Monday, March 5, 2012

Drop It Like It's Hot: Menu Monday

I started this menu planning thing a little while back, blogged about it once and like any other regimen I try, this too fizzled out. But unlike exercising...eating 'right'...jogging...etc, the results of menu planning are immediate and really really helpful. I've learned that spending the time upfront makes week nights so much easier. Now, if i could just feel that way about exercising.

So, Drops is officially starting a segment I'd like to call "Drop It Like It's Hot: Menu Monday" This will help me stay organized and hopefully give you some inspiration too.

Soon I'll even have a menu board in the kitchen.

Maybe one that looks like this...


Or this one...



Oh the joy of organizing. Seriously, I've put more thought into the design of this menu board than I did with the purchase of my new car. My husband is convinced that my organization impulses boarder on a mental disorder. He's probably right.

Here's the deal about my menus:

First, I'm not much of a breakfast eater. Usually I'm satisfied with a yogurt or a granola bar, so I'm not addressing breakfast on the weekdays.

Second, for lunch I usually have leftovers or hit up the lunch line, so I'll probably only address that on the weekends.

Lastly, fair warning, I flippin' love pizza, frozen, homemade, delivery, whatever. I apologize if you are inundated with it.

On to this week's Lunch/Dinner menu:

Monday Dinner: Sausage Gravy and Biscuits

Tuesday Dinner: Crescent Roll Pizza

Wednesday Dinner:  Honey Garlic Pork Chops with Potatoes and Broccoli (I'll probably make the pork chops in the slow cooker by just adding some more liquid to the recipe, setting it to low and leaving it while I'm at school)

Thursday Dinner: Frozen Pizza (Thursday's are my favorite TV night, really the only night of the week we dedicate to watching shows. The last thing I'm gonna do is spend time in the kitchen...quick and easy it is -- this meal will probably be the recurring theme for Thursdays)

Friday Dinner: Chicken & Dumplins with Rice


Saturday Lunch: Hotdogs and Mac

Saturday Dinner: Meat Loaf and Mashed Potatoes (our family's meat loaf recipe is top secret)

Sunday Lunch: Left Overs


Sunday Dinner: Chili (I have no real recipe for this. Bummer too, because sometimes I make an UH MAZE ING batch and can't replicate it because I just blindly throw pantry items into it)

Most of these recipes I've created myself, but I've created recipes on myrecipes.com and attached a link in case you want to see how I prepared them. Remember though, take liberties where you'd like. It should be a law to never follow a recipe exactly...well, unless you're baking, but you get the idea!

Have a delicious week.

<3 dani

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Upgraded Monogram

Over holiday break, my bff and I redid the photo collage on the wall above my couch. The "S" which usually sits on my mantel, changed neighborhoods and moved into the blank spot on the wall. It looked fine enough and filled the space better than anything else we could find (without buying something new of course), but after I saw --> this  <--I had to upgrade.

Here's my version:



This how it looked originally:


Not bad, but doesn't this look better?


Here's what I did. Start out with some words and print 'em. Then cut 'em out.

zero clue why this is photo is sideways...absolutely zero...

Place them on your letter. 


You'll end up with this:


Trim it up, then glue them on. You could (and probably should) cover with some sort of sealer, but I didn't have any on hand, so I didn't ;-)

I painted the edges black. Little contrast never hurt anyone.


Super easy, practically free.

  



Try it.

<3 dani