Organizing and Meal Planning

One thing that I've learned over the years is that, if my calendar is up-to-date and organized, my life feels that way, too.

And, although my house may sometimes function in complete disarray (what I wouldn't give for a housekeeping service!), I have found some great solutions for organizing my time and meal planning.

I keep two calendars. I know, it might be overkill, but I'll explain.

Online Calendar

I have the best online calendar app! It's called Cozi and it has been perfect for our family! This app allows me to input dates on my phone or computer and I can actually select which family member(s) each event applies to. For example, my daughter and I are going to see a production of Annie in a few weeks, and I can set the event so it applies to both she and I. I can also list location, set recurring events, and group my events by a particular sport or club as part of a schedule.

One of the other things I love about this app is that it can be accessed as a family calendar by my husband, also. And I can even use one section to keep a grocery list! Having a place where each of us can see what the other is doing really saves us from a lot of double-booking or forgotten grocery lists!

 Written Calendar

And as much as I love my online calendar, there is something I just LOVE about paper. Sort of like the books vs. e-reader debate--I love the convenience and space-saving nature of e-readers, but there is nothing like having a book in my hand.

I use my Happy Planner daily. I track my to-do list, schedule, and meal plan all within this awesome book. The size I have now is a Classic, but I have noticed that they have Mini planners coming out for 2019, so I might try one of those since I do love keeping it in my purse, and this one is a bit big for that. If you are interested in buying one, I really recommend looking for a half off coupon at Hobby Lobby and getting a great deal!

Meal Planning

So, now that you have your planners set, you can get down to organizing your meals. And here's my mantra about meal planning that I think is also a universal truth that can be applied to other aspects of our lives: Stop Making It More Complicated Than It Needs To Be.

Yup. My meal planning honestly takes me about a half hour per week, and it doesn't look fancy, but it WORKS. 

Here's how I do it: 

1. Find a consistent place to post your meals. I use my Happy Planner and write down dinners for the week. You can use a sheet of paper taped to your cabinet. SERIOUSLY. The important thing here is that you put the meal plan in the same place consistently.

2. Check your calendar. This is a big one. If I know we are running around everyday, but I have Monday night free, I might cook on Monday night for the week and make sure that I have easy, heat-up-food nights the other nights. If you're planning lasagna on a night with two soccer practices, you are setting yourself up for failure, so take that stress off your plate (see what I did there?) and give yourself a break.

3. Find meals with ease. Of course, I have enough cookbooks that I can't find more space in my kitchen and LOTS of printed recipes and recipe cards, but I also have a couple of great tools that I use to get meal ideas or get me out of a meal-planning rut. First, I look back through my calendar at past meals. So simple, but a quick page through past meals reminds me of meals that our family loved and helps me think about new ideas. Second, I use Pinterest. I keep one board of food that I'd like to try and one board called "Tried and True" recipes. I keep recipes that have been good time and again on my Tried and True page, and then they're easy to find, and my other gives me new ideas to try.

4. Balance. I generally try to balance the meals we have each week. What I mean is I try to keep a balance of new recipes and old favorites, easy to prepare and time-consuming, healthy and hearty. I have no actual mathematical system for these, but I find my kids are more willing to eat something new if they know I'm making chili two days later. It also keeps me from going off the deep end and getting way too excited about making ALL the new recipes at once.

5. Preparation. Get in a routine of checking your list. I do one big grocery shop each week (and sometimes another pop in to get milk or bread) during the week. I try and remember to pop my frozen meat in the fridge the day before so I don't have any issues getting things defrosted on time. And if I'm really on it (which happens about twice a year), I will cut up veggies, etc. ahead of time to make my life simple.

6. Cheat! Ok, it's not really cheating because there are no actual rules for meal planning, but this is a reminder to make things easy on yourself!  When our kids started school, I wanted to make these wonderful bento meals everyday, and I just realized that as good as my intentions are, that's just Not. Our. Life. All of our dinners are made to have enough for the adults to take lunch to work the next day. Boom. Our kids eat the same few things for breakfast and lunch each day, which they love. Boom. When I make cookies, I make a double batch and leave the dough in the fridge. When they run out, all I have to do is throw cookie dough on a pan and bake without messing up my kitchen. Boom. Of course, double batches of meals to freeze for later is also a fantastic idea. And although I place a high value on homemade meals, there is just NOTHING wrong with a can of fruit or a rotisserie chicken or a refrigerated pizza. You do you.

7. Follow through. I'm notoriously bad at this one, but I have a pretty good memory, so it works out, but take some time to jot a note about the meal. Did your family love it or hate it? Did it need more seasoning or was it too spicy? Does your husband feel like the meal was way too light just because it didn't contain meat? (Please tell me that other husbands do this, too.) But a quick note about the meal helps remind you of what to do or not to do next time around.

I hope these ideas are as helpful for you as they are for me--I know I just love finding ways to do some of the more boring tasks with more efficiency so I can move on to things I enjoy!

I'd love to hear some of your organizing tips! Share away!