Menu Planning Easy

I am really trying to get better about meal planning. I love the peacefulmom.com/menuplanning where she has a free book in how to save money and how to menu plan. Menu planning is the secret to success. Let me give you an example....think easy girls!

Sun...make chicken in crockpot with potatoes and carrots
Mon...use leftover chicken in chicken quesadillas
Tues...make breakfast for dinner....hashbrown potatoes and sausage biscuits
wed....use leftover sausage and make some bacon and eggs for some breakfast burritos with leftover hasbrowns
thurs...tacos
fri....tacos soup
sat...grilled cheese/taco or tomato soup

think easy....think leftovers....
Some more easy....
Eckridge sausage and baked beans
bean burritos
cheese quesadillas
see my potatoe and beef casserole recipe above
sandwich night
nachos
mac and cheese with ham/ salad
enchiladas (beef, bean, cheese, chicken)
taco salad (on top of dorritos)
spaghetti/garlic bread

My advice....write on the fridge either what you have in the pantry to make that week (see examples) or write down the week (see awesome website above) that gives you the print out that you can write down your weekly menu from breakfast to dinnner. Honestly I do that really good sometimes and then sometimes (especially since baseball started) where I am lucky to write down my 5meals i have ingredients for the week for. But just putting that on your fridge makes life easier because when yoiu need dinner, look on your fridge to see (and remind yourself) what you have to cook for dinner. Also .....let the crockpot be your friend!

A simple shoe organizer can change your life!

I love to find things that make my life easier. The internet has made us all so smart now. The ideas you can find online are endless. One of my favorites ideas is the over the door hanging shoe organizer. My friend Penny told me about this. (and suprisingly she doesnt have a website)

I use it in my pantry to hold all of my kids snacks, aluminum foil, sandwich baggies, etc. I also have one in my hall closet door for the winter gloves, hats, scarves, etc. It makes it so much easier to find that stuff. Just something simple like that can change your stress level!

Easy Hamburger Casserole

This is a super easy recipe and is one of my hubbys favs. I've had the recipe for so long I can't remember where I got it. (the pictures is taken BEFORE it is cooked. It doesn't look as pretty cooked but tastes great)

Hamburger Casserole

1 lb ground beef
2 tspn butter
4 medium sized potatoes (or bag of Simply Potatoes-diced potatoes with onion in the fridge section. Green bag. I do this more!)
1 tspn salt
dash pepper
can of tomato soup

Brown beef with butter, drain. Cut potatoes in cubes and spread in glass pan (or put the bag of Simply Potatoes in pan-see how easy). Cover with 1/2 meat and 1/2 soup. (and onion if you choose) Season with salt and pepper. Repeat layering. Bake 1 1/2 hrs in 350 oven. You can add cheese 10min before it is done if you want also.

Scrapbook room organization tips

I am excited about "our" scrapbook room that J and I are using. J put together the scrap paper bins. It makes it so much easier to find the color scrap piece you need quicker. They are magazine cardboard holders she found at an office store.

Next is my way of organizing my stickers. I used a carry folder box. Where the letters would be I put my subjects that i have the most stickers for. Example....boys, christmas, Easter, fishing, school, etc.... It doesnt look very organized but I love it because I can find what I need so quickly. They overflow and stretch out the box but it works for me.

My shelves (on my tables that are from Walmart) are shoe racks I found at Target years ago. I love how I have more space for my pictures and working area now that stuff is above the working area on the shelves.

The cricut machine is now on the bedside table we had in the spare room and the cricut stuff is all in one of the drawers.

Underneath my tables are the sliding out bins you can buy at any craft store like Michaels, Hobby Lobby etc. They have all of my scrapbook paper in. Each pullout has a label on it like "boys, Holidays, school, girlie, sports, etc". This made life easier for me because I could find paper I wanted quickly.

In my closet I put these $10 shelves I found at Target for my scrapbooks and my idea books. They are sturdy plastic and work just great for something affordable but helps me to get organized. J and I have been searching the web for ideas for months to create our new scrapbook room and I think this first stage is just what we needed. Can't wait for stage two!

I love http://cookscleansplayswithpaper.blogspot.com/2011/03/my-art-room.html who helped me to be inspired with some of these ideas!