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What's For Dinner Tonight?How are you getting your family back to the table this week? April 25 Soft FoodsWell, last week I was gone for training again, so My John took care of feeding the "troops".
I took a roast and threw it in the crockpot with salsa and spices for Monday's dinner before leaving for the week. My John shredded that up and they had Tacos. (And I was not here to enjoy them....)
Tuesday he served up Chicken Fettuccini
and Wednesday he threw together Chili Dogs
Thursday night was Girl Child's "last supper" before her tonsils got removed Friday morning. Her choice for dinner:
BBQ Pork Ribs
Red Mashed Potatoes
Corn on the Cob
Green Salad
Friday's tonsil surgery went very well, and girl child was starving by the time we left the hospital. We took her to Denny's and she had scrambled eggs and pancake puppies (like hush puppies, but with pancake batter). And then she was ready for shopping, so we hit Target to get her some new shoes and lots of soft, cool foods to eat. Yes, she's a trooper!
So, now we're on to a "soft food" menu so the girl can eat with us, instead of her eating mashed potatoes, which she is already bored with. LOL
THE MENU:
Sunday:
Porcuppine Meatballs (still looking for the recipe we'll use)
Mashed Potatoes
Veggies
Salad
Monday:
Split Pea Soup
Grilled Sandwiches
Tuesday:
Spaghetti
Salad
Wednesday:
Tilapia (still undecided on how to cook it... simple...)
Acorn Squash
Whole Wheat Bread (maybe I'll make it myself....)
Thursday:
Macaroni & Cheese
Grilled Sausage
Friday:
A Date Night.... I found some tenderloins in the freezer. :o)
Saturday:
Snacky-type dinner while watching movies
Sunday:
Undecided.....
And the LIST:
lettuce
cucumbers
tomatoes
garlic
acorn squash
sausage
ground beef
yogurt
coffee
salad dressing
parsley flakes
pasta
raw sugar April 12 Menu, Recipes, Rambling...Happy Easter! I hope everyone had an enjoyable day and weekend. Are you prepared for next week? I think we're prepared here in our house. We've got a menu plan for the week and the start of a menu plan for next week when I'll be at conference and My John will be left to the Mr. Mom duties of the home.
The week ahead:
I work from home only 1 day this week, and I'm on the road 1 day, also.
The kids will be going to their dad's next weekend and My John & I have plans in Seattle for the weekend.
And, well, somewhere I need to find time to get food ready for the next week when I'll be gone.
Here's what we have planned this week:
Monday-
Burgers on french bread
w. potato salad, lettuce, tomatoes
Tuesday-
Chef salad
-to use up some ham from Easter dinner and hard boiled eggs, of course! lol
Which reminds me... did you know that the week after Easter is National Egg Salad Week?
I bet you're over-run with too many hard boiled eggs, just like the rest of us. There are lots of ways to use them up, from egg salad to potato salad with eggs, chef salad, spinach salad, deviled eggs............
Anyway... back to the menu, huh?
Wednesday-
I'm working from home, and the kids will stay at Auntie's tonight.
But I'm still going to make Jerk Chicken Salad
This will use up the other half of our pineapple from Easter breakfast
Thursday-
Spaghetti
w. salad & garlic bread
Friday-
Date Night dinner
Korean Beef Bowl
Saturday-
Seattle dinner out!
Sunday-
Kids are home and we're treating them:
Salisbury Steak
w. red mashed taters and veggies
And Monday I leave for conference, leaving My John to be Mr. Mom. He does a great job, so I don't worry, I just make sure there is food so they don't have to worry about that. And, of course, I do have to leave a detailed menu and calendar for the week, just in case......
On Monday before I leave, I'll throw a roast or something in the crockpot so the family doesn't have to worry about that.
Chances are, they will want Tacos on Tuesday, and pizza on Wednesday (but they'll want to MAKE their pizza...). I'll come home Thursday late afternoon, and will hopefully be inspired with something great to make the family. Then we'll enjoy our weekend together as we prepare for another fun-filled week of busy schedules and menus.
So... What's For Dinner at YOUR House? April 05 Menu Planning WeekendYup... the whole weekend was about menu planning. From the time we got up Saturday morning and prepared for our day of shopping until just now, as I sit down at my computer to share my menus and my planning...
As we drove to "the big city" for our shopping day of Mall & Target & Costco, we talked menu. We came up with a good plan, and some thoughts for next week, too. We shopped, we ate a wonderful lunch at the Cafe` in Nordstrom (and brought home a jar of their yummylicious Basil Tomato Soup!!!!!), and we laughed and had a good time. Just the kind of day that we needed.
 Menu this week:
Sunday:
BL(A)Ts that is Bacon, Lettuce, Avocado & Tomato Sandwiches Split Pea Soup Fresh fruit bowl Monday: Jerk Chicken Nachos Tuesday: Chicken & Broccoli with Angel Hair Pasta Salad Wednesday: Beef Stew Biscuits Thursday: Haden's choice for his AWESOME GRADE celebration dinner Friday: My BUNCO Night! The family will have Pizza Saturday: Egg Dying Day Snacky-type dinner And today.... today I cleaned up the pantry and I prepared for the week. We have veggies ready for snacking and lunch packing, an organized pantry so we can find the things we have and stop wasting money at the store. And I made Hearty Breakfast Cookies for easy "running late" mornings, and/or for afterschool snacks.
Should be a good week. What's for Dinner at Your House? April 02 Tamale PieHere's an oldie from childhood. It's always been a good "go-to" meal for me. Adding salad to the side and/or chips & salsa rounds out the meal for us. I hope you enjoy this as much as we do!
1# ground beef
1 cup chopped onion 1 cup chopped green pepper 2 8-oz cans tomato sauce 1 12 oz can (1 1/2 c) whole kernel corn, drained 1/2 c pitted ripe olives, chopped 1 garlic clove, minced 1 Tbl sugar 2-3 tsp chili powder dash pepper 6 oz sharp process American Cheese, shredded (1 1/2 c) 3/4 c yellow cornmeal 1/2 tsp salt 2 c cold water 1 Tbl butter Cook meat, onion, and green pepper in a large skillet till meat is lightly browned and vegetables are tender. Stir in tomato sauce, corn, olives, garlic, sugar, 1 tsp salt, chilipowder, and pepper. Simmer 20-25 min or til thick. Add cheese; stir til melted. Turn into greased 9x9x2" baking dish. Make cornmeal topper: Stir cornmeal and 1/2 tsp salt into cold water. Cook and stir til thick. Add butter; mix well. Spoon over hot meat mixture. Bake casserole in moderate oven (375°F) about 40 minutes.
March 30 Suzy Homemaker?Well, not exactly... but I've been called worse, so I'll take the title when it applies.
And yesterday, well.... it applied quite well. I spent the day catching up after having been gone for training for several days, and coming home to a sick family who was in need of some spoiling.
The day was spent with extra kids, who got to try a soup they wouldn't have gotten at home (as I found out later, their Mom doesn't care for the soup, so chances are, they won't have it at home...). We completed laundry in between Wii gaming, and I spent lots of time in the kitchen...
On the menu for Sunday was:
Soudough Bread Bowls (yes, handmade my none other than ME :))
Split Pea Soup
Strawberry Shortcake with homemade whipped cream
   My kids, as usual, enjoyed the soup. And encouraged the visiting children to try it. And, well, those kids didn't hate it. They didn't really enjoy it, but they didn't hate it. My kids have convinced them that if the soup had been thicker, it would have been better...... lol So I might have to make some thicker, and invite these kids up again. ;o)
Now let's balance this Suzy Homemaker type meal/day with today. I worked... I dropped my kids with my sister and I worked. all. day. The kids are spending the night with my sister, and I am again working. all. day. tomorrow. So that meant tonight's dinner was for me and My John. He had no thoughts for dinner. I had no inspiration for dinner. So I went to the store and came out with this:
Um, yeah.... as a friend already told me "Even Suzy Homemaker needs a day off". lol But I did use my own shopping bag for carrying home my groceries. Tomorrow the kids will be home for dinner. I'm thinking about using our leftover chicken from the fridge and make Tex Mex Chicken & Rice Skillet. MMMMMMMM And Wednesday I work from home and have the perfect roast for making Mo's Java Pot Roast! MMMMMMM So.... What's For Dinner at Your House? March 28 Cheesy MacaroniA month ago or so I picked up a 20 Minute Recipes by Weight Watchers magazine. There are lots of wonderful-looking recipes, and I finally gave one a try tonight. Don't tell My John, but it's really just a glorified Goulash... haha I'll include all the recipe info, nutritional info, points,etc so everyone can enjoy this as much as we did. And oh-so-simple!!!
CHEESY MACARONI
POINTS value: 5
PREP: 3 minutes COOK: 15 minutes
Both kids and adults will love this hearty one-dish meal. It's so quick and easy, you'll turn to this recipe over and over again.
8 ounces uncooked small elbow macaroni
1 pound ground sirloin
1-1/4 cups pre-chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (26 ounce) jar tomato-basil pasta sauce (such as Classico)
1 cup (4 ounces) reduced-fat shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, divided
1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain and keep warm.
2. While pasta cooks, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add beef, onion, and garlic; saute` 6 minutes or until beef is browned, stirring to crumble. Drain, if necessary, and return beef mixture to pan.
3. Add pasta sauce to beef mixture; cook 2 minutes or until hot. Stir in pasta and 1/2 cup cheese; cook 1 minute or until cheese melts. Remove from heat; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese.
Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 cup)
per serving: CAL 258 (22% from fat); FAT 6.3g (sat 2.7g); PRO 20.4g; CARB 30.7g; FIB 2.8g; CHOL 38mg; IRON 2.5mg; SOD 428mg; CALC 210mg
  February 08 Menu Plan Monday!It's a Menu Plan Monday, and have I got a good menu for you this week!!!
My plan for tonight's dinner was Lasagne. But, when I hit the store, there was a really nice-looking whole chicken in the mark-down meat bin. So Lasagne got moved...
Today's prep for the week:
Lasgne was put together and is in the fridge awaiting it's time in the oven.
2# of cheese sliced, cubed and sticked for snacks and lunches.
A big ol' ham cut up for ham steaks later this week, thin slices for sandwiches and more for using in soups later on
Sunday:
Roasted Chicken
w. garlic sauce, roasted veggies, mashed taters
Monday:
Lasagne
w. garlic toast & salad
Tuesday:
Ham Steaks
w. Mac & Cheese, veggies
Wednesday:
I think JohnnyO might be gone again...
so maybe we'll have breakfast again. lol
Thursday:
Soup & Sandwiches
It's Grey's Anatomy Day! The girls will probably join me to watch the cross-over
Friday:
BUNCO!!!
I might make fried ravs to share with the gals at BUNCO
Saturday:
Happy Valentine's Day
We're making Pizzas!!!
Sunday:
Daytona 500!!!
Philly Cheese Steaks
Can someone share their fave recipe with me????
Now I'm ready for the week. Yippee!!!!!
What's For Dinner at Your House?
  February 01 Super Bowl Food!It's the Super Bowl! And that means FOOD! Too much food, in fact. LOL
I threw together a quick veggie tray with just the veggies I had for packing in lunches. Broccoli, cucumber, carrots, tomatoes, mushrooms and sweet peppers.... and of course my ranch dip :)
My John made his new fave, pulled pork tacos. Maybe someday I'll type up the recipe... (Nevermind.... Real Simple has it on their website: Pulled Pork Tacos ) We used fresh salsa, not the jarred stuff. And this time, we drained the excess juice out of the salsa so it wasn't as runny...
Here's a pic from when he made it a couple weeks ago:
 We also had Jerk Chicken Salad, and I made my baby sis's Crab & Shrimp Salad and Pico.
There's plenty leftover for lunches this week. YAY!
 January 25 Quick Menu!For awhile I've been not planning menus... because the family was refusing to follow them. So I gave up and told them to cook for themselves! lol
I just got home from a girls' weekend getaway and I am feeling a bit rejuvenated. So I made dinner and did a quick menu plan, which My John actually helped with, giving his input, which he usually does not do.
So..... tonight we had sausage and I made homemade mac & cheese! The recipe from my boss's wife! MMMMMM YUMM-O!
Monday:
My John wants to make chicken parmesan. So I'll let him ;)
Tuesday:
Chef salad
Wednesday:
Breakfast for dinner--- probably waffles
Thursday:
Cheeseburgers and oven fries
Friday:
Family fun night, possibly making pizzas?
Sat & Sun:
We'll play it be ear, depending on leftovers and what we decide to do for the weekend....
I'm not doing much for grocery shopping this week. We'll just need more milk, burger buns and maybe coffee... I think I'm dangerously low on coffee. LOL
Have an awesome week! December 20 Cinnamon Roll Filling & IcingGrandma's Sweet Foundation Dough recipe didn't come to me with good directions on fillings or toppings. So for several years, I've experimented with different fillings and icings. I have finally found the "winning" recipes in cookbooks I have had for many years.
Filling:
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 packed brown sugar
2 Tbl cinnamon
1 Tbl light corn syrup
In order to use this filling for the entire sweet dough recipe, I quadruple the ingredients.
Frosting:
2 oz softened cream cheese
2 Tbl softened butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
1-1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbl milk
Double, triple, quadruple, as necessary
 I also like making my own sticky rolls or caramel rolls....
Glaze for sticky rolls:
Mix together in bottom of round baking pan:
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 Tbl melted butter
1 Tbl corn syrup
Sprinkle with 1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
Place shaped rolls on top and continue as usual December 14 I'm Ready to go back to work....Well, Blog Friends, I'm ready to be back at the office tomorrow.
I'm exhausted after my "Over the Top Christmas BUNCO" on Friday (which the last 2 friends did not leave until after 1am... One of them was waiting fer her daughter to get home from an away ball game, and my place is just a mile from the school, so I told her to just hang out and we visited.)
On Saturday was a party at My John's boss's house. It started at 5, but we didn't get there til 6:30 and then stayed til after 11. By the time we left, we had been visiting with his boss and boss's wife, plus 3 other lingering guests for well over an hour.
Today I was just feeling lazy and yucky all day. I did my office work here for a couple hours and then a friend of My John's dropped by that... well, that I can't stand to talk to because he's so negative about everything... so I sat in my room and watched Christmas movies.
BUT.... for those "menu seekers" out there, I don't have a set menu because we have a weird week, but I know that I can make the following things on any night without going back to the store:
BLTs
Old Faithful (pork chops)
Chicken Fettuccini
Tacos
Korean Beef Bowl
Spaghetti
Hamburgers
Salisbury Steak
I will probably do Tacos (or Taco Salad) for tomorrow night. Tuesday is the kids' dad's birthday, so they'll go to dinner with him that night. Thursday is a dance after school for Felicity and the Winter Concert for Haden. And Friday school is out at 12:10 and then it's Winter Break! Crazy week.... and somewhere I have to find time for some shopping.....
Well, off to bed. G'Nite! December 07 It's a REAL Menu!Yes, you read that right... I have a REAL Menu planned for the week!
I'm crazy busy all week, and hosting BUNCO here on Friday.... so I spent today preparing for the week ahead. I hit the grocery store and found ground beef to be on sale (which was perfect, since it was needed for meals this week! lol) Roast was on sale, too! My cart full of groceries was $215 before card and coupons and I paid only $139. Quite the score! WAHOO!!!
On to the MENU!
Since I made spaghetti sauce with some of the ground beef, I decided that's what we'd have for dinner tonight. The rest of the pot is in the fridge and we will freeze it tomorrow.
Monday: I will put a roast in the crockpot before I leave for work in the morning. It will be ready before I get home, we'll just need to add the salad and some hot veggies (potatoes will cook with the roast). And My John gets a night off from cooking.
Tuesday: Tacos! I made 4# of ground beef into taco meat today, so we just need to re-heat and heat some refried beans, and maybe some rice.
Wednesday: Chicken Fettuccini with salad and garlic toast
Thursday: I have a training in Seattle and I have NO CLUE what time I'll be getting home after that. So I'll either throw together a crockpot veggie beef soup or My John will choose a couple cans of soup and make some grilled cheese sandwiches.
Friday: It's an Over the Top BUNCO at my place! I'll be making some pumpkin bread (I think... if I have the energy! If not, I'll just put out the cookies! lol)
Saturday: A date night for me & My John! We have steaks and a tenderloin in the freezer, so we'll figure out something wonderful to have!
Sunday: Possibly a Baked Potato Bar... we'll see what happens for the week and weekend.
Well, I hope my menu brings you some inspiration for your busy schedule! It's a crazy week for me, so I'm happy to have some good meals on the menu. Things always seem less crazy to me when we're having a nice meal, instead of rummaging through the cupboards at the last minute.
So.... What's For Dinner at your house this week? December 04 Dinner... such as it is...And again... more than a month without an update. What a weird month it's been.
So let's just start with this week, instead of trying to catch up. I'm boycotting the grocery store this week. I've had enough of every other entry in the check register being for a grocery store. It's really quite ridiculous the amount of money I can spend on food.
Sunday night I picked the kids up from their dad's, and then took Felicity to a friends house to spend the night (there was no school on Monday). Felicity had dinner at her friend's house, so I threw together some nachos for myself, Haden & My John.
Monday I was working, and Haden was at Roni's. She fed him dinner before My John picked him up. I picked Felicity up on my way home only to find that she had also eaten already. So I heated some soup for me & My John.
Tuesday is the day I made my decision to boycott the grocery store. So while at work, I thought about what we had already that could be thrown together for dinner. And I landed at Tex-Mex Chicken & Rice Skillett! MMMMMMM
Yesterday I worked from home, so I took a roast out of the freezer and threw it together to slow roast in the oven. On the side I served Julienne potatoes and I roasted some brussel sprouts with garlic slivers. MMMMMMM
Tonight My John grilled some sandwiches and heated some clam chowder. The kids have eaten and I will eat after they are tucked into bed. It's Grey's Anatomy night, so I'll be staying up to watch that.
And tomorrow... well, tomorrow I have a Winter Fest event that I am having a booth at. There will be food there, so I'll take the kids and give them money to go do crafts for gifts and get some food. My John might come up for the basketball game, too...
I think I'm "off the hook" for cooking on Saturday, too. The kids want to go to their cousin's birthday party, but I have too much to get done around here, so I will send them with Roni, along with lots of love from me to give their cousins!
Sunday will be football day. I have lots and lots of "snacky" food in the freezer, so I might make it a snacky dinner, or do a baked potato bar. And then maybe I'll plan a menu for next week.
Soooooo ...... THAT'S what's for dinner. It's not exciting... but it's our life. LOL October 26 What's For Dinner?What a crazy, crazy week! And another crazy week coming up.... so we only made a basic plan, with just the main course planned out. We have plenty of pasta, rice, potatoes and veggies to fill in the rest as the week goes along. So.... THE MENU!
Monday:
Sausage & Kraut
Tuesday:
Shake & Bake Pork Chops
Wednesday:
Soup & Sandwiches
Thursday:
Ham Steaks
Friday:
Halloween! The kids will go to their Dad's, but I'll serve Nachos before the parade downtown.
Saturday:
My John & I are in need of a night out. So we'll probably grab dinner & drinks at El Caporal
Sunday:
I'm going to roast a chicken.... but I don't know what I'll do with it.
The chicken will either become enchiladas, soup, pot pie, or whatever......
I went to the store this morning to get some groceries, basically just a few sale items to stock up. I spent just under $60 and we should be good for the week. YIPPEE!!!!!! :) October 19 This Week at Home...And it's another menu plan for another week of eating at Home!
 Monday:
Tamale Pie
w/ salad
Tuesday:
BLAT (Bacon, Lettuce, Avocado & Tomato sandwich)
w/ Soup
Wednesday:
Fish Sticks
Fries
(Felicity's dinner choice)
Thursday:
Meatballs
w/sauerkraut
Steamed or Roasted Veggies
Mashed Red Potatoes
Friday:
Tacos
w/ rice & beans
Saturday:
Sloppy Joes
Oven Fries
(Haden's dinner choice)
Sunday:
Pizza
Using Pampered Chef's pizza crust mix
And... the LIST:
bread
lettuce
tomato
avocado
salad
potatoes
red potatoes
fish sticks
pepperoni
sauerkraut
veggies
refried beans
olives
sour cream
milk
mozzarella cheese
coffee cream
October 18 Beautiful Roast Dinner!We had a wonderful Pork Roast for dinner this week. It was a joint effort in cooking. I sliced into the roast and shoved garlic cloves into the holes, then rubbed it down with thyme and onion powder. MMMMM That roasted while we prepared the red potatoes. Cut in half, then boiled for 10 minutes. While I was at soccer practice with kiddos, My John tossed the potatoes with olive oil, thyme, dried chives and chopped garlic, then added them to the pan with the roast. I also had a pan of veggies ready for roasting. I sliced some acorn squash and tossed in some broccoli & cauliflower to roast in the oven.
It all turned out wonderfully, and the leftover roast wil become BBQ Pork sandwiches for tomorrow night's dinner while we watch the Seahawks game (yes, even with the season they are having, we are still watching.....)
October 12 I'm on a ROLL!!!You may not believe this... but I have another menu! Yup! I'm on a serious roll with the menu planning and doing a little better at the store.
So.... tonight we are having the Jerk Chicken Salad as planned for last week. I've taken half the pineapple to use later this week. And when I'm done posting my menu for the week, I'm going back to the kitchen to make some pancakes for the week, and maybe some pumpkin bread (Mom's recipe that I've always wanted to make, but never had a mixer that could handle the job... lol)
Monday:
Mama's Beefy Pasta (I way overbought on the tomatoes last week, so I'll use them up this way)
Salad
Tuesday:
Ham Steak
Mashed Potatoes
Roasted Veggies
Grilled Pineapple
Wednesday:
Roast
w/ potatoes & carrots
Dinner rolls or bread
Thursday:
Beef Enchilada Casserole
w/ oranges
Friday:
Kids leave for their dad's... My John & I will eat whatever is in the fridge from the week
Saturday:
Steaks
baked taters
veggies
Sunday:
Undecided so far... I might roast a chicken and then shred it for BBQ sandwiches
THE SHOPPING LIST:
salad
cilantro
lime
carrots
bread
roast
sour cream
milk
coffee creamer
laundry soap
hair "goop"
Not too bad! Should be a low $$ week. YIPPEE!!!!! October 08 Chicken Tortilla SoupI made soup today! Using the chicken I roasted on Sunday, I quadrupled the following recipe. I had to... it doesn't make much and I wanted to SHARE, because I love this so much. So..... I hope Mom & Dad enjoyed their soup I brought them tonight. And tomorrow I am taking 2 bowls to work with me. 1 for me and 1 for a co-worker who always wants to go OUT for lunch and drag me along. But, I'm determined to not go out to eat this month!!! lol
On to the recipe::::::::
CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP
4 (6") corn tortillas 1/2 C onion, chopped 3 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves 1 garlic clove 1/4 tsp. chili powder 1/4 tsp. ground cumin 2 cans (14.5 oz each) Chicken broth 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained 1 can (4 oz) chopped green chilies, undrained 4 tsp. fresh cilantro, snipped 2 oz reduced-fat cheddar cheese, shredded (1/2 C) 4 thick slices fresh lime (optional) 1.) Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut tortillas into 1/2" strips using Kitchen Shears. Place on flat Baking Stone . Bake 7-8 minutes or until crisp. 2.) Meanwhile, chop onion using Food Chopper. Cut chicken into 1/2" pieces using 8" Chef's Knife . Heat Generation II 4 Qt Casserole over medium-high heat. Spray with vegetable oil using Kitchen Spritzer. Add chicken; cook and stir 3 minutes. Add onion, garlic pressed with Garlic Press , chili powder and cumin. Cook and stir 2 minutes. Stir in broth, tomatoes and chilies. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. 3.) Snip cilantro using Kitchen Shears . Divide tortilla strips among 4 bowls. Ladle soup over totillas using Nylon Ladle . Shred cheese over top with Deluxe Cheese Grater . Sprinkle soup with cilantro. Garnish each bowl with lime slice to squeeze juice into soup, if desired. Recipe from The Pampered Chef's Main Dishes October 05 It's a MENU!!!!!I've got a PLAN!!!!! YIPPEE!!!!
We are starting the week off with roasting 2 whole chickens and taking stock of what we already have. So.... the weeks' menu:
Sunday (today):
Roasted Chicken
Wild Rice
Roasted Carrots (I took a small bag of baby carrots and drizzled them with a bit of evoo then roasted in the oven for about 30 minutes... mmmmmmm)
Monday:
Our neighbor is making us fried chicken! So that means I don't have to cook. YAY!
Tuesday:
Marinated Tri Tip Roast
Baked Potatoes
Brussels Sprouts (yes, the kids will actually eat them! They request them if we don't have them for awhile!)
Wednesday:
Spaghetti
Garlic Bread
Salad
Thursday:
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Fresh Veggies & Fruits
Friday:
Stir Fry
Rice
Saturday:
I'm not planning anything... I think it's just going to be me & My John, so we'll wing it
Sunday:
Smoothies
Now the grocery list:
potatoes
tomatoes
cucumbers
radish
lime (x3)
cilantro
red bell pepper
bean sprouts
green onion
olives
baby corn
pineapple preserves
rotini pasta
black beans
The produce is what I *want* for the week, but we'll have to see what's on sale. The lime, green onion and bell pepper are not optional, but the rest of the produce can be changed depending on what's cheap.
Saturday Date NightYesterday was a blustery, rainy, stormy day. We started with soccer games in the morning, where we barely escaped the storming. The rain started to come down at the end of Haden's game. So we sat in the car for the 20 minutes before Felicity's game began. The rain stopped before her game started, so YAY! We didn't get soaked by rain.
After the games, My John & I headed out to the store for some snacky foods and a few things for weeknight dinners. (The kids are with their dad this weekend...) We grabbed some cheeses for the evening's date night/movie night. We also got some things for dinners this week.... that will be in a post later....
When we arrived home, we sat and visited for awhile, dreamed a bit about the house we're trying to buy, and watched the storm roll through again. It was a good downpour of rain off and on for quite a bit. I ended my day at Sister Moon Spa for a massage, using a gift card My John got me a couple months ago. I went at 4 for my foot soak, then an hour massage, ending with a steam shower. MMMMMMM And there's enough on the gift card to go back again. ;) So I'm going to see if I can squeeze it in while the kids go to their dad's wedding reception next weekend (yes, he got re-married. They went to Hawaii for the wedding, so are having a reception here. A friend of mine is taking the kids, so I'll have a little free time next Saturday, too...)
On my return from the Spa, My John & I enjoyed a nice tray of cheeses, fruits and salame, along with a nice glass of wine, while we watched movies. A great evening of relaxing, just what we both needed!!!
September 27 I'm Here!... And I I'm cooking!
Dad & Royann both have questioned/sent out a search party, awaiting my next blog entry.... I hope they haven't given up on me by now. LOL
It's time to get that budget back in shape, and that means planning our meals! We've spent a disgusting amount of money at the grocery store the last several weeks, and that has just GOT to stop!!!
So... tonight, after doing some work in a vacant apartment, and after going to the store and feeding the family dinner, I did a bit of prep for the upcoming week!
I now have enough ground beef in the freezer for about 8 meals, all broken down into 1# packs. I prepared 2# of ground beef into 2 meals. Stuffed Pepper filling is ready to go for stuffing some bell peppers on Monday or Tuesday. Tamale Pie is in the freezer, needing only the cornmeal topping added before baking.
For the rest of our meals we have the makings of the following on-hand:
Stir-Fry
Soup
Tacos
Spaghetti
Roasted Chicken
Roasted Veggies
I hope we can pull it together enough to get a good plan for the month of October and make 1 BIG shopping trip, so we need only fresh produce, milk & bread from the store throughout the month.... I did this for a long time when we got paid only once a month. And boy did it save us a ton of money!!!!
So.... what's for dinner at your house? June 24 Great DayToday was my "work from home" day. I got a lot of things accomplished today, writing letters, organizing myself for the upcoming busy weeks of site visits and reviews.Tomorrow I'm at the main office and I should be able to accomplish a lot more.
I used my lunch break to go meet with a mortgage broker. She gave me hope that I could get a loan. I'm going to work hard these next few months to pay off my smaller credit cards and save a bit of money. I should be able to get at least SOMETHING set aside for a small downpayment. I'm getting excited that we might actually be able to buy a home in the next year. I firmly believe that everything happens for a reason, and that when the time is right, things will fall into place. I know that when the right house is available, everything will work out.
On to DINNER!
I pulled some pork chops from the freezer last night, and tonight I made Old Faithful.
For tomorrow, I'm using the chicken burgers from Trader Joe's that I bought last month. They're flavored with herbs and garlic and oh-so-good! My John will grill them up (they're fully cooked, so just need to be warmed, and the grill will add a nice flavor!), and we've got onion buns and some tomato. Some oven fries to go on the side, and a big salad to round out the meal.
Thursday I'm working from home again, so maybe I'll throw a pot of spaghetti sauce on in the morning and let it simmer away all day. Then I can make lasagne next week, too.
Friday I have a review at one of the properties. I think we'll plan to have a "kid dinner" with some fish sticks that were on sale awhile ago, and are still sitting in the freezer. LOL I used to call it "gourmet" cooking when I pulled out the fish sticks, complete with "fine china" of paper plates! LOL Well, either that or we'll do salisbury steaks with mashed taters. I'll let the kids choose. They love both..... I guess we can do one on Friday and the next on Saturday.
Sunday the kids go to my sisters' house for the week. They are attending a day camp at the college she works at, so the kids get camp and time with Aunt & Uncle all at once. They will come home on the 4th.
So, that's my week....
Have a great one! What's for dinner at your house? June 22 A Weekend AwayThis weekend was spent at the Ocean! I have to thank my friend, Jeanne, for getting married there, or we would probably have always talked about going, not ever actually gone..... So, Friday after work, we hit the road for Ocean Shores, WA! Of course, we hit Friday traffic
 coming through Seattle, so the trip was longer than it would have been otherwise.And of course, the girl gets motionsick, and on this occasion, she was unable to get the nausea to subside. I was prepared with a bowl, at least.... and we were stuck in traffic with no way to pull off the road and let her get fresh air
 We all survived, and she felt better the rest of the trip.We made it into Ocean Shores and met Jeanne and the whole family for dinner. We went to Alec's by the Sea for dinner, a recommendation by my friend, Janet who spends time in Ocean Shores every summer. I had a great seafood platter broiled with butter and lemon! MMMMM Then we were ready for some sleep, so it was off to the Days Inn.
Saturday morning we had breakfast at the Days Inn. Nothing special, just some cereal and fruit from the continental breakfast.
 First agenda item was hitting the beach!!! Since we were there fairly early (about 9am), the beach was calm, not many people. The kids enjoyed running on the beach
 We took a drive down to the North Jetty, too. (Another recommendation from Janet. Thank you!) There we climbed the rocks, watched the waves crash into the rocks and even caught a couple surfers enjoying the waves.
We had the whole day, since the wedding wouldn't be until 7pm. So we found some more fun. We did Bumper Cars, and Go-Karts, then we got some take-out Teriyaki for lunch and took it to the beach. We planned to sit in the back of the car to eat, but the weather wasn't cooperating. So we sat in our seats in the car and watched the brave souls out flying their kites. NEXT TIME, we're bringing kites! After lunch, we drove down the beach, and then headed out to find more fun. So we went bowling. That was fun! And the kids had to learn to bowl without the bumpers!!!
Back at the room, the kids and I headed down to the pool for a bit, where I read and they played in the water, getting in a water fight with another family!
I read some things in the local attractions book from the hotel lobby and found some reviews by local chefs on best places to eat. 3 of the 4 said the best place for breakfast was a place called "Our Place". One commented "Great food, great price, lousy atmosphere" to which I declared "Sounds like my kinda place!" While we waited for my parents and sisters to be ready to meet for dinner, we drove down the road to find "Our Place". It looked like a dive! Just our kinda place!
*** Side note here.... When I was in Middle School, Dad was opening a small, dive-type restaurant. He wanted to call it "Our Place", but found there to already be one in the state... so he opened "Cook's Place", instead.
Off to dinner, which was at Las Maracas. Haden finally met his match for dinner, and was unable to finish all 3 enchiladas that he ordered. It was a first for him, and we were all shocked by his giving up the fight!
He was even too full to have any cake at the wedding later that evening!
Before leaving the wedding, we invited all to join us for breakfast at "Our Place" in the morning... 8am! Jeanne (the bride) said they might join us, to which I replied "Yeah, right". And to which her new husband also replied "Yeah, right". We'll see them (I hope) at Thanksgiving. (Which will be at Frances' new home!!)
Well, we, not surprising, dined alone at "Our Place". (Though I do know that Mom & Dad, Frances & Paul did get there later to have breakfast.) We had awesome food, and Haden ate not only his entire breakfast of sausage, bacon, eggs, pancakes and potatoes, but also my toast and a piece of Felicity's bacon. He was trying to make up for being beat the night before! LOL We talked to the owners, and got a good lead on a camping spot for our next trip. Oh, because, I will be coming back! It's too beautiful a spot to only see once.
And I declared that "Our Place" will BE our place when we return!!!!! We came, we saw, we ate, we liked, we bought a mug to bring home with us!
Oh.... but I'm not done! We even stopped for Oysters at Lytles on the way out..... and My John, Haden & I all had an oyster shooter. $4 a shot, refills for $1! And if we come back and bring the glass, we get refills for $1.... FOREVER! The shotglasses sit, wrapped in paper, waiting for our next trip, snug in the glovebox of my car!
Enjoy the pics I've posted! A menu for the week to follow tomorrow (I hope!) June 10 Search PartyThanks for the Search Party, Dad! I really need to get back in a good routine of cooking and updating my blog.....
So, this week's menu:
Sunday:
Steak, Mashed Potatoes, Steamed Veggies
Monday:
Ham Steak, baked potatoes, carrots & green and yellow beans, salad
Tuesday:
Sloppy Joes, Oven Fries, fresh veggies
Wednesday:
Mo's Java Pot Roast... I love to just read this recipe. It's a fun read :)
Thursday:
Last Day of School... we'll probably order a pizza and watch a movie
Friday:
Kids off to their dad's for a week.... dinners will be "for two"..... maybe I should make them "for four" and freeze some meals for later! And share with Mom & Dad, too. (I still owe them some dinners.... I better make them something really nice this month! ;))
Saturday & Sunday we'll have some date nights after yard work and housecleaning. It's time to declutter another space in our apartment and put together a yard sale.
I am determined to clear out the freezer so we can defrost it, so we'll start using up what we have in there soon.....
Have a great week! May 11 Guess I got busy again?AY YI YI! It's been over 2 months since I posted?!?!?!? Why didn't y'all send out the search party for me?
 Well, things are crazy as usual. We're beginning to look at houses, hoping to get a place. I just found one in my searching yesterday that's really cheap, but for good reason. I look it as a challenge, and it looks like it has great potential. It would be great to get it, and start fixing up a place of our own.....
No menu plan this week, we're wingin' it......
Tonight was Rib Roast, Potatoes & Asparagus. The leftover rib roast wil become french dips later this week. Tacos for the fam tomorrow while I'm at the PKD Chapter meeting. Tuesday I'm home, so I might make an actual dinner
I'll try to be better with my posting...... no promises...... |
A listing of recipes I've used, made, or just plain look good!
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