Your Ideas, Please!

Discussion in 'Other Conversation' started by mom24boys!, Feb 26, 2011.

  1. mom24boys!

    mom24boys! New Member

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    I want to get my recipes and menu planning down to a fine art. I have been collecting recipes but not in an organized way. And I forget about new ones and go back to fixing the same things over and over. So I have four questions for you ladies

    1. How do you organize your recipes?
    2. How do you plan your menus?
    3. Do you have a master grocery list and does it help?

    Thanks for your ideas and help.:D
     
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  3. ABall

    ABall Super Moderator

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    I make a weekly menu. I take a sheep of paper and turn it sideways. I draw a line down 1/3 over from the right. Then a horizontal line 1 inch down accross the entire lenghth. On the side that has the small side, divide into 1/3'rds on the bottom 1/3 I divide into half, now you have a large space for Dinner, (I list 6-7 meals including side dishes) on the right hand top I put breakfast, (ideas mostly like cereal and pancakes) then lunches in the middle section, and the 2 small sections on the bottom I put snacks and Desserts.
    I hope you can visualize this it makes it easy to look at the menu and find things I need to put on my grocery list you can put a small checkmark if you have something on hand, say you have chicken and vegetables in the freezer, put a checkmark next to chicken pot pie or what ever you plan......

    Grocery list, on the right hand side I put items that I would find in the isles, on the top left I put produce, then milk and dairy then meat, then bread I hope it helps my husband because he shops.

    Recipes....... they are just everywhere you look...... I even had a dream/nightmare that I was on a bus and someone was steeling my cookbooks. :(
     
  4. Emma's#1fan

    Emma's#1fan Active Member

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    I keep my recipes in the computer; chicken recipes are listed under a chicken folder, beef, desserts, and so on. Then each folder is broken into categories like stews, main dishes, etc..
     
  5. Brooke

    Brooke New Member

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    My only attempt at organizing recipes is a dedicated shelf on a book case. I have a drawer in the kitchen I toss loose recipes in. However, I use the "recipe box" at www.allrecipes.com and it makes me feel very organized. :cool:

    The other half of your question I'm having a hard time understanding. I've tried a few times to sound it out, but what is a l-i-s-t? ;)
     
  6. JosieB

    JosieB Active Member

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    hth
     
  7. CrystalCA

    CrystalCA New Member

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    1.) I organize my recipes in a binder, divided into Beef, Chicken/Pork, Seafood, Side dishes, Pasta, Apps and Desserts.
    I also use 2 main recipe sites:
    http://www.50plusfriends.com/cookbook/crockpot/index-5b.html

    http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/recipes.html

    2.) I take what is in my pantry, what is on the front/back of grocery store ads (if I need extra meats) and what I buy at my co-op and make my menu's around that. We also buy all of our produce through a co-op. Here is the site:

    They are in 10 states now and it is $16.50 a week for around 30 pounds of fruits and veggies.
    http://www.bountifulbaskets.org/?page_id=6

    I also buy food boxes here ( they are in 3 states AZ, CA, NV) its $34 a box for 25-30 pounds of food.

    http://www.thetreasurebox.org/index.php

    Between these 2 co-op's I save a TON of money.

    I don't make a menu for breakfast or lunch because its usually cereal, waffles, fruit, smoothies or oatmeal for breakfast and lunch is leftovers, sandwich, salad , mac & cheese or top ramen.

    3.) No master list. I used it a couple of times and now since I do the 2 food co-ops I just don't need it.
     
  8. Brooke

    Brooke New Member

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    Just adding that my menus are made very similar to Crystal's. I use up what I have stocked up from canning, hunting, fishing, freezing, etc. I use the ads to plan my shopping. I also see what the stores have on clearance that day. I can often buy cheese for a dollar a pound, so if it is mozzerella, we eat Italian. If it's cheddar or a blend, we may have it go more Mexican foods for a while.
     
  9. jill

    jill New Member

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    I have a list of things I make often and I automatically check for sales for the items needed for those and stock up extra when there is a good deal.

    I always have alot of basic ingredients on hand. If I ever feel like we have too much of something and I want to make something different than the old standby, then I search online "best recipes for ...." When I find one that we have everything for, that's what I make. I usually doesn't take long to find something.
     
  10. mom24boys!

    mom24boys! New Member

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    Master list=when you have a list that has all your regulars on it and you use that list plus whatever extra you need. Is that clear as mud, too?
     
  11. goodnsimple

    goodnsimple New Member

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    I tend to type
    quick recipies for ....and a few ingredients I have on hand into google.
    Or I buy tortillas and tell the boys it is leftover burrito night. at our house we might have bean and wieny burritos! lol.
    I have tried every sort of organizational tool for this...even transferred all my reciepies to the computer, and got rid of all the cookbooks. (it seemed silly to keep a huge book for two recipies) then that computer crashed...so now, and my daughter hates this. I just cut the recipies I use out of the book and put them in a folder. It is kind of a messy folder and I am not good at chucking the ones that aren't favorites; maybe I should do that now?!
    But out of respect for the cookbooks, I get most of my recipies online and just print them on scratch paper. so that messy book has the boys rough draft essays and junk mail papers on the back. lol.
     
  12. MilkMaid

    MilkMaid New Member

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    I use a binder with dividers. Most of the time I print recipes from some website. I use a 3 hole punch & stick them in there appropriate section of my binder. Needing freshen up my menus, I will go flip thru my binder & there something will b that I haven't cooked in a while.
    List- gotta have one!
    Keep an on going list on my frig. When I run out of a regularly used item, it goes on the list.
    I don't do much menu planning. Would like to but it never happens.
    I try to keep it simple because if I don't it would never benefit me to have a system. I just simply wouldn't use it so what good would it do me? :angel:
    God bless!;)
     
  13. Jackie

    Jackie Active Member

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    Menu planning is one area where I feel I fail MISERABLY!!!

    A few years back, I got a "Recipe Keeper" from Half-Price Books. It's a really neat recipe book to put your recipes in. After my family decrees a recipe a "keeper", I will rubber-cement it into that. Only problem with it is that it has one of those bindings that isn't really spiral and the prongs break very easily. I had it re-done once at Office Max, but that's beginning to break, too.
     
  14. KrisRV

    KrisRV New Member

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    I try to use a new recipe a week then if it turns out we all like it add it to the pile. I love piles. I do plan on writing them in a book SOME DAY LOL
     
  15. MenifeeMom

    MenifeeMom New Member

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    Right now I have a small shoe box that holds my recipe cards. They are divided into categories and held together by these cute little mini file folders I found at the Dollar Tree. All I do is grab the folder with the main ingredient I need to use and see what ideas I have. That works well for me because I tend to copy down recipes from magazines everywhere I go. When I do meal planning I just pull out the cards I will be using for the week and put them back as they are used.
     

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