What We're Eating

So far in 2011, we've been meal planning. Our reasons are for convenience at the grocery store, to save money and to use the twenty or so cookbooks I have in my possession. I have to say it has been mostly good - we pick recipes that sound good, obviously. It has been really helpful to see that the low-carb (or no-carb) orders my doctor has recently given me aren't a death sentence for my love of cooking.

As we get ready to repeat our first recipe since January 1st, I thought I'd compile the list in one spot. I gotta say, sometimes I miss just throwing together a meal from "whatever is left" but I think it has been good for me to stop making so many casseroles that can't be repeated (because I don't measure what goes in them) and to start making a more varied menu. We usually pick 3-4 meals per week since there are just two of us and there are usually leftovers. And on busy nights, I will sometimes just eat a quick omelet (especially if Matt is gone to ref a basketball game). There is also the occasional date night or the night at a friend's house for dinner.

Below is a list of the main dishes we've made so far this year. We eat a steamed vegetable or salad with every meal that doesn't already include a lot of veggies, but we usually don't follow a recipe for that. And while it's just natural for me to tweak recipes as I cook them, I've tried to stay true to most of these in order to keep an accurate record of whether or not it's a recipe we should keep or never make again. Here's to happy cooking and eating!

Cast-Iron Skillet Sloppy Joes

Ratatouille over "Cauli-rice"

Soy-Marinated Chicken with Asparagus

Cajun 15-Bean Soup

Pumpkin Harvest Soup

Pot Roast Beef with Guinness

Golden Chicken with Tomatoes and Olives

Turkey Meatloaf

Southern Beef Chili

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Grilled Salmon Salad

Kale, Bean and Chicken Sausage Stew

African Beef Curry

Alaska Burgers

Broccoli Chicken Supreme

Charlotte Cady's Ground Beef Soup

Sweet Potato Hamburger Pie

Pork Chops with Mustard Cream Sauce

Almond Chicken with Apricot Sauce

Beef and Barley Soup

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Ricotta Stuffed Bell Peppers

Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti with Spicy Shrimp

Feta Asparagus Frittata

Pork Tenderloin with Nutmeg and Garlic Spinach

Meatless Mexican Lasagna

Loaded Baked Sweet Potatoes