Back-to-School Series: Shopping List Apps

Since we've been talking about breakfast, lunch, and dinner meal planning the past week, I thought I'd share some tips on *free* shopping list apps while we're on the subject!

1. Buy Me a Pie:

I have heard a lot of great things about this app; I have many friends that use it. I downloaded it and tried it for awhile myself, and my favorite feature was the color-coded shopping lists. I love that it would save your lists for future visits too! Click here to read more about this app.

 2. Grocery IQ

I stumbled upon this app and think it's a great option! My favorite feature is how you can organize your lists by aisle (Please tell me I'm not the only one that does this while grocery shopping!) Also, you can print or email coupons directly from the app which I thought was super helpful. Click here to read more about it.

3. Out of Milk

This is another great app for shopping, grocery, and to do lists. The only downfall I found is that it is for Android users only (and I'm an Apple person). So, I haven't had the chance to try this one out, but from what I can tell, it's a great option.

4. Cozi

Last by not least, Cozi!! Again, this was recommended to me by a friend, and I.love.it. It's more than just a shopping list app, it can really organize your whole family's LIFE! :) It has a family calendar, with color coded tasks for each family member. Plus lots of shopping lists and to do list options, as well as birthdays and contacts. You can set up a family account and it will send your husband reminders for you. (So basically, the app can be the "nag" now instead of you, ha!)

 Are you willing to give one of these apps a try? Do you have a favorite shopping list app that I haven't listed? I'd love to hear from you....

Holiday Meal Planning: Thanksgiving

Confession: I have never cooked a Thanksgiving Day turkey.

 

I know, I'm so lame. Every self-respecting woman has cooked a turkey before, right!? Well, I'm sure there will be a day when I will need to do it. But for now, my husband & father-in-law insist on taking over cooking duties on Thanksgiving. Who am I to argue with that?!????

That being said, Thanksgiving still stresses me out :) Our house usually hosts the event, and this year, we have 12 people coming! So, although I don't do the cooking on the actual day, there is still a lot to do beforehand to prepare for Thanksgiving. I thought I'd try to help you all out there become a little more organized when it comes to this stressful amazing holiday.....

 

First of all, you know I love a cute (and free!) printable. This one is my absolute favorite.

It has everything you need....

 

-A space for your Thanksgiving menu plus shopping list,

-A Thanksgiving Day schedule to keep track of what needs to go in/out of the oven and when,

-A space to list all of the housework that needs to be done, plus hosting duties & decorating,

-Stuff for the kids! Coloring pages plus a space to list all of your blessings.

 

This guide breaks down what you need to do and when you need to do it. Like I mentioned, I'm in charge of everything BUT cooking the turkey on the big day, and it's crazy how much there is to do. Menu planning, shopping, thawing, cleaning, decorating....the list goes on. This guide helps to keep it all in check & ensures you won't forget a thing! It's basically a Thanksgiving cheat sheet.

You're welcome.

Here is another great guideline, this one just for meal day prep & cooking a turkey plus a few basic side dishes. And it has built-in wine breaks....love!

I love this handy Thanksgiving calculator! Because there's nothing worse than not having enough food. This takes the guesswork out when helping to prep for a large group on Thanksgiving.

So, now that you have all of these great printables & guidelines, wouldn't it make sense to keep them for next year?? I love the idea of having a binder to hold all of your holiday planning items together. Check out this blog for instructions on making one.

If nothing else, just put all your stuff in a folder and save it for next year. That sure would save you some time & headaches NEXT Thanksgiving!!

Back-to-School Series: Meal Planning [Dinner]

Whether you have a baby at home or a teenager, you're a working mom or a SAHM....

dinnertime can be difficult! It's hard to plan for, it's hard to cook something everyone likes, and it's hard to find a convenient time for everyone to sit down and have a nice meal.

 

In this day & age, I know most families don't have a sit-down dinner together every night. But, I'm one of those old-school moms that believes this is really important, and we do it as much as our schedules allow. My kids have evening activities like gymnastics & karate, and my husband teaches evening classes every Fall semester, so I get it. It's not easy. But I think it's important to try to have a nice meal for everyone, to talk about your day and to connect. (I get that from my mom I think....she was a working mom of 3 busy girls - with a husband that had a long commute each day - and somehow she cooked almost every single night of my childhood. Basically, she is my hero!) Now, I'm no gourmet cook, and neither was my mom. I don't think it's important how fancy the meal is, just that your family is all together.

 

Ok, off my soapbox now.....

 

I have a very simple approach to meal planning. Every Friday night, I make our grocery list and then I go shopping early Saturday morning for our weekly groceries. I plan for 4-5 meals, 1-2 leftover meals, and then my husband usually cooks on Sundays (I'm lucky, I know!) I think by buying groceries for the week it saves both time and $$, because you're not running to the store every other day.

 

Here is my meal planning list, which is just a simple magnetic pad stuck to the side of our fridge:

I have a calendar right next to it so I can see what time my son has karate and on what day, when my husband teaches, if I have book club that week, or if there are any other evening activities that will affect our dinnertime.

This is the system that works for me, but I understand that every family is different. The key is

1). to plan ahead and

2). to do so by finding the method that works for you!

 

Here are some fabulous tips on meal planning. I couldn't have said it better myself

(so I didn't even try)! :)

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Personally, I use the crockpot often, and it is a lifesaver. Check out this site and also the one below (from one of my favorite bloggers!) for some delicious crockpot recipes:

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I also have a few friends who rave about "freezer cooking." I have never done this, but I think it's a fantastic idea, and who better to get advice from that then this woman!?

...The Pioneer Woman!!! She is a fabulous cook & blogger, and she gives some great tips in this post. Until I read it, I never would have thought to cook large batches of grilled chicken or ground beef and freeze in individual serving sizes. Brilliant!

 

Like mentioned earlier, I'm a self-proclaimed old-school mom. For example - I still like writing my grocery lists down with paper & pencil. That being said, I know there are many of you out there that are much more tech-savvy than me, and for those people, I think a digital meal planning method is the way to go. Check out the app called Gathered Table; it has customized weekly meal plans and grocery lists.

 

Last but not least.....I love me a good printable. Especially when it's free! There are oodles of them on Pinterest, but here is one that caught my eye. I love that it has a space for not only your weekly meals, but your grocery list too.



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How do you meal plan? What is your favorite crockpot recipe?

Comment below and let me know! :)

Back-to-School Series: Meal Planning [Breakfast & Lunch]

A BIG part of being organized for school is meal planning!

Today, I want to discuss ideas for breakfast & lunch.....

I don't know about you, but my kids are STARVING in the morning and want to eat as soon as they get up. They love sugary things like most kids do....cereal, poptarts, and waffles with lots of syrup. And while I don't have a problem giving them these things occasionally, with a side of fruit of course, I just know it won't "hold" them for long. (So an hour later, they're already hungry again.) This is especially true with my 8 year old son. I've really tried to teach him about protein and how important it is....to fill him up & keep him satisfied, and about it's health benefits. So, this school year, I decided to try something new and made some breakfast burritos. I've been making a batch of these about every 2 weeks and they have been a lifesaver! Quick & easy for me to reheat in the morning, and very filling & yummy for my kids. And I always serve them with a side of fruit....usually grapes, strawberries, or cantaloupe.

 

 I found a pretty simple recipe here, and just made a few tweaks to suit my family's needs:

 

Breakfast Burritos

1 lb. mild ground sausage

12 eggs

12 medium-sized tortillas

shredded cheese

salt & pepper

 

Brown sausage.

Mix s&p with eggs; cook.

Lay out 12 tortillas on 12 sheets of foil.

Layer onto each tortilla: 1/4 cup egg, 1/4 cup sausage, sprinkle of cheese.

Fold up burrito & cover with foil.

Freeze in gallon-size bags.

To reheat: take off foil, wrap in paper towel, and heat in microwave for 1.5 minutes!

 

Pretty simple! I really can't stress enough how important it is to try some "make-ahead" healthy meals. It's quick & easy to reheat something in the morning, and you can be happy knowing that your kids are eating something healthy. Here's another great choice, omelette cups!

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For more recipes on make-ahead & healthy breakfasts for your kids,

check out the 4 websites below...

{1 / 2 / 3 / 4}

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Now, onto packing those lunches!

 

This can be a source of stress for many moms. Are you packing healthy foods? Will your kids like their lunch? Should you pack their lunches at night or in the morning? Are your kids old enough to do it themselves? And ....in this day & age...... if you make the lunch creative enough, will your kids eat it?!  (More on that last one later....!)

 

I have a 5 & 8 year old. I am pretty sure I could get the 8 year old to pack his lunch well, but it's just not something I've tried yet. I don't mind packing the lunches; it only takes me about 10 minutes in the morning. I keep it pretty simple because my kids complain they always run out of time at lunch. (Which to me means that they are talking too much to their friends instead of eating!) 

 

On Mondays/Wednesdays/Fridays, I pack my son a sandwich, fruit, and snack item. My daughter gets a half sandwich and fruit item. (She eats like a bird at lunch.)

 

And on Tuesdays/Thursdays, I pack my kids a fruit, as well as a hot item in their thermos like macaroni & cheese, leftovers from dinner, or soup. And they always get water. (They also take a bottle of water for snack time. If they come home and both waters are empty, they get a juice box for their afternoon snack.)

 

Now, I know there are a lot of moms out there that have their kids pack their own lunches. And I think that's great! Designate a few bins in your fridge & pantry with lunch-packing items, and then consult one of the many great printables out there to help guide your children in packing a healthy, well-balanced meal. Check out these options:

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And then there's the "Pinterest Moms," who always want to make cute & creative lunches. Whereas I'm not that mom, I don't think there's anything wrong with it. It just seems like it takes a lot of time & effort and uses a lot of creative brainpower, ha!

 

To each his own, though. Because if that's what makes you happy, and make your kids eat their lunch, then I say go for it. So, here are some adorable lunch packing ideas if you're interested:



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My poor kids, they're lucky if they get a note on their napkin with a smiley face on it :)

 

**Stay tuned for later in the week when I tackle Meal Planning for dinners....