And So It Begins...

And so it begins...this blog that has been swimming around in my head for months now.  I have put it off again and again with some excuse as to why now isn't the right time:  I don't have time, I won't follow up, I'm not a great writer, no one has a need for this (even though I keep hearing otherwise,) I am definitely unqualified.  Not that those sentiments have changed, but...

Here it goes.  Welcome to The LawsON Dinner.  I don't claim to be a chef in any sense of the word, nor am I a recipe writer by any stretch.  What I can tell you about myself is this: I LOVE to cook for my family, I LOVE to cook for my friends , I LOVE to talk about food, and I LOVE a plan!

I start my week off by planning my meals and making my grocery list (organized by aisle of course!.)  Not that it really matters how it's organized, you see, because 9 times out of 10, I end up ordering my groceries online.  It is quite a beautiful thing...simply input items, pay $5 fee (yes, $5!!!,) drive up, push a button, and out come all of my groceries...voila!

My goal each week is to get dinner on the table at least 5 out of the 7 nights (one night is usually a night out, and the other is usually leftovers.)  I try to avoid making something super fancy for me and my husband and an entirely separate meal for my kids...although, you will see me do that when I am just craving something I know my kids won't touch! I try new recipes, I use old favorites, I try to be thoughtful about my meals, about my week, about my day, I try to be realistic about what I can do with three small children in tow.

On the menu for this week are tacos with homemade guacamole and chips, mustard crusted chicken w/ twice baked potatoes and roasted Brussels sprouts, shrimp & corn chowder, risotto with asparagus, and chicken, broccoli, & rice casserole.  I may throw in pecan crusted tilapia with cheese grits and a side salad as well; it all just depends on how the week unfolds :) Can you tell that the fall weather is affecting my meal choices?

I'll update my blog at the end of the week with what actually occurred each night, recipes, and a grocery list so that hopefully some of you can enjoy some of these meals as well.

For now, dinner is on the table, and I just got done convincing my boys that they DO, in fact, like chicken, broccoli & rice casserole.  UPDATE: With the promise of dessert when they get home up for grabs, plates are clean just in time for t-ball.  Small victory!