Before I was married, I rarely cooked at home. I worked almost every day, and would order lunch while at work from local restaurants, at an average cost of $10 a day.. After work I would either come home and make an unremarkable dinner, or join friends to eat out somewhere, usually at a cost of at least $18 for a small dinner, including tax and tip. This added up to a small fortune annually.
On my days off I tended to be very tired, trying to get smaller errands done, such as picking up my laundry or going to the bank or post office. It has become my habit to order things on-line, including groceries and clothes. I have not been able to change this as of yet, as I still work 25 hours a week and am quite busy. I do, however, make dinner at home every day, and lunches for myself and my husband to take to work, thus saving us a great deal of money and ensuring we eat much healthier overall.
I try to buy foods that are at least 80% natural and organic. Every morning I make us breakfast, every evening I make dinner and pack up lunches for the next day. The problem I've come across is that I need a wider selection of menu choices...I am bored with eating the same things all the time! My husband loves pizza and burgers, and could eat this everyday, so I make sure to have ground beef and organic pizzas in my freezer all the time. For myself, however, this is not enough.
For this reason, I decided to come up with a weekly menu plan, one that I can refer to if I'm not sure what to make for dinner. In this way I save time, money, and ensure we are never forced to have to pick up possibly unhealthy food elsewhere.
Monday: Chicken, rice, brocolli. I work so I can put the chicken in the crockpot to cook all day. Variations: Lemon chicken, Santa Fe chicken, honey mustard chicken.
Tuesday: (I am off and have more time) Spaghetti bolognese, or tacos, or chili (three tasty ground beef options) with corn and beans.
Wednesday: (no meat today) Pasta with sauce and a salad.
Thursday: Beef burgers, and mashed or baked potatoes.
Friday: (no meat today) Pizza or macaroni and cheese or cheese ravioli or tortellini.
Saturday: Steak, salad, and a vegetable, or repeat Monday's menu of chicken, or maybe a rare dinner out.
Sunday: Usually we eat at my parents' home.
Options for Lunch: penna a la vodka, pasta shells with alfredo sauce, spaghetti with marinara sauce, beef burgers, ham or turkey sandwich, individual sized pizza, peanut butter and jelly sandwich, meal bar for a snack, veggies, leftovers, individual portions of yogurt of dessert and some fruit.
For breakfast I usually make eggs and bacon with toast, hot or cold cereal, grits, eggo waffles, english muffins, or bagels.
Now that I have two days off each week (Tuesday and Friday), I'd like to practice my cooking more. I'd like to learn to make a great meatloaf, during the winter I plan to make some hearty, healthy soups, and I'd like to start practicing new recipes that I come across and find appealing. One of my goals is to become a renowned great cook, and have many people desire to come over for dinner often for a great meal and great company.
On my days off I tended to be very tired, trying to get smaller errands done, such as picking up my laundry or going to the bank or post office. It has become my habit to order things on-line, including groceries and clothes. I have not been able to change this as of yet, as I still work 25 hours a week and am quite busy. I do, however, make dinner at home every day, and lunches for myself and my husband to take to work, thus saving us a great deal of money and ensuring we eat much healthier overall.
I try to buy foods that are at least 80% natural and organic. Every morning I make us breakfast, every evening I make dinner and pack up lunches for the next day. The problem I've come across is that I need a wider selection of menu choices...I am bored with eating the same things all the time! My husband loves pizza and burgers, and could eat this everyday, so I make sure to have ground beef and organic pizzas in my freezer all the time. For myself, however, this is not enough.
For this reason, I decided to come up with a weekly menu plan, one that I can refer to if I'm not sure what to make for dinner. In this way I save time, money, and ensure we are never forced to have to pick up possibly unhealthy food elsewhere.
Monday: Chicken, rice, brocolli. I work so I can put the chicken in the crockpot to cook all day. Variations: Lemon chicken, Santa Fe chicken, honey mustard chicken.
Tuesday: (I am off and have more time) Spaghetti bolognese, or tacos, or chili (three tasty ground beef options) with corn and beans.
Wednesday: (no meat today) Pasta with sauce and a salad.
Thursday: Beef burgers, and mashed or baked potatoes.
Friday: (no meat today) Pizza or macaroni and cheese or cheese ravioli or tortellini.
Saturday: Steak, salad, and a vegetable, or repeat Monday's menu of chicken, or maybe a rare dinner out.
Sunday: Usually we eat at my parents' home.
Options for Lunch: penna a la vodka, pasta shells with alfredo sauce, spaghetti with marinara sauce, beef burgers, ham or turkey sandwich, individual sized pizza, peanut butter and jelly sandwich, meal bar for a snack, veggies, leftovers, individual portions of yogurt of dessert and some fruit.
For breakfast I usually make eggs and bacon with toast, hot or cold cereal, grits, eggo waffles, english muffins, or bagels.
Now that I have two days off each week (Tuesday and Friday), I'd like to practice my cooking more. I'd like to learn to make a great meatloaf, during the winter I plan to make some hearty, healthy soups, and I'd like to start practicing new recipes that I come across and find appealing. One of my goals is to become a renowned great cook, and have many people desire to come over for dinner often for a great meal and great company.
All those ideas sound lovely! Keep up the blog, I'm a work at home mom and enjoy the read. Here's to better homemaking!
ReplyDeleteThank you Sarah, I appreciate the support. To better homemaking!
ReplyDeleteHi Penelope. I just found your blog from "Charming Birds from Trees" and it's nice to meet you.
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to pipe in on your comment "I'd like to learn to make a great meatloaf". The best meatloaf I have ever made has been in the crockpot! Ever since I discovered this I cannot turn back. It is the moistest, most delicious meatloaf you will ever have. Just take any meatloaf recipe and stick it in the crockpot, let it cook all day and enjoy! OH SO GOOD!
Also, I highly recommend "Nourishing Traditions". They have a whole section on making stocks (broths) and it sounds so delicious. I've yet to try to make a good stock but just this week I bought a bunch of marrow bone and beef bone to try this. Once done they can be used for hearty, healthy soups and much more.
Congratulations on your marriage. May God grant you many years!
Thank you Sophia. I love my crockpot, so if I learn to make a great meatloaf in it, this would be a wonderful thing indeed! Thank you for the tips.
ReplyDelete