Here we go...
I just finished up my first week as a single mom. It wasn't terribly organized, but I did start off with the flu, so I probably deserve some slack. This week is the start of something new, though. The prospect of being alone all winter in this big, old house with a four-year-old and an infant is not one that I relish. It's the way things are, though, and I think I have a way to get through it.
I'm going to pre-plan our dinners. Dylan, my four-year-old daughter is going to be involved with the plan each week. She will also help me with the shopping list and the cooking. This week, she suggested mac and cheese and beanies and weenies. She'll have mac and cheese for lunch tomorrow, and the beanies and weenies are making an appearance on Friday. I hope that as the weeks progress, and she gets a better sense of the system, she'll be able to contribute more to the weekly plans. It will be interesting to see how her contributions evolve.
I realize that some people might find it strange that I plan on getting through the break-up of my marriage and the challenges of single motherhood via food. I hope that this blog will help to explain my motivation. I need a focus. I need to keep busy. I need to cook a lot and I need to write.
This week we will be taking our meal cues from the Southern Living Do-Ahead Cookbook. I discovered this cookbook on eGullet, and so far it seems pretty cool! The menu for the week is as follows:
Sunday: Pork Loin Roast in the Crockpot, Peas, Mashed Potatoes, Apple and Celeriac
Monday: Pork Asian Noodles with Peas, Broccoli and Cauliflower (made with the leftover pork and peas)
Tuesday: Creamy Beef Stroganoff over Egg Noodles
Wednesday: Homemade Calzones
Thursday: I have a work dinner - Dylan and the sitter will choose from among the leftovers
Friday: Beanies and Weenies for Dylan, leftovers for me
The pork dishes and the beef are all from the Southern Living Do-Ahead Cookbook. The pork dishes are from a chapter called Double Duty. Essentially, a large meat dish is prepared one night with the intention of using leftovers for a second, different dish. At the supermarket this morning, giant pork loins were on sale for $1.77/lb. I got a seven pound roast, rubbed it with a mixture of garlic, cumin, salt, oregano and olive oil, and put it in the crockpot with some orange juice. It cooked on high for four hours while we went out to a birthday party. Leftovers were split into six baggies. Five went into the freezer for future dinners. One is in the fridge, awaiting transformation into tomorrow night's stir fry.
