Menu planning from De ma cuisine

Cooking with a plan is the path to success in the kitchen. There's nothing worse than running out of an ingredient mid-recipe or getting home from a long day and staring hopelessly at a frozen chunk of meat. Enter my lovely foodie friend, Rachel of De ma cuisine.

Her love of lists and cooking got her planning menus for home chefs with a fridge full of food and no plan of action. For a reasonable fee, Rachel will compose a meal plan to your liking. Choose your plan size from Petite, Moyenne, Plus Grande or C'est Incroyable.

Rachel offered to let me test out her services and created a delicious Menu Moyenne based on my specifications which included: a husband who loves bacon and who needs to embrace a wider variety of veggies. Our customized menu promptly arrived in my inbox in an easy to use calendar format.

Although our schedules are rarely Monday to Friday, it felt great to have a plan. I loved that Rachel provided options and room for my own creativity. We thoroughly enjoyed some delicious and easy new recipes last week.

Spicy Orange Chicken Stir-fry from BonAppetit.com

Balsamic-glazed Pork Chops from MyRecipes.com

Fettuccini Alfredo with Bacon from MyRecipes.com

Check out Rachel's blog for all the menu planning details and pricing. And while you're at it, make her Bacon Apple Pizza, it's a serious winner.