Avoid frenzy with menu plan

In the past when I would cook, I prided myself in having a messy kitchen. I thought that if I concentrated on cleanup, then the food had to taste bad.

Well, slowly but surely I have changed my messy ways. I began to analyze how other people cook and found out what my problem was. I have never seen anyone address this problem. I am going to make a stab at it.

The problem as I see it is that we try to do too many things at one time. This comes from our sidetracked nature. The main problem is we start dinner about the time we should be sitting down to eat. Then we are rushed. We begin to make one recipe, and as we are throwing it together we decide on another portion of the meal. There are preparation items still on our counters from the first recipe. At that point you don't care anymore; food goes here and there, it spills on the floor and we don't take time to clean up because we are in such a tizzy. I want you to stop this.

In order to avoid this kind of kitchen frenzy, I suggest you start with a menu plan for the week. Dinner Diva Leanne Ely's Menu Mailer is a great way to get started. Then go purchase the items you need for this week's meals. Don't wait until time to cook to think about what you are going to prepare. Lack of planning is a thief of your precious family time. If you have not started to do this one thing, then start now. Try one of Leanne's Sample Menu Mailers, found at savingdinner.com, to help you get started.

The next thing is start preparing the meal the night before. I don't mean start to cook! Think about and check your menu as part of your before-bed routine. Thaw in the refrigerator the meats you have selected to cook. When you get up the next morning, check to see what you can do to make meal preparation easier that afternoon. If you are a payroll SHE (sidetracked home executive) or any kind of SHE for that matter, make your crock pot your best friend. We need to start in a clean kitchen!

Here's the next change: prepare one item at a time and clean up after each thing. Fill your clean and shiny sink with hot and soapy water. Put dirty dishes in the sink as you finish with them and either wash them up or put them in the dishwasher. Even with a dishwasher, I like to wash up my preparation bowls and put them away. This way if I need them again, I can find them.

During preparation, put food back into the refrigerator as soon as you finish with it. Throw trash away the minute you empty a package. Also, peelings and scraps need to be put into compost bin, trash or disposal.