Name: Spreading the Feast Gathering
Start: 2025-07-11T00:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-07-12T23:59:59-05:00
Location: LaGrange, KY

Tagged: habit training, meal planning, Memory System

This topic has 8 replies, 8 voices, and was last updated 13 years, 8 months ago by tiffgriffin.

Viewing 9 posts - 1 through 9 (of 9 total)

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Posts
September 17, 2011 at 4:43 pm
Wings2fly
Participant
An idea hit me as I was listening to Sonya talk about the Scripture Memory System and that all you need is a recipe box. I struggle with meal planning. I can’t remember to get meat out of the freezer on time or I don’t know what to get out of the freezer. (I stock up on meat when it’s on sale.) It is usually later in the day when it is time to cook and my brain is tired and I have a hard time thinking of what to cook and if I have any meat available to use. So I thought the Memory System idea could keep me organized, with flexibility, and variety. Has anyone else done this? Do you have any ideas to share on how it has worked for you?
My initial thought is to do something like this: List all my main dishes on the index cards with a reference to where my actual recipe is at (so it is quicker not having to transfer recipes to the box.) Then I have the numbered tab cards for the month to put each recipe behind. If I want to cook something a few times per month, then I can make several of that same card. I can change recipes each month for seasonal favorites. This way I can glance through the box before grocery shopping and a few times per week so I can get meat out of the freezer. New recipes can easily be added where I want. Does that make sense?
And for habit training, it is each habit you want to focus on for the year on each card and put each one you are working on in order, so you can review and see what habit is next. A few times per week, check the box for review and to make notes on the card. It really doesn’t have anything to do with the calendar, but to help focus and review. Has anyone tried this?
September 17, 2011 at 6:06 pm
simple home
Member
I have had passing thought on this too. Never followed through, yet. I was thinking it would good for memorizing poetry too.
It is a great tool to use, probably with a lot of things. 🙂
Blessings!
September 17, 2011 at 6:09 pm
vsdunkin
Member
I haven’t used this idea but a friend of mine uses something similar. She read about it in the book More Hours For My Day by Emilie Barnes. I actually have this book sitting on my counter to read because she claims it works very well. It’s pretty much like a home mangement binder but in a recipe box instead. I believe she got her copy of the book from Paperback Swap.
September 17, 2011 at 6:26 pm
sheraz
Participant
I think that sounds like a great idea. Meal planning is such a chore for me! =)
September 17, 2011 at 7:55 pm
JennNC
Participant
Simple Home, we use Sonya’s system for poetry too! It works very well. 🙂
September 17, 2011 at 8:18 pm
suzukimom
Participant
It is an area where I struggle too….
An idea I was given (haven’t yet implemented) is to have a theme each day….. (for suppers anyway)
For example….
Sunday – Soup
Monday – Slow Cooker Meals [put this on your crazy day….]
Tuesday – Pasta
Wednesday – Ethnic Foods (ie, Oriental, Mexican, Ukranian, etc.)
Thursday – Try a new Recipie Night (or put in “Quick and Easy” night) – fish sticks and rice,
Friday – Pizza (pref homemade… lol)
Saturday – Roast Beef / Roast Chicken / etc. (or swap in something cooler for the summer….) – note that this will provide broth and leftover meat for the soup on Sunday.

The advice I was given was to then make 12-13 different week plans with my existing recipies and rotate through them, eventually making a shopping list etc for each.
But you could also put your recipies for each day on a different coloured index card (one colour for each day) and then pick out 1 of each color for the week…..
September 19, 2011 at 6:20 pm
Wings2fly
Participant
Thank you, suzukimom. Another thought is to color code by type of meat. I like that idea.
September 19, 2011 at 8:57 pm
Sara B.
Participant
My mom actually uses something very similar. She has all her “regular” recipes in a box, then the ones she is going to use that month she puts on one of those big key-ring type things. She just pulls out what she wants for that night (or the next night), and gets the meat out for it, and if she has time, she’ll even start prepping. Someday I will use her idea myself…… LOL
September 19, 2011 at 9:20 pm
tiffgriffin
Participant
The method which works best for us, although still tweaking it, is similar to suzukimom’s. I have a 3″ binder with all of my recipes broken down by breakfast, lunch and dinner by the type of meat. At the start of the month I print out a blank calendar and list the meals. For dinner it’s -Sunday is an egg dish, Monday fish, Tuesday Chicken, etc. Then I go to my binder and write out the next recipe on the list for that day. Breakfast and lunch is the same based on the day. I also make a one month grocery list for non perishable items and shop for those items just once. This saves time, the rest of the month because it doesn’t take long to pop in only for fresh fruits, veg, and milk. Hope this makes sense.