sing for your supper

The title of the cookbook on top of the pile pretty much sums it up: when Matt gets home from work it's time for dinner.  In order to be prepared for his growling stomach I do some list making nearly every Friday.  I start out by flipping through my recipe binder, recipe box, and any cookbooks I plan on using during the next week.  Some of my favorites are Time for Dinner, Make Ahead: Food Made Fast, and Everday Italian.

I reference this handy guide that I tore out of an old issue of Real Simple to decide on one or two pasta dishes each week.  I'm fond of brown butter and sage combinations and, lucky for me, Matt isn't a big fan of sage so I get to eat it all.  

This week it was cheese ravioli with butternut squash sauce (not from the guide) on Monday night, and I have plans to make a giant batch of gravy (that's tomato sauce to those of you who aren't married to an Italian living in the Cranston-Johnston region) using my mother-in-law's recipe.  I made enough for four pounds of pasta, so I'll store it in the freezer in separate plastic containers for use in the coming weeks.

My recipe box is filled with clippings from magazines, cards from Whole Foods and other stores, and scribbled notes on scraps of paper.     

After I select my recipes I pencil them onto this notepad (referenced here as well), mixing up the meals so we have a variety throughout the week.  This week is a bad example, but usually we have different types of main dishes Sunday through Thursday (pork, beef, chicken, pasta, fish, or vegetarian) and Friday ends up being leftover night.  I leave Saturdays blank because inevitably something will come up during the week and one of the meals will get bumped.  Another thing I left off of this week's menu is the place to find the recipe - typically I'll write 'binder' or 'TFD' (Time for Dinner) next to the meal, as well as sides like mashed potatoes and green beans.  Then I write out my grocery list using the recipes as a guide.  Any other helpful hints?  I'm always looking for ways to streamline the process that is getting dinner on the table!

priorities

(image via etsy seller onneke)

This week I'm instituting a new daily plan inspired by a conversation with Jaclyn and a post on balance by Liz. Now that I'm a stay-at-home mom to Ezra and wife to Matt (ok, so I already was his wife, but now I'm a stay-at-home wife), I want to make the most out of my day.  I don't want to be stuck with my mouth hanging open when people ask me what I do all day, but most importantly, each day I want to feel like I've been productive and spent my time in a worthwhile way.  First things first: I need to be fed spiritually.  For me, that means being in the Word, spending time in prayer, and listening to worship music.  That's priority number one.  Next, I need to do something physical.  Most days that means a walk outside with Ezra in the Moby or some yoga.  Home maintenance is on the list, too, so cooking, cleaning, and organization are a part of my day as well.  Liz also listed creative, outdoors, and education on her daily to do list.  Education is taken care of by the sixteen or so books I'm always reading at any given time.  Outdoors will get easier to check off now that the weather is warming up in Rhode Island.  Ezra and I can go for walks or I can bring a blanket outside so we can play or eat lunch in our yard.  Creative is the one area that I want to work on incorporating more often.  There are so many sewing, crafting, and home DIY projects I want to complete that if I try to do them all in the time Ezra sleeps at night before I go to bed too I'll be working on them until 2012.  And that doesn't include any projects I may decide to do this week.  So here's to prioritization and finding balance in the day-to-day.  What's on top of your to do list each day?       

yet another calendar, and yep, it's free

You've already learned about my love for calendars.  Well, be still my beating heart because Ez over at Creature Comforts has a free, printable 2011 calendar right here.  Be sure to let me know if you've found any 2011 gems in your travels around the blogosphere, and enjoy the weekend!