This Week's Menu {Sept 27}

I'm trying to live my life more intentionally - you know, planning ahead and having a purpose for doing things, not just reacting to whatever life throws at me. One area where I desperately need to focus some of that intention is meal planning.

I don't like to cook. Period. I get no enjoyment from it and am not very good at it. (Maybe that's why I get no enjoyment from it.) I'm not an adventurous eater and therefore am not a creative cook. But, my family needs to eat.

So each Monday I'll be posting my meal plan for the coming week. Don't expect anything earth-shattering. It'll be boring, basic, probably bland food. But that's how my family rolls. And I figure that bland and boring is far better than the expensive, totally unhealthy fast food we've been having far too much of.

Here we go with week one:

Monday - Pork Chops & Rice Skillet with Broccoli
Tuesday - Leftovers
Wednesday - Grilled Ham & Cheese, Tomato Soup and Salad
Thursday - Roast Beef Hash with Fried Eggs and Asparagus
Friday - Chicken Tacos with Salsa Rice
Saturday - Tuna Casserole


And because I think today's meal is particularly yummy, here's the recipe for the Pork Chops & Rice Skillet*:

1 tablespoon olive oil or vegetable oil
4 pork chops (I usually use boneless)
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1 1/2 cups uncooked white rice
1 can chicken broth
1/2 cup orange juice
1-2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork chops and cook until well browned on both sides.
2. Add the onion and rice to the skillet and cook and stir until the rice is browned.
3. Stir in the broth, orange juice and parsley and heat to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 20 minutes or until the pork is cooked through and the rice is tender.
4. Enjoy.

*Recipe slightly modified from Campbell's Kitchen.