It’s been a while since I’ve written a ‘Cool Product’ blog post–not because there aren’t any cool organizing products in the stores. In fact, there are so many ‘cool products’ I’ve seen, used, and read about lately, I could write a blog post a week for the next year and not cover them all!
Last year, while compiling the list of stocking stuffers for my annual I ‘Heart’ Container Store Stocking Stuffers blog post, I came across one stocking stuffer that was not only creative, colorful, and fun–I thought it would function well for my family. And it does!
I’ve been meaning to write about this product for most of this year. Every time I would use it, I’d say to myself, “I should make this the focus of a ‘Cool Product’ blog post. More people need to know about this!”
No need to hold you in suspense any longer (unless you’ve already guessed what it is by the photo above…)
Today’s ‘Cool Product’ is: Sombrero Taco Holders
You may be asking yourself (and me)–what does this product have to do with organizing?
I know it’s a bit of a stretch. It may not revolutionize your life like other organizing products do (I’m lookin’ at you, my lovely label maker…) but yes, plastic sombreros can be an organizing tool. Stick with me and I’ll show you how…
Does your family go gaga for tacos? Mine does.
The excitement of a taco dinner is even more palpable if I make them on a Tuesday: #tacotuesday. And bonus points for me if I can time the ripening of an avocado to go with this meal. Now THAT’s organized meal planning! #mealplanningwin
Let me set the scene of my dining room on a #tacotuesday BEFORE we owned the Sombrero Taco Holders:
-hard taco shells broke easily from being handled
-broken taco shells were then rendered unusable except for dipping in salsa
-children got upset that their taco shells got broken
-children got upset when they put their tacos down to eat some rice or guacamole and the filling would spill out all over their plates
-Mom and Dad got upset because children were upset and #tacotuesday was really messy and not as fun as it was supposed to be.
Yet, everyone still begged for taco night and I still made tacos…
Enter the Sombrero Taco Holders. Four of them to the package, so there’s one for each of us. They come in red, blue, green, and pink. In a house full of boys, guess who gets the pink one?
Here it is holding up the filled taco:
With the taco slid all the way through:
And, with a full plate of Mexican side dishes, too:
Here’s what makes them a ‘cool’ organizing product:
-They utilize vertical space on a plate making room for side dishes.
-They hold up a soft or hard taco shell so you don’t have to. ‘Hands-free’ dining!
-They stack one on top of another to save space in a drawer or cabinet
Now, let me set the scene of my dining room on a #tacotuesday after we started using the Sombrero Taco Holders:
-hard taco shells no longer break easily from being handled
-since there are no more broken taco shells, we now dip Tostitos Scoops in our salsa
-children no longer have broken taco shells
-filling no longer spills out all over children’s plates
-there’s more room on our plates for side dishes
-Less mess and more fun–Mom, Dad, and kids enjoy #tacotuesday
Three cheers for the Sombrero Taco Holder! Chip chip, olé! Chip chip, olé! Chip chip, olé!
If you think these organizing sombreros would be a fun addition to your kitchen but you don’t have a recipe for tacos, I’m more than happy to share mine…
Taco Seasoning Recipe
In the past, I’d use a taco seasoning packet for #tacotuesday. They can be very high in sodium so I set out to test the tastiness of some taco spice blends. I found this recipe over a decade ago on the web and have been using it successfully ever since. I do not recall where I found it so unfortunately, I cannot give credit where credit is due but, whoever that talented taco chef is–thank you!
Give it a try–I think you’ll agree it’s the perfect blend of spices to turn ground beef, ground turkey, or beans into a delicious taco!
Mix spices together in a small bowl. Add to 1 lb. of cooked meat (or beans or meat/beans mixture) and add 1/2 cup of water to make a light sauce. Mix to coat. Cook for 10-15 minutes covered on medium to medium-low heat. Serve in a taco shell and enjoy!
Are you hungry yet? Pin this post for your next #tacotuesday dinner and share with someone you know who is loco for tacos!
What’s your favorite side dish to eat with tacos? Share one or two in the comments section below–who couldn’t use a few new dinner ideas?
Would you agree–2020 has not exactly been a banner year for most of us? But, that doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate holidays and celebrate each other. In fact, all is right in the world, even just for a few minutes, when you have a new crop of Container Store Stocking Stuffers to talk about!
I’m lucky enough to live about ten minutes away from The Container Store of Paramus, NJ. Towards the middle of November, I usually take a mini field trip there to cast my eyes upon a new season of stocking stuffers–to hold them in my hand and imagine them in my home. This year, I’ll be using an abundance of caution and opting to not take my usual field trip to the store. I’ll be drooling over my keyboard instead.
Over the years, the Container Store Stocking Stuffer collection has become more fun, functional, and kitchy and less about ‘organizing.’ In my first stocking stuffer roundup post written in 2013, some of my faves included well-designed kitchen tools, colorful page markers, and a rubber ducky shower cap (for organized hair?!?). This year, I’ll be highlighting some of my current ‘faves’ and throwing it back to one from last year’s stocking stuffer post.
I’ve split up this year’s crop of stocking stuffers that I ‘heart’ most into the following categories: ForOrganizing, Useful, Fun and Cute, and Really?
For Organizing
OXO Good Grips Mini POP Canister $5.99
OXO happens to be one of my favorite companies. I have praised their products many times on my blog. Plain and simple–OXO does design well. If you haven’t added an OXO POP container to your kitchen yet, I implore you to start small and try the OXO Good Grips Mini POP Canister. I could see using it as a salt cellar next to a cooktop, for storing your favorite spice mix, or as a place to store daily vitamins or medication. Opening the lid with it’s big button design is a piece of cake–easy for children, seniors, and those with arthritis or dexterity impairments. It’s too cute to not buy and try. And if you really like it and want more, they’re sold in a four pack, too.
Crayola Travel Set $4.99
If you’re a parent or someone who spends time with a child who likes to color, you know that crayons have a habit of rolling off tables, rolling under appliances, and rolling right into the crevice between a child’s car seat and your car’s seat. The Crayola Travel Set prevents all of this from happening by providing a ‘home’ for the crayons when in transit or at the site of being used (the diner, Aunt Peggy’s house, or the car). It comes with some coloring paper but once that’s used up, there’s extra room to store more crayons inside. Comes in red or blue. I don’t know if it fits in a car’s cup holder but that would be an added bonus!
Black Password Keeper $9.99
No one ever said every stocking stuffer had to be fun, flashy, or frivolous. Sometimes we should fill a stocking with functionality. After putting the traditional orange in the toe of the stocking, consider the gift of online safety with the Black Password Keeper. It may look boring and unassuming but a password keeper (as long as you take the time to fill it with passwords) takes your passwords out of your head, off your desktop, and onto paper in an organized way and that’s one of the many reasons why it’s so fab. Yes–boring and unassuming can be fabulous, too.
Useful
Lotta Light Purse Light $14.99
I’m petite and I prefer to carry a small handbag. But, if you carry a large tote and are often searching your bag for what you need, consider the Lotta Light Purse Light for your handbag scuba diving needs. Useful in other small and dark spaces such as a school locker, gym bag, or tool box. Has a clip and keychain attached for versatility.
ThumbScraper Scraper Tool 2pk/$5.99
Have you ever broken a fingernail or even worse, ruined a manicure while trying to scrape a sticky price tag off a recent purchase? If that has happened to you, you may want to check out the ThumbScraper Scraper Tool. This small tool has a thin edge that slides under adhesive and eliminates the goo so you don’t have to. The days of sacrificing a fingernail for the sake of a price tag are over! (also can be purchased separately for $2.99)
Kikkerland Precision 8-in-1 Screwdriver $7.99
My cousin and his wife are expecting a baby soon. I told them one of the most important gadgets to have when baby arrives is one like the Kikkerland Precision 8-in-1 Screwdriver. I am grateful we had something similar in the tool box when my kids were small. Many of their toys came with batteries and the screws that needed to be unscrewed in order to change the batteries was so small–no regular sized screwdriver was going to do the job. Perfect for new parents!
Fun and Cute (and I May Need to Own a Few of These)
Wavy Man $10.99
The Wavy Man is that large, goofy looking fabric tube often found waving or dancing over car dealerships and at trade shows. But, it’s not just for outdoor use! This Wavy Man stands 13″ high–perfect for your home office desk or table top. It’s silly and entertaining–just what we all need in 2020!
Potato Chip and Tortilla Chip Clips 4pk/$9.99
Unless the events of 2020 have led you to eat entire bags of chips (no judgement here…), you’ll need to use something to keep the bag closed after you’ve eaten a few. These Potato Chip Clips (shown above) and Tortilla Chip Clips are a great match for the job!
Chilly Mama Fridge Freshener $9.99
I keep a box of baking soda in my fridge. It’s orange. It hangs out in the back with some infrequently used condiments silently doing it’s job. But, it would be fun to open the fridge door and look beyond yesterday’s leftovers to see the Chilly Mama Fridge Freshener. Fill it with baking soda–it vents from the top and the back. You can set the dial for three months to remind you to replace with a fresh batch of baking soda. I do wish that she had a smile on her face. I know it’s cold in there but it if there’s a little person in my fridge, I’d prefer her to be smiling at me when I open the door to grab a snack…
Kikkerland Dog Treat Selfie Clip $4.99
Is your Instagram feed filled with photos of your dog/cat/ ferret/household pet? Wouldn’t it be great if your furry friend would look at your phone’s camera when you wanted to snap it’s picture? Your chances of getting that shot are higher using the Kikkerland Dog Treat Selfie Clip. I don’t have a pet but I think I should stick a chicken nugget at the end of this selfie clip–then maybe my kids may actually look at the camera when I attempt to take their picture (“Not funny, Mom!” my kids would say. Insert age-appropriate eye roll here).
Really?
Drinking Straw Glasses $3.99
I grew up in the era of Crazy Straws so I can appreciate the novelty of this but for the most part when I drank from my Crazy Straw, I could watch the liquid going around the curves–tons o’ fun! When you’re drinking and wearing the Drinking Straw Glasses you can’t easily see the liquid going around the glasses. It’s really for the entertainment of others. If the Dog Treat Selfie Clip doesn’t get your pet’s attention, maybe try these?
Bought Last Year and Enjoy!
Sombrero Taco Holders 4pk/$9.99
Last year, I not only profiled the Sombrero Taco Holders in my Container Store Stocking Stuffer blog post–I also bought them! Taco Night is very popular in the Murray House and I thought they would be a fun and functional addition to our dinner table. After a year of use, I can honestly say that Taco Night is more colorful and less messy because of the Sombrero Taco Holders. Everyone has a place to rest their tacos for when they want to enjoy the rice, avocado, or other side dishes I serve with the meal. They work with hard shell and soft tacos and wipe clean very easily. If you and your family enjoy eating tacos at home, you may want to consider adding these to your holiday wish list.
Did any of these stocking stuffers pique your interest? Take a few moments to check these and the other stocking stuffers out on The Container Store website. You never know what you’ll find that will make you smile this year. Happy shopping and Happy Holidays!
Which Container Store Stocking Stuffer do you ‘heart’ the most?
I recently entered my eighteenth (!!) year as a Professional Organizer and this year marks eleven years of blogging. Happy blogiversary to me!
I love to write. I love to organize. So starting a blog about organizing was not such a far-fetched idea. In fact, it was a match made in blogging heaven! Back in 2009, I took a workshop at the NAPO Conference in Orlando which gave me the know-how and the push I needed to jumpstart my blogging career. I started out using the Blogger platform and in 2014, decided to merge the blog with my website which was going through a logo and platform redesign. As much as I enjoy it, it still boggles my mind that I’ve been doing it for eleven years.
As part of celebrating my blogiversary, I set goals for the year ahead and look back to see if I’ve met the goals I set for myself the previous year. I recently read my first blogiversary post–my goals were a bit different then. I was barely using social media and my blog was where I ‘posted’ all information. Creating blog categories and helpful content were my top priorities. Pinterest was barely out of it’s infancy. Canva had not even been launched yet! Blogging has certainly evolved since then. I’ve worked hard to keep up with writing and the tools that make my blog beautiful and in front of more eyes than I ever could have imagined.
Here’s how I did…
Goals for 10/2019-10/2020
Blog 1x a month
I thought for sure I’d be able to make this happen but sometimes life has other ideas for your time and brain space. I came pretty close, though blogging in October and November of 2019 and March, May-October 2020 consecutively.
Tweak and Update Existing Posts
Did it! I created Canva-generated images for many posts that previously had no images and added a new ‘connect with me on social media’ footer to the end of my blog posts (look below!)
Consider using Tailwind Scheduler for Pinterest
I chose to take this task off my plate for 2019-2020. I am still considering it’s usefulness and the monetary commitment but since much of my blog traffic comes from Pinterest, I’ll be keeping it on the back burner until I have the time and brain power to look at the pros and cons for adding it to my marketing plan.
Create new and relevant content
Did it! In 2019, I created my annual Anniversary Post and Container Store Stocking Stuffer Review Post and in 2020 focused my blog posts on helping readers during the time of Coronavirus. I had always considered writing a blog post on getting organized for meal planning and decided that 2020 was the year to do so. I felt it’s relevance was so timely, I wrote five consecutive posts on the topic.
My Most Popular Blog Post on Pinterest: Garage Sale and Ted Talks
My post, 3 Thought-Provoking Ted Talks That Will Inspire You to Get Organized has gotten tens of thousands of impressions on Pinterest. In an interesting twist, a blog post I published over seven years ago about participating in my neighborhood’s town-wide garage sale has rocketed to similar fame and fortune on Pinterest. I guess people across the globe have been purging their homes during the pandemic and are looking for tips on hosting a garage sale. It’s November and it’s still getting pinned like crazy!
And guess what happened this year?
I was presented with the ‘Best Organizing Blog’ Award by Sacred Space Organizing. I felt honored to be recognized for my body of work and I’m thrilled to be in such talented company. To check out the list, click here.
Goals for 10/2020-10/2021
Continue to Blog 1x a month
With 2021 just around the corner, I’ve started thinking about what I’d like to blog about. Even after eleven years of blogging, I haven’t covered every topic related to organizing. If you don’t want to miss a post, subscribe to my blog (enter your email address above the picture of me on the top right of this page).
Consider using Tailwind
I’m going to save this goal for the second half of 2021. I need some time to research it’s ease of use, it’s usefulness to Organized Artistry, and whether it is worth the cost. If anyone has any experience with Tailwind, I’d love to hear about it.
Create Canva images for older blog posts
I have many older blog posts (including the one about my neighborhood’s town-wide garage sale) that still don’t have Pinterest-worthy Canva photos on them. I’ll be revisiting old blog posts that still have relevance and make them Pinterest-ready and Pinterest-worthy for new readers.
Continue to tweak content on older blog posts to make more evergreen
When I started blogging eleven years ago, some of my blog posts were short announcements of events or quick tips. I’m writing blog posts more in long-form now and saving the events and announcements for Organized Artistry’s Facebook Page. If I find making certain blog posts evergreen to be a challenge, I’ll consider eliminating the posts or refreshing them for a new audience.
Create a second blog post showcasing ‘Ted Talks’ on the topic of organizing
The ‘Ted Talk’ blog post I mentioned above blew the roof off of Pinterest. It is definitely my most popular post with a ton of traffic. Not Kardashian Instagram type of traffic but an incredible amount of traffic for my less-famous organizing blog. Everything I’ve read about blogging says that if you have a popular blog post and people are showing interest in that topic, write something very similar. Keep your eyes open in 2021 for Ted Talks That Will Inspire You to Get Organized–Part 2.
Eleven years have gone by quickly–I’m looking forward to writing for the next eleven. Thanks for joining me on my journey as a blogger!
I’ve spent the last few months blogging about meal planning and organizing to reduce stress and to keep ourselves safe so I thought I’d shift direction a bit and keep things light. We’re still in the midst of a global crisis. Life is stressful. We could all use more than a few yuk-yuks on a daily basis.
Years ago, I wrote a blog post that included funny organizing cartoons I had seen circulating on social media. I still share that post regularly–knowing in my heart that by sharing it, I’ve made at least one person in the world smile.
In this post, I’ll be turning to my experience as a Professional Organizer for some laughs. I love helping people get organized. I do my best to keep our organizing sessions light and fun despite the sometimes sad and overwhelming reasons why clients have called me to their home.
The more often I work with a particular client, the easier it is to predict what will happen during our organizing session. But, there are times when I have no idea what we will unearth while sorting or what will happen to me while purging. In that vein, allow me to share with you three funny organizing stories that happened to me on the job…
Story #1: Closet Organizing is Not for Chickens!
After a personal loss, a client had called me in to help her organize her clothing, drawers, and closet. She had engaged in some ‘retail therapy’ and decided it was time to get her closet under control. It wasn’t a particularly large closet for the apartment she was living in but it was deep–and you never know what you’ll find ‘in the deep!’
We pulled out a ton of wire and tubular hangers and sent them to the trash along with dry cleaner wrappings and random items. The mood was a bit heavy at times but my client appeared happier as her closet became more empty.
Then, for the first time during our session, I heard her laugh. She came out of the closet and in her hand was a giant rubber chicken! She told me the story of how she came to own a rubber chicken (closets contain so many good stories!) and she gleefully gave it a bunch of squeezes to cause it’s eyeballs to pop out of it’s head. She was smiling! The chicken was not…
After some thought, she decided to purge the rubber chicken from her life and sent it hurling towards the garbage can. She must not have remembered that the rubber chicken had a voice box in it because when it hit the can, it squawked, “BOK BOK BOK BOK BOK BOK BOK!”
We looked at each other and burst out laughing! She ran to the can, grabbed the chicken and gave him another good throw and again upon contact it squealed, “BOK BOK BOK BOK BOK BOK BOK!”
Back into the closet we went with a lighter mood! Out came pants and blouses to try on and a pair of old sneakers to purge. At my client’s request, I tossed the sneakers in the can and an unexpected, “BOK BOK BOK BOK BOK BOK BOK” rang out from the depths of the trash. The chicken lives! After that, my client became ‘the tosser’ and thanks to that rubber chicken, our closet-purging session was more fun than a barrel of monkeys…er, chickens…
Story #2: ‘Watch’ What You Throw Away!
I have worked with many clients overwhelmed with kid toys. For jobs like these, I bring my super-duper thick black contractor bags–not only because they hold a lot, but because little children won’t be able to see that their parents are purging their toys!
My client had three daughters and was looking to pare down some of their toys while they were in school. We sorted and started purging Beanie Babies, dress-up clothes, and lots of little things like Polly Pockets, Barbie accessories, and Happy Meal toys (thank you, McDonald’s for keeping Professional Organizers in business…). My client left the room for a moment to get a drink. I took a look at my watch to see how much time was left of our appointment and noticed that my watch was no longer on my wrist! It was a dainty, gold-toned watch–a gift from my parents. A watch I really should not have been wearing ‘on the job’ but it matched my outfit so nicely so how could I not wear it that day? The clasp had not been ‘clasping’ perfectly for a few weeks but like I said, it matched my outfit really well…
I scanned the area around me–no watch. I shook some large stuffed animals and sifted through the shag carpet beneath me–no watch.
And then, I realized where it could be. It was in the three-quarters filled contractor bag–with all the Beanie Babies, dress-up clothes, and little toys inside.
I start sifting through the bag. No watch. I thought to myself, “It must have sunk to the bottom of the bag.” You can only imagine what I muttered next under my breath…
When the client came back in the room, our conversation went something like this…
Client: “I can’t believe we filled an entire trash bag with toys!”
Me: “It is quite full! I’m going to close it up and start a new trash bag.”
Client: “I’m ready to fill another one!”
Me: “Great–I’ll grab one. By the way, something happened that has never happened in all the years I’ve been working as an organizer. My watch fell off while we were working and I think it is somewhere at the bottom the bag!”
Client: “Oh, no!”
Me: “Oh, YES!” Would you mind if I took the bag home with me? I would be more than happy to put the bag out with my own trash after I find my watch.”
Client: “Sure, I hope you find your watch!”
Me: “Me, too! I am so embarrassed–thanks for understanding!”
I got home and immediately emptied the bag of toys onto my floor. It was a ‘needle in a haystack’ moment but sure enough, there was my watch–the persnickety clasp caught on the hem of a Barbie evening gown. Now I wear a FitBit on the job–whether it matches my outfit or not…
P.S.: I can’t organize and purge kid toys any more without thinking about what happened to the toys in the intro of Toy Story 3. THIS is why I use black trash bags for garbage and white garbage bags for donations!
Story #3: Bubblicious Booty Surprise!
A client called me to help her organize her unfinished basement. When I work in a basement, the idea of wearing a ‘cute outfit’ like I did the day I lost my watch is just not practical. Yoga pants, sneakers, and layered tops depending upon the weather help keep me comfortable and able to move around easily.
The basement was large with many ‘basement-friendly’ items that required sorting and purging. After working in one spot together for an hour, we decided to split up and ‘divide-and-conquer.’ She chose to sort her bins of wrapping paper and I was asked to sort out the laundry area on the opposite side of the room.
Despite the size of the basement, the laundry area was small and crowded. I stepped carefully, noting the items on the floor and most of what was around me. I took a few steps back to avoid some hangers near my feet, then heard a hissing noise. I quickly turned around hoping I wasn’t going to find a pet snake! I checked–no snake. (It’s not easy to surprise a Professional Organizer–we’ve seen A LOT…)
Almost immediately, I felt a cool sensation on my backside that quickly turned cold and wet. And uncomfortable. I figured I must have made contact with an open container of something on the shelf behind me. A quick scan of the shelf revealed that somehow I had backed myself into a can of Scrubbing Bubbles that was lying down minus it’s cap. A quick scan of my backside showed a large clump of white foamy bubbles against the black (and non-waterproof) yoga pants I was wearing that morning. Ugh!
I spent the rest of the organizing session trying to avoid turning my back towards my client and then had to drive the half hour home with a wet (but no longer foamy) backside! To this day, I STILL have no idea how I backed my backside into an open can of Scrubbing Bubbles. It’s one of those events that you could try and recreate through the magic of physics, geometry, and a computer program but it still might not yield any answers. I can look back and laugh now, but I wasn’t laughing then!
Are you smiling? Did you laugh at my stories? Good! Then my work here is done. When organizing your home, watch out for chickens and snakes and keep it light and fun. Emphasis on the word FUN.
Do you have a funny organizing story? I’d love to hear about it in the comments section below!
This blog post is the fifth in a series of posts designed to teach you how to meal plan during times of crisis and in your every day life (post-coronavirus). If there was ever a time to consider practicing the Art of Organized Meal Planning–it’s now.
We eat every day–many times a day. When we’re not eating, most of us are probably thinking about food. When I dream about food, those dreams usually consist of mouth-watering meals and decadent desserts that I have not shopped for, prepared, or cleaned up after. When I need to think about food, it’s more like what I’ll be cooking every night for a week, what produce is on sale at my local market, and what recipe can successfully use up the leftovers in my fridge.
If I chose to keep all that cooking, recipe, and shopping list knowledge in my head, my brain would probably explode!
As I mentioned in my first post in this Organized Meal Planning series, it’s important that you use your brain for generating ideas–not as a storage device. Planning out your meals on paper or a digital device takes the everyday decision making out of your brain and places it outside of your head. This ‘write-it-down’ system is especially helpful if you’re in charge of feeding a family or you have food-related needs to consider such as food allergies, diabetes, or a low-sodium diet. Even if you’re only in charge of feeding yourself, it’s still a worthy idea to write down the food-related knowledge you need to reference on a daily or weekly basis.
For the purpose of meal planning, I’d like to discuss three types of meal planning knowledge to be organized:
A lot has to happen before walking into a supermarket. We need to think about what foods we like to eat and when we want to eat them. We need to see if those foods are in our pantry and take a close look at what foods are languishing in the back of our fridge. How can we keep all of this information from turning into a food knowledge jumble?
Lists, lists, and more lists!
Lists
Why do people use lists?
Lists:
• help us to remember things
• declutter our brains
• reduce anxiety
• bring order and organization to our efforts (including meal planning)
What are some types of lists that would help take Shopping Knowledge out of your head?
• What I’ll Be Cooking this Week list (7 days of dinners or whatever # of days works for you)
• What I Need to Buy Next Time I Go to Trader Joe’s list
• What’s on Sale at Whole Foods this Week list
And the Big Daddy list: The Everything-I-Need-to-Buy-for-the-Week-at-the-Supermarket Shopping List
I would advise against trying to remember everything you need to buy when you head to the supermarket–even if it’s just a few items. Write them down on paper or in your phone–your preference. This is not the time to be testing your memory. Creating lists will keep you organized and ready to shop. The fewer trips you need to take to a supermarket, the better–virus or no virus!
Recipe Knowledge
I have been cooking for many years and have collected more than my share of recipes. No matter how often I’ve cooked certain meals, I still haven’t completely memorized any of them. I always refer to a recipe when I cook. Here are three ways I keep my recipe knowledge organized:
Paper recipes
Grandma’s handwritten apple pie recipe, a recipe ripped out of a magazine, and a print-out of your favorite Julia Child recipe all need a home–a place ‘to live’ while waiting to be used. In the organizing world, we call this place to live a ‘container.’ A container can be anything from a ziplock bag to a basket to a bin. Since printed recipes are flat, storing them in a ‘container’ that organizes paper is a smart idea. A few examples:
• A two pocket folder if you don’t have many paper recipes
• A poly paper sorter for a few different recipes across many categories
• A recipe box for recipes written on index cards
• A binder with plastic sleeves for many recipes across a variety of categories
It’s time to cook! Take the recipe out, use it, then return it back to it’s folder, sorter, box, or binder. Next time you’re planning to make Grandma’s apple pie, you’ll know exactly where to find the recipe.
Cookbooks with post-its
One would think that the abundance of recipes found on the internet would eliminate the need for the traditional cookbook, but people still buy and use cookbooks. I have a bunch and reference them often. For quick and easy retrieval of your favorite recipes, use post-its to mark the pages you wish to refer back to. No need to search the index or table of contents every time–you’ve got the page and recipe marked off. Paper post-its work perfectly, but if you’d like something sturdier, try writeable tabs that can be repositioned.
Pinterest
OMG, Pinterest. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
When I first started using Pinterest, I mostly looked for and curated articles about organizing. Then, I noticed there were also recipes appearing in my Pinterest feed. Lots of recipes. Recipes for family dinners, holidays, food allergies, school lunches, and more.
Early on in my admiration for Pinterest, I realized that I could create ‘Boards’ not just for topics in organizing, but also for the recipes I thought might work for me and my family. It was then that I realized Pinterest could be a valuable recipe organizing tool. At first, my Pinterest recipe board titles were pretty vague such as “Recipes – tried” and ‘Recipes – haven’t tried yet.” Now, the titles are more specific which makes it quicker and easier to find the recipe I’m looking for.
Part of the beauty of using Pinterest to organize recipes is that the recipes you want to save don’t always have to come from the Pinterest platform. Let’s say you just read an article on BuzzFeed about 5-ingredient dinners or you just watched a show on the Food Network and wish to save one of the recipes without printing it out. Most recipes found online have a ‘Pin It’ button. Click the ‘Pin It’ button or hover over and click on the main image for a clickable Pinterest logo to appear. This will prompt Pinterest to open and ask you what board you’d like to save the article/recipe to (If you have a Pinterest account, try it out on the graphic at the top of this post…).
If you appreciate Pinterest even half as much as I do, I think you’ll find it to be a fairly effortless way to organize recipes you discover online and on Pinterest.
Planning Knowledge
Meal planning takes more time and effort than most realize. Here are a few ways to keep all of your meal planning knowledge organized and ready when you are:
Evernote
Much like the above-mentioned Pinterest, I have the same feelings of love and affection for Evernote. It’s a note-taking app that stores every piece of information you could ever need to keep track of and retrieve for yourself or others. Before I started using Evernote, my brain was a whirling dervish of details and data and my surfaces were dotted (more like–covered) with post-it notes.
How has Evernote revolutionized the way I organize my meal planning knowledge? Two main ways…
• Everyday dinners
• Holiday meals
Everyday dinners
I have about 30-40 different meals I make for dinner and rotate them over a series of 4-6 weeks. Keeping a list of them in Evernote frees up space in my brain. Organizing the meals by categories that are helpful and meaningful to me cuts down on the time spent thinking about what to cook on a particular day. One category is food type (poultry, meat, vegetarian), one category has to do with occasions (easy meals for busy afternoons with kids) and one category is for the food allergies we monitor in our household (meals with no allergens, meals with one allergen, etc.). When I’m meal planning dinners for the week, I open this file and my choices based on my family’s schedule and what’s on sale at the market are right in front of me.
Insert *sigh of relief* here…
Holiday Meals
Since we renovated our home over four years ago, we have taken on the hosting of more holiday meals. All of my notes, links to recipes, seating arrangements, and shopping lists are in Evernote. They are listed individually by holiday by year with a post-mortem included so I have a note of what worked and what didn’t. This has made hosting the holidays infinitely easier. No more trying to remember how many pounds of chicken I bought for twenty people. No more wondering what recipe I used for the Thanksgiving sweet potato casserole. It’s all in Evernote.
Insert a ‘happy holidays’ *sigh of relief* here…
Meal Planning Apps
Have you ever considered using a meal planning app? There are meal planning apps for families, for those with dietary restrictions, those who need a little help in the kitchen, and those who wish to connect with food bloggers and ‘foodies.’ If you think a meal planning app will help keep you organized, check out the information in the articles below. You just may find one that works for you!
I’ve been meal planning and cooking for my family for years. I know what dinners my family enjoys (they’re all listed in Evernote!) But, like I’ve said above–I can’t hold the list of dinners I cooked last week or last month all in my head. I don’t always remember the last time I made spaghetti and meatballs for dinner or how many times we did ‘take-out’ in a month. We are a food allergy household and I find it helpful to know what I’ve served for dinner and when.
That’s where my meal planning notebook comes in handy. Since the beginning of coronavirus lockdown, I started using a spiral notebook to track what I cooked for dinner. I wrote the days of the week down the left side of the page and next to each day, jotted down what I cooked for dinner that night. At this point, I have pages and pages of what I’ve made for dinner for the past five months. Having this information at my fingertips has saved me time and mental energy at meal planning and list-making time. As I plan meals for the week ahead, all I have to do is turn back a few pages to see what I’ve prepared and when I’ve served it. This has made meal planning so much simpler for me at this time. I appreciate the fact that my brain has room to think about what’s most important right now–staying safe.
Ready to make lists, take inventory, and plan for shopping and eating? I know you are!
What shopping, recipe, and food planning knowledge will you take out of your head and organize today?
This blog post is the fourth in a series of posts designed to teach you how to meal plan during times of crisis and in your every day life (post-coronavirus). If there was ever a time to consider practicing the Art of Organized Meal Planning–it’s now.
*Note – This is not a Sponsored Post. I’m blogging about a ‘cool product’ that works for me. All words, photos, and opinions are my own.
My kids are fourteen and ten years old now but I remember a time when they were little and I carried around A LOT of stuff for them. I owned a stroller with a large basket so I would have plenty of space to store extra diapers, toys, snacks, and anything else we would need when away from home.
There are a million and one products marketed to new parents but one that I found to be most useful was TheMommy Hook. David Abels, dad of three and the inventor of The Mommy Hook, knew that he and his wife could not be the only parents that couldn’t push a stroller, keep an eye on a child (or two), and carry a multitude bags at the same time. In 2006, The Mommy Hook was born and millions have been sold worldwide. I remember hanging everything from a diaper bag to shopping bags to whatever I needed handy for my young children from that giant hook on my stroller’s handle.
If you’re unfamiliar with the product, learn more about it here.
I own three Mommy Hooks plus a mini one that must have come packaged as a bonus.
OK–you’re probably thinking, ” What does all this have to do with getting organized for meal planning?”
I’m so glad you asked. Here’s my story…
Before the schools closed in mid-March due to the coronavirus, I had a feeling that we would be heading into some kind of lockdown situation. My husband and I took a deep dive into our pantry, fridge, and freezer, then made shopping lists, and split up to hit 4-5 different markets in our area in the span of a few days. I went into meal-planning mode and planned out our meals so I wouldn’t have to go to a supermarket or rely on delivery for a while unless absolutely necessary. I went three weeks straight without food shopping–only using what I had in the house to feed my family.
With four people continuously home and continuously eating for three weeks, it was eventually time to head to the supermarket. Trying to avoid crowds, I ventured out in the late evening to my local 24-hr. ShopRite. Since I hadn’t food shopped in almost a month, my huge order overflowed my shopping cart at checkout. Even with carrying some of the bags on my arm and pushing the cart to my car, a few bags fell off and some cans and boxes got dented. As I stood in the parking lot, exhausted from shopping under coronavirus-conditions at midnight, I knew there had to be a better way. It was in that moment that I remembered The Mommy Hook.
I hadn’t used one in years but I knew that it was exactly what I needed to ensure my trips to the supermarket were easier and more organized. I thought, “If it could work on the handle of a stroller, it could work on the handle of a shopping cart!”
Even though I hadn’t used a Mommy Hook in about six or seven years, I located them, dusted them off, and placed them with my recycle bags to take with me on my next food shopping trip.
Fast forward three more weeks. Time to do another big late evening shop at ShopRite. I brought two Mommy Hooks with me and at checkout, placed 3-4 bags with ‘like’ items on each–light stuff such as chips, pretzels, and bread products, and hooked them to the handle of my shopping cart. Easy-peasy! I got some strange looks from people but I didn’t care. I breezed out of the store, pushed the cart to my car confident that this time, nothing would fall out. I unhooked the Mommy Hooks from the shopping cart handle and placed both with the shopping bags still attached to them, straight into the front seat of my car. When I got home, I grabbed each hook and brought the bags of groceries into my garage.
So.Much.Easier.
Remember–I was doing all this around midnight–when you’re tired, everything needs to be easy!
But, The Mommy Hook isn’t just for use on the way out of a supermarket. You can also use The Mommy Hook on the way in to the supermarket. Clip it to the handle of your shopping cart and hang your recycle bags from it while you’re shopping. If you’re buying as much as I am lately, you need all the space in the cart you can get!
Mommy Hook features:
• Made from lightweight but heavy-duty aluminum
• Soft foam rubber grip prevents slipping and sliding on a shopping cart handle
• Soft foam rubber grip can be grasped comfortably as a handle
• Large enough to hold many grocery bags at once
• Fits most shopping cart handles
Mommy Hook benefits:
• can be used to organize bags of ‘like’ food items together
• creates more space for groceries and bulk items in the main section of a shopping cart
• can be used as a central location for anything you need to access quickly while shopping
Price: from $7.99 – $9.99 depending upon where you buy it.
Worth.Every.Penny.
Years ago I purchased mine at BuyBuyBaby in New Jersey but a quick Google search showed me that they can be purchased at Target, Walmart, Bed Bath and Beyond, and of course, Amazon. If you’d prefer to shop local, check stores in your neighborhood that cater to babies and young children.
Think The Mommy Hook would work for you as one of your organized meal planning tools? Let me know in the comments section below!
This blog post is the third in a series of posts designed to teach you how to meal plan during times of crisis and in your everyday life (post-coronavirus). If there was ever a time to consider practicing the Art of Organized Meal Planning–it’s now.
Do you have a mantra?
A mantra is a statement or slogan that is repeated frequently. It’s often a positive phrase used to motivate, encourage, and inspire yourself or others to achieve a particular goal.
You may have a personal mantra for meditating, feeling empowered, or for living your life. You may even have mantra or two to help you get through this pandemic we’re currently living through.
But, do you have a mantra for meal planning?
I’ve been ‘head chef’ of my household for almost twenty years. That’s twenty years of breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, holiday meals, brunches, and the occasional barbecue. Since going on lockdown in mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic, I’ve done an inordinate amount of meal planning and cooking. Three meals a day plus snacks for my family of four has kept me (and our dishwasher) very busy. I’ve mostly stuck to ‘crowd-pleaser’ meals and familiar foods to help make this time in our lives dare I say–more palatable.
The more time I spend in my kitchen, the more I find myself repeating a few food-related sayings. I say these phrases so often, they’ve become my meal planning mantras. I sometimes even hear my husband and kids repeating them!
BTW…While I was composing this blog post in WordPress, my 10 year old son walked into the room. He looked at my desktop screen and the image quotes below and asked me what a mantra was. After I told him, he looked at me and said, “Mommy you say ALL of these–a lot!”
Here are my top three favorite meal planning mantras for crisis time or any time:
MANTRA #1: Cook Once. Eat Twice!
Many of us are spending more time than usual eating at home. That’s a lot of meals–especially if you are feeding a family day after day, week after week (and now month after month).
I have been saying Mantra #1 for years. It brings me great joy to cook once and eat twice. It’s a major time saver to not have to prepare each component for each meal every day! The ‘cook once and eat twice’ philosophy requires thought and meal planning but not a lot of extra prep time.
A few ways to ‘cook once and eat twice’ during crisis time or any time:
• Cook enough of a protein at one time for two different meals. For example, cook enough chop meat to be used for tacos one night and bolognese sauce a few days later. Make roasted chicken for dinner and shred the leftover chicken for chicken tortilla soup to be eaten over the weekend.
• Cook enough for two complete meals. Take out those large pots you use at holiday time and double your recipes!
• Use a crockpot. A crockpot makes a ton of food. And you can ‘set it and forget it’ while you’re spending your time working, cleaning your home, keeping your kids occupied, and of course–meal planning.
Think about it: What foods would you like to ‘cook once and eat twice’ this week?
MANTRA #2: Keep it Simple with Kit Meals
If you’ve been a fan of the Food Network for over two decades like I have, you’ve watched a whole lotta cooking shows. One show from 2005 that inspired the above mantra is called ‘Cooking Thin with Kathleen Daelemans.’ It wasn’t just an in-studio how-to show demonstrating low-calorie recipes. Chef Kathleen helped ordinary people with food challenges and taught them about meal planning, goal setting, and gave them tips on cooking lighter. One tip I recall and use in my home is the basis for Meal Planning Mantra #2.
Chef Kathleen often spoke about how keeping a pantry filled with healthy foods would support a healthier way of eating. She would pull items off the shelf that worked together to create a healthy meal and referred to them as ‘kit meals.’ I started using that phrase more often after I had children. Having to come up with fairly healthy dinners without using much brain power (sleep deprivation will do that to ya) led me to create ‘kit meals’ for my family. A box of fish sticks with a box of mac and cheese and a steam-in-bag of mixed vegetables was a ‘kit meal.’ A package of chicken cutlets, one lemon, a bag of Trader Joe’s kale and a box of Near East Toasted Almond rice was a ‘kit meal.’ As long as I had all of the components to the kit meal and a way to keep on top of my pantry inventory, I could feed my family simply and easily. Thanks, Chef Kathleen!
Think about it: What kind of ‘kit meals’ could you make for your family?
MANTRA #3: The ‘L’ in Lunch Stands for Leftovers
Of the three meal planning mantras, I think this one is my favorite. It’s also the most recent one I’ve come up with. If I’m not running errands after working with a client, I come straight home and eat lunch. So as not to waste food, I try to make sure I eat leftovers at lunch time.
At the moment, I am not working with clients in their homes. I am in my own home eating lunch with my family every day and going food shopping as infrequently as possible. In an attempt to make sure none of our food went to waste, I created Mantra #3. It’s actually a take-off of a mantra I’ve chanted to my children over the past few years:
“The ‘M’ in “Mommy’ Does Not Stand for MAID!”
It’s a great title for a children’s book. I’ll keep that in mind when I’m not so busy meal planning…
To prevent food waste, I have been managing the leftovers in our home for the past few months #likeaboss. During the early days of lockdown, I would stand in front of the refrigerator and tell my family that if there were leftovers in the fridge, they had to be eaten for lunch. That’s when I would say (OK–yell) “The ‘L’ in Lunch Stands for Leftovers.” I think if my family put a dollar in a jar every time I repeated this mantra over the past few months, we’d have enough money to pay off our mortgage. It has gotten to a point where my husband and kids won’t think about making something for lunch without looking for leftovers first!
When planning your meals, consider cooking enough to have extra servings for leftovers. Even if there’s one portion of food left from dinner, that’s one meal someone can eat for lunch.
Leftovers: Plan for them. Eat them. Don’t forget about them!
Think about it: What leftovers can you eat for lunch tomorrow?
Tell me! What are some of your favorite meal planning mantras?
This blog post is the second in a series of posts designed to teach you how to meal plan during times of crisis and in your everyday life (post-coronavirus). If there was ever a time to consider practicing the Art of Organized Meal Planning–it’s now.
With most of the country required to adhere to ‘stay at home’ orders, it’s just not practical or safe to be running out to the grocery store on a whim for today’s lunch or dinner. It’s time to start planning out the meals you prepare for yourself and your family. In my last blog post, I discussed the benefits to meal planning and shared my seven step system for meal planning success.
Ask anyone who has been meal planning for awhile whether they think it’s worth doing and I’m sure a majority would agree with a resounding, ‘YES!’ Meal planning saves you time, money, energy, and stress. It automates the process of what you and your family will eat every day. Three times a day. Not including snacks. That’s a lot of thinking about food that your brain doesn’t need to do on a daily basis! Meal planning prepares you with fuel for your body and brain and in unpredictable times such as these, meal planning will keep you safe.
To assist in keeping your tummies full, your brain less stressed, and your health in check, I’ve gathered some meal planning do’s and don’ts to help you reach your meal planning goals:
Organized Meal Planning Do’s and Don’ts
General Organized Meal Planning Do’s and Don’ts
Do pick a day of the week to do your meal planning. Many people choose a Saturday or Sunday but it doesn’t matter what day you set aside for meal planning as long as your meal planning gets done.
Don’t worry about meal planning on the same day every week. Just make sure you meal plan before leaving for the grocery store.
Do start small, start easy, and start where you are. No one learns to meal plan for a week at a time overnight. It takes practice, know-how, and desire.
Don’t become overwhelmed with meal planning. If you’re new to the concept, start by meal planning for one day. When you become more comfortable with meal planning, try doing it two days a week. Baby steps eventually reap big rewards.
Do your meal planning when your energy levels are at their highest. You need a good amount of brain power to meal plan successfully.
Don’t meal plan when you’re tired, frustrated, or hungry!
Do inventory your pantry closet and cabinets before buying more food and household goods.
Don’t forget to check your fridge for any foods about to turn green. ‘Almost-green’ food items can be turned into a meal with a bit of creativity.
Organized Meal Planning During Crisis Time or Anytime Do’s and Don’ts
Do block out at least one hour for the task. In the first post in this series, I discuss the process for meal planning. It takes time to check your pantry, look at recipes, and make your list–I promise you it will be time well spent.
Don’t rush through the meal planning process. Meal planning will save you time, money, stress, and energy. Giving meal planning the time it requires for success will make your life easier when you go to prepare meals and feed your family ALL DAY LONG. EVERYDAY. For the UNFORSEEN FUTURE…
Do choose recipes/meals that members of your family enjoy eating. This is a stressful time already. Planning and preparing what I call ‘crowd-pleaser’ meals keeps family members happy and willing to eat leftovers!
Don’t deprive yourself of certain indulgences if they are in your budget. Our bodies crave certain foods–even more so in times of crisis. If a more expensive cut of meat or a cake from your favorite bakery will make you or a family member happy, then plan for it.
Do check your store circular for sale items to build a meal around. Meal planning from the sale circular is a tried-and-true money-saver!
Don’t cook many meals that require expensive or ‘for-one-recipe’ ingredients. Save these recipes and ingredients for a time when the economy is more stable. You’re going to want to celebrate when this is all over, anyway!
Do plan out at least 3-5 days of meals with a week’s worth being optimal.
Don’t run to the supermarket every day. At the time of writing this, we are still being advised to leave the house for essential items as infrequently as possible. For this reason alone, it is imperative to jump on the meal planning bandwagon and make it a part of your weekly routine.
Do check your calendar before planning your meals for the next few days. Maybe you have a late afternoon Zoom meeting on Thursday or an early evening birthday drive-by on Sunday? You’re going to want to plan for quick-cook or easy-to-serve meals for those days.
Don’t think your calendar is just for jotting down events and reminders! Write the meals you’re cooking in your calendar to keep track of what you’ve cooked and when. You’ll know exactly which Tuesday you made tacos and which Sunday you chose to indulge in take-out. No need to strain your brain thinking about what meals you’ve prepared in the past–it’s all in your calendar.
Organized Meal Prep and Cooking Do’s and Don’ts
Do review your recipes before heading to the store. Write all ingredients on your shopping list to ensure you’ll have what you need when you start cooking.
Don’t think you can keep it all in your head. Recipes, ingredients, family favorites–take that information out of your head and write it on paper or in your phone/tablet. Use your pantry or cabinets as storage space–not your brain!
Do consider doubling your recipe or making a bit extra while you’re cooking (if you can). This will save you time in the future when you’re looking for a quick lunch or an easy-to-reheat meal for the family.
Don’t let leftovers go to waste! Not eating leftovers is a waste of money as well as the time it took you to cook it. Organize your leftovers on one side of your fridge or at eye level so you don’t forget about them.
Do plan to cook with fresh vegetables within the first few days of bringing the home from the supermarket. Unless they are a hearty vegetable like squash, carrots, or onions, there’s the possibility that your veggies will wilt or become mushy if not used quickly.
Don’t forget that frozen vegetables have similar amounts of nutrients as fresh. They are often harvested when they’re at their freshest. So, go ahead and buy some for your freezer. They’ll be there when you need them.
Meal planning may seem challenging and time-consuming but like any other task, the more you do it, the easier it gets. Remember to start small, start easy, and start where you are. Your meal planning efforts will become effortless in no time.
Which set of Do’s and Don’ts do you think you’ll find most helpful? Leave a comment–I’d love to hear from you!
I have been thinking about blogging about meal planning for a while. With the coronavirus pandemic currently a part of our everyday lives, there isn’t a better time to talk about it.
I’ve been a Professional Organizer for eighteen years. I’m also the ‘head chef’ in my family. One of the most vital organizing systems I’ve created in my home is the meal planning I do for my family.
Why do I meal plan?
I grew up with my mom planning our meals–I witnessed the benefits of planning ahead. As a single woman (an elementary school teacher living on a tight budget) I shopped, packed my own lunches, and planned dinners according to the needs of my schedule. Now, as a wife and mom, good nutrition, multiple family food allergies, and a busy lifestyle make meal planning a necessity to stay on top of our food needs.
Why is it important to meal plan?
We eat every day. Multiple times a day. To live. There’s no getting around that…
Anything we do multiple times a day, every day should have some kind of automation so we don’t have to constantly be thinking about it.
Meal Planning is a multi-step system and organizing strategy designed to take the every-day-multiple-times-a-day thought process of ‘what-are-we-going-to-eat?’ out of your head and put it onto paper or your favorite digital tool.
You want to avoid organizing your sock drawer–OK. I’ll give that to you. But, please–don’t avoid meal planning. Especially now.
Why is its important to meal plan NOW?
In the time of coronavirus, food shopping is considered an essential trip outside of your home. For safety reasons, we’re supposed to stay out of public spaces as much as possible. This is not the time to be running to the grocery store for a forgotten ingredient or because you can’t think of what to cook for dinner.
Meal planning is a time management strategy but now, it is also a safety measure that will ensure you spend as little time as possible food shopping in public. You’ll also know exactly what recipes you’ll be making, what foods you’ll be eating, and when you’ll be eating them–one less thing to think about every day when we have so many other recent lifestyle changes to juggle.
*If you currently do most or all of your food shopping online due to age, illness or personal choice, it’s even more important to take the time to create a meal plan for you and your family.
If you’re a beginner to meal planning (or any other organizing) I advise you to start small, start easy, and start where you are. I want you to have the tools necessary for meal planning–not only for the sake of good nutrition, saving money and time, but also to keep you safe.
What are the benefits to meal planning?
Besides promoting healthier eating, meal planning saves you time, money, and stress.
Time
With meal planning, there’s no need to take time out of your day to run to the market, find a parking spot, grab a few items, stand on line, come home and eat later than you wanted to. Meal planning will put hours back into your life!
Money
With a meal planning system in place, there’s no need to pull out a menu and order last minute takeout–often more expensive than a home-cooked meal. Fewer trips to the store means fewer opportunities for impulse shopping which can add up to hundreds of dollars a year. With many people out of work at this time, meal planning is a necessary part of tightening up a budget.
Stress
This coronavirus pandemic is causing us to feel more stressed than usual. Our brains are working on overdrive. With that being said–we HAVE to eat. But, we don’t have to keep all that food-knowledge in our head. Meal planning takes the every day decision-making out of your brain.
“Your mind is meant for having ideas, not for holding them” says David Allen (the founder of the Getting Things Done work-life management system). Bluntly said, (by me)–your brain is not a storage device! We already have enough swirling around up there–we shouldn’t keep any more information up there than we need to!
Are you ready to learn how to meal plan? Great! Follow the steps to help you get organized for meal planning…
My Seven Step System for Meal Planning:
Step 1: Do a Brain Dump
Take four separate pieces of paper. Write the word ‘breakfast’ one one, ‘lunch’ on the next piece, ‘dinner’ on the third and ‘snacks’ at the top of the fourth piece of paper.
Take a few minutes to do a ‘brain dump’ of what meals/snacks you like to eat and write them on the appropriate papers.
Ex:
breakfast = almond butter on a bagel, blueberry pancakes and syrup, cereal with milk and fruit
lunch = chicken nuggets and french fries, turkey sandwiches and chips, cheese sticks with crackers and baby carrots
dinner = chicken cutlets/steam-in-bag veggies/rice, spaghetti and meatballs
snacks = dried apricots, Oreo cookies, pretzel rods
Step 2: Ask for Ideas
Gather the members of your household and ask them to brainstorm their favorite meals in each of the categories and add them to the appropriate lists.
Everyone eats? Everyone gets a say!
*In the time of coronavirus–remember to also list out meals you may be cooking for/delivering to family and friends. You’ll need to add those ingredients to your shopping list, too.
Step 3: Start Meal Planning
Now that you’ve written down meals that everyone likes to eat, it’s time to start meal planning!
Two things to consider:
-what recipes you want to make
-how many days you want to plan for–two? Five? A whole week?
It’s now time to take out a new piece of paper (to plan out your meals) and consult those four pieces of paper from Step 1 and Step 2 for ideas on what meals to plan for.
As an example, let’s create a one-day sample meal plan using the meals from above:
MONDAY
breakfast: cereal with milk and fruit
lunch: turkey sandwiches and chips
dinner: spaghetti and meatballs
snack: pretzels
Whether it’s one day or a whole week, do the above exercise for each day you are planning meals for.
*It’s important during this coronavirus crisis that you be in the supermarket as infrequently as possible for everyone’s safety. Please try your hand at planning out a few of your meals. If you’re not used to doing much cooking or meal planning, start off planning for 1-2 days and slowly work your way up to a week’s worth of meals. Don’t stress about this–start where you are.
Step 4: Take Inventory
After listing out all the food items you’ll need for the meals you’re planning to make, it’s time to take inventory and see if you already have the ingredients for those meals. Take the list from Step 3 and a pen and carry it to your fridge, freezer, and pantry area(s). If you already have the item at home, circle it on your list–no need to buy it (unless you want to stock up on more while at the store). Any items not circled will be added later to your Shopping List.
*If you’re using a specific recipe, take time to review it to determine what ingredients you’ll need.
Step 5: Shop at Home
You don’t always have to start from scratch. Meal planning can also start at home. It’s a time, money, and stress saver to meal plan with…
-items that are about to turn green and fuzzy in your fridge
-items that have been in your freezer long enough to have a few ice crystals on them
-items in your pantry that are about to expire
-items on sale at the supermarket
Maybe you have mushrooms that have 1-2 days left in them. Plan to make mushroom omelettes for lunch or chop the mushrooms into the sauce to go over spaghetti and meatballs. Or, maybe on page 3 of your supermarket’s sale circular, you see that chicken cutlets are on sale. Consider buying enough to make chicken based meals once a week for a month.
Add these ‘shop at home’ and ‘supermarket sale’ options to your meal plan for the next few days. This is not the time to let food go to waste!
Step 6: Put it on your Calendar
There’s a famous time management quote that says, “What gets scheduled–gets done.” Let’s combine that with David Allen’s quote from above about how your brain is not a storage room. Take your meal planning ideas out of your head and put them on your calendar!
What day do you want to make that spaghetti and meatball dinner? What day next week do you have a 4pm Zoom call?
Take out your calendar and organize those meals you just spent time planning for.
Some things to consider…
-Do you want to eat meat and vegetarian meals on alternating days?
-Do you want to create ‘theme nights’ such as Meatless Monday and Taco Tuesday?
-Which days do you want to cook? Which days would you prefer to support a local restaurant with a take-out meal?
-Do you think you’ll have enough food for a ‘leftovers night?’
All good questions to ask yourself while scanning your calendar and meal planning for the days of the week ahead of you.
*In the future (after the coronavirus pandemic is over) your schedule may include days/nights where you’re working late, your son has to be at baseball practice, or your daughter has a dance class. Check your calendar for those events and plan to make on-the-go and quick-prep meals (or takeout) on those days.
Step 7: Make Your Shopping List
You’re ready to make your shopping list! Grab a long piece of paper or your phone (whichever you prefer) and start listing out the foods you’ll be needing to purchase for your pre-determined amount of meals.
Here are two ways to do this:
-List out your foods by category (an easy place to start–especially for beginners)
-List out your foods by supermarket aisle (for advanced meal planers and/or those who are familiar with the aisles of the stores they shop in).
Listing foods on your shopping list by category can look like this:
Ex: spaghetti and meatball dinner from above (with a box of spaghetti already in your pantry)
Shopping List
Cans/Jars/Boxes: spaghetti sauce
Bread: Italian bread
Meat: 1.5 – 2 lb package of 85/15 ground beef
Spices: oregano
Dairy: butter
Produce: lettuce, cucumber, fresh garlic
Listing foods on your shopping list by supermarket aisle can resemble this (using my local ShopRite as an example):
Ex: spaghetti and meatball dinner from above (with a box of spaghetti already in your pantry)
Shopping List
lettuce, cucumber, fresh garlic (my store opens into the produce section)
oregano
spaghetti sauce
1.5 – 2 lb. package of 85/15 ground beef
Italian bread
butter (dairy is the last aisle in my store)
This infographic spells out the basics…
Congratulations! You’re a meal planner! The more often you do it, the easier it will become–I promise! And over time, you will notice your meal planning efforts saving you time, money, and stress–now in crisis time and anytime.
Be safe. Be healthy. Be a meal planner!
What meals will you plan this week? I’d love to hear about them in the comments section below…
What we’re experiencing with the Coronavirus is unprecedented.
Many of us are on lockdown. With children. My kids are 13.5 and almost 10. They’re great kids who play well together (most of the time), take their new online/distance learning education seriously (it’s week 1…), and have a basketball hoop outside to help them shake off some energy. I spend my mornings shuttling between their two bedrooms answering questions, assisting with technology, and I even learned a new skill–how to highlight text in Google Docs.
‘Online school’ in our town will be from 9am-1pm Monday through Friday for at least the next two weeks. After lunch and some ‘chillaxin’ time,’ the plan is to use part of the afternoon for what I call ‘Electives.’ This afternoon my kids will be taking ‘Home Economics’ and helping me make meatballs. Yesterday, my youngest son and I explored watercolors during ‘Art’ and tomorrow he’ll practice his xylophone during ‘Music.’
Besides the basic school electives, I could not call myself a Professional Organizer if I didn’t at least try to engage my kids in a little organizing while we are house-bound. It’s an important life skill and we’ve got the time to practice it!
Life with kids regardless of their age can be hectic. Over the past few months, my husband and I have been juggling our workloads, our two kids on three different basketball teams, volunteer work for religious and professional organizations, family and friends, with little time to tackle some organizing projects that have needed our attention (Familiar with the whole ‘shoemaker has no shoes’ saying?).
You may have experienced a similar weekly/monthly time crunch. As long as no one is ill in your household, this would be a good time to have your kids sharpen their organizing skills after completing their schoolwork. It will teach them a life skill, help keep your home in order, and keep them busy with a productive activity when the day feels like it may never end.
Here are some ideas on where to begin and tips to make it as painless as possible…
Three areas of organizing to focus on with your kids are: organizing time, organizing space, and organizing stuff.
Organizing Time
For many kids, their online schooling will take place in the morning. But afternoons, evenings, and weekends are wide open. Let’s work with them on some time management skills…
Promote the benefits of sticking to a basic schedule – Kids thrive on routine. It gives them a sense of security and predictability. School-aged kids follow a schedule in school–create something similar in your home. During this period of time spent at home, it’s imperative for your child’s well-being for them to know what’s coming next in their world in the days and weeks ahead.
Create a visual schedule of their days
Work with your kids to create a paper-based or digital schedule for weekdays and weekends using the concept of Time Blocking. From the website Doist.com: “Time blocking is a time management method that asks you to divide your day into blocks of time. Each block is dedicated to accomplishing a specific task, or group of tasks, and only those specific tasks. … With days that are time blocked in advance, you won’t have to constantly make choices about what to focus on.”
Together with your kids, create a list of everyday and weekly tasks, to-do’s, projects, and fun to plug into their daily at-home schedule. Tweak as necessary.
Help them prioritize tasks
Prioritizing is all about figuring out what is most important. Assisting your child with the art of prioritizing gives them a life skill that prepares them for the future. Take that list you made with your kids for Time Blocking purposes and use it help them make decisions as to what’s most important to accomplish during a ‘school’ day and on the weekends while at home. Be flexible–this unusual time isn’t easy for them or us.
For more on the how time management can make your life and your child’s life easier, read…
An organized space is key to one’s physical and mental well being. Your kids are already being forced to stay indoors for most of their day and may be stressed about the global pandemic. This is the time to help them make sure their personal space is clean and orderly.
Bedroom/Playroom Stand with your child in the room and together determine the categories of items that need to be organized. Basics are books, toys, clothes, electronics, etc. I don’t recommend purging much more than any trash that might be around the room. This is a challenging time for everyone and keeping the space in order is more important at this point than getting rid of what you think your child doesn’t need anymore.
Online learning workspace Your child(ren) will be engaging in online/distance learning for at least a few weeks–it’s important that their space be organized. This may include laptops, Chromebooks, scrap paper, pens/pencils/crayons, a spot for a snack, etc. Talk to your child(ren) about their needs and help them set up and organize their temporary school space for success.
Organizing Stuff
Oh, the things that can be organized when you’re at home for weeks on end!
Books, Toys, Art Supplies, School Papers Like I mentioned above, no need for much purging unless something is broken and beyond repair. Just keeping each category of items all together in one spot will be sufficient. The phrase, ‘organized enough’ is one to keep in mind as the days turn into weeks.
Clothes
Spring is coming! After we ‘flatten the curve’ and we’re safe to go back to our usual lives it’s going to be too warm (in many parts of the country) to wear the clothes we wore in March. This is the perfect time to try on shorts and bathing suits and take inventory of what clothes your kids will need for the Spring and Summer. *Tip: I park my kids in front of the TV to try clothes on them. It keeps them occupied, I hear less complaining, and it gets the job done fairly quickly and painlessly!
Pantry
Do you have a space in your kitchen where your kids can get their own snacks? If not, this is the time to make one. You’re most likely trying to work–the fewer interruptions you have, the better. Talk to your kids about what snacks they’d like to have accessible in the fridge and pantry/cabinet. Set up a bin, bag, or shoebox (whatever you have handy) and place the snacks where they can reach them themselves. *Tip: Know your kid–if they can’t be trusted alone with a baggie of Cheerios when you’re not in the same room, stick to something less messy or one or two of something like a Fig Newton or a granola bar.
Helpful Tips
Group Like with Like
Most kids as young as preschoolers can follow this basic organizing principle. Dolls with dolls, all socks in one drawer, all copies of Captain Underpants live together on the shelf, etc.
Break it Down
Keep organizing projects short and sweet. No more than 15 – 30 minutes a day for everyone’s sanity! One shelf. One drawer. One bin of Hot Wheels cars. That’s it. Do more tomorrow. Or wait for the weekend.
Put things back where they belong
This is a basic organizing principle that is used in schools and is beneficial at home, too. Take 10-15 minutes a day to do a sweep of toys, books, school supplies, etc. and put them back where they live. This will make it easier for your kids to find what they need next time they need it–and less likely for them to need to interrupt you while you’re TRYING to work from home.
Plan for tomorrow
Planning is another important life skill. Have your kids think about what they want to eat for lunch tomorrow, what they might want to wear (most likely pajamas), and who they might want to FaceTime with after their schoolwork is done. Planning ahead helps kids to make decisions and focus on their future needs.
Not About Organizing, But Still Helpful Tips
• While you’re cleaning out your drawers/cabinets/shelves if you find something a local friend or neighbor could use, drop it off at their apartment or front stoop (and call/text/email them to let them know it’s there!). Kindness goes along way during a pandemic…
• Organize video playdates for your kids. It’s not really organizing but it does take planning and effort. My youngest son has had two already and it has kept him happy and in touch with his friends.
• Stay as calm as you can with EVERYONE home ALL THE TIME. Here’s a great Youtube channel with relaxing music that I listen to when I’m feeling stressed: OCB Relax Music.
• Engage in some adult and kid coloring for stress relief. It’s a relaxing group activity and goes very well with the relaxing music I just mentioned. If you don’t have any coloring books in the house, type ‘adult coloring book printable free’ into Google–pages of hits appear. Do the same for your kids, print a few pages, and relax a bit while coloring.
• Buy (if you can find any…) these Clorox wipes that smell like a piña colada. Who couldn’t use some of THAT right now? Am I walking around disinfecting my house or am I walking on the beach? (I’ve heard being sequestered can make one delusional…)
We’re living in stressful times but getting your home and kids organized can help reduce that stress. Be safe. Be healthy. Please do your part to ‘flatten the curve.’ Together we can save lives.
A blog by Professional Organizer Stacey Agin Murray bursting with cool products, 'gotta-tell-a-friend' ideas, and a whole lotta organizing know-how. Learn more...
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About Stacey
When you grow up in a 5’x12′ bedroom, you learn to organize pretty quickly! I chose to take that knowledge and turn it into a business helping people find what they need when they need it. I’m also the author of The Organized Bride’s Thank You Note Handbook–a book that offers wedding thank you note-related organizing tips and how-to’s plus 101 unique sample thank you notes (what bride can’t use that?).
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