At the potluck

I have the best intentions when it comes to meal planning. When I really have my life together, I pull out my Taste of Home Quick Cooking cookbook, 2001 edition, (approximately 85% of what I cook comes from its cherry pie filling-stained pages) and write meals down on the blank calendars I have so dutifully printed out and stuck in the front of the book. 

Source

And that's as far as it goes. Do I grocery shop for the ingredients, basic as they may be, needed for the quick and easy recipes? Do you think I would be writing this if the answer was yes? 

The more realistic version of meal planning in my house happens in reverse. I reflect on the meals I made over the past week and figure out what worked and what ... didn't. 

Here's how the main courses of last week played out:

Monday- Slow-cooked beef stroganoff 

I put some frozen roast beef (pre-cooked), a bag of frozen green beans, a can of cream of mushroom soup, half a can of water and some sour cream in the slow cooker and let it cook on high for 5 hours. (I would have put in on low for 8 hours if I had got it ready before I left for work.) After it was done cooking, I served it over noodles with sour cream. 

Reaction from the Food Critic (aka Jim): The meat was a little on the fatty side. Since the meat was gifted to us, I'm not too concerned about it.

Additional notes: It would also be good served over rice.

Tuesday- Pizza bagels

I cut three plain bagels in half and layered them with pizza sauce, cheese and pepperoni. I broiled them for five minutes. 

Reaction from The Food Critic: Yum! Are there more? 

Notes: This would also work well with English muffins.

Wednesday- Coachmen's!

Jim went to a basketball game with a friend, so I ordered in a taco salad from our 

favorite local restaurant.

Thursday- Ham and cheese scrambled eggs and strawberry milkshakes 

Pretty self-explanatory, although I like putting ketchup on my eggs. I wish I could say it's a pregnancy thing ... but it's not.

Reaction from The Food Critic: Non-committal, but since he went to Bible class with a full stomach, I'm counting it as a win.

Friday- ???? 

I really don't know what's going to be on the table tonight. We're going to auditions at the community theatre tonight for Willie Wonka: The Musical, so it's possible we'll enjoy a delicious sandwich from our newly-opened Subway.

I tend to cook only at suppertime since breakfast is grab-and-go (yogurt, bananas, bagels, toast or cereal) and lunch is usually leftovers. My go-to kitchen appliance is the slow cooker. I've found that if you put in meat, vegetables or potatoes and cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup, let it do its thing for 6-8 hours and serve over rice or pasta, it turns out OK. Is it gourmet? Absolutely not. But I'm a Lutheran Swede and therefore anything starchy in white sauce resonates with me.

While this catch-as-catch-can method has worked for my family for well, basically always, I'm trying to get a bit more organized before Stormy joins us in May. (That's why I ordered a cute Home Management Notebook from Kayse at FindingHope.com - I can't wait to use it!) It's not that I'm lacking in recipes or even the skills to make meals: It's the execution of meal planning where I fail. 

So I'm going to be more intentional about planning menus — every Sunday I'll post the menu I'm planning for the coming week, take-out and all. I'll be honest: My recipes aren't exceptional or original. But they work for me, a busy working mom and community volunteer, and if you like the type of food found at a church potluck, you're in the right place. 

Check here on Sundays for "At the Potluck" at Lutheran Thrifty Mama!