Snow, Menu Planning and Other Randomness

Hello bloggies! I hope you all are enjoying your weekend. We've had steady snowfall all day, so I've pretty much just camped inside and tried to remain warm and dry. I apologize for the long delay in posting. I just haven't been overly inspired recently and nothing too exciting has been going on. Today's post will just be a hodge-podge of randomness.

We started out the day with another batch of spinach-berry pancakes. I'm seriously in love with this recipe.

After breakfast, we ended up skipping out on church. I had every intention of going but the snow was just too much of a deterrent this morning. Weak, I know.

Jim and Ethan attended the Gun Show that is in town this weekend. I decided to skip it this year and let them have some male bonding time. The event is always so crowded and it's not really my cup of tea. I told Ethan that he had to be the responsible, supervising adult at the Gun Show. Daddy could not be trusted to not splurge on yet another gun.

While the boys were off drooling over all the "toys" at the Gun Show, I decided to make some serious comfort food for dinner. French dip sandwiches. I can smell the meat in the crock-pot upstairs and it smells so delicious! Yum!

I keep sneaking bites of the meat and hopefully there will be enough left over for dinner tonight and to save for another meal later in the week. I made this recipe - so easy and so yummy!

One thing that I'm really trying to work on is meal planning. We tend to eat only about half of our dinners as a family. Far too often, we all end up eating something different and scattered in different directions. I don't know how we fell into this bad habit but I need to work on correcting it, fast! I strongly believe in the benefits of eating supper together as a family, around a dinner table. We eat in front of the tv far too often.

I also find that when I plan my meals in advance, my grocery budget is much more in control since there aren't so many wasted food items, prepared foods and extra trips to the store to pick up forgotten items. Of course, when going to pick up those forgotten items, several other extras find their way into my cart. 

Here is what's on the menu for the next week:

• French Dip Sandwiches, green beans, baked apples
• Chicken Piccata, red potatoes, asparagus
• Enchiladas (using left over meat from french dip), yellow rice, beans
• Shrimp Scampi, pasta, caesar salad
• Lasagna, garlic bread, peas(?)
• BBQ Ribs, coleslaw, biscuits, sweet potatoes
• Pheasant Pot Pie
• Calzones, green salad
• Elk Tenderloin, rice pilaf, broccoli

Jim and Ethan are outside enjoying the snow right now. I love getting Ethan all bundled up in his snow gear. He just looks so cute and reminds me of the scene from The Christmas Story where the little brother can't put his arms down due to all his winter layers.

On a whole different subject, I've been contemplating getting a gym membership. I really enjoy getting outside and walking or jogging. The snow, mud and wind seem to be endless this winter and I'm starting to get restless.

We own an elliptical and other equipment, so it is totally wasteful for me to pay for a gym membership but I get so bored on the elliptical and think having a gym membership for a couple of months, until it gets warmer outside, would help provide some motivation.  We'll see...I don't think Jim is too keen on the idea. He has seen me start, and give up on, way too many exercise plans.

Well, I hear Ethan stomping his boots upstairs. Better get up there and help him out of his snow covered gear and get him a cup of hot chocolate to warm up with.