Organizating Food For Meal Planning

Here it is again...  Dinner Time! This happens every day at the same time. Why does this daily event so often catch us unprepared?

Enter meal planning... But where to start?

Knowing where the food is in the house can be half the battle in meal planning. If you know what you have, then you can know what you can use to make meals for your family and those you love.

I have several areas in the home that we keep our "stockpile". I organize my food by placing frequently used foods in the kitchen cabinets and small pantry that we have. We have a normal refrigerator up stairs, in the kitchen. The extra food is placed on storage shelves in our basement
... our stockpile.

Also in the stockpile are all my canning successes! There is also a chest freezer in the basement we use mostly for meats, frozen fruits and vegetables.

When the cabinets and freezer are looking full, I thank God for all the rich blessings he has given us! But I have to admit, it is hard to see past all those bags and boxes in the freezer which can get a little overwhelming. Hence the need to organize.

I will make a simple food list of what we have on hand. Your list can be handwritten, or if you are a organization geek like me... consider creating a sortable spreadsheet on the computer. I simply list the locations of where the food is kept as the header of each column and then fill in the food below. I add an area to mark off the food as I use it up.

When I am done,  I am always surprised that there is enough food for several meals right here at home! We just needed to know where it was at.

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.  - 1 Corinthians 10:31

I also keep a running list of frequently enjoyed meals to gather inspiration from. Here are some meal suggestions that we love to make:

• Balsamic Pot Roast
• Tater Tot Casserole
• Chicken Parmigiana
• Crock Pot Whole Chicken with Mashed Potatoes
• Spaghetti with Sweet Spaghetti Sauce
• Baked Macaroni and Cheese
• Marinara Pasta Bake
• Broccoli and Cheese Soup
• Tacos made with Taco Seasoning 
• Tuna Noodle Casserole

Indoor Seed Planning and Planting

The snow is melting! The birds are chirping!

Another winter is almost behind us and spring is just around the corner. Here in Wisconsin, our winter has been brutal. There were far too many days where a Polar Vortex brought arctic temps down our way forcing many to stay-in and bundled up... even more than usual!

But there is a glimmer of hope in all this cold... it is time to start planning your garden.

First thing's first... There is no point in planting seeds for a plant which is not going to thrive in your area. Don't know which zone you fall into? Check out this helpful planting zone map to get the scoop on what plants fair well in your region. Ours is Zone 5b.


Now on to the fun part of picking out the seeds for your future garden and imagining all the delicious food you can make. Take an inventory of any seeds you didn't plant last year, beware as they may not grow. We have, however, done this in the past with mixed success.

If you are in need of some seeds... You can check out your local garden center.
Or my favorite is to order from Botanical Interests seed catalog. In my opinion, this is a great source for quality, high-yielding seeds. Plus we love getting the catalog in the dead of winter.

If you're just starting to learn how to grow indoors, your may want to pick some plants that are easy to start from seed:

• Vegetables - Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Leeks, Lettuce, Onions, Peppers and Tomatoes.
• Herbs - Basil and Chives.
• Annuals - Alyssum, Cosmos, Marigolds and Zinnias.
• Perennials - Shasta Daisies, Columbines and Hollyhocks.

Here is what we have planned to start indoors for the 2014 season:

Broccoli
Lettuce - Romaine
Onion - Ringmaster
Pepper Chile - Early Jalapeño
Quinoa - Brightest Brilliant Rainbow
Tomato - Principe Borghese
Tomato - Red Siberian
Watermelon - Moon & Stars

Let's get planting.
The back of the seed packet usually specifies how many weeks to begin seeds indoors prior to the last frost in your region. Check out my tutorial on starting seeds indoors for step-by-step instructions.