I am organized, highly organized, highly organized to a fault.  I do certain things on certain days and that’s that.  Normally I do my grocery shopping on Tuesday…Senior Citizen discount day at my favorite grocery store.  I shop sales and specials and I get an additional 5% off, plus points for a discount on gas.   Last week I deviated from the norm.  The grocery specials were not particularly great and I didn’t need to restock on Tuesday.  The “Ole” Buckeye had gone to Costco on Monday and we were well supplied.

The new sale flyer came out on Wednesday and while I was waiting for the 11 year old at the orthodontist, I made my grocery list for next week.  (Are you beginning to get the picture….grocery shopping on Tuesday, creating the next grocery list when the flyer appears on Wednesday.)  There were not too many specials that caught my eye except the sale on pork.   By Thursday evening I realized we would need eggs before next Tuesday.  Unfortunately I had not put them on the Costco list.

As I contemplated meals for next week, I came up with yet another plan of attack.  I have vowed to conquer the ever growing recipes on https://www.pinterest.com/carolhood2/looks-good-enough-to-try/   which currently has 516 pins (that’s a lot of cooking!)  A new stragedy!  I would create a meal plan prior to my weekly grocery shopping trip that would include a variety of interesting new meals. The plan would focus on including the grocery specials for the week and pantry and refrigerator items already on hand.

So here is my meal plan for next week.  (As an aside, I decided to do this on Friday, not my normal shopping day.  I had a morning appointment scheduled and would be close to both Trader Joe’s and the Kroger I like).  Bad planning since this was the day prior to the predicted Armageddon Snow Storm of 2016.  What a nightmare.  I was about to turn back home, but the sleet began, and I too became a little bit panicked.

Oh well, back to the meal plan.

Sunday:  Oven Roasted Fajitas  Since it is a football game day and I have chili con queso left from the holidays to use as a starter.

Monday:  Orange Chicken  

Tuesday:  Penne Pasta Florentine with Mushroom and Spinach (Meatless Meal)

Wednesday (family dinner day):  Pan Roasted Pork Chops (a family favorite Emeril recipe) with Sweet Potato Curly Fries and Bang Bang Cauliflower

Thursday:  Chicken with Sun Dried Tomato Cream Sauce

Friday:  Slow Cooker Mexican Quinou (Meatless Meal)

Saturday:  Date Night with the Girls  (Meal and location TBD)  We have tickets to see an a cappella concert.   The girls loved Pitch Perfect! and it is a fundraiser for  Wings Over America.

The plan includes 5 untried recipes from “Looks Good Enough to Try” (they are in bold letters), 1 crockpot meal, and 2 meatless meals.  As an aside…if you haven’t read previous posts, I want to have at least one meatless meal per week,  add to my crockpot recipe favorites, and conquer my Pinterest Board.

Soooo…the refrigerator and freezer are stocked and I am ready to conquer.  I plan to have leftovers, some for lunches, some for dinners, some to be frozen for future use.  As I proceed, I will blog about the successes and the failures.  Hopefully I will remember to take pictures!  Ahhh..pictures, my biggest downfall.