Menu Planning Part 2, and Recipe Reviews

I've been in a cooking rut lately, I think. When Mr. Breadwinner asked what I was making for dinner a few nights ago, I replied, "Either roast or chicken, whichever I pull out of the freezer." This was following a solid month of not following my menu plans, because nothing on my plan sounded remotely appetizing to me, or fun to cook. His reply was, "Why bother cooking something like roast, when nobody wants to eat it?" After picking my bruised ego up off the floor, and making a few snide comments (after all, I'm not going to cater to the PB&J and chicken nugget sector of the household), I realized he's at least half right. Ssh, don't tell him.
I love roast, and I love the french dip sandwiches and hash that come after the roast even more. And I really like making enchiladas from leftover roast. Unfortunately, I'm the only one. Mr. Breadwinner doesn't care for the sandwiches and hash, though he'll usually suffer through them, and he only likes enchiladas with ground beef. The kids won't eat any of it. It is, therefore, entirely selfish and wasteful for me to bother with a roast.
Time to step outside of my cooking comfort zone and shake up my menus. I flipped through my Woman's Day mag, and came to the June month of menus. They looked pretty tasty, so I made up my two week plan, rearranging the meals to fit our schedule, and disregarding some that don't fit our tastes at all. I think if I can cobble together thirty or so warm weather meals that we enjoy, I will have a good base to pull from most of the year. I'll do the same for the cooler months. Giving our meal plan some seasonality will hopefully keep mealtime interesting and rut-free!
Now, for some reviews. I wish I had photos, but I couldn't find my camera! I'm still working on that whole "everything in it's place" concept...


Grilled Pork Chops and Sweet Potato Wedges

These were tasty. I prepped the chops and potatoes earlier in the afternoon, and stuck it all in the fridge. This made it super-easy for Mr. Breadwinner to grill it all while the kiddos and I were at yoga class, and before he went to work. The chops were a little on the dry side, but Mr. Breadwinner did say that he cooked them a little longer per side than the recipe stated. We ate these with a green salad.
Results:
Mr. Breadwinner: Chops were okay, potatoes were okay.
Big Boy: Chops were good (dipped in ranch dressing), wouldn't try the potatoes, because of some irrational dislike of potatoes (which does not include fries and tater tots).
Little Boy: Wouldn't try the chops, because of some irrational dislike of most meat, and didn't like the potatoes, I suspect because of the charring from the grill.
Me: The chops were good, though I still prefer fried! The potatoes were delish, and I ended up eating most of them.

Tilapia & Vegetable Packets

I used a different fish (can't remember what it was). It was very similar to tilapia, though; I don't think I could tell them apart in a taste test. I forgot to buy asparagus, even though it was very clearly on my list, so I used frozen broccoli florets instead, and didn't thaw ahead of time. I also used regular couscous (cooked in chicken stock) instead of whole wheat, because I already had some in the pantry. I dressed it up with some finely diced onion and mushrooms, as well as some baby spinach, all of which I sauteed before stirring into the couscous. Amazingly, my picky kiddos loved the fish!
Results:
Mr. Breadwinner: Ate the fish and veggies, but not a single bite of the couscous. He doesn't like couscous. He didn't care for the fish, saying it had no taste.
Big Boy: Ate all his fish and broccoli, but not the spinach or the couscous. He liked it, saying it was very lemony and yummy.
Little Boy: Ate all his fish and couscous, but not the broccoli or spinach. Considering the fact that he rarely even tastes the meat, I consider this a huge win.
Me: Loved it all! The fish was full of flavor from the lemons, shallots, and capers. Definitely going into the recipe rotation, despite Mr. Breadwinner's opinion.


Spaghetti with Roasted Zucchini

This was really easy to make, and a very light meat-free dish. Definitely a good summer meal. I made a tomato and feta salad to go along with this. Next time I think I'll add more zucchini, though.
Results:
Mr. Breadwinner: No opinion. Consumed in silence. He was probably wishing for some meat. Didn't try the salad.
Big Boy: Loved the pasta, didn't care for the zucchini. Hated the salad.
Little Boy: Ate a few bites, then threw it on the floor. That's not necessarily a bad review, as he doesn't usually eat more than a few bites at dinner time anyway.
Me: Delish! The breadcrumb topping on the roasted zucchini really made the dish. Will probably make again.

Menu Planning, Part 1

I'm a big fan of menu planning. I've used the menu planning method of grocery shopping for most of my adult life, and can't even begin to comprehend how people go about shopping without a menu plan! Generally,  I make a two-week menu of dinners the night before I go grocery shopping, then make a shopping list from that menu plan. I can take note of nights when Mr. Breadwinner is off work (so he can grill), nights that we won't be home, or yoga nights, when I need a meal that can be thrown together before yoga and will still taste good when we get home two hours later. I usually include two or three leftover nights, as well.
Of course, small trips to the store happen in between those big shopping trips, for things like milk, eggs, bread, and some produce. I do try to plan my meals so that the produce that goes bad the quickest is used in the first week, and the things that keep longer are used in the second week.
My menu planning methods vary according to mood and the balance in my checking account! One of my favorites is to use the monthly menus from Woman's Day magazine. It may not be the cheapest, but the recipes are usually pretty good, and fairly seasonal. The meals are all enough for four servings, which is perfect or us. The boys split an adult serving, Mr. Breadwinner and I each eat a serving, and one serving is left that is either my lunch the next day, or Mr. Breadwinner's packed lunch for work.
Next in line is the "whatever I feel like cooking" method. Probably cheaper than following the Woman's Day menus, but kinda boring. This menu plan usually involves the normal standby dishes: meatloaf, spaghetti, baked chicken, tacos...not foods I want to eat all the time (well, maybe the tacos; we eat lots of tacos).
Then there is the "shop the sales" method of menu planning. Grab the grocery store ads, see what proteins are on sale, and plan the meals around those. I do this a lot, but the sale prices of meat don't seem very cheap anymore. I used to only buy meat when it was $2/lb. or less. Now, I have to look for $3/lb. or less. Side veggies are the (usually seasonal) veggies on sale. The downside: there is only so much chicken I can consume before I start clucking.
Finally, at the dirt cheap end of the spectrum is my least favorite: the "shop the freezer" method. No matter how carefully I plan, something ends up not getting used the previous shopping trip, or something was on sale for a price I couldn't pass up, and it ends up sitting in the freezer taking up space. Which is fine, because when times get tough, I can usually put together a week or two of meals without having to buy a lot of meat from the store. Let's face it, meat is probably the most expensive part of the grocery bill. These menus usually include lots of pasta, lots of bread, and more than usual numbers of ground meat dishes, lol.
If you don't usually plan your meals before grocery shopping, why not give it a try? You might find that you save yourself some time and money!

List Addiction

Hi, my name is Amanda, and I'm an addict. I have a list addiction. I have them everywhere; inside notebooks and notepads, jotted down on the back of junk mail envelopes, in files on the computer. Scraps of paper tucked furtively in between books on my nightstand and end tables both entice me with the promise of an organized existence and mock me with their tales of undone tasks. It's a real problem.
I'm not a "born organized" person. It's a skill that I haven't quite grasped. But I try. Really hard. Lists give me the illusion of organization. They make me feel like I've accomplished something just by writing it down. Guess what? Writing "do laundry" down on the back of an envelope does not actually get the laundry done! Who knew?!
So, once again, I've let everything at the house slide into chaos and ruin, and I must attempt to dig us back out. It's a solitary mission; until I have things under control, the family is no help. Once I've gotten everything back to normal, I can give the boys chores, but I really can't expect a kindergartener and a toddler to take on the excavation of the bedrooms and playroom, lol! Mr. Breadwinner doesn't get any chores, other than mowing the yard and other outdoor tasks. He's got his job; the house is my job.
Over the coming weeks (months) I'll be trying to get back to some sort of daily schedule, for everyone's sanity. It's always nice to know what's coming next, especially for the kiddos. Big Boy's behavior has gotten markedly worse since we've let our routines slide. Since we will soon begin homeschooling in earnest, I need to get him calm and comfortable.
Now, off to make a few lists...you know, to keep me on track...

P.S. One of my favorite websites for feeding my list addiction is Donna Young's site. It's chock-full of resources for home and homeschool organization.