Being Prepared for {Mealtime}

After this & this attempt of getting mealtime organized last year, I'm hoping this 3rd idea will be a "charm". Now that things have changed in our lives (yet again) I'm trying to make adjustments to be Prepared for Mealtime as well.


I got a binder & used these tabs I already had. I just altered them with numbers 1-31 for each day of the month. I wanted them separate so in each tab I could add[Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner/Dessert] Recipes.


I then copied recipes from cookbooks and magazines to put in each day. (Thanks Fabi for this idea!) And labeled (You could just write the name of each meal but I thought it would be easier to put a sticker on. I did 1/2 circle stickers because I love to color code anything - green=breakfast, yellow=lunch, red=dinner, blue=dessert)them for each meal. It will be great to take a couple of days at the begining of the month to prepare & then go shopping 4 times during the month(I think Saturday night is perfect!). I'm hoping this will help in the "food going bad" department.


I printed off a calendar & labeled each day of the week a type of dinner.

Sunday: Crockpot Meals

Monday: Freezer Meals

Tuesday: "S" Meals

(soups/salads/sandwiches)

Wednesday:Anything Goes

(casseroles/meats with side dishes...)

Thursday: Family "Favorites" Meals

(meals our kids ask for frequently when I didn't have anything prepared)

Friday: Finger Food Meals

(foods on sticks/burritos/pizza/nachos/fries/nuggets...)

Saturday: Leftovers

{Desserts are filtered in throughout the month}

I'm excited that for 5 days a week we will be able to try new recipes. If our family ends up liking the recipe I can just add it to our "Favorites" Recipe Binder.

UPDATE(1/11/11): I have been doing this now for one week and finally I have a system that works for me-it is Heaven!