Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Monthly Menu Calendar

I often think back to my marriage vows and ask myself if I'm doing all I can to be the best wife. Am I loving my husband? Listening to him? Saying thank you? Respecting him?

And as much as I hate assigning gender-specific tasks, I find myself wondering if I'm providing for him at home in the best way possible. One thing I know he would love for sure is if I cooked dinner more often. And as we'll be a family of three in just a few short months, I'd like to refine this skill to insure my family eats healthy, nutritious meals on a consistent basis.

I've talked about my menu planning challenges here before. If it were up to me, I'd eat a bowl of cereal or a frozen pizza for dinner every night. Obviously though, this isn't the healthiest option for someone who's growing a baby inside them, and I think it frustrates Andi when he comes home from a long day of work and there's nothing to eat. But his busy work schedule is a large reason why I don't feel like cooking. It seems silly to me to slave over a hot meal and eat it all by myself, only to make a plate for him to eat later. But, jumping back to my point; healthier, home cooked meals will not only please my hubby but also provide subsidence for my new little girl.

So, I need your help! Over the last few months, I've become better about planning meals a week ahead for dinners. My next goal is to make a monthly meal calendar to help me plan ahead in buying ingredients and staying organized.

Here's where you come in. What go-to meals do you make at your house? What are some of your favorites? I'm looking for suggestions for quick and easy meals, or those that don't require a ton of crazy ingredients. And something out of our regular meal repertoire. Meals that can be made-ahead and frozen would be welcomed too as I'd like to build up our freezer before the baby arrives. Please leave your suggestions in the comments!

1 comment:

  1. lasagna and tater tot cassarole were some of the things that people made for us ahead of time, we just had to thaw them out and cook 'em. I have a few hamburger cassaroles (hamburger rice, hamburger quiche) and a pasta cassarole receipes I can send you if you're interested?

    Note, when thawing them out give them a good 6-8 hours on the counter. Granted, when you thaw a frozen cassarole, they tend to get a tiny bit dried out, but you can always stir them halfway though cooking them to help even it out.

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