Well, it won't be
my version of Julie & Julia, but I have a plan for meals for the next few months. This is always a tricky time of year for us. Haley is growing, growing, growing and playing basketball, so she needs to eat twice as much, it seems. Meredith is in her 6th month of vegetarianism, but her go-to meal is usually pasta and cheese, so she needs a better plan. Steve & I are growing in other ways ... January is always a good month to shed the old food habits and hopefully a few pounds along with them. I'm still holding on to the tradition of a family dinner every night, but I don't want to short-order cook for everyone's preferences. And, realistically, with job and sport schedules, I need a meal that can be served early for some, and held later for others.
So, I decided to consult with Mollie and Pam:


I selected 20 weeknight dinners for the month. Weekends can be more spontaneous. Meredith has agreed to eat some seafood, so there are one or two meals with shrimp or clams. The rest are either vegetarian, or can be prepared with the meat added at the last minute, so I can serve hers plain and double-up for Haley.
I made my calendar and a shopping list for each week. So far, so good. We've had a few unusual things and we've liked everything so far. The best part is having a plan, knowing what I'm going to make, and having the ingredients at-the-ready. What are you making this month?