The Joys of Cooking

Thanks to my sil Terry, I've joined in the fun at the Grocery Game. The purpose is to purchase items only when they are at their lowest prices and to avoid paying full price for anything. I just started stockpiling (think 12 jars of peanut butter!) and the recommended cycle for getting up and running is about 12 weeks, so in another 11 weeks or so, I should be primarily shopping for just sale items as my pantry will (hopefully) be well stocked. I'll keep you posted on my progress.

It really has been a long time since I have consistently been cooking for my family. What with living in the corporate apartment and then the rented apartment (with very limited cooking utensils!) and moving into our new home, our lives have been anything but stable.

Things are beginning to settle into a routine, and with that, my cooking home-cooked meals shall begin again. Another bonus of settling in is that I have found my crock pot. I just love my crock pot and missed it terribly during the long months of exile. Now that we are in the throes of "winter" a nice crock pot meal at the end of the day is a must. Plus, I love that it all cooks in one pot which makes for much easier clean up!

All this is to preface my new and improved meal plan for 2008. I've decided to take off a bit on Elizabeth's seasonal cooking plan and make a 2 week rotation - I don't think Chris would be happy eating the same thing every week. Wednesdays will be a soup and bread night. Fridays will be meatless.Things will get switched out a bit if there is a particular feast day that arises, or if we go out to dinner, so I've left a bit of flexibility in the plan by leaving Sunday open as a free day. This would also work when we head down to see my parents on a Sunday afternoon. So without further ado...our meal plan: (CP=crock pot meal)

Week One
Monday: Beef Stroganoff (CP)
Tuesday: Green Chile Chicken(CP)
Wednesday: Spinach, Chicken & Wild Rice Soup (CP)
Thursday: Spaghetti with Meat Sauce
Friday: Country Catfish
Saturday: Mediterranean Beef Stew (CP)
Sunday: open

Week Two
Monday: Chicken with Lentils (CP)
Tuesday: Chili Mac
Wednesday: Green Chili Soup (CP)
Thursday: Chicken Lasagna Florentine (CP)
Friday: Penne Pasta Con Mozzarella & Asparagus
Saturday: Lemon Pepper Chicken (CP)
Sunday: open

My plan is to rotate this menu through the end of March. At that point I'll come up with another 2 week menu plan for April through June. I'll let you know how the meals go over. If you want any of the recipes, let me know. Happy Eating!