Hi everyone, it is time to start our meal plan for next week. Most of the harvest for our summer garden is over and we have started to clear out the non producing plants. We still have some plants producing however, we will be looking to our local farmers markets to find some of the fresh vegetables to fill our recipes for the meal plan this week. Along about this time of August our little community begins to pick up a different kind of energy, as folks are trying to get in last minute travel plans and some of starting to get ready for the new school year which seems to come earlier every year. How about all of you have your schools started yet? Are you planning some last of the summer get away? Let me know what is going on at your cottage!

  Welcome to Texas August heat and let me tell you it is here. I am not even sitting out on the screen porch today, no I am in my office under a nice cool air conditioner. This is good grilling weather and really good slow cooker time. Trying to keep the kitchen cool, so I will be looking for some cool light meals this week. We still have some garden production that I am sure we will be using in our meal plan along with the local specials at the super market. The prices of products in the super market have really increased in the past 9 months, with very little hope of coming down. I am sure glad that we have been canning and preserving our garden vegetables which helps on the grocery budget. Another thing that helps is planning the meals so that we can use the left-overs and only buy what we need and not get side tracked by that oh what will I fix for dinner?

Here we are planning the meal plan for the last week in May and looking at the memorial day week-end. Memorial Day weekend is always a big week-end here at the lake, it is our opening weekend for all the summer activities. Last year because of the quarantines it was very quiet and not very much activity, however this year everything here is opened up and it will be all a buzz with activity. We will be planning for our usual picnic, that is if we don't get rained out. We have had so much rain here and now it looks like it may very well be rainy all weekend. This is the good thing about making a meal plan, we can always go to rain plan, which means putting it in the oven. I will let you know which one we end up with, next week.

  I am happy to be able to make my meal plans today when it is sunny outside. We are expecting about 5 inches of rain in the next few days which means no sunshine. The weather is always a big part of my meal planning, certainly we don't want to plan grilling out when it is pouring down rain. I am taking a look at the pantry, freezer and garden to see what is available and get busy planning this meal plan. We have been busy this week with our little dog Max, he had extensive oral surgery, but he is on his way to recovery, for which we are so grateful. 

  Here we are going into the week of Thanksgiving and it is so different this year. We will not be having any friends or family here this year. It will just be my husband and me so we are making a plan for two. We usually have company by now, but the cottage is very quiet this year. I am having fun making this plan for a traditional Thanksgiving just for two. We have so many things to be thankful for this year, we will be writing down our blessings for the blessings jar and the list will be long. All of you will be counted among my many blessings, many thanks to all of you for being a part of our journey here at the cottage.

 Only 11 more days to thanksgiving 2020, time to start checking the pantry and freezer to make sure we have everything on hand that we will need. I always try to buy ahead of time whenever possible. I am off to a new orchard today to get some pears, apples and pecans, if they have any left, we will see what I can put on the meal plan this week with fresh fruits of the season. I got a really nice basket of collards from the garden today, they are going to be so delicious and will be putting those on the meal plan for this week. 

  It is a great time in the country right now, the trees are showing off their beautiful colors. There is a certain peace that comes with fall, it is great to take a walk along a country path and just enjoy what God has created for us. I am excited to use some of the recipes that I have picked for this weeks meal plan, the flavors of fall are sure calling my name.

Here we are in November, my goodness the time has gone somewhere really fast. I love planning meal plans this time of the year when we have so many traditional foods and meals that we look forward to. We will miss the fall festivals this year and the excitement of the season. We will remember that this is the month of gratitude and to be thankful for all we have been given and we are. My husband and I are so grateful that he recovered from the Covid 19 Virus without complications and that we have been given the wonderful life we have today. I am grateful for each of you that come to the cottage each week to share meal plans with us.

  We are going to enjoy some great fall meals this coming week, makes me hungry to think about all the recipes.  We are so excited here at the cottage, the construction on the floors were finished today, my kitchen will soon be back to normal again and I love the new floors. We are starting to see pumpkins and sweet potatoes on every corner with the farmers bringing their harvest into the village to sale. Fall is wonderful here with the most delicious food and beautiful colors.

Good Morning everyone, I was going to sit on the screen porch to make this meal plan, but I am staying in this morning it is a little more than sweater weather. Fall has truly arrived and I am excited about a fun week here at the cottage.

Our meal plan this week is full of wonderful fall recipes, one of my favorite recipes for Slow Cooker Chicken and Cornbread Dressing is on the menu. We are having such a beautiful fall, the weather has been perfect for being outdoors and enjoying nature. We are working on getting the garden ready for winter and some of the beds cultivated for plantings. I have a trip to the apple orchard planned so I will be having some awesome apple recipes on the meal plan this week.

We are so excited to welcome October and the wonderful festival and fall foods of the season. Although the fall festivals will be a little different this year some are still having them while staying within the health guidelines of our county and state. I am planning a couple of our very favorite fall recipes for this weeks meal plan. I just got back from taking my inventory of food I have in the storage bins in the barn. We have very little production in the garden this time of the year. I am hopinig that I have enough on hand that I don't have to go to the village to the market this week. 

Fall arrived here at the cottage with a nice chilly rain and a feeling that the season was changing. We are about half way through with our construction project so I am still looking for recipes that I can cook in a small space and still be delicious. Actually my kitchen here at the cottage is very small, so I am used to cooking in a small space. That is the fun part of meal planning meeting the challenge that life brings to us and still making great meals for our family. 

The first day of Autumn is this week and we are ready for it here at the cottage. The leaves on our pear trees are already beginning to turn and some are falling. Each week our meal plan reflects a little more of fall as we ease into this beautiful time of the year. I love taking the time to look through recipes and find just the right recipe for a special day or event. We are kicking fall off this weekend with a great Roast Pan Chicken Dinner, I can't wait!

We are so busy here at the cottage getting ready for a construction project that requires us to pack up the breakables, oh my what a job. I am going to be making meal plans around the construction project that will  be going on for the next two weeks. No matter what is going on in our life we still have to eat and I am so happy to get it planned out ahead of time. I am making my shopping list and checking it twice, I won't be having time to run to the store,for that one must have ingredient.

  We are getting ready for the Labor Day Weekend and the last big weekend here on the lake. It will be a downsized get together, as most of our family members won't be traveling at this time. We are making some great meal plans and looking forward to having some fun, closing out the season. I always look at this weekend as a transition to fall and we are already having some cooler weather and some nice rains. If you have been coming here to the cottage for awhile you know I really get excited about the change of seasons. There is something about each season that I just love, fall has so many beautiful colors and such a nice cozy feeling with great foods. Happy to transition to Fall Foods!

I remember when I was a young homemaker and began making meal plans for the week, I would keep them in a book with my recipes. I laughed at myself this week as I realized that I still do the same thing. I make my meal plans then gather the recipes and keep them all in the same book, so they are ready to go. The only difference is that today, I am sharing them all with you and sure hope that you are finding some kind of inspiration for your meal plans! This week as I write this post we are so grateful that our Granddaughter and her family made it through Hurricane Laura. They were unable to evacuate from their location about 65 miles outside of Lake Charles, LA. Our thoughts and prayers are with those who lost so much in this storm.

Meal Planning for many of you has taken on a whole new look this week with school starting and some of your beginning home-schooling. I know that some families are really struggling with how to manage all of these changes and still make good meal plans for the family. When we had kids in school one of the things that helped me save time and money was being able to make my meal plans for the week. I am still making those meal plans and sharing them with you each week and hoping that you may find a new recipe or an idea that you can use for your family. 

Meal planning early today, it is 7:00 am and already 82 degrees on the screen porch. The little birds are really busy getting seeds from the feeder and bathing in the bird bath, I just love watching them. Our garden is just about done for the summer season, not much survives in this heat that will be well over 100 degrees by this afternoon. It may be time to head to the lake for a cool dip and catch a few fish for dinner, we will see what I can catch, sometimes it even gets to hot for the fish.

Making meal plans this week with a little more spice because we don't have to be so careful about my husbands diet, he is Covid free at last!!We are still celebrating here at the cottage he finally got a negative Covid 19 test and will be returning to work next week. We are so grateful that he never did have to go to the hospital and although it took him 4 weeks to heal, he finally did. We want to thank all of you for your positive thoughts and prayers these last 4 weeks, we really appreciate all of you!