I’m trying to reduce my stress-levels in 2011, and one of my brilliant ideas was to start meal-planning. It would never, ever fail- It would be 4:15pm and my coworkers and I would start the “Okay, so what is everybody making for dinner tonight??” conversation. We never knew. If one of us had a good idea, the rest of us wouldn’t have the ingredients, and we’d still be S-O-L.
I shared my plan with Jeremy – I had him flip through several recipe books and come up with a list of options. I perused the cupboards and freezer, and made another list of ideas. So…. Now, for two-weeks running, I’ve made the menu for the week on Sunday and go grocery shopping on Sunday afternoons, when Brandon is napping.
I’m really in love with this plan. We have leftovers for lunch, so we're eating out less. I'm only going to the store 1 time per week, so I think I'm spending less, AND I have more time. WIN-WIN-WIN.
The menu selections aren’t anything restaurant-worthy, but it’s food my family likes and it’s food that I don’t have to stress out about. I’ve been letting Brynn pick out supper one-night a week (this week’s choice was corn dogs…blech. But, she feels involved and she generally will eat whatever she picks, so there ya go.)
Our new favorite and recent discovery is worth sharing for similarly situated dinner-pondering parents:
Shredded Chicken and Gravy
(cookbook name was “Creamy Chicken” and I have a problem with that)
Get your crock pot ready.
Directions: On your lunch break, just throw this stuff in there on LOW (if you have a newer crockpot – mine cooks at light speed … if you have an older crockpot, then maybe put this on HIGH?). You do not even have to stir it. Really. When you come home, season to taste with pepper and salt. Shred the chicken with 2 forks. Serve over toast or noodles or mashed potatoes. (We totally did it over toast and will continue to do so.)
Ingredients:
3 frozen chicken breasts
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 cup water
1 chicken bouillon cube
1 package fresh sliced mushrooms
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