I recently developed a crush. He's short and stocky, but oh so handy. His color coordination is just dreamy. And the way he keeps things so neat and orderly!...I have a feeling I'll be keeping my crush around for quite a while. Some call him by a different name, but around here, he goes by
MEAL PLANNER!!!
I am not kidding guys, I am so obsessed with this thing! He lives in a nice little nook on my kitchen counter and I smile every time I walk past him :)
So let me tell you how my relationship with him started. Back in July I prepared a few dinner meals for a family that was adding twins to their crew. I knew mommy would be tired, so I set out to put together some really easy meals for them to have on hand. But I didn't just want the meals to last for a few days in the fridge. I wanted them to be able to have an abundance of convenient meals, any time they wanted them for the next few weeks. So, of course, I scoured my BFF Pinterest to get some ideas. I had done reading on this whole "freeze ahead meal" stuff for the last two years, but was never quite sure how to do it. I decided to dig into pins and blog posts about it and see what solution I could come up with for gifting food to this family. With my "research" (Pinterest is legitamite research right?) backing my ideas, I decided to make a few of my favorite marinades and pour them in gallon size ziploc bags, over meat and chopped vegetables. I labeled them accordingly and wrote instructions for storage, thawing, and cooking in the crock pot. When I arrived at the new parent's house armed with six made from scratch meals they could enjoy whenever they were ready for it, they were thrilled! Isn't great when other people are just as excited about good food as you are?
So as I spent an hour or two in the kitchen preparing all these dinners, I realized how easy it truly was to join the freeze ahead fad! From then on, I became a freeze ahead dinner junky. And I have never looked back!
The next few weeks, I could not believe how breezy dinner time was, as all I had to do was pull something already prepped from the freezer, (knowing it was made from scratch and nourishing as well as convenient) and either cook up a side of vegetables or a starch to go with it. Some dishes I decide to cook in the crock pot and others I like to thaw and then bake in the oven. There is lots of versatility with this method. This was a *major* win for a very pregnant mom of two!!!
By August, I was a pro at my new routine; planning my meals around dishes I had waiting on my Pinterest boards, organizing my shopping trips every two weeks, and spending four hours rocking out to good music while I put everything together in my kitchen. But as I continued to fall in love with this process, I kept feeling like something was missing. It took me about a month of inspecting it from every angle until I could finally put my finger on the missing ingredient: OVER THE TOP ORGANIZATION!! Yes that's right, for everything I do, I really, really, really like the system to be organized, make sense and be beautiful. I already know I'm crazy, you don't have to tell me :)
I went back to my "research" so I could figure out the best way to streamline my process. THE BINDER looked glorious on every blog I read, yet the free printables never seemed to have everything I needed. So I decided to get down and dirty with some power point slides and create all the printables I needed for my hot new crush to be everything I had dreamed of!
So here we go. I introduce to you my Meal Planner Binder:
In the very front of the binder I keep a pencil pouch filled with my favorite neon colored pens and super fine dry erase markers, so I have everything handy when I'm ready to sit down on a nice date with this guy.
Each section is divided by colored binder dividers and labeled acordingly. The first page is the "Weekly Meal Plan." This is where I map out all of our dinners for that specific week. I keep this sheet in a clear sheet protector and write on it with the dry erase markers. Not only can I easily make changes, I don't have to print this paper out each week. To the right I jot down notes I need to remember, like what ingredients to add to the crockpot along with the contents of the ziploc bag that was previously frozen or to remind myself that I wanted to serve salad on the side.
The next section is the "Prep It" section. This is where the bulk of the work happens. The engine room so to speak. In one color I will write down the recipe name in the left column, the pin name from Pinterest in the middle column, and the ingredients needed in the right column. Then in the space below it, in a different color pen I will write down my notes on exactly how I want to complete the recipe. Sometimes I may want to brown the meat before it goes in the bag, or I may want to freeze the vegetables separately. Since a few days can go by between writing in the "Prep It" section to the actual prepping, these notes come in really handy so I know what I was thinking when I originally wrote the recipe down.
The next section in the binder is "Inventory." I know, totally over the top. This sheet is kept in a clear sheet protector and I use dry erase to mark everything in. This first page is the "Freezer Inventory." I only have the things that are regular items around here written down, and the amount that I currently have.
Up next is the "Pantry Inventory." The same process applies here. Using dry erase markers, I have written the items that I always want stocked in my pantry, and the amount I currently have.
This is where all the crazy inventory really makes sense. When I am meal planning, I'm no where near the kitchen to easily look in my cupboards and see which items I already have. No, I am comfy and cozy on my couch, and I certainly do not want to get up as I look at my ingredients list, and start brainstorming my shopping list. So by updating the inventories right before I head to OCD land with this binder, I can make an accurate shopping list without buying something that I didn't already have sitting in my pantry. And by the way, dividing my shopping list into the different categories of the grocery store has made shopping so much easier!
The next section is "Favorite Recipes." When I finally have the chance to fill these pages out I will be able to fill in the recipe name, the name of the pin on my Pinterest board (that way I can always look up the original, or send the pin to a friend who asks for it), ingredients and instructions. One day, one day soon I will get to you pretty little section. I promise.
Now that the process is streamlined from beginning to end, I love it even more! After the kids go to bed and the house is quiet for the first time all day, you can find me cuddled up with him on the couch, with my favorite candles lit, while I have way too much fun planning out our nightly dinners!
Do you use a specific plan to put dinner on the table every night? What has worked great for you and your family?
