November 30, 2011

Meal Planning

So in an effort to help myself stay on top of food budgeting/meal planning, as well as sharing recipes, I am going to try and start posting my weekly meal plans.  This week is already half over, but I'll include the past couple of nights too, just for the hell of it.  I believe most of these I have already posted the recipe for (other than the pizza, but that's a gimme), so I don't think I'll post them. If you want them though, let me know.
Monday: Thai Fried Rice (a la Sean)
Tuesday: Chili. I put a fair amount of this in the freezer for another meal in the future.
Wednesday: Sausage Lentil Casserole
Thursday: Barbeque Chicken pizza
Friday: Baked potato soup
Saturday: I think I will do a sort of asian soup with bok choy, bamboo shoots, carrots, and chicken. Although soup two nights in a row might be a bit redundant. But this is my kitchen, and I do what I want. So there.
Sunday: Chicken pot pie. Again, I think I'll make extra to freeze. The recipe I like using (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/chicken-pot-pie-recipe/index.html) makes a TON, and I have frozen it successfully in the past. I easily got 7-8 big individual pot pies out of my last batch, so I figure it's at least 2-3 meals, even factoring in our off and on house guests.

Some of what I'm experimenting with right now is trying to find things that either freeze and reheat well, or that can be cooked one portion at a time. Sean's schedule and mine are often at odds - joy of the restaurant industry - and having a hot meal when he gets home is nice. He certainly doesn't expect it, but I know he appreciates it. And thinking in terms of needing to feed him as well often gets me to cook a real meal as opposed to eating hummus and calling it dinner. So things like pizza and pot pie are great, since he can just cook his when he gets home, and I can eat whenever I am hungry.


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