Menu Planning: Sometimes Detailed, Sometimes Not

I usually try to plan a week's worth of meals Sunday evening or Monday morning.


Sometimes my lists are detailed, assigning a specific meal to a specific night; other times I need more flexibility, so I will just scribble meal ideas on a legal pad which I then reference during the week. What I always do is pull out the recipes I intend to use from my kitchen binder and set them aside (so I'm not looking for recipes), then I make a grocery list and stock the pantry and refrigerator for the upcoming week.


It's not a perfect system, and sure there are weeks when I don't plan and I'm running around, and yes I've resorted to Little Caesar's pizza when I just don't feel like cooking, and sometimes we will even have a bowl of cereal for dinner, but the point is I like going into the week with some plan (vague or otherwise) so that I'm not scrambling.


This week I'm going with a list of meals. With two tennis matches I need flexibility to switch things around if I need to. Also, Jonathan arrives Friday for a four day weekend which not only means bigger meals, but also more nourishing ones to offset a college diet. Plus we're celebrating his 21st birthday, so there's that, too.


So here's our list of meals for the week. When I am trying to decide what to fix for dinner, I will pick from this list because I will have shopped for it and will have everything I need. I also know that we will eat out Saturday night and have lunch at Nonna and Nonno's house on Sunday.

Meal #1

pollo al forno con rosmarino (baked chicken with rosemary)

bruschetta

pure` di patate (mashed potatoes)

Meal #2

homemade pizza

raw vegetable platter

root beer floats

Meal #3

pasta alla Bolognese

salad

Meal #4

chili

cornbread muffins

Meal #5

Greek marinated grilled chicken

grilled Naan bread with spices

roasted/grilled vegetables

Meal #6 (football fare)
honey garlic crockpot meatballs
tortillas w. salsa grilled
Panini squares
gourmet popcorn

Bonus: One Breakfast Idea
cinnamon apple French toast

Bonus: One Dessert Idea
Nonna's apple cake

photo:

grocery shopping in Verona, Italy

June 2015

Pretty Papers

2017 Erin Condren Planner

green recipe binder for menu planning

gratitude journal (leather notebook)

One Good Deed a Day

pretty pencil case

pretty green paper clips

This is what I know: I am a happier, calmer, and much more peaceful person when I am not running around in a frenzy.

Organization is key in helping me hold it all together (planning meals, listing house projects, establishing a workout schedule).

Keeping things simple helps me be more purposeful (making conscious decisions to be present, finding time for quiet things, knowing when to say no).

Getting rid of clutter in closets, drawers and cabinets, accessorizing mindfully, and even keeping kitchen countertops clear gives me sense of order.


I do all this not to strive for perfection, but to create pockets of peace in the busyness of life.

 And so I start with some pretty papers.

Four Corners of a Situation Room

This time of year our dining room is used for everything EXCEPT dining.


Instead, in the weeks leading up to The Great Exodus which is otherwise known as Masters Week, it becomes The Situation Room. Think of it as Headquarters, Home Base, Mission Control, Central Dispatch, and War Room rolled into one.


Our Situation Room is a disorganized organized system of multi-tasking. It can be a little frightening to venture in, and between now and Masters Sunday it will only get worse, but rest assured that before we leave it will POOF! return to being a dining room.


In the meantime, though, here's what's going on (clockwise from top):


Corner 1: Planning a 50th anniversary party means stockpiling vases, decorations, bonbonniere, candles, and Jordan almonds.


Corner 2: Those framed prints are on Joe's Honey-do List. And the Zazzle boxes? My files containing guest list, save-the-date cards, invitations, deejay info, catering info, reception menu ... I mean, it's like I'm planning a wedding. My parents should just go ahead and get married again.


Corner 3: In between planning a party, preparing to rent our house for Masters Week, and doing all the normal, every day stuff I always do (cooking, cleaning, carpooling), I also have to work. So my work station is set up in the middle of The Situation Room so I can write, assemble bonbonniere, and fold sheets all at the same time!


Corner 4: Did I mention Master's prep? Freshly laundered sheets and towels are folded and stacked on the dining room table waiting to be carried upstairs.

Tuesday's Tip of the Week: Now You See It, Now You Don't

Laundry ... sorting, pre-treating, washing, ironing, folding, putting away. It never ends (N.E.V.E.R.) but it's either laundry today or naked tomorrow, so the laundry we must do.


Over the years the laundry room has become the place where I sort out life one load at a time, including how to handle this never-ending chore. Here's what works for us ...


Everyone in the family has a laundry hamper in their room into which they place their dirty clothes. When a hamper is full, it is carried downstairs and, once the clothes are sorted, they are loaded in the washing machine and the empty hamper goes immediately back upstairs.


But what about the clean, folded clothes? How do they get back upstairs?


Allow me to present Tuesday's Tip of the Week: The Collapsible Laundry Basket.


After the clothes have been removed from the dryer and (hopefully) folded, I place them into one of these baskets. One collapsible basket goes a long way because TWO full loads of folded, clean clothes can fit inside, and because it is collapsible and has handles, the basket is very light and easy to carry upstairs. Then, once the clothes have (hopefully) been put away, the basket is collapsed and stored in the laundry room. No bulky laundry basket taking up space, getting knocked over, or used as a depository for all things not even remotely related to laundry.


Of course, with laundry anything can happen, but the clutter associated with laundry and the more traditional laundry basket is manageable with the collapsible laundry basket. And honestly, anything that helps reduce clutter works for me.


What about you? Do you have a laundry tip to share?

The Collapsible laundry basket.
Now you see it ...

now you don't.

The Sunday Test Kitchen

This past Sunday I was looking at a free afternoon with nothing to do. To be sure, there's always something I could be doing, but for the first time in a while there was nothing urgent ... pending ... looming.


So I did something that I've been wanting to do for a long, long time. Something that would ultimately make my life easier. Something that, while not earth-shattering, would make me happy.


Quite simply, I organized my recipes.


I threw open the kitchen windows, sat down at the table, and fortified with a frothy cappuccino proceeded to consolidate, organize, arrange, sort, catalog, eliminate and systemize a massive pile of recipe cards, scraps of paper, torn pages from magazines, and snippets of this and fragments of that.


After the dust settled this is what was left: a pocket folder with recipes that I plan on trying, and a huge binder filled with recipes that have made the grade. That binder is the Who's Who in the recipe world of my kitchen ... only the best of the best make it in there. Thirteen tabs (appetizers, soups, contorni, main dishes, salads, panini, pasta, etc.), with the last section containing a collection of complete menus from past parties (la festa di S. Giuseppe, canal cruise picnic, graduation dinner, Christmas parties, etc.) which I use as a reference point for planning future events.


And thus was my Sunday afternoon.


Like I said, not earth-shattering ... but gosh darn it felt good.

One pile of many ... all sorted and systemized.

Clean House

Just before Joe and I married we closed on a tiny, patio home. It had two stories, three bedrooms, 2 1/2 bathrooms, and at 1840 square feet it was perfect for us. When we returned from our honeymoon, we settled right in and set about making the house our home.


When my Nonna came from Italy for our wedding, I proudly showed her our little home. I showed her the kitchen, the large family room, the pretty wallpaper in the bathroom, and the babbling creek that ran through our backyard. She was very happy for me and kept grabbing me to give me a kiss, but after the tour she wondered how in the world I would be able to keep it clean. It was so big for a young couple! And you're both working! When will you ever have the time for housekeeping?


This is the same Nonna who, when I announced my engagement the summer before, gave me one of her wooden eggs ... you know, for darning socks. So when she expressed concern about my potential housekeeping problems due to lack of time, I simply considered it a very Nonna-like thing to say. And honestly, I loved her all the more for it. Fast forward to today.


We have since moved on from that tiny patio home, and we now have 3500 square feet, 3 1/2 bathrooms, a large kitchen, a rec room, a study, and a nice, large back yard. We also have three sons (with lots of friends!) and all day long they are in and out, slamming the back door every time. In. And out. Then, and those of you with boys will understand this, there is the boy's bathroom and ... well, we won't go there (unless you're wearing a hazmat suit). (Sometimes I think my Nonna had it easy ... she had three lovely, quiet daughters.)


To be honest, though, there is not a day that goes by that I don't think of Nonna's words, especially lately when it seems I am constantly playing catch-up with house cleaning; in fact, it seems no matter how much I clean, I never really seem to make any progress. I realize part of this is a result of all our recent house projects (hardwood flooring, carpeting, shower, kitchen sink) which turned almost every room into a demolition zone. Then, as soon as I finally got the house straightened up after the renovations, we had a little thing called an ice storm which caused a three-day power outage and resulted in mattresses and blankets being moved downstairs, laundry piling up, and stuff everywhere.


So you can see why I have lately been feeling like King Sisyphus who was doomed forever to roll a large boulder up a hill, only to watch it roll back down and have to repeat the entire process again.


Last night I finally realized I needed to make some changes. I needed to take charge again and not feel like a tumbleweed (or a dust bunny) blown hither and yon with the wind. I thought back to Nonna's words and was reminded how a clean, ordered home goes a long way in creating a restful environment and a peaceful heart. And because I believe in lists, I made out a cleaning schedule. I did some blog surfing for some innovative ideas, and I found one at Clover Lane which I adapted to fit our family's needs.


Nothing on my list is what I don't already do, but to have it written not only helps me see the entire picture, but it also helps me stay on task. Very simply, this is what I came up with: I assigned certain tasks (upstairs bathrooms, laundry, etc.) to a different weekday, thereby breaking down chores so that they are more manageable and not so overwhelming. I also made a separate list of chores for Deep Cleaning, and each week I select a room from that list for a deeper cleaning (baseboards, blinds, ceiling fans); basically, I do my individual weekday chores and then have the whole week to work on one Deep Cleaning Chore (DCC).


I feel better already.


And even though that little wooden egg is still sitting in the bottom of my sewing basket (does anyone darn socks anymore?) I have a feeling that Nonna would be proud.

CLEAN HOUSE

Monday: meal planning and grocery shopping

Tuesday: master bedroom and bathroom (sheets, dust, vacuum)

Wednesday: boys’ bedroom and bathroom (sheets, dust, vacuum)

Thursday: dust/vacuum downstairs; rec room; our laundry

Friday: boys’ laundry; powder room; kitchen

Weekly: one Deep Cleaning Chore

DEEP CLEANING CHORE (DCC)

 

master bedroom and closet master bathroom

boys’ room

timothy’s room

boys’ bathroom

guest bedroom and bath

kitchen

laundry and powder room

study

family room

dining room

rec room

Pretty Papers

2013 Family Planner

2013 Work Calendar

green binder: for House Projects/Spring Cleaning/Organization

floral binder: for Menu Planning, etc.

dividers/tabs

pretty green paper clips

This is what I know: I am a happier, calmer, and much more peaceful person when I am not running around in a frenzy.

Organization is key (planning meals, listing house projects, establishing a workout schedule) in helping me hold it all together.

Keeping things simple (making conscious decisions to be present, finding time for quiet things, knowing when to say no) helps me be more purposeful.

Getting rid of clutter in closets, drawers and cabinets, accessorizing mindfully, and even keeping kitchen countertops clear all help to create a peaceful space.

And to think ... it all begins with some pretty papers.

How much stuff would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck stuff?

This past January we decided to have our kitchen and family room painted. To prepare, we cleared things out. We moved large pieces of furniture to the middle of each room, and everything else - pictures, accessories, lamps, side tables, chairs, etc. - was dumped into our dining room.

Now, I am not a collector of things. I do not like clutter. With the exception of my espresso machine, I do not even keep any kitchen appliances on our counter tops ... not one. When we need to make toast, we get the toaster from the pantry and then put it back when we're finished.

I am also diligent about spring cleaning. Because we rent our house during the week of the Masters Golf Tournament, every year at this time closets, drawers, cabinets, toy bins, bathrooms, and bedrooms get a major overhaul.

I really do try and stay on top of things.

But as we were prepping for the paint job, and the pile in the dining room kept growing and growing, I had one thought: really, what a ridiculous amount of stuff. I was sure, confident even, that I didn't need half of it.

So this year my spring cleaning has kicked into high gear. I am not only cleaning and organizing, I am simplifying. Purging. Getting rid of absolutely anything that doesn't serve a useful purpose or that doesn't hold a special memory; in other words, what wasn't used, worn, played with, or appreciated during the past 12 months is gone.

I took furniture (a secretary, two night stands, lamps, a few paintings) and half of the dining room pile to a consignment store. The Salvation Army came and picked up a mattress and some old kitchen chairs. We donated bags and bags of boy's clothing to a local church.

Artificial plants that used to fill an empty spot are gone (Mary Louise, you would be proud). Clothing has been reduced and closet space has grown. Where there were clusters of things, there are now only a few. Even the shadow box has only one memento in each space.

We have gotten rid of so much ...

and our house is still standing.

ARTIFICIAL PLANTS ...


GONE.


CLUSTERS OF STUFF ...


SIMPLIFIED.


TOO MUCH STUFF ...


NOT ANYMORE.


P.S. And then there is the linen closet ... but that deserves its very own post.