Grocery Store Woes...

After working all day the last thing I feel like doing is trying to figure out what to make for dinner and then go to the grocery store. I like to go to the store once a week and that's it. So what's a girl to do?

Menu planning is the answer.

Make a plan and stick with it. I like to have at least one vegetarian, one meat and one fish each week. That way you don't get bored making the same things every week.

I get inspiration from different places. I love foodgawker.com, I get a lot of great ideas there. I also get recipes from my mom and sister or from magazines like Cooking Light.

I start with a blank piece of paper. Then I write out the days of the week when I'll need to make dinner. As I find recipes I want to make I write the name under the weekday and then on the back of the paper I write what ingredients I need to buy. Then I take the list to the store and all of a sudden grocery shopping is quick and painless.

Here's what my week looks like:
Sunday: Mexican Chicken Quinoa Casserole and Salad
Monday: Leftovers (no one said you had to cook every night)
Tuesday: Italian Wedding soup with fresh bread
Wednesday: Leftovers
Thursday: Spinach and mushroom pizza on homemade whole wheat pizza crust

I typically try to plan for enough leftovers for lunches too.

 

 

 

Latte "helping" make dinner

I'm never alone in the kitchen. We have a very curious Siamese who always wants to be where the action is. If she's not underfoot while you're trying to cook she is sitting on the trash can next to the island trying to sneak a piece...