Meals for the week

 My husband and I have been planning our weekly menus for almost a year now (with a few weeks/month here and there that we didn't get it done).  I find it so much easier to make a meal when I know exactly what we're going to have, I have the ingredients on hand, and I'm not facing the four o' clock hour with no plan on hand.   4-5 pm around here is not a good time to have to scramble for ideas--with two little ones who are getting hungry and need a change of scenery, it can be loud and usually chaotic.

I had some time in the last few days to sit down and write out a menu for the next two weeks and I have to say, it brings such peace!  I know many people have much more sophisticated systems and are so much more organized, but for me this is a big thing.  My husband loves it because he knows ahead of time what to expect for supper--he even planned menus for a while which I LOVED because while I don't dislike planning out our meals, it is nice to have it just done and ready for the week ahead.  It was also fun because he looked around on the internet and found some recipes I normally would not have been drawn to but that we ended up really liking.

Yesterday I made these chicken enchiladas which are really quite good although I was originally skeptical.  Tonight I baked a squash and potatoes from our garden and made crusted venison steaks.  I'm not normally a wild game sort of person...I never really like that 'gamey' flavor, but these really tasted mostly like beef so I enjoyed them.  My husband's dad gives us a lot of duck/goose/venison every year so it is great to find a recipe that we all like that is easy! 
Tomorrow I'm trying a new recipe from the blog Tidy Mom called Honey and Soy Baked Chicken.  It looks so good!

via

I love reading cookbooks so I'm always finding new recipes...the trouble is I rarely write down where I found the recipe so I don't remember it when I need to! 

Do you plan a weekly menu?  If so, do tell!  I'm always looking for more ideas on how to do it more efficiently.

Blessings,
Elizabeth