Day 9 Organize Your Recipes

Here is the challenge:

Day #9 is here. Today's task is:


Organize your recipes! Make a three-ring binder for Favorite Family Recipes and another for Recipes to Try. You will need two binders, two divider sets with tabs, a three-hole punch, and a few clear vinyl sheet protector pages.


Notebook #1. Favorite Family Recipes: Gather all of your recipe cards, recipes from magazines, and your favorite dog-eared recipes in cookbooks. On 8 1/2 x 11-inch paper, photocopy recipes you use frequently. Divide them into hors d'oeuvres, salads, entrees, and desserts. Place them in your notebook. This notebook will contain all those old favorites like Mom's Apple Crisp and Uncle Charlie's Chili. It will not contain untried recipes.


Notebook #2. Recipes to Try: Create another binder with dividers and add a top-loading clear sheet protector to each section. Recipes collected from magazines and friends are placed inside the sheet protectors. When you have several odd sizes collected, photocopy them onto 8 1/2 x 11-inch paper, punch, and put into the notebook. After you have tried a recipe from this notebook and know it is a keeper, transfer it to your Favorite Family Recipes notebook.


(30 Days to a Simpler Life, p. 55)


OR for serious simplifiers only...


Make a list of your top twenty simplest dinners. Select dinners with the fewest ingredients. Choose recipes with five or fewer ingredients. Post this list on your fridge and use it to plan dinners during the work week. (30 Days to a Simpler LIfe, p. 63)


This one is also a no brainer for me...LOL.  My oldest dd copied our family recipes into a blank notebook holiday recipes including many from Dh's Grandma,  who was a fabulous cook.
 
I have my standbys....Betty Crocker (Now on my 3rd Copy!)

For an education in whole foods prreparation,  including combining vegetarian foods for whole protiens,  none is better than this one::(Now on my 2nd copy)

And,  for special meals,  a great geography lesson,  and still keeping in the whole foods...very yummy catergory,  this one can't be beat!

Although we are not vegetarians, (excpet for Ding,  who has been one since she was 3,)  I find it very easy to add a meat dish or add meat to the main recipe. 

These are the only recipes I keep.  Everything else is either in my head, at http://www.cooks.com/ or http://www.allrecipes.com/ . 

Easy menus:
Breakfast:  must include 1 protien (usually some kind of eggs) and one carb (usually fresh fruit or whole grain toast.  I also do muffins, granola bars (made with lots of ground nuts, or whole grain, hi-protien pancakes.

Lunch:  PB&J, Grilled Cheese, leftovers, soup etc.

Dinners: 1 meat,  2 veggies, (one cooked, one raw) 1 grain.  I  very often stir fry, broil,  or make a crockpot with all but the salad.

Now,  I am going completely gluten free due to Hashimoto's and Fibromyalgia.  I am a very simple cook...unless we have something special.  I try not to bake too much.

Anyway,  my recipe books are already pared down...maybe I live simpler than I thought.

Faithe