Menu Planning

Okay, let's lighten the mood up a little bit from my last couple of posts.

There is one thing I've been doing lately that I AM proud of, and that is menu planning. I got SO SICK of asking Artie every day around lunchtime, "what's for dinner tonight?" That usually ended up with us picking up takeout for dinner. Not a healthy choice for either our bodies or our budget! Plus I tend to get sick of the same old takeout after a while. Logan could eat a Wendy's baconator every day of the week, but not me.
So I decided to try menu planning, and we've been doing it faithfully for about the last three weeks. During the week when I am bored (or frustrated) at work, I check out my recipes on Pinterest or look up recipes online. I make a list of possible meal ideas. I usually choose two crock pot meals so that on Tuesdays and Thursdays when Artie works and isn't home to cook, I can put something in the crock pot in the mornings before I leave for work and it's done by the time he gets home. He can just whip up a couple of sides and voila, dinner by the time I finally drag into the house.
Usually on Fridays I make a list of meals for the following Monday - Friday and a grocery list to match. I then post it on the fridge so we know what needs to be laid out to thaw, etc. On Mondays and Fridays, Artie is usually responsible for cooking something. On Wednesdays, Artie has class and usually Logan & I go to the Y to work out, then come home and eat a sandwich or a quick frozen meal. On the weekends I've been trying to make a soup or something else that we can eat all weekend.
So far this is working out really well. Planning ahead is MORE than half the battle when it comes to weeknight meals.
I've had a couple of crock pot recipes that failed, but you never know until you try. I've never been a good cook, so this is giving me a chance to make easy dinners in the crock pot and contribute to the kitchen duties. Overall, it's working out well for all of us. Except maybe Logan, who misses the baconators.