Have I mentioned before how great Menu Planning is? I feel like when I talk about it I get so excited that people think I’m trying to get them to join a cult. If you join the Menu Plan cult though it would be the best thing you ever did for you and your family. I am telling you what…Menu Planning saves me so much time and anxiety. I’m not saying I don’t get stressed out at dinner time, especially when the kids are fighting or don’t want to work on their homework…but the actual meal prep isn’t usually stressful. I spend time each Sunday clipping coupons, going through recipes and making grocery lists. I use my calendar for the week to determine our meals. Hmmmm, Tuesday looks crazy…scouts, Market Day pickup, and possibly another extracurricular…better plan on using the slow cooker that day. And then when dinnertime rolls around on that crazy Tuesday night I am READY. There are still those occasional days where I just throw in the towel and opt for dinner at a restaurant. These are now rare treats though instead of a regular thing. We used to eat out several times a week. Bad for our checkbook and bad for our health. Ok, enough of the “drink the menu planning koolaid” speech…here’s my menu from last week. We had some great dishes..follow the links so you can try the recipes yourself. And follow along on my “Recipes I Love” board on Pinterest to see all of our favorites. And for the most menu-planning inspiration in one place check out OrgJunkie‘s Menu Plan Monday link up!
Last Week’s Dinners:
Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala (served with Naan, Basmati Rice and Pakoras – all from Trader Joe’s)
Sausage & Fennel Pasta Bake
Brinner : Griddle Cakes, Bacon and Hashbrowns
Slow Cooker Philly Cheesesteaks with Onion Rings
Pizza & Salad (Kashi Mediterranean – yum!)
Burgundy Ribs with Baked Potatoes
We also had a Harry Potter Party last week which was quite fun. And as added extras I made Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins, Pumpkin Muffins & Peacho de Gallo last week!!! The muffins are great for lunches, I just keep them in the freezer and pop them in their lunchboxes in the morning. The kids love them for dessert! And the salsa with the peach added to it is soooo yummy!
