a control freak like me

It's that time of the week again, where I bust out my notepad and cookbooks and come up with the menu for the coming week. I take this task very seriously which is how I manage to spend very little at the grocery store and never repeat the same dinners two weeks in a row. I try my best to make sure the dinners I come up with will share ingredients in order to save me money, give me leftovers, and maybe even be able to be packed into Beau's lunch. And did I mention I am trying to spend as little money as possible?

This week was especially exciting because my baby girl slept through the whole night for the very first time last night, and it seems that someone stuffed some of my brains back into my head. It is amazing what some sleep can do for you (and how lack of sleep can turn you into a clutz!). I feel like I can think clearly again, so the idea of making dinners while I have a little more energy was a very enticing idea indeed. I turned to my old faithfuls for ideas, Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and a small book called No-Fuss Dinners that never fails to send light bulbs hovering over my head. I very rarely actually use the recipes in the books, but if I see a soup or a roast then it starts my creative juices flowing and I start creating menu ideas.

I always lay out my grocery list with unnecessary detail that turns out to be quite necessary as I run through my week. I think of myself as just being very organized... Beau calls me a control freak.

First, I write out each day of the week and proceed to fill in the spaces with my dinner ideas. There is actually a thought process to this, I always try to line them up so I can use my leftovers at appropriate times or use certain vegetables before they will be past their prime. Then in blank spaces I start to brainstorm snacks I will want for the week, things I can make with the leftovers, and ideas of things to pack in Beau's lunch. Then underneath I create my grocery list and I even have a specific order for that. Although it would make sense to create it to go in the order of the store so I can be in and out quicker, instead I line it up to go with the day's dinner. For example, if on Monday I am having a roast and on Tuesday chicken, I will put my list in the week's order: chuck roast, onions, bones for stock, chicken, rice, etc. This way, if I happen to make a change on one day of the week, I can look at my list and get rid of the things I don't need. Yes, it is very OCD but it works for me. I learned this when I was buying large amounts of food for big groups of people that I was working for. For some reason this is just what worked and i carried it over even when I am only cooking for a family of 2 1/2.

Somewhat out of boredom and also because tonight is a "leftover" night and I have no recipes to share with you, I am going to share my grocery list. This is a sacred and beautiful thing... use it wisely. :)

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Monday- sandwiches (on the go. we will be driving to my uncle's house)
Tuesday- roasted chicken thighs, Julia Child's rice and onions
Wednesday- slow cooked beef stew, braised collard greens
Thursday- stuffed bell peppers, green salad
Friday- spicy quesadillas, black beans
Saturday- lentil soup, baguette
Sunday- Leftovers

snacks: homemade yogurt, nuts/trail mix, Fiber one bars, cheese cubes, ants on a log

lunches: sandwiches (tuna, meat and cheese, pb&j), soups, penne and spinach salad, large green salad

...

bread
cheese (swiss and cheddar)
lunch meat
lettuce
tomato
chicken
onions
rice
butter
heavy cream
beef bones
bacon
dried thyme
dried orange peel
pork knuckles
chuck roast
collards
bell peppers
boxed spanish rice
bagged salad
whole wheat tortillas
lentils
baguette
penne pasta (whole wheat)
spinach
goat cheese
balsamic vinegar
fiber bars
crackers
starter yogurt
flour
sugar
herbal tea
fruit

And there you have it! That is literally my grocery list for the next week. I am anticipating spending a little more money than normal because I am out of some of my staples, but it looks to me like it will fit right into my weekly budget. Job well done!