My week... and meal plans

This isn't so much a recipe, as it is just a check-in. I know it's been a week since I last posted. I'm still busy cooking away, figuring out what to cook next, homeschooling, etc. So, in honor of what I'm working on today (my menu/shopping list for the next 2 weeks), I decided to just share some meal plans instead.

About a year ago I switched to doing my main grocery shopping every 2 weeks, instead of every week. It started because my favorite grocery store (WinCo) was 25 minutes away, and I was looking to save time & gas. I've continued shopping like that, even though a new location opened just 5 minutes from my house. It only takes me maybe 30 more minutes to do a double shopping trip, and the biggest benefit is that every other weekend, I have a Saturday free of grocery shopping! :)

Here are my dinners from last week. (I never plan out breakfast & lunch, although we always eat those at home, too.)

• Sloppy Joes for dad & kids, I had Chicken Tortilla Soup at a Pampered Chef party
• Glazed Meatloaf, Cranberry Poppyseed Salad, & bakery sourdough loaf
  
• Cheesy Chili Mac (a Cook's Illustrated recipe, you can find it here)
• Spaghetti & Sausage (jarred sauce, and sliced turkey kielbasa- one of our favorite quick recipes)
• Easy Red Beans & Brown Rice
• Little Caesars (I was out for the night)
• Crockpot Chicken Stroganoff
• Creamy Turkey Casserole
• After Thanksgiving Turkey Soup (I cooked a whole turkey, can you tell?)
• Breakfast for dinner- scrambled eggs, bacon, and blueberry banana muffins
• Mexican Pizza
• Guiltless Alfredo Sauce, Chicken & Noodles

Then this is what I have planned for the next 2 weeks:

• Crockpot Beef & Gravy (over brown rice that I made ahead of time)
  
• Superbowl Party- I'm bringing these brownies (I'm making them for the first time) and this salsa with chips.
• Chicken Teriyaki
  
• Hot dogs (it's a MOPS night, this is for dad & kids)
• Chicken Enchilada Bake (I'm excited to try this out out; I'll post after I make it)
• Caramel Apple Pork Chops, package of couscous, and salad
• Taco Stuffed Shells
• Easy Red Beans & Rice (we're having this again- I'm trying to see if this works as a freezer meal)
• Chicken Fajitas with Refried Beans
  
• Baked Chicken, Cheddar & Herb Biscuits (another new recipe)

I still have a couple more days to plan out. Oh, plus I'll be making a batch of caramel corn, because one of Dave's coworkers wants to buy another batch of it. :) So, if you don't see me posting so much, this is why! Cooking, cleaning, and caring for these little munchkins is a full-time job!







Sidenote- this is from the ice storm we had 2 weeks ago. We had 7" of snow, followed by about 1/2" of ice. This was our front yard!