tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932644491099258366.post3791541281567451495..comments2024-01-25T12:58:40.398-06:00Comments on Our very Full House: The *Can-Do* MomDevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00536576059551978920noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932644491099258366.post-35121940291621059642009-03-25T14:22:00.000-05:002009-03-25T14:22:00.000-05:00Awesome post! I think you could teach the class n...Awesome post! I think you could teach the class next year! I struggle in the area of grocery shopping. I make a meal plan for the week. I can't seem to plan beyond that. I can't think of that many meals at one time. I feel like I am always needing to go to the store! So, maybe I really need to figure something out. Good ideas that you gave--and there are some good comments on here too! :)Jenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14416819914464201996noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932644491099258366.post-71444721683575940132009-03-24T23:22:00.000-05:002009-03-24T23:22:00.000-05:00Oh my, am I feeling unorganized! I am sadly one of...Oh my, am I feeling unorganized! I am sadly one of those people who goes to the market almost daily to get whatever the fix'ins are I need for whatever dinner will be that day. The thought of meal-planning is almost too much for me to wrap my brain around, but wow, does it sound more productive! Maybe if I can get my act together I'll give it a shot. Sadly, my menu is a rotation of only 4 or 5 things that I actually know how to make. Maybe I need to invite people to leave some recipes on my blog...I am sure my husband would LOVE a little variety in our meals!Its A Corny Life...https://www.blogger.com/profile/06523122015233259595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932644491099258366.post-19204102219825229152009-03-24T23:17:00.000-05:002009-03-24T23:17:00.000-05:00Once we had our fourth child, I figured out that m...Once we had our fourth child, I figured out that my perfectionism had to GO!!! It wasn't working! It seems like once I got used to NOT having everything perfect, life was so much easier! Don't get me wrong, it's a gradual thing and definitely still something I am working on! (cleaning up the kitchen until "spotless" is one that I am working on now!) But letting the kids, including the 2 year olds, put away and hang ALL of the laundry...has been a HUGE blessing!<BR/><BR/>Something that works great for my meal planning is this...I have lists that I keep on the side of my fridge. I could NOT live without them! One list is MAIN DISHES, one is SIDES, and one is DESSERTS. I use them to make my grocery list for my monthly shopping trip. After shopping, I "star" (in pencil) what I have ALL of the ingredients for. It makes is so much easier when trying to come up with dinner ideas! I tried making a "calendar" type meal list...I just got lost when things didn't go as planned. This has worked best for us.<BR/><BR/>Thank you so much for sharing! I wish I could have taken that workshop!!! Maybe they will have it next year??? I hope so! I really enjoyed your post and it gave me quite a few reminders of what's really important! =)Mamasita Chimichangahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13292516202412039518noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932644491099258366.post-60494195057692427792009-03-24T18:08:00.000-05:002009-03-24T18:08:00.000-05:00Well, I'm not quite the perfectionist, but I do li...Well, I'm not quite the perfectionist, but I do like the idea of the meal planning. I am totally NOT a meal planner.<BR/><BR/>Seriously - it's 7:00pm and I still don't know what we're having for dinner.Juliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01329375303392385316noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932644491099258366.post-35477028523407646162009-03-24T15:11:00.000-05:002009-03-24T15:11:00.000-05:00This was great. Thanks, girl!This was great. Thanks, girl!Sharonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07527217912264365849noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932644491099258366.post-53173704441317998562009-03-24T14:39:00.000-05:002009-03-24T14:39:00.000-05:00That is how I grocery shop too, and I've found tha...That is how I grocery shop too, and I've found that I spend almost the same amount shopping like this for 3 weeks that I spent shopping for 1!! <BR/><BR/>I like the idea about having one great meal, it does take some pressure off! But here is a great tip so your 'easy meal' doesn't always have to be hot dogs! <BR/><BR/>I've always bought meat in bulk and package it up in smaller portions, but I recently dicovered cooking it before I froze it and it is so much easier that way!! Usually I half dread pulling ground beef out and waiting for it to thaw then having to cook it, by that point I am usually running out of time. So it dawned on me to cook it before I froze it. One night I didn't know what to make for dinner and didn't have anything defrosted and I threw together a casserole and put the meat in it frozen and cooked it! So easy! I usually make the meat the same, browning it with onion and garlic sometimes I will do a mexican flavor. Then I spread it on a cookie sheet (on parchment paper) and let it cool for a minute and pop it in the freezer. I take it out a bit later and dump in into marked baggies. Last time I divided it into serving sizes, but this time I just dumped it into a gallon size bag. If it's frozen first it won't come out in one big clump and you can take out as little or as much as you need. I don't know why I didn't start this years ago!! <BR/><BR/>I'm cutting up some round steak for stew and stuff so I can just plop it into the crock pot frozen too (I don't cook this, but I trim the fat off and cut them to the right size and freeze it. That way all the prep is done). Usually crock pot days are the day's I'm busy... so it really makes sense to prepare it ahead of time! (Seriously, why didn't I think of this before!!) <BR/><BR/>It is a little pain to cook up all the meat, but it is so worth it! I know that we are having shepards pie for dinner tonight, and everything is done all I have to do is assemble and cook. Doing it this way has changed my life! No more panic about forgetting to take meat out of the freezer, or wondering what to make for dinner... there is always something ready. I hope you give it a try too!Juliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07319967002642846794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932644491099258366.post-80706994077311274412009-03-24T13:47:00.000-05:002009-03-24T13:47:00.000-05:00Great reminders, Devin! I liked the meal plan, too...Great reminders, Devin! I liked the meal plan, too. Sometimes I get stressed trying to make the "perfect" meal in the "perfect" kitchen while keeping my "perfect" boys "perfectly" happy and contented and not making more messes. I think we are going to implement the same strategy here! :) Just the reminder that I needed today!Nancyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03429204860651444534noreply@blogger.com