Meal Planning--I'm trying again!

I've spoken many times, (in conversations, on Facebook, and on this blog) about how Meal Planning helps my life out in a huge way, when I TAKE THE TIME TO DO IT.  Yet, for some reason, I do it once, and then go back to my bad habits of waiting until the last minute, which leads to take-out or the kids having pasta way too often.

This month, I was inspired by someone on my Facebook who seriously took on "Once A Month Meals".  The idea behind this, is that you cook for ALL DAY, prep and prepare a ridiculous amount of food, making it easy for you to feed your family for the entire month.  This woman kept posting photos of her progress, getting me more and more excited with each photo.  (Ok, the clean up photo was daunting, but the pay off seems worth it!)

My kids are picky.  BUT, I thought that this is worth a try in some form to do at my casa.  Instead of once a month, though, I have been trying this out for the week, and then a little extra.  It works wonderfully.

Things that work great:
1.  Fruit Salads using Bonne Maman Jars
2.  Lettuce Chopped up and put in Quart (wide) Mason Jars
3.  Pasta Meat-cooked, seasoned, frozen in bags
4.  Chicken Pot Pie*
5.  Pork Chops prepped for Crock Pot (in freezer bags)
6.  Veggies for Pot Roast/Roasted Chicken (in freezer bags)
7.  Breakfast Burritos (Egg, Bean and Potato)
8.  Bean Burritos
9.  Taco Meat (half turkey/half beef)
10.  Meatballs

*This was a favorite amongst those who ate it.  (That would not be my children, as they hate any sort of gravy.)

Costco and Lemons!

We recently went with another family to Costco.  Being a small family, it always seemed like a waste to me--we barely get through the food we buy at the grocery store, so larger quantites seem like way too much.  However, when we split a few items, like the big carton of meyer lemons that they had there, it makes sense.  And I love meyer lemons!!

If you are regular reader, you will know that Soleil LOVES making lemon bars.  (Don't promise the girl that you will make them on a particular day.  She will remind you and remind you and remind you, much like a cat who has run out of catfood!!)

A friend of mine gave the greatest idea:  grate the zest and juice the lemons and FREEZE IT!!  I used little ice cube containers (from ikea) to freeze the juice, and froze the zest separately.  Now I have it in small quantities whenever I need it!

 I put some of the zest in the shortbread part of the recipe AND some in the curd portion.  They were VERY lemony.  (Paul thought they weren't sweet enough, while I thought they were perfect.)   I used Bakerella's recipe, using white sugar instead of powdered, because I was out of the latter.

 Here is all the leftover juice after it has been frozen and popped out into a freezer bag.