Weeksworld Weekly Menu #1

This past week this MOM on ADD has been busy purging papers, pruning lists and links, and re-instituting routines that help keep me riding the ADD tides, instead of flaying and floundering in them.

The past few weeks an unsettling nightly ritual has developed -- it's 5:30 and Mom is doing loops around the kitchen, mumbling "what's for supper" as I open and close cabinets, fridge and freeze hoping in vain for the kitchen fairy godmother to appear and wave her wand. 

There have been too many dinners of frozen Trader Joe's burritos, drive thru and take out in Weeksworld lately.

It was time to re-institute the Weeksworld Weekly Menu Plan (WWMP)! 

In the heat of the summer, supper is easy -- after a day at the beach, just throw some meat, chicken or fish and vegetables on the grill, a bit of rice, couscous, grits or polenta on the side, quick & simple -- but now that there is a chill in the air we all crave those comfy cozy suppers -- braises, stews, soups, chilies and casseroles. 
And jam-packed schedules -- school, sports, play dates, boy scouts, birthday parties, homework and endless Mom errands -- demand a plan with plenty of 30-minute or less and slow cooker (ready to eat when you walk back in the door) suppers!

So I got back to my ol' Sunday routine - crack open my recipe binders, peruse a cookbook or two, make the plan & make the list.

So here's this week's plan . . .

• Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday recipes are from America's Test Kitchen's Slow Cooker Revolution
  -- my favorite slow cooker cookbook. 
• Wednesday's supper is from the November 2012 issue of Everyday Food. 
• Sunday's pizza party is courtesy of Springboard Conference sponsor, Rustic Crust. (We enjoyed two of their pizza crusts the Sunday after the conference, and I froze the remaining two.)

While sitting thru swim practice yesterday afternoon, a mom glanced over at my lists in progress and asked "Will your kids eat those dinners?"

I was happy and proud, to say "Yes. Yes, they will."

Sure there have been, and will continue to be, the occasional accommodation for palate maturity and personal preferences, but ever since the Baron of Boredom took his first spoonfuls of homemade applesauce, I have been determined to raise adventuresome eaters.

The way I see it, every restaurant's kids' menu has chicken tenders & fries, and my kids order 'em just like everyone else's do. And I know too many kids that will go on a hunger strike if there isn't a box of mac & cheese in the house.

Ok, I admit, we haven't introduced sushi just yet, and I admire & envy those moms that have sushi-eating tikes, but one day soon...