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:
It feels good to actually be planning a menu – it means things are finally settling back into our normal routine. Although I love the holidays, there is something comforting about being at home, in our routine, doing our thing.
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!
Last week’s menu was pretty much a bust between eating out and swapping things out for different items or eating leftovers, so that’s why a couple of the same items appear this week.
