Menu Plan for May 9th

Here is my plan for the week:

Monday - Swedish meat pies, salad

Tuesday - Crock-pot chicken, rice, corn

Wednesday - Shepherds pie, salad

Thursday - crock-pot sausage & potatoes

Friday - Beef tips, rice, broccoli

Saturday - My brother's wedding

Sunday - Burrito night

For more menu plans, visit Organzing Junkie.

Blessings,

Menu Plan for May 2nd

Here is my plan for the week:

Monday - Spicy chicken chow mein (in the crock-pot), rice noodles, fried rice.

Tuesday - Crock-pot turkey dinner, rice.

Wednesday - Rice, bean & cheese squares, spanish rice.

Thursday - Dilled chicken & potatoes (crock-pot).

Friday - Swedish meat pies, salad.

Saturday - Roast, mashed potatoes, salad.

Sunday - Hubby's making me dinner :o)

For more menu plans, visit Organizing Junkie.

Blessings,

Menu Plan for April 25th

Hubby is finally back to work (although at the moment, it is only temporary )-: ) and his new schedule has been throwing off my grove, lol. I had been doing my grocery shopping on Mondays and, since he wasn't working, the kids stayed with him. Well, now he's working. And he's working 4 10's which means he's home on Fridays. OK, no big deal, I'll just switch to shopping on Fridays. So far, though, that has not worked so well! I have NOT made it to the grocery store the last two Fridays. The first week, hubby went on Saturday and then I made it to the story he missed on Sunday. This week, though.........Well here it is Monday and I STILL haven't made it to the store! I finally decided I would see if I could just plan through Friday with what I have in the pantry/freezer and go shopping then. And, guess what? I succeeded! Well, hubby will need to stop and get a few fruits and veggies on his way home, but it should be a quick stop. Anyway, here is my plan:

Monday - Leftover Minestrone soup, bread.

Tuesday - Creamed beef over noodles, cauliflower

Wednesday - Chicken broccoli divan

Thursday - Pasta bean-fredo, salad

Friday - Tacos, beans, rice

Saturday - I'm not sure yet. Probably leftovers, but if we don't have enough, I'll come up with something when I go shopping on Friday :o)

Sunday - Split pea soup, bread

For more menu plans, head over to Organizing Junkie. She's also giving away the book "The Reluctant Entertainer."

Blessings,

Menu Plan for April 18th

Here is my plan for the week:

Monday - Turkey stir-fry

Tuesday - Oven fried Chicken, mac & cheese, corn on the cob

Wednesday - Cheese burger buns, salad

Thursday - Minestrone soup, bread

Friday - Pesto "bean"-fredo w/turkey, salad

Saturday - Meat loaf, rice, asparagus

Sunday - Easter - Not sure yet, most likely will be at the in-laws.

For more menu plans and lots of ideas, visit Organizing Junkie.

Blessings,

Menu Plan for April 11th

Here is my plan for the week:

Monday - Steak, shrimp, wild rice, & asparagus (Date Night - kids are at the in-laws)

Tuesday - Crock-pot turkey dinner

Wednesday - lentil enchilada casserole

Thursday - Ham, au grautin potatoes, green beans

Friday - Chili & corn bread

Saturday - Potato bar (hubby will be handling dinner, I will be at a class)

Sunday - Beans and wheat-free tortillas for small group.

For more meal plans, visit Organizing Junkie.

Blessings,

Menu Plan for April 4th

This week I'm doing my best to plan from my freezer and pantry. And I think I've succeeded! It looks like I only need a couple of chickens and some produce and I'm good (I haven't double checked my lentil supply, so I may need those too). Anyway, here is my plan:

Monday - Broccoli Chicken Divan

Tuesday - Italian Lentil & Barley Soup

Wednesday - Turkey, mashed potatoes and green beans

Thursday - Crock-pot Rotisserie chicken, rice and salad (chicken, mac & cheese and salad for Meals Ministry)

Friday - lentil & rice enchilada casserole

Saturday - steak, potatoes and salad

Sunday - leftovers

For more inspiring menu plans, head over to Organizing Junkie.

Blessings,

Menu Plan for March 28th

Here is my plan for the week =)

Monday - Chicken alfredo & salad

Tuesday - Sweedish meat pies, salad, red potatoes

Wednesday - Soy balsamic chicken, green beans & I'm gonna try quinoa for the first time!

Thursday - Stroganoff & cauliflower

Friday - Potato Bar

Saturday - Split pea soup

For more meal planning inspiration, visit Organizing Junkie.

Blessings,

Recipe Organization

My recipe organization has always been lacking. A lot of the recipes I use (when I use a recipe, lol) I have printed off the internet or scribbled on a scrap of paper. Then they got shoved in a drawer, or cubbie, or pretty much wherever I could find when I was done with it! The biggest problem with that system was finding it again later. Here are some examples of my recipes:

This is a bunch of them laid out on the counter.

Here is a close up of one. You can't see it very well in the picture, but this one is actually splattered with Teriyaki sauce!

(This one got me a new kitchen floor, but that's another post, lol)

Here's another close up of a recipe. Can you tell what it's for? This would be one of the times I just scribbled the ingredients on a piece of paper rather than printing off the recipe.

I also have a few favorites in these cookbooks.

And this shelf has the rest of my cookbooks, which I only use occasionally.

So, back to the organization issue. The other night I looked everywhere for a recipe. It happened to be one that I had scribbled on a piece of paper and I didn't even know what site I had found it on so I could look for it again. It was imperative that I find the recipe, our dinner depended on it! I did finally find it (it was on top of the paper towel holder. Great place for it, I'm sure), but it took me close to 20 minutes.

Since I'm also the type of person who suddenly goes "Oh shoot! I should have started dinner 10 minutes ago!", spending 20 minutes looking for a recipe can be a real drag. So, I decided it was time to do something about it (finally!).

I went to Michaels and got these cute recipe cards for $1 a package.

Then I went through all the recipes I had stashed different places and wrote the ones I use frequently on the cards. I then filed them in this old picture album that I already had.

For a couple of bucks, my recipes are now organized! I do still have a stack of recipes I want to try and one of recipes I only make rarely (like desserts). But they are all together in the SAME drawer. I will, also, probably add recipes to my book as I go.

Another thing I discovered while working on this project; I don't actually USE a recipe very often! I didn't realize it because it always seemed like I was searching for a recipe. But I went through a bunch of old menus to see what recipes to gather, I kept passing meals by because I didn't need a recipe for them! I guess most of the things I cook, I know what goes into and I just wing it, lol.

This realization of my cooking does pose a new problem, however. I'm trying to be more diligent about having my kids in the kitchen with me when I cook, so that I can teach them how. But I don't have a recipe to hand them for the majority of the things I cook. So, I will be getting more recipe cards and as I cook something that I don't already have a recipe for, I will write it down on a card. Eventually I will have a collection of recipes that Munchkin can take with her when she marries. I will also be able to use them as copywork, since she will need to make a copy of the recipes for her sister :o)

Blessings,

Menu Plan for March 21st

Here is my menu plan for the week:

Monday - Pot roast, mashed potatoes, green beans

Tuesday - Crock-pot rotisserie chicken, rice & salad

Wednesday - Baja bowls

Thursday - Chicken stir-fry w/rice noodles

Friday - Beef tips & rice

Saturday - BBQ chicken pizza

Sunday - not sure yet

For more meal plans, check out Organizing Junkie. She's also having a giveaway for the book, 7 Day Menu Planner for Dummies. All you have to do is leave a comment on her blog! Head over and check it out.

Blessings,

Menu Plan for March 14th

Our power was yesterday afternoon and didn't come back till early this morning. Consequently I'm having a bit of a slow start this morning! I finally got my plan together, though, here it is:

Monday - Leftovers or sandwiches

Tuesday - Tortilla soup

Wednesday - Sweet & sour pork, rice & broccoli

Thursday - Cheeseburger buns & salad

Friday - Crock-pot chicken dinner

Saturday - Carne asada, beans, rice & tortillas

Sunday - Not sure yet :o)

For more menu plans, visit Organizing Junkie.

Blessings,

Menu Plan for March 7th

Wow, it's been a while since I've posted my menu! I've had a lot on my plate lately and menu planning has been pushed to the back burner. Things are starting to look better now, so hopefully I'll be a regular participant in MPM again! Here is my menu for this week:

Monday - Chicken rice-a-roni, salad

Tuesday - Crock-pot potatoes and sausage, brocoli

Wednesday - Brown rice and lentil casserole, cauliflower

Thursday - Honey ginger chicken & rice

Friday - Grandma's 90th birthday party!

Saturday - Crock-pot chicken dinner

Sunday - Crock-pot stew

For more menu plans, head over to Organizing Junkie.

Blessings,

Menu Plan for December 13th

Well, here we are in week two of hubby's crazy work hours. Last week went pretty well. This week I've tried to keep things really simple again. However, I have no idea when I will get a chance to get groceries, so all of this is subject to change!

Monday - Spaghetti

Tuesday - Taco's

Wednesday - Beef Stew

Thursday - Chef Salad

Friday - Nacho's

Saturday - Tator tot casserole

Sunday - Not sure, probably leftovers or whatever we can find!

For more menu plans, visit Organizing Junkie.

Blessings,

Menu Plan for December 6th

It's been a while since I've posted my menu and I've decided it's time to get back into it! I have had a menu, I just haven't taken the time to post it. This week we're going into 3 weeks of basically no hubby :-( He's got a temporary job driving truck for the post office. It will be 7 days a week from 3pm to 4am (yuck!), so we will only see him for a couple of hours over lunch. Consequently, I decided that dinners needed to be easy! So here is my plan for the week:

Monday - Leftovers

Tuesday - Pot roast, potato wedges, green beans

Wednesday - Crock-pot chicken, rice, salad

Thursday - Potato bar

Friday - Beef tips, rice, broccoli

Saturday - Tacos, beans, rice

Sunday - Sandwiches.

For more menu plans, visit Organizing Junkie.

Hope you have a blessed week!

Menu Plan for November 8th

I've gotten behind on this (and blogging in general). My schedule has been thrown off quite a bit for the last few months (I had a massive kidney stone, Hubby was out of town for several weeks and now he is laid off.) So I've just been in "survival" mode and been doing just enough to get us through! Things seem to be "cooling" down a bit now and I'm getting back into a routine. I'm hoping to make this post regular again. So with all of that being said, here is my plan for the week:

Monday - Leftovers

Tuesday - Split pea soup, cheese & bread

Wednesday - Cheese & lentil enchilada casserole, salad

Thursday - Crock-pot chicken, rice & salad

Friday - Meatloaf, potatoes & broccoli

Saturday - Crock-pot BBQ chicken, rice & cauliflower

For more menu plans, check out Organizing Junkie.

Blessings,

Menu Plan for August 16th

Well, everyone got pretty sick of leftovers for lunch last week, so we've planned lunches for this week as well. Other than that, though, the change has gone over pretty well. My kids appetite has actually improved dramatically! It used to be a fight to get them to eat at least a little bit of their dinner. Now they are asking for seconds and sometimes thirds! I think getting rid of all the processed snacks has made a huge difference. So anyway, here is our plan for this week:

Monday: Breakfast - Pancakes & bacon
Lunch - Burgers, veggies and a fruit
Dinner - Pork loin, broccoli & salad

Tuesday: Breakfast - Omelet w/spinach & feta cheese, fruit
Lunch - Fried rice
Dinner - Chili, cornbread, salad

Wednesday: Breakfast - Oatmeal, bacon & fruit
Lunch - Hot dog, split pea soup & a veggie or fruit
Dinner - Shepherds pie

Thursday : Breakfast - Pancakes & bacon
Lunch - Tuna salad w/rice crackers & a veggie
Dinner - Fried chicken, corn on the cob, salad

Friday: Breakfast - Eggs, broccoli & fruit
Lunch - Leftover chili
Dinner - Herb seasoned steak, asparagus, salad

Saturday: Breakfast - Overnight oatmeal & bacon
Lunch - Leftover fried chicken
Dinner - Garlic & herb chicken, broccoli & salad

Sunday: Breakfast - Pancakes, bacon & fruit
Lunch - Burger, veggie & fruit
Dinner - BBQ at my parents

For more menu plans, visit Organizing Junkie.

Blessings,

Menu Plan for August 9th

So, as I mentioned last week, this week we are switching to new eating habits! I'm hoping to see some big improvements in everyone's overall health. So what exactly are we doing? Well, we are cutting out all processed foods, wheat, soy, and sugar. And for this first week, at least, we are cutting out grains in general (although, we will be letting the kids have a few grains). Our goal is not to cut grains entirely, just for a week or two. Breakfast and lunches will basically be the same throughout the week. So, here it is:

Breakfast: Eggs, leftover veggie from night before & a fruit. We will also offer the kids oatmeal (I think they'll balk at eggs 7 days a week!)

Lunch: Lunch will be leftovers from dinner the night before.

Monday - Chicken, salad, broccoli

Tuesday - Steak, salad, spinach (and probably corn for the kids)

Wednesday - Fish, salad, asparagus

Thursday - Black bean soup, salad, cauliflower

Friday - chicken, salad, spinach (again, kids will probably get corn)

Saturday - Turkey, salad, broccoli

Sunday - Roast, salad, cauliflower.

So that's our plan. I'll let you know next week how well it went over :o)

For more menu plans, visit Organizing Junkie.

Blessings

Menu Plan for August 2nd

This weekend is my husbands family's annual family "campout" (we don't actually camp anymore), so I don't need to plan meals for Friday or Saturday. We just have to show up with two desserts. =) So here is my plan for the rest of the week:

Monday - Leftovers

Tuesday - Steak, roasted potatoes, green beans

Wednesday - Pork chops, au gratin potatoes, corn on the cob

Thursday - Chicken Caesar salad

Desserts for this weekend - Chocolate drizzled peanut butter cookies & Fruit pizza.

Next week will be totally different. Hubby and I have decided it's time to change our eating habits. It will be challenging and difficult, I'm sure, but I believe the Lord has been leading us in this direction for some time now. I'm looking forward to our new adventure =)

For more menu plans, visit Organizing Junkie.

Blessings,

Menu Plan for July 26th

Here is my plan for the week:

Monday - Leftovers

Tuesday - BBQ Chicken, potato wedges, corn on the cob

Wednesday - Hamburgers/hot dogs, fries and salad

Thursday - Pot roast, mashed potatoes, green beans

Friday - Chicken Alfredo, broccoli

Saturday - Tacos/burritos, rice and beans

Sunday - not sure yet.

For more menu plans, visit Organizing Junkie.

Have a blessed week!

Menu Plan for July 19th

Well, it's been a while since I've posted my menu plan. I have had a plan, I just haven't gotten around to posting it. But this week I decided to take the time and post, so here it is:

Monday - Leftovers

Tuesday - Potato bar

Wednesday - Beef tips over rice

Thursday - Split pea soup (I don't do much soup when it's hot, but Peanut has been begging for this!)

Friday - Crock-pot potato salad for a potluck

Saturday - Sub sandwiches (or something else easy to pack 'cause we'll be at a street dance)

Sunday - Not sure what the plan is yet.

For more menu plans, visit Organizing Junkie.

Blessings,

Menu Plan for June 21st

This has been a pretty easy week to plan! Hubby and I will be in Portland this weekend for the Ocean Network Homeschool Conference and the kids will be staying with my parents. So I only need to plan three meals this week!

Monday - Stuffed chicken breast, bacon wrapped asparagus, mashed potatoes (just hubby & I, kids will be with SIL)

Tuesday - Taco Salad

Wednesday - Broccoli cheese soup, bread

Thursday thru Sunday - We'll be at the conference, WooHoo!!!

For more menu plans, visit Organizing Junkie.

Blessings,