Is it SERIOUSLY nearly the middle of NOVEMBER?
Ugh. Christmas is inching closer and closer and closer . . . and this Mama has barely begun planning out the Christmas gifts. Eeeeeeek!!!!!!!!
Maybe this is just how life is when you have a child in school but it feels as though our schedule is so much more hectic now that the Little Lady is in preschool; between all the driving, prepping lunches, scrambling to find show and tell articles, and then the various events going on at school (there’s another this week with a “Thanksgiving Feast” and concert), it seems like we never stop.
This week is no exception; we have something everyday and, for some idiotic reason, I signed up to bring dressing and a pumpkin pie to the Little Lady’s Thanksgiving Feast . . . AND I’m supposed to prepare dinner Sunday night for our Church Life Group.
Oy. I’m tired already.
In anticipation of the “extra” time spent cooking for these special project this week (and to help keep our food budget in line despite the extra meals), I’ve decided that this week will be another “eat what we have” week … AKA Shop from the Pantry and Freezer.
It’s so simple: instead of a big shopping trip with a mile long list of ingredients, I’m going to plan our meals based around the proteins and vegetables I have on hand. It helps me use up any veggies I have in the fridge and keeps me from spending more money. I have a ton of chicken and ground beef in the freezer — I can adapt that for any recipe I’m “craving” instead of going out and buying the protein called for in the recipe.
This will be an interesting week.
Monday: Eggs in a Basket and Sausage (My husband calls this breakfast dish “Eggs in a Hole.” It’s a simple one that my kids love — I’ll share it and other kid-friendly egg based meals later in the week)
Tuesday: Easy Tostadas (using a bean burrito filling I have in the freezer from my “Post Baby Meal Plan“), salad
Wednesday: Chicken and Broccoli (instead of Beef and Broccoli), Jasmine Rice
Thursday: Dinner out for Hubby’s Work
Friday: Date Night! (I might ask Hubby if we can just sleep somewhere while the babysitter watches the kids! I am TIRED!)
Saturday: Pizza Soup (crockpot recipe — will use either chicken or ground beef instead of the sausage called for in the recipe)
Sunday: Dinner with the Life Group and I have NO IDEA what I’m going to make. Yikes!
Help me out — what’s your “Go-To” recipe when serving a crowd? (I need a new recipe to try instead of relying on my old standards.)
(this menu plan is linked with Org Junkie — visit her for more menu-planning inspiration)
