Image courtesy of foodnetwork.com.

In case you missed it, my New Year’s resolution is to give myself the gift of time.  One way I want to do that is by planning weeknight dinners in advance.  That way I don’t have to rush around after getting home from work, and can actually spend that time enjoying my family.  So, now that we are three weeks into the New Year, how am I doing?  Pretty well.  I haven’t cooked every weeknight, but I did drag out my slow cooker and manage to pre-plan 2-3 meals each week.  Some were delicious, like the slow-cooker short ribs that I turned into pasta sauce, others were epic fails.  (Slow-cooker macaroni & cheese?  Disgusting.)  If nothing else, by blogging about my decision to plan meals ahead of time, I have felt compelled to do it.  This is progress.

These are a few of my hits:

These slow cooker short ribs were delicious. Rather than make the sauce from scratch, just make the ribs and mix them with marinara.

This pot roast was easy and a everyone loved it.

You can never go wrong with perfect roast chicken (not a slow cooker recipe).

Next on my list . . . soups.  Stay tuned.