Weekly Menu Plan, the "We are BUSY" version!!

I will admit, it was tempting to just skip a menu plan for this week.  When I look at the calendar for this week, I have to take a deep breath and know it's all going to be ok.  Just because we've had a few weeks of normalcy doesn't mean we've escaped weeks that are hectic and crazy.  I'm trying hard to embrace a "we can do this and do it sanely" approach.

You probably already know that we homeschool, and in our state we are required to do end of year testing and turn in the test restults to our county school board.  I'm totally fine with that.  We have a wonderful group of homeschoolers in our church and each spring we have a few ladies that organize a testing week for all of us that wish to participate.  We get together and our kiddos test together by grade.  This week we have testing Monday, Tuesday and Thursday mornings. This means we are gone 3 mornings, all morning, and I need to be VERY proactive to get us out the door much earlier than usual.  The sensible side of me (not the wimpy side of me) knows that for us to leave on time, all the wheels must be well greased and everything ready to be set in motion.  "To fail to plan is to plan to fail" doesn't sound so exciting after all.

That said, some of our breakfasts will probably be eaten on the road, and they need to be speedy-prep-friendly.  Our lunches will be any combo of leftovers or sandwiches, and a few of our dinners will be easy-peasy as well because we also have a variety of doctor appointments this week... of course!!! When it rains, it obviously pours. :)  (Hooray for grace for every moment!!)

Without further ado, here is this week's menu plan:

Sunday:
Breakfast - freezer french toast for everyone else, ham/provolone sandwich for me
Lunch - sandwiches
Dinner - A hodge-podge breakfast for dinner that consisted of waffles, apple crisp with yogurt, the last 5 strips of bacon from an open package that needed eaten, and the rest of the leftover sausage/sweet potato dish I made last week.

Monday: Testing all morning and then I'm getting together with a few other MOPS moms  late afternoon and evening to do some major freezer cooking.
Breakfast - scrambled eggs and ham, toast
Dinner (Daniel will be home with the kids) - Stuffed Shells (freezer) and Italian Cheese Bread. I might put together a salad, not sure yet how time will work out.

Tuesday: Testing all morning, Susannah has 2 doctor appointments in the afternoon so Daniel will be home in the afternoon and I won't be home to make dinner.
Breakfast - Strawberry Muffins, Yogurt (Silas will get a muffin and fruit/yogurt pouch)
Dinner - Chicken & Dumplings (freezer, crockpot meal), this was one thing I didn't get made on last week's menu.

Wednesday: HOME!! Woohoo!!
Breafkast - Oatemeal with fruit
Dinner - Chicken & Rice Casserole (that I'll actually be home to make!), vegetable

Thursday: EARLY appt for me (glucose test, meh), Daniel takes the kids to Testing
Breakfast - Muffins & Yogurt
Dinner - Leftovers

Friday: Office Day/Kids at Grandma's
Breakfast - Cottage Cheese Eggs, Toast
Dinner - Whatever I find in the fridge

Saturday:
Breakfast - Cereal
Dinner - TBD

Really sadly (to me), I am on an egg sabbatical.  Every so often (as in, this might be the 3rd time in nearly 14 years?) I randomly get excema from eating eggs or foods made with lots of eggs.  Recently it broke out all over my jaw, cheeks, neck and the backs of my hands.  I have never had excema on either of those areas before, so it took me nearly 3 weeks of misery to figure out it was eggs.  I have missed eggs SOOOO much this week!!!  I love eggs for breakfast and life doesn't seem complete without eggs.  Especially as I am nearly in the 3rd Trimester of this pregnancy, I get hungry and eggs with breakfast or a few scrambled eggs as a 4th meal were a go-to that really satisfied my hunger.  I am still trying to find "that food" that will have the same filling satisfaction.  I'm also hoping and praying that by the time the baby is born I will be able to eat eggs again at least in moderation.  I don't remember how long of a break I have had to take in the past.

All that to say, my breakfasts are more time consuming and challenging right now.  Instead of being able to throw some eggs in the skillet when I'm needing a quick breakfast... well, I'm not sure what I'm going to do!   Currently my plan is to just make time to make a decent breakfast for myself so I'm not pigging out on carbs (which leave me feeling hungry too soon, and then the cycle continues).  This past week I ate mostly spinach or brussels sprouts sauteed with onion and ham or Aidell's sausage.  Enough of all of those ingredients plus a piece of toast seems to work, but takes a few minutes.  Oh well, it is a season and I am grateful that it is such a temporary trial.  I'm also very thankful that all of the horrible, horrible itching I was experiencing has such an easy "fix".

If you have any protein packed, filling, stick to your ribs, hungry pregnant mama, breakfast ideas, please let me know!!!! I might thank you.  :)

I'm Flying

By the seat of my pants with the menu. Nothing new... I've been doing that since Susannah was born. But I miss having a menu plan!!!

I think I need to dig out some of my cooking magazines, cookbooks with pictures (about the only kind I like), and try to get inspired. I feel very "blah" in the menu-planning world. Hopefully I can lay in a big supply of beef something-or-other this week. I loaded up on chicken last week (3 pkgs. of drumsticks - yum!) and have a little in the freezer, but no beef.

It might help if I actually sat down and really put a couple minutes of time into thinking about it and planning it out... I'm sure I could come up with a plan :) But I either feel like I have something more pressing I should do, or I don't want to do it :P (or I'm nursing Susannah)

"Plan Menu" is actually on my list for today. But I haven't gotten that far yet. If I keep going, I might just get that far. It would be nice :) I'd better get off here and go finish the other "more pressing" things. *cough* like sweeping and mopping the kitchen floor that hasn't been done in however many weeks *cough*

Menu Plan Monday ~ Feb. 15

I have been missing having salads (and fruit!!!) the past week or two!! Mostly because tomatoes didn't fit in the budget. They are on sale this week so I'm eager to have some salads again!!

Monday - Meatball Stroganoff, Green Beans
Tuesday - Taco Salad

Wednesday - Open-Faced Texas Burgers*, Pasta, Vegetable

Thursday - Bacon Cheddar Egg Bake, Fruit Smoothies

Friday - Baked Chicken, Baked Potatoes, Salad

Saturday - Date to Applebee's!!!

Sunday - Pizza, Veggies & Fruit / Stuffed French Toast

*This is a recipe in my latest Taste of Home's Simple and Delicious magazine.

It feels like it's been for-ev-er since Daniel and I went on a "real" date. Mostly due to needing the money in our entertainment category for something else. This week we should have money back in our entertainment envelope, and combining that with a coupon for a free appetizer that we got the last time we were at Applebee's, we should be able to have a very nice date and stay within our budget. I'm so excited!!

I have decided to not attempt grocery shopping on my own this week. This past weekend with the pelvic discomfort I had (yesterday was day #3 in a row, I'm hoping today is not day #4!), I've asked Daniel to go shopping with me Wednesday evening after choir practice. That way he can push the cart and do the loading and unloading of the groceries.

This post is linked to I'm an Organizing Junkie, where everyone shares their menu plans each Monday.

Menu Plan Monday ~ Feb. 8

Yay! I finally have a menu plan for this week :)

Monday - Chicken BBQ, Baked Potatoes, Green Beans
Tuesday - BBQ Beans & Hamburger, Cornbread (both leftover)
Wednesday - Chicken Pot Pie, Jello Salad
Thursday - Roast Beef, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans (leftover from Monday)
Friday - Small group meeting, taking dessert (Banana Split stuff??)
Saturday - Plantation Supper, Salad
Sunday - Leftovers/Cereal/Pancakes ?

Nothing super exciting or new, but it should all be good and filling :) I had some of the days figured out before today and just had to sit down and come up with the filler items. Now I need to start thinking ahead for next week :)

Menu Plan Monday ~ Feb. 1... or not??

Sigh, another week of "or not." It just didn't happen for this week. Yet. Not giving up hope. And it's not like I haven't had time to menu plan. I mean, our church services were cancelled Sunday so I certainly could've put one together then in plenty of time for this week.

Once again I've been up late the past THREE night's now. Sunday night was my own fault. Daniel was out all.day.long working service calls and we spent some time together after he got home. Then I wasn't able to sleep one single wink (it seemed, I'm sure I dozed) that night for some reason unknown to man and I felt zombie-ish Monday. Monday night and last night it was after mid-night till we got to bed. When it rains it pours, and 2 different couples from church had their heat go out. Daniel was trying to get them up and running again and I'd gone along with him both times (more "us time" together :) ).

The menu for this week so far has been:

Monday - Frozen Chic. Wings and Ore-Ida French Fries that Daniel got for Christmas
Tuesday - Frozen Pizza and Salad
Wednesday - I think I might actually "make" something this evening. Hmm, what should it be? Maybe Chicken and Rice Casserole and a vegetable.

One thing that doesn't make it easier is that when it snows so much, the trek to the freezers is very "awkward with a chance of tipsy" for me in my pregnant state, so I try to avoid going down there if I possibly can when I can't see the ground or makeshift cinder block steps I'm stepping on. If I was not pregnant I'd grab the shovel and clear a path (Daniel hasn't had time to), but yeah... at this stage muscles I never knew existed make themselves well known if I attempt anything like that :)

So that's our menu for this week so far :) Today I'm cooking up the chicken I bought yesterday to chop up or shred. I'll either freeze it as cooked chicken or I might make BBQ. That will be another main dish in the freezer for when our little bambino arrives and Mama doesn't feel like cooking :)

Menu Plan Monday ~ Jan. 18

I'm a little bit later in the day for getting this posted, it's been an interesting weekend!! This week I'm trying a new recipe (my MIL has fixed it, but it will be the first time for me), and I'm hoping to try a couple more new ones next week. I've been purposely looking through cookbooks (even if they don't have ANY pictures!) and dog-earing the pages with recipes that I think I might want to try. And my new Taste of Home magazine came last week so I've been dog-earing recipes in there, too!

For this week, though:

Monday - Grilled Chicken Breasts, Very Yummy Rice*, Green Beans
Tuesday - Beef Roast in Crockpot (maybe a new recipe?), Rolls, Corn
Wednesday - Sweet'n'Sour Chicken over Rice
Thursday - Homemade Pizza and Smoothies
Friday - Chili (another possible new recipe), Cornbread
Saturday - Venison Stroganoff, Rice, Peas
Sunday - Leftover Sweet'n'Sour Chicken over Rice

*new recipe, I hope to post it if it turns out well.

I haven't finalized which recipes I'm going to use for Tuesday and Friday, but I will before I go shopping tomorrow. Hopefully I can find recipes that won't call for any ingredients I don't already have :) I'm a little curious about White Chicken Chili - I've heard about it a lot but have never had it. If you have a good recipe, feel free to share a link or the actual recipe in the comments, or you can email me through the Contact Me button on my sidebar.

This post is linked to Organized Junkie's Menu Plan Monday

Menu Plan Monday ~ Jan. 11

Whew, menu planning is getting interesting. I need to find an easy way to come up with new recipes. I look through my homemade cookbook and see the same recipes over and over again. Not that there's anything wrong, I just don't want to make the same thing over and over again :P Somehow when I'm flying by the seat of my pants on the menu thing it doesn't seem as complicated... but then neither am I as prepared!! I've spent some time this week looking through cookbooks for ideas and I think I have a few in mind for next week.

For this week, though, it's tried'n'true stuff:

Monday - Leftover Showalter's Chicken Casserole, Corn
Tuesday - 4 Cheese Pasta and Beef Casserole, Salad
Wednesday - Chicken Enchiladas
Thursday - Crockpot Beef and Barley Stew, Frozen Rolls
Friday - Marinaded and Baked Chicken, Aunt Eva's Mac'n'Cheese, Salad
Saturday - Supper with the in-laws
Sunday - Leftover Beef and Barley Stew, Rolls

This post is linked to Organized Junkie's Menu Plan Monday where there are piles and piles of menu plans linked up every week that you can browse through.

Menu Plan Monday ~ Jan. 4

Wow, the first week of January already!! Our schedule has been so un-normal the past couple weeks that it felt strange to sit down and plan a menu, but I know I will be so thankful for it each day when I don't have to wonder "hmm, what should we eat?"

Our hamburger and chicken meat supply is starting to run low, so in an effort to keep the budget down this week so I can have extra money to replenish those things, I've been careful to create a menu that requires only a couple "new groceries." This week will use up our ground beef stash, but with not needing to buy lots of "extras" I should be able to get a couple pounds to replenish.

Monday - Ham and Stuffing leftover from New Year's Day, Corn
Tuesday - Bean Pie (using up the extra topping that has been in my "odds & ends" freezer collection), Salad
Wednesday - Showalter's Chicken Casserole
Thursday - Stuffed Peppers, Salad
Friday - Crockpot Dill Roast, Garlic Mashed Potatoes (from freezer), Green Beans
Saturday - hopefully Daniel's family Christmas that got postponed in Dec.
Sunday - Taco Soup

To see more menu plans, hop on over to I'm an Organizing Junkie's Menu Plan Monday post where lots of people share their weekly menu plans!

Goals for 2010

I am good at making lists and following lists, but I think this is perhaps the first year that I have actually thought about and written out a list of goals that I would like to accomplish throughout the year. I have been thinking about these things for the past several weeks, and reading other people's goals has given me ideas, and reminded me of things that I've thought about or wanted to do, but just never do them. Hopefully by having a written list, I'll do better at actually doing instead of just thinking. These are all subject to change. I have no idea what God has in store for us this year, but I can still at least make a plan and strive to do my best with whatever situation I'm in.

Personal
(Many of these Daniel and I have talked about, since several of them include not just myself, but the both of us.)
*Go to bed, at bedtime, together.
*Spend time together as a couple each day.
*Spend time together as a family each day.
*Regular date nights for just the two of us (monthly or bi-monthly)
*Daily personal quiet time with the Lord.
*Read at least 1 book a month - I love to read, but push it to the back burner so often.
*Exercise 3x a week or more.
*Lose baby weight and then some (after the baby's born, of course!)
*Choose and develop 1 or 2 new habits each month - I really enjoyed FishMama's "Get a Good Habit Going" challenge last year, I want to keep it up.
*Eat breakfast together more often - usually Daniel eats breakfast on the way to his work.
*Don't overschedule our calendar. Keep time free for "us" and know that it's ok to say "no."

Financial
*Cash only for groceries, entertainment/recreation. It is so easy to overspend in these areas, I want us to try the cash only system to keep us on-track.
*Stick to budget! Less impulse buying!
*Put SOME money into savings each week, plus any extra that is possible.

In the kitchen
*Menu plan each week 1 week ahead.
*Serve salads with meals 2x a week - we both like salads, but I don't often plan them into the menu.
*Find or create the happy medium for eating healthier without going overbudget.
*Update the freezer inventory quarterly (basically print off new sheets to correspond with my chicken scratches and changes on the existing one).
*Try new recipes more often.
*Use crockpot 1x a week.
*Reduce food waste - stay on top of leftovers and freezer inventory.

Household
*Donate or throw away more. DO NOT KEEP CLUTTER
*Complete To-Do lists daily.
*Stay on top of filing paperwork (aka - keep the desk clean!).
*Print off, write on and put photos in albums monthly.
*Maintain clean and welcoming bedrooms.
*Put curtains in kitchen windows.
*Continue with weekly or monthly "Monster Projects"

Miscellaneous
*Blog more regularly.
*Clean out coupon file quarterly.

Above all else
*Do all things in a manner that glorifies God and brings honor to my husband.
*Strive to be the best wife and mama I can be.
*Maintain a peaceful and welcoming atmosphere in our home.

Menu Plan Monday

Today is a busy day. This morning was MOPS and I had volunteered to paint 2 extra nativity sets (wooden, very simple) from the last meeting, and I ended up never having the "spare time" I thought I was going to have. So instead of getting a start on my housework this morning, I hurriedly painted from the time Daniel left for work until I HAD to get dressed and leave. This afternoon I have a Dr. appointment, and I need a nap sometime (too much late-night partyin' this weekend!), so I don't know how much housework I'll get done today, but we'll see. Here's one thing to cross off my list :)

Short and sweet, here's this week's menu plan :)

Monday: Plantation Supper
Tuesday: Beef Stroganoff
Wednesday: Stuffed Peppers
Thursday: Meatball Stroganoff
Friday: Leftovers
Saturday: Christmas get-together
Sunday: Church function

Menu Plan Monday 9/28/09

I did it! I actually came up with a menu plan for this week. It was nice that last week's menu yielded way more leftovers than I'd planned and I didn't get all the meals made last week. So I already have the stuff for 2 meals this week :)

Monday - leftovers
Tuesday - Beef Stroganoff, Green Beans
Wednesday - Bacon Cheddar Egg Bake, Fruit
Thursday - Shrimp Lo Mien, Broccoli
(trying this recipe for the noodles)
Friday - Baked Chicken & Bacon, Mashed Potatoes, Peas
Saturday - Leftovers
Sunday - Sandwiches or Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup

Shrimp Lo Mien is one of my favorites at our little hole-in-the-wall Chinese place in town. Pioneer Woman just posted a recipe for Simple Sesame Noodles on her website, and they look so good I would eat the screen if I thought the flavor would come through! I have some shrimp secreted away in the freezer for a special occasion, and I think finding this recipe calls for celebrating. I have no idea if the noodles will taste good, but everything Ree posts to her site always looks good!! Now she just needs to post a recipe for General Tso's Chicken... that's one recipe that I've been looking and looking for but haven't found one that looks "right" yet.

Weekly Menu Plan 9/20 - 9/26

Whoa. It has been so long since I've done a weekly menu plan, I'm surprising myself! But, I was determined to get. it. done. I even planned a few breakfasts with the hope that Daniel might be willing/interested in eating breakfast together a time or two this week before he leaves for work (usually he gets an egg sandwich and orange juice to-go).

Breakfast
Cinnamon Rolls and Fruit
Scrambled Eggs, Toast and Fruit

Lunch Options (mostly for me so I don't forget the ton of leftovers that I just need to eat)
Pizza (Sunday's lunch)
Marinaded Beef Roast, Broccoli, Roll
Beef Stew, Roll
Hamburger, Salad

Dinner
Monday - Spaghetti, Garlic Bread, Salad
Tuesday - Showalter's Chicken Casserole, Green Beans
Wednesday - Bacon Cheddar Egg Bake, Salad
Thursday - Beef Stroganoff, 7-Layer Salad
Friday - Chicken Quesadillas
Saturday - Leftovers

Just Randomness

I finally feel like I'm getting back into things after this past week. I think it helped that yesterday was a wonderful, sun-shiny day... and I put supper in the crockpot first thing in the morning!! Yesterday morning was my 16 week checkup at the Dr. so the option of crawling back in bed after Daniel left was out. Instead, I took a shower and shaved my hairy legs (I will never doubt again - not that I doubted in the first place - that pregnancy makes your hair grow faster. Instead of being able to sneak by for 2 weeks every now and then, I feel like a gorilla after just a few days! At least I have the benefit of blond hair :P ) , fed the cats and dog, put supper in the crockpot, and away I went.

On the way to the appointment my MIL called to see if I still wanted to get together for lunch, something she had mentioned earlier in the week. So after the appointment I met her and we went to Ruby Tuesday's. We had both expected them to have a lunch menu (I was thinking a lunch menu would be good food for a lesser price), but alas, they only have one menu. The food was still good!! After that we went by Goodwill and I found 2 maternity tops to add to my meager collection. I have a couple shirts that will be great for a couple months from now, but my supply of things that fit right now and don't look so super-baggy is kinda skimpy. I'm tickled to have some maternity shirts to wear now :)

This afternoon I've been brainstorming for next week's menu. I seriously need to do a menu plan because all I've been coming up with are blanks lately. Last night it was beef stew, tonight it was hamburgers, brown buttered potatoes and green beans. I'm in the mood for "different" or "new" lately. Maybe I'm just being too lazy to make do with what I have on hand! I really, really must go through the meat freezer and see exactly what I have in there. I know it's not much.

I have a couple idea's for next week, and I've written them down so I don't forget them. If you're Menu Plan Monday posts get lots of hits here soon, you'll know it's me looking for ideas :)

Last night I very much on a whim mixed up a cheesecake. But instead of a cheesecake I had to make it in 2 pie pans because I realized my springform pan got packed up a couple weeks ago. We had some with our lunch today, but I think I will freeze the 2nd pie so we don't get sick and tired of it, or pig out on it and gain 100 pounds. This afternoon I spent some time cleaning up the kitchen from the cake making, put a batch of French Bread on the dough cycle in the bread machine, and made supper.

After supper I baked the French Bread in 2 loaf pans and cleaned up the kitchen *gasp!* again. It will be so nice to not have dirty dishes staring at me Monday morning! I've often thought that it would be nice to get into a routine of unloading a clean dishwasher in the mornings, then filling it up throughout the day and ending the day with a clean kitchen, instead of cleaning up the kitchen in the morning and going to bed with it dirty.

And if you see words that are totally misspelled or don't make sense, I don't know what is going on, but there seems to be some miscommunication between my brain and fingers this evening! I keep spelling things totally wrong!

Daniel and I talked this evening some about possibly decorating the 2nd bedroom as a nursery, and just tossed around some ideas. We both agree that we don't want to do anything "permanent" that 3 years from now would take a paint job to re-do. In the midst of that conversation somehow tub toys came up (I think I was looking at the Target Baby Registry magazine), and we had the opportunity to discuss playing in the tub at bathtime. LOL, it wasn't anything I ever wondered about, so it was interesting that he wondered "is bathtime a time to play?" Don't think that he's weird and stern and strict, it was just something that he wondered. It sounds like tub toys weren't a big thing for him when he was little, where we had boats and ducks and cups and bottles when I was little :) We did agree that our tub didn't need to be full of every toy that was pictured on the magazine page! Shew, we'd need a whole separate bathtub to hold all of those!

I need to get on with looking for menu ideas for next week, so till next time!!

Rollin' With It

The weekend was considerably different than I thought it would be when I wrote this post. As a result, I did not get a menu plan for this week figured out. However, I did take a good look in the "meat freezer" yesterday and have a decent idea of what my options are: chicken, 3 pork roasts, 1 ham, and a little ground beef. I was hoping for some porkchops, but I guess I've used them all up.

I did get a decent start on getting back into the daily to-do lists. I knew, but didn't really remember, that Monday was Labor Day. I got about 1/2 of my Monday list done, the high parts :) Since it was a cool, cloudy, drizzly day, Daniel thoroughly enjoyed it as a day OFF and did nothing. I don't blame him. He had a long days all last week, and ended up working on Sunday afternoon, too, since he was on call. Since he was enjoying a lazy day, it was easy for me to enjoy it, too.

Today I'm both tired and hungry. I didn't get to bed quite as early as my new bed-time last night, but not too much later. This morning I was still quite tired and ended up crawling back in bed. Now this afternoon I'm tired and HUNGRY. I think baby must be going through a growth spurt today or he (she?) ran a marathon last night while we weren't looking and burnt up all mommy's calories and energy. I had a good breakfast, a good lunch, and multiple good/healthy snacks in between, and I still feel like I could chow down on a good steak dinner any time.

Last night we had Liver & Onions, Green Beans, Mashed Potatoes & Rolls for supper. Tonight I'm thinking about a Taco Casserole, but need to dig up a recipe. Some sites are taking for.ev.er to load, I don't know what the deal is. I want to check out $5 Dinners and see if Erin has a Taco Casserole recipe. I'm thinking something with Taco Meat, Pasta, Tomatoes, Cheese and Sour Cream... all things I have on hand :) Sometime this week I think I'll make one of the pork roasts in the crockpot.

Day-to-Day Menu Plan:

With the garden coming in in a major fashion this week (zucchini, squash, tomatoes & corn), I pretty much just have to figure out what meat I want to have for supper, and then take my pick of whatever fresh vegetable I choose :)

Last night we had Bone-In Chicken Breasts (pan baked with a little seasoning), corn on the cob, zucchini patties & fresh tomato slices. It was SOOO good. The nice thing was that the chicken breasts were HUGE! Like turkey-sized huge. Maybe those chickens were raised next to the nuclear plant... anyhoo, neither of us ate a whole piece, and there were 3 in the package, so I will be taking the leftover meat to make tonight's supper.

Here's what I'm thinking right now (subject to change if I change my mind, of course):

Robin's Chicken Casserole
I don't think I've posted this recipe before, it's a really good one! It takes sour cream and chicken broth, both of which I have an abundance of, and then a topping of buttered Herbed Stuffing. A very nice, creamy, crunchy, chicken casserole :)

Fried Zucchini
Phoebe made some fabulous fried zucchini for us when we stopped in (another part of our vacation story that I have yet to get around to telling...) and it was the first time I'd had it. It was SO good! She shared her "recipe" with me and I hope to imitate it tonight since I have lots of zucchinis to use!

And now, ladies and gentlemen, I must gird up my loins and go back out and shuck the corn I pulled this morning. I dumped it all under a big tree so I should be able to sit in the shade and sip lemonade while doing it. I'm kidding about the lemonade part, but I guess I could if I had some. I will drag one of our lawn chairs over to sit in, and I haven't decided what I'm going to put the shucks in - not to mention all the wormies I'm sure I'll find. Maybe I'll take one of the large kitchen trash cans out to hold them. It's pretty warm today, but there's a slight breeze so that will help.

Menu Plan Monday

I have slacked off on this for so many weeks, and it has been such a pain to not have a plan. I need to make myself make the time to do it each week again.

Monday - Crockpot BBQ Chicken, Pasta w/ Alfredo Sauce, Fruit Salad
Tuesday - Pizza, Peas
Wednesday - Chicken Pot Pie
Thursday - Pork Chops, Mashed Potatoes, Corn
Friday - Hotdogs, Jello Salad
Saturday - wedding
Sunday - leftovers, pancakes or waffles

For now, I must get the last thing on my list done for today - washing the kitchen and pantry floors :) Then it's off to bed for me. Going to bed earlier is something I want/need to do more often and hopefully once I do it enough I'll get in the habit of doing it :)

Menu Plan Monday

Here 'tis!!

Monday - Baked Chicken, Baked Potatoes & Veg. Mix
Tuesday - Turkey Turnovers
Wednesday - Meatball Stroganoff, Peas
Thursday - Sweet & Sour Chicken
Friday - Pork Chops & a vegetable
Saturday - leftovers
Sunday - leftovers

Menu Plan Monday

Probably because it is SOOOO humid here, and hot, and we haven't cut our AC on and I'm sitting here in my sleeveless shirt and 1/2 slip (everything else had to come off, it was too hot), but I'm not in the mood for heavy food this week. Let alone spending a lot of time cooking. But I wanted "different" food, too. Stuff that is more springy, not really casseroles and such. It took a while to come up with this menu, but here's what I have.

Mon - Fried Rice
Tues - Tacos
Wed - Ranch Chicken Thighs, Mashed Potatoes, a vegetable
Thurs - Garlic Chicken Penne, using this recipe as a guide to come up with some kind of something for the garlic and herb sauce
Fri - being servers for the Sr. Honors Banquet at church, meal provided
Sat - Frozen Pizza
Sun - fill in the blank

Daniel didn't get to bed until 2am last night. This morning I got up and went to church, leaving him sleeping. He got up and was getting ready to go to church when his pager started going off. He'd already had 1 call scheduled for 1pm (after church) and scheduled another for 2:30-ish. Before he got left for church he had more calls coming in and he ended up working all day. He did make it to church for the evening service, and right as we were getting ready to leave another page came in. He just got back from that one and hopefully he'll be able to go to bed and sleep with a quiet pager! He had 15 pages today! He did get another guy to run 3 calls for him, and Daniel just said he ran 5 or 6.

Gotta make hay while the sun shines! It's supposed to cool back down the end of this week, so I imagine he'll be busy at least the first part of the week. Yay :)

Gotta run and spend some time with my man since I haven't seen him much today.

Menu Plan Monday

Last week went pretty good. I think we did have supper with Daniel's parents one evening, and Friday evening we were on the way home from our Good Friday service and Daniel surprised me by getting Chinese take-out!! It had been SOOOOOOOOO long since we've had their food! His boss had given him a Visa gift card for his birthday, so he used some of that. Wasn't that sweet!

Here is this week's menu:

Monday - Leftover Chinese, Mixed Veg.
Tuesday - Pork Chops, Macaroni, Peas
Wednesday - Beef Stroganoff, Rice, Green Beans (rice & beans leftover from Saturday's company)
Thursday - Chicken (??), Mashed Potatoes, Peas
Friday - Hotdogs, BBQ Beans
Saturday - Leftover Beef Stroganoff
Sunday - Leftovers

Menu Plan Monday

I didn't have a chance over the weekend to plan this weeks menu, so I sat down and put it together right before making supper tonight :)

Monday - Orange Glazed Chicken Stir-fry
Tuesday - Hamburger Pot Pit
Wednesday - Tuna Noodle Casserole
Thursday - Grilled Chicken Breasts
Friday - Leftover Hamburger Pot Pie
Saturday - Leftover Tuna Noodle Casserole
Sunday - Leftovers or Waffles

I didn't get vegetables or sides planned, but I assure you we'll have them :) I'll be posting a recipe or two as the week progresses.