Homemaking: Menu Plan and Intentional Living 11/7/11

Live an intentional life...

Fall is definitely coming to an end. Picture of Spearfish Creek.

FYI - My homemaking goal is listed below my Menu Plan.

The  french toast recipe was a flop. Not because it wasn't good, but I think I wanted it to be like french toast in the "old days" (back when I ate grains and sugar...a LOT of grains and a LOT of sugar). We much preferred just to eat the oopsie rolls plain. It's amazing how far we have come on this journey.

My husband was out of town last week so we ate really really weird. We had leftovers one night and I almost  messed up LynnsKitchenAdventures.com Panera's Creamy Potato Soup by using the crock pot and once again NOT following the recipe. I added more liquid because last time I thought it was too thick. I forgot when you use the crockpot you don't need as much liquid. I ended up dumping everything out of the crockpot into a pan and boiling it to death. I only added 1/2 the amount of cream cheese and I liked it a lot better.

I made Beef Stew - for beef stew this is the best recipe I've every had. I found out that none of us like beef stew a whole lot (oops - thought my husband did...perhaps I should ASK him what he likes?)

Be sure to check out last weeks' grocery shopping trip: WeeklyGroceryShopping.com.

Menu Plan

Breakfast Menu Plan
Lunch - leftovers or whatever for me (kids eat school lunch and they typically provide lunch for my husband at work)

Dinners (we eat a primalish/paleoish diet with very limited grains):

1. Chef salads with chicken and hard boiled eggs . I think I'll add green olives to mine - thanks Mary!
2. Chicken Ala King (using arrowroot powder to thicken) serve over mashed potatoes with peas served with carrots.
3. Taco potatoes (taco meat over baked potatoes - didn't have this last week) serve with salads.
4. Red beans and shredded beef and salsa (from the freezer) over rice serve with salads.
5. ThePioneerWoman steak bites serve with sweet potato fries and green beans.
6. Cinnamon Stewed Something you know I just can't follow a recipe...this sauce is really good though. Not sure what I'll serve it over...maybe just leave it thick and call it stew?  OR.Meatza (mini meatzas and each family member adds their own toppings)
7. Hubby cooks - I always try to have meat on hand and he's great at whipping stuff up. Last week it was leftovers because he had been out of town. Our friends brought us some fresh trout the day before my husband left so I think I'll ask him if he'll make fish.

Other recipes I want to try:
pork chops, Qdoba's steak - SimplyRecipes 


I read this method of preparing meat over MarksDailyApple:

Take a beef roast, braise it, shred it, marinate it in lime juice, garlic, cilantro, salt, pepper, paprika and cumin overnight, then fry it in olive oil until crispy. Put about a pound of that onto a plate. Top the steak with cheddar cheese, cream cheese and fresh pico de gallo loaded with lime juice and cilantro. Top that with chopped romaine lettuce, sliced avocado, more lime juice and more cilantro. Seriously, the BEST meal in the world. I'd eat that over anything. Filet mignon, all you can eat sushi, cheeseburger and fries, pizza, whatever. Nothing beats that. NOTHING. Except MAYBE if you replace the beef with smoked pork shoulder. MAYBE.

Note: KISS night (keep it simple silly - same thing every week). My husband suggested having chef salad every week.

** Be sure to check back on Friday over at weeklygroceryshopping.com to see how primalish eating on a budget worked out for us!

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Homemaking Plan

Goal Setting posts:

• Homemaking Page 
• goal setting does NOT work for me 
• priorities 
• Goals vs. Priorities with an Action Plan

My one word this week:

HABITS

I really need to evaluate the habits that I have. For example, I made Gluten Free Chocolate Muffins last week (I didn't add the sugar). They were GOOD...really really good. But you know what? I would rather just eat some butter when I feel like I want to eat some butter (must be Kerrygold brand)...I would rather eat a handful of almonds and then make a chocolate concoction whenever I want. I don't need to make muffins, but I think I do it out of habit. I believed this lie for a while...if you are a good momma you spend a lot of time in the kitchen.

My friend and I were talking about menu plans. I told her that I came up with an easier way to menu plan. As I was explaining my plan to her, we realized that it wouldn't work for her because her kids were too young. She asked her husband earlier in the week what he wanted to eat so she could add it to the menu plan. His response..."it doesn't matter, can't we just eat the same thing we ate last week?"

Why can't we?

Well, it just wouldn't be right.

Why not?

I don't know it just feels weird, especially when you read other blogs and how much planning they do and how many different meals they make.

So?

Hmmmmmm....I don't know that I'm ready to eat the same exact thing every week, but I think my friend's husband is onto something here. Just because a lot of people do something, doesn't mean that you should too. Time to re-evaluate.

I'll share my menu plan idea in a post this week.

This week I worked on the calendars I'm making for Christmas gifts.

This is the only Halloween picture I took - he went to school like this and
then added face paint when he went trick or treating.

Check out other menu plans at:

Orgjunkie
11th Heaven's Homemaking Haven always has a lot of homemaking posts to read as well!