What's for Dinner???????

A long time ago, after reading an article of hers at the hairdresser, I subscribed to Martha Stewart Magazine. I remember that it was an article about cleaning out your fridge. Yes, something so mundane and tedious sold me on her magazine! However, the magazines started coming and I stacked them in a basket next to my living room chair, saying "I'll read these soon." (This was before my Little Man was born, so you can be sure if there are magazines in a basket, there's almost two years of dust on top!) They ended up going into the recycling eventually, as I found that sadly, Martha and I couldn't relate. I don't have time to serve four course meals that require long shopping trips and specialty ingredients, I don't own table linens that require steaming before being put on the table or own food chargers, and I certainly don't have enough glitter to re-finish all of my Christmas ornaments. My style, and I suspect most of the people that I know, is less Martha Stewart and more Lynnette Scavo of Desperate Housewives. Kids, messes, bills, working, activities......yes that sounds more like our house!

However, I like the IDEA of elegant suppers on a pretty table. The pretty table...well, I can wait till the holidays or a special occasion to have that. But dinner, one where you enjoy every bite and when you push away your plate can honestly say you enjoyed yourself.....now that's what I love to do. Breakfast I'm a skimp at (that's Hubby's territory) and lunch is usually fast in our house. But lingering over a delicious dinner, that's lovely to me.

So how can you pull this off???? By being organized. I joined Weight Watchers (and quit twice) and the only advice I took with me when I left was "When you fail to plan, you plan to fail." We have several pads of paper on magnets attached to our fridge, and they are for shopping lists, menus, etc. For the last few months I look at the calendar and once a week, I sit down to write a Weekly Menu. Do we always stick to the weekly menu? No. Some nights I've defrosted hamburger to make a nutritious meat loaf and it's so hot out, if I started up the oven I might create a sauna in the kitchen. Sometimes something that sounded awesome a week ago just isn't what the taste buds want tonight! But creating it and trying to stick to it.....the feeling of knowing what's for dinner instead of the "Well what do you want? I don't know....." is half the battle.

It also doesn't have to be a fresh-made show every night. I find it easier to cook several times a week instead of every single night slaving at the stove. The microwave is your friend, as well as the crockpot and dinner reservations. The weekly menu allows you to try different things instead of eating marinated chicken breasts several times a week. Or sticking to meat, starch, vegetable. (our old rut) Introduce your kids to different stuff. Little Man discovered tonight that he likes haddock! Sometimes they'll surprise you.

Give the menu a week or two. You might surprise yourself!