Five Boys: What's for Dinner

Being the Type A personality that I am, organization is what rocks my boat. It also keeps me sane. I have tried grocery shopping by the seat of my pants, but it just doesn't work for me. I forget stuff. A lot of stuff. And when I have seven mouths to feed, it gets difficult. So I have resorted to menu planning for our dinners, and it works! I love knowing what I am feeding everyone ahead of time. I love knowing that I have all the groceries in the house. I love knowing that I don't need to set foot into the grocery store for another week. I am able to thaw my meat out ahead of time. I can do prep work throughout the day while the kids are in school. I can breathe. Have I convinced you yet?

That is not to say that my dinner plans are set in stone. I get thrown curve balls that upset even the best laid plans. Big curve balls! But that just means that dinner is set for tomorrow. I also have time to cajole even the biggest naysayer that eggplant is good for them (maybe). Ready to try it? More on this later.

On to this week:

Monday: Quesadilla Casserole
               A McCormick spice package that has the recipe and spices pre-measured. My children love all Mexican! This is an easy recipe and is much loved.

Tuesday: Spiced Chicken with Maple Butter Glaze and roasted asparagus
               More recipes from my favorite cookbook The Six O'Clock Scramble. Yum!

Wednesday: Manhattan Clam Chowder with soup crackers
               My children love clams. Conor thinks that he likes clam chowder. The rest are not big soup fans, though. I hope to convert them.

Thursday: Bacon and Cheese Stuffed Potatoes and Roast Chicken
               I will get the roast chicken already cooked from the store. You can't beat that! You had me at bacon and cheese for the potatoes.

Friday: Christmas Pasta
               This is a Rachael Ray recipe from her 365: No Repeats cookbook. It has become a tradition of ours to have it on Christmas Eve. Loved by all!

Saturday: Boneless Rib-eye Roast with asparagus and cheesy potatoes
               I had to take out a second mortgage on the house for the meat, but it is so worth it. Everyone loves the potatoes. I will have a Red Velvet Cake for our special Christmas dessert.

Sunday: Cleaning out the fridge of all the wonderful left-overs!

Enjoy! Happy Holidays!!