Back to the basics...

It's that time of year again. Resolutions, lists of things to do better. Mine is simple. Just get serious about keeping up with the ideas I already have tried to implement. For example, things just work better if I have a menu. I don't like to plan by day. It works better for me to plan 10 days worth of meals and have everything I need sitting here. That way if I wake up and don't feel like making homemade pizzas, dumping a chicken in the crock-pot is still an option. And, it really helps the grocery bill too! So...here is my 10 day meal plan. My goal is to try 1 new recipe each rotation. That should help me remember to post here once in a while too! And...wow! Lots to post now that we've gone public with the whole adoption thing! I've been keeping a diary of things as we've gone and I'd love to share some of those thoughts with you!

But back to food! Yummmmmm. Foooooooood. Sorry. I like food.

10 days:

1. Grilled Rosemary Lamb chops with roasted root veggies and potatoes

2. Turkey with mashed potatoes and gravy, brown sugar glazed carrots and cranberries

3. Spicy Lentil and Sausage soup with bread

4. Burgers with homemade fries, baked beans and vegies

5. Fish, potato chips and fruit smoothies (that's our standard 'fast' meal for Wednesday nights to get to church on time!)

6. Chili

7. Lentils and Rice with caramelized onions and onion tomato salad (thanks to Yasso for introducing us to this Lebanese meal!)

8. Homemade Pizza and fruit

9. Pot Roast with Potatoes and carrots

10. Coconut shrimp with roasted red potatoes and pineapple

Now the way this works, some of these dishes, such as the lentil soup, use broth. We have to have homemade broth as Isaac is allergic to celery -- it's in every store bought kind! So, for example, if I make pot roast before I plan on making the soup, I know I'll have the broth sitting there. ANY time I make a roast or turkey or chicken, I always make broth so I have it on hand. I know it's not "technically" how you should make it, but I just throw all the bones and bits and pieces that aren't worth using for leftovers into the crock-pot with some onions and pieces of carrots and slow cook it all day. I just freeze mine in 2 c amounts to use whenever.

We also eat lots of leftovers. I know that there will leftover lentils and rice, leftover chili, turkey, etc. So, 10 meals is really more like 12, plus a few lunches as well.

Tonight is Pot Roast -- the super simple kind. I sprinkle mine with garlic and a generous amount of black pepper and sear it in olive oil on all sides, then toss it in the crock-pot all day with onions and potatoes and carrots. Easy, easy, easy and one of the few ways my boys will eat carrots and white potatoes and actually like them!

Yesterday was coconut shrimp -- I make it simple for the boys. I toss a handful of coconut in the food processor and break it down a little, then toss the shrimp with it, garlic salt and red pepper flakes, then fry it in coconut oil. Kind of a short cut version, but it works. Sometimes we eat with rice. This time I had lots of potatoes that were on their last legs, so I threw red potatoes cut up in chunks in with olive oil, rosemary and sea salt and roasted them at 500 for about 40 min. Chopped up a pineapple and dinner on the table in less than half an hour so we could make to church on time!