Menu Planning

The kids are back from their week in St. Louis and I have to say that I'm amazed by how messy two kids can make the house.  Keep in mind these are two older kids who should know better.  Here's a sample of what my day has been like:

• When I woke up this morning I was greeted to a mess in the kitchen consisting of a half eaten pizza, cookies still on the cookie sheet and every baking pan that I own out on the counter. 
• This afternoon when I walked in the door from grocery shopping I tripped over four, you heard me right, four pairs for shoes!  Shoes that are suppose to be put away when they are taken off. 
• Just a minute ago when I walked past the bathroom I happened to notice dirty clothes on the floor from today's shower.

OK, now that I've had my little tirade about my children (which all things considered I'll keep) I'm ready to go on to menu planning.

This week we're starting to get a little bit back into the swing of school.  Cross Country started last week with the first meet this Friday.  Later this week we have orientation for Belle while Michael's classes start Friday.  

The other thing that we have going on this week is we're debating going to see a show.  Our local performing arts theater has a popular broadway play going on this week that Mike wants to see.  I've seen it twice already but Mike and the kids haven't seen it.  Tickets are pretty expensive so I'm on the fence about it.

I've pulled my linguine/chicken in an asiago cream sauce into the lineup.  It's been a while since we've had it.  I don't know about Mike and the kids but I'm looking forward to it :)  You'll also notice that I did a cupcake this weekend.  I made a carrot cupcake which is without a doubt the best carrot cake recipe you will EVER have.

Without any further ado here is my plan for the week

• Brats (I'm trying jalapeno and cheddar this week - yum!), grilled pineapple, corn on the cob, potatoes and the killer carrot cupcake pictured above.
• Linguine with chicken in an asiago/garlic sauce (I'll try and get the recipe with pictures up next week), strawberry salad, garlic bread, glazed carrots
• Chicken salad, homemade bread
• Pizza on the grill
• Fend for yourself x2
• Dinner out

I'll be linking this up at I'm an Organizing Junkie

Weekly Menu

I don't always enjoy meal planning.  While I definitely see the value in having a menu,  the thought of having to actually create one taxes my brain sometimes.  Of course not having a plan taxes my brain when I'm standing in front of the refrigerator contemplating what to serve for dinner.  I also find my lack of creativity a little disturbing.  There are so many different foods out there to cook and I seem to resort to the same items! Maybe one of these days I've venture out of my comfort zone but it certainly isn't going to be this week.

This is a fairly quite week but I do have at least one meeting.  I'll plan on that being our fend for yourself night.  Otherwise it's going to pretty much be more of the same old thing.

Brats, salad, corn on the cob, strawberry shortcake
Grilled chicken, strawberry salad, potatoes, Texas toast, cranberry relish
Hamburgers, applesauce, tomatoes
Pizza
Fend for yourself x2
Dinner out

Of course, it helps if you're serving brats to have those little things called brat buns!  I sent Michael out to buy the corn but forgot to ask him to buy buns.  I like to buy my buns the day that we use them 1) so their fresh 2) I don't like waste.  The poor kids needed to eat them without buns.

That's what we're eating this week.  What's on your menu?

I'll be linking this up at I'm an Organizing Junkie

Menu Plan

As I mentioned we are on vacation this week.  While this may mean a lot of eating out for some folks, I'm actually hoping we'll be doing less of it.  This is Mike's birthday week so we'll be treating the kids to some steaks on the grill.

I did try the recipe for Mango Ice Cream, the kids and I made it this morning and took it to grandma's for a treat.  Going forward I'll use this as a dessert topping instead of ice cream but I would definitely recommend you try it out.

Here's what cooking at the WWIN household this week.

Chinese take-out (the neighbors had a party this afternoon and I didn't want to be out grilling)
Steaks on the grill, rice pilaf, corn on the cob, strawberry salad, birthday cake
Grilled chicken, cranberry relish, glazed carrots, salad
Brats, applesauce, roasted potatoes, corn
Hamburgers, grilled pineapple (try putting these on your burgers - yum!), tomatoes, salad
Pizza on the grill,
Dinner with friends

What's on your menu?  Feel free to leave a comment and/or link to your menu in comments.

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I'll be linking up at:  I'm an Organizing Junkie

Weekly Menu

Last week I decided to skip menu planning.  The week before I had strep throat and last weekend I had a stomach virus.  Between not feeling well, the excessive heat, the 4th of July and a few days of vacation I decided we'd wing it.  Of course winging it meant a lot of eating but sometimes a girl's got to do what a girl's got to do!

For the 4th of July we attended a barbecue where I made my Bacon Wrapped Wieners and these Orange Marmalade Cupcakes.  The cupcakes were exceptionally tasty.  According to my son they are one of his favorites.

This week is pretty hectic.  Mike is working a second shift plus the weekend, I have a meeting one evening and Belle is working a couple of nights.  It's going to be a stretch to get all of us sitting down for more than two meals but I'll at least be cooking so there's something to eat in the house.

Brats, watermelon, corn on the cob (yeah!  it's done early this year), roasted potatoes
Hamburgers, grilled pineapple, watermelon
Rotisserie chicken (picked up from the store), mashed potatoes, glazed carrots, salad
Pulled pork sandwiches ( from the freezer), applesauce, salad
Dinner out
Fend for yourself x2

That's our plan for the week, what's yours?  Feel free to leave your menu or a link in the comments.

I'll be linking up at I'm an Organizing Junkie, At Home with Mrs M, Stone Gable

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This Week's Menu

Life has been pretty hectic around here.  So hectic that I forgot all about strawberry season coming early this year.  About a week ago I realized that I should check to see when strawberry picking started only to find out that it was already the last picking weekend.  There was one picking time left but I had already made a commitment during that time.  Fortunately I did have time to swing by the Farmer's Market and take advantage of some pre-picked strawberries.  They were a little more expensive than picking them ourselves so I only got two flats (last year we picked six!  You can read about them here and here).  Even though we will have less fresh strawberries for shortcake it worked out pretty well.  I was able to get them all taken care of without being totally overwhelmed or "volunteering" my children to help.

This week is fairly quiet.  I have my investment club and we have some dinner plans later in the week but otherwise it shouldn't be to stressful.  I'm taking a risk by planning to make the chicken on a week night.  The chickens are thawed and in the refrigerator so I don't have much choice.  Of course we may not be eating until 6:30 that night.

Today was the family barbecue.  My aunt and uncle, who I rarely see, were there.  Guess who opened her big, fat mouth about my uncle's surprise birthday party?  Yeah - that would be me!  My only saving grace is that he really already knew it as his brother (my other uncle) left a message on their machine that they would be coming into town for the party.  So much for secrets in our family :)

Here's what we're planning this week.  Be sure and check out the awesome salad my mom served.

Family barbecue (my mom made this rockin' Tomato and Black Bean Salad)
Brats, potatoes, tomato salad, corn, applesauce
Chicken on the grill, mashed potatoes, glazed carrots
Hamburgers, grilled pineapple, strawberry salad
Fend for yourself
Dinner with friends
Chinese take-out

That's what we're serving.  What's on your menu?  Feel free to leave a comment or link in the comment section.

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 I'll be linking up at I'm an Organizing Junkie

Weekly Menu

Last weekend was so crazy I didn't menu plan, I can certainly say that our budget felt it.  We had brats one night, cereal another night and then we ate out every other night of the week.  Yikes!  So much for my "we have to cut back on eating out" resolve.

That's OK, this is a new week and I'm back on the menu planning wagon.  I've added a new recipe to my repertoire, grilled pineapple.  It's super easy and they kids love it.  I also made a new cupcake recipe; lavender, lemon and honey - very yummy!  I'll be posting the recipe and pictures later this week.

Here's what we're eating at our house.

Grilled chicken, Parmesan biscuits, applesauce, salad, grilled pineapple, lavender & honey cupcakes (I'll be sharing the recipe later)
Pizza on the grill
Hamburgers, strawberry salad, glazed carrots, potato chips and dip
Brats, corn, roasted potatoes
Pulled pork, cranberry relish, salad
Fend for yourself
Dinner Out

That's our menu for the week, what's on your menu?  Feel free to leave your menu or a link in comments.

I'll be posting this over at Good Cheap Eats, I'm an Organizing Junkie

Weekly Menu

Talk about an easy week for menu planning, it's definitely this week.  I'm leaving Tuesday for a business conference in Chicago and won't be back until dinner time on Friday, looks like the family will be having a lot of "fend for yourself" nights this week!

As we were grocery shopping yesterday I told Mike that he was NOT going to get spaghetti.  He was a little pouty when we walked by the spaghetti aisle but I stood firm.  I figured since I was going to be gone for the week we could have a meal that would excite the kids so I planned on serving brats tonight.

Well.......Mike must have been a good boy because God decided we weren't going to have brats.  We went to a family get together earlier today where brats were on the menu.  Brats are a favorite in our house, but not enough for two meals.  Add to it the storms that went through and all plans for grilling was done.  In case you were wondering, my brother-in-law stood outside with an umbrella to grill our brats and hamburgers :)

So, as we were leaving I made a list of ingredients for the boy to pick up at the grocery store.  Can you guess what we're having for dinner?  Bingo - spaghetti!! The kids aren't to happy - yet again.  I'm not sure if it's the actual spaghetti they don't like or the work involved in the clean-up.  The meatballs make quite a mess and there are a lot of pots to clean.  I should really look into buying some cooking bags, but why take away the kids' fun?

Here's the menu for the week, I told you it was an easy one!

Spaghetti and meatballs, strawberry salad, corn, garlic bread
Fend for yourself x4
Dinner out
Chicken and stuffing, glazed carrots, homemade applesauce, salad, bread (Mike is working next weekend so I'll cook a meal the kids love next Saturday).

I of course will be eating out all week!  We'll do at least one really nice meal but the rest will probably be low key.

What's on the menu at your house?  Feel free to link up or share in comments

I'll be linking this up at Good Cheap Eats, Money Saving Mom, I'm an Organizing Junkie

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Fend for Yourself Ideas

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you'll know that every week we have at least one or two  "fend for yourself" nights.  Since it is a regular on our menu plan I thought I'd share some of the items that I keep around the house for those nights when the kids are on their own.

Basically, a "fend for yourself" night is just what it seems.  Every family member is responsible for making their own dinner.  I plan these on nights when we're all coming and going with no hope of sitting down as a family.  If I'm around when one of the kids is eating I will sit down at the counter with them so that we can spend a few minutes together.

Even though everyone is responsible for feeding themselves, I do want to make sure that there are healthy, semi-nutritious options available for them.  I can't control whether they eat them or not, but they are available!

Snacks
Del Monte No Sugar Added Mandarin Oranges
Nature's Child Applesauce Squeezables (my daughter's friends tease her about these but she loves them!)
Pre-packaged sliced apples with caramel
Apples
Oranges
Bananas
Strawberries
Mushrooms

I have found that it I put the fresh fruit (apples, oranges, bananas) in a bowl on the counter the kids (and me) are more apt to eat them. If they are kept in the fridge they tend to be forgotten. The pre-packaged fruit is a little more expensive, but the I feel more comfortable with the all-natural aspect and the packaging is convenient for the kids to grab it on the go and they stay fresh longer.



Meals
Frozen Lean Cuisines or Kashi meals
Hard boiled eggs (for egg salad sandwiches or as is)
Flavored tuna packs
Mac & Cheese
Sweet Baby Ray's Pulled Pork
Frozen hamburgers patties (our son is old enough to throw them on the grill for him and Belle)
Soup
Sandwich meats

Depending on what we've had earlier in the week the kids may opt for leftevers, otherwise the options above (or something similar) is pretty much available all the time. Of course, that doesn't stop the kids from complaining that there's nothing to eat :)

That's what fend for yourself looks like in our house.  What does it look like in yours?  Do you have any other ideas to share?

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Weekly Menu

Last week mama had a little bit of a temper tantrum.  Because of that complete and utter meltdown, we ended up eating out much more last week than we should have.  I only cooked two of my four planned meals.  Not quite so good on our budget.

The week actually started out pretty good, my brats were grilled to perfection and the spaghetti was totally awesome.  Then Wednesday hit.  An incident at work made me pretty crabby.  I then walked in the door at home to a sink full of dirty dishes and my daughter instructing me that when I was done with dinner I needed to take her to the store and buy her some stuff.  Really?  Follow that up with the laundry room being a complete disaster, add in several loads of unfolded laundry and you have the recipe for a natural disaster.  My poor husband (who was still at the gym) got a complete earful as did his friend who was standing next to him.  Yikes!

Fortunately after 26 years together my husband knows that a good meal is the recipe to sooth the savage beast.  He hurried home and collected me to go out for steak at one of my favorite restaurants.  The kids were completely dumbfounded to be left on the doorstep when they thought they were having chicken casserole for dinner!  The next night we decided to repeat our ditch and run of the kids by going out to a supper club in town we hadn't been to in a while.  As the final nail in the coffin, the kids had friends over Saturday while we went out for dinner with another couple.  They asked us to leave money so they could order Chinese.  Hmmmm, let me think about that.  Nope, frozen pizza was on the menu unless they wanted to pry open their own wallets.  Maybe they won't tick off the mama next week!

Now that I've had a few nights of wining and dining I'm prepared to take up the cooking mantle again.  Unfortunately this week is going to be a little crazy.  I have a work dinner and Mike is working a couple of second shifts.  Keeping that in mind the menu will be pretty easy.

As you can see, yet again we are having spaghetti.  According to Mike, it isn't warm yet so we can leave it in the weekly rotation until summer is in full swing.  The kids aren't happy about it but, once again, oh well!  The chicken and stuffing casserole is so easy that the kids can put that together for me, making that an easy dinner for me.  This is Belle's favorite meal so she won't mind throwing it together for me.

Spaghetti and Meatballs, strawberry salad, corn, garlic bread
Chicken and Stuffing casserole, salad, glazed carrots, homemade applesauce
Hamburgers, roasted potatoes, corn, quick apple crisp
Leftovers
Fend for yourself x2
Dinner Out

That's it for my menu, what's cooking at your house?  Feel free to leave a link to your post or just share in the comment section.

I'll be linking this up at Good Cheap Eats, Money Saving Mom, I'm an Organizing Junkie

Weekly Menu

Before I get started, don't forget to enter the giveaway for a copy of The Lucky One.

Last week I didn't even bother to menu plan. I knew the week was going to be so crazy, plus Mike was on second shift so family dinners would be hit or miss.  I usually keep a few things lying around to throw on the table so that was my plan for last week!

This week I'm looking forward to a relatively quiet week where we can actually have some sense of normalcy. With the weather starting to get nice we're teetering on the edge of putting away our winter menu but we still have a couple of winter items this week. My husband is a little sad because he LOVES spaghetti but the kids are doing the happy dance!

Here's what I'm planning for the week.

Brats, potato salad, tomato salad, grilled asparagus
Spaghetti and meatballs, garlic bread, strawberry salad, corn
Chicken and stuffing casserole, dinner rolls, glazed carrots, salad
Hamburgers, tomato salad, homemade applesauce, corn, salad
Dinner out with friends
Leftovers
Fend for yourself

As I was rooting around our chest freezer I noticed that I still have a lot of stuff left over from last year. I have quite a few tomatoes, zucchini and pumpkin that I need to use up. This morning I made some zucchini bread  to take to my mother in law's house. I'll have to try my hand at some pumpkin chocolate chip muffins later this week.

That's my plan for the week, what's on your menu?  Feel free to leave a comment and/or link up to your menu.

I'll be linking this at Good Cheap Eats, Money Saving Mom, I'm an Organizing Junkie

Weekly Menu

I hope everyone had a nice Easter.  Mike was sick so I ended up going to two family dinners by myself.  I got home a little late so I didn't have a chance to post my menu until this evening.  Since my menu is a little skimpy, I thought I'd share a recipe with you my mom threw together.  I'll be posting it separately later this week so I can add it to my menu tab.

I ended up taking strawberry shortcake to my mother in law's.  As I was rooting around the freezer for the last of my strawberries I came across some more applesauce and cranberries.  The family was quite excited since I thought I had already used them all.  Of course I also found a lot of apples that hadn't been used so I felt guilted into making some apple crisp.  I may use my frozen apples to make another batch or two of applesauce as well.

 

Here's our plan for the week

• Easter dinner with family
• Leftovers
• Hamburgers, tomato salad, cranberry relish, salad, apple crisp
• Brats, roasted potatoes, applesauce, salad, corn,
• Work dinner (Mike will probably pick something up for him and the kids)
• Charity dinner for Mike and I (kids will fend for themselves)
• Dinner out

 As you can tell, grilling is the theme of the week.  I like the grilling theme since it means that I do very little cooking! 

Here's the recipe I promised you.

Cheesy Potatoes


1 box potatoes Au gratin
1 heaping tablespoon (more or less to taste) of Lia Marie's Original Garlic Spread
1 heaping tablespoon (more or less to taste) of sour cream
1 wedge Laughing Cow Light French Onion

Prepare potatoes as directed. Once potatoes are done cooking, add garlic spread, sour cream and cheese. Cook over low heat until everything is melted together.

I'll be linking this up at Money Saving Mom, I'm an Organizing Junkie and Good Cheap Eats

If you would like, feel free to leave a link to you post or share what you're eating this week in comments.

Hope you have a nice week!

 

 

 

Weekly Menu

Last week we didn't do such a great job following our menu.  We had the spaghetti but that was the only meal that we were actually able to eat as a family.  I had an unplanned business dinner pop up, plus my husband's new (to us) motorcycle was finally ready to be picked up.  Between those two events, two of our free nights became unavailable.  I'm not sure what happened to the other night.  I've had a headache for the last week and I probably just didn't feel like cooking.  The chickens that I had planned on serving had been thawed so I did go ahead and cook them, the family just ate them as left overs.

While the kids were at their grandparent's on Friday night, Mike and I went to Outback for dinner.  Outback is one of our favorite favorite restaurants, we go there about twice a month.  I especially like going there on Friday nights during happy hour.  What's better than a White Zin Sangria from Outback?  Two for the price of one!!  Unfortunately they lost our food ticket and it took them almost an hour before they came out and told us why we hadn't received our food.  Luckily for them I had a massage Friday afternoon and had plenty of time to drink my sangria's :) Unfortunately for them my husband gets crabby when he's hungry :(  The owner was nice enough to comp our meal for us which was a nice surprise.  I can also say that my New York Strip was the best that I've ever had, well worth the wait!

In the spirit of full disclosure, I have to tell you that I've barely thought at planning dinner.  My son did my grocery shopping for me today with a half-baked shopping list.  As we were putting away the groceries I realized I didn't have anything for a full meal, he's at the store right now picking up some of the items that we missed.

Here is what I'm planning on whipping together.  I know it's not overly impressive but with this migraine I've been fighting it's about the best I'm going to muster this week.  The kids are not going to be happy with another night of spaghetti - oh well!

Taco Buffet
Spaghetti and Meatballs, glazed carrots, garlic bread, strawberry salad
Brats, roasted potatoes, corn, Homemade applesauce, Quick Apple Crisp
Leftovers
Fend for yourself/take out

That's it for me.  What's on your menu?  Feel free to post a link to your menu in the comments.

I'll be linking this up at Money Saving Mom, Life as Mom, I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Menu for the Week

 

I know some of you had been wondering where I've been the last couple of weeks.  The unexpected hiatus was due to a couple of things.  First we took the vacation that I mentioned last year in my monthly financial updates.  Second, the weeks leading up to the vacation were incredibly stressful and I wasn't able to get anything written on a daily basis let alone in the hopper for the 10 days that I was gone. 

 

We had a a really great time (above is a picture of where I spent Friday afternoon. Pretty fabulous, isn't it?), I'll share more in a post later this week.  For now I'm up to my eyeballs in dirty laundry (4 people x 10 days equals a lot of laundry!), planning for the upcoming week and trying to get ready for work tomorrow.  My plan was to take the day off  on Monday but duty calls!

 

In keeping with my "just back from vacation theme", I'm keeping the menu plan pretty simple.  We'll be able to squeeze in three family dinners, the kids will be eating over at grandma and grandpa's one day, the rest of the days will be fend for yourself and/or take-out.

 

Here's our plan for the week

 

• Spaghetti and Meatballs, strawberry salad, corn, garlic bread
• Baked chicken, roasted potatoes, glazed carrots, salad, bread
• Taco buffet
• Dinner out/kids at grandparents
• Fend for yourself/take-out x3

I do have to say that I miss not having to worry about cooking dinner.  That's it for my menu this week, what are you serving?  Feel free to leave a link in the comments or just share.

I'll be linking this up to I'm an Organizing Junkie, Money Saving Mom and Life as Mom

Weekly Menu

Last week I deviated from the menu plan and snuck spaghetti in instead of the Chicken and Stuffing.  Let me tell you, the kids were NOT happy.  The kids aren't quite the fan of spaghetti and meatballs that Mike and I are.  I hear lots of crabbing from the kids about how often we make it.  Oh well, when they start paying for the food and doing the cooking they will get to plan the menu :)

Since the Chicken and Stuffing recipe is Belle's favorite, we're going to go ahead and try it again this week.  I had been hoping to get four family meals in this week but Mike is on second shift three nights so we're having some more planned take-out (versus the unplanned I've been doing!) since it's just the kids and I.

• Chicken and Stuffing, applesauce, cranberries, corn, bread
• Chicken Lasagna Roll-ups - This is a new recipe for us, I'll let you know how we like it.
• Sweet Baby Ray's Pulled Pork (pre-made, the kids and I will eat this one night)
• Pizza
• Girl's night out
• Fend for yourself night x2

I'm still playing around with my Grocery IQ app.  It's a little cumbersome in that while you can scan the item you want to your list, the price needs to be added manually.  Since I really want to use this as a gauge for how much I'm spending, that was an important feature I want to take advantage of.  Hopefully next week I'll have used it enough to critque it for you.

That's what's on my menu for the week, what's on yours?

Feel free to shar a link in the comment section to your menu.

I'll be posting this at Life as Mom, I'm an Organizing Junkie and Money Saving Mom

Weekly Menu

I didn't post our menu last week, mostly because I really didn't cook!  Last Sunday I made spaghetti, but other than that I worked late, Belle had a band concert and dance lessons, Michael had school and Mike worked two second shifts.  Not a lot of family time! 

This week is still busy but we should be able to squeeze in three family dinners which lately is our norm.  My work schedule is still pretty busy so my game plan this week was to plan meals that I could either make ahead or that someone else could put together so that when I walk in the door we can eat.

Speaking of work, about a month ago they replaced our Blackberry's with IPhones.  I really wasn't on the IPhone band wagon until I had one.  All I can say is "AWESOME!"  I absolutely love my IPhone and now cannot imagine life without it.  Last week our IS department had a training session so we understood the features and some of the apps that were available to us.  One of the apps that the trainer mentioned was Grocery IQ.  I've downloaded it and am starting to play around with it (the company allows us to use our phone for personal apps as long as we aren't charging them to the company or they are innappropriate).  I think it's going to help our list dilemma (i.e. I get calls, texts and scribbled notes with items to add to my list).  Once I master the app I'll write a post about it so you can decide if it's something you would find useful.

Here's my plan for the week:

Ham, sweet potatoes, strawberry salad, corn, corn bread - I do tweak the ham recipe and add pineapple and cloves.
Haddock(stuffed and baked), rice pilaf, salad, glazed carrots
Chicken and Stuffing, applesauce, cranberries, corn, bread
Pizza with friends
Take Out
Fend for yourself   x2

I'll also be making a pot of white chicken chili for my lunch during the week.  I'm trying to eat a little healthier and I absolutely LOVE this chili.  It's very yummy.

That's what is on our menu for the week, what's on yours?  Feel free to post a link in the comment section.

I've be linking this up at I'm an Organizing Junkie, Life as Mom and Money Saving Mom

Weekly Menu

As I stated in my last post, life has been a little hectic here at the WWIN household.  I'm very fortunate to have a family that rolls with the punches, loves take out, doesn't complain (to much) when things are going haywire and pitches to help when mom loses and starts yelling at them asks nicely.

The last couple of weeks haven't involved any menu planning and actually required my 21 year old son to do the family grocery shopping.  I have to say he did a pretty good job, so good in fact that he'll be doing more of it in the future!

Now that I feel a little bit more in control, I sat down and planned a menu for the week.

Haddock, rice pilaf, corn, applesauce, bread
Taco bar
Brats, roasted potatoes, glazed carrots, cranberry relish (we're taking advantage of the unseasonally warm weather to grill this week)
Fend for yourself  (X2)

Take out (X2)
Three family meals may not sound like a lot, but based on all of our schedules it's all we can accomplish so I'll take it.  When we aren't all together I don't bother cooking.  I figure that there is always plenty of food in the house and everyone is old enough to make their own food.

Due to the purchase of the haddock and brats, our grocery bill was a little high this week but we are still staying within our monthly budget.  However, I was able to pick up $12 in coupons at the store which I was pretty excited about.  I don't typically cut coupons (our grocery store hangs coupons by the product), but there was a $5 coupon for purchasing 10 General Mills items.  Old El Paso taco seasoning was included in the 10 items.  The price of Old El Paso taco seasoning at our store is $.69.  Buying ten of them cost $6.90, after the $5 coupon I was able to get ten for $1.90.  I was pretty stoked about such a good deal. 
That's my menu for the week.  What's on your plate?  Feel free to share a link in the comment section.

I'll be linking this up over at I'm an Organizing Junkie

Menu for the Week

Does anyone else have days when they just don’t want to be the “mom” anymore? Those days when we don’t have to be the responsible one and take care of everyone else? I’m having one of those days today. Today is one of those days when I don’t want to be the mom. I’m not feeling the best and would love nothing more than to crawl into a warm bed and hibernate.

 

Unfortunately instead I need to make sure my mom hat is on tight and plan my menu, grocery shop and run errands this evening. My son now has school on Monday nights and my husband is working tonight so I guess I’ll put my big girl pants on and stop whining.

 

As far as the menu, I’m taking it pretty easy this week with the exception of Saturday. On Saturday we are having some friends over for a turkey dinner so that will be a little bit more work. Typically I start my menu on Sunday, but yesterday we were at a football party so I didn’t need to plan anything for dinner. That’s why you’ll only see six items on the menu.

 

• Fend for yourself night  
• Lasagna, salad, corn, garlic bread 
• Leftovers 
• Baked Chicken, strawberry salad, mashed potatoes, glazed carrots, biscuits 
• Dinner out 
• Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry relish, corn, dinner rolls

 Typically I wouldn’t serve chicken and turkey in the same week but I just need easy this week and nothing is easier than baked chicken!

 

That’s what is on my non-eventful menu. What’s on yours?

 

I’ll be posting this at I’m an Organizing Junkie.

 

Menu Planning Week of 1/7/2012

As I've entered the 2nd week of the pantry challenge, things have been going pretty good.  We finally used up the meatloaf last week that had been languishing in the freezer for quite a while.  I've also been using up some other odds and ends from the freezer that have been sitting there for a while.  The best news of all, for the last two weeks we've come in under budget at the grocery store.  Both weeks I only spent about $175, not bad considering I needed to do some baking this week for a party.  If you are looking for some delicious bars, check out Paula Deen's recipe for Toffee Gooey Butter Cake.

The Pork Carnitas that I told you we were trying last week were pretty good.  The kids turned their noses up at them so I offered them pulled pork sandwiches which they were happy with.  I think I need to play around with the rice a little bit, didn't taste as much like Chipotle Grill as I was hoping.  Overall the meal was a success and will be added to the rotation.

This is a pretty easy week for me in regards to menu planning.  The kids and I are taking a quick trip to St. Louis to see some family so I really only need to worry about the first half of the week for meals.  My husband is good at fending for himself, most likely he'll grill a bunch of chicken breasts and live on that while we're gone.  The kids and I will mostly be eating out or at a relatives house. 

 

Here is what's on our menu for the week: 

• Spaghetti and meatballs, strawberry salad, corn, garlic bread, Toffee Gooey Butter Cake
• Chicken and stuffing, salad, glazed carrots, applesauce, Parmesan biscuits
• Leftovers

What are you planning on serving this week?

I'll be linking up over at I'm an Organizing Junkie

Pantry Challenge & Menu for the Week

Last year (can you believe we can say last year already!) was a year of great strides for me.  Two blogs, Life as Mom and I'm an Organizing Junkie, jump started me on a journey that I'm happy to say has led to a more organized house and a more conscious awareness to the way we approach our menu planning.

The journey started when I participated in the Pantry Challenge issued by Jessica at Life as Mom and Good Cheap Eats, I chose actually cleaning out my pantry for my portion of the challenge.  You can read that story here.  The next step was thinking about actually menu planning ahead of time, not waiting until I walk in the door to stand in front of the freezer and then order a pizza.  Participating in Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie's weekly menu planning and 52 Weeks series has helped keep me on the path.  One of my projects in the 52 Weeks was to organize my spice rack within the pantry, it was really driving me insane!  You can see my success story here.  Let me tell you, a clean and organized pantry never felt so good!

So, let me get to the guts of this post.  A new Pantry Challenge has been issued, one that I feel needs to be answered.  Since the pantry has stayed clean and organized, I've decided to make my food budget and menu the focus of this pantry.  Here are my fundamental issues:

• We are always over our food budget, our food budget of $200 a week!  I'm sure some of you are gasping at the amount of our budget and wondering how on earth we can go over that amount.  Let me tell you, it's easier than you think!
• We tend to get into a food rut and eat the same things over and over and over and over.......  Now, one of the reasons we do eat the same things time and time again is because my husband is resistant to change.  This is a man who can eat two cans of plain tuna a day for months on end.  Does he sound like someone who enthusiastically tries new recipes?
• I need to lose some weight.  Yeah, I know I say that all the time but I really do need to lose some.  1) We're taking a big trip this year and I'd like to look halfway decent in pictures 2) My 25th class reunion is this summer 3) I needed to start taking medication for my blood pressure and I'd really like to get it down naturally, without medication.

Based on the above issues, here is my plan.

1.  Make it impossible to go over budget

I have allocated a special checking account to grocery shopping, through payroll deduction I am putting $400 per paycheck in that account.  It will be like the days when money was tight and I would tell my husband, I have X amount in my purse.  If we go over that amount something will have to go back at the checkout.  Whatever is in that account is what can be spent.  Period, end of story.

2.  Look for new recipes I think the family will eat

Just because he isn't thrilled with new recipes doesn't mean my husband isn't willing to occasionally try them.  My plan is to spend some time scouring the Internet for recipes that I think he may like and introduce some of them over time.  If he likes them (like the haddock), we'll add them into the rotation.  If he doesn't (like the Tuscan Stew), we'll ditch them.  I won't be adding new recipes every week because a) I don't have that much ambition and b) I don't want him to start twitching.  I'll be sure and share the new recipes as well as what we think about them with you.

3.  Eat healthier

This is much easier said than done.  One of my biggest issues is my lack of planning.  If I plan ahead I can eat breakfast at home versus McDonald's.  I can eat a healthy lunch versus one from the vending machine.  When eating out I can order a healthier choice versus what looks fabulous on the menu.  I will also be looking for ways to make the food I serve at dinner slightly healthier without taking away the taste.

With all that being said, here is our menu for the week.  Take note - I've added a new recipe into the repertoire!

• Dinner with family (my FIL was a New Year's baby so we have a get together every year on the 1st)
• Baked chicken, mashed potatoes, corn, applesauce, bread
• Pork carnitas - NEW RECIPE
• Meatloaf (the poor meatloaf that I've been saying we would eat for weeks and never get to), rice pilaf, glazed carrots, cranberry relish, biscuits
• Left overs
• Take out
• Holiday party

Are you planning on making any changes to your eating habits or menu planning this year?  Feel free to link up any food related posts in the comment section.

I'll be linking this up at Good Cheap Eats and I'm an Organizing Junkie

Menu - Week of December 25th

After stuffing ourselves over the last couple of days are we really going to talk about food?  Yesterday I made a big turkey dinner for my side of the family.  Today we didn't have fancy meals, pretty much a snack buffet that we grazed at all day.  I'm on a sugar overload right now.

Okay - back to business.  The last couple of weeks we have completely fallen off the cooking band wagon.  If any of the bank employees are perusing my recent account activity they are going to be quite appalled by all the food places we've eaten at recently.  It's pretty much been a take-out life for us!  Based on the amount of money we've spent that is going to need to change!  I just don't know that this is the week to start :)

After the hustle of the last couple weeks (and copious amounts of cooking and baking) I'm cutting myself a little slack this week and pulling everything from the freezer.  Here's my plan

Dinner out - I told you this may not be the week I start!  One of my nieces is spending the night so we'll be doing something for dinner, just don't know what yet.
Potato soup and beer bread (Tastefully Simple)
Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, salad, corn, bread
Chicken taco buffet
Lasagna, garlic bread, salad, glazed carrots
Leftovers
New Years Eve party

If you are a regular reader, you know that we tend to have the same things over and over.  One of my 2012 goals is to try more new recipes.  Since the hubby isn't big on change he isn't going to be to excited by this but I'd like to add some variety to the menu.

I thought I'd share one of my presents with you.  Every year for Christmas my mom gets me fun something for the kitchen.  Since she knows my penchant for dropping spoons in whatever I'm cooking she got my these nifty Rachael Ray spoons that hook onto your cookware.  I'm looking forward to using them (and not having to fish them out of the pot!)

What's on  your menu for the week?

I'll be linking up over at I'm an Organizing Junkie

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