January 30, 2012

Monday's are busy days here. I had already browned ground turkey with taco seasonings yesterday. I also made pico de gallo and chopped the lettuce. All I had to do was make guacamole and splash a bit of Italian dressing on the lettuce. I highly recommend the dressing on the lettuce. It makes the taco have flavor from top to bottom, not just the meat being flavored on the bottom. We tried the premade taco shells with the flat bottoms. What a good idea! Only a hundred years of tacos before someone thought up that neat trick!

Sunday

While a lot of people I know find cooking to be a necessary evil, I am actually odd enough to find it relaxing. With that being said, Sundays are my day to crank out much of the prep of meals for the week. When the realities of work, after school activities, homework, paying attention to the dogs (there are 3 of them), and trying to add in a bit of exercise come into play, this prep work pays big dividends. Having a set menu has saved me loads of money, equally important is the execution of the menu. More than once, I have been guilty of the statement "Let's just pick something up." which brings guilt on many levels. Wasted food in fridge, wasted calories, wasted extra money for the dinner, a bad cycle. If on Sunday, I can relax and prep for the days I know will be crazy, then I'm just that much ahead of the curve.

Menu for week of January 29th

Saturday, errand day. Fiesta has red bell peppers for $.59 each. Also great deals on cilantro, parsley, garlic and pineapples. A great place to find veggies at a good price. One day, I will have a recipe to cook the cactus leaf that fascinates me every time I enter the store. Spent $80 for all groceries! Menu for week is: Sunday - souffle (the egg at its finest) Monday - turkey tacos Tuesday - orange salmon, roast broccoli and brown rice Wednesday - pork chops, blue cheese salad and cauliflower Thursday - brown butter sage ravioli and mandarin orange salad w/ balsamic dressing Friday - bison sausage peppers and flatbread