Happy Fall (or Autumn, if you prefer)!

How is it mid-September already, and how do I have a 5.5 week old?! We are starting to settle into a routine. Squatch has been back to work since last week, and we are close to figuring out the best structure for our days. Squatch has been on breakfast duty most mornings; I did make biscuits & gravy Sunday, and reheated the leftover gravy this morning while I threw new biscuits into the oven to bake up; I am back to playing dishwasher. I don’t mind washing dishes – it is relaxing for me, and gives me a few minutes to myself.

That being said, we have to get back into the habit of meal-planning once again. And we need to get back on the carnivore wagon. I was really thrown off when my parents visited two weeks ago. We ate A LOT of carbs, and my mother did a lot of baking, which I thoroughly enjoyed those rice krispie treats (I cannot make them for the life of me). But I’ve been so sluggish, and my stomach and gut started acting up, so I’ve been cleaning up my diet to avoid the same issues I had when Bug was born. So I’m getting back to the eggs and hamburger patties which I LOVE, and which are super easy to make.

Meal planning will be great though, once we get our pantry management taken care of. I currently have a mental inventory of what is in our deep freeze and basement pantry. Anytime I take something from either, I write it down on my shopping is to pick up 2 more next time we are at the store. I have to say, we have a deep enough pantry that we only have to do a shopping run once a month. Man, does that feel good. We haven’t had to pick up meat, other than the 85/15 burger patties from Aldi, in months.

That being said – I am looking for insight into how everyone manages their freezers and pantries. As it is, when we go shopping I put everything we buy away with the new items at the back of the shelves/bottom of the freezer. So, rotating what we eat in a first in, first out style is not an issue. It’s more the knowing just exatly what we have, and how much. I know there are multiple options for managing this inventory – spreadsheet, whiteboard, pad of paper, etc. My ask is “What works for you? What styles have you tested? What are the pros and cons of your system?” I am NOT a fan of apps for the phone. I know there are some out there, but as someone who is working on being less reliant on her phone, adding an app just isn’t up my alley.

I do love the idea of a master spreadsheet, but having to open the computer and update it regularly just doesn’t appeal to me. Whiteboards are genius – but where do we put them? Our deep freeze is in the kitchen, and having the pantry board in the basement is not compatible with being able to take a quick look before making the shopping list. Having an inventory of what is in our pantry and freezer will definitely make meal-planning easier. Being able to see just what we have on hand, and how much, can allow us to be sure we’re eating what we store, and storing what we eat (in the words of the awesome Nicole Sauce).

So – go to the comments and let me know what your pantry management and inventory system is.