Sunday, April 24, 2016

Menu Planning…revisited

Since I last posted I have been discovering that cooking and baking have become a passion for me. I love reading recipes, cookbooks, and food magazines.

My two favorite things right now are:

1. America's Test Kitchen Podcast - I love this podcast!! This show has opened my eyes to the best way to make foods, what tools are most helpful in the kitchen, and the science behind cooking. I LOVE IT!!

Image result for america's test kitchen podcast




2. I also am really into the Pioneer Woman's Dinnertime cookbook. My sister gave me this recipe for Christmas and I love it! I have tried 6 recipes from it and have loved every one! I plan to keep working my way through this one over the next few months!!

Image result for pioneer woman dinnertime





Both of these things have greatly impacted the way I cook at home. I haven't really used my menus I posted about previously. SO…I am going to try something new. I have separated all my entree recipes into the following 7 categories:

Pack our Lunch Sunday - a recipe that makes a lot of servings and is yummy warmed up in our lunch for the next couple of days

Crockpot Monday - a recipe that cooks all day while I am work and is easy to assemble on that first night of the week when I might be tired from a big day back to work


Salad Tuesday - a recipe that is a little lighter and won't leave many leftovers


Breakfast Wednesday - a breakfast recipe that is quick and easy 


Grill Out Thursday - a recipe that takes us outdoors to cook


Gourmet Friday - a recipe that copy-cats a restaurant favorite or takes more time to prep; this is the night I might try a new recipe that requires a page full of ingredients


Lunchtime Saturday - a recipe that would be a quick bite to eat during the day since we often eat out this evening; it might also be a brunch item that I enjoy making on a lazy Saturday morning
  

My goals:
- Create a structure for my menu planning
- Keep our menus full of variety
- Avoid re-inventing the wheel each week when I plan my menu

I invite you to follow along as I attempt to implement this new system. I hope to blog about the meals I make each week and share how well the system is working. I might make some tweaks along the way or maybe I will just throw out the whole system and start again.

Here is what I have planned for this week:

Week 1
Crockpot Monday -  Chicken Kale Pasta
Salad Tuesday - Taco Salad
Breakfast Wednesday - Meat and Potato Scramble
Grill out Thursday - Steak Fajitas
Gourmet Friday - Gyros and Fries
Lunchtime Saturday - Sweet Almond Pastries
Pack Our Lunch Sunday - Beef with Snow Peas and fried rice

I love sharing new recipes we love and I hope this is a place I can do that!! I hope you enjoy reading about this adventure I am taking!!

Alicia :)

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