grocery lists and dinner.

{my desk…usually graced with a cup of coffee}

do you love lists? do you set a menu for the week? i find it very helpful to do this before heading to the grocery. its keeps waste to a minimum and is less stressful knowing what you are making ahead; so on a busy week night you dont have to think, and can even sometimes get ahead of the game and prep dinner early. im not saying i do this too often but when i do, (cue. dos equis guy) the after school madness is much less stressful. 

{a sample of my list for the week and dinner schedule}

so basically the approach i take is first taking inventory of what we have, and what we need. i write down things we have i could use and try to incorporate them into meals. 

i have columns of produce, meats/breads/etc, and dairy/other things like soap and toilet paper. for some reason that works for me; not sure why. i try to pick something special with a good dessert for sundays. during the week i aim for a few simple things. i look through cookbooks and on blogs for dinner ideas and inspiration. 

how do you plan out the week? any favorite family dinners you want to share? 

here are a few of my favorite blogs for dinner ideas:

dinner a love story
smitten kitchen
101 cookbooks
not without salt

i’ll get together some of my favorite cookbooks to share with you later. promise. 

and so for this weeks line up we have, drumroll. . .

sun. grilled pork chops, twice baked potatoes, and mix green salad
mon. aunt emily’s asian chicken pasta salad with spinach and scallions
tues. veggie/quinoa soup, bread and fruit
wed. hot dogs, broccoli slaw salad, pineapples and mangoes
thurs. tomato soup + grilled cheese
fri. order pizza, im pooped. 

happy planning!