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menu planning:: the true story

a question i get a lot from people who read my blog is: "do you really cook everything you put on your menu?"  for the most part the answer is "yes".

having this menu keeps me organized.  it's not a guessing game everyday about what we are having for dinner.  i don't usually deviate from the plan unless something in my day goes terribly wrong.  and sometimes it does.  having this menu and the ingredients for them in the fridge or the pantry means that i can make any of these meals anytime during the week.

so, i did an experiment.  here's the menu from last week and then a picture of what we ate for dinner that day.

monday: turkey chili and cornbread

tuesday: chicken taquitos and rice

why i switched:  we were supposed to have french toast on wednesday.  my mother in law came to see us on wednesday instead of thursday as she usually does and she can't have eggs.  so i just switched the menu so she could eat dinner with us.

wednesday: breakfast for dinner: whole wheat french toast and turkey sausage

taquitos are delicious any day of the week.

thursday: asian glazed drumsticks, brown rice and vegetables

oh my goodness these drumsticks were delicious!!

friday: bbq salmon, mashed potatoes, broccoli

when i planned my menu for the week i overlooked the fact that friday was the father and daughter dance and i had a birthday party to go to.  luckily i don't shop for fish until the day i need it so nothing went to waste.

saturday: dinner with friends (hoping for dim sum)

thanks juliet and bill for the awesome dinner.

sunday: picnic with friends

so much good food.  we got hungry later that night so we ordered from the mexican place by our house.

baking this week: cinnamon rolls for the bake sale and basketball cupcakes for the basketball team.

no pictures of the cinnamon rolls but they were good.

what didn't work for me this week:

i went to the grocery store 3 times. that's a lot. i didn't finish my grocery shopping on monday so i needed to go back for the rest during the week.  i also needed things for baking.  and then over the weekend i had to bring things to the pot luck and dessert for dinner on saturday, so more trips to the store. not the way i like to do it but sometimes that's how it goes.  

i can't say it enough, making a dinner menu every week takes some time.  but in the end it makes for an easier week.

if you want to learn more check out these posts:
menu planning:  the process
menu planning: resources

bon appetit!

weekly menu:: week 10

start of a new week.
a birthday week for me.  kind of excited.
today we have a relaxed day after a very fun-filled weekend.
kids have the day off from school.  they are in our bed watching tv.
i need to figure out how to get my run in today.
and possibly some grocery shopping.
gonna make it work somehow.

making this week:
monday: pizza
tuesday: turkey burgers, baked fries
wednesday: carmelized onion, red pepper and zucchini frittata, salad
thursday: roasted chicken and vegetables
friday: birthday dinner + no meat = sushi
saturday: bbq
sunday: pozole rojo

baking this week:
a good bread to have with dinner on thursday.  this olive and rosemary bread looks fantastic and easy.

here's a look at our busy weekend:
friday night bobby and sofia went to their first father and daughter dance.

they had a blast and were runners up in the dance competition.

i went with my friend amy to my sister-in-law's birthday get together.  the boys hung out with amy's hubby and their girls.

saturday morning i went for a training run and then to the baseball field for opening day.

during the day, bobby took andrew to practice and then we went to our friends' house for dinner.  she made dim sum for all of us.  it was amazing.

sunday we had our first baseball game. i didn't get a picture because i was so tense.  games are for real.  keeping score, counting outs, fighting with the ump.  it was intense.  he is definitely in the big leagues now.

then we went to a picnic with sofia's kindergarten class.  pot luck style, rock climbing, baseball and getting to know new families.  a great way to end the weekend.  actually the nice nap we took was a great way to end the weekend.

have a relaxing monday.

a {leap} day in the life

wow.  i had fun with this project.  i ended up using mostly my iphone to capture pictures throughout the day.  it was in my back pocket most of the day and ready to go.

nothing extra ordinary about this "bonus" day of the year.  but it's cool to have a snaphot (or 118 snapshots) of what this day looked like.  i especially loved any shot that had the date on it.

here we go:

wake up time.

breakfast

getting lunches ready

school meeting at the bagel shop

2 - 35 minute runs.  i cheated and did my run on the treadmill.  but it was a great workout and i ran almost 6 miles.

a loving text, with the date.

after workout snack.

my blog post for the day.

showered, combed and ready for anything.

like doing dishes.

lunch.

pick up time and things to drop off in the school office.  it's a busy time.

a cool surprise when we got home.  grandpa bob came by with sofia's new "pinked out" quad.

after school relaxing.

grandma sue was here today too. (we love that she helps us with the laundry when she's here.)

then homework time.

reading.  she read this whole book to grandma.  we've read it about 578 times in the last few days so it's hard to tell if she's reading or just has it memorized.  either way it's cool to see her reading a book from cover to cover.

feed the fish.

sign up for a class.

check twitter and facebook.

dinner.

bath time.

full metal jousting time.

and laundry time.

reading and snuggling.

kids in bed.  time for snack and modern family.  the leap day episode was hilarious!!

ipad and knitting.

still working on that scarf.  don't judge. it's a very long scarf.

i asked bobby to capture a few things throughout his day.  love what he sent me.

his desk.

his workout.

a business meeting with his boss.

and batting cages with andrew.

i have to say that doing this with the iphone is what made it so easy.  i wasn't lugging my big camera around all day.  the pictures aren't perfect but i kinda love that.

i also kept a record of our day on paper.

i'm not sure what i will do with the images yet.   i am hoping to order some of these page protectors when they become available again.

i could pick out the best photos and include them here with the daily record sheets.  they would go straight into my project life album.

so glad i did this.  it will be cool to look at it over time.  a record of a {leap} day.

have a wonderful weekend.  we have the father and daughter dance, opening day for baseball, a get together with some friends and a picnic for sofia's class.  lots of happiness happening here.