Another productive day

I find, that when I get a real meal on the table before 6:30pm, it's a good day. I love when I can plan a meal and not come home from work at 5:30 and be like, "Hmmm what do we have square-meal worthy around here?" Such a pain thinking of dinners.

Ian is so much more creative than I am, but he runs dry on ideas too. Last week he bought a huge $15 beef brisket. We cut it in half and cooked each piece separately in the crock pot (one piece all day and the other piece all night). That was the smartest idea on the planet! We had meals all week long! Tacos/burritos, stew and sloppy joes. We could have had shepherd's pie or french dip sandwiches, but the previously mentioned meals were what we had the supplies for. Such yummy meat!

Last Thursday night I went grocery shopping with a prayer in my heart that I could spend wisely and logically. I studied a cookbook to make up my grocery list before I left. I went to the store and even remembered items that I hadn't written down. I was so proud of myself that night! After putting all the groceries away, I made a list of all the meals I had in mind and put it on the fridge. (To insure I would use all the stuff I had bought and now hidden out of sight. Don't you hate how much food you waste each month because you forgot you had it?)

Here is the list of all the meals I have planned for the coming week or so:

Crock Pot Lasagna
Pulled pork sandwiches
Chili
Polynesian Chicken, steamed veggies
Apple Smoked Pork Chops & Baked Sweet Potatoes w/ apples
Breakfast Casserole
Augratin Potatoes w/ Kielbasa Sausage & steamed veggies
Garlic Pork Roast, potatoes and steamed mixed veggies
Cream Cheese/Ranch Chicken and Noodles

All will make great leftovers. We love it when we can take a home cooked meal to work the next day! I am so excited about the lasagne tomorrow. I've got it all ready to assemble for the crock pot tomorrow morning! Let's hope the noodles fair well on a 5 hour setting instead of 2 hours.

8 comments:

D said...

AWesome! Thanks for posting all of the recipes too! I always need ideas. I just started doing Menu plan Mondays and it has been a lifesaver. I am always so grumpy about figuring out something to eat but planning it out generally for the week helps a ton. It's fun to try some new recipes too. And I don't have to go grocery shopping as much . yay!

Anonymous said...

It's so great to have a plan for dinner. I need to get back to that! Thanks for the inspiration.

utmommy said...

I try to make a menu before I shop. I find that I spend less and then I don't have to worry each day what I will make.

I may have to put some of your yummy meals on my next menu.

Tori :) said...

I've started making a menu for the week too. It really helps save money and keeps me prepared. We should start a blog to share our weekly menus and recipes all in one place!

Anonymous said...

We just started taking advantage of my mom for this today.

She watches Little Dude two days per week, and she has been slowly switching to watching him at our house (she says it is easier).

We've come to realize that if we leave her the items all prepared, she can start up things like a roast and such for us in the early afternoon. My house is smelling of roast right now - a meal we normally only have on the weekends.

I'm in heaven. Their is a special feeling to having a real meal prepared on a weeknight.

Your menu for the week sounds wonderful!

Terry said...

Oh Yum!! Those dinners sound so good! I try to do the meal planning thing too before I go shopping but my menu isn't as good as yours!

Yvonne said...

I love reading what other people are cooking for dinner. Your menu sounds great. Thanks.

Kari said...

I totally agree. I try to plan a menu, lots of times it never goes through, but it is so much easier when it does! And cheaper! It is so embarassing how much money Adam and I waste on eating out when it's completely unneccesary.