Cookbooks . . .

I've known how to cook since I was a little kid. My mom always included us in the kitchen. It was something that I feel like I've always done. And then when I went to Junior High, I took Foods 1 and Foods 2 (as part of the Home Economics courses that were required at my school. Sigh. I wish that they still taught Home Economics in school.) And then when I was 15, I began to have an eating disorder (anorexia for the first few years, and anorexia/bulimia for several years after that.) And so during high school, even though I wasn't actually eating, I would collect all kinds of recipes and hand write them in my recipe binder (see, even way back then, I was using binders! LOL)

And then I went to college and I didn't do a whole lot of actual cooking. I used the toaster, the popcorn popper, the toaster oven, and the microwave for almost everything. But my friends started getting married, and most of them got at least one cookbook for a bridal shower gift, and I may have even given one or two as gifts over the years.

By the time I was in my mid twenties and living on my own, I should have been starting to cook more, but I wasn't. It seemed like such an effort to cook for one. And the fact that I love cold cereal certainly made it tempting to just sit down to a bowl of cereal whether it be breakfast, lunch or dinner. And when I was working in downtown Chicago, I either worked through lunch or went to a nearby restaurant and got a sandwich or something.

When I got engaged, my mom made a special point of telling Mr. Simple that I was a good cook. And I certainly had been, at some point, but by the time I got married, it had been many years since I cooked on a regular basis. Thankfully, someone had given me the traditional Better Homes and Garden Cookbook for a bridal shower gift, so I did have at least one cookbook (sadly, my recipe binders had gotten lost over the years.)

Mr. Simple began to doubt my mother though because I still didn't really cook. At least not for many years. At first, it was the "it is too much work for two and we are working totally different schedules" problem. And then when the first two babies came along, it was the "I'm a busy work out of the house mom and I don't have time to cook" problem. I had picked up several more cookbooks over the years, but I almost never looked at them except to cook up an occasional cake or batch of cookies.

When I was laid off in 2003, I finally started looking at the cookbooks. And slowly, I started weeding through them and getting rid of almost all of them. I started cooking from scratch some, but for awhile, I still relied quite a bit on pre-packaged meals.

And then, in 2007, I read the Little House cookbook, and the rest, as they say, is history. I still had my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook and now the Little House cookbook. And a couple recipe books from our church congregation, a Goose Berry Patch cookbook that had some great "old fashioned" recipes. And a recipe book that came with my crock pot and a recipe book that came with my bread maker. I started using them. At first, I used recipes a lot. We had a different dinner almost every meal all month. And then, I decided that it was a lot of work to do that (and often more money) so I pared it down to about 10-15 dinners. And I got to the point that I had them memorized. I went back to hardly using cookbooks at all.

Better Homes and Gardens cookbook, Little House cookbook, The Deaf Smith County cookbook, Cooking for the Healthy Family cookbook, 5 a day cookbook, Spring Evenings, Summer Afternoons cookbook.

Better Crocker Vegetarian Cooking cookbook, Goose Berry Patch Hometown Favorites cookbook, church recipe books, plastic bag full of my "loose" recipes, bean cookbook, crock pot recipe book, bread maker recipe book.

And then last year, when I really started to try and eat locally AND seasonally, I found myself needing to look at cookbooks again. I started picking them up at the thrift store. I collected them from magazines and other people's blogs.

And then, this summer, I started checking them out from the library. Oh my. I both love and hate checking out cookbooks from the library. I love finding all sorts of cookbooks without having to spend the $$$$$$ to buy them, but on the other hand, I hate being able to only have them for a few weeks, and I hate that it would cost me $$$$$ to buy them after I have decided that I love all of them. LOL

My current stack of cookbooks from the library - Nourishing Traditions cookbook, Cooking Healthy Across America cookbook, Local Flavors cookbook, Your Organic Kitchen cookbook, Simply Organic cookbook, Edible: A Celebration of Local Foods cookbook.

So I am back to trying to compile my seasonal notebooks that, among other things, will contain some of the recipes that I've got in my recipes and from the recipes from the cookbooks that I've checked out this summer. I promise to do better on posting my seasonal notebooks this year, although I don't think I'll probably have them done and posted until the end of each season, so they probably won't do any of you much good for this coming year. (Sorry. But I'm also trying to actually do what I say I'm going to do but also be more realistic in when I will complete the task.) I'm also going to try and finish up the Food Storage series in the next couple of months. All the Food Storage recipes and Seasonal recipes will be over at my Recipe blog, although I'll try and post over here at Simply Living and Simply Loving when I've updated the Recipe blog.

So what about you? Do you have any cookbook favorites? Do you cook from scratch? Do you use recipes or just throw things together?

Seasonal Notebooks

O.K., O.K., Notebooks is just another way of me saying binders. What can I say - I'm slightly obsessed.

I shared in this post that I sort of fell off the Simple wagon. I slowly started climbing back on, and I've recently decided to jump all the way back on. I decided that it would just be easier to jump back on cold turkey style. Except for coupons. I will use them, but not much. I'll keep the coupon blogs links for now, but I may delete them at some point, so if you are using them, you may want to add them to your own blog/favorite lists, etc.

So I have gone back to the Simple Life, or at least my version of it. No more soda (is it sad that this is what I think I will miss most???), no more eating "fast food", no more food that comes in a box or pre-prepared. No more TV, no more two or three times a week trips to the store. No more spending money unless it is budgeted for. More games, more music, more reading. More free time. More Peace. More Listening. More Walking. Much More Laughing.

A little bit of why I fell off the wagon was that our life changed in the summer. We ate different kinds of food in different sort of places at different sort of times. And I didn't change with it. My menus didn't change. My summer recipes were in cookbooks that I had to search through. My grocery list was based on my stockpile items. Which is good, but my grocery list was also based on the idea that I would be using the same menu all year. My menus and grocery lists for this summer also didn't plan on things like eating the kind of food that is easy to eat in camping chairs while sitting at swim meets or sitting on bleachers watching baseball games. My menus didn't include food that I could grab quickly and head over to the garden. And my menus didn't take into consideration that there were places that we always went in the summer, or special things that we celebrated in the summer.

And then I saw a post on this blog - the woman is Orthodox Catholic, and has several children, but the idea of creating seasonal notebooks is something that made so much sense to me, and something that I was fairly certain that will still work in my life, even though my life is probably much different than hers. I am in the process of creating similar notebooks.

Notebook 1 covers the time from September 1st to the beginning of Advent (this year Advent begins on November 29). I'll be using a 1" binder that has a clear front and I will be inserting some leaf scrapbook paper.

The notebook will have the following sections:

Fall Menus - I will list 4 weeks of menus listing some of our stand bys, but some of our fall only favorites. I will also use as many local, in season foods as I can.

Fall Recipes - In this section, I will have a number of page protectors and the recipes for the foods that I will be using during the fall. I'm really looking forward to having the menus and the recipes in the same place.

Fall Grocery List - The grocery list will change per season, although many of the stockpile items will remain constant during the year, although their amounts may fluctuate (for example, I bake MUCH less during the summer, but MUCH more during the fall, so my flour amounts will vary from summer to fall).

Fall Calendar - This section will list any festivals, birthdays, holidays, church activities, etc. that typically occur during this season. This section will also contain my Themes And Plans pages for the months of September, October and November, with updates made each year.

Fall Planning to Prepare - This section will list any tasks that need to be done before the next season, particularly for any events/holidays. My goal is so that things can be done a month or two ahead of time so that I can enjoy the event/holiday, etc. without having to be rushed into finishing the small details or so that things are not done haphazardly. This will also allow me to create more homemade details to our celebrations, something that I really want to add to our special moments.

In my Fall Notebook, I will be preparing for Advent. We do many activities during Advent, and many of them require some preparation before hand to run smoothly. I also would like to have all gifts made/purchased by November 30th so that we can concentrate more fully on Advent.

Fall Household Tasks - This section contains household jobs that need to be done that are specific to that season. Cleaning tasks will be broken down by weeks. This section will also include the planting/harvesting/preserving schedule for that season.

There is much cleaning that needs to be done in the fall, both inside and out, and there is bulb planting to be done, and preserving that needs to be finished, and the garden needs to be "put to bed" until the spring.

Fall Books - This section will include children books and adult books that I enjoy reading during this time of year, noting books that we have at our home and ones that I want to check from the library and ones that I would like to buy.

I have lots of fall books, but there are several books about scarecrows and geese that I like to check out from the library and it is easier for me to find the books I need if I look for the 2 or 3 weeks before I really need them.

==========================

The other notebooks will have the same sections. Notebook 2 will go from Beginning of Advent - January 6th. Notebook 3 will go from January 7th - Easter (In 2009, it will be April 4th), Notebook 4 will go from After Easter - June 1st. Notebook 5 will go from June 1st - September 1st.

More about my binder system - Household Managment Binders

I posted about my binder system in this post. In this post, I will go into more detail about my Household Management System binders. I, of course, have to credit Dawn for getting me started on this idea. I use a file crate system in a similar way to her system, but my household management system is somewhat different. As always, it is important to tweak anybody's system to fit your family's needs.

I'll try and get some pictures up soon, but until then, here is my household management binder system.

Suggested Binders for a Household Management System

In addition to my Household Management Binders, I also have a file crate. The crate contains 52 weekly folders, and 4 seasonal folders and some of the household binders. I use one file folder upstairs to store the activities and invitations for the following week, and I also put things in it that need to be filed downstairs. Then on my planning day (Wednesday), I transfer the things for the next week and I file the things from the past week. I store my Household Management binders in a variety of places and I listed here where I store them.. In my binders, I have lots of page protectors and I place the information in them usually instead of printing and three-hold punching the things for each binder.

Planning Binder (stored in tote bag)
To start your Household Notebook, begin with the basics: planning and time management. I put in my monthly calendars, any additional schedules, seasonal activity lists, my file folder, journal, etc.

Faith Binder (stored in church bag)
This binder contains church magazines, proclamations, brochures, handouts, talks, etc.

Phone Binder (stored in phone book drawer)
The Phone Binder is a place to put class rosters, take-out phone numbers, club directories, emergency phone numbers, etc.

Family & School Binder (stored in file crate)
Family is where the heart is--and deserves its own binder. This binder tracks information needs of family members and family life:

• personal information page for each family member
• clothing sizes tracker
• master occasions list (birthdays, anniversaries)
• gift suggestion list
• birthday party ideas
• recommended Web sites
• list of DVD/videos to rent
• list of books to read
• library information

Families with school-aged children will want to add a school divider to hold:

• school schedules and holiday list
• lunch menus
• carpool schedule
• school information page
• school reading lists
• summer programs information

Housekeeping Binder (Stored in file crate except for chore checklists)
The Housekeeping holds information central to house and home. Cleaning, entertaining, decorating and household storage information are stored here. Consider these ideas for the Home Management divider:

• household cleaning schedule
• seasonal chore checklists
• children's chore checklists
• home inventory
• home decorating ideas
• party planners
• car maintenance schedule
• stain removal guide
• recycling locations
• home storage inventory
• yard sale checklist

Food Management Binder (Kept in the kitchen)
In the kitchen, this binder helps plan meals, create menus, and track inventory in pantry and freezer. Use this section to hold grocery shopping lists and price lists, weekly menus, etc.

Money and Finance Binder (Kept in file crate with the exception of the bills/purchases list)
Use this binder for information to help keep track of household finances with budget pages, inventory sheets and household information. Here are some examples of the kinds of information that can be included behind this binder:

• budget/spending record
• bills to pay
• credit card list
• online service/online account information
• home inventory
• insurance information
• utilities/services directory
• warranty information
• vehicle records

Health and Fitness Binder (Kept in file crate with the exception of food journal)
Organize family health care with a Health and Fitness divider. Have a medical emergency? Grab the Health and Fitness Binder on the way to the Emergency Room. Visit to the pediatrician? Use this section to record illnesses, medication and medical history. Types of information to file in the Health and Fitness binder include:

• food journal
• first aid kit checklist
• medical information sheet for each family member
• emergency directory
• medical authorization form
• prescription drug record
• insurance information
• pet health records

Travel and Activities Binder (Kept in file crate)
Time for fun! The Travel and Activities binder covers the extra-curricular activities that make life worthwhile. Hobby, church, club, sports, volunteer, vacation and travel ideas are included here. These sections will vary from family to family, but here are some ideas:

• picnic planner
• travel packing checklist
• before-we-leave checklist
• camping checklist
• vacation idea list
• house-sitter information sheet
• PTA newsletters and rosters
• Scouting or PTA materials

Binders, binders, binders

Binders always kind of reminds me of a innocent version of a curse word. Like saying "Oh binders" instead of I'm not sure what. Anyway . . .

In an effort to simplify my busy life, I've gone to a binder and file crate system to keep track of our days and the things we do. My file crate system is similar to the file crate system here, although I use it slightly differently. I have a little file basket in my kitchen and I put the monthly bills and the weekly file folder in the basket. During the week, I put anything that I need/want to do for the following week in the file folder, and then on my planning day, I look through it, and put anything necessary in my calendar or file it or fill out and mail the form or whatever. At the ending of the planning session, I move the folder downstairs in the file crate, and I put in the next week's folder in the upstairs file basket. I also have a folder for each season in its own hanging folder and I put seasonal ideas as I see them in that folder and review them every month or so. I'm also not nearly as crafty as Dawn, so I don't have as many craft projects in my weekly folders, although I have a fair amount of crafts in my seasonal folders (because you just can't celebrate Spring or Advent or whatever without a craft or two!)

My binders. I probably have too many, but I'm keeping what I have until I feel that a particular binder isn't being used effectively. The binders are 1/2 inch presentation binders. I've looked around at office supply stores, Walgreens, and discount stores, and I've found that in my area, buying an 8 pack or a 12 pack at Sam's Club is the most cost effective. I have three groups of binders - my home management binders, my provident living binders, and my Schooling binders. I also have three file crates - one to hold my weekly and seasonal folders, one for my home management binders, and one for my provident living binders. I use a label maker to label the spine of the binder, and I usually use some of my pretty scrapbook paper that I'm not currently using for anything else on the front as well as the title. In this post, I'll talk about my home management binders.

The first binder is my Planning Notebook and I store it in my tote bag. In this binder, there is my monthly calendar, schedules, seasonal activities, and my daily journal. I don't use my daily journal in a traditional way. I record what we did that day, errands I need to run on Town Day, quotes that I like, etc.

The next home management binder is my Faith Notebook and I store it in my church bag. This binder contains church magazines, church membership list, brochures, handouts, talks, etc.

The third binder is the Phone Notebook and it is stored in the phone book drawer. This is where I store class rosters, take-out phone numbers, club directories, emergency phone numbers, etc. I also store a few blank pages for writing name and numbers, and on a monthly basis, I decide if they need to be added to the permaenent list.

The Family Notebook is stored in a file crate. Ths binder contains information about family members such as a personal information page for each family member, clothing amounts and sizes for each child, master occassions (birthdays, anniversairies) for immediate and extended family, list of movies to watch and books to read, library information, etc.

The Housekeeping Notebook is stored in the kitchen. This binder holds information about cleaning, decorating and organizing your home. My housekeeping binder contains chore checklists, daily cleaning schedules & daily routines, organizational ideas, how to clean each room, deep cleaning list, home inventory, and home storage inventory.

The Food Management Notebook is also stored in the kitchen. This binder helps plan meals, create menus, and track inventory in pantry and freezer. I have a master list of the food that we use and the amounts I want to have on hand, and then a list that has the items listed but the quantity area is blank, and I look at the pantry before I shop and enter how many of each item that I need to purchase. I put the weekly grocery flyer for the two grocery stores that I shop at regularly. It also includes my monthly menu plan, lists of what foods are in season for each season, which foods are the best to buy organic, etc.

The next binder is the Money and Finance Notebook. It is stored in the file crate. The following items are included in this binder: monthly/yearly budget, credit card list, insurance information, utilities directory, warranty information, verhicle information, etc.

The Health and Fitness Notebook is stored in the file crate. This binder contains medical information sheet for each family member, first aid kit checklist, emergency directory, prescription drug record for each member, insurance information, and pet medical information.

The last binder in the Home Management area is the Activities Notebook and it is also stored in the file crate. The Activities binder covers the extra-curricular activities that make life worthwhile. Hobby, church, club, sports, volunteer, vacation and travel ideas are included here. This binder includes sports and music schedule and contact information, scouting materials, travel packing checklist, before we leave checklist, camping checklist, vacation idea list, house-sitter information, etc.

This system works for me, but it might be too many levels for you, or my needs of a a mom of three young kids are not your needs, or I might not have included things that you need. Many people have all of these items in one binder. For me, a single home management journal would be too large, and I needed the ability to have various parts of it in different areas. I was originally motivated to set up my home management binders because I needed to have a better handle on my life, and I also felt the need to be able to have things in place if I was ever in position of not being at home for a short or long period of time and other people needed to help manage my home.

But the key really is to create a system that works for you. I won't be offended if you don't use my ideas, but I think that it is helpful for most house managers to have SOME kind of system. I know that my system sounds a little complicated, but it helps me have a place for everything and helps me decide what to keep and what to NOT keep. So for me, it does make things more simple. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. :)