I Read the Fridge Today, Oh Boy

  After 2 weeks, I have finally finished updating my refrigerator (remember, #2 on my list).  Here is a before and after shot.

 It may not look like a huge difference, but it makes a big difference in our kitchen!  The pictures are all still there, they are just on the sides of the fridge making the front a usable work space.  I have always used wet erase markers on the fridge.  They dry so they don't smear easily, but just wipe off with a wet towel.  Greatest invention ever!

  In our previous system, we had two categories: 'To Eat' and 'To Make.'  Now that we are buying and eating a whole lot more produce, we are finding it helpful to also keep track of the 'perishables' such as pineapple.  The 'Left Over' column has really helped, as well as a new simple labeling system: with the wet erase markers, I mark the date on the Tupperware or baggie.  This way there is no guessing how old something is!  I used these magnet sheets to print out the labels (I have used them to print pictures as well - these sheets are awesome!)

  Yes, that's macaroni and cheese.  M loves macaroni and cheese.  He likes pretty much all pasta, he is a pasta-eating fool.  Mac 'n cheese may not be the healthiest food, but when you couple it with peas and watermelon, it is a treat.

  I have taken my menu planning to a new level as well.  I have joined allrecipes.com, (thanks Sally!) which has been great since I already use so many of the recipes.  I just never realized that the site had so many other great features like creating menus up to 10 days in length, tweaking recipes and saving them, and creating recipes from scratch with the ability to add them to your menus and shopping lists.  One of my favorite things on the site is something so small, but so huge: the site will display a whole recipe with directions and everything on a single screen, which means you don't have to scroll with dirty hands.  So helpful!  In addition to this site, I have started printing out our menu and keeping it on the fridge.  This helps take the guesswork out of all meals!  They are already planned with what we have.

  If there's one thing this blog has helped me do so far, it's get organized in the kitchen.  I never realized how overwhelmed I was, as someone pretty disinterested in cooking and suddenly in charge of feeding a family of four.  I feel much more comfortable now with my ability to do my job, and it feels good to have healthy goals and be able to accomplish them!