The Schedule

Hello all.  I mentioned in my last post that I have roughly 338 recipes to try in 329 days.

Today, I spent time counting out those recipes, grouping them, and combining side dishes with main courses to see how I might make some kind of meal plan or schedule for the completion of this project.

Here is what I have:

110 Main Course Meals
          Some of these use main course AND side dish recipes; Others are just main dishes to which I will add my own sides.  This works out to 2 meals per week for the next 11 months.

8 Lunch specific meals
          I will use these during the school days with the kids, or just whenever.

25 Breakfast Meals
          Of course, there is no way that I will save them all for the breakfast hours, I am sure.  This works out to one breakfast meal every other week.

11 Soups
          This equals one new soup recipe a month until the end of the year.

5 Salads
          1 new recipe every other month for 10 months

40 Beverages
          This comes out to 1 a week for the rest of the year (minus 7 weeks).

There are also 4 recipes that I set aside to use specifically for church picnics, since we always need sides/salads, and these will keep well sitting outside (no mayo or eggs!).

Finally, I also had 75 various dessert, cookie, and snack recipes.  I have decided that I am not going to stress over whether or not I get these worked into the schedule.  These recipes I will use for church picnics, special occasions, or parties.  Some of the snack recipes I could also use for quick suppers when I don't really feel like cooking.  I made this decision because, at this point in our lives, we have a retirement pending, and maybe a move, and I didn't want to spread myself to thin and have something else to stress about when this is supposed to be fun. I also didn't want to risk quitting before I really got started.

My goal:  to finish this task before the end of the year.  I will settle for completing the task in a year, but I believe that I have worked this out so that I can complete my goal by the end of December.  Since January is all but gone, I have 11 months to meet this goal.

So, I hope you all are ready to hear all about my cooking exploits - as well as, I am sure, many other rants and raves, praises and complaints, OH, AND, recipe reviews (maybe even from the family instead of me) and pictures of the dishes - because, FOR BETTER OR WORSE, y'all are stuck with me until the end of the year.  So just know, if you are a friend of mine in the Fort Meade, MD area (or wherever we may end up after retirement), and you are reading this, it is entirely possible you will be fed something I have never made before.  LOL!

One last thing before I go:
          I have a back-up plan already too.  Supportive as he is of my plan and my project, and as eager as he is for me to make tortillas (both corn and flour), chorizo, and tomatillo salsa, my husband has already given me the green light to order pizza or make PB-n-J if the recipes flop.  PHEW!!

Next week I will begin!  Are you ready for the ride?