After a crazy month of May, we’re hoping to slip back into a normal routine (at least for summer!). Here’s what I’m thinking for this week:
Wow, what a crazy month! I’m thankful for a little calmer week this week (I hope anyways!).
Aw, finally, really back to our regular routine (well, you know, not counting the holidays that will be here before you know it!).
I’ve been planning our weekly menus for a while now; however, I still find that there are times I get “stuck” on what to plan for each week. I’ve decided to work on compiling a list of meals we frequently eat and enjoy so that I can refer to the list to make menu planning even easier. I’m categorizing my meals in lists below; some meals may appear on more than one list. At least twice a week we eat a meal that I can make ahead of time – either in the slow cooker or that I can simply pop in the oven when it is time to cook it. (Writing this list out has also reminded me of some meals that we enjoy that I haven’t made in a while!)
Make Ahead Meals
Beef
*For recipes that use ground beef, sometimes I substitute part or all of the ground beef with ground turkey.
Chicken
*I make homemade chicken stock about once every six weeks. When I make the chicken stock I also freeze portions of the cooked and shredded chicken. I then use that shredded chicken in many different recipes. (By the way, the trick I saw on Pinterest about using your KitchenAid stand mixer to shred chicken does work! It works best with warm/hot chicken)
Pork
Other
Favorite sides
Breads
We really don’t eat much seafood, but I would really like to implement eating more fish in our diet regularly. Hopefully I can add some favorite fish recipes before long!
For Father’s Day I made the Pioneer Woman’s cinnamon rolls (with some modifications to the icing). They were pretty good, but I think I’d change a few things up the next time I make them.
Due to lots of craziness going on over the past month, I haven’t had the opportunity to cook much (at least not regularly). I’m thankful that we’re back into a least a little bit more of a regular schedule again. It is funny to me to think about how much I’ve evolved regarding my attitude towards cooking – I used to try to get out of cooking dinner, and now most nights I want to cook dinner – I really enjoy it and thankful for the opportunity to do it!
Last week’s menu was a bust (meaning I didn’t cook at home nearly enough), but I’m already off to a better start this week. Here’s what I have planned:
After being away for a week for a Mission Trip to Jamaica, it is time to get back into the swing of things here at home. I cannot wait to share with you some reflections about our trip to Jamaica, but for now, the week’s menu.