Menu Board

Okay, I came across this menu board idea on Pinterest.  If you've not heard of Pinterest, where have you been?!  Just kidding.  Pinterest is a site that "lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes."  So, it's basically virtual bulletin boards.

Someone else actually posted it on Pinterest and it showed up on Facebook, which is where I saw it originally.  After following the link, I discovered there was so much on Pinterest that I could use, so I signed up, and then pinned the site where this menu board was created.

We used to spend hours trying to think of meals for the week.  I mean, it was EXCRUCIATING!  I had tried a couple of sites where there are already menu plans created for you, you just print it out with the ingredients and recipes.  Those each worked for about one week, until we realized we don't like any of their recipes. So we were back to sitting down with our recipe book, cookbooks, and the computer, to find any recipes we could that sounded appetizing.

Until I saw this idea.  I have to say, this has literally revolutionized the way we plan our meals!  Here's a picture of my finished product:

This board uses little cards, with a dinner meal listed on one side, and the ingredients on the back.  To plan meals, I take cards from the bottom box, place them in the clips on the board on the days I want to have that meal, and then write out the ingredients on my shopping list. That's it, I'm done.  When I'm ready to plan the next week, I remove the cards and put them in the top box.  This way it rotates through, and then I start over when the bottom box is emptied.

To set this up I went through our recipe files and collected all the recipes we use that are "keepers", which made me clean out my recipe binder in the process, discarding any recipes that were not "keepers" (I mean, why keep them if they were awful?).

Then I created a table in Word with two columns.  I put the name of the recipe in the left column, and the ingredients needed in the right column.  So when I print it out and cut out the recipes, I can fold them over onto themselves.

I followed the directions on the original blog to build it.  I bought an 11x14 frame, and a scrapbook paper pack that has coordinated papers and stickers, for $5 each.  I also bought a couple boxes of 16 count crayons for the boxes.  I already had self-laminating sheets on hand for the cards.  However, after laminating a bunch, I realized it wasn't necessary and it was more time-consuming, so half of my cards are laminated and half aren't.

To design it I just used different papers from the scrap pack to fit on the mat inside the frame.  I also covered the crayon boxes with more paper, and used some sticker borders to trim them out.

I'm so excited I got this done!  I still have a few recipes to add and print out.  I also made a couple cards that say "Eat Out" for lazy special occasions, and "Try New Recipe" to mix things up.  If the recipes work, I'll make new cards for those, too!  Another option I'll be adding is cards for lunches, since I frequently draw a blank when it comes to figuring out what to have for lunch.  Then I'll add a third box to hold those cards.

So that's it!  If you want more details on how to create it, I encourage you to visit Claire's blog, where I got the idea.  I do not want to pretend that I came up with this on my own, because God knows I'm not that creative! 

Do you have a method that works for you?  What is it?

Recipe Binder

If you're like me and you like to try different recipes, then you know how much of a struggle it can be to keep all those recipes organized.  I will find a recipe online and either print it out or, when the printer was low on ink, write it out on notebook paper.  If the recipe tanked, then it was easy to figure out what to do with it - round file.  But if it actually turned out to be good and something my family enjoyed, then I'd have to find a way to keep it.

I've had a recipe binder for years, but never quite figured out a way to streamline the process from printing the recipe, filing it in the binder, and using it again and again; and - the tricky part - keeping the recipe clean while I cooked or baked, because I'm sloppy. 

I would take the recipe out, set it on the counter while I prepared it, and it would inevitably get something on it - oil or butter, juice from a piece of fruit, sticky honey, etc,.  Well, because I'm cheap and I don't want to keep printing out recipes over and over, I would keep it, even if it looked, well, like this:

Yeah, not too pretty. This one of my better-loved recipes, tried and true.

My other problem would be what to do with recipes that weren't on 8.5 x 11 paper, but on an index card, a post-it (yep, I have a couple), or some other form taken from a magazine or mailer. I can't exactly hole-punch them, so they would end up in the front pocket of the binder, never to be seen or heard from again.

So, I decided to streamline my recipe system, so that these issues would no longer be, well, issues.  First, I divided my recipes into categories - Breads, Main Dish, Pasta, Soups/Stews, Sides/Snacks, Sauces, and Desserts.  Then I found some dividers that are sturdy and have a pocket on the front.  They are also transparent so I can see those little recipes that might get hidden in there, like my recipe for Alfredo (which I just realized should be filed under "Sauces" instead of "Pasta").

I can also store full-page recipes there temporarily, until I can hole-punch it later (I'm a procrastinator, too).

But I still had the issue of how to keep my recipes clean while I was cooking.  Then one day it just came to me, like a flickering light bulb over my head:

"I already have a binder with a clear pocket in the front, I could just put the recipes in there!"

I heard angels singing, there were cherubs flying through my kitchen, and I saw a deer out front.  Okay, there wasn't a deer, there was a rabbit.  But I live in the desert and they're pretty common here.  But it WAS a special moment!

See?  It sits in there, completely protected from any mishap that I might happen to infringe on it.  Then, my binder gets dirty, but my recipe stays clean.  And, my binder can be wiped clean! (As you can see in the picture above, this recipe has endured war wounds, as well.)

My binder used to be decorated only by a piece of construction paper I cut to fit in the spine, labeled "Recipes" with a sharpie.  But I finally decided to decorate it with some pretty paper and stickers.

This system works perfectly for me!  How about you?  How do you organize your recipes?

2012/2013 School Year

One of my favorite times of the year is the time right before school is finished. It's not because we'll be on summer break, with lots of carefree time on our hands. Well, okay, that's part of it. I mean, come on!

But for me, it's because I love looking toward the next school year and planning what we're going to use. I love looking at curriculum possibilities, and different ways of organizing our homeschool and our schedule. If you are one of those that loves new school supplies or office supplies, then you know what I'm talking about. Except for homeschooling, it's that feeling, but on steroids!

I love to search online and in catalogs for things that might improve the way we do things, or replace something that just didn't quite work for us. Most of the time I browse just for fun, but with no intention of actually buying anything. Yeah, I can do that. I know many can't, but I'm strong-willed. Sometimes, though, I get the added thrill of looking to buy. I might need a new math program, or a new science book for my oldest child. Sometimes I'm just buying the next level of something we are already using, or the supplements that coordinate with it. For instance, our history curriculum uses real books for the lessons - biographies, historical novels, and literature - for each time period we're studying. So when we move onto the next year plan and the next time period, we need some of the books that go with it.

Truthfully, the majority of what I buy I find used. I mean, why pay $30 for something when you can buy it from someone used for $15, right? So I find what I want to use, and then I search and search for good used options. But sometimes I get lucky am forced to buy it new. I love hate that!

I've already searched for things that I need to get, and things I might want to get. I made a list, and now I'm checking it twice. Now the fun REALLY starts! Purchasing! And then I wait as package after package starts arriving at my doorstep. I'm getting giddy just thinking about it!

Then I get to sit down with everything and plan how to use it for the next year. I also get to plan our project, field trips, and days off at the same time! I already looking forward to Thanksgiving! Ha ha!

Anyway, that's a glimpse into my life right now. My next post I'll share how I plan our weekly schedules. Oooohhh! Dare to dream!

Portabella Mushroom Fajitas with Beans

I love that my husband is so creative! Once in a while, I find a creative spark and I can change a recipe a little, or come up with something different. But he does it all the time, and I reap all the benefits!

This creation was another one of his ideas. We were trying to come up with a dinner menu for the week, and were tired of the same old we've been having. We have a lot of great recipes that are favorites, but sometimes you just need something else.

So he came up with the idea of fajitas made with portabella mushrooms instead of steak or chicken. Let me tell you, they were FANTASTIC! Here's a picture of my plate. I couldn't wait to try them, as you can see.




I had a couple requests for the recipe, so here it is. Forgive me if it's a little vague.

Portabella Mushroom Fajitas
serves 6

Ingredients

6 Portabella mushrooms (about one per person, stemmed and cleaned
1 Red bell pepper, sliced
1 Yellow onion, saute cut
2 Green bell peppers, or Poblano peppers, sliced
Flour Tortillas, fajita size
2 Tbsp. canola oil
Seasonings
1 tsp. Cumin
2 Tbsp. Chili powder, or to your taste (I use a variety - Ancho, New Mexico, & California - but you can use whatever you have)
1 Tbsp. Garlic powder
Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, and season with the seasonings. I generally don't measure seasonings, because I've become accustomed to how much seasoning I like on my food. I guessed the measurements above, so if it's too much or too little, just adjust to your taste.

Saute the mushroom until they begin to soften and release some of their moisture. Next, add the peppers and onions. You can add more seasoning, but the veggies will grab some from the mushrooms, and the flavors will all start to marry pretty well, so you may not need to.

When the veggies and mushrooms are softened, it is ready to serve. Warm up some tortillas either in the microwave or on a griddle, and then spoon the mixture on top. If you're not vegan, or you're not afraid of a teensy bit of fat, put some sour cream on there, too! It's so good!

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did!

New Chapter, Same Book

This past week was the end of a small, but impactful chapter in my life. I had started watching a couple of kids, a brother and sister, about a year and a half ago. It was to supplement our income so that we could get ahead with our bills and pay some stuff off.

I say it was impactful because it was a difficult time for our family. The children I was watching were experiencing some major shifts in their lives, so there were some issues that needed to be worked through. The tension in our house was constant, and it was a major stressor. Not to mention their mom's work schedule was constantly changing, so it was hard to settle into a routine.

It was also stressful because we were not able to do some things that we wanted. We also had to shift our school calendar to center around the public school calendar, so that we would have the same days off. When the kids had a half day at school, or a day off for a holiday or other reason, they would be at our house the whole day. So those were days when we had to cut lessons short, or cut out the school work completely. We couldn't take field trips that we wanted because we had to be able to come back to pick up the kids at a certain time.

So this week was their last week here. Their mom was able to find a job that she does from her house, so she will be able to care for them before and after school. And now the house is full of just my kids, and any other kids that are here are invited friends. We will slowly get back to having our own schedule again, and getting used to being able to leave and not have to think if there's enough time in the afternoon.

I now have that feeling you get sometimes when you realize you've done all the chores, the cooking, the shopping, and there's nothing left to do but relax and read a book. It's a rare feeling, but it's the only feeling I can equate it to. I now have time. Time with my kids. Time to be able to finish the book I've put off for a year. Time to read a book, or a whole series if I want. Time to work on some projects that I have been putting off for over 13 years now. I just feel so peaceful, and light.

Thank you God, for answering my prayer, and blessing me, yet again, in a way I could not have dreamed of. You never cease to amaze me. My heart is no longer encumbered and burdened, but filled with joy. I feel like I might burst! I praise you, Father, for your provision. You are Jehovah Jireh, my Provider. I love you and I thank you. In Jesus' name, Amen.