Pages

Monday, August 23, 2010

Menu Plan 8/23



I have recently been working on a daily schedule for the boys and I. I love the idea of a schedule and I can't tell you how many times I've written one up. I've just never found one that works for us. So, I made one up about 3 week ago and have been tweaking it since. I also talked with the Hubs about things like dinner, bath, and family time, since he's home with us then. Since we will be homeschooling next year, I want us to be use to a routine. But I also want flexibility and I do think you can have both! That is one of the benefits of homeschooling and being at home with your children. I wanted the Hubs involved in our schedule, particularly the evening part of the day! I have a desire for things to run smoothly (ha, that makes me laugh!) and for things to be orderly (ha, again) when he gets home. I know if I do my part during the day with the boys and the house, things do go easier in the evening! There is less 'to do' and more time for us to spend as a family!




So, the reason I say all of this is that in my attempt to schedule I asked the Hubs what time he would like dinner to be ready and he said 4:30. And I'm happy to do that for him! It really will work out well for us! It will give us more family time in the evening and will hopefully result in the boys an earlier bedtime! Then the Hubs and I will have more time together too! I just have to plan better and start dinner earlier. My attempts at a 4:30 supper start tomorrow! And because of this I've been thinking about and searching for quick, healthy meals. I love to cook, but I don't want it to take up so much of my time in the evenings! I was talking to some friends over the weekend and we all agreed that it's difficult to cook a healthy meal with real food quickly. So, I'm on a mission to find quick, healthy real meals in 30-45 min time range. I'm trying 3 new recipes this week! Two are suppose to be 30 minute meals and one is a slow cooker meal! And you know, I am so ready for fall. I love it for so many reasons but one of them is that I can use my Crock Pot more for soups and things like that! I will let you know how they turn out and if they were time savers! I'm also assigning my meals to particular days so that I know what I'm cooking on what day. I'm hoping this will help me save time as well! But like I said, I'm flexible... if my mom wants to cook for us one night.. I'm okay with that! ;)



Monday- Chicken Parmesan Subs, Carrot Sticks with Ranch Dip


Tuesday- Turkey Sausage and Spinach Pasta, Fruit Salad


Wednesday- Veggie & Cheese Omelets, Fried Potatoes and Onions




Friday- BBQ Pork Chops, Green Beans, Corn on the Cobb


Saturday- Spaghetti, Salad


Sunday- Leftovers/Sandwiches


Check out orgjunkie.com for tons of menus and recipes and chivetalkin.com for great real food menu ideas!





3 comments:

Molly Flanagan said...

crystal, we have been doing better with our schedule recently. i did really good when ruby was a baby, but then slacked off. :-( and can i say i am jealous your husband is home at 4:30? i haven't had dinner with my husband in probably 3 months. wahhhhh!

one quick recipe that i love is stir-fry. i cook rice earlier in the day and stick in the fridge. we use those bags of fresh stir-fry veggies in the produce section. cook them in a big pan with your meat of choice chopped small. once the meat is cooked, move the veggies to the side and crack a couple of eggs in the pan. cook those and then mix all together. add the cooked rice, some soy sauce, and some powdered ginger. i also like a little curry powder. and that is it. it takes like maybe 10 minutes (if you cut the meat and make rice ahead of time). and it is good for you!

Crystal said...

Thanks, Molly! And that stir fry sounds yummy! Only thing, my husband HATES rice! I rarely ever cook it! The boys will eat it occasionally so I do add it as a side sometimes. He is about to start school so he'll be gone in the evenings 2 days a week but I am so thankful he gets home around 4 everyday!

Molly Flanagan said...

crystal - i have a friend whose husband hates rice. what is up with that?!? so, so sad. :-(