Menu Planning Take Two

Take three, take seven. I have lost count how many times I have tried meal planning and it has never lasted longer than a week. Inspired by my recent fridge frame project I have decided to give it a whirl once again. My goals for meal planning are saving time, eating healthier and using groceries more effectively. I found a lot of 8.5" X 11" weekly meal planning print outs online, but I am working on designing a larger 10"X13" meal planning print out that will fit the frames I purchased. I am using a free printout for the time being, but just picture how adorable my fridge is going to look in the near future. 

Day one was a success! And by success I mean I stuck to my plan and recipe choice. Now to keep it up for the whole two weeks I planned out and try to keep planning and following through after that. And just to clarify, I am only planning dinners, which will give me flexibility and room for creativity for other meals during the week. What did we have, you ask? Paprika Chicken and Egg Noodles. Yum.

No one else was into the dusting of baby dill, so I enjoyed that all by myself. It added a nice freshness to the dish! I layered mine like the recipe outlined, but as I snapped a shot of my plate Kailie wanted me to take a picture of her alternate layout as well.

We've been working hard at making her sit at the table until she finishes her whole plate and being stricter about not letting her claim that she is full with a barely touched plate, then take yogurts out of the fridge 15 minutes later. She has been doing well with lots of encouragement and reinforcement this week and at the end of the meal she only had a couple of green beans and a bite or two of chicken and mushrooms left. The past couple of nights she even cleaned her whole plate!

Oh and the really exciting news? I'm getting a new cabinet/hutch! It will be a combination of kitchen and crafts for the time being and we will soon have a linen closet again. I am sure potential buyers would appreciate seeing towels and linens as opposed to two dozen containers full of fabric and crafting supplies. And I have been eying this for years. I love the old-fashioned, rustic charm without actually being old and I can use it for the dining room or a craft room over the years depending on our needs at the time.

Fourth week in a row of consistently writing on a weekly basis on this blog, my first day of (another attempt at) meal planning (but it's hopeful this time!), and I did some ab exercises yesterday. Feeling pretty groovy and now to tackle everything else that needs to (or was supposed to) get done as I start a new week!