Miss Seven and I are curled up in the family room right now, working away. She’s at home for some R & R after an unfortunate injury during a Sunday afternoon game of catch. She’s blasting through her school work and rejecting all the ice packs I’ve offered, so I think her recovery will be quick. But our evening trip to the ER derailed our lazy Sunday, and I never got around to making a menu, maybe sneaking in an extra trip to the grocery, or helping Little Four decorate his construction paper gingerbread man for preschool. The kids and I did hang our two strings of snowflake lights on the porch, though. That’s an accomplishment.

But what to eat for dinner this week? I don’t want to drag my patient through the grocery store when she should be resting on the couch watching Arthur. We have enough running around today just getting everyone to dance class and Christmas Eve mass reader practice and choir practice. I’m still not sure when we’re going to eat dinner tonight. Succumbing to the McDonald’s drive-thru seems like giving up. Luckily, I read enough food blogs that there are plenty of good ideas out there to steal. The grocery shopping can wait until tomorrow.

Monday: Homemade Hot Pockets (with the no-knead dough in the fridge, leftover beef roast, and cheese–maybe some broccoli and cheese ones, too)

Tuesday: Spaghetti with roasted eggplant pesto

Wednesday: Harvest Roast Chicken with grapes, olives and rosemary (from the new Smitten Kitchen cookbook)

Thursday: Tomato soup and panini (some of them with caramelized onions…)

Friday: Little Almost-Five’s Birthday! He gets to choose the menu!