Woo!

What a busy weekend!

I feel like I need a weekend to recover from the last two days, but I know that this week is going to be just as busy/crazy as the last. Lots going on for us over the next four or five weeks and we have something going on almost every weekend and most weekends it is two or three things.

Needless to say, I’m taking my vitamins, making sure we all get lots of sleep, and falling back on my planning instincts.  That’s the only way we’ll make it through all of this in one piece, I think.

Part of that is my menu planning. Someone told me this weekend that they admired me for “being so organized” and planning my family’s menu for the week. I told her that it was really just a survival tactic, because otherwise, I would fall back on bad habits of take out and fast food dinners and that’s not good for our bodies or our budget. 

And, if I have the menu plan, I at least feel like something in our lives is under control, even when other things are not. Being able to stop in the middle of a hectic day and cook what I have already planned out is like an oasis in the middle of chaos for me.

And then I can jump back in to the craziness and keep going, knowing everyone’s tummies are filled and happy.

Here’s what’s on tap for the week this week – we’re “eating down” as my step dad says  – making use of leftovers to make room for more good cooking next week:

• Pasta Fagioli (one day I’ll have to tell you the story about my soup making experience this weekend. That deserves a blog post all of it’s own)
• BBQ sandwiches – from the leftover pork roast from last week
• "Baked" Chicken – this was on last week’s menu but didn’t get made so I need to get that bird cooked and soon!
• Chicken Tenders  and homemade fries w/ salad (fallback on a night when SuperMan is late)
• Creamy Pasta with Chicken (made w/ the leftovers from the Baked Chicken – this is another new recipe from the new cookbooks)
• Sloppy Joes (fallback if I need another dinner item one night)
• Friday Night Mexican (out)

What are your dinner plans this week?

Hop on over to orgjunkie.com for some more menu planning (and more) ideas.

I’m in recovery mode today. Recovering from a beautiful weekend at a women’s retreat. My soul is restored but my body is tired. I am so thankful that today is a holiday and I can relax and enjoy my children while I rest and prepare myself to get back in “the groove” the remainder of  the week.

The kids have only been to school 3 days since the middle of December. It feels a little like we’re starting back to school after summer break (again) although this time it was a snow break!

The snow has pretty much melted in our yard, although shadier yards in our neighborhood still have snow.  The roads are (mostly) clear and life is returning to normal around here.

Last week I had great plans for cooking before the snow came, but things changed once the entire family was stuck at home inside with the snow. Cooking became a form of entertainment and my menu choices changed to suit kids’ cooking skills and tastes.  Additionally, SuperMan did  a lot of the cooking – he was off work all week and I was still working – so he made up some of his own dinner menus some nights.

I’m hoping to try out a few new recipes from some of the cookbooks I received as Christmas gifts. If I like them, I’ll share them with you in coming posts.

So, a few items on this week’s menu are recycled from last week so that the food doesn’t go to waste (and because I’m still hungry for it!)

• Country Style chicken with rice & vegetables
• Beef Stew (which will most likely be lunches not dinner) or Beef Vegetable Casserole (new recipe)
• Stir Fry Chicken with rice
• Mama’s Meatloaf, roasted veggies & potatoes
• Pasta Fagioli soup (this will most likely be Sunday night supper as some friends are coming over)

What are you doing this week?

Hop over to orgjunkie.com to see more ideas.

Well, I am getting “back in the saddle” after two somewhat lazy cooking weeks. I found myself slipping into the “pick up something to eat for dinner” habit this week and that is not where I want my family to be – for both budgetary and health reasons.

So, I got my act together and picked up the things I need for meals for most of the week.  I’m also baking and making my oatmeal bars for weekday breakfasts and trying a new bread recipe I’m hoping the family likes.

Here’s my plan for the week:

• Saturday: Baked Ham with rice & black-eyed peas
• Sunday: Spaghetti & meatballs with garlic bread
• Monday: Pork loin in the crock pot with rice & veggies
• Tuesday:  Salisbury steak, mashed potato & gravy
• Wednesday: homemade chicken nuggets & roasted potato wedges with a garden salad
• Thursday: slow cooker pork chops & rice
• Friday: dinner at friends’ house

I’m sure we will eat a few ham sandwiches this week for lunch and if any of these dinner plans get derailed there is always leftover spaghetti to fall back on.

What are your dinner plans for the week?

Well, we survived Halloween weekend. It was loads of fun carving pumpkins, hosting friends for dinner on Sunday night and then trick-or-treating. We are enjoying a holiday from school today and the slow-down in our routine that this allows.

I haven’t really had time to think too much about what I’m going to cook this week and my normal Monday morning grocery trip will probably be postponed since I have monkeys with me. That means cooking out of the pantry and freezer for a few days.  Which, truthfully, is a good thing, because I like to “cook down” what we have stored there every once in a while to make sure we don’t loose things in the abyss of the freezer only to find it months later when it is freezer-burned and inedible.

Here’s what I’m thinking about this week:

Monday: Grilled Chicken, Saffron Rice & Vegs

Tuesday: Meatloaf and roasted potatoes with a garden salad

Wednesday: Leftover chicken & dumplings

I am thinking I will leave the rest of the week open for now as I’m hoping to get to the grocery store and also do an inventory of the freezer (before the shopping trip) which will help dictate what I plan for those days.

I’m hungry for spaghetti, though, so that may work its way into my plans for the weekend.

Keep watching – later this week I’m going to share a recipe for a banana bread that is to-die-for. I seem to be baking one a week lately because SuperMan and the monkeys devour it as soon as it is baked.

This season of our lives is so busy. It seems like every week and weekend we have many things crammed in alongside our normal routines – fun things that we want to do along with the things we have to do. It makes life hectic, even if it is filled with fun adventures.

This week I’m simplifying the meals quite a bit – to accommodate that hectic schedule. I’m still planning home-cooked meals most nights, but I’m also giving myself permission to take the easy way out a couple nights. (i.a. eating out and/or frozen/prepared meals)  If it is not an all-the-time thing, I think it is OK.

Here’s what’s on my plan:

Monday: Eating out at our local Chick-Fil-A – they are having family night and a bunch of superheroes and princesses will be on hand to share in the fun.

Tuesday: I’m making a new recipe I found at Publix. Love their Apron’s meals. I’ve never had a not-good one. We will be eating Steak with chopped salad – a modification of this recipe.

Wednesday: Chili (I made this on Sunday so this will be an easy warm-it-up and eat dinner)

Thursday: Pulled pork in the crock pot and I’ll make rice with the juices.

Friday: either eating Mexican or Pizza night at one of our local restaurants.

What are you planning this week? Link up with us over or orgjunkie.com.