What's for Dinner?

I've been ignoring this blog in favor of, oh I don't know... living life?  Back today with our meals list for the week.


We live right around the corner from a Harris Teeter and can run over there in <5 minutes, but today I went to Trader Joe's (a bit of a hike for us so I try to limit to 2x/month).  We have a fridge full of food!

I usually do my menu planning on Tuesday.  Why?  Well,  Tuesday night is our "dining out" night so instead of spending time cooking dinner, I spend it planning dinners for the rest of the week.  Kids eat free at Moe's and MacAlisters on Tuesday.  Moe's has to be the best deal in town- we can feed our whole family for well under $20 and the food is good, to boot.

Without further ado, our weekly menu:

Mon:   Potato-leek soup and roasted brussel sprouts
Tues:   Moe's
Weds:  Tuna casserole and green salad with feta and pomegranate seeds
Thurs:  Leftovers (supplemented with soup/salad/pasta as needed)
Friday: Pizza and spinach salad
Sat:  Eat out or grilled sausages or cheese fondue with salad
Sun:  Butternut squash and spinach shepherd's pie

We're baking pumpkin bread right now and I also plan to make zucchini bread and banana bread tonight or tomorrow.  The kids love these quickbreads; they are quick to bake and also make quick snacks or breakfast!  Recipes to come...

Yeah. We'll see how this goes.  I often get frustrated that I spend all this time planning/shopping/cooking and then the kids barely touch their food.  Mollie (6.5) is getting MUCH better about trying things so there is a little satisfaction!

Two Days In

Technically, our family of 5 (M&D + 2 girls (6 and 2) and a boy (7 months)) moved to Charlotte, NC a little over 3 weeks ago, but then we went on a 2 week vacation.  So, we really only started to live in Charlotte yesterday.  And, just to be complete and transparent, we actually live in a northern suburb of Charlotte.

In this space I will document our adventures in our new home.  Do I like Charlotte, NC?  The jury is still out.

Day 0 (Sunday):  Drove home from the airport.  Dinner at Zapata's Cantina (kids eat free on Sunday).  Street tacos were delish, if a little pricey; the free kids meals make up for it though.

Day 1 (yesterday):
Grocery shopping @ Harris Teeter (did you know Harris Blvd. is named for the founder of HT?) and swimming at our HOA pool. Also checked out the local Gymboree play place (pricey) and Bruegger's bagels.

Day 2 (today): Extremely jet-lagged, but decided to venture to Ikea.  Good idea.  Kids eat free at the cafe this week!  If you can avoid buying a bunch of stuff, Ikea is a great frugal trip.  There are plenty of places for kids to play (including the huge children's area) and the bathrooms are family friendly.  I must get LP potty trained so we can try out Smaland (MC won't go in there without her sister).

Well, so far so good.  Must get rest.  Kids request "the park" but it is supposed to be mid-90's tomorrow.  I'm thinking of stopping by a local nursery or the UNCC Botanical Gardens.