Monday meal plan and a problem...

Monday is here again!!  Time to prepare for the week, so here is my meal plan-

Monday 

Chicken breasts with Avocado and tomato salsa

Tuesday 

Breakfast with fruit and yogurt 

Wednesday 

Tacos- 

Thursday

Roast with potatoes and carrots

Friday 

Salmon Cakes

Saturday 

We will be out for dinner

Sunday 

Chicken tortilla soup with avocado and sour cream

And here's the problem. My pantry has gotten out of hand and really needs some major help!!  So this is my project this week/weekend and next week I will have an organized space. I will post updates along the way!  

Make My Menu Monday 1/28/13

It is Monday again (how does the weekend go by so fast???) and so it's time to plan my meals for the week!

Monday- Family Night Out for my son's school

Which means no cooking for me tonight!!

Tuesday- Hot Ham and Cheese with soup

I make my Hot Ham and Cheese with Sourdough Bread, this week I am going to try Havarti cheese!

For soup, I will use canned tomato, but I add lots of spices of my own to it.

Wednesday- Breakfast with fruit and yogurt

Scrambled eggs with cream cheese and crumbled turkey sausage- we also  add spinach, tomato and avocado. My husband makes his into a wrap using a whole wheat tortilla and salsa!

Cinnamon Toast 

Yogurt with fruit

Thursday- Tacos

I will make a double batch of taco meat for Saturdays Taco Salads

Friday- Feta topped Chicken with veggies

Broil chicken breasts about  6 min on each side

Top with Feta, broil a couple min more

Saturday- Taco Salads

Left over taco meat from Thursday

Sunday- Spanish style shrimp with pasta

I went to this cook ahead meal party this past Saturday. We made 10 meals that go into the freezer. I decided to use 1 a week. This is the first one that I am trying.
1-1 1/2 lb Jumbo shrimp peeled and deveined
2 TBS Grapeseed oil- you could use olive oil as well
2 tsp fresh lime juice
1 tsp  all purpose spice
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1 in squares

Cook in a skillet until warm ( I have already cooked shrimp). Serve over pasta.

I will let you know how it turns out!

Thanks for stopping by my blog!  Remember to check out Organizing Junkies blog for even more menu planning ideas!  Tomorrow I will return with some great home office ideas on paying bills!  See you then!

Faith

Make My Menu Monday 1/14/13

It is another Monday, so that means- time to Make My Menu!  With a busy schedule of the kiddos' activities it is super important to get a menu down for the week!

Each week I love my menu board even more! Click here for the post on how I do my meal planning and use my menu board. 

Monday- Spaghetti with Salad and Garlic Bread

Tuesday- Hot Ham and Cheese with Broccoli Cheese soup

Sourdough bread is the secret to a great Hot Ham and Cheese

The Broccoli Cheese soup comes straight from my mother-in-law's kitchen- this is always a guarantee for a delicious meal :)

3 C broccoli or 10 oz pkg frozen broccoli

1 C chicken broth

1 TBS minced onions

1/4 tsp pepper

3 1/2 C milk

2 TBS cornstarch

8 oz Velveta, cut into pieces

In medium saucepan, bring broccoli, broth, onion and pepper to boil. Cook till broccoli is tender. Add all the milk except 1/4 C. Bring to a boil over medium heat. 

Stir cornstarch into the 1/4 reserved milk. Mix well. Stir into boiling soup. Reduce heat, stir in cheese until melted. Makes 7 cups. 

Wednesday- Leftovers

Thursday- Chicken Tortilla Soup with avocado and sour cream

4 chicken breast halves
2 (15oz) cans black beans (undrained)
2 (15oz) cans Mexican stewed tomatoes or Ro-Tel tomatoes
1 C salsa
1 (4oz) can chopped green chiles
1 (141/2 oz) can tomato sauce
Tortilla Chips
2 C grated cheese

Combine all ingredient, except chips & cheese in large Crock-pot. Cover. Cook on low for 8 hours. Just before serving, remove chicken breasts and slice into bite size pieces. Stir back into soup. To serve, put a handful of chips in each individual soup bowl. Ladle soup over chips. Top with cheese. Then add avocado and sour cream! YUM!

Friday- Breakfast with fruit and yogurt

Saturday- Feta topped Chicken with Veggies

Marinate chicken breasts in balsamic vinaigrette dressing & season (I use pepper, sea salt & garlic)

Broil 5-7 minutes on each side, or until done

Feta Sauce- ( I found this recipe in a Cooking Light Magazine)
1 lemon
1 TBS fresh chopped Mint
4tsp extra-virgin olive oil
Dash of black pepper
1 pkg feta cheese

Squeeze lemon for 2 TBS juice & 1/2 rind
Combine rind, juice, mint, oil, and pepper, stir with a whisk
Add cheese & stir

Put on top of Chicken

Sunday- Roast with red potatoes and carrots

With my Roast I keep it simple-

Take a Roast about 3 1/2 pounds
Put it in a slow cooker
Add- 1 cream of mushroom, 1/2 can water and a packet of onion soup mix
Set it on low and let it cook all day!
Add carrots and potatoes with a couple hours left to cook

Well there you have it. Now that I have my meals planned I can make my grocery list and head to the store!  Remember to check out Organizing Junkie's Website for lots and lots of meal ideas to get your week started off right!

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Faith

Make My Menu Monday

Wowzers! Its been awhile since I have posted my menu. Is it just me, or has life been busier lately? Christmas is just 15 days away which makes me feel a little panicky!! I have some really fun Christmas projects that I will be blogging about this week. For now, onto the menu!!  We have lots of Christmas programs and activities this week which means our menu needs to be simple and quick!! My menu board and meal planning is still working well!  Click here to see my new meal planning!

Monday- Hot Ham and Cheese, Mac & cheese and salad

I switched it up a bit doing mac and cheese instead of soup. 
I used Asiago Bread from Panera to make the Hot Ham and Cheese and it was delicious!

Tuesday- Breakfast with fruit and yogurt

Scrambled eggs with cream cheese and turkey sausage. I will also cook up some potatoes. I take red potatoes, quarter them and put them in the microwave for a few minutes to get them cooking. Then I put them in a skillet with olive oil, rosemary and ground pepper. They cook for about 20 minutes or until they are nice and tender!

Wednesday- Marinated Pork Chops with broccoli and garlic bread

This time I will put them in the crockpot in the morning. Just add some BBQ sauce and some spices and they are ready at dinner time!  

Thursday- Roast with potatoes and carrots

I will use my crockpot again for this one!  Just add the roast, 1 can of cream of mushroom soup and 1 packet of onion dip mix. Cook on low all day. Add the potatoes and carrots about 2 hours before ready to serve.

Friday- Shrimp and Sausage with Cheese grits

This recipe comes from a Cooking Light magazine that I got several years ago. It is a favorite in our household :) I have adapted it slightly to fit our family.


1 lb shrimp- I purchase the already cooked shrimp to save time
1 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 link turkey sausage cut into 1/8 inch slices
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 c water

Add shrimp, seasoning and pepper to a skillet that is sprayed with cooking spray. Remove shrimp from pan and keep warm. 
Return pan to med-high heat. Re-spray with cooking spray. Add sausage, for appx 2 min- until browned. Add reserved shrimp mixture and garlic to pan- cook 1 minute stirring occasionally.
Add 1/4 c water, cook 30 seconds, scraping pan
Remove from heat, let stand 2 minutes.\


Simultaneously I prepare the grits

1 1/2 c water
1/2 c uncooked quick-cooking grits
1/2 c skim milk
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
3/4 tsp hot sauce
1/4 c grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Bring water to a boil 
Gradually stir in grits
Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes
Stir in milk and remove from heat 
Add remaining ingredients, stirring until cheese melts

When I serve this meal I serve the shrimp and sausage on top of the cheesy grits!

Saturday- Chicken tortilla soup with avocados and sour cream

This recipe comes from one of my BESTEST friends!! She shared it with me- thanks CiCi :)
4 chicken breast halves
2 (15oz) cans black beans (undrained)
2 (15oz) cans Mexican stewed tomatoes or Ro-Tel tomatoes
1 C salsa
1 (4oz) can chopped green chiles
1 (141/2 oz) can tomato sauce
Tortilla Chips
2 C grated cheese

Combine all ingredient, except chips & cheese in large Crock-pot. Cover. Cook on low for 8 hours. Just before serving, remove chicken breasts and slice into bite size pieces. Stir back into soup. To serve, put a handful of chips in each individual soup bowl. Ladle soup over chips. Top with cheese.

We will also add avocado and sour cream to ours- that's just how we roll :)

Sunday- Out to Eat

Remember to check out Organizing Junkie for many more meal planning ideas! Thanks for stopping by!  

Faith

Make My Menu Monday & a Menu Plan Idea

Monday is here once again and so is Make My Menu!!  Before I get to the menu, I wanted to share a menu planning idea that I found while on Pinterest. It lead me to a website called mom colored glasses- super cute huh? She had a great idea that I think will work for us quite well. I will take you step by step on how I made it work for me!! 

First I got some supplies- Blank business cards, business card pages and I used a fine point sharpie. 

Next I went through all of my meals that I make on a regular basis and labeled one side with the name

And the other side with the ingredients needed and then where the recipe is(which cookbook, recipe box,etc) and the page number if applicable. Then as you pick meals, you can easily make your grocery list.

Then put the cards into the pages and in a binder.

Next this is my Menu Board that I shared a few weeks ago. I had found it at a flea market over a year ago, but had not really had a real purpose, other than looking cute :) So I thought it would make a fun menu board. I found some small close pins and spray painted them red...but it still needed to add something

BEFORE.

So I got out a circle paper punch and punched out 7 circles. Then using some scrapbook stickers I labeled each one for the days of the week.

I just glued each one to a close pin and added my menu for the week and there you have it! 

So here is my menu for this week!

Monday- Roast with potatoes and carrots

With my Roast I keep it simple-
Take a Roast about 3 1/2 pounds
Put it in a slow cooker
Add- 1 cream of mushroom, 1/2 can water and a packet of onion soup mix
Set it on low and let it cook all day!
Add carrots and potatoes with a couple hours left to cook

Tuesday- Shrimp and Sausage with Cheese Grits

This recipe comes from a Cooking Light magazine that I got several years ago. It is a favorite in our household :) I have adapted it slightly to fit our family.

1 lb shrimp- I purchase the already cooked shrimp to save time
1 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 link turkey sausage cut into 1/8 inch slices
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 c water

• Add shrimp, seasoning and pepper to a skillet that is sprayed with cooking spray. Remove shrimp from pan and keep warm. 
• Return pan to med-high heat. Re-spray with cooking spray. Add sausage, for appx 2 min- until browned. Add reserved shrimp mixture and garlic to pan- cook 1 minute stirring occasionally.
• Add 1/4 c water, cook 30 seconds, scraping pan
• Remove from heat, let stand 2 minutes.\

Simultaneously I prepare the grits

1 1/2 c water
1/2 c uncooked quick-cooking grits
1/2 c skim milk
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
3/4 tsp hot sauce
1/4 c grated fresh Parmesan cheese

• Bring water to a boil 
• Gradually stir in grits
• Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes
• Stir in milk and remove from heat 
• Add remaining ingredients, stirring until cheese melts

 When I serve this meal I serve the shrimp and sausage on top of the cheesy grits!

Wednesday- Breakfast with Red Potatoes, fruit and yogurt

Cheesy Eggs with sausage-
Scramble eggs add cream cheese and cooked crumbled sausage

Quarter Red Potatoes- then I microwave them for about 4 minutes, just to get them started
Add them to a skillet with 1 TBS of olive oil, Rosemary, salt and pepper
Cook until tender

Thursday Shrimp Wraps with fruit

1 Box of popcorn shrimp
Lettuce
Tomatoes, diced
Shredded cheese
Whole Wheat Tortillas
Ranch

Cook popcorn shrimp according to pkg
Add to tortilla with toppings

Friday BLEATS

It's like a BLT with extras!  

Bacon 

Lettuce

Egg- Fried

Avocado- Sliced

Tomato

Saturday Tacos

Sunday Marinated Baked Pork Chops

1 TBS soy sauce

2 TBS veg oil

1 TBS Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp lemon juice
2 TBS brown sugar
2 TBS ketchup
6 pork chops with bone in

• Preheat oven to 350
• In small bowl, blend soy sauce, veg oil, Worcestershire, lemon juice, brown sugar & ketchup
• Place pork chops in a medium baking dish & spread with 1/2 sauce
• Bake 30 min, turn & spread with 1/2 of sauce
• Continue to bake 30 min more

Remember for even more menu ideas check out these blogs as well Organizing Junkie's Blog  and Healthy Branscoms 

Make My Menu Monday

Monday means menu planning!

Monday- Breakfast

Cheesy scrambled eggs
Bacon
Pancakes

Tuesday- Popcorn Shrimp Wraps with fruit

• Popcorn shrimp wraps-
• Package of frozen popcorn shrimp, cooked according to package
• Put shrimp on whole wheat tortilla
• Add lettuce, tomatoes, shredded cheese
• Top with ranch

Serve with strawberries on the side

Wednesday- Eating out for a School Family Night Out!

Thursday- Hot Ham & Cheese with Soup

Using sour dough bread for the hot ham and cheese is the secret!

Spinach Tortellini soup

Friday- Pork Roast with veggies and rolls

• 3 lb Roast
• Put in Slow cooker
• Add cream of mushroom soup and onion soup mix
• Add baby carrots and halved red potatoes with appx 2 hours until serving 

Saturday- Tacos and black bean salsa

• Cook ground beef
• Add Taco seasoning- I use Taco Bell's seasoning
• Put taco meat into taco shell
• Add lettuce, tomatoes, cheese and black bean salsa

Sunday- Taco Salads and nachos

Use leftover taco meat add to lettuce and desired toppings!

Well now onto the shopping!! One of the things that I am trying to do is streamline my grocery shopping. The fewer times you  go to the grocery store each week (along with following your list) the less money you spend!  So I am trying to really figure out exactly how much of things we use each week and making myself only grocery shop once a week.  For example we are big milk drinkers in our house, so I have been tracking how much milk we drink so that I can buy that many gallons at the beginning of the week. I am also paying attention to the items that we use and taking notice and making a list on cost at each store. For example my kids favorite cereals- I have a list in the back of my planner and I jot down how much that cereal is at each place I am at. I am really trying to do that for each of the "staples" for our household. Then I can look at the difference in price and decide- is it worth driving to another store for the savings that I would receive?

Happy Menu planning, don't forget to pop on over to Organizing Junkies blog for loads of menu planning ideas!
Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today :)
Faith

Weekly Menu & a Menu Project

Well, it's already Wednesday and I haven't posted our menu yet!!  I am in the process of changing how I meal plan a bit. Along with that comes a new way to display my menu... 

Last year at a flea market I found this... I immediately loved it, but I have had it a whole year and it has yet to serve a real purpose. Until now!  

In Target's dollar section they had these cute little close pins

My chairs in my kitchen have been getting spray painted, so I decided to share the love with my new cute little close pins.

 So now it makes a great way to display my weekly menu. Very soon I will be sharing my new meal planning idea- it is way fun, but I am in the process of putting the finishing touches on it!!!

 So here is how it looks in my kitchen!  It sits beside my desk and looks super cute and functions amazing! It's the perfect combo!!!

Here is what's on the menu at our house this week...

Monday-Roast with red potatoes and carrots

My Roast Recipe is pretty simple and yummy- my favorite kind of recipe!!

Roast 3 1/2 lbs
1 can cream of mushroom soup (99% fat free)
1 envelope onion soup mix
red potatoes- halved
baby carrots

Roast goes in the crockpot in the morning.
Add soup and soup mix
Put on low
With about 2 hrs or so until eating time add potatoes and carrots

Tuesday- Pizza, salad and grapes

Pizza- this week, I had a coupon for Hy-vees pizza that they make fresh in the store, so we tried it out- yum!
I made up a salad quick with spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers and avocado

Wednesday- Chicken Tortilla Soup with avocado and sour cream

This recipe comes from one of my BESTEST friends!! She shared it with me- thanks CiCi :)
4 chicken breast halves
2 (15oz) cans black beans (undrained)
2 (15oz) cans Mexican stewed tomatoes or Ro-Tel tomatoes
1 C salsa
1 (4oz) can chopped green chiles
1 (141/2 oz) can tomato sauce
Tortilla Chips
2 C grated cheese

Combine all ingredient, except chips & cheese in large Crock-pot. Cover. Cook on low for 8 hours. Just before serving, remove chicken breasts and slice into bite size pieces. Stir back into soup. To serve, put a handful of chips in each individual soup bowl. Ladle soup over chips. Top with cheese.

We will also add avocado and sour cream to ours- that's just how we roll :)

Thursday- BLEATS with Sweet Potato Fries and strawberries

I have put my BLEAT recipe on here several times, so you might be sick of it but just in case...
It's super simple- just a take on BLTs. We put Bacon, Lettuce, Egg, Avocado and Tomatoes on a sandwich.

Sweet Potato Fries are really simple-
Thinly slice a sweet potato, place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray, sprinkle with sea salt and pepper. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes

Friday- Tilapia with tomato and avocado salad & baked red potatoes

Tilapia I just brush each fillet with olive oil and season with pepper, garlic & sea salt. Broil about 3-4 min each side. 

Avacado/Tomato Salad- this recipe I got from a Cooking Light magazine and it is delish! We use it lots!!

1 TBS oregano

1 TBS olive oil

2 TBS red wine vinegar

1 garlic clove, minced

2 C grape tomatoes, halved

1/2 C crumbled reduced-fat feta

1 ripe peeled avocado, chopped

Combine first 4 ingredients, stir with a whisk. Add tomato halves, cheese & avocado, toss gently. 

Saturday-Breakfast

Cheesy Eggs
Pancakes
Fruit

Sunday- Lasagna with Garlic bread and salad

Lasagna
1 lb ground beef
1 clove garlic
1 TBL Parsley
1 TBL Basil
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 can tomatoes
2 six oz cans tomato paste
10 oz lasagna noodles
3 C cottage cheese
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 beaten eggs
2 TBL Parsley
1/2 C Shredded Parmesan
1 lb Mozzarella sliced thin

• Brown meat & add next 6 ingredients. Simmer uncovered until sauce is thick (about 30 min) 
• Cook noodles, drain, rinse. 
• Combine cottage cheese with egg, seasoning & Parmesan cheese.
• Place 1/2 of cooked noodles in 9x13 pan. 
• Spread 1/2 of cottage cheese mixture & add 1/2 of mozzerella & half of meat.
• Repeat layers.
• Bake at 375 for 30 min. Let stand 15 minutes before serving

This is my mom's lasagna recipe and so good!

Remember to check out I'm an Organizing Junkie's Blog for more great recipe ideas!!

Thanks for stopping by my blog and come back soon!!
Faith

Make My Menu Monday 10/1/12

Fall is definitely in the air!  I LOVE being able to wear jeans and sweatshirts, see the leaves changing colors, and start making yummy "fall" food!  This year I really want to try more soup recipes- if anyone has any good ones, let me know!!

Well here is what is on our menu for the week!

Monday-

we had a family birthday dinner at my in-laws so no cooking for me-Thanks Debbe :)

Tuesday- Chili and Cinnamon Rolls

Chili-
2 lbs ground hamburger, browned and drained
2 cans Chili beans ( love Bush's mild chili beans)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 TBS Wahoo Chili Seasoning from Tastefully Simple

After hamburger is browned and drained, add the rest of the ingredients and simmer over stove-top or in crockpot! We serve with a dollop of sour cream, a sprinkle of shredded cheese & crushed tortilla chips! YUM!!
Cinnamon Rolls- I take the easy way out and buy them, one of these days I will make them from scratch- again if anyone has a great recipe I would love to have it!!

Wednesday- Planned left overs or grab whatever!  

Our Wednesday evenings are extremely busy- so it is much easier to just warm something up in-between activities. So I will make sure to make plenty of Chili!

Thursday- Hot Ham & Cheese, Creamy Tortellini Soup & Garden Salad 

The secret to a GREAT Hot Ham & Cheese (as I found out from my neighbor) is using Sour Dough Bread- it makes a huge difference!

Creamy Tortellini Soup
I just found this recipe on Pinterest and will be trying it out on Thursday- it looks delish and am really excited about it!!

Garden Salad-
I just throw together spinach, sliced cucumbers, tomatoes and avocado

Friday- Popcorn Shrimp salads & strawberries

Popcorn Shrimp wraps 
Prepackaged Popcorn shrimp cooked according to package
Put them in a whole grain tortilla and add

•  lettuce,
•  tomato, 
• shredded cheese & 
• a tad of ranch dressing

Saturday- Breakfast

My kids LOVE Breakfast for dinner, which is why you will see it on my menu usually every week!!

Cheesy Sausage Eggs
Scrambled Eggs
Add- cream cheese and turkey sausage
Then we mix in torn spinach leaves, tomatoes and avocados

Pancakes

Parfaits

Take Greek yogurt, then add in

• Fruit (Strawberries and blueberries is what we usually use)
• Top with granola

Sunday- Mini Meatloaf, Red baked Potatoes & steamed green beans

Mini Meatloaf

Well that's whats cooking in our house this week!  Be sure to pop on over to Organizing Junkie's blog to find loads and loads of great recipes for the week!  

Thank you SO very much for stopping by my blog & come back soon!!!

Faith 

Make My Menu Monday 9/24/12

Well another Monday is here and that means that it's time to Make My Menu for the week!

Monday:
Broiled Chicken with Feta Sauce, Baked Red Potatoes, & steamed green beans

Marinate chicken breasts in balsamic vinaigrette dressing & season (I use pepper, sea salt & garlic)
Broil 5-7 minutes on each side, or until done

Feta Sauce- ( I found this recipe in a Cooking Light Magazine)
1 lemon
1 TBS fresh chopped Mint
4tsp extra-virgin olive oil
Dash of black pepper
1 pkg feta cheese

Squeeze lemon for 2 TBS juice & 1/2 rind
Combine rind, juice, mint, oil, and pepper, stir with a whisk
Add cheese & stir

Serve over chicken!

Tuesday:
Taco Tuesday!!! serve with black bean and avocado salsa

Wednesday:
Taco Salads and Nachos

Thursday:
We are going out to eat for a school event

Friday:
Pizzadillas, salad & grapes

Pizzadillas-
2 whole wheat flour tortillas
Add pizza sauce, cheese, pepperoni, and any other pizza topping you like!

Saturday:
Breakfast!
Baked Oatmeal- click here for recipe, cheesy scrambled eggs, bacon, yogurt

Sunday:
BBQ Pork Sandwiches, tomato avocado salad- click here for recipe, strawberries

Getting my menu done for the week puts a smile on my face :) Hope you all had a great weekend and happy menu planning to you!  Remember to check out Organizing Junkie's blog for lots of great meal planning ideas and recipes!!

Thanks for stopping by!!
Faith

Make My Menu Monday 9/10/12

OK- I know, it's Tuesday but I am still going to call it Make My Menu Monday :) Yesterday was just one of those CrAzY days!!  Even with the best plan sometimes there just isn't enough time to get everything done!!
So here is our menu for the week!!

You may notice that on my grocery list side I don't list all ingredients for each meal- this is because I make some things ahead of time. Like my Taco Meat and Mini Meatloaf. Those meals I make a BIG batch of once a month and then freeze them. Then it is really easy just to reheat on our busy weeknights. The taco meat I just throw into the Crockpot frozen on low & it is ready to go by dinner.

Monday: Tacos

Tuesday: BBQ chicken Sandwiches, Green Beans

This was on the menu from last week, but we never had it. We ended up eating leftovers on that night.
I have a large bag of frozen chicken breasts, I put in however many I need into the Crockpot with a small amount of water or chicken broth. Cook it for about 3-4 hours until it's done. It just shreds really easy and makes perfect BBQ sandwich meat!  I then add BBQ sauce and some spices.

Wednesday- Taco Salads, Nachos & Black beans

Leftover taco meat from Monday- just made into salads!

Thursday- BLEATS, Sweet Potato Chips and Rasberries

Bacon, Lettuce, Egg, Avocado & Tomato Sandwich

Sweet Potato Chips
Thinly slice a sweet potato. Put on a sprayed baking sheet. Add Sea Salt & Pepper or whatever spice you like. Cook for 25-30 min on 375

Friday- Mini Meatloaf, Baked Red Potatoes & Broccoli

Mini Meatloaf

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1/2 c bread crumbs
• 1/4 c water
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 3/4 c bbq sauce
• 3/4 c shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 375
Mix meat, bread crumb, water, seasoning, & half of bbq sauce
Press into muffin cups & add a small spoonful of remaining bbq sauce to top of each meatloaf
Bake 30 min, top with cheese and cook for 5 more min (or until the cheese has melted)

Saturday- Pizzadillas, Salad & Strawberries

Pizzadillas
Just take a tortilla- put on some pizza sauce, cheese, & any pizza topping that you like- then put another tortilla on top. I make ours in a quesadilla maker, but it works fine to make them on a skillet also, just flip once you see the cheese is melting.

Sunday- Hot Ham & Cheese, Tomato soup & salad

Hot Ham & Cheese-
I make them just like grilled cheese but with ham also. The key is using sourdough bread- it makes them DELICIOUS!!!

Tomato Soup-
Maybe some day I will make it from scratch, but for now I use a can of tomato soup and add basil, pepper & top it will some shredded cheese 


So there's the menu for the week! What's cooking at your house? Remember to check out Organizing Junkies blog for even more recipe ideas!!

Thanks for stopping by!
Faith

Make My Menu Monday 9/3

I hope you are all enjoying your Labor Day Weekend!  Even though it's Labor Day- we still have to eat this week :) So here is another Make My Menu Monday!

Monday- Feta Topped Chicken, Wild Rice, Salad

Feta Topped Chicken:

• 6 boneless chicken breasts
• 3 TBS balsamic vinaigrette dressing
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
• 2 large Roma Tomatoes
• 1/2 C Feta cheese

Set oven to Broil

Brush both sides of chicken with dressing

Sprinkle both sides with garlic powder & pepper

Place on broiler pan & broil 4 inch from heat- 10 min, turning once (or until chicken is done)

Top with tomato & cheese & Broil 2 minutes longer

Tuesday- Tacos & Black Bean/Avocado salsa

Tacos: 

I cook up hamburger meat & mix in Taco Bell Seasoning

We use whole wheat soft tortillas, tomatoes, lettuce, shredded cheese, sour cream

Black Bean/Avocado Salsa:

• 2 C coarsely chopped, peeled Avocados
• 1/4 red onion, chopped
• 3-4 Roma Tomatoes chopped coarsely
• 1(15oz) can Black Beans rinsed, drained
• 2 TBS lime juice
• 1/4 tsp salt

Combine all ingredients & toss gently- Let chill for 2 hours

Wednesday- BLEATS, Sweet Potato chips, Strawberries

BLEATS:

This is our twist on BLT's.

Bacon, Lettuce, Egg, Avocado, Tomato 

Toast Some whole wheat bread and all ingredients!

Sweet Potato Chips:

Thinly slice 1 sweet potato, put on a sprayed cookie sheet & season with sea salt & fresh ground pepper

Bake at 375 for 25-30 min

Thursday- BBQ chicken sandwich & Lemon Broccoli

BBQ chicken sandwich:

Place Frozen Chicken Breasts and small amount of chicken broth in Crockpot for approximately 4 hours, shred it and add BBQ sauce. 

Put on whole wheat bun & add desired toppings!

Lemon Broccoli

Friday- Steak Salad, Watermelon 

Steak Salad:

Cut Steak into strips, cook on Med heat in skillet with small amount of olive oil. Cook until it is done to your liking

Place Steak strips on spinach/lettuce mix, add sliced tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, avocado, & Feta cheese

Saturday- Breakfast!  Scrambled Eggs, Pancakes & Fruit/Yogurt

Scrambled Eggs:

Scramble eggs, add cream cheese(until melted)& crumbled turkey sausage

Pancakes

Greek yogurt & add fruit! 

What's cooking at your house this week? Any projects going on this week? We have lots of really fun things coming up as far as project go- I can't wait to reveal them all!! Remember to stop by Organizing Junkie's blog for lots of great menu ideas!

Thank you so much for stopping by today!

Faith

Make My Menu Monday 8/27

Since Back to School is in full swing- I think this is where Menu planning becomes essential!!  In our house (and probably many others), Back to School means the start of all kinds of activities. My kids love to do a lot of things, this means are evenings are pretty busy. Without a set menu plan we would be filling up on junk and fast food most nights. This also means having easy to grab, healthy snacks for after school or on the go. I will talk a little more about snack planning later this week :)

On to the Menu Planning...

Monday- Baked Pork chops , baked red potatoes, asparagus

Tuesday- Stroganoff Meatballs, Salad, Lemon Broccoli,

• About 12.5oz Meatballs- frozen
• 1 can (10oz) condensed beef broth- I try to get low sodium
• 1/4 c water
• 1/2 c (1/2 8oz container) cream cheese- I get light
• 1 jar mushrooms
• 2 C hot egg noodles

Mix broth, water & cream cheese in large skillet- Bring to a boil on med heat
Stir in mushrooms & add meatballs
Reduce heat to med-low
Simmer 15 min, stirring occasionally
Serve over noodles

Wednesday- Chicken tacos, cilantro-lime rice, black bean/avocado salsa

Thursday- School picnic (we will be trying a food truck)

Friday- Grilled Steak, mashed red potatoes, salad

Saturday- Steak tacos, nachos, black beans

Sunday- Mini meatloaf, cornbread muffins, steamed green beans

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1/2 c bread crumbs
• 1/4 c water
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 3/4 c bbq sauce
• 3/4 c shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 375
Mix meat, bread crumb, water, seasoning, & half of bbq sauce
Press into muffin cups & add a small spoonful of remaining bbq sauce to top of each meatloaf
Bake 30 min, top with cheese and cook for 5 more min (or until the cheese has melted

This recipe I make a double of, I freeze them and then we have an easy meal at a later date. They reheat just perfectly!!!

Hope everyone had a great weekend!  Remember to check out Organizing Junkie for all sorts of fabulous menu ideas!!! Thanks so much for stopping by. I will have several projects this week so remember to stop back by :)

Faith

Make My Menu Monday- August 20

 Welcome back- hope you all had a great weekend!   It's another Monday which means it is time to make the menu for the week. I used a new printable- click here if you would like to try it out.

Monday- BLEATS
This is one of our favorites & is an upgrade on BLT's. The initials stand for Bacon, Lettuce, Egg, Avocado, & Tomato Sandwiches. They are supper YUM :)

Tuesday- Mini Meatloaf-
Left overs from last week

Wednesday- Pizzadillas
Another favorite at our house- Just take a tortilla- put on some pizza sauce, cheese, & any pizza topping that you like- then put another tortilla on top. I make ours in a quesadilla maker, but it works fine to make them on a skillet also, just flip once you see the cheese is melting.

Thursday- Chicken Tacos, Beans & Cilantro Lime Rice

Friday & Saturday- we will be gone while my daughter does a Triathalon (super excited for that & more on that next week :)

Sunday- Breakfast
Sausage & cheesy eggs- we use turkey sausage crumbles & cream cheese then add spinach, tomato & avocado.
Waffles
Strawberries & peaches


Another Menu planned- now to the store I go!! Remember to check out Organizing Junkie's blog for even more great meal planning ideas!

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog!
Faith

Make My Menu Monday

How was everyone's weekend? Ours was great! We kept pretty busy with the kids schedules & even worked on some projects :) But since today is Monday (and only one more day until school starts), I needed to make my menu!! So here it is!! I used the same printable as last week because I really love how it worked, I like having the grocery list on the side and when I am at the grocery store I like having my menu in front of me, just incase I forgot to add something- which happens sometimes!  

Monday- Chicken Tacos
I put frozen chicken breasts in the crockpot with just a little chicken broth, I cook for about 4 hours. It shreds really easy!  Then I add Taco Bell taco seasoning (it's our family's fav). Then I am making that black bean/avocado salsa that I made last week. It is the perfect combo with tacos!

Tuesday- Since it is the kid's first day back at school, we are going to have a treat and go out to eat!

Wednesday- Chicken Taco Salads
I will use the left overs from Monday and make them into salads. I am going to try a new dressing this week
Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette- just whisk all ingredients together

• 2 TBS chopped cilantro
• 3 TBS red wine vinegar
• 2 TBS olive oil 
• 1 tsp grated Lime rind
• 1 clove minced garlic 

So I will have to let you know how it turns out

I will also make Lime-cilantro rice & beans

Thursday- Hot Ham & Cheese with Tomato Soup

The trick is making them with sourdough bread- YUM!

Tomato Soup-

I use the canned tomato soup but I add milk, basil, & a little shredded cheese 

Sweet Potato Fries

• Thinly slice a sweet potato
• Place on baking sheet coat with cooking spray
• Sprinkle with sea salt & bake @ 375 for 25 minutes

Friday- Steaks with Beer Reduction & Blue Cheese, Baked red potatoes, & Asparagus

6 (4oz) steaks

1 tsp olive oil

1 (12 oz) dark beer

2 TBS brown sugar

2 TBS crumbled Blue Cheese

• Preheat oven to 450
• Season both sides of steak
• Heat oil in skillet & add steaks- just brown- about 2 min/side
• Remove from pan & place on baking sheet, Bake at 450 4-5 min (until done to your liking)
• Combine Beer & brown sugar in bowl, add to pan stirring frequently
• Cook for about 6 minutes- it will be slightly syrupy

Serve steaks with sauce on top & then sprinkle with blue cheese

Saturday- Breakfast
Cheesy Eggs with Turkey Sausage, English muffins, & fruit

Sunday- Mini Meatloaves, Mashed Red potatoes & steamed green beans

Mini Meatloaves
1 lb ground beef
1/2 C Bread crumbs
1/4 C water
1 tsp garlic powder
3/4 c BBQ Sauce
3/4 c shredded cheese

Preheat oven 375
Mix meat, breadcrumbs, water & seasoning
Press into muffin pan cups
Add BBQ Sauce
Bake 30 min
Top with cheese & cook additional 5 minutes

These are one of my kids favs!! I try to make extra because they freeze & reheat really well!


Wheeew, It feels good to have that done & know we will have great meals all week long!!  Anyone else doing some menu planning this week? Remember to check out Organizing Junkie's Blog for lots more great menu ideas!

Thanks for stopping by & happy Menu planning to you!
Faith

Make my Menu Monday!

Well it's Monday and that means another Make My Menu!! I found another cute free printable to write my menu in this week. Click here to go to the printable. I really like the grocery list on the side :) 

Monday:

Tilapia I just brush each fillet with olive oil and season with pepper, garlic & sea salt. Broil about 3-4 min each side. 

Avacado/Tomato Salad- this recipe I got from a Cooking Light magazine and it is delish! We use it lots!!

1 TBS oregano

1 TBS olive oil

2 TBS red wine vinegar

1 garlic clove, minced

2 C grape tomatoes, halved

1/2 C crumbled reduced-fat feta

1 ripe peeled avocado, chopped

Combine first 4 ingredients, stir with a whisk. Add tomato halves, cheese & avocado, toss gently. 

Tuesday:

Fish Tacos- I use left over Tilapia, add lettuce, tomato, cheese in tortillas

Black Bean Salsa- someone I work with gave this recipe to me & again- we use it all the time!!

2 C chopped, peeled avocados

1 small finely chopped red onion( I only use about 1/2)

3-4 Roma tomatoes, chopped coarsley

1 (15 oz) Black Beans, rinsed and drained

2 TBS lime juice

1/4 tsp salt

Combine all ingredients, let chill 2 hours

Wednesday:

Ginger-Lime Beef Stir Fry- another one from another Cooking Light magazine

1 TBS sugar

1 TBS grated peeled fresh ginger

2 TBS lime juice

1 1/2 tsp low sodium soy sauce

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

1 TBS canola oil

12 oz boneless sirloin steak, cut into strips

4 lime wedges

Combine 1st 5 ingredients, stir with whisk

Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add steak, cook 4 min until browned stirring frequently, Remove from heat, drizzle with ginger-lime mixture. Garnish with lime wedges

Thursday:

I cook up extra steak on Wednesday and make a salad with it. 

Friday:

Breakfast- one of my kids favorites!!  

When on vacation in Colorado over spring break, we ate at this cute little breakfast place & I recreated the recipe from there-

I scramble eggs & add turkey sausage(I get Jimmy Deans that is precooked). Then I add cream cheese and let the cream cheese melt into the eggs. Then add spinach, tomato & avocado- we just add those on our own plates. You can top with a little Feta also!  Yum :) 

Pancakes 

Saturday:

Pizzadillas (from last week Make my Menu Monday)

Sunday:

Tacos

 Don't forget to check out Organizing Junkie's blog for lots of great menu ideas!!!Happy Menu planning to you!!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Faith  

Make My Menu Monday

Welcome to the newest addition to my blog- Make My Menu Monday! Once I have a menu made it makes the week run so much smoother, there is no guess work, no trying to figure out at the last minute, no making bad choices because we are all hungry and grab fast food! It also makes my grocery shopping easy. So every Monday I will post our menu for the week! 

And here is this weeks menu!! I found this super cute free printable here

I just simply printed it and wrote in my menu!

I wanted to explain a couple of our menu items. We tend to make up names to our dinner creations and I am sure not everyone knows what they are :)

• Pizzadilla is basically a Quesadilla except I put in pizza sauce, turkey pepperoni, & mozzarella cheese. You could certainly add any other pizza topping!!  
• Grilled Chicken- that is pretty obvious, but I wanted to share this awesome marinade that I first tried when my cousin fixed it when we were visiting her family! It is so delicious!!  It is called Rosemary Ranch Chicken and click here to go to the recipe on allrecipes.com. The recipe is for kabobs but we use it with chicken breasts and we also omit the sugar and it tastes GREAT!!!
• BLEATS- this stands for Bacon, Lettuce, Egg, Avocado & Tomato sandwich, they are also amazing and it is one of my kids favorites!!!  

Something I always try to do with my menus is to plan left overs, it is much easier to buy a little more meat and then use it the next night for a new meal!

Well thanks so much for stopping by- I would love to hear what your menus are for the week or maybe a favorite meal in your household! Also for lots of great menu planning ideas check out one of my favorite blogs I'm and Organizing Junkie
Faith