What I Made for Dinner as a Mother Who Cooks By the Season

As winter approaches and we’re faced with another year of determining what's for dinner, we're sharing a glimpse at how BHG readers gather for a meal. Welcome to our new series, Dinner Diaries, where we're asking readers to anonymously share how they get dinner on the table including grocery shopping, budgeting, cooking, and their favorite family recipes. Here, a family of four in the Midwest enjoys eating seasonally. Right now, the menu includes hearty casseroles, soups, and homemade bread.

• Occupation: Marketing Copywriter
• Location: Sioux City, IA
• Age: 46
• Cooking for: 4
  

Q: How often do you go grocery shopping?

I do a full grocery run at least once a week but we always will do extra runs to the store for anything I forgot or we run out of.

Q: What's your average weekly grocery budget?

I really try to stick to about $120-$130. That amount goes up when we need more household items like shampoo, laundry detergent, and cleaning supplies.

Q: Do you make a grocery list?

Yes! I make a list of dinners I'd like to cook for the week, check my pantry, and fill out my list with the items I don't have. Of course there are the weekly staples that never change: milk, eggs, butter, bread, bananas, apples, and tortilla chips.

Q: What grocery stores do you shop at most frequently?

I love the online pick up from Walmart. It makes my life so much easier to grocery shop on the app and then simply drive to pick up my purchases. The app also keeps me on budget because there is no chance for splurges. I also shop at Fareway, which is my go-to for quickly picking up the items we need or forgot.

Q: Who is going to cook dinner?

I usually cook dinner for the entire family. But with two teenage daughters who come and go during the week, my husband and I subscribe to a meal kit twice a week. We always cook that together.

Q: What are things you always have in your fridge or pantry?

My pantry always has baking supplies, especially items for bread and cookies, rice, beans, lentils, peanut butter, ramen noodles, boxes of macaroni and cheese, and always coffee!

Q: How do you share the labor of cooking, cleaning, and grocery shopping?

I love to cook and usually will gladly take on that role for dinner. But once in a while I need a break and my husband will cook one or two meals, usually spaghetti—he and my youngest daughter's favorite. My daughters are both teenagers, one is in college, and they make their own breakfast and lunches, usually easy-to-make items like ramen, mac and cheese, frozen meals, or scrambled eggs. My husband and kids take care of the cleanup when I cook. Since I use the Walmart app on my phone to shop, I take care of the shopping.

Q: What are your go-to meals or family-favorite recipes?

Our favorites change depending on the season. When it's hot outside, I like to make big salads, like a Greek or chopped salad with grilled chicken, grilled hamburgers with my favorite potato salad, and grilled pork tenderloin with vegetables. Cooler weather begs for favorites like meatloaf and mashed potatoes, chili, and hearty, bean-forward soups in the slow cooker. But we also love to make Chicken Tikka Masala, shredded chicken tacos, homemade pizza, and just about every pasta dish imaginable.

Q: Do you cook daily or do you meal prep for the week?

I cook daily. Meal prep does not work for my family as our schedules, and food whims, quickly change.

Q: What was the last meal you cooked at home?

I make a big meal on Sunday and the last thing I made was cheesy potato casserole with ham, steamed broccoli, and fresh bread.

Q: Would you make it again?

Yes, it is one of my youngest daughter's favorite meals. It's also a great potluck meal.

Q: Do you often have dessert with dinner?

No, we're not a big after-dinner dessert family. But we do have sweets around the house. I love to bake and will throw together brownies and chocolate chip cookies in the afternoon. I enjoy making an out-of-the-ordinary dessert for a holiday or special occasions like a chocolate torte, Mississippi Mud pie, or a sweet pastry. I make cheesecakes for my husband and kids on their birthdays.

We want to hear from you! Submit your dinner diary here for a chance to be featured.