Today is Friday, it's offically fall weather,and, next week is my fall break from school. Even better, today I have nothing to do at work because we are implementing a major upgrate to our operating system.
So today I've been working on something I've been putting off for a while: planning a dinner menu. With the crazy schedule Joel and I have going right now, it's really tough to get something made AT HOME for dinner. We end up getting fast food which is neither friendly to our waistline or our wallets. I put together a 2 week menu, starting Sunday. Probably 80% of the meals I have planned are using recipes that are totally new to me. Some of the things we'll be dining on are: chicken pot pie, roast, sloppy joes, french dip sandwhiches, chicken and rice casserole, and tuna casserole...just to name a few (from scratch by the way). There are many more recipes that I want to try out, but thought it would be best to only plan for two weeks out, and then go from there.
Sunday's we will stick to having either a pot roast or roast chicken, so that I don't have to deal with it all day. I will, however, be preparing all of the little things that I can to prepare my kitchen for that week. I will brown beef and put them in freezer bags, cook up chicken for my casserole and pot pie, candy nuts for salad toppings, etc. I'm hoping that with good planning we can reduce our grocery bill and save myself time and unneeded stress.
I feel pretty strongly about my role as a wife (and even step mom). I'm a full time student working full time...and it's easy to get caught up in the things I need to do. It makes me so happy when I make time to be a homemaker and a chef for my family. I know that school is important. I also know that I'm not quitting and that I will finish. Whether I continue to go full time or decide to cut back to 1/2 or 3/4 time, I will keep chugging along and finish it up in the next 1-2 years. There are so many more important things than school, and I know that it's my responsibility to work my role as a wife around school. It can be done, and I'm going to do it.
That said, wish me luck! I'm picking Joey up tonight. He and I are going to go grocery shopping together while Joel is at work and then tomorrow we're getting family pictures taken!
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You're awesome! Planning has been worked so well for us- I'm sure it will help you as much as it has me with stressing over "What should I make for dinner???"... I have seriously found that making things in advance and putting it in the freezer for later helps a ton (like the ground beef)! Or if you're making a casserole (or sloppy joes, or roast beef, etc)- just up your ingredients a tad and make two- one for that night and one for the freezer to use later! Thanks for the template! :) And let me know which recipes you'd like!
ReplyDeleteDo you know how much I love you? Because I do :) I made a 2 week dinner plan for us too! Well, meal plan. It DOES work wonders on the wallet, also a fun little thing thats more expensive than I COULD make dinners for but all in all not bad, is this menu book from pampered chef, healthy dinners, and dinners for under 2 dollars a serving. They are bueno!
ReplyDeleteYour commitment and ambition is so awesome!!!
ReplyDeleteBen and I have been struggling with the dinners as well. For awhile there it was because everything made me sick, and now it's because everything sounds so good :P
We are trying to figure something out, but it's frustrating when most of the week I don't get home from work till midnight.
I think it is so awesome that you are taking the initiative! I hear it's things like this (figuring out a dinner schedule) that really stress out a marriage during the first year. Good Luck!!!