If there’s one thing I love, it’s being organised in the kitchen. From my spice rack is in order to my cookery books being perfectly lined up. Not only does it make life so much easier when you’re running around with a cake in the oven, but it just looks good too. Have you seen the number of crumbs that find their home under your cookery books on the side? Exactly! That’s why being organised is key. There’s nothing worse than being halfway through dinner and you can’t find the salt or pepper. It’s a waste of time and so frustrating! So organisation really is important. It can be hard to be organised don’t get me wrong, when you’re a busy parent, working from home, you don’t always have the time to look for the things that you need.
One of my pet hates is looking for recipes. I keep a list of them online and have a tonne of recipe books in the kitchen. It’s fine if it’s a quiet Sunday afternoon and the kids are having a nap, but when you’re looking for that one specific recipe it can be a nightmare! The same goes for meal planning. I am a definite meal planning queen. It makes family life easier, quicker and actually saves money. But how can you organise yourself to actually make life easier for you in the kitchen? Well, from meal planners to recipe files, here are my top tips for using your creativity and being organised in the kitchen.
- Meal Planning
I swear by meal planning. Not only does it save you time during the week but it can also help save money and stop waste! But forget writing it all on a crumby bit of paper. It’s time to get your design skills out and create a family meal planner. It’s also great if you have little ones because they can follow along or help you cook. Make the planner fun, relevant and even seasonal. The better it looks, the more likely you’ll stick to using it. You can create your own printables and add whatever designs you like.
You can add as much or as little detail as you want. Everything from calorie count to colour co-ordinating veg, meat and carbs. You can print off your own designs and get your kids to colour them in or even get your little ones involved in choosing what designs to create when you’re making your own meal planners online. Print them off and stick them on the fridge. The most accessible place in any kitchen. Right?
- Recipe Cards
Don’t you love creating the perfect meal with a pinch of this and a pinch of that? Or do you print off sheet after sheet of recipes telling yourself that you’ll cook that next week and then realise it’s been tea stained within an inch of its life? How about have cookery book after cookery books lined up in your kitchen that are just gathering dust and haven’t even been opened past the introduction? Exactly! So get rid of all of that and create your own cute recipe cards! Store them in a folder and that’s it. You have consolidated all that other stuff into a useful file of recipes that you want and will use. Even if you don’t, at least you know where they all are! You can create recipe cards online by either having them blank and you write the recipes as you go or type out the recipes whenever you find one you love.
You can categorise them in whatever was you prefer. Colour code the designs, make alphabetical dividers or use patterns as indicators. Whatever you do, make it work for you. You can get some great SVG’s from places such as design bundles who have a whole host of things to help you create your perfect at-home designs. If you want to categorise your recipe cards by type of food, they’ve got the designs for you. It also means you can print the recipe cards as big or small as you like and the design won’t lose its clarity.
- Label It
If you want to be super organised, it’s time to get labelling. From leftover food in the freezer to your grains. It’s time to give everything a visible label. This will help you store things more efficiently, find things easier and again, help you save money by not buying things you don’t need! Yes, I’m talking about you!
If we have a packet of noodles at the back of a cupboard, I guarantee you won’t use it for a year. So label up a box, put your noodles and pasta in there. Do the same for your cereals, herbs, spices, sugar… the list goes in! You’ll wonder why you didn’t do it sooner. You’ll save yourself so much time and you’ll be so much less stressed. Try and see.
- Invite Only
If you’re the dinner party kind of person, now is the time to get your creativity going and create your own dinner party invites. It gives you a great opportunity to get your creative juices flowing but also help you prep everything from numbers to dietary requirements. You can let your recipe imagination run wild or just create a classic favourite. But designing your own dinner party invites can be a great way for making a special occasion that little bit more memorable. From birthday get-togethers to anniversary dinners. Don’t panic if your design skills don’t move far from the cooker because Design Bundles can give you some great products to help you create your perfect designs. They have great tutorials too so you can try something new without feeling like it’s out of your depth.
The key thing is no matter how you organise your kitchen or meals, it’s about making it work for you. It’s about being fun and useable. It’s your kitchen, so it has to be unique. Make it enjoyable and you’ll be more likely to use it. Now please excuse me while I go and create my autumn and winter recipe files because it looks like the weather has changed overnight! Pumpkin pie anyone
