How to "do" dinner

Dinner...one of the never ending jobs of mom. I've tried many different methods to help me in this endeavor but have come to the realization that there is no magic "quick fix".

It seems to me that the two most common problems with the "dinner dilemma" is a) what am I going to make? and b) do I have what I need to make it? If I have both these problems solved, then I feel much better about making dinner.

So one day I sat down to make a menu list for the upcoming week and realized that I have quite a long list of meals that my family likes, so why do I always stress about what to make? Let me show you what I've done lately -

1. Each day of the week gets assigned a "food category":
Monday = Chicken
Tuesday = Cheap 'n Easy (no jokes please)
Wednesday = Food Storage or Soup
Thursday = Cheap 'n Easy again
Friday = Beef
Saturday = Chicken
Sunday = Crock pot or other "slow cook" meal

2. Find 4-6 meals the family likes for each of the above categories. If you need to start out small, then just find 2 meals for each. I suggest you only use meals that you KNOW your family likes to eat and YOU like to make it (if you put too many meals on that are new then you may end up not liking them and then you've wasted time).

3. What does "cheap 'n easy" mean? Something that takes very little brain power. Something that possibly my 7 year old can make himself: leftovers, corn dogs, mac & cheese, hot dogs, frozen pizza, etc . . . Right now I have 2 nights a week for these dinners, but often times it is 3 or even 4 times - don't judge, just love!

4. Fill in a 4 week calendar with your meals. When I did this I had enough meals to go a 5th week and a few leaked over to a 6th week. Then rotate through these meals for the month.

5. Make your shopping list in 2 week chunks. I usually do one main shopping trip to get most of the food for 2 wks, but end up doing a 2nd shopping trip later on to get a few more "fresh" items like milk, fruit, and vegetables.

I am liking this system because I feel like I can still save money like in freezer cooking but without the hectic day of cooking for 8 hours straight. Plus the fresh meals vs. frozen meals is a plus. I rarely have the miserable thought "what should I make for dinner tonight?" And I know that I'll have the supplies to make it.

Here is my 6 week schedule (click on link, then "download" on the left) for ya'll to see and get ideas from. I'd love to hear what you think about it and what other ideas you have for a successful dinner plan.

Love, Liz

Eye of the Tiger - w00t!

This is video shot at Jackson's first football scrimmage last September. Right before the game was to start the coaches turned on some music (Eye of the Tiger - RAWR) to get them "pumped". I noticed Jackson and the boy next to him were really getting into it with some hilarious dancing. By the time I grabbed the camera they had stopped, but fortunately he added a few more grooves for the camera's benefit.

GG jack! (he's the one with the red mouth guard)

JibJab fun

After my sister Laura sent us her JibJab movie I knew we had to make our own. We spent hours together laughing about the movies we were making. I apologize in advance for the "graphicness" for some of them, but they were too funny to pass up (nothing too horrible so don't worry).



here are some more if you'd like to see the others we made . We made over 20 movies in all (I told you we had fun)! But these are the best ones, ENJOY!

1. Unnecessary Force. Same movie as above, but different faces.

2. The Can-Can. A better version where Brianne doesn't look dead.

3. The Hussle #1

4. The Hussle #2. Maegann didn't like being the "guy", so this is the one where she gets to be "beautiful". Co-staring Grandpa Kirkby.

5. The Chiquita Girl. Don't tell Jackson I published this one!

Genesis

Whew! I finally did it! I've been wanting to start a blog for a long time, but have always had excuses as to why not. My biggest set back has been that I can't find my new digital camera - and since I want to post pictures on our blog I've been waiting to find it. I still have not found it and am starting to really stress about it. Is it silly to pray for a lost camera? I think I'll try!

To start with, I think I'll introduce the kids . . .

Brianne Elizabeth - our first born, 11 going on 18! 5 foot 9 inches and lovin' it (sometimes). She started 6th grade this fall and I think she is enjoying it. She doesn't have any "boyfriends" at the current time, but she does have boys that are friends. She has developed some great talents over the last year - cooking and sewing are her favorites. Remind me sometime to tell you about how my girls made dinner for us all summer long. It was great! Brianne has been taking piano for awhile now and is starting to enjoy it.




Hannah Nicole - 9 years young and loving it! Hannah is maturing so nicely and is so beautiful! She has been growing her hair out lately - thank heavens "straight" hair is in style. Hannah has always loved animals and has officially learned the difference between wanting to be a "vegetarian/veterinarian" when she grows up. At first we didn't know which she meant and after explaining to her that a vegetarian doesn't eat meat (i.e. chicken wings, hamburgers, etc ...) she quickly realized she meant "veterinarian". After a few tongue-tied attempts at saying each of the V words, she has it straight!



Jackson Brian - turns 7 this week. It became official last May, Jackson is "Girl Trapped"! Our only Boy so far, Jackson has 2 older sisters and 2 younger sisters. I told him a few weeks ago that he will one day love the fact that he has all these sisters around him - just wait 'till you can meet all their CUTE friends! He's not convinced. Jackson just finished his first season of football. It wasn't quite the thrills and excitement his dad was hoping it would be - but we all survived! More than anything, we were glad he persevered.




Maegann Kathryn - large and in charge! Our Little Miss Maegann is 4 and a half - a cutie pie with attitude! Her preschool this year is in Lehi (a twenty-five minute drive), but it's definately worth it. She is getting the attention and training she needs for her speech delay and I think it is working well. Maegann's best friend is her brother Jackson - the two of them play and play and play and play. When the giggles turn to screams (of joy) I have to remind myself that it is a good thing that they like to play with each other so well. Jackson won't admit it, but she is his best friend too. The thing that's so great about Maegann is how much she loves her family. She gets along great with all her siblings - even baby Savannah gets special attention from Maeg. Now if we can just get her to be a little more submissive to mom and dad's requests we'd be a lot better off!

Savannah Lee - our latest bundle of joy! This little girl is the BEST BABY EVAR! I've heard of these types of baby's, but never thought I would get one. She sleeps 12 (or more) hours at night! Down at 7ish and doesn't make a peep until after 7:30 am. Not only is she a good sleeper, but her temperament is so happy. She is also very "transparent" with her needs. In other words, when she does cry, it is very easy to figure out what she wants/needs - food? sleep? diaper? comfort? The first baby I've ever had that gets fussy when tired and then is happy when I finally lay her down in bed to sleep. She drifts off to sleep without a binki or a feeding. So great!

Well, I think I'll end it here for today. We'd love to hear from you!

Love,
Brian, Liz, Brianne, Hannah, Jackson, Maegann, and Savannah