I am attempting to become more organized in several ways this month. The first is that I have started meal planning for the first time in my life. I am on week #2 now where I plan the entire week's meals ahead of time and buy all the groceries in one trip. Here are what the last two menus have looked like:
Week 1
Sunday: Youth Group Super Bowl Party
Monday: Leftovers
Tuesday: Lemon Garlic Chicken with Roasted Green Beans and Potatoes
Tuesday: Lemon Garlic Chicken with Roasted Green Beans and Potatoes
Wednesday: Pizza and Salad (We host the High School Boys Small Group at our place every Wed. so this is a constant each week for a while)
Thursday: Creamy Pork Chops with Roasted Veggies
Friday: Ginger Strip Steak, Rice and Vegetables
Saturday: Date Night/Eat Out
Week 2
Sunday: Roast, Carrots and Potatoes
Monday: Creamy Pork Chops with Roasted Veggies (Kory ended up hanging out with high schoolers last Thursday and I ate a PB sandwich, so we still had these ingredients left over)
Tuesday: Stuffed Pasta Shells, Garlic Bread, Salad, Cheesecake filled Strawberries
Wednesday: Pizza and Salad
Thursday: Fajitas, Chips and Guacamole
Friday: Leftovers
Saturday: Broccoli and Cheese Soup, French Bread
This has been great for several reasons: 1) We have not eaten out (except when planned) because we've already had the groceries at home. 2) I've tried several new recipes and am learning to be a better cook. 3) I don't have to stop by the grocery store or come up with a meal after work when I'm already tired. 4) We only have to cook 4-5 nights a week, and since I have a husband who loves to cook (Thank you, Jesus!), he does at least half the cooking.
It hasn't been perfect though: 1) I haven't really picked super healthy meals for us, though there are a lot of salads and more vegetables than I've ever eaten in my life. 2) The second week was pretty expensive because almost every dish was meat-based and that made it pretty pricey.
I am taking baby steps. Eventually, I'd like to base this around what food is on sale that week or what I have coupons for, but I'm not quite that advanced yet. I'd also like to add some recipes that are healthier (maybe even some vegetarian meals?), but that will also come with time. So far, I'm just excited to be taking this big step.
My plan is to keep better track of these recipes by printing them out (almost all were found online), attaching a picture of the meal, and then making notes about what we liked or what we would change the next time we made it. I'll do a blog soon with some of the new recipes I've tried…and some advice on how to make them not turn out like mine did! :)
