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A Peek Into My Recipe Binder

June 30, 2010

My sweet husband surprised me with a recipe binder about two years ago.

What's so sweet about that?  Well... he made it himself.   

Yes, he did. 

It wasn't very girly or feminine, but it was put together with love and good intentions.  Picture a simple white three-ring binder, with a printed page in the front cover that read "Jaime's Recipes," and with printed, tabbed pages inside.  He even used a three-hole punch on some of my recipes and inserted them for me.

"You really need this," is what he said to me. "You'll use it."  And he was right.

Now, a couple years in fast-forward, my recipe binder has become quite full of our family favorites, and I look forward to it being passed on in the family one day.  Wouldn't it be nice if it became a treasured keepsake for my boys when they are grown, after I am gone?

Recently, I replaced the binder that holds the recipes.  This new one is a bit larger, and has a fun, feminine pattern.  It also has a handy little clip inside the front flap for holding loose papers; I use it to secure my bread machine's recipe book.

Here is how my recipes are organized (and I'm sure yours would probably look different):

  • Breakfast
  • Muffins
  • Breads
  • Salads
  • Soups & Stews
  • Meatless Meals
  • Chicken
  • Beef
  • Side Items
  • Desserts
  • Cleansing Meals
  • Other

Here are a few more glimpses ~

 {Have you tried Practical Housewifery's recipe for this Icebox Pie?  It's not healthy, but it's yummy!}

Do you have a recipe box, book, or binder that you use?  I'd love to hear about it!

           Warmly,
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P.S. Did you get a chance to peek at my Homekeeping Binder last week?

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 {Linked with Finer Things Friday, Nourishing Gourmet, Ultimate Recipe Swap, Dish It!, Gratituesday, Tuesday Tips, Tuesday's Tip Jar, 30 Minute Blog Challenge, and WFMW}

Filed Under: Frugal Living, Homekeeping, Recipes 18 Comments

Meal Planning Ideas

June 28, 2010

It's been awhile since I shared one of my meal plans; considering last week's post about my homekeeping binder, along with my talk about meal planning pages, I thought I'd share this week's meal plan today.

Hope you glean a few ideas!

Snacks throughout the week:
Homemade breads
Popcorn
Nuts
Fruit

Monday:
Cinnamon raisin walnut bread, jam
Turkey sandwiches
Grilled chicken and glazed grilled carrots

Tuesday:
Salty eggs (This is what we call them around here, anyway!  Like sunny-side up, but cooked through on both sides, with salt and pepper, then placed on a slice of buttered homemade bread)
Tuna sandwiches, pickles
Cajun beans and rice

Wednesday:
Power muffins
Egg salad sandwiches
Spaghetti w/ bacon & tomatoes, homemade garlic cheese bread, salad

Thursday:
Toast w/ jam
Grilled cheese sandwiches (using sharp cheddar)
Chicken & poblano enchiladas (like this recipe, but with less poblano, and add chicken), mexican rice

Friday:
Eggs w/ horseradish, toast, fruit
Leftovers
Stir-fry veggies (or roasted veggies) over rice

Saturday:
Oat pancakes, real maple syrup, sliced bananas
Quiche and salad
Leftovers

Sunday:
Salty eggs
Take-out or leftovers

What does your meal plan look like this week?

           Warmly,
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{For more meal plans, check out Orgjunkie's Menu Plan Monday.}

Filed Under: Eating Real Foods, Frugal Living, Homekeeping, Recipes 7 Comments

Creating a Homekeeping Binder or Household Planner

June 22, 2010

A couple of years ago, I made my own "homekeeping binder."  It helps me stay organized and on top of my weekly homekeeping lists, records, and reports.  Everything regarding "the keeping of my home" is in one easy place!

Though I don't always keep everything perfectly, this little binder has helped me tremendously.

The binder itself is from Target, and I think they still sell this style in their stores.  I added tabbed dividers inside, and included labels for home cleaning lists (broken down by daily tasks, with a few blank lines for filling in additional things to do), weekly menu pages, calendar pages, budgeting reports and spending plans, homeschooling misc, pantry list, price list, car maintenance, home decor ideas, Christmas info, and phone numbers. 

As I've continued to use this binder, I've noticed there are some tabs I use more than others.  For example, my menu planning and budgeting pages get lots of use, but I don't keep up with my pantry list or price list as well as I'd like.

The menu pages are a *huge* timesaver for me.  When I'm sitting down to plan the upcoming week's meals, sometimes my mind just draws a blank, or I can only think of the same few meals that I made last week.  Having the ability to browse through several past menu pages refreshes my memory and helps me get the planning done in record time.  Meal plans are laid out similarly to what I've shared here.

In the budgeting section I keep a print-out of our current spending plan, which I've printed using the reports feature in our Mvelopes program (this is an online, virtual envelope system for budgeting we've used for four years and absolutely love).  As we update our spending plan, I place the new copy over the old copy... it's motivating to be able to compare our spending plan now to what it was in months or years past, see the progress we made, refer back to a failure, and have it all at the tip of my finger.

Regarding the homeschool tab, this is not the place where I put our homeschooling records, worksheets, etc.  Rather, this is where I keep a few printed articles and statistics that help keep me inspired on our homeschooling journey, such as a copy of the article Ten Good Reasons to Homeschool by Dr. Greg Sherman (if you are a new homeschool mom, or considering homeschooling, you might want to check it out), and these encouraging statistics from the HSLDA.

Here are some additional snapshots from my homekeeping binder:

I also keep a clear plastic sleeve in the front for holding random clippings or small notes.
Do you have a similar binder or planner that you use? 
If not, I highly recommend putting forth the minimal effort that it takes to create one.  Whether you are naturally an organized person or not, this little binder can really keep you on task and minimize clutter.
   In Passionate Pursuit,

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P.S.   Want a sneak peek into my recipe binder, too?

Filed Under: Budgeting & Frugal Living, Frugal Living, Home Education, Homekeeping 21 Comments

The Purpose of Our Home

April 21, 2010
Photo credit here  7K3JU6EF2CFR

"Every wise woman buildeth her house..."
Proverbs 14:1

As a Christian, what is the purpose of our home? 

Is it to be used as fuel for competition with the Joneses, or to burden us with unnecessary cares and countless hours of work?

"If our view of our homes is shortsighted, there is no motivation to accomplish the menial tasks of maintaining it. If we don’t cultivate a high and holy design for our homes, it is easy to slip into thoughts of frustration, comparison, or purposelessness.

If we view our homes as a place of hospitality – to welcome our families and the hurting around us – there will be so much more strength and motivation to keep it clean, organized, and prepared."

Most importantly, what does the Bible say about our home?

Read the rest of the blog post at Passionate Homemaking by clicking here.

Have you given much thought to the purpose of your home?

Filed Under: Biblical Womanhood, Homekeeping, Hospitality, Practicing Faith Leave a Comment

Vintage Books, Cookbooks, and the Great Depression

April 19, 2010

I love books.  Especially vintage books, pre-1950s.  And if they're cookbooks from the Great Depression or earlier, I love them even more. 

They feel wonderful, as they are usually covered with cloth of some sort.  The smell is somehow sentimental, with an aura of history and richness, serving as a reminder of a past era, another lifetime.

The Longfellow book, simply titled "Poems" (pictured above), is perhaps the oldest we own.  It is so old that it is an undated copy, but after researching the publishing company (which existed from 1892-1902) and the cover style used, it appears to be from 1901.

Then, there's another favorite:  Edgar Allen Poe's works, dated 1905.

How could I forget an early edition of Emily Post's classic, Etiquette, in pristine condition...

It would be a treasure find a vintage Bible, perhaps from the early 1900s or so, one that was well-loved with the markings to prove it, don't you think?

Vintage cookbooks are also a rare treasure in this day and age.  Once upon a time, homemakers used real foods for cooking, rather than the chemical-laden, processed concoctions marketed as food today.

These vintage cookbooks span from 1931-1941, right from the era of the Great Depression.

And, since we are discussing Great Depression cooking, have you met Clara, of Great Depression Cooking with Clara?  I think you'll enjoy her and some of her ideas!

What do you collect?  What is precious to you?
Filed Under: Books Worth Reading, Eating Real Foods, Frugal Living, Homekeeping 6 Comments