Ash of All Trades

Since I just posted my October menu and will be posting my November menu in a few days I figured giving some of my meal planning tips might be a good idea!  First things first - start small (unless you are up for a challenge!).  When we first started meal planning we did it weekly and planned 2 or 3 nights; as we got the hang of planning ahead we added nights here and there until now we just sit down monthly.  Oh what a relief! Meal Planning Tips: Start with recipes you like and know how to cook, use these to simplify the start up. Plan new or difficult recipes on nights you have time to experiment. Make a list during the month of meals you would like to have or are inspired to try by the time next month comes around you will have a great head start. Similarly you can try to make a list of 20 meals (or 10 for you and 10 for your spouse) then just place them on a calendar and voila meal plan! Make planning the remained of the meals fun pull out...

Alright folks here is my October meal plan!  I know I know it is almost November but better late than never right? (and to be honest I made it way back in September I just have been fiddling with the layout of this new blog since then!) So some tricks of the trade - once a month the hubby and I sit down and meal plan for the entire month.  We put together a list of what is in out stockpile, pull out all of our cookbooks (we have a ton) and decide what sounds good!  Usually by the end of any given month we have received recipes from friends, magazines or the internet and thus have somewhat of a headstart.  We are developing an art to our meal planning which will come in another post! The point is we make it fun it is a date night of sorts.  If you are single do it with your roommate or your kids or your dog just make it fun!  Second tip - it doesn't always go according to plan.  My type A personality is still learning this but its o...

Welcome to my new blog - Ash of All Trades.  This is a quick summary of what you can expect to read and experience in the upcoming days, weeks, months and hopefully years!  I love blogs, I love reading them, following them, writing them, designing them - you name it I love it!  My goal in life is to always be striving to be the best person I can for any given period of life.  Right now I want to be the best wife, mother, daughter and sister to my husband, daughters, parents, siblings and friends for where they are in their life now.  What my toddlers need right now is not what they will need in five years (probably not even what they will need in the next year or two)!  I want to do as much as I feel called to do without feeling like my head is spinning around in la-la land.  So one goal of this blog is to try and help others discover who they want to be and what they want to do for today but also for tomorrow.  We have to plan ahead my friend...