Housewifery: Day ONE

I'm sure that my HusBean's biggest secret concern about me staying home is that I won't actually get up in time to do anything around the house. I am known for my sleeping.

As I mentioned (at great length) yesterday, the animals have developed a routine that forces me to get up and be awake in decent time. I'm guessing the latest I will ever sleep in will be 10am (I know, to some of you that is CRAZY late, but I have been known to sleep until 2p if I went to bed late).

One of the things I am wanting to be intentional about as a housewife is menu planning. We love to cook and we love to eat, but when I was working full time I was often too tired at home to prepare anything, so I spent a lot of money at the various food establishments near my work.

I am hoping to do a weekly menu plan on Sundays, grocery shop that day for all the ingredients, and then make ahead one or two things on Sunday night that can just be reheated or added to later in the week for a quick meal.

Something that is going to help me during this first week is that I have made plans to host a friend for dinner Monday night and another friend for lunch on Tuesday.

This will force me to get up both days (on Monday Buster has a vet appointment anyway, so that will get me out of the house) and be presentable.

Here is this week's plan:
Sunday Lunch: Tortilla Soup (I'm either going to use a chicken-substitute or leave it out)
Monday Dinner: Asparagus Pesto w/ fresh pasta and salad
Tuesday Lunch: Ecuadorian Potato-Cheese Soup
Wednesday Dinner: Veggie Stroganoff
Thursday Lunch: Taco Salad
Friday Dinner: Grandpa's Baked Mac & Cheese

I am only planning one meal for each day because we will invariably end up with leftovers and those will do fine to fill in the other meals. I may end up switching around the potato soup, taco salad and/or mac and cheese depending on what Rochelle decides she would like to have for lunch.

I'm intending to make the stroganoff tonight and refrigerate it, it will keep all week and is easy to microwave and eat with rice, pasta, or whatever. I'm also going to make at least a test-batch of pesto tonight, maybe the asparagus, maybe just a random-herb concoction that I will freeze if it turns out well.

I will post my versions of the Tortilla Soup and Asparagus Pesto on our food blog once I make them, as I always adapt things to what I have and take out or substitute the meat.