alo's place: What's Cookin?

so, in an attempt to be a better wife and save some money, i have started planning meals. i plan 3 weeks worth of meals. :) today is the second round. the first round went very well, so now i am trying it again. basically, i go shopping for all 3 weeks worth of food outside of the fresh fruits and veggies and milk (we go thru about 2 gallons of mills a week...yes, there are only 3 of us living here). since i shop on mondays, tomorrow i will cook all the meat so it doesnt go bad, bag it into appropriate serving sizes, and label it for the meal. i actually have saved a lot of time and money doing this. i have found this really cute meal planner dry erase board with matching shopping list pad...pictures below...at target. instead of doing lunch, dinner and notes, i decided to just do dinners. we always eat leftovers or simple sandwiches for lunch...so no planning needing. the planning also helps so that i am not making the same meal every week.

so, you probably have noticed that i changed my blog up aesthetically a few weeks ago. i found my title font from this really cool blog. after downloading my font, i started looking around amanda's blog and found some pretty good looking recipes. when i started my meal agenda i printed a few of the recipes and we tried some the first go round...soooo good! tonight i made the cheesy chicken, bacon and avocado quesadillas...amazing, for real, and super easy!! there are only a couple i have not made because they are not our style, but i am sure they are delicious...try some! you should also check out her other posts...there are so many good things!! over easter break i went through one of my mother-in-law's cook books and wrote down 19 new recipes...oh my...my hand was killing me! i cant wait to try some for the next go round!!

i have also found so much joy in baking the past few weeks. i have always loved baking, but lately it has become somewhat of a creative outlet. i have made cookies, pies, cakes, and plenty of cupcakes. for easter i made a pina colada cake...DELICIOUS...and it looked pretty too! most of my recipes for baking come from the cake mix doctor cookbooks (i have two different editions) and they all turn out awesome! lisa bought me a really cute pastry stand (great for cupcakes!) 2 weeks ago and it has already been used a few times! :) i will have to start taking pictures of what i bake...dont drool on your keyboard though! today i bought a tool for decorating and/or filling cupcakes...YES!!! i think that tomorrow i will make homemade dingdongs. i hope that my softball team is ok taste testing for me. good thing we are starting softball so that i dont gain a TON of weight! :) if you are in the area and are ever in the need for some baked goods, let me know...i would love to make something for you! better yet, come over for dinner and dessert!! :) but seriously...let me know if you need something baked...i would love to do it. i am working on my decorating skills, even planning on taking a set of classes with my friend, breezy. what a fun hobby!

anyway, here are a few pics of my meal planner...