Meal Plan Monday

I am sadly notorious for spending far too much time trying to find the perfect recipe.  I'll spend hours (how do I have that much time to spend??) searching websites, blogs, pinterest, and cookbooks to find exactly what I want to make.  I also pester Kaston and Nick about what I should make or what they want which, they absolutely hate.

I'm sure you have already come to the conclusion that this time consuming process is ABSURD.  And you're right.  Why in the world do I do this?  It usually produces something wonderful but spending hours on that??  Not okay.

To combat this little problem, I have started making a rough "meal plan" for the week.  Using the weekend to gather up the best looking recipes that I could use for the following week.  This also allows me to make one run to the grocery store and have all the necessary ingredients at hand.  The organizer inside of me loves this little aspect.

I will say that I still fly by the seat of my pants on some nights and that not all recipes get made BUT my hours of searching have been cut down tremendously.

So a regular "Meal Plan Monday" post.  What do you think?  Would you enjoy seeing the recipes from around the web (and other places) that I plan/hope to make throughout the week?  Since this is a new thing I would love to hear some feedback from you!

Please note: The below pictures are not mine!  I had nothing to do with these lovely things!  They all belong to the wonderful blogs featured in the links.  Please go to their site to check out more!

Monday:

Stuffed Acorn Squash from Prevention RD

-This would be perfect for leftover stuffing from Thanksgiving!

Tuesday:

Steak and Arugula Salad from A Chow Life 

-Kaston and Nick eating salad? No way.  Kaston and Nick eating salad when it has been hidden by a big slab of steak? Yes way.

Wednesday:

 Red Beans and Rice from All Recipes

-I made this last week and it was an absolute hit.  The guys are already begging for more.

Thursday:

Skillet Cornbread from The Pioneer Woman

-Let's be honest.  The guys will be eating leftover Red Beans and Rice.  I also made this cornbread last week with a few alterations (add a can of creamed corn and a can of green chilies!) 

Friday:

   Turkey Black Bean Burger from Babble

-Have I ever told you how much of a sucker I am for Turkey Burgers?

-I usually don't plan for Saturdays and Sundays since they are so up in the air and there aren't any set schedules.  However, there are a few more things that I've been wanting to make.....

Snack:

  Classic Hummus from The Pioneer Woman

-I've been wanting some homemade hummus for quite some time now...Mmmm nothing like it.

Breakfast:

Pumpkin Pancakes with Apple Maple Compote from Honey and Jam

-Please see my last post about putting pumpkin into everything.  This would be delightful for our Sunday morning breakfast.

Now obviously this list is quite ambitious.  And I'm not holding myself to making all of these things.  It's just an idea...and a way of organizing.  Mmm organizing.  Hopefully I'll get around to posting the recipes (and my alterations) to the favorites of the week.  Keep an eye out!