Menu Challenge

A friend of mine challenged me to come up with, stick to, and blog about a menu plan. A group of us are meeting the challenge and supporting each other along the way. My goals for this challenge are simple. Have a plan so I don't face that 4pm "oh crud, I have no dinner plan" moment. I am famous for that revelation. My second goal is to remind myself that I do know how to cook, and that there are meals that my kids will eat, even if I find them boring. I just need to find ways to make them more interesting for the grown-ups.

So, I let my kids know that I am planning our meals for the next week, and gave them each a chance to put something they want on the menu. Hopefully this will help quell the inevitable complaints, knowing that something they want is coming up. Following are the ideas I have so far. I'm not sure if I will put them into a calendar or see what I feel like making each day. I have a feeling I'm going to have to be very structured, but of course I am resisting it ;)

Dinners:
* Tacos (O's choice)
* Black Bean Soup (L's choice)
* Hamburgers and fries (C's choice)
* Curried potatoes and chickpeas
* Pork tenderloin with herbed potatoes and southwestern corn
* Stir fry (fondly known as stir cry here)

Lunch:
* Tuna melts (R's choice)
* Mini pizzas
* Tofu nuggets (trying a recipe)
* Quesadillas
* Sandwiches
* Leftovers (how thrilling!)

Breakfast is generally a free-for-all of oatmeal, cream of wheat, cereal, or eggs. Since we are on vacation this week, I'm going to do a few mornings of a real, sit down breakfast including:
* Pancakes (with sweetpotato, shhhhh)
* Scrambled egg burritos
* French toast
* Crockpot oatmeal

If you know me, you know that this is an ambitious plan. I'm a wing-it person by nature, but it's not doing my family a whole lot of good. When I go shopping later, I'm going to try and squeeze in as many organics and healthy options as I can in my basic menu.

Since I can't post without a picture, here's what my kids are up to as I type.