Here We Go (Again)

I'm back to blogging. About food. Again. I first started blogging way back in 2005 or so and it was about my life which had to have been boring because I wasn't married, I didn't have kids and I didn't really cook or bake much. So I guess that left tv?! Then it morphed into a family blog as the the husband and kids came along. And then for a couple of years, a good friend and I bake and blogged our way through this cookbook. I stepped away from the writing for awhile, but toward the end of this year, I felt like I was missing something.

So I'm back. This time my focus is once again food. About a month ago I came up with the idea to document weekly our family meal plans. Every week since Uncas (the husband) and I got married, we do a weekly meal plan. It's what made sense to me, so we could do our weekly grocery shopping. Back then we used to grocery shop, usually on Sundays together. Nowadays I mainly do the grocery shopping. It's usually one big trip and then a few small runs for stuff I've forgotten or to pick up more fresh produce. Over time I hope to break down my meal planning process. I know for some it's a dreaded thing, but I actually enjoy it.

Each week I plan to share our family meals and link to the recipes I use. I'll share who liked what, my favorite sources for new meals, what failed (recipe, chef, or both), and our old, go-to favorites. Of course I'll share some baking along the way, because rarely does a day go by that I don't eat dessert!

But there's more - after a few discussions and analyzing our monthly budget, Uncas and I are making it a priority to cut down our food budget. In the past we haven't really had a set budget per se, and we've gradually changed our eating, leaning more towards whole, fresh foods, away from processed/packaged foods, and we are eating more and more meatless dinners. In addition we discovered that we liked to "eat" our money - meaning we spend money going out to eat more than we'd care to admit. As we embark with our new budget, it means a little more discipline, especially on the weekends.

This is already long enough for now, so let me present this week's meal plan:

Sunday (12/21) - Crockpot Mac and Cheese with steamed broccoli
Monday (12/22) - Baked Penne Pasta, homemade French Rolls, salad
Tuesday (12/23) - Baked Pork Chops, rice pilaf, sauteed green beans
Wednesday (12/24) - Homemade Pizza and Peppermint Pizza for dessert!
Christmas Day - Sweet Rolls for Breakfast and then my mom's for dinner

I hope you'll join me on this new journey. I love hearing what other people have dinner. Feel free to share your favorite recipe or family meal. Thanks for reading and happy cooking!