Some Menu Notes

• I am currently trying to keep my weekly food, diaper, toiletry budget (for our family of four -- two adults, one toddler, and one baby) to $100 or less.  We'll see if this is possible or not.
• Normally, Wednesdays and Fridays are fasting days, which means no meat, dairy, or alcohol (or olive oil).  I also try to avoid meat (or at least meat-heavy) meals on Monday for purely thrifty reasons.  (Although, this week there is no fasting at all.)
• Sundays I list lunch because we don't eat breakfast and are at church all morning.  We often have at least my brother for company (if not others as well), and I am exhausted from chasing my two-and-a-half-year-old around the church, so I like to know what we are having.  I also try to make it something slightly special, so I want to make sure I have ingredients for the "special" part on hand (bacon, muffins, syrup for pancakes, etc.).
• Sunday dinner, then, is something incredibly easy.  Think frozen pizza, frozen leftovers, take-out if we have the money, or anything else that requires little brain power or cooking-by-me time.
• I make all our bread in a bread machine.
• I use my Crock Pot most days.  Most recipes need about four hours on high to cook a main dish, so I aim for getting the recipe finished and Crock turned on by 2PM.  That way, dinner can be ready by 6PM.  I also make a lot of use of a rice cooker and a smaller Crock Pot that can be used to steam veggies or boil potatoes.  I haven't had a lot of experience adapting my own recipes to the slow cooker, but I am willing to try.  I think especially this Lent I will be attempting to convert some of Leanne's Vegan Recipes to Crock Pot ones.
• My menus can be used with your own favorite recipes for whatever dish I list.  If you'd like a specific recipe I haven't posted, please email me: perelandracbc@yahoo.com.  I can't pass on entire Menus from Leanne, though, so don't ask.  You need to subscribe to one of her MenuMailers for that.