Day 12

Today I re-created the way I do my menu planning. I creatively named each night of the week so that when it comes to picking meals for the week, I can make sure i have variety and hopefully save some time thumbing through my recipes. Here is what I came up with:

Mexican Monday: My family is a big lover of all things Spanish style!
Take-Out Tuesday: Not necessarily meaning we will order out...although I must admit this day was strategically planned to coincide with 35 cent wing night at Native New Yorker! (Love those!) This night is one of the busiest nights of the week for us, so if I want to pull the "Honey, lets order out" card, I can do it, but also it means we can make meals that are "Take Out Foods." For example, my family loves pizza, but we make it more than we order it. I love a good pizza idea- French Bread Pizza, Bagel Pizzas etc- but even a frozen Freschetta would do well on Take Out Tuesday. It can also be a night where Rob grills some burgers- not quite McDonalds Take Out, but much better tasting, healthier, and still I dont have to cook!
What's New Wednesday: I love trying new recipes and try to do at least one every week. Here is where I will experiment with some of the recipes I have been wanting to try.
Three-Second Thursday: We need a night each week where we allow ourselves to lay low and go easy. I am a sucker for something that takes little time to prep and cook, things you can throw in a crockpot that morning when you have energy that magically appear all ready to be eaten after you battle with the kids all day. Thursdays are the days I decided to cook those easy, quick "Set it and Forget it" meals.
Favorite Friday: Every family has their favorites, so why not treat each other to a good meal at the end of a long week!?
Sunrise Saturday: Eating what you would typically consider "Breakfast Foods" at dinner time.
Salad Sunday: I am lucky- we go to my mom's house every Sunday and she cooks the main course while I bring a salad. I try to mix it up a bit and get more creative than a fresh garden salad... though I will be the first to admit I often bring a bag of "Fresh Express" with a bottle of Ranch and call it good.

So this planning took me so long to do that I decided to finish my menu for the week and do my grocery shopping tomorrow. Goodnight!