Keeping life organized is an often difficult and overwhelming task. Add homeschooling to the mix and it's tempting to throw in the towel. I touched on some organization ideas in part 1 of this post, now I will focus more specifically in some "hotspots" around the home. This post will focus on the kitchen. In later posts, I will focus on bedrooms, laundry, and storage. As a former teacher and overall OCD organized freak, I come to the table with ideas that I have honed over the years. Keep in mind: everyone has their own comfort level and every space is different. Really think about problem areas and what your level of "organized" looks like. Think about what you want to gain in that space and work from there. Also, knowing yourself is key. My brain just does not function when the house is in chaos, but as I have children, I have to re-evaluate what I want to spend my time on and what I need organized vs. what I can live with. Case in point, I moved a few months ago and am still working out the organization plan for this house. I use the same principals, but I have to customize how they will work/if they will work in our current space.
The kitchen can be the center of daily activity. Fun, food, and laughter can fill the room. It can also be a nightmare to organize. I am using the broad term of "kitchen" to include cooking, groceries, storage, and meal planning. One of the first things I do when I move into a space (I have moved soooo many times) is walk the room (s). Before items are moved in I visualize where I want things, what the space will be used for, etc. Currently I have very little counter space, no dishwasher or disposal, cabinets that go to the ceiling, and a small pantry with shelves and cabinets. I labeled each cabinet with a post-it before I moved items in so I remembered where I wanted to put things and then evolved those spaces as the months have gone on. I set up additional storage in the basement so I didn't need to use precious cabinet space for my seasonal trays, platters, and rarely used appliances (like a panini press). The key here: be flexible. Are there other areas you can use for storage such as under the guest bed, a basement or garage shelf? Are you better off borrowing some items rather than storing them (like the Ronco rotisserie? You know you have one). Utilize walls for vertical storage by using a railing system to hold cooking utensils and cookware.
Moving on to food. The best place to start is with meal planning. Three main options here (excluding ignoring it altogether until 4:30pm each day) are planning each meal (on a weekly or monthly basis), making individual items that can be combined in many ways, or a hybrid of these. In our house, we use a hybrid. I do not have the storage space right now to buy a month's worth of food (need another refrigerator), so we buy two-three weeks at a time. Eventually, I will shop just once a month. I plan the weeks in advance, using a "two weeks on, one week off" approach. I plan 14 dinners, and then one week of "cooked ingredients". I plan only dinners, and as mentioned in another post, we have the same thing for breakfast everyday. Huge time saver. Lunch consists of leftovers in quesadilla or stir fry form (no microwave), with the occasional sandwich. We also get meat from a farmer in bulk and store it in the extra freezer. We will buy a whole hog and cow at a time and work from that, adding chicken and lamb as we go. I do not use coupons as a regular rule. We live primarily a chemical free lifestyle and there are rarely coupons for non-processed food and household goods. Finally, we buy produce at the farmer's market and/or grow our own. We supplement from the market as needed.
So, what does it look like? This month I made a grid with 14 dinners, ranging from orange chicken to spaghetti and meatballs. I try and put a stir fry meal in at the end of the week to use up leftovers, and we do a soup and baked potato night one day each week. Breakfast for dinner or sandwich night is also included. The third week, aka "the week off" begins as kabob or a big mess of grilled meats (chicken breasts, burgers, pork steaks, etc.) that we use as the basis for our meals for the next week. I make a batch of beans in the crock pot, a pot of rice in the rice cooker and/or a pot of noodles. I make sure we have a big bowl of green salad made, tortillas and fresh or frozen veggies (always a staple in our house) and we are good to go.
For the first two weeks I will process all food when it comes home from the store. All fruit/veggies are washed and cut up if needed (carrot and celery sticks, onion chopped, strawberries hulled, etc.) I try and partner some meals during the week so I can make mega batches of things. For example, if I plan for meatloaf, I will also plan for meatballs and burgers. I make a master mix, and divide it into zip bags and freeze. If I have extra, I will pre-cook some meat to add to spaghetti sauce or cheeseburger macaroni. If meat is purchased fresh (lamb and chicken) I buy in bulk, split into servings for our family in zip bags with a marinade, then freeze. We have seafood and/or a vegetarian meal once a week, sometimes both. When I make vegetarian lasagna, I do it later in the week to use up veggies and make extra to freeze for my husband to take to work. We make a double pot of soup a week, so we can freeze individual servings for lunches and variety in the weeks to come. If I roast or rotisserie a chicken, I save the bones and make stock for soup. Then freeze in appropriate sizes for later use.We also have a juicer, so we can use up veggies and fruit that way as well (think celery tops, leftover pineapple, beet greens, etc.)
Since my children have food allergies and we don't eat processed food, I make most of what we eat. That is why getting everything processed when it arrives home is so helpful. It saves time when I need to get lunch on the table or takes the "what are having for dinner" problem out of my mind. The kids see the "food calendar" posted on the 'fridge and they know what we are having without asking. I do swap some meals around if I don't feel like having "broiled fish and orzo" on Monday, but the structure is there. The third "week off" begins by grilling all the meat and veggies we plan on using. We will have kabobs or grilled chicken usually that first night. Following nights are put together using the pre-cooked ingredients, so we might have burritos one night (beans, chicken, rice and cheese), stir fry one night (rice, meat, veggies), burgers or patty melts, grilled chicken and pasta primavera or grilled chicken parmesan with noodles. It is a great way to take a breather in the month where I don't really have to cook that much, just warm up some ingredients. You can also do this with the crock pot. I will make a pork shoulder in the crock pot and have pulled pork sandwiches one night, pork tacos another night, Cuban sandwiches, etc. I usually break this up by broiling fish one night or having BLTs. When I make a pot roast, I make double the gravy and freeze it, so I don't have to make it each time I have a beef dish, or I can pull it out for hot open faced sandwiches. I also make some sweet treats to eat for the week such as cookies (make a double batch, freeze the dough in smaller portions) or cheesecake bars.
Sometimes we use the "make in advance" idea for breakfast/lunch, and boil a bunch of eggs in advance and my husband will smoke a salmon for lox and salmon salad sandwiches. You can also make a double batch of pancakes and freeze them, warming them up in the toaster. If I know I will have a super busy week, I will make a batch of pasta salad on Sunday, along with some tuna salad and some grilled chicken. I will make a big bowl of green salad and that will allow me to make any number of lunches and/or quick dinners on the fly. This is where the frozen soup comes in handy as well.
As for the pantry, I would love to organize that by grouping items together and labelling it all, but right now I have it grouped by what my two year old won't break or open (on the bottom) and what she can break or open (on the top). I hope these ideas give you "food for thought" (couldn't resist) and would love for you to share your ideas in the comments section. Watch for Part 3!
