Oh, why, hello! I’m still here! I know, it’s been a while. We have had some big changes in our family this year, so meal planning and blogging were moved to the back burner. But they’re still simmering. I promise the flame on that burner has not gone out. In fact, my daughters are going to start getting involved with the blog and we have some fun things planned. Stay tuned!

Until then, we found Mr. Potato Head in the wild. Don’t worry, he’s not sad or anything, just thinking hard about the last book he read, Demon Copperhead.

Talk soon! Much love! Can’t wait to get back into the food groove with you all!

So, apparently I’m a 7-year-old because I got strep. I’m a little late getting this week up and running, but the antibiotics are kicking in and working miracles! Cate is home for spring break and made us dinner the last two nights. It was awesome!

MONDAY:

• Indian food night, thanks to Maya Kaimal (chicken, paneer, peas, lentils…all the good stuff!)

TUESDAY:

• Chicken pot pie

WEDNESDAY:

• Tomato soup and grilled cheese

THURSDAY:

• Breakfast for dinner: Potato and bacon egg scrambles

FRIDAY:

• Takeout night

SATURDAY:

• Homemade pizza night

SUNDAY:

• Easter brunching! Menu TBD

Your turn! Share your meal plans in the comments below. Thank you!

Happy Belated St. Patrick’s Day! I tried cooking corned beef in the slow cooker for the first time and…after 8 hours on low it was still nowhere near done. Apparently for corned beef you should cook it on HIGH for 8 hours. That is a resilient cut of meat. Anyway, I think I’ll just go back to boiling it in the future. As for las night, we ended up with two hour delay for dinner but filled our time with games, fun and Guinness. It was great! 

MONDAY:

• Roasted chicken and root vegetables

TUESDAY:

• Bistro chicken with mashed potatoes (making double for Tuesday and Wednesday dinners)

WEDNESDAY:

• Pressure cooker pot roast with mashed potatoes and roasted carrots

THURSDAY:

• Eat out after Owen’s middle school orchestra concert

FRIDAY:

• Chicken pot pie

SATURDAY:

• Leftovers

SUNDAY:

• Homemade hamburgers (didn’t get to this one last week)

Okey doke, your turn. Drop your meal plan in the comments below…and thank you in advance!

Hi all! I’m so spotty with cooking this month, failing miserably on my new year’s resolution to cook more…so just gonna reset this week! I have to stop letting crazy weeks stop me from cooking, especially since taking the time to cook has been quite meditative and welcome lately. 

MONDAY:

• Lemon chicken pasta

TUESDAY:

• Roasted salmon, rice and salad

WEDNESDAY:

• Pesto chicken salad sandwiches

THURSDAY:

• Leftovers

FRIDAY:

• Chicken Kai Pa Lo

SATURDAY:

• Takeout night

SUNDAY:

• St. Patrick’s Day Feast! Corned beef, potatoes, salad, and green lemon bars

Your turn! Share your own menu in the comments below. Thank you!!

Hello, all! I blew it last week big time. Holiday weekend, sick kid, all the fun things that change up the schedule. But we gotta get back to business this week!

MONDAY:

• Takeout (starting the week out strong hahahahaha)

TUESDAY:

• Pesto chicken salad sandwiches

WEDNESDAY:

• Spaghetti carbonara

THURSDAY:

• Homemade hamburgers

FRIDAY:

• Leftoversd

SATURDAY:

• Date night! Domino’s delivery for the kids, Domino’s in-restaurant for us (just kidding) 

SUNDAY:

• Pot roast, mashed potatoes and salad

Your turn! Share your own menus below! I just want to say thank you because it has been so nice being back at this and being able to read through your menus every week for inspiration. It is the best!

Hello! I had my menu all ready to go and then forgot to hit publish. So, here we are, Tuesday morning. Oh well!

We have a ton of leftovers, so it’s a nice easy start to the week for me! 

MONDAY:

• Leftovers from Super Bowl

TUESDAY:

• Gumbo leftovers

WEDNESDAY:

• Valentine’s Day dinner with friends

THURSDAY:

• Gnocchi (flavor tbd!)

FRIDAY:

• Rachel sandwiches

SATURDAY:

• Takeout night

SUNDAY:

• Grilled chicken and vegetables

Your turn! Can’t wait to see your menus, there have been so many great ideas lately!

Happy birthday, This Week for Dinner! The blog is officially 17 years old! Thank you to each and every one of you who keeps reading, sharing, meal planning, all of it. Some of you have been here for most (if not all) of that time…our kids were little and now they are big! There have been so many changes and life phases in these past 17 years, but apparently one thing that hasn’t changed is this blog still chugging along. Who’d have thought?? Anyway, thank you all for being a part of the journey. 

MONDAY:

• Chicken stir fry

TUESDAY:

• Chicken Gumbo with Tasso and Andouille Sausage

WEDNESDAY:

• Pasta with Bolognese Sauce

THURSDAY:

• Leftovers

FRIDAY:

• Eat out

SATURDAY:

• Homemade pizza night

SUNDAY:

• Super Bowl Food! Smoked pork belly, salad, Buffalo wings, sweet Chex mix, chips and dips (Go, Niners!)

You all know the drill! Share your menu in the comments below. Thank you and have a great week!

Before I jump into this week’s menu, a quick plug for this recipe: Crispy Rosemary Roast Potatoes. I hadn’t made them in years but we whipped up a batch last night. I remembered that they were good, but every time we eat them we’re like, “Oh yeah, these are SO good.” Okay, on to this week…

MONDAY:

• Ancho BBQ Sloppy Joe

TUESDAY:

• Carnitas Nachos (going to pick up carnitas from Primo Market in Oceanside)

WEDNESDAY:

• Carne Asada Salad with Cilantro Crema

THURSDAY:

• Cilantro Sour Cream Enchiladas

FRIDAY:

• Leftovers

SATURDAY:

• Eat out

SUNDAY:

• Going to ask Nate to smoke us something delicious!

You know the drill…please share your meal plans in the comments below! Looking forward to getting back in this groove with you all. Have a great week!

Hello, This Week for Dinner friends! LONG time no talk. I know that I’ve been short of reliable since last summer in terms of planning meals and cooking. The blog has felt it, you have felt it and my family sure has felt it the most (holy eating-out-all-of-the-time 😳). Life has been in flux more than usual this past year. I am knocking on all of the wood as I say the following, but this week is the first time in a long time that feels normal-ish. And, after so many months of dinner uncertainty and eating out, I am beyond ready to get cooking again.

Carne Asada Salad with Cilantro Crema

With that, here is my food resolution for the year: cook. Cooking is such a lovely excuse at the end of a busy day to breathe. To listen to a podcast, music or audiobook. To spend time with a family member who also likes to cook. To prioritize our health as well as our enjoyment of food. 

Along with a recommitment to cooking, I will once again consistently post a weekly menu! It’s all a part of the same goal and that weekly check-in with you all here on the blog is incredibly helpful. I hope that you will continue to share your menus and recipes with us each week as well!

Cilantro Sour Cream Enchiladas

That said, I’ve also found myself enjoying a few nights a week where I don’t have a plan, where I swing by the store and just grab a couple things for that night. I used to hate that. I think when the kids were younger and required more physical care there simply was no space for impromptu shopping and cooking. These days, however, there is a bit of room for spontaneity, a flexibility in what we cook and eat that I honestly haven’t felt in 19+ years. (Yep, Cate is 19 now!) I will still create a weekly plan, but I may or may not do weekly grocery shopping and I’m giving myself mental permission to mix the plan up when I feel like it!

Gluten-Free Buffalo Chicken

One last thing…my cooking resolution also fits in well with the blog’s yearly resolution related to food and the environment. In terms of trash and food waste, cooking at home is automatically a huge improvement. In addition, when you cook at home you have more control over the ingredients and where they come from, making it easier to source local food as much as possible. So here’s to eating well and putting our own little drop in the bucket for Mother Earth.

I am looking forward to another year of planning, cooking, eating well and enjoying time in the kitchen!