have slacked off on my kitchen time a bit (okay a LOT). READ MORE

Creating your menu plan is easy.

Just the first step is hard… Making a commitment!

Once you have made the commitment and started the menu plan, you are on your way.  Essentially all you need to begin is a sheet of paper.  There are many menu planning forms out there, here’s one I came upon recently. I have a small 3 ring binder in the kitchen cupboard that holds my menu plans.  Find a place to keep yours handy in your kitchen.

You can plan breakfast, lunch and dinner for each day, but I found that just having a menu plan for dinner was sufficient.  It is a great help in simplifying my evening routine.  To create a menu, first list the days of the week. Next, decide on an entree and side dishes for each day.

Here is a sample dinner menu plan:

Once you have your menu written out, you can then create a grocery list.  Don’t forget to check your pantry for things you already have on hand.  If a meal you are preparing requires a recipe, put the cookbook and page number right on your menu plan.  Save the menu plans that you create because once you have 6 weeks worth or more, you can re-use them.  Again, it simplifies meal planning even further!  I have been planning menus for more than a decade and have a nice selection of menu plans to mix and match. No menu planning is a no-brainer!

Got to go!  Making chicken quesadillas for dinner!

As a busy wife/mom/entrepreneur, by the time 4:30 rolls around each day I am ready to kick off my shoes, have a cup of tea, and just relax.  But, alas, I cannot.  It’s time to make dinner!

I don’t know about you but the last thing I want to think about is “What’s for dinner?“.  Or the panic feeling “Is anything defrosted?”.  I know that the easy way out is to pick up fast food, but that is not the healthy way out!  Having raised 5 kids, with 3 college kids still at home, dinner is always part of the daily routine.  Years ago, I discovered how to organize dinner time in such a way as to relieve my stress, save me time, and even save me money!  This daily recipe for success involves a menu plan.

A menu plan is a system for planning your meals.

• It helps with preparation because you can make a shopping list from the menu you create.
• It helps ensure that your family eats healthier than the McDonald’s menu.
• It saves you time because you simply follow your plan and take things out to defrost in time for meal preparation.
• It is flexible because you can switch the daily menus.  You have the ingredients on hand so, for example, changing the day you eat tacos will not mess up your week.
• It saves your sanity because you know what you are having and can prepare accordingly – no more last-minute panic!
• It saves money, because you do not buy extra things not on your list because you now know exactly what is needed.

It’s quite simple to make a menu plan – I’ll talk about that next time.  Do you have any questions about menu planning?

You’ve come home from a long day at work and now you have to think about dinner… You don’t know what is in the freezer or the kitchen cabinets. Or you just went shopping yesterday and now you have to put a meal together and you forgot a particular ingredient. If this sounds familiar, then maybe try menu planning. Planning in advance what to have for dinner can actually alleviate some of your daily stress.

Typically, a menu is created for a week or two at a time. But as with many things, just start slow… try planning your dinner menu for just the next five days. As you write down what it is you would like to prepare, also write down the ingredients (groceries) that you are lacking. When you are finished planning, your shopping list is now ready to take to the store. If you plan to use a particular recipe, write down the name of the cookbook and page number or location of the recipe so that it can be easily retrieved when needed.

Don’t feel controlled by your menu plan. If you planned to cook chicken tonight and you’re just too tired then open a can of soup or eat a sandwich. That particular meal can be prepared on another day. Sometimes you may find that you need to switch days on the menu plan. For example, let’s say I planned hot meatballs sandwiches for Tuesday and a crock pot dish for Wednesday. My son has an extra soccer practice (last minute of course!) on Tuesday. So, I switch days and have Wednesday’s meal on Tuesday because I can fix and forget it until after we get home from soccer practice!

After planning your menus for two months, not only is it a habit but you can start rotating the same meals and not have to spend as much time planning! Menu planning has also helped those who are seeking to change their eating habits by planning more low calorie, low fat meals. Menu planning will also have a positive effect on your food budget because you will be making less trips to the grocery store and eating out less! If you would like a sample menu plan sheet, email me at craftynat@prodigy.net.