Before we get to the real life stuff, I wanted to tell you about a new feature for the Weekly Meal Plans that we’ll be rolling out soon. Starting with the May plans (next week), the grocery lists will be color coded so that you can tell which ingredient goes with which meal. More detailed and more fun!
And big news for our family - our oldest daughter is now engaged! This isn’t exactly a surprise to anyone. We’ve seen it coming for a long time. We’re very happy for her and for our future son-in-law <——How long will it take me to get used to saying that? Any advice for this new stage of life/wedding planning/grown up kids?
This week included lots of recipe testing for me. Quite a few of our dinners were new recipes that I’ll be sharing here on the blog soon. Since I knew I’d be testing new recipes, I didn’t shop with one of the Weekly Meal Plans this time. I have to say, when I shop with the list and the meals are all planned for me I spend less time and less money.
Last Sunday, I made a new slow cooker meal that uses boneless pork chops and 2 other easy ingredients. It was a hit and I can’t wait to share it with you. I also made a simple dish of mashed sweet potatoes that I’ll be sharing soon too.
It’s so nice to come home from church to dinner that is already cooked. Sunday was capped off with a soccer game. It was sunny, but the breeze made it a little chilly for sitting outside.
Monday, we had a variation of one of our favorite 15 minute meals. We love Orange Chicken, but the store was out of orange sauce. I subbed Mandarin sauce and used red pepper and green onions with it. Yum!
Tuesday, I tested another new recipe for the crockpot. I think you will love it as much as we did! It involves beef and pita pockets. So easy and so good!
Wednesday was gray and raining. I decided it was a perfect day to try out a copy-cat Disney recipe for Strawberry Soup. Yum!
I was in a huge rush, trying to write blog posts, put clean sheets on the bed and talk on the phone to my mom about Meredith’s Big News. (Multi-tasking is highly over rated!) The kids came in the kitchen and helped me pull dinner together. I made the Strawberry Soup and photographed it. Peter fixed the biscuits. Meredith made scrambled eggs. And Mia and Isaac set the table and poured drinks. We had it done in record time.
Thursday, I put Chicken Enchilada Soup in the crockpot. It was one that was planned for a few weeks ago, but we didn’t get to it. I love when the meal planning carries over. Even when I don’t stick to the plan, there’s a benefit for the future.
This soup is one that can cook all day long and not be over cooked. And it’s great for when you have to eat in shifts. Since we’re all going in different directions with soccer practices and such, we’ll be eating at different times.
Finally, for my slow cooker fail – Friday night I put a 4 lb. bone-in pork roast in the crockpot to cook all night. On Saturday morning, I realized that it had popped the lid up a bit and the roast was still oozing red from the middle. I was unsure whether this would be safe to serve or not, so I asked on Facebook. After some lively conversation and internet research, I decided I needed to start over with a new roast. So much for getting a head start on the pulled pork for next weekend!
Here’s a sneak peek at this week’s meal plans. You can find out more about how to get them delivered to your inbox by clicking here.
Traditional Plan
- Asian chicken lettuce wraps
- Southwest beef rolls
- Shrimp Tacos
- Scramble egg-wiches
- Sticky Coconut Chicken
- Italian Sausage and Bean Soup
- Amish Oatmeal Cookies
