Menu Planning Monday

I have taken inventory of my freezer and have planned out the next four weeks just using my freezer! I know of some days that are going to be Daddy-less or that we have plans already made, so I have taken those days into account. I also know very well that there will be some days when I just feel lazy or have one of those headaches that puts me out of commission, so I have a few convenience foods always on hand. With the exception of some travel plans, we will not be eating out but enjoying some eating in - thanks to a well stocked freezer and some yummy recipes.

The other thing I determined I need to do again is make each day a themed day - Sunday is sandwich lunches and fish for dinner; Monday is crockpot meals; Tuesday is pasta; Wednesday is dinner at church or upside down dinner; Thursday is leftover buffet; Friday is pizza, calzone - something pepperoni; Saturday is grill out

This week will challenge my plans as DH has an elders' meeting Monday, Tuesday is DD's PTO meeting and Wednesday is the first night back to church activities.

Monday - Creamy Mustard Chicken - recipe from a freezer meal website
Tuesday- Leftovers due to PTO meeting- toss some buttered noodles in to round out the meal
Wednesday- Eat at church
Thursday- Sausage Potato Casserole
Friday- Pepperoni Lasagna Rollups
Saturday-Grill steaks from Angel Food - Make homemade steak fries
Sunday- Salmon and Cheese Grits

Lunches for my kindergartener will be peanut butter and jelly, peanut butter and Nutella or peanut butter and marshmallow creme with vege and fruit on hand, cookies, juice- Luckily she loves fruit and veges and these three peanut butter combos are a huge variety for her!
Lunches for brother, mommy and daddy when he is home will be lunch meat or jelly sandwiches, fruit, yogurt and tea. Okay, ice cream, too, we are addicted to the stuff - just look at my hips.
Breakfasts include breakfast bars, granola bars, and bake oatmeal, coffee, juice, milk -
This is a good recipe to double or triple and then freeze for use when mornings are super hectic. This can be used for breakfast or with a side salad at lunch or as a dessert.
Baked Oatmeal
3 cups quick oatmeal
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup applesauce
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup brown sugar
Mix all the ingredients together. Pour into a 13x9 dish prepared with Pam. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until edges are slightly browned. Serve warm with sausage, applesauce, warm in a bowl with milk poured on top. Serve with salad on side or with ice cream.

Menu Planning Monday

Okay, so things are "slowing down" and I have great plans to follow a menu and get some great meals on the table for my sweet family.

Saturday- Buffalo Chicken Wraps
Sunday- lunch at church (Discover Northridge)
dinner- Spinach and Broccoli Enchiladas
Monday- Sausage and Potato Supper
Tuesday- Southwest Pasta
Wednesday- Make baked beans for cookout for family swim night at church
Thursday- Salmon and Tomato Grits
Friday- Homemade Pizza
Saturday- Leftover Buffet

It is not like I don't have a ton of cookbooks and cooking magazines (I heart Paula Deena and Sandra Lee), including a cookbook I helped compiled and one compiled on the computer. But this week I am trying some recipes from www.tasteofhome.com. I get these delivered to my Inbox each week and every once in a while some come up that sound too yummy and easy to pass up.
This week there were several, starting with the Buffalo Chicken Wraps. Here is a little known fact: This chick loves some buffalo wings. So guess what?! I made this little wrap recipe - very easy and yes, the bacon is a must. Another thing my sweet sister says, "Everything is better with bacon." Very yummy - no, the kids ate the cold "quesadillas" with cheese and veges and were quite happy with their own creations.
I also discovered two new blogs and I am trying some of the recipes there.- Let's just say freezer meals are possibly my new best kitchen secret. I will post more about this find as I try some of the 3 meals I put in the freezer today. Ohhh..... so excited about

Menu Planning Monday

This is quick as we are in SC for the weekend and DH has finally come upstairs for bed. In an effort to be intentional, I am limiting computer time when the family is not occupied with sleep or other interests such as a he-man movie.
So very quickly and a bit sketchy details,the menu plan for this week:
Monday - In SC
Tuesday- Crockpot chicken
Wednesday- pasta
Thursday- Fish
Friday- Calzones
Breakfasts will be cinnamon toasts (kids love it) and cereal bars
Lunches will be sandwiches (PBJ, egg salad and deli meats)

Menu Planning Monday

This week is a little less hectic than last week. Thank goodness! So I am back with a menu this week.
All of the breakfasts will be cereal bars or frozen tea biscuits.
All of the lunches will be sandwiches- turkey or PBandJs.
Dinners:
Monday- Chicken Stir-fry and pineapple slices.
Tuesday- Pork Tenderloin (cooked and frozen earlier)
Wednesday- Eat at church
Thursday- leftovers
Friday- Grill hamburgers, potato salad, chips and make your own ice cream sundaes
(Get together with other elders and their families planned- If Dana is still sick, we will do a frozen pizza and popcorn with just family.)
Saturday- Chicken Nuggets and tater tots and vegetables
Sunday- Pizza at church or sandwiches at home.

I am very pleased with the One Trip to the Store-Cook for a Year cookbook. I am looking into freezer meals via www.frugalmom.net
I really liked being able to pull out a meal from the freezer after babies' births. I hope that I can organize myself enough to cook ahead and freeze meals.
There are more meals for the week at www.organizedjunkie.com

Menu Planning Monday

This week's menu includes cereal bars and fruit salad (mangos, pineapple, grapefruit, kiwi) for breakfast. Lunch will be sandwiches and fruit salad.
This week is unusually very busy in the evening. So I have several convenient foods planned.

Monday- Beef Fajitas (Sam's find- very yummy- just adding green peppers and onions)
Tuesday- Pizza (frozen)
Wednesday- Eat at Preschool End of Year program
Thursday- The one night home!! Parmesan Crusted Fish Fillets
Vege, Rice
Friday- Corndogs and tater tots and raw veggies
Saturday- Beef Stroganoff
Sunday- Eat at church for lunch
Creamy Crock-Pot chicken for dinner

Menu Planning Monday

Okay, so I create menus but don't strictly adhere to them. Life happens and on to the next week-

This week breakfasts and lunches are pretty standard stuff- frozen waffles, sandwiches and chips - nothing really new there.

Monday- Dana is gone to an Elders' meeting -
Spinach Enchiladas
Cheese Quesadillas

Tuesday- Ham and Potato Casserole

Wednesday- Dinner at church

Thursday- Chicken Fajitas

Friday- Shrimp and Grits

Saturday- Homemade Pizza

Sunday- In LaGrange

Spinach and Cheese Enchiladas
(I will halve this recipe using the leftover spinach from another weekend meal)
8 tortillas
1 pkg frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1Tbls diced garlic (I use minced garlic from a jar)
2 Tbls butter
1/2 onion
1 tomato, diced
2 cups shredded cheddar/jack cheese
3 Tbls vege oil
2 tsp taco seasoning
1 tsp Hot sauce
2 tsp flour
1 cup water
1 tsp garlic salt

For sauce, combine oil, taco seasoning, hot sauce, flour, water, and garlic salt in pan on stove. Bring to boil and simmer 5 minutes.
Heat oven to 425 degrees. In small pan on stove, warm butter over medium heat. Add spinach, garlic, and onions. Stir until warmed through. Remove from heat and add tomatoes. Gently warm tortillas. Using 1 cup cheese, and all spinach mixture, place small handfuls of each in cener of each tortilla, roll up and place in pan , seam side down. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Ladle on enough sauce to cover, then add remaining 1/4 cup cheese. Bake for 20 minutes. Serve with remaining sauce on side.

Menu Planning Monday

Okay, today is Tuesday but with the crazy weekend and MOPS this week, I am running a bit behind. But I must say this week is going to be pretty easy.

DH is not home two nights this week for dinner and not home for at least two lunches. Wednesday night normally has us at church for dinner, but this week, preschool is having a BBQ fundraiser Wednesday so I am picking up the plates earlier in the afternoon and the kids and I will eat before heading to church for the activities. Friday night is Mommies' Nite Out with MOPS so the family will eat leftovers and I will take a dish for that. What with all the food from the weekend, most of the meals are already made- just a reheat and add a fresh vege. So here is this week's crazy (luckily not often) menu:

Breakfasts- cereal, frozen waffles and fruit
Lunches- sandwiches and crackers, fruit
Monday- leftover potpie and ham, twice baked potatoes, and veges
Tuesday- Upside down dinner (waffles - probably frozen)
Wednesdsy- BBQ from preschool
Thursday- fish sticks and popcorn shrimp
Friday- leftovers
Saturday- pizza
Sunday- Crockpot chicken

I won a neat little book from 24/7Moms.com. It is 70 Meals and 1 Trip to the Store.
I am going to try to use some of those recipes in the coming weeks.

Menu Planning Monday

I like the idea of being organized. With 2 preschoolers, a busy husband and my own busy to do lists, organization is far from the word to describe my household or my life. However, when it comes to meals, organization is crucial to making it through a difficult time of the day. It also helps save a little money. If dinner is planned, then fastfood is not going to be an option.
I have planned menus for many years, but in my first personal blog I will share my menu for this week. I do grant myself a little grace in allowing menus to be substituted or rearranged a bit. With erratic work schedules, a erratic moods, behaviors and needs of the two kids and my own unforeseen issues to deal with, I need all the grace I can get. So I try to keep some fast emergency meal ideas with ingredients on hand.
If you are stopping in for a peek at my menu, please know that my choices are mommy and kid friendly. Ease and yumminess for all is my motto. There are a ton of other links at orgjunkie.com for more menus plans. Take a peek there,too.Enjoy!!

All breakfasts consist of cereal bars, cereal, grapefruit or apples,frozen waffles or toast sticks. Juice, chocolate milk, coffee.
All lunches consist of deli meat sandwiches (may use sandwich maker to make it hot, pretzels or chips, fruit and cookie and tea or water.

Monday:
Cheesy Chicken Pot Pie
Salad
Easter Egg Cupcakes (made from cake mix and put in Easter Egg mini cake pan- kids decorate with sprinkles after frosted)

Tuesday: Smoked Sausage Bake
Vege
Cornbread

Wednesday:
Eat at Church building

Thursday: Monterey Chicken
Mashed Potatoes
Vege

Friday:
Leftovers
Resurrection Buns

Saturday:
Leftovers
Resurrection Cookies

Sunday:
Lunch:
Ham,
Twice Baked Potatoes
Deviled Eggs
Veges
Mayonaise Rolls
Carrot Cake

Recipes:
Cheesy Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients:

2 deep dish pie crust form the freezer section
1 package (4 breasts) boneless, skinless chicken, cooked and cubed
1 can cream of chicken soup
8 ounces sour cream
1 cup milk
1 bag frozen mixed veggies
2-3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Place cubed, cooked chicken in pot pie crusts
pour veggies over chicken, 1/2 bag in each crust
In separate bowl, mix soup, sour cream and milk. Pour over meat and veggies
Sprinkle cheese on top.
Bake at 375 for one hour, or until cheese forms top crust and is melted and slightly golden.

Smoked Sausage Bake
smoked sausage, cook up
quartered potatoes
chopped onion
red, yellow, green peppers, sliced
parsley and olive oil

Combine all in a dish. Cover and bake at 400 until potatoes are tender.

Monterey Chicken
4-6 chicken breasts
4-6 T BBQ Sauce
4-6 slices bacon
grated cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses

Preheat oven to 350. Place chicken in glass dish. Top each with 1 T BBQ sauce and 1 slice baon. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Top with cheeses and bake additional 10 minutes.

Resurrection Buns

Resurrection Cookies

Mayonaise Rolls

1 c self-rising flour
2 T sugar
Mix
1 cup milk
2 T mayo
Add to dry ingredients and mix.
Fill muffin tins 2/3 full and bake at 450 for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown on top.