October Challenge for End ’08 Great

This month it’s cooking!

I really want to do a better job of getting cooking done so I am happy to have this motivation. The introductory article is a great resource, discussing having a master menu plan and base grocery list. She also provides samples and blanks.

One key thing I see in having a master plan is that you have to have a wide range of options. Not so wide it’s unmanageable, but wide enough that you don’t get bored with it.

We tend to get in a rut and do the same thing for a few months and then get tired of it. But I am looking to begin using the crock pot and collecting other good recipes here. There are a lot of nights that we aren’t home, but the meals are still useful for lunch and individual dinners since on any given night usually at least one of us is eating at home.

Todo for this week – work up a master menu plan and a grocery list. Then begin to put it into action! It will be nice to have a month’s worth of meals already in the pantry and fridge with limited weekly purchases.

I’ve treated cooking as one thing I can ignore while I work to keep everything else under control. But I am going to change my thinking to see cooking as one thing I can control and contribute to my home, even amidst everything else that is going on.