So, one of the things I’m pretty good at in life is making dinner. Laundry – not so much (although I am on load #2 for the day as I type this).
Dinner is easier for me because:
1) I don’t mind cooking (usually)
2) I like to eat (always)
But I’m always scratching my head, trying to think: “What should I make for dinner tonight?!”
There are the staples that show up regularly at our house: Lemon Chicken Pasta, Chicken Enchiladas, Stroganoff, and in the summer, hamburgers – easy, have everything in the cupboard sort of meals. We eat those like once every two weeks. But for some reason, if I go more than that, I feel bad. Like I’m not giving my poor family enough variety.
It should be said I cook according to what sounds good to me. I know there are some things Wyatt doesn’t love. I know there are things the kids just plain don’t like. But I make it, so I make what I want to eat. I have tried to tone it down a little over the years – last fall I went on a curry kick, and we were having curry like once a week. Now it’s only once in a while, and I try to make it very mild so the kids don’t have to cry through dinner.
This is getting mo’ rambling.
So in an effort to try and curb the brain effort that goes into “making dinner” I’m creating a little menu for myself. I’m going to list 10 menu plans, with a good mix of slightly complicated to super easy meals so that depending on my mood/time/schedule I will be able to choose seven of these through out the week, have the ingredients on hand, and be able to make dinner without having to worry about it.
Menu #1
Meal 1:
Hamburgers
Corn on the Cob
Watermelon
Meal 2:
Marinated Chicken
Marinated BBQ Veggies
Barbequed Bananas
Meal 3:
Ranch Chicken
Rice
Steamed Veggies
Meal 4:
Pasta Primavera
Steamed Veggies
Eclair Dessert
Meal 5:
Pulled Chicken Sandwiches
Steamed Veggies
Meal 6:
Shepherd’s Pie
Steamed Veggies
Meal 7:
Braised Balsamic Chicken
Rosemary Red Potatoes
Green Salad
Meal 8:
Chicken Fajitas
Mint Brownies
Meal 9:
Chicken Tagine
Couscous
Meal 10:
Pot Roast
Potatoes, Carrots, Onions & Celery
Salad
Hey i made this last night and it was very good if you wanna give it a try.
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Strawberry-Cake-from-Scratch/Detail.aspx – good but i think i would cut it in half next time
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Spinach-Pinwheels/Detail.aspx – very good
http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2009/09/crispy-southwest-chicken-wraps.html – these are really simple expecially if you already have the chicken cooked
http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2008/04/honey-mustard-chicken.html – alex loved these i made them with mashed potates