By request - my meal planning schedule and most recent "must have" purchase.

Life has been super busy lately so I apologize for the less frequent posts. Just a girl trying to keep it all in balance over here. Work, family, and social plans (like all of us) has kept me from blogging! Also our big redecoration project at home. Thanks to a very generous Mother's Day gift (thanks Hubs), I have totally  jumped into accessorizing and updating our living room and dining room. We're married 15 years this year and our decor looked like it too! We change as we get older and our tastes do as well. I'm thrilled with the end result and enjoy being home even more now.




But I digress. Today's blog is about suggestions and requests that I've had from readers. You speak - I listen! Early on I blogged about our family favorite meat loaf recipe. I referenced a meal rotation schedule which helps me stay organized (and less stressed) during a busy week. Approximately 10 dishes that I know my family will eat and enjoy. Having a loose plan when it comes to dinners is a great way to stay balanced. I stress "loose". So a friend and reader inquired about my other recipes. Here you go!

Side dishes usually include a garden salad (I'm a huge salad person) and/or veggies. My kids love carrots, broccoli, any kind of potatoes, corn, peas, and cucumbers. Some combination of those veggies will be on their plate every night of the week. Working on more variety but I pick my battles. Peppers are becoming more popular I'm happy to report.

But here is the "main course" schedule:

Monday's - Chicken Night. This category includes chicken prepared a variety of ways. I make quesidillas a lot. Especially using chicken prepared this way. I've also made cutlets (baked), grilled chicken (usually over a salad), and teriyaki chicken over rice. I have lots of great recipes on my chicken pinterest board.

Tuesday's - Ground Beef Night. Usually beef burgers for the family (and chicken burgers for me). We do all the fixin's too. I'll sub this recipe out for tacos, or meat loaf too. For more "meat" ideas here is my pinterest board.

Wednesday's - Breakfast for dinner Night. My kids LOVE Wednesday nights! I usually do egg/cheese sandwiches, but have done pancakes, waffles, french toast ... you name it. We all enjoy Wednesday nights. Usually our side is a fruit.

.

Here's a shot of the magic happening Wednesday night. 

Thursday's - Pasta Night. Just last night we had spaghetti and meatballs. But have also done Mac n Cheese, Penne primavera, and I've been known to do soups on this night too. Lots of great pasta recipes on my pinterest board too.

Friday's - Pizza night. Pizza for the kids and flat breads for the husband and I. Doesn't every household in America have pizza on Friday nights? In fact I'm looking forward to our dinnertime shortly. I'm making a veggie flat bread (using tortillas) for us and the kids will have regular pizza.

Like this ... So good! 

Saturday and Sunday - I don't have a plan for these nights. Usually we go out. Either to a casual restaurant or to a friend's house. I'll entertain too and my menu depends on who we're having over and how many. Sunday is usually dinner at my parents which is a treat.

So there you have it! Hope this is useful and I'll continue to post recipes along the way. If you adopt this loose schedule feel free to adjust it to your needs. I strategically have these nights assigned by our P.M. activities schedule.

Now onto my 2nd suggested blog post ... my most recent purchase. As you may have read, I'm a HUGE pico de gallo lover. I make a big batch every week and use it a wide variety of ways. I shared the recipe here. But it takes a lot of work chopping all those veggies. Not that it's not worth it ... because it is. In addition, I'm a sucker for "As Seen on TV" items and couldn't resist buying the "1 Second Slicer" when advertised on TV (naturally). It's everything I had hoped for and more. It literally took me less than 10 minutes to chop everything I need for my pico. And I used it for strawberries and cantaloupe too. Also carrots and cucumbers (mandolin blade). This slicer has 3 different blades. Small and large squares and a mandolin. All super sharp (I have a slice on my thumb to prove it). Here are a couple shots of all my chopping. I love it!

Using the small squares

And the large square blade. 

And lastly my beautiful pico! All done in minutes! 

That's what I have for ya'll today. Side note ... you can buy the 1 second slicer for less at Walmart. I saw it there today and was sort of annoyed! You mine as well save yourself a little extra $ if you plan to pick it up. 

Thanks for stopping by and here's to another day closer to a life in balance ...

xo

Sloane