I’ve often heard my mom say, “The key to cooking anything on a weeknight is just a little organization.” And believe me, my mom could cook just about anything on a week night including a fancy dinner for 8 (but that’s a different post). Now that I’m in a “mom” role, I feel the pressure of taking care of meals for my family. Thankfully, I like to grocery shop and think about feeding my family most of the day, but there are a few things that I try to do consistently that help me stay organized and keep my mind from the crazy zone.

1. Grocery list – we keep a lined notepad on the side of the refrigerator, with a pen on it, that we write items on all week long. Since I grocery shop mostly at Walmart, this can also include things that are not just grocery items. But, having this list out and handy helps me share the weight of knowing when we need to get something. I’ve trained Mr. McKinney to write it down on the list whenever he uses the last or almost last of something or if he thinks of something during the week that we need. I know myself and I cannot keep lists in my head and I also don’t want to feel the weight or responsibility of having to remember everything for everyone. We will see if I can keep this up as my little man gets older and I can train him as well. But having that list posted in the kitchen, on the refrigerator helps us write down what we need in the place where we usually run out of it.
2. Meal Planning – once a week, usually on Fridays, I sit down and write out my planned meals for the weekend and the following week. This is also the same day I usually go to the grocery store. I’m able to look at what we have left in the refrigerator from meals during the week and think about the coming week. I’ll ask Mr. McKinney if there’s anything he has been wanting and maybe add that to the menu. Having a menu helps me think ahead and plan for the week to come all in one sitting. I’ll usually plan meals at the beginning of the week that I know will have leftovers for later in the week or balance the nights if we have a meeting or will skip because we are out of town. I also post the menu on the refrigerator so everyone can see what the plan is. I of course adjust it where needed or if we have an impulse eat out night, but this planning step keeps me from having to think about a meal every single day. Instead I have a plan that I laid out for myself and I just have to make it happen. If Fridays don’t work for meal planning, I often find that Sunday afternoon or evening is a great time as well. Set a plan that works in the rhythm of your home but give yourself the gift of a plan and not having to stress about it every day.
3. Kitchen Staples – this is the organization tool that helps me the most. I have a few staple items that I always keep in my pantry and that I always keep in my refrigerator or freezer. I try to save these for those “emergency” cooking moments or if they are items we use all the time, I pull from the pantry/freezer when we run out and then add a replacement to my grocery list for the following week. It’s hard to predict when we will run out of tea sweetener, but if I always have a backup ready and just replace the backup, I’m always good to go.

Pantry Staples that I always keep:

• Canned Evaporated milk – I usually have 1 large can and 1 small can
• 1 chocolate and 1 yellow cake mix
• Powdered sugar
• Chocolate chips
• Pouch mixes – 1 cookie, 1 muffin, 1 pancake, 1 biscuit
• Pasta – I always have a box of spaghetti noodles and either rotini or penne
• Rotel – diced tomatoes with green chilies
• Diced tomatoes
• Green beans – whatever variety
• Chicken broth – I either have a can in the cabinet or homemade in the freezer
• Tea bags – a backup set in the pantry to what I’m actively using in the cabinet
• Sweetener – whatever I’m currently using to make sweet tea and in my coffee
• Flour and sugar – a backup bag to what I’m actively using in the cabinet
• Seasonings – dry ranch, taco, Mrs. Dash, cinnamon
• Peanut butter
• Balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing
• Thai chili sauce

Freezer Staples that I always keep:

• Tube of hamburger meat – lean ground beef
• Tube of ground sausage
• Frozen chicken breasts
• Frozen vegetable
• Seasoning blend – made by Picsweet, this is a mixture of onions, bell pepper and other items that I use in most any savory recipe instead of chopping vegetables
• Ice cream – because we are human and life is too short to not have ice cream

Refrigerator Staples that I always have:

• Eggs
• Butter – sticks always, but usually spray and tub containers as well
• Milk
• Fruit – I rotate between seasonal favorites, halos/cuties, berries, pineapple
• Minced garlic
• Shredded cheese
• Sauces – Siracha, Ketchup, BBQ, Ranch Dressing, yellow mustard
• Lemon or lime juice – the little container shaped like the fruit
• Canned biscuits

These are the tree main ways I keep my mental state at bay when it comes to cooking. I LOVE to cook and I LOVE to entertain people so having these things on hand let me make banana bread on a Monday afternoon when our bananas from the previous week are going bad. Or, if I’ve spent too much time on Pinterest and saw a new pasta recipe that I want to try I may just have all the things I need to make it mid-week without having to make another trip to the store. And, if I don’t make it to the store on a Friday afternoon, we still have things ready to have a slow Saturday morning and homemade breakfast at home.

This post is shared as part of the Foodie Friday series with the Arkansas Women Bloggers. This month they are focusing on kitchen tips, tricks, and hacks.