Good morning! I just finished making a menu plan for the week, which I should have done last night, so that I could already be home from the grocery store this morning. Alas I will have to go at lunch when it is already busy and terrible. Oh well. I’ll do better next week?

This week I’ll be making one new-to-me recipe plus two tried-and-true favorites. We’ll do one carryout night because sometimes you just have to leave dinner up to someone else.

Monday: Creamy Crock Pot tortellini soup
I’ve never made this before but this recipe has graced a bajillion Pinterest boards, so I’m giving it a try. It’s getting pretty chilly in the evenings now, so this will be nice to ease into the week. Plus it will make the house smell good all afternoon.

Tuesday: Soup leftovers
One thing nice about cooking for two, you almost always have leftovers. Are you a person – or do you know a person – who just can’t get behind leftovers? I’m not always the biggest fan but soup makes for a pretty ironclad leftover, and in fact it is usually better the next day anyway.

Wednesday: Coconut chicken curry
This one is a big favorite around here and we haven’t had Thai-style anything in a while.

Thursday: Pork tenderloin, mashed potatoes, peas and onions
If you’re an omnivore, pork tenderloin is a great item to have in the freezer. It’s super easy to roast or grill, it can fit into a slightly fancier menu or just a regular one, and there are hundreds of ways to prepare it. I use this Ina Garten recipe most of the time. Mashed potatoes are also easy and my Irish husband will never side-eye them. For the peas, I sauté diced onions in some butter until they are tender and slightly browned and then add frozen peas and cook, stirring frequently, until they’re heated through. If you time everything right this meal takes less than an hour to prepare, plus you’re probably going to have leftover mashers. WIN WIN.

Friday: Pizza night or other carryout TBD
Getting carryout on or around pay day feels better than getting it almost any other time. I don’t know why but that’s a fact.

Saturday and Sunday: TBD
My husband often does the cooking on these evenings, or we might go out. Sometimes we end up having a late lunch and skip dinner. Unless it’s a special occasion or we want to try something specific/very involved, I don’t generally stress or plan ahead for these nights.