This blog has been created based on the principle that the average family has a finite number of dinner meals that they enjoy and will eat with enthusiasm. That number may be anywhere from two weeks' worth of meals to four or five weeks' worth of meals.
With this understanding, there are two basic reasons for this four-week menu plan. First, trips to the grocery store can sometimes be difficult, especially without a list. But if the basic ingredients that will be used over and over again in any given family's kitchen are known ahead of time, it becomes habit to purchase these items--and no more--on a trip to the grocery store, especially if it is quick or unexpected. Also, these same items can be purchased in quantity when they go on sale. This is an added bonus when funds are limited.
Second, children nearing or in their teens are perfectly capable of meal planning, grocery shopping, and meal preparation. The most difficult part is simply knowing what to purchase, and what to prepare. But since it has been established that there is a predetermined repertoire of meals that will be prepared over the course of a month, this task becomes much easier.
Thus, this "cookblog." You will find twenty eight days of meals here, that are meant to make cooking for the family much easier, healthier, and cheaper. Simply take the predetermined list to the grocery store, purchase the necessary items, and use them as needed in meal preparation. Most of the meals can be prepared in the slow cooker, and if necessary, can also be prepared on the stovetop or in the oven. These meals were created with a lower fat intake and reduced calorie count in mind, so fish, chicken, and turkey are used in practically every dish, with few exceptions.
Of course, every family's meal needs will differ. The recipes are meant to serve a family of four, with leftovers when possible for lunch the next day. Larger families can easily double, triple, etc these recipes as needed; beef or pork loving families can make substitutions as desired (i.e., use ground beef instead of ground turkey, or prepare a pork roast in place of roast chicken). Simply make the necessary adjustments in the grocery list, as well.
There is somewhat of a theme for the days of the week. For example, Tuesdays are either Asian or cajun/creole meals. Wednesdays are either pasta or fish meals. Fridays are Mexican meals. Yet these are not meant to be hard-and-fast rules. Rather, the goal is to enable meal selection and preparation to be easy, complete with memory triggers, so to speak. You might choose, for instance, not to eat tacos on Day 13 of the menu rotation, but you might still choose to make it a Mexican meal night, and select another Mexican meal instead.
Hopefully you will find this cookblog to be the answer to what is inevitably every family's daily struggle. Comments and feedback are not only welcome, they are desired!
