Ack – the day is almost over (at least nap time is almost over) and I’m just now sitting down to post for the week! So it’s a simple and short one.
One of my other goals for 2011 is to get back on that menu planning wagon again. I’ve written about planning menus many-a-time before, and it really does save time, money and sanity, as well as usually results in healthier and tastier meals for the family. I don’t know exactly why I stopped planning menus last year. Or when, for that matter. BUT I have seen our budget take a hit. Usually in the summer we have so much food around that much goes to waste if we’re not careful to plan what to eat and what to store. But in the winter, I’m often lazy and forget to get things down from the freezer or wait to go shopping until our house is mistaken for Old Mother Hubbard’s.
This week, as I was helping Rick make the grocery list (he’s been shopping AND cooking while I’ve been gestating), I realized that I was finally sick of the “what’s for dinner tonight” question that one or both of us asks every night. This week’s menu is pretty simple. I used some example menus from one of the magazines I subscribe to. But it’s not cheating. It’s just getting the ball rolling again. Here’s what’s on the docket for the week:
Tonight: Spicy Black Bean Soup
Tomorrow: Potato-onion Frittata
Wednesday: Mushroom and Black Bean Tortilla Casserole
Thursday: Butternut Squash Pasta Bake
Friday: Orechetti with Spicy Bacon-Tomato Sauce
Saturday: Pheasant Noodle Soup
On Sunday, we are celebrating Rick’s thirtieth birthday by going out for barbecue and bowling with friends. I’m excited about this, since it’ll be a fun night out. For my birthday, my mom is taking me to see Riders in the Sky on Friday. I can not contain my excitement! I’ve been a fan since I was a kid! Yee-Haw!
The Lazy Homesteader 
That’s one of the big things I’ve been working on too…I found heavenly homemakers.com to be very helpful (menu plans and recipes for weeks on end available for free! as well as a link on the sidebar that saves your recipes makes grocery lists etc for you.)