It’s funny what one person will find intimidating when it comes to menu planning and cooking. Normally, I think I have a pretty good handle on it, but as I start my 6-week maternity leave, I realize that now I’m responsible for lunches too! That’s something that my babysitter normally handles. It isn’t completely foreign to me as I love to use leftovers for lunches, but it is a change to my normal routine. Make sure you check out Nicole’s list of what’s on sale this week so that you can make a smart menu plan!

Here are some menu suggestions:

Main Dishes

• Italian Sausage & Peppers – Throw some sausage links, onions and bell peppers into a casserole dish. Bake. Add spaghetti sauce. Bake some more. Serve on buns or noodles. It can be that easy!
• BBQ Pork Riblets – I haven’t made these, but this recipe looks very easy and riblets are at a great price! This might be a good time to practice for a recipe that would also go well for Memorial Day next month.
• BLT (Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato) Sandwich – Bacon is on sale this week, so this is a good time to fry some up, stick it on toast and cover it with lettuce and tomato. If you wanna get gourmet, add some deli turkey for a BLTT!
• Frito Pie – This is also a simple recipe that pulls together really quickly. With beef on sale, it could be the right week! Check out Pioneer Woman’s recipe here. Or this Frito pie casserole style.
• Baked Potato Buffet – Another easy one. This site gives you lots of ideas for toppings. I like the idea of chili (that maybe you have from making the Frito Pie above) or ham (that maybe you still have leftover from Easter) with broccoli. Yummy!

Here’s a recipe for quiche that can not be easier. Or more versatile. I call it my “Choose Your Own Adventure” quiche because you can choose what goes into it. I’ve written the ingredients list to be intentionally vague. Want to do a ham & broccoli quiche? Great! Want to do an Italian sausage and green pepper quiche? Awesome! Want to do a chicken and asparagus quiche? Tasty! You can use whatever meats, veggies and cheeses that you want (or that you have on hand)! I did a ham and broccoli quiche earlier this week, using leftover ham from Easter dinner. I used a combination of Swiss and cheddar cheeses and it was fabulous!

On the eggs, meats & veggies, I put a range of sizes. If you’re using a standard 9 inch pie pan, go with the lower end. But if you have a bigger 10 inch pie pan, go with the upper end – you want the quiche nice and full!