Today’s post is coming to you from my kitchen. There are homemade pumpkin bread muffins in the oven at the moment, and my two sick twin boys are reclining on the sofa. Pumpkin bread is their personal favorite, so I’m baking it in hopes that they feel better soon. I’ve had this recipe in my recipe binder for years, so I thought it best to explore how to organize your recipes. Keep reading for 10 ways you can organize your recipes plus get my free recipe page printable. Let’s get started.
My husband and I will celebrate 25 years of marriage next year, so I have accumulated quite a few recipes over the years. Some are handwritten recipes from my mom, my mother-in-law, and a few more special people in my life.
I have sentimental attachment to those particular recipes because they are handwritten by people I love and mostly written on index cards. I wouldn’t want to part with these index cards because they represent family and sharing meals together, which I think is an important tradition.
I use a recipe binder. It’s pretty simple and messy from cooking. I didn’t clean it up for a beautiful photo, because it is a fairly good representation of our lives. It’s not clean and perfect, but it has splatters of food and cooking mishaps, which represent memories of my kids and I cooking together in my kitchen.
Bonus Clip: Here is an excellent video of someone who did a great job setting up her recipe binder. Watch it and let it inspire you!
My binder has a large width and a clear pocket cover for my “Recipes” label. My mother is a natural born cleaner and organizer, like myself. I have seen my own mother writing her recipes one by one in those store-bought cute, little recipe folders for years.
She probably has a kitchen cabinet full of these cute organizers with different patterns and designs on the cover and colorful pages. I am much more simple that that, or perhaps too lazy to put in all of that extra effort and time rewriting all of these recipes.
Here inside my binder there are no cute papers, no pretty designs- just simple and plain. As with most binders, I have a hard plastic cover page to keep everything neat and the pages flat. I separate my recipes by category, some general and some specific.
I use a three ring binder, so I purchased a three-hole-puncher to use with this binder. If I print a recipe from my computer that we want to use again, I just punch holes in it and add it to the appropriate category. The dividers I use are manila file folders which I have labeled by category.
My categories include breakfasts, breads, soups, chicken recipes, beef recipes, seafood, side dishes, salads, desserts, and so on. Some recipes fit more than one category, like the pumpkin bread I’m baking now. It can be served for breakfast, but I store it by title under the bread category. Just do what works best for you.
I mentioned those special handwritten recipes earlier. As to protecting these pages from getting damaged, I have a few clear page protectors I use for special and awkwardly shaped recipe cards. I slip these inside a page protector and place them in the binder by category.
Sometimes the index cards are small and punching holes through them would destroy the handwritten words I need to read. Putting them in these sleeve- style page protectors works better for me.
I can open the binder on my kitchen counter to the recipe I’m cooking now. I find that it produces such a large portion that we have to half it. Half of the typed recipe on this page yields 1 large loaf or 18 muffins. Because we prefer muffins, I half this recipe to accommodate my family of five.
You can also make handwritten notes on your pages. My notes state these handwritten measurements represent a half of the recipe. The half recipe yields about 18 muffins. Because my kids would be happy to eat this nearly every day of the week, I usually make a large batch and keep some of the uncooked mix in the refrigerator to bake another day.
This makes breakfast preparation easier because the work is already done for me. We struggle with timeliness, so I try just about anything I can do to make our mornings go smoother. All I have to do is preheat the oven and pour the mix in the muffin tin to bake.
Special Tip: We add chocolate chips to this recipe, and the kids love it. I mean, adding chocolate makes everything instantly better, right? Their friends even ask me to bake it when they sleepover. We also love it plain, so I usually bake 6 plain muffins and 6 with the chocolate chips added. Then, I refrigerate the remaining portion to bake later.
Special Shopping Tip: If you’ve ever shopped for canned pumpkin when it’s not around the Fall holidays, you may not be able to locate it in your grocery store. Sometimes even the store employees have been stumped when I ask them.
It is not usually kept in the canned fruits and vegetables department. Our grocery stores keep it in the baking aisle. You can find it near the graham cracker pie crusts, the canned apple pie mix, or cherry pie mix. One regular can yields one half of the recipe. Your store may be different, but I have found this consistent in several of my local grocery stores.
Need a printable shopping list? You can get one of mine for free (as seen below) here. It is in my shopify store, but it is totally free. You won’t be prompted to enter any payment info. It is delivered as a digital printable download via email.
Here are 10 simple and effective ways to organize your recipes:
1. Digital Recipe Apps
- Evernote or OneNote: Use note-taking apps to create a digital recipe book. You can tag recipes for easy searchability.
- Dedicated Recipe Apps: Apps like Paprika, Yummly, or Recipe Keeper allow you to save and categorize recipes, create shopping lists, and plan meals.
2. Digital Documents
- Google Docs or Microsoft Word: Create a document or a series of documents where you can type out or paste your recipes. Use headings, bullet points, and tables for organization.
- Spreadsheets: Use Google Sheets or Excel to create a searchable, sortable database of your recipes. Include columns for categories, ingredients, prep time, and more.
3. Recipe Binders
- Physical Binder: Print out your recipes and store them in a binder. Use dividers to separate different categories (e.g., appetizers, main courses, desserts).
- Sheet Protectors: Place recipes in sheet protectors to keep them clean and easily accessible.
4. Recipe Boxes
- Index Cards: Write recipes on index cards and store them in a recipe box. Use dividers to organize by category.
- Pre-made Recipe Cards: Purchase pre-made recipe cards and a matching box for a more uniform look.
5. Online Recipe Collections
- Pinterest: Create boards for different types of recipes. Pin recipes from the web to these boards for easy access.
- Blogs and Websites: Bookmark your favorite recipes in your web browser or use a bookmarking service like Pocket to save and categorize recipes from various sites.
6. Cookbooks
- Personalized Cookbook: Compile your favorite recipes into a custom cookbook. Services like Shutterfly or Blurb allow you to design and print your own cookbook.
- Annotated Cookbooks: Write notes in the margins of your favorite cookbooks to keep track of modifications and tips.
7. Meal Planning Boards
- Dry-Erase Boards: Use a dry-erase board in your kitchen to list weekly meals and their corresponding recipes. This keeps your plan visible and easily changeable.
- Bulletin Boards: Pin recipe cards or printed recipes to a bulletin board for the week’s meals.
8. Recipe Journals
- Recipe Journal: Keep a dedicated journal where you write down your favorite recipes. This can be a fun, creative outlet and a keepsake.
- Recipe Templates: Use printable recipe templates to ensure consistency and ease of use.
9. Family Sharing
- Shared Digital Folders: Create a shared folder in Google Drive or Dropbox where family members can add and access recipes.
- Family Recipe Exchange: Have family members contribute their favorite recipes to a shared recipe book or digital collection.
10. Voice Assistants
- Smart Devices: Use voice assistants like Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant to save and retrieve recipes. You can ask them to add ingredients to shopping lists or read recipes aloud while you cook.
By using one or a combination of these methods, you can create an organized system that works best for your cooking style and needs.
I wish you the best in your organizing efforts, and I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s post on how to organize your recipes. Subscribe to my site for more tips and tricks on cleaning and organizing everything in your home. Also, check out my daughter’s related blog post on this topic.
Need a recipe printable page? Get this one as shown below for free here. It is in my shopify store, but it is totally free. You won’t be prompted to enter any payment info. It is delivered as a digital printable download via email.
Need to deep clean? I have lists for you to guide you along.
My How to Deep Clean Your Kitchen list can be found here.
My How to Deep Clean Your Bathroom list can be found here.
My How to Deep Clean Your Kids’ Rooms list can be found here.
My How to Deep Clean Your Living Room list can be found here.
My How to Deep Clean Your Bedroom list can be found here.
Also, to keep up the general housework, you may need to create a daily housekeeping schedule that suits your specific needs. To do so, I have created a helpful series you can read here.
Need to Declutter Every room? I have declutter checklists for every room and every space in your home to guide you along below.
Also, you can get the complete digital printable copy of the Year Long Thorough Declutter Series Calendar and Checklists here. The printable digital download is delivered to your email. It includes 25 pages of printable calendar pages and checklists to help you declutter every room in your home. You can find that here.
2022 update: The year long thorough declutter series is on video now. You can subscribe via youtube through the video shown in this post below.
How to Declutter the Guest Room or Your Kid’s Room checklist can be found here.
How to Declutter Your Laundry Room and Patio checklist can be found here.
How to Declutter Your Coat Closet/Hall Closet/Linen Closet checklist can be found here.
How to Declutter Your Home Office checklist can be found here.
How to Declutter Your Attic checklist can be found here.
How to Declutter Your Garage checklist can be found here.
How to Declutter Your Living Room checklist can be found here.
How to Declutter Your Kitchen Checklist can be found here.
How to Declutter Your Entry/Foyer/Mudroom checklist can be found here.
How to Declutter Your Clothing checklist can be found here.
How to Declutter Your Bedroom checklist can be found here.
How to Declutter Your Bathroom checklist can be found here.
Need some Inspiration to Declutter? Join us for the Year Long Through Declutter Series by subscribing by email below. To subscribe, leave a comment below.
The Year Long Thorough Declutter Series is designed to help you declutter every room and every space in your home. We declutter 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. You can sign up here. It includes daily tasks, so you can track your progress. It also includes detailed lists to declutter each room and each space within your home. Subscribe below to receive your daily task. To subscribe, leave a comment below.
Happy Decluttering!
New to deemiddleton.com and don’t know where to start? I recommend going in this order:
Step 1: Check out this post on the 1st step you should take to get organized. If you don’t have a calendar, you can grab my free weekly printable calendar page here. It is in my shopify store, but it is totally free, so you won’t be prompted to put in any payment information. It is a free download and will be delivered straight to your email.
Also, you can get the complete digital printable copy of the Year Long Thorough Declutter Series Calendar and Checklists here. The printable digital download is delivered to your email. It includes 25 pages of printable calendar pages and checklists to help you declutter every room in your home. You can sign up here.
Step 2: Create a daily Housekeeping Schedule. You can use this series to start to set up your own schedule. You can also use this simplified weekly schedule.If you often ask: What is the fastest way to clean a dirty house? Or, if you struggle to get organized and have tried and failed time and again, you can likely find out which of these 11 reasons cause you to fail to get organized.
Step 3: How do you remove clutter?.…Sign up for the Declutter Series and get your entire home decluttered in just 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week.”Declutter Your Home” checklists are provided in each email.
Step 4: What is the fastest way to clean a dirty house? Use a timer and use the Deep Cleaning Checklists above. They will help you get your home sparkling after you’ve decluttered.
Interested in becoming a full-time blogger like me? Check out my blogging series. At the top of every page on my blog, you’ll find a drop down menu. Just select the BLOGGING category.
Check out the most popular posts on deemiddleton.com:
14 Things That Make Your Home Look Cluttered
How to Create a Daily Housekeeping Schedule
How to Clean House When You Are Completely Overwhelmed By Clutter
What is Preventing You From Getting Organized?
Also, check out a great post on decluttering over here from becomingminimalist.com. Joshua Becker has some great tips on decluttering and minimalism.
For further reading, check out the fly lady here. She has some great cleaning and kitchen decluttering ideas plus excellent organization tips to get you started.
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