Recipe organisation

I have spent bits and pieces of the last week going through my recipe collection. I have a tendency of bookmarking, pinning or printing recipes from the internet, or ripping pages out of magazines, of great-looking/sounding recipes and never quite getting to them.

So I am being firm! I have thrown away quite a few recipes that I simply cannot see myself cooking in the next month, if ever. The rest I will be attempting to cook and bake my way through over the next little while, especially the sweet ones. Although, "the next little while" is really only 5 weeks, as the baby is due soon after that!

I am also organising my OAMC recipes. I came across this post earlier this year - Putting together your Meal Plan Binder for the year. Mackenzie at  Bold turquoise organises her WHOLE year of dinners, printing all the recipes required for each month and putting everything into one folder. So if her family eats a particular meal every month, then there are 12 copies in the folder. She has a menu plan at the start of each section for the month. So organised. And it really does look so good!

Me, I'm simply aiming to get all my recipes in one folder, with a separate folder for OAMC. Not separate copies for each month though. Currently I have my recipes in a few different locations, and I think it would be a lot easier to have copies all together. I have a recipes book from my Mum that I add all my absolute favourite meals to. There are lots of recipes in there that won't make it to OAMC folder though.

I am also trying to get my hard copies of cooking forms in order too. I have several that I really like using on a regular basis, and several not so often. I have soft copies saves on my computer, and also pinned on Pinterest, but I would like to have at least one blank hard copy in my folders

These are the sites that I love for their forms:

Organized home - household notebook

Life your way

30 Day Cafe

Life as a mom - this is my favourite one as it totally focuses on OAMC. Very helpful when I first started, and  I find the forms really easy to use.

once a month mom is my go-to website for anything OAMC related. There are detailed monthly plans and recipes that make it all seem very straightforward. Living in a different part of the world however, means that those menu plans aren't quite right for my family! I flick through months that correspond a little closer to the season we are in, and pick recipes from those.


How do you organise your recipes?

Num Nummies Mondays #3

A review of the menu plan for last week shows we did pretty well. We had to change dinner on Friday night, as I had forgotten about hubby's sister's intolerances for tomatoes. And there sure are tomatoes in the salsa for the chicken and bean filling! So we ended up having KFC for dinner. That's two Fridays in a row. And then everyone had Red Rooster on Saturday night - except me, I ate plenty at the birthday party!

So I am hoping for slightly more success this week. Firstly, I really don't want more takeaway, with the cost and touch of greasiness. Secondly, I want to use up all the meals in the freezer! We still haven't eaten any of the potato bakes, so I don't know if we like them yet. Fingers crossed we will :)

My folks are visiting from Thursday to Sunday, and we are all headed in different directions on Saturday, so that is why dinner is unknown at the moment. I'm thinking probably something quick, like pasta.

Menu plan for April Monday 9th to Sunday 15th

Monday: Meatballs, vegetable sauce and pasta (freezer meal)
Tuesday: Santa fe chicken (freezer meal)
Wednesday: Lamb chops, potato bake and vegies (freezer meal)
Thursday: Chicken and black bean wraps (freezer meal)
Friday: Steak, potato bake and vegies (fresh steak)
Saturday: Unknown at this time
Sunday: Cheese on toast after church

Breakfasts will be stove top porridge, slow cooker porridge, cereal, plain toast or banana bread toasted. This morning hubby made bacon and eggs, yum yum! He was also a good man and cooked pancakes on Saturday morning when his sister was here, before we went out to the birthday party.

Lunches will be similar to last week, with sandwiches, and toasted breads from the freezer. Imogen ended up eating fritters for a couple of dinners, which she always loves.

Alrighty, I am off to check my pantry for a few ingredients to make some sweet things!

What's on your meal list this week?

Num Nummies Mondays #2

Sadly, no photos or a recipe review this week. We've had a time of change in the household, so photos will have to wait another few days.

But, here is our menu plan for the coming week, with a few links! Yay that I worked out how to do that!

Monday: Chicken and potato casserole (freezer meal)

Tuesday: Beef sausages and vegetables (freezer meal))

Wednesday: Simply sour cream chicken enchiladas and vegetables (freezer meal))

Thursday: Curried sausages and rice (freezer meal)

Friday: Chicken and black bean wraps (freezer meal) - recipe from Cooking During Stolen Moments

Saturday: Something light, if anything at all - we have a birthday lunch to attend and there is always lots of yummy food :)

Sunday: Probably cheese on toast.


I have also decided that for the next two weeks I will also be planning breakfasts and lunches, as hubby will be home on most days.

I have written them on the great menu planner from The Project Girl, but I will just let you know the options here.

Breakfasts: Porridge on stovetop with rolled oats, slow cooker porridge from steel cut oats with raisins, cranberries and maple syrup, cereal, toasted home made banana bread, pancakes, and bacon and eggs one morning as a splurge.

Lunch: Sandwiches with different fillings, zuchinni fritters, french toast (freezer meal), cheese and  tomato on toast, toasted banana bread, toasted choc zucchini bread ... I'm 31 weeks pregnant, so forgive me my bread fixation.

Last week I made this yummy breakfast - Bacon and tater to crockpot breakfast - for dinner instead, as I wasn't too sure about the timing. We need to invest in a device that will turn the slow cooker on at a certain time, becuase there is no way I am getting up early enough to put this on for breakfast otherwise! We might have it for breakfast on Sunday morning when family are here, if we find a timer before then. But it was GOLD for dinner that night!