Sort of
Perhaps it is dusting the cobwebs off of these tapping fingers. Maybe it is the screeching hault of months of ideas so excited to pour out that they tumbled into one giant blank blob! Mostly, however, it is all the big change in life since I last shared a comprehensive menu plan. I think I forgot how and where to start in this new season of different.
✓ The last of my children are all graduated.
✓ I'm not quite an empty-nester as all but my oldest have chosen to remain at home while they pursue the paths God is laying before them in adult life.
✓ I'm no longer juggling their schedules and homeschooling
✓ In an odd and unexpected course of events hubby is out of work while all kids hold various jobs and shifts. I have switched from just kids during the day to just hubby with a (grown) kid thrown in here-and-there... and what I cook in consideration of these schedules fluctuates.
✓ Hubby hit 50 and as we both pick up speed on this Midlife path, our meal requirements are transforming for health purposes.
✓ My aging mother-in-law moved in with us bringing her own dietary needs and very specific meal-times. (No longer can I just tell everyone to figure out their own breakfast or lunch, a luxury with older "kids"! Instead I am back into early parenting days where all meals and snacks need to be planned, healthy and balanced☺️(It's OK, I like my job!)
In short: no more kids to make cutesy kid things for (boy, I miss that!!) though I do sneak a childhood favorite in here-and-there.... and us olders with a more curious pallet amidst our particular diet needs.
Alas... I think I found my groove! These Midlife moments spark a different kind of liveliness in our midlife menu and, if you follow my Pinterest account, you know how much I LOVE sharing all of our foodie moments. So, here goes...
This Past Week
Each week I try to have a specific project or goal to work towards. Even without kids underfoot and homeschool soaking up time, there is always something requiring attention above and beyond the basic household duties (especially this time of year).
This past week's was Phase 1 of cleaning out a neglected corner in my bedroom and processing/canning pumpkin. Without the buzz of kids I can now usually contain clutter and work inside the daytime hours, which is a welcome change! And on Pumpkin day, I made the mess work for me! While boiling and mashers were out I did mashed potatoes which were paired with some cooked ground beef and gravy I had in the freezer for a shepherd's pie roasted in the oven. While dinner roasted, I tidied and by the time dinner was served, pumpkin jar lids were popping and kitchen messes were cared for.
Lets have a look (an asterisks indicates a change of plans)...
___________________________________________________ Sunday
Breakfast: Leftover Omelet (from Saturday)
Lunch: Grilled Tomato and Cheese with Chips
Dinner: Chicken and Broccoli Bake with Quinoa and Clover Rolls
Monday
Breakfast: Fried Eggs and Sausage
Lunch: Hot Dogs and Mac N Cheese
Dinner: Oven Pot Roast and Veggies with Leftover Clover Rolls
Tuesday
Breakfast: *Pancakes and Sausage (didn't have enough potato leftover from roast to do planned Eggs and Hash-Browns)
Lunch: * Leftover Roast as Oven Stew (had planned BLT but ran out of lettuce)
Dinner: *BBQ Chicken Thighs, Baked Potato, Corn and Cheesy Drop Biscuits (Wednesday and Tuesday's dinners were swapped when we forgot to pre-cook and chill the rice for stir-fry)
Tip: make extra baked potatoes and refrigerate for up to a few days to be used as homemade fries or hash-browns.
Wednesday
Breakfast: *Eggs and Hash-Browns with Leftover Biscuits (planned Pumpkin Muffins but didn't get to the processing till Thursday)
Easy hash-browns: cube into small bite-size pieces raw or cooked potatoes (or use leftover cubed potatoes from a dinner), throw into oil heated in bottom of skillet on medium-high (we like to use coconut oil for flavor and health-factor). Stir around periodically till brown, drain and serve with eggs.
Lunch: *everyone did their own thing unexpectedly, I had planned egg salad sandwiches.
Dinner: *hubby tried his hand at authentic Chicken Fried Rice and Mini Spring Rolls (freezer brand) (swapped night which ended up helping buy me more time on my project work!)
Thursday
Breakfast: *Scrambled Egg Bowls with Sausage, Cheese and Avocado (planned Egg Cups)
Lunch: Leftover Chicken Fried Rice for some, Egg Salad Sandwiches and Chips for the rest of us
Dinner: Shepherd's Pie with dessert of Pumpkin Muffins and Cream Cheese Frosting
Friday
Breakfast: *Pumpkin Muffins and Sausage (already cooked the planned pancakes earlier in the week and had plenty of muffins leftover from night before)
Lunch: Leftover Shepherd's Pie
Dinner: Chicken Quesadilla/Salad with homemade guacamole
Saturday
Breakfast: This is my only 'sleep-in' day all week so I typically leave everyone to their own devices, however, made a Mango Breakfast Protein Shake for MIL and myself
Lunch: Leftovers for some *Homemade Chicken Soup for others (we had a cold snap accompanied by mounds of snow which was making some throats feel kind of scratchy... soup to the rescue!)
Dinner: Burgers and Chips
*** Why the asterisks? ***
Planning ahead with menus is always a good idea. It helps to stay on budget and balanced in diet... but lets be real, not every day goes as beautifully planned. I know, when I was a young wife, I found menus fascinating but was also often quickly discouraged by how hard it was to stay-on task. As I collected kids and schedules and all those unexpected demands on my time, I learned how to juggle. I like to alternate meats, spice levels and the nutritional balance from meal-to-meal and day-to-day. I also like to try 1-2 new recipes each week, though some weeks are all old favorites! I hope, seeing not just what we ate, but also how it changed, encourages you to menu plan and give yourself grace and flexibility to change it up a bit when needed!
So that was my week in the kitchen... what does yours look like?
Happy cooking!
Menu Monday: Menu-Making Edition!
 | ||||
*Are you subscribed to my newsletter? You might want to be. Why? Well, the newsletter contains bonus material you won't find on the website... not to mention, in those busy months when I can't get regular blog articles up, you can count on this periodical popping up in your email in-box each month with all new content! What exactly does the newsletter contain?
- Encouraging articles
- Free printables under different themes each month
- Insider info on the latest goings-ons with all things on my blog and writing related
No comments:
Post a Comment