I am done whining. Let's do dinner ideas instead.

You ever get sick of hearing yourself talk? I have been boohooing all month about my rotten luck. You know what? Yes. It sucks. Money has been spent, family has been sick, and vehicles have been vandalized. My entire extended family is falling apart. That sucks.

BUT

We have food, shelter, and nobody has died (knock on wood) so I am going to be Miss Mary Sunshine today because I am sick and tired of being miserable. Yay optimism!!

So let's talk dinner. I am going to have to make up a menu at some point. I am done planning out breakfast, lunch and snack. I have been doing it long enough that I have a general idea of what, and how much we eat. Cereal, oatmeal, frozen waffles through the week, and nicer breakfasts on the weekend. Mostly leftovers for lunch with the occasional sandwich or soup thrown in. We have enough apples and apple products to keep us in snacks forever, especially when you throw in my tendency to make pumpkin bread or freeze grapes. So this time, I am only doing dinners.

One thing I hate about making menus is that I can never remember what we eat. I don't like having the same thing over and over (except pizza. Weekly homemade pizza is a must) but everytime I go to make a menu, I end up with a lot of the same crap over and over again. SO, last night I made a list of every meal that I make that my family will eat (well most of them. Kids might end up with breakfast for dinner on chili night and eat sandwiches in place of hot italian sausage). I figured I would post the list here for 2 reasons. The first, so I have something that won't be lost. I make a ton of lists. It's a compulsion. That one will disappear and I will be back to square one. Secondly, maybe it will either give someone else ideas, or they will share ideas I am missing with me. So here it is. 50 days of WFD.

1. Veggie Stir Fry
2. Chicken Pot Pie
3. Potato Soup
4. Black Bean Quesadillas
5. Risotto
6. Polish Sausage, Sauerkraut, German Potato Salad
7. Lasagna
8. Veggie Fried Rice
9. Veggie Fajitas
10. Garlic Parmesan Chicken, Baked Potatoes, Peas
11. Chili
12. Shrimp Alfredo
13. Macaroni and Cheese
14. Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup, Grilled Cheese
15. Beer Brats, Cottage Fries, Sliced Zucchini
16. Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry
17. Tacos
18. Lemon Pepper Tilapia, Rice, Broccoli
19. Pork Chops, Homemade Rice a Roni, Green Beans
20. Cheese Tortellini Primavera
21. Sloppy Joes, Tater Tots, Corn on the Cob
22. Chicken and Dumplings
23. Meatball Subs, Macaroni Salad
24. Hoppin' John
25. Veggie Lasagna
26. Tuna Mac
27. Homemade Pizza
28. Pulled Pork, Potato Salad, Grilled Asparagus
29. Pierogies with Butter and Onions
30. Hot Dogs, Fries, Corn
31. Chicken Enchilladas
32. Tuna Salad
33. Spaghetti, Salad
34. Nachos
35. Meatloaf, Barley Vegetable Medley
36. Bean Soup with Sausage
37. Shrimp and Snow Pea Stir Fry
38. Taco Mac
39. Salad
40. Calzones
41. Hot Italian Sausage with Onions and Bell Peppers over Noodles
42. Basil Butter Salmon, Rice, Carrots
43. Chicken Fajitas
44. Pasta with Pesto
45. Beanie Weenies
46. Ham, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, Green Beans, Rolls
47. Subs, Chips, Salad
48. Breakfast for Dinner
49. Ravioli
50. Fish Sticks, Fries, Corn

That is over a month without repeats. Hopefully it will make my menu planning a bit faster.

WFD, or What's for dinner?

Since I need to go grocery shopping Friday I am pulling my menu together so I can get my shopping list together. I didn't do too bad last trip. I had to make an extra trip for milk as I figured I would. I also had to get a few more grocery items as I had to feed the roofing crew and that wasn't in the menu plan when I bought before. The only other thing I forgot about was rat litter and cat litter. Overall, I didn't spend much more than the initial trip.

I figured I would stick my menu up. It may give others ideas and maybe I can get ideas as well. I would be more than happy to share recipes as well.

17th
Breakfast - Eggs, bacon, toast
Lunch - Sandwiches, chips, pasta salad
Dinner - Homemade pizza
Snack - Applesauce
18th
Breakfast - Pancakes
Lunch - Nachos
Dinner - Pasta with pesto
Snack - Banana
19th
Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - Leftovers
Dinner - Chili, corn bread
Snack - Grapes
20th
Breakfast - Oatmeal
Lunch - Leftovers
Dinner - Tilapia fillets, rice, carrots
Snack - Banana
21st
Breakfast - Eggs, toast
Lunch - Grilled Cheese, soup
Dinner - Cheese tortellini primavera
Snack - Apple
22nd
Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - Leftovers
Dinner - Veggie stir fry
Snack - Carrots
23rd
Breakfast - Oatmeal
Lunch - Ramen noodles with veggies
Dinner - Chicken Enchiladas
Snack - Yogurt
24th
Breakfast - Cinnamon Rolls
Lunch - Beanie Weenies
Dinner - Homemade pizza
Snack - Applesauce
25th
Breakfast - Biscuits and sausage gravy
Lunch - Tuna sandwiches, apple, carrots
Dinner - Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans
Snack - Cheese and crackers
26th
Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - Leftovers
Dinner - Hoppin' John, salad
Snack - Applesauce
27th
Breakfast - Eggs and toast
Lunch - Leftovers
Dinner - Potato soup, biscuits
Snack - Grapes
28th
Breakfast - Lemon Poppyseed muffins
Lunch - Macaroni and cheese
Dinner - Risotto with vegetables
Snack - Cheese and crackers
29th
Breakfast - Waffles
Lunch - Leftovers
Dinner - Spaghetti and meatballs, garlic bread
Snack - Apple
30th
Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - Sandwiches, chips, carrots
Dinner - Black bean quesadillas, mexican rice
Snack - Applesauce
31st
Breakfast - Omelettes
Lunch - Leftovers
Dinner - Homemade pizza
Snack - Zucchini bread
1st
Breakfast - Waffles
Lunch - Tuna salad
Dinner - Wings, onion rings, baked beans
Snack - pumpkin muffins

Long, but the nice thing is that I don't have to think too hard about what to make later on days I am worn out.