Menu Plan 4/9-4/15

My menu plans are going to be a little bit different than normal this week and next week, as I have guests visiting.  My sister in law is here through Saturday, and my mother in law is flying in on Thursday, so their visits will overlap a couple of days.  After she leaves, I have a friend from college coming the very next day for a quick weekend visit.

It's going to be a busy time around here, and I'll be doing much less eating from my freezer, as I normally freeze in perfect portions for my family of 4, so simply put...my pre-made meals do not contain enough food for extra mouths.  But that's quite alright, because I love cooking for guests. =)

Right now I've got some chicken leg quarters and port stew meat thawing, and I plan to cook them on Tuesday and Wednesday, but I may have to push that back if they do not finish thawing, and later in the week is totally subject to change.   I pretty much just have an outline of what I'd like to eat this week, and I've jotted them down on random days, but I've determined to stay flexible.  Some weeks just have to be like that!

So, here's my "plan":


Monday:  Tilapia & salad (we brought a salad to Easter, and had a ton leftover)

Tuesday:  Chicken & broccoli casserole  (I've got broccoli in the fridge to use up)

Wednesday:  Crockpot Pork Stew  (It's got red potatoes I need to use up)

Thursday:  Leftovers  (I'm not sure what time my MIL flies in, so this night is going to be very flexible, and hopefully we'll have plenty of food on hand.)

Friday:  Gumbo  (this is in the freezer, but I may need to thaw two container--if I have two...flexible!)

Saturday:  Spaghetti  (ditto)

Sunday:  Pork Chops   (I'll have to thaw some, and I'm not sure how I'll cook them yet, but my MIL loves them and I've got plenty in the freezer!)



As always, I'm on the lookout for great meat deals, so depending on what the ads bring on Wednesday, the latter part of the week might be totally different, but as it stands the only thing I might need to buy for this menu is some more carrots to toss into the stew.

I'm really trying to shop the great meat and produce deals each week and incorporate them into the following week's menu.  That way I always have what I need on hand, and can focus on what's on sale.  Sometimes it makes me be pretty ...creative..when it comes to planning meals, but I've been enjoying trying new recipes, and my family has actually been quite fond of them, too!

This post is linked at Menu-Plan Monday.