What's for Dinner

I read The Frugal Girl blog everyday. I love her writing and her approach to saving money. I am a little frugal too. I feel it's a game to cut my food bill down without my family noticing or revolting. As long as there is no mutiny and they are healthy/happy, I'm good. Every week, The Frugal Girl posts her menu for the week. This allows her to stay on budget, with no last minute dash for dinner because everyone knows what they are having.

I love the idea of menu planning but I have never been able to make it work. I have decided that my lifestyle and personality dictates a fly by the seat of my pants approach to meals. Most days, I decide what we are having for dinner based on what I have in my freezer and pantry, what my family has requested, the leftovers in my refrigerator and our schedule for the day. I'll give you an example of this week:

Sunday was rainy and we were home all day. I watched the New England Patriots, so I was basically home puttering around the house. This was a perfect day to roast a chicken. We had roasted chicken with mashed potatoes and salad.

Monday was Jewel's birthday, so I asked what she wanted: chicken pot pie or Shepard's pie. She requested Shepard's pie. I thought she wanted chicken pot pie, so that's what we had. She was not disappointed. Chicken pot pie is one of her favorites.

Tuesday is normally an office day for me, so I made something quick. We had pan fried fish, Quinoa with chicken stock and a tomato salad. My in-laws have tomatoes from their garden and they need to be used up. Nothing beats a fresh tomato salad!

Wednesday Victoria requested tacos. The tomatoes were put to good use with the homemade salsa. My husband and I had taco salad. The girls opted for regular tacos with all the fixing's.

Tonight, Jewel will have her Shepard's Pie. Ground turkey, mashed potatoes with either corn or green beans. I will most likely use both corn and green beans in the Shepard's pie...or I will serve the green beans on the side.

Friday...who knows...