menu planning monday: Thursdays

two and a half years ago, we officially dedicated Thursday nights as Family Night. Family Night = no work, no school, no housework, no TV, no phones, no computers, and most importantly no cooking. it was the only night of the week that we dined out. without having the stress of cooking and cleaning, and without the distractions of home, we all could relax and enjoy one another's company over a delicious meal. we got French fries and milkshakes, we colored menus, we played games, we talked a lot, sometimes we stayed up late, sometimes we took a family nap. we called Thursdays TGIT. we all looked forward to Thursdays for different reasons. me? because i didn't have to cook.

fast forward to last Thursday when DaddyHall had a brilliant idea to put the money we'd been spending on TGIT into a special account for big vacations. like, bigger than usual. big, as in, out of the country. for extended periods of time.

{deep breath}

no more dining out on TGIT. i can do this. {deep breath} think: islands. think: foreign. think: Italy. think: passport.

okay. i can do this.

my Menu Planning will now include dinner on Thursdays that we can prep in the morning, fix it and forget it, or prep and cook together as a family. fun meals! easy meals! fast meals! i want to spend more time with my family and less time in the kitchen, especially on Thursdays.

i'm doing crockpot meals on Thursdays until i can think of something better.

Monday: Foil-Pack Lemon Chicken with bean salad
Tuesday: Tilapia with basmati rice
Wednesday: Turkey burgers with baked sweet potato fries
Thursday: Shredded chicken crockpot with black bean salad
Friday: Pancakes and turkey sausage

 i would love to hear your ideas for making Thursday dinner just as easy and enjoyable (or more!) than dining out. please!

Menu Planning Monday is hosted by OrgJunkie.com, where i'm linking up and going to search for fun easy ideas for our new TGIT.