In an effort to keep myself on track with one of my May goals – which was to eat out less, I have decided that it would be great to post my menu for the week here every Monday.

I have been a meal planning, menu making nut long before I started my Weight Watchers journey. I actually started doing it when my husband and I first got married at the ripe old age of 21.  I discovered the number one way to stick to a grocery budget is to plan meals, and we certainly didn't have very much to spend on groceries back then.

I actually find it very easy, and it calms me to have the right ingredients in the house, to make a decent meal for most, if not all, nights of the week. How do I do it?  I basically start with a blank sheet of notebook paper and write all the days of the week only the left side, then I fill in any extra information about that day – for instance, if I know we are going out for a birthday or to a friend’s house for dinner, I note that. Last, I paw through previous meal plans, and my cookbooks to come up with the meals for the week, and make a shopping list of all the items I need – organized by grocery area of course – I use Produce, Deli, Meat, Canned Goods, Dry Goods, Fridge, Freezer, and Other as my categories.

So without further explanation, here’s What’s for dinner this week at our house.

Monday: Tomato Cheese Quiche – Cut up Fresh Fruit – Leftover Pasta Salad

Tuesday: PW’s - Lemon Blueberry Pancakes - this will be a new recipe for us - I'm in love with blueberry lemon combinations, so I can't wait.

Wednesday: My Mom’s Mac n Cheese - Recipe below

Thursday: Soft Shelled Tacos and Spanish Rice - I use Old El Paso Taco Seasoning and Rice a Roni boxed mix... creative I know, but I think these have the best flavor.

Friday: Homemade Cheese and Turkey Pepperoni Pizza, Green Salad

My Mom's Mac n Cheese - 8 servings
1 cup dry macaroni (I use shells)
1 cup 1% cottage cheese
1 cup light sour cream
1 cup light Velveeta Cheese - cut up
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
2 eggs

Cook macaroni according to directions and drain.  Combine with the rest of the ingredients in a 2-1/2 quart casserole dish.  Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.  Awesome comfort food!

Do you menu plan for the week.  If so I'd love for you to share your menu for the week, and if you post it to your blog, feel free to post a link to your menu plan in the comments.

Bon Appetit!