Fall in Love with Your Crock Pot

Fall is the ideal time to cook with your crock pot! This meal was just what I needed on a day full of canning and errands, not much time to cook.

First I made a batch of Slow Cooker Beef & Mushrooms from Sweet Anna’s.

Then came a big pot of mashed potatoes from our garden!

For those of us that like squash, I baked up two acorn squash with butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and a bit of hot chili powder. The sweet hot combination was fantastic!

The green beans were for those who wouldn’t eat the really delicious acorn squash.

Remember, some of the best comfort foods come from your slow cooker…

Menu Planning

I often wonder how much of our day we waste in asking ourselves and deciding on “What’s for dinner?” And how much frivolous money do we spend because we often don’t know or don’t have what we need to make what we want for dinner?

About 16 years ago (yes, about the time our second son came along) I decided that whatever amount of time I was spending on it was too much. I didn’t have that kind of time or money to waste. So I started a menu.

This plan is much easier to do in 1-2 week segments. More than that gets a bit overwhelming!

I just write down all the days and meals on a piece of paper and then start filling in the blanks. I always keep in mind our calendar; simple breakfasts on busy mornings, crock pot meals on crazy days, homemade bread on the rare days that I’m home… I also always buy one or two frozen convenience meal for those “I didn’t see that coming” days.

I also make a note of desserts and snacks that I want to make.

I try to incorporate any items (especially meats) that may be on sale that week into the menu.

Sometimes it is hard to think of that many meals. Sometimes I am just not inspired. While it is a BAD idea to grocery shop while hungry, it is MUCH easier to write your menu when you are hungry. There are weeks when I skip a meal, knowing I have to plan our menu later in the day. :o) I also keep a running list of ideas for menu items: recipes I read on my Google Reader or find on FB, things I have a craving for, meals the guys request…

Then I make the shopping list, including any items I need to make the meals on the menu, my convenience foods, any killer deals that I just can’t pass up that may be on sale that week, and of course any staples that we have run out of.

The hardest part of menu planning for me is writing it on the menu every morning. I started doing this to avoid the nearly constant question of “What are we having for….?” It really did work! Eventually they did learn that they could just look at the menu and see what we were eating that day. It helped that I refused to answer and instead just pointed at the menu until they got the hint and went to look. :o)

It may be a little more time and effort in the planning stages but the time you save on a daily basis is well worth it!

Happy menuing!

What's For Supper

Recently, I have had people ask me about my menu plan. People notice it because I write down all the meals for the day on a blackboard in the dining room after supper the night before. So I thought I would share it on my blog.

I had a menu plan when we were first married and the boys were little. But for some reason, over time, I quit doing a menu.

Almost 2 years ago, my friend Deborah remarked about her menu planning and how much it helped her. So I decided to revive it again.

I forgot how much I like having a menu. I no longer spend WAY TOO MUCH TIME (3 times a day) wondering what I should make for a meal or looking in the fridge or pantry to see what I can make.

A friend asked me what I do if I don't feel like eating what I have planned for the day. It doesn't happen. Somehow I always feel like eating what I know we are having that day.

It takes a little more work ahead of time, but it is worth the stress and hassle I was going through every day. Writing it on a menu board also assures (most of the time) that I know what to take out of the freezer in time for it to thaw ahead of time. The menu board also cuts down on the incessant question of "Mom, what's for _______________?" :o)

Oh, it is also good for our budget because we have a LOT fewer days when we have to go out to the grocery store for something or out to eat because there isn't anything.

Ok, so here's what I do...

1. write out all of the days and meals for about 2 weeks at a time in a notebook (Day of the week followed by the date)

2. fill out all of the meals that are the same (ie: every Sunday morning is cereal and supper is Family Nite)

3. look at the calendar to see what is going on in our family. I schedule meals that are appropriate to the activities of the day. Busy days often get a crock pot or convenience meal. Nicer or larger suppers are planned for when we have company. Etc.

4. fill out all the meals

5. make out a grocery list to make sure I have everything we need to make the scheduled meals plus any staples we need. I also include snack and dessert items on my list.

Here's what a page of my plan looks like...