It's what's for dinner.

I don't know about you guys, but I sometimes get sick of trying to figure out what to make for dinner.

I'm not picky. If I were just cooking for Dean and I, menu making would be so much easier. We wouldn't eat the same thing twice in one month.  But when you have five kids, some picky... yeah, not so easy anymore. And I'm not willing to eat pizza, homemade or otherwise, every single week.

Surely I'm not the only one with this problem?  Surely I'm not the only one who wishes a month's worth of meal plans were handed out accompanied by the week's grocery list?  Oh, and of course the menu would feature meat and other groceries that happen to be on sale. Oh, and someone would come and do my dishes every night, perhaps do the cooking as well if I'd rather craft.

Oh, cows don't fly, you say? Shucks anyway.

Well, just in case you happen to be flipping through the same old recipes again and again, wishing up a planned menu, here's my faves.

This week I'm thinking ground beef (because I bought some on sale last week, of course).

Besides chili with corn bread (Jessica's Texas-Style Chili is really good),

and Mexican Curry (page 58 of the new Phoenix LLC cookbook if you happen to have it),

meatballs always work in this family. If you are ambitious, make a ton of them and freeze them for easier meals later.

photo by Taste of Home

Last night I made Meatball Calzones. Yum!

(I use PW's pizza dough rather than bread dough, 

and I make pizza sauce to go with it.)

I even make one without cheese and it satisfies us non-dairy eaters.

photo from Food Network

I have a new favorite though, Mini Meatball Soup (I made the meatballs with 1/4 part hot sausage). 

And the best thing about this recipe? You simply drop the meatballs in the simmering soup to cook them (make this meal on your meatball making day)!

One less pan to wash and more flavor in the soup!

Still have meatballs rolling around?  Make meatball subs, or Meatball Sliders.

And, I wasn't even going to suggest it, but how about *cringe* PW's Spaghetti and Meatballs?  No seriously, I know you all make spaghetti and lasagna already, but the kids do eat it and this recipe is flavorful.

Okay, so there you have it.  My fall-backs when it's ground beef in my freezer.

Oh, and if you've got any beef with me, feel free to share. This time I won't mind. ;)