It's the New Year! So much to look forward to this coming year! My hope is, rather than asking FOR blessings, that I can BE a blessing as much as possible, to others. Focus outward, not inward. That's my prayer for 2023.
I kind of fell off the menu bandwagon there at the end of 2022. I just ran out of time and energy to get everything done. I'm sure a lot of you felt the same way. Good intentions, but not enough oomph to get it all done.
So I'm kind of winging it this year. I changed the name of the blog to The Life Of Grammy, because I think the word 'spirited' sounded like I was either drinking or thinking I was mystical, neither of which is true. Originally I meant it to reflect the fruits of the spirit, but somehow it wasn't working for me. So I dropped it!
Then, in addition to that, I decided I don't want to spend as much time in the kitchen anymore. I was struggling last year to keep up with my menu plans, and often I just didn't get 'er done. I meant to, but my plans were a bit unrealistic for the time I have to spend making them. I still go over to my daughter's house to stay with my granddaughter after school. Now, she'll be 12 in a couple months, and doesn't really NEED me there. But I just feel better going over there and having someone home with her. The older two are away at college, and I hate her coming home to an empty house. Also, my daughter is starting a new job that has about an hour commute both ways. She won't get home until 6:00. So I will be over there from 3:00 to 6:00 every day, and will start taking my granddaughter to all her evening practices and whatever else she has going on. That should be my prep time starting dinner at home. So what I do is, I prep everything in the morning or early afternoon so it's ready when I get home. But if I have a doctor appt or meet a friend for breakfast or lunch, or have shopping to do, I usually don't have time to prep. Then it's either go out or make a sandwich. So I am making my menu plans a bit more flexible and not so time consuming.
I am also including leftovers days. Sometimes, when I stuck to my menu plan, we had so much food left at the end of the week it was crazy! It was too much waste, and things are too expensive these days to pitch stuff because I made too much. I am trying to be more economical, as well as spend less time in the kitchen so I have more time to sew and read. So my plans will be much less intensive than before.
The last change I plan on making is to share the recipes I use, instead of just providing links. I often link to recipes, and then change ingredients or recipes at the last minute. On top of that, sometimes I use the link to the recipe I posted, and it doesn't turn out or we don't like it after I make it! So, my plan right now is to post the menu plan on Sunday, and then during the week post the recipes I used with any changes I made. I will also be using my cookbooks more, and online recipes less. That will give me more recipes to share, but less links for you to click. If you don't want to wait for my recipes, just google the name of the recipe, and I'm sure you'll find a ton of links to choose from!
So let's see how this goes! I'm sure I'll be changing things as the year progresses, making it work better for me and hopefully for you!
Here's the first week of the year's menu plan, and what I'll be making this week! If you have any ideas or comments, please leave them below so I can incorporate what you like into my plans.
So there you go! I hope the changes don't bother you too much! As it is, I am feeling pretty comfortable with it!
I hope you all have a wonderful week, full of good food and fellowship! I'll be back tomorrow with a recipe for the soup! See you then!
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