Rockford has been taking the kids to the grocery store on Saturday mornings while I’m at work. His grocery methodology differs slightly from mine. I like to have a very comprehensive list. He does not. He freestyles his way through the grocery store, picking up this and that and figuring out what will become of it later.

It’s a difficult approach for me. Not having the Full and Complete List of Meals with All Ingredients on Hand makes it 98 percent more likely that we’ll go out to eat. Which I don’t oppose in theory, but in practice it requires money.

Anywho. Here’s what I think we’ll be having for dinner this week.

Monday: Tacos
Rockford bought a “taco kit,” which means that we definitely have everything we need for this one.

Tuesday: Blackened tilapia and mashed potatoes

Wednesday: Indian Butter Chicken
I’m pretty sure we don’t have any evaporated milk. I’ll be sure to pick up an extra can of it, though, so I can make this, too.

Thursday: Kung Pao Chicken
This is a maybe. I know we have some more chicken in the freezer, but I’m not sure about some of the other stuff.

I’m thinking I need to rework my meal-planning system so that Rockford has a list to take with him on Saturdays. Winging it really isn’t my forte.

One food that continues to confound me is the baked potato. I’m not sure what it is about the humble tuber that’s so difficult, but I have yet to make one successfully. I bake them for hours, and they never get fluffy and delicious. They never even fully cook.

I generally just don’t try to make them. But every now and again Rockford wants one, and Poppy will eat them, too. So there they are on my menu again. I’m trying a new method this time, though. In a couple of hours, the spuds will go into the Crockpot. From what I’ve read, they should be done about six hours later. We shall see.

Do you have a fool-proof potato-baking method? I eagerly await your tips.

Monday: Baked potatoes

Tuesday: Blackened tilapia

Wednesday: Fajitas

Thursday: ?

Friday: Shredded beef tacos

I felt rotten when I went to bed Friday night (I think it was just a bad allergy attack). On Saturday morning, Rockford nudged me and said, “I’m going to take the kids to the grocery so you can sleep in.” So I said, “Narmumphblargh” and rolled over and went back to sleep. I didn’t wake up until 10:30. When I remembered that I hadn’t made a menu plan, much less a grocery list.

Rockford is much better than I am at on-the-fly meal planning. Here’s his plan for the week, concocted at the grocery store with an infant and toddler in tow.

Monday: Pizza

Tuesday: Fajitas

Wednesday: Spaghetti

Thursday: Something from the freezer

He would’ve won the Go Rockford! award just for letting me sleep in so long on Saturday. But then he made salmon for dinner that evening followed by barbecue last night. I have a good husband. Thanks, Al!