Organization

Organization is imperative. Arranging, classifying, categorizing, sorting out, and planning. Although is helps to be just a bit OCD here, a little organization goes a long way. I can not understand how some people barely seem to get through one day while taking each punch as it comes and procrastinating until the last minute. My brain would be bursting at the seams, overloaded with unorganized information, and I’d be unable to sleep at night! Doesn’t it feel good to accomplish something in advance that you know doesn’t have to be complete until tomorrow? Getting a little ahead at work makes me feel relaxed and confident about the next day. Applying a little organization to your kitchen will slow down the flow enough to relax you and maybe even enjoy yourself.

First, find some time. If you think you don’t have any time, you’re wrong. Make time. With the overall time, energy, and money that’s saved just with a little planning and organization, I can’t afford NOT to allocate this time. I’m a firm believer that if you truly want something to happen, you will make it happen. For years I beat myself up for forgetting to floss due to lack of time… then I was sitting in rush hour one day thinking about what I could do to multi-task. Voila! That became my new flossing hour – sitting on a particular stretch of road that was always busy during the evening commute. I digress… Plan to initially have at least 30 minutes of uninterrupted time to just think, but I suggest having a pen and paper handy to jot down any thoughts or impromptu lists you may have the urge to document. Lists and calendars were created for a reason… use them!

If you’re just beginning to take control of your kitchen situation, start simple. What is for dinner tonight? Ok, now tomorrow? What essential items are missing from your cabinets? Don’t try to think so far ahead that you start planning a huge Saturday morning cooking session that you don’t have time for. Just make a grocery list, and stick to it when you get to the store. With a little forethought, you can choose to pick up a whole raw chicken (3 minutes to prep for cooking-see previous blog entry) and toss it in your crock pot in the morning for $4 instead of spending the 15 extra minutes on your drive home to pick up one for $6.99 that has been sitting under a heat lamp for 2 hours. Sure it’s only $3, and that isn’t going to break the bank. But for example’s sake, what if you save $3 per weekday just at supper alone??? That’s $15 per week or $60 per month. That’s a bill, folks.

When planning any meals, try to piggyback ingredients off each other. If you’re buying spaghetti sauce for lasagna, save a little for homemade pizza later in the week. If you’re chopping onions and peppers for fajitas, chop a few extra and put aside to go on that same pizza. When you have your meatloaf mixture ready to shape, tear off 1/3 of it and roll into meatballs to cook beside the meatloaf. Put them in the refrigerator for meatball subs or beef stroganoff later in the week. Always keep your mind open for different alternatives to the same ingredients. This is such an important process, I’m considering making a blog entry on this topic alone with various ideas on how to implement this strategy.

You may need to physically arrange your kitchen to better suit your needs. Useful kitchen appliances often get shoved into the back of the cabinet making them difficult to access or even worse, forgotten. In my humble opinion, the winner of these large tools is the crock pot. ALWAYS keep this handy appliance in mind when planning your routine. It does all the work for you, tenderizes any tough cut of meat, makes the house smell delightful, and keeps dinner warm after it’s finished cooking. Another favorite is my bread maker. My husband can’t get enough of my homemade rolls – flash frozen and reheated on an “as needed” basis for an economical solution to his carb addiction!

The well stocked pantry – another underrated essential. If you keep a well stocked pantry full of basic items, you will save money. Not because you are buying less, but because you’re spending less. This is because people all over the globe may be cooking a pot of chili tonight, just like you… however, you already had several of the essentials, such as the canned tomatoes, seasonings, perhaps even the beans, waiting in your cupboard from when you stocked up from a previous sale. They chose today to arbitrarily cook a pot of chili and were forced to pay whatever price the retailer decided to charge for those items on that day. In the short term, your family members may think you’ve lost it when you come home with 9 cans of diced tomatoes. But keep at it, and in the long run you’ve saved enough money to buy a new pair of tennis shoes. Literally, planning pays off!

The benefits of applying a little organization into your kitchen routine pay themselves back in threefold. Consciously making nutritious decisions by controlling what goes into your food, cooking when it’s convenient for you, saving money, and spending more quality time with your family after work – who’s ready to sign up?!? For me it’s a way of life, but I’m a natural born list maker. Avoid frustration and chaos in the evenings. Enjoy yourself, your family, and your company by taking a little bit of extra time to plan and organize. You won’t be sorry!