Menu Plan Monday – Thanksgiving Week
The big day is almost here. You know what I’m talking about – T-Day, Turkey Day, Thanksgiving!
This is by far my favorite holiday and this year I’m hosting it. I must say, I’m a little overwhelmed at this prospect since the past few months have been the craziest I can remember – what with 10 1/2 month old twins and settling into a new house and all that entails. But I’m excited to be running the show and I can’t wait to sit around the table with my family and express my gratitude for everything that has happened this year .
Since I have a lot of cooking ahead of me over the next few days, I’m keeping this week’s menu plan simple.
Monday: Mexican Frittata with Mixed Salad and Multi-Grain Bread
Tuesday: Dinner out (family in town)
Wednesday: Night off from cooking – pizza?
Thursday: Thanksgiving Feast!
Friday: Dinner at my in-laws – I’m not cooking!
Saturday: Leftovers?
Sunday: Leftovers? Hope I have enough left!
Clearly it didn’t take me a long time to come up with this menu, but what I did spend a lot of time on this weekend was planning my menu, shopping list, prep list, and cooking plan for Thanksgiving. When it comes to hosting events – brunch, dinner, cocktail parties – it’s important to have a game plan in place. I came up with my menu a few weeks ago and tweaked it as it got closer to this week. I pulled together my recipes (some of which I had to write down because they’re just in my head!) and wrote out on paper the meal from hors d’oeuvres through dessert. Doing so makes it easier to make a shopping list and to remember the day of what I intend to serve.
Next, I put together my grocery list by category: produce, shelf-stable groceries, freezer items, refrigerator section, specialty foods. I organized the grocery list based on how my supermarket is laid out so that I would be able to get in and out without going through a maze in the supermarket (it still took me over an hour getting everything). The next list I made was for my prep. I wrote out what and how much of every ingredient I need to chop, what needs to be marinated, baked, and cooked on which days, and the order of what needs to be done on Thursday. (Check out this great printable Holiday Menu Planner from I’m an Organizing Junkie!) All this preparation helps keep me organized in the kitchen. The hope is that all these lists will keep me centered and calm on the big day.
What’s on your menu this week? Are you cooking for Thanksgiving? How do you plan ahead?
Linking up at Org Junkie’s Menu Plan Monday.
