Works For Me Wednesday: Recipe List Generator

I think I'm in love!! I love software and extensions and add-ons and this one, The Grocery List Generator, has went straight to the top of my All Time Favorites list!!  I've used this Shopping List program for a couple of years and have loved it and this new one is similar but is a bit more, bumped up, I guess you could say.

This week after I installed it, instead of adding a bunch of grocery items (which I will do over time) I added the recipes that I was going to prepare this week.  For each recipe, I entered what ingredients I needed and how many and whether or not to add it to the main list (for example, if a recipe calls for salt, I'm not going to necessarily add that to my list because I always have it on hand).

Over time, when I have all my basic recipes added to the generator, all I will have to do is click on the recipes I want to prepare and it automatically adds the ingredients to my list.  I made a double batch of chili over the weekend so I just clicked the recipe twice and added double the ingredients.  I think it is so cool.  I kind of customized it for myself and instead of adding a recipe called "Tuna Noodle Casserole", I added the whole meal "Tuna Noodle Casserole | Steamed Broccoli" and added the broccoli as one of the ingredients.  Makes mean planning SUPER easy. For the items you buy, without fail, every week, you can add a "recipe" called "Buy Weekly" and the ingredients would be those items, such as toilet paper, paper towels, bottled water, etc.  Clear as mud? 

Another tip, put your grocery items in categories that match the aisles of your favorite grocery store - makes shopping quicker and easier!! If you are a Firefox user, download Recipe List Generator and play with it some - I bet you'll love it. 

For more WFMW tips, please visit Shannon's Blog over at Rocks In My Dryer.