As we were driving all over the world over the last few weeks, Rockford and I worked on developing some some family goals for 2011. They’re not resolutions, necessarily, but things we’re going to be working toward over the course of the year. One of my personal goals was to do a better job making healthy, tasty dinners when Rockford is out of town. He’s actually here all of this week, but I didn’t think it would be good to use that as an excuse to eat mac & cheese for dinner again.

Monday: Roasted chicken

My dad got me a new slow cooker for Christmas (thanks Dad!), and this will be its inaugural meal. We’ll also be having green peas and mashed potatoes.

Tuesday: McAlister’s

Rockford likes McAlister’s, but he rarely gets to go with us on kids’ night. Because that’s something we usually only indulge in when he’s out of town. But this week, because we like him, we’re going to take him with us.

Wednesday: Warm fajita salad and quesadillas

Rockford will be grilling a marinated skirt steak for this. I’ll be putting salad in bowls and warming up the corn and black beans.

Thursday: Margarita pork chops

This recipe comes from the gigantic Southern Living cookbook my sister-in-law gave me for Christmas. (Except that it was for pork tenderloin, but the grocery didn’t have any that weren’t already in a marinade. So chops it is.)

Friday: Homemade pizza

I hit upon a big “well duh” moment on the pizza front recently: I bought a bunch of precut veggies from the salad bar at our grocery store, making pizza night even easier. I’ll be doing it again this week.

On Friday I thought I had hardly begun my Christmas shopping. Then I jotted down a list of who I needed to shop for and what I’d already purchased. I still have a few things to pick up for the small people and for Rockford, but other than that I’m nearly done! (What does this have to do with menu planning? Very little. I just wanted to share.)

Monday: Eggs & veggie sausages

The neighbors brought duck eggs over again last week, and naturally the kids decided they didn’t like them. So it’s back to chicken eggs for breakfast-for-dinner night, and now I have to figure out something to do with the duck eggs.

Tuesday: McAlister’s

Our McAlister’s has kids night on Tuesdays, which means 2 free kids meals when you buy a meal for a grownup. Pete likes their ham and cheese sandwich, and Poppy always gets the macaroni and cheese. I like the Sicilian cheese panini and the chef’s salad. The downside to this plan is that McAlister’s is at the mall, and I try to avoid that place in December. I’ll probably call in the order, pick it up and flee back to the safety of home.

Wednesday: Baked chicken

I picked up a new citrus marinade last week, so this week’s chicken might be a departure from the Italian dressing route.

Thursday: Broccoli-cheese rotini

I had a coupon for BirdsEye Steam Fresh vegetables a few weeks ago, and they were also on sale. So I tried some of their pasta side dishes, and they were really good! One bag definitely isn’t enough for a main dish for a whole family, but this with leftover chicken from Wednesday will be sufficient for the kids and me. (Although with the broccoli in there, Poppy will probably just have chicken with a side of whining about the broccoli.)

Friday: Pizza

We’ll be having plain cheese for the kids and BBQ chicken and caramelized onion for the grownups.