So, ever since stumbling across Simple Mom‘s blog, I’ve been bookmarking like all her entries because they are fabulous. I’m totally crushing on the idea of making an Inspiration Board, I’ve been clicking her links like crazy, AND (even my husband will be loving her for this) I’ve decided to try to actually implement a Month Long Menu Plan, thus ending the nightly moment of silence that usually follows the dreaded question, “So what’s for dinner?” Anyone else? Show of hands?

She makes it easy by establishing a sort of nightly theme, which I glanced at, improvised for reality, and then drooled over her menus briefly before setting about making something I *might* actually follow, which is the point right? It has to be realistic and possible? So here’s what the remainder of this month might look like in our kitchen (keeping in mind 4 weeks brings us into September, which also brings us quite nicely to My Fabulous Vacation, at which point I coincidentally have 4 nights off from the Dreaded Question of what to make for dinner – awesome, am  right?):

Mondays: freezer food-ish
Tuesdays: italian night
Wednesdays: all american meal
Thursdays: stir fry / skillet meal
Fridays: mexican night
Saturdays: home made pizza (if Hubby says okay of course)
Sundays: something easy

Week One

Monday: Chicken Strips, Potato Wedges & Corn on the Cob
Tuesday: ABC Pasta (from Trader Joes) in Alfredo Sauce, w/ broccoli, French Bread
Wednesday: Hamburgers w/ build your own sides (lettuce, tomato, onion, relish, condiments)
Thursday: Orange Chicken from Trader Joes (dh’s favorite), Asian Stir-fry Veggies, Basmati Rice (my favorite)
Friday: Enchilada Style Mexican Pizza (my personal recipe) w/ guacamole & Fresh Tomatoes, Sour Cream on Side
Saturday: John Deere Pizza? (long family joke, started by my dad): sausage & pineapple
Sunday: filo dough covered brie & sliced fruit

Week Two

Monday: Beer-battered fish, crinkle cut carrots & Mashed Potatoes
Tuesday: Gnocchi, Red Sauce w/ Ground Beef, Garlic Bread
Wednesday: Chicken Pot Pie (totally Mrs. Budds, and not homemade, but who’s judging?)
Thursday: Chicken BBQ Teriyaki style from TJ, Asian Veggies, Basmati Rice
Friday: Build Your Own Soft Taco / Burrito Night
Saturday: Spinach and Feta Pizza perhaps?
Sunday: something easy – any suggestions??

Week Three

Mondays: Steak & Cheese Sandwiches (w/ peppers & onions for dh & provolone or cheddar cheese for everyone), caesar side salads
Tuesdays: Multi-Colored Spiral Pasta (w/ chopped tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, parmesan cheese & other spices), and a peasant bread or Italian bread
Wednesdays: Hot Dogs, Mac’N'Cheese, Baked Beans (the magical fruit)
Thursdays: Beef Teriyaki Stir-Fry from Hannaford Freezer Section (I think)
Fridays: Classic Enchilada Bake – my original recipe
Saturdays: It’s Game Night at Chez Momma, so we’ll do a cheese pizza, pepperoni pizza and two spinach feta pizzas and maybe some homemade breadsticks, too? I might even make a dessert (maybe)
Sundays: Left Over Pizza for sure, maybe w/ some angel hair pasta

Week Four

Mondays: Frozen Taquitos from TJ – combines Frozen Food w/ Mexican Night since [see Friday note below] w/ mexican style corn & basmati rice perhaps?
Tuesdays: Spaghetti & Meatballs
Wednesdays: Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup sounds heavenly
Thursdays: Orange Chicken Night AGAIN because it’s dh’s favorite

FRIDAY WE’LL BE ON VACATION!

Next ambitious task to consider? Making a Preschool Activity Calendar chock full of fun mildly educational things to do with MM. Link found via Simple Mom, I’m sure.

ps: It’s probably a sad sign that this is apparently the first post I’ve ever written about cooking – according to my category list anyway – which probably means this plan is long over due.

pps: So now the only question is what to make for dinner tonight – Sunday? hehe

I read on 5 Minutes for Books about a weekly book meme called Booking Through Thursday – sounds pretty perfect for me, the absolutely book obsessed and the memes look pretty short which is always nice (not to mention all the cool kids are doing it). Maybe I can type this up before MM notices I’m not paying all my attention to his truly? I mean… anyway, here’s this week’s questions?

Are there any particular worlds in books where you’d like to live?

The first one that comes to mind is the dawn of the 20th century in Libba Bray’s Great and Terrible Beauty trilogy – I know it’s not really a world, but given that magic is possible, I’m going with it being a world of it’s own, and in a time that truly fascinates me with the whole women’s suffrage movement and women still being women but also striving to be something more, when something more was truly needed.

Other books that come to mind are the world within His Dark Materials trilogy by Phillip Pullman (jumping through different parallel universes, seeing the different possibilities for reality – as long as I don’t have to go through the specific tragedies that Lyra endures by the end… I think it could be neat; and the world within the Eyre Affair also fascinates me – more with the time jumping and the book jumping and just the whole fascinating world that Fforde creates where everything is kind of exaggerated and fantastical and a little bit conspiratorial, but just so neat. All the best and worst theories you might ever have about the world, true and real and bluntly there… I’d better move onto the next question though before this can no longer be called a short post… (too late?)

Or where you certainly would NOT want to live?

Well any dis-Utopian world or post-apocalyptic world would certainly suck – prime examples being the world in The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood or the whole sucky existence in I Am Legend which I haven’t read yet but I saw the movie and yeah… that’d suck.

What about authors? If you were a character, who would you trust to write your life?

Janet Evanovich and Stephenie Meyer both seem to have my number – I think I could trust them to do me justice, to not make me too perfect or too annoying – they seem to have an understanding of the type of character I’d be – a sort of mixture of Stephenie Plum and Bella Swan but married and with one small monkeyToddler – I think they could handle that.

What would your answers be?

So for this Thursday 13 I am stealing a brilliant idea from Sunshine and Lemonade who decided to do that fun little Google Meme where you type “[your name] needs” and see what comes up – I know there are a lot of variations on this meme, but this seems perfect for a T13, don’t you think? So I was uber-selective and tried to choose only the results I thought I could possibly claim to need or were at least amusing to me – so here they are, 13 things I may be in need of right now…

1. Jen needs … human anatomy lessons. This is probably true – I never exactly paid attention in those classes and have very little real knowledge outside of personal experience. ahem…
2. Jen needs … help. With so, so many things…
3. Jen needs … to move on. There are certainly some aspects of my past that I could probably stand to let go of and move on from now…
4. Jen needs … a new job!!! Actually, I’m all set okay? Some day I will do something new but I’m okay for now. I love being a SAHM for the most part, and wouldn’t want it any other way.
5. Jen needs … to grow up? Soon, I swear… just as soon as I’m done being a kid… when will that be?
6. Jen needs … a nap. I aught to try it more, but usually I can’t sleep within that given set of time – even at night it takes me hours to fall asleep – during the day, by the time I did fall asleep, MM would be waking up from his own nap…
7. Jen needs … to have a session or two with a therapist. Probably couldn’t hurt – I certainly have issues…
8. Jen needs … to look in the mirror more often… haha ouch – but so true. So, so true.
9. Jen needs … a break. And by a break, I mean a vacation – please? Is it September yet?
10. Jen needs … more recommendations. aka help.
11. Jen needs … to get over it. I am a worrier, like most moms probably, I worry way too much, and some times probably just need a chill pill.
12. Jen needs … to get a real life. I’ve mentioned some of my previous attempts? It usually doesn’t have tremendous results…
13. Jen needs … have another baby. Hey if Google says it, it must be true, right? Right?

That’s all folks – for more Thursday 13 fun, head over to the T13 hub!