Monday, January 19, 2009

Menu Plan with an Organized Pantry

I am so loving my monthly menu! Last week I did really well. I had to rearrange a few meals but still managed to cook EVERY NIGHT LAST WEEK! You don't know how amazing that is! Maybe you do!

This week I have planned for us to enjoy:

Balsamic Chicken, Broccoli, Carrots, Onions, Rice
Lemon Garlic Chicken, Spaghetti, Broccoli
French Toast, Sausage
Tortilla Stack w/ Chicken, Sour Cream, Black Olives, Pineapple Chunks
Pizza, Salad, Pineapple Chunks
Taco Soup, Cheddar Cheese, Sour Cream, Black Olives, Tortilla Chips

Have you planned your weekly (or monthly) menu yet?

If you are interested in seeing more of my recipes, my entire menu for this month, and previous menus be sure to check out Stephanie's Mommy Brain in the Kitchen.

For more recipes by other bloggers visit Org Junkie's Menu Plan Monday Carnival.
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Before I made out my Monthly Menu last week I had to take stock of my pantry and freezer. This was so I could plan meals around food we already had and save money.

I had not organized the pantry since October before Baby Sam was born. You don't have to imagine the chaos. I have pictures.

You can barely see a disposable tin pan on the top shelf. The other items are randomly stuck in there.

How about that bag of potatoes sitting on the shelf instead of in the potato bin.

Notice the bag of flour is sitting on the FLOOR in front of the bin.

The picture doesn't show the chaos very well. Trust me. It was a mess.

So I went to work...




Ahh... much better. I try to organize my pantry shelves by categories. The top shelf is miscellaneous items, plus any candy or goodies I don't want the kids to reach.

Then we have hot drinks, spices and seasonings, and baking supplies.

The third shelf holds pasta, extra flour and sugar, oatmeal, and formula supplies.

Next are my cannisters of flour, sugar, etc.

Below that is canned goods.

And the last shelf is cereal and large containers of spices.

(See my pretty 4 slice toaster? My Christmas present from my Mama. After cooking for my crew in October she understood my wish list this year.)

That was my Home Management Project for the week month. I know it wasn't much but at least it was a step in the right direction.

To be inspired by more projects visit 5 Minutes for Mom's Tackle it Tuesday.

How about you? Do you organize your pantry or food cabinets? If so, how? By category? What the kids need? Frequently used items?

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Looks great! Were those shelves already in your pantry or did you put them in? How wonderful! Big surprise: yes, I organize my pantry and food cabinets. I also keep them organized by category. Recently I got some of the airtight containers to help stack everything a little easier. It's been nice to have them and it has made more space. Exactly what I needed: more space! :) I tend to organize monthly as I take stock for the next month's shopping trip. You knew my comment would be a little longer since this is an organizing post! Enjoy your day!

Stephanie @ My Answered Prayer said...

My husband has been on to me about doing this for about 6 months. Guess I better work on it! Looks great!

By the way...Our kitchen curtains look alike!

The Hibbard Family said...

Do you have a camera in my house? :-) We have loved having our menu solidly back in place, too! My kitchen cabinets don't let me organize exactly like I want to, so I tend to change things around a little every month as I get a new idea. I'll probably have it just like I want it about the time God says that our time in this house is done! :-)

Carrie said...

Wow, good for you! I don't plan by month so much as by week. I read a book that talked about having the basics on hand (like pasta, flour, milk, butter - hey this is all sounding fattening! Hmm) so that you can always be prepared to whip together SOMEthing and so I've tried to do that. It's very helpful, I've found, because when I'm completely lacking in motivation (that happens from time to time) there's something around that is handy and easy to throw together.

It's a TASK to cook for a family 7 days a week- that's for sure! So way to go you! (And can I come over for dinner? ;)

Mo said...

That looks GREAT! Now that the mister's paycheck has been changed from weekly to bi-weekly, I've decided I, too, need to buckle down to a planned menu of some sort rather than running to the grocery store every 2 days! Great motivation here!!

Hope you have a wonderful week, and Happy Tackling!

Flamingo said...

aaah! why does my organized pantry look so terrible? i have way too much food in there. still nothing to make:0

i'm going to the store less and less. i want to wipe stuff out...i just never do.

Lori A. said...

My pantry is pretty organized.
I have cereals and breakfast stuff together on a shelf and any stuff that can go in their lunches on a shelf they can reach. Everything else is kind of put together with similar items...canned goods together...stuff to make pasta & sauces is together...drink stuff is together...extras are all up on the top shelves..Well, okay, so it's organized to ME at least. :)

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