Menu Plan: Spring (May 19-25)

Strategies

• We got hubby a grill this past weekend, and so we're adding a "grill night" to our "themes." Each week we have certain meals we try to include such as: pasta, fish, salad (warmer weather months)/ soups (colder weather months), and now, grill. In general, we alternate between meat and meatless meals throughout the week. 

• Tip: write your grocery list and the date in a little notebook each week/month. This way you can easily see how much and how frequently you purchase items. You can then use that information to determine the value of purchasing in bulk for your family's needs. If you don't use the entirety of a bulk purchase before it goes bad, then it would have been wiser to buy the smaller quantity even though it would have been at a higher unit price. Below is a copy of our list for this week:
  

  

  Click image for larger view

Our menu plan for this week:

*Note: I include links to the recipes if they are available online. Some recipes are from cookbooks we have at home, and while I can't share the recipe I can direct you to the source. Other dishes or meals are created by myself or my husband, and we can do our best to explain how to recreate it. If you'd like additional information on any of the meals or our menu planning, then please feel free to contact me. :) 

Breakfasts

- oatmeal with diced apple, walnuts, and flaxseed meal

- granola cereal, banana

- oatmeal with dried cherries, almonds, and flaxseed meal

- whole wheat biscuit/toast with peanut butter and drizzle of honey 

(repeat all to keep it simple!)

Lunches

- Club salad 

- Veggie fajitas

- Pork ribs, collard greens, sweet potatoes

- Stuffed pasta shells, asparagus 

- repeat pizza leftovers

Dinners

- Miso glazed salmon, broccoli

- Eggplant parmesan pizza

- Spatchcock chicken, potato salad, asparagus

- Lemon & leek linguine

- repeat chicken meal leftovers

Snacks

- homemade crackers with peanut butter

- cottage cheese and diced cantaloupe

- apple and cheese slices

- almonds

- yogurt with dried apricots

- homemade granola or other bar

Weekly Menu Planning Sheet

*Note: Reviving Homemaking is not affiliated with any of the sites or companies included in the links, and was not asked to include or recommend them or their recipes in this post. (I simply like what they have to offer!)

Linked up at: 

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Join Reviving Homemaking on Facebook!

Visit the Reviving Homemaking Etsy Shop!

Follow Reviving Homemaking on Pinterest!

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-Question for YOU!-*-*-*-*-*-*-

What is something you wish you had learned to do before getting married or having children? Why?

(Your name (first name + last initial) and comment may be used in the upcoming Reviving Homemaking ebook. If you wish for your name to not be included, then please simply use "anonymous" or "guest." Thank you for your input!)

Three Truths Regarding Blog & Social Media Connectivity

           

     This has been on my heart lately. I realize even as I write that I may be a contributor to the noise. Nonetheless, I wanted to share this struggle because it too is a part of my homemaking journey.

     When I began my homemaking journey (which also simultaneously became my blogging journey) there were few resources available. Now, just a few years later, there appears to be an abundance of voices contributing to the subject. So much so that at times I walk away from the pages discouraged and unsure as to what my roles are and how I ought to perform them. Am I fulfilling my duties of embracing myself as I am, remaining and growing in Christ, performing my homemaking role, and making my blog and business “successful?” With so many voices on what to be or do it can become confusing, overwhelming and just noise to my own journey.

       

       Connecting with others who share a common faith, interests, and lifestyle can be comforting, encouraging and joyful. I can, however, become so connected to the lives of others that I unintentionally disconnect from my own. How much time is spent immersed in the world of Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, Blogs or other online media? If a timer could record each moment that the eyes meet the screens, then the time accrued would be revealing of true priority placement. All that time spent there is less time spent here. Here- the home and family within which I am called to be present. It’s unwise for me to be so fixated on the journey of others that I lose sight of my own.

        Ultimately, I’ve come to see three truths regarding the connectivity provided by blogs, vlogs, and other forms of social media. First, the purpose of blogs, vlogs, and other forms of social media are for inspiration not obligation. The content within these mediums are intended to serve as inspiration. The reader is never intended to feel obligated to agree or abide by any material presented. One should always think critically through and question that which is consumed. Second, true authority and guidance can only come from God. Connecting with other believers is a form of fellowship, but the use of the “follow” phraseology on all of the social media forms can create ambiguity. This is absolute truth: fellowship with friends, and follow Jesus. I have to stop for a moment and consider: “Have I opened blog pages more than I have turned Bible pages?” Even if the blog, status, or tweet is Christian-oriented, my primary source of spiritual encouragement and guidance must come from God and His Word. A message on God’s Word in whatever form cannot substitute the Bible itself. The final truth I have come to understand is that we are all on a journey. If I fixate on that of another, then I miss out on my own. This journey is walked with steady steps. There might be less than desirable lags of the trip. Those moments of struggle are part of the journey and serve the purpose of providing opportunities to learn and grow. 

     I have previously been cautious about sharing the less than put together side of myself or the roles I fulfill in life. Yet, I have grown conflicted about this partial admittance. Have I truthfully conveyed my real homemaking journey? This post is one step in that direction. I’m a blogger and a reader of blogs, and yet have found them to be confusingly encouraging and exhausting. I have tripped numerous times while watching the journey of others’ instead of my own. I have questioned if I really have anything new to contribute or am I simply another voice amongst the others. Am I the obstacle in someone else’s journey that causes her to stumble in realizing and embracing her own walk? Whether blogger or blog reader, I’m there with you.  The three statements mentioned above may not be appropriate for a generalized application, but for me they have spoken truth. 

Linked up at: 

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Join Reviving Homemaking on Facebook!

Visit the Reviving Homemaking Etsy Shop!

Follow Reviving Homemaking on Pinterest!

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-Question for YOU!-*-*-*-*-*-*-

What is something you wish you had learned to do before getting married or having children? Why?

(Your name (first name + last initial) and comment may be used in the upcoming Reviving Homemaking ebook. If you wish for your name to not be included, then please simply use "anonymous" or "guest." Thank you for your input!)