The Charlotte Mason Kitchen

As a busy homeschooling mother, I am sure you have very little time to think about what to cook in the kitchen.
Having been there and done that a few times, ending up at the local Burger King, I grew tired of it, and started to think harder about my options.
My husband, hard worker that he is, is often late on Mondays. We like to go to the library one evening during the week, and I prefer Mondays or Tuesdays as they allow me to get books fot the week.
Taking these considerations in mind, I came up with the foolproof plan... THE DINNER MENU!!!
Here is mine for this week...

THE DINNER MENU

MONDAY	Fast Meal/Precooked Meal	Crockpot Beef and Potatoes
TUESDAY	Soup, Salad or Sandwich	Beef Sandwiches with Beans
WEDNESDAY	Poultry or Meat Free Dish	Pasta Alfredo(for me)/ Fish Sticks and Lima Beans (for my Husband)
THURSDAY	Casserole or Crockpot Dish	Chicken Bake
FRIDAY	Eat Out	Fast Food
SATURDAY	Eat Out	Mid Priced Restaurant
SUNDAY	Eat Out	Mid-Priced Restaurant

In addition to the dinner men, we also instigated a price range in which the local restaurants were placed... so that we could stick to budget, yet still eat out at weekends.
For instance, fast food is cheap, family style dining is more middle of the road. Higher dollar restaurants are left for special occasions.
With all this planning, I managed to get the budget down a little, have a meal ready for my husband when he came home AND still eat out at my favourite locations. I found that, for those days when he was late on a regular basis, that a fast meal, or one that is made ahead with little chance of spoiling (such as a crockpot favourite), were the best choices.
Easy meals were best planned on a day when we might go out afterwards. This is fairly frequent in summer, when the longer days allow for evening strolls.
Planning a menu for the week, is definitely practical. It saves time, money and allows us to focus on the fun we're having as teachers to our children! In addition to this, some meals can be prepared in bulk... cooking two or three of the same meals together, and freezing the extra.


Recipes

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