Menu Blues

Let's talk about menus today.  I don't love to make a menu. The only time it seems like a good idea is when it is time to cook dinner; it is not fun facing the dinner hour without a clue about what to fix. 

I am back on the menu bandwagon once again. My daily schedule is halfway worked out, and the menu part is this:

•  Monday: Soup in Winter  Salad in Summer
•  Tuesday: Chicken
•  Wednesday: Use Food Storage
•  Thursday: Fish
•  Friday: Quick or Eat Out
•  Saturday: Burger Bust
•  Sunday:  Crock Pot Meal

Still moving things around from my original schedule; I need a few more weeks to see if it fits.

The biggest problem with making a menu is over planning. I want to add something new every day; try out new pins and recipes. It is hard to temper my desires with reality. After a few days of cooking new stuff I just want to stop with a menu and cook some old familiar meals like spaghetti instead of trying another new recipe.  I have to limit myself to one or two untried meals per week.

The grocery list gets a bit complicated and expensive, too, when trying lots of new stuff.  It all sounds wonderful on paper, but is not always practical. I am not interested in shopping all afternoon.

Last Saturday I went to Costco and then Walmart.  Are you kidding; shopping either store on a Saturday? It took three hours and cost almost $300.  Yikes! Fortunately I only go to Costco once a month. It is too easy to put another item in the cart that costs $10 to $20. I read the ads, but Walmart is still my choice since my Rx's are there. 

Note a pin about Walmart on my board Buyer Beware.  There are some things you don't by at Walmart.

Menu for the week:  

• Monday: Angie's  Perfect Potato Soup,(http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2013/01/perfect-potato-soup) another soup from the family recipe contest  
• Tuesday:  Oven Fried Chicken with Baked Potatoes. Comfort food on a cold day
• Wednesday: Storage Garlic Chicken (like the frozen one)(Storage,canned chicken, fusili, and bottled Alfredo Sauce) 
• Thursday:  Oven baked Flounder with quinoa pilaf and green salad.
• Friday: Hot Dogs with sauerkraut and crudites.
• Saturday: Beef and Black Bean Burgers with Cumin Mayonnaise (from the cookbook, Beans by W. Park Kerr) and apple slices.
• Sunday: Slow Cooked Artichoke Pasta (with Chicken)http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2011/01/super-easy-slow-cooker-artichoke-pasta A new dish, but a super easy pinned recipe.  Let you know how it turns out.

That was an easier menu plan.  Did it in 20 minutes. Enjoy the day!