Menu Plan Monday

Time to pull out the chore chart again...bummer...

I have been dealing with wicked Allergies this past month but yesterday I while I was working on my meal plan I started to smell something(first time in maybe 3 weeks) and it wasn't nice. I realized it has been at least a month since I did any real house keeping and furthermore, no one else has either!!

Ridiculous, 4 adults in this house and none seem to be capable of picking up after themselves. So, back to the weekly menu and chore chart. Can you tell that I am a bit irritated about this?

So, here we go!

Monday - Vacuum, dust and deodorize front room and family room.

Leftovers from this weekend
Meatloaf

Tuesday - Polish the appliances in the Kitchen, mop. Clean bathroom. Laundry.

Beer Butt Chicken my husband is going to be so happy because there will be Beer in the house.
Maryanne's Baked Beans
Laura's Mac Salad

Wednesday - Change sheets, put away clean laundry.

Leftovers

Thursday- Work in the garden, clean up the Patio.

Hamburger Helper
Veg
Bread

Friday - More Yard Work, weather permitting.

Oatmeal Pancakes
Smoked Sausage
Scrambled Eggs

Saturday - Laundry, hopefully it will be nice enough to line dry. I will also be nagging the DH to go and get the clothes line post from our neighbor (sweet Lady, gave us her clothes line posts) and get them put up so I can take down the rope between the fence and the tree that I have been using to line dry with.

Pizza from Papa Murphy's for dinner.

Sunday - Clean out the fridge, get the garbage out.

Pork Roast (didn't get to it last Sunday)
Baked Sweet Potatoes
Green Beans

See what everyone else is eating this week at the MPM hosted by The Org Junkie.

Menu Plan Monday 6/14

Or maybe Tuesday....

We actually did have the menu for this week planned on Monday, I just didn't post it. We were finishing up some garden and yard work and then I decided that my home office had HAD to be re-organized all while fighting a rather nasty lingering cold/allergy thing that has been with me for about 2 weeks now.

My office is still a mess....but it's getting there.

So, here is the menu for this week. Last night we had BBQ Steaks, baked Sweet Potatoes and Salad. The Sweet Potato was delish :)

Tuesday:
Fried Chicken
Baked Potato Salad
Corn on the cob

Wednesday:
Grilled Hamburgers
Onion Rings

Thursday:
Pasta w/meatballs
Salad
Garlic Muffins

Friday:
French Toast
Bacon, Eggs
hash browns

Saturday:
Hamburger Soup
Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Sunday: Father's Day
Pork Pot Roast
mashed Potatoes w/gravy
Fruit Salad
fresh veg (still hoping for Green Beans)
Blueberry Sour Cream Pie - it's a spin-off of Sour Cream Raisin Pie that my Dad loves.

Make sure to check out the Orgjunkie for more recipes and menu inspiration!

Menu Plan Monday 6/7 - 6/13

I hope everyone had a lovely weekend :)

We had 1 nice day of sunshine on Saturday and then back to getting rained out on Sunday but that was OK because my husband scored on 20 lbs. of 81% lean ground Beef for .99/lb on Friday. So we did a Meatloaf/Meatball freezer cooking day!

Meatloaf is one of our favorites around here and it is nice to have 4 of them ready to go in the freezer :)

Here's what we will be eating this week:

Monday:
Meatloaf
Mac-n-cheese
Steamed Broccoli or Broccoli Salad

Tuesday:
Tacos (last bag from my previous Freezer Cooking Day)
w/ all the fixings

Wednesday:
Taco Pie
Taquitos
Salad

Thursday:
French Dips
Oven Fries
Orange slices

Friday: Breakfast for dinner! This is becoming 1 of Colby's favorite dinners so we have decided to have breakfast for dinner at least 1 night a week.

Sourdough Pancakes
Fried eggs and Potatoes
Sausage Patties

Saturday:
Dinner with the in laws

Sunday:
Spaghetti and meatballs
French Bread
Salad and or fresh Veg - depends whats on sale this week. I'm hoping for fresh green beans. I am very excited about the fact that they are coming up in the garden and it has made me start craving them.


As always, many thanks to Laura the Org Junkie for hosting the weekly mpm event. Even if you don't make regular menu plans, this is a great place to find recipes and menu inspiration!

Menu Plan Wednesday!

I know, normally I do this on Sunday evening but we were still out in the woods with no wifi and on top of that, I didn't know what was going to be left over to eat when we got back.

As it turns out, quite a bit. Instead of camping in tents and cooking over the fire as we had planned, we ended up in a cabin (thankfully, since it rained like crazy). But I wasn't able to prepare some of the things we had planned because of no fire and now we need to eat them up or toss them out, and I don't care to waste that much food!

Tonight:
Oven Roasted Game Hens
Pasta (Knorr's Spinach Alfredo - one of Colby's favs)
Broccoli

Thursday:
Breakfast for Dinner! I promised Colby I would make Sourdough pancakes since we didn't get to have them for breakfast this weekend.
Fried Ham - left over from camping
Cheesy Scrambled Eggs

Friday:
Grill Hot Dogs (if the weather permits, otherwise I might do pigs-in-a-blanket)
Laura's Mac Salad - left over from camping
Maryann's Baked Beans - also left over
Watermelon -yes, left over

Saturday:
Finish off what ever left overs are around! Grilled cheese sandwiches and chips.

Sunday:
Hopefully the left overs will be gone! And, Hopefully the weather will be nice enough to grill something, like some Chicken!
Baked Sweet Potatoes
Steamed Broccoli and Carrots

Make sure to check out the MPM event over at Orgjunkie for great recipes and meal inspiration!

Menu Plan Monday~Camping edition!

You can tell from the lack of chatter around the blogasphere and the few and far between posts that everyone is getting excited about the Memorial Day weekend and going camping. We are for sure!

Our Monday through Thursday meals will be focused on getting the fridge cleaned out because I don't want to come home to a bunch of nasty festering left overs after spending 4 days in the woods. It's basically YOYO week here :)~

But come Friday through Tuesday of next week we will be cooking over a fire (fun! Really, I love campfire cooking) and trying out my new Dutch Oven. It's got legs so that you can set it over hot coals and a rimmed lid for putting hot coals on. Just like the ones the pioneers used while traveling the Oregon Trail.

I have learned over the summers of camping that planning out the menu is a big part of being able to have a good camping experience, especially when you go camping in the places we do. Most of our favorite camping spots are considered Primative, meaning no drinking water, garbage service, flushing toilets or showers. We are talking deep woods here. Menu planning for these spots requires thinking out every meal, snack and beverage as well as proper food storage arrangements. Food must be kept at the correct temperature to avoid spoilage and in a safe place that will keep wild animals out of it. Skunks rummaging around for a snack in the middle of the night in camp are not pleasant (we know from experience.) For this trip we are actually going to a small camping resort up at Tiger Pass so there will be flushing toilets and showers. We decided to do this instead of risk not getting a spot at all since it is the first camping holiday of the year and every spot will be taken by Thursday.

Of course, there is always a lake nearby because my husband, dad and son aren't ones to just sit around a campsite all day, they want to hunt the wily fish. And, contrary to what you would think, fish really are quite wily. you would not believe the lengths they go to while trying to catch them, but that is a whole nother blog all together.

Anyway, back to the Menu plan.

Dad and hubs are planning on going up on Friday and setting up camp. I will send up a picnic dinner with them or they can eat at the Resort Cafe. Mom, the boy and I will be going up on Saturday. This is the plan right now, but they are lobbying rather aggressively for us all to go up on Friday so we will see. As far as the Menu goes....

On which ever day I get there, a big Longhorn BBQ Spiral Cut ham will be placed in the Dutch oven over foil wrapped potatoes and we will have that for dinner. The left over ham will also provide breakfast and sandwich meat for the remaining days. It will be the first time I have ever used the dutch oven so I am keeping my finger's crossed and hoping it turns out well.

Maryann's Baked Beans - best on the planet and she said I could share the recipe! I made up a double batch a few weeks ago in anticipation of our first camping trip of the season.

Corn on the cob - I might stick it in the dutch oven as well if there is room, if not, it will be put on the grill.

Breakfast - day 1

Cereal and Yogurt

Campfire Frittata! This is so easy and uses some of the left over ham and the left over baked potatoes.

Chop the ham and potatoes, heat some bacon grease (if you got it, I have been saving it for the trip), when the grease is hot, add the potatoes, once they start to brown a bit, add the ham, stir to keep from burning. Crack and scramble and season 4-5 eggs, pour over the ham and potatoes, cover and let cook until eggs are set, sprinkle with shredded cheese, or place a few slices on top and let melt. Slice like a pizza and serve.

Lunch: Ham or Egg Salad Sandwiches, PB&J for the boy. Chips and veggies with dip. Laura's Mac Salad and Jello salad.

Afternoon Snacks: PB Cookies, crackers, summer sausage and cheese.

Supper:
Rib Eye steaks on the grill!
Baked Beans
Fire Baked Sweet Potatoes
Roasted Marshmellows for dessert!

Breakfast: Day 2

Cereal and Yogurt
Royce's Breakfast Sandwich. Basically, an open faced bacon cheese burger on a fried egg over fire toasted Sour Dough bread. Its simple but so yummy!

Lunch: More Sandwiches, Mac Salad, chips, veggies and dip.

Snacks: Summer Sausage, cheese and crackers, cookies.

Supper:

Roasted Game Hens. I might do them in the Dutch oven but will probably split them and roast over the fire.
What ever is left of the baked beans and Salads.
Roasted Marshmellows of course!

Last Day:

Breakfast at the Resort Cafe. Then packing it up and coming home.

Don't miss out on getting in on my Yoplait Greek Yogurt and Spa Set Give away! I will be choosing the winner on Wednesday, May 26 and its easy to enter, just leave a comment here :)

And make sure to see what everyone else has planned for dinner at the Org Junkies weekly MPM event!

Menu Plan Monday

I hope everyone had a lovely weekend!

We did :) Busy though, we got most of the garden in, just waiting for it to get a little bit warmer for the squash and cucumbers but the Arugala, Broccoli and Broccoli Rabe is already coming up, the tomatoes are in the ground and the green beans are planted! After all that, I was too tired to post this week's menu last night but it was a good thing :)

Here we go!

Monday
Penne Pasta Bake (from the freezer)
Green Beans

Tuesday
20 minute Tamale Pie

Wednesday
Left overs

Thursday
Parmasan Garlic Shrimp Alfredo with Angel Hair pasta
Salad
Rolls

Friday
Pan Fried Trout (am going to try to crust it with crushed Pretzels, will let you know if it flys)
Left over salad
Maybe some rice? Don't know for sure, I do have some Quinoa that needs to be used, maybe I will make that instead.

Saturday
Crock Pot Steaks
Mashed Potatoes
Corn
Rolls

Sunday
Sweet and Sour Pork
Rice
Mixed Veg

Check out all the great recipes and meal ideas at I am an Organizing Junkie's MPM event!

Menu Plan Monday

What a week!

So, last week I had all these high and mighty plans to do some freezer cooking - which was going along all right even though my mom had to go to the coast earlier then we anticipated - but everything went SOUTH on Saturday.

3:00 AM Saturday morning, the door bell starts going off. DH and I wake up and wonder what kind of hell visits at 3 AM on a Saturday morning. We tip-toe down the hall and peek around the corner to see what we might have for a freak on the door step. It's a Spokane Police Officer.....About died right there! We have an adult daughter and there is a cop at our door at 3:00 in the morning! Can't be good news.

So, we open the door and the police officer is asking if my Mom lives here.

Ok, what did she do now?

Just joking :)~ Turns out, one of our cars was stolen and wrecked. I cannot describe the amount of relief I felt when I heard that, which I know sounds weird but as mentioned before, we have an adult daughter who lives outside the home and I can't tell you how scared I was to open that door.

Cops showing up at 3:00 AM are generally not delivering good news, but it was the best news I got in my whole life!

But my freezer cooking plans for that day got scraped. Maybe next week?

So, my girl is just fine and my Mom will be back on Wednesday and without further ado - here is our menu :)

Monday
Fried Egg Sandwiches
Fried Potatoes
Cottage Cheese w/Fruit cocktail (can has been hanging out in the Pantry for way too long)

Tuesday
Spaghetti (sauce from the freezer)
French Bread (totally scored at the Bread Store on Saturday!)
Green Beans

Wednesday
Tacos

Thursday
Tequila Lime Turkey Tenderloin - last one in the freezer :(
Salad
LO French Bread

Friday
Bacon Cheese Burgers
Baked Beans - Maryanne said I could share the recipe! So it will be forthcoming :)
Oven Fries

Saturday
Left over Buffet

Sunday
Crock-pot Steaks
Mashed Potatoes
Corn

Not very creative, but substance all the same :)

Come celebrate my 1 year of blogging with me and enter my give away!

Menu Plan Monday

Happy May!

As this is the first week of the month, my mom and I are planning on cooking extra this week and stock up on some freezer meals and dishes again. She is going to be going back over to the coast during this month and we like to send over freezer meals for my grama and grampa. They are getting up there in years and are in questionable health so we send over what ever we think we can pack into their freezer to help them through the weeks that we aren't there and that way they don't feel well enough to shop or cook they still have a good meal available.

So, here is the plan this week:

Monday - go shopping for the remaining ingredients needed to Power out some freezer meals!

Chicken Pattie Sandwitches
Oven baked home fries
Corn

Tuesday - power cooking 2 whole chickens in the Pressure Cooker and prepping it for Wendesday.

triple batch of Homemade Mac-n-cheese (one for tonight and 2 for the freezer)
Green beans

Wendesday -

Chicken Enchilada Marathon! Scored real nice and got 60 flour torillas for .24 cents, so we will put as many together as we have chicken and trays for.
Green Salad
Cottage Cheese

Thursday -

Double batch of Maryanns Baked Beans. I keep forgetting to ask her if I can share the recipe and they are so darn good. It is kind of a combination of this recipeand this recipe and they freeze really well. I am going to make them in the crockpot.

Pulled Pork sandwitches (from the freezer)
Left over green salad

Friday -

Left overs if any, snacky foods otherwise. We have alot of appetizers in the freezer that will suffice.

Saturday -

Mashed Potato casserole marathon

A version of Smoked Sausage Bake only with real mashed potatoes and smoked sausage for dinner.
Mixed Vegetables

Sunday - Mother's day :)

I am not going to make a menu for this day. Mom and I are going to be worn out by all the extra cooking we have done so the plan is, once the boys realize there is no dinner on the menu that they will panick and propose eating out!

LOL :) Maybe The Mustard Seed? Maybe I should make reservations....

Check out what everyone else is having for dinner this week at The Orgjunkie's MPM!

Menu Plan Monday

I hope every one has a yummy week planned :)

We are cleaning out the fridge because we have alot of left overs from this weekend to finish off ! That beer butt Chicken didn't get made until Saturday so I am using the left overs from it to make dinner tonight. And, we will be using the left overs from Sunday's Steak BBQ to make dinner with on Tuesday.

Monday -
Teriyaki Chicken stir fry w/rice, veggies and almonds
Using left over chicken, cabbage, mushrooms and broccoli
Pot Stickers

Tuesday-
Left over Spaghetti sauce with left over steak and pasta,
Broccoli and left over Artichokes
Garlic Muffins

Wednesday -
Not sure yet, maybe something from my list of recipes that I have compiled while surfing the MPM that I have been wanting to try.

Thursday -
Taco Ring - new!
Taco fixings

Friday-
Left overs if we have any, I am not throwing out any food this week!

Saturday - Boys are going to see the Spokane Shock so it's quick and easy stuff tonight.
BBQ Hamburgers and smoked Sausage
Pasta Salad
Potato Chips

Sunday-
Breakfast for dinner!
Sausage gravy w/biscuits
bacon, eggs, hashbrowns

Can't wait to see what everyone else will be eating this week at The Orgjunkie's MPM and the Busy Mom's Guide!

Menu Plan Monday

I am so excited today, I won a copy of Cooking Under Pressure by Lorna Sass from The Saved Quarter and am very much looking forward to reading it!

What a great way to start a week :) Do expect to see my pressure cooker producing some yummy meals in the weeks to come.

Here is our menu plan for this week, we are eating down the freezers and pantry again to make room and save money.

Monday -

Chicken Enchilada's
Taco Rice
Cottage Cheese
fresh Veg

Tuesday -

Spaghetti a la Philly
Salad
Crescent Rolls

Wednesday -

Beer Butt Chicken
Salad
French Bread

Thursday -

Hamburger Soup
Royce's Broiled Cheese Sandwiches

Friday -

Burgers
Tater tots

Saturday -

Leftovers

Sunday - My sister's boy friend is coming up from CA so we are having a special dinner :)

BBQ Rib eye steaks
Laura's Mac Salad
The Green Jello (another family recipe)
Baked Potatoes
Rolls
Lemon Pie

Many thanks again to Laura the Organizing Junkie for hosting the MPM!

Menu Plan Monday

I'm keeping short and sweet this week :)

Breakfast this week:
Cereal (scored on Special K at Target today!)
Toaster Strudels
Bananas

Lunch this week:
Left Overs
Grilled Cheese and PB and J
Apple Slices

Dinner this week:

Monday -
Steaks (hopefully on the grill)
Baked Sweet Potatoes
Salad
(got passed over on Sunday because the Boys' are out fishing and won't be back until dark. I am not going to eat a steak at 9:00 pm or cook one for that matter. They are getting Omelets with leftover ham.)

Tuesday-
Smoked Sausage
Potato Salad
Brocolli

Wednesday-
Shepard's Pie - from the freezer.
Rolls

Thursday-
Pizza, probably Papa Murphy's

Friday
Hamburger Helper (double batch, sending the left overs with the boys' for a possible fishing trip)

Saturday-
Dinner Out with Mom! Maybe we will hit P.F. Chang's, if we get lucky. This hinges on the boys' fishing trip, if they don't go then I will have to come up with something else for dinner for all of us. Probably LO Hamburger Helper, whoohoo!
Fresh Veg (aka, Brocolli)

Sunday-
CP Pork Roast
Baked Sweet Potatoes (yes, we eat alot of these)
Corn Casserole

All in all, a boring week as far as dinner is concerned. I hope everyone has something delicious planned for dinner :)

Now, if the boys' go camping I will be sending the LO Hamburger Helper, some sandwich fixings, a box of cereal and snacky foods like chips and cookies (all of which we have in the Pantry) My mom might bake them a pie to take as well.

I will, as usual, be looking for additional menu inspiration at the MPM event hosted by Laura, the Organizing Junkie.

Menu Plan Monday

Did everyone else have a crazy week and weekend too?

Just curious :)

My week and weekend have been nuts. I am still learning my job, had payroll and bills to take care of this week ( I am Accounts Payable for a local Insurance Agency) Saturday, I baked an Angel Food Cake, some Peanut Butter bars (from a cake mix), made Deviled Eggs with this recipe - just didn't chop up the egg whites, and we cooked a huge Turkey.

Today, we cooked a ham, made Green Bean casserole, Scalloped Potatoes, and Dressing - which actually was Pepperidge Farm mix (my sister made it).

As you can imagine, we are left with a ton of left overs, and our dinners this week will be focused on using them up.

Monday -
Just Leftovers, eating up the rest of the Green Bean Casserole, Dressing and Potatoes.

Tuesday
Mac-n-Cheese - from the freezer
Ham
Mixed baby Veg

Wednesday -
Turkey and Dumplings - just using Turkey instead of Chicken.

Thursday -
Penne Pasta Bake - from the freezer
Green Salad
left over Sourdough rolls from Easter

Friday -
Monte Cristo Sandwiches - Yum!

Saturday-
Leftovers....again

Sunday-
BBQ Rib eye Steaks
Baked Potatoes (maybe baked Sweet Potatoes)
Corn Casserole

I want to take moment here to express my sincerest appreciation to Laura, the Organization Junkie, for hosting a weekly Menu Planning Event. My day to day life has been so much easier since I started participating in it and planning weekly menus for my family, I don't know how I would have made it through the last month with out it. For all those who have yet to try it, I ask: Why not? You might be surprised at how just this one little thing, this one simple thing, takes so much stress out of the day. Have a great week everyone :)

Menu Plan Monday

Good evening/morning Ladies :)

Good grief, I am tired! Errands and lunch with the Ladies on Friday (way to much fun girls, did we really get kicked out of the High Nooner?)

Yard work, some freezer cooking (made 4 batches of Taco filling) and 2 loads of towels that were dried on the line, and another load of clothes on Saturday :) Plus, they are all folded and put away!

2 Shepard's Pies for the freezer, 2 Mashed Potato Casseroles (for later this week) and 1 1/2 lbs. of Italian seasoned ground beef for the freezer, plus another load of laundry (sadly, unfolded at the current time)

Here we go!

Monday-
Spaghetti with meat sauce (from the meat made on Sunday)
Green Beans
Garlic Muffins

Tuesday-
Chicken Cordon Blu Casserole
Green Salad

Wednesday - full on from the freezer!
Meatloaf muffins
Mashed Potato Casserole
Corn

Thursday-
Pizza, YAY!!

Friday-
Chicken Bundles (new, can't wait to try them! Thanks Connie :) You really got to go check out her blog, she is making some seriously good food!)
Baked Sweet Potatoes

Saturday-
Left overs, clean out the fridge for Sunday's...

Sunday- Easter Dinner
Turkey
Ham
Mashed Potatoes
Scalloped Potatoes
Green Bean Casserole
The Bestest Dressing I ever ate! (gosh, I'm sorry Ladies, I keep forgetting to ask Jody if I can share the recipe, will try to get to that this week because it is soooo good)
And all the other fixin's that go along with Easter Dinner.

I can't wait to see what everyone else has planned for Dinner this week! What? No plan! Go check out the MPM hosted by Laura, The Organizing Junkie for menu inspiration :)

Menu Plan Monday

I don't know about everyone else, but I am actually looking forward to Monday. Whew! We had a busy weekend!

I have mentioned before that my parents and my family live in the same house. It's not like they live with us, or we live with them, but that we live together. Someday I will explain how it all came about....Anyway, we did a ton of yard work this weekend that should have been done last fall but I couldn't do it because I had been sick. Our backs are killing us! Hopefully we will have recovered by Friday because the weather is suppose to be good that day and we still need to get the garden spots ready for planting.

Before I went back to work a few weeks ago, I did most of the cooking (because I do most of the shopping) but now my mom is doing the bulk of the family meals on the weekdays. We have been relying quite heavily on the Freezer Cooking Stash I put in about a month ago while my mom was over on the coast helping my gramma out, and the crockpot as well. I don't go into work until around noon most days so I can start the main dish before I leave or we can pull it out of the freezer and then all she had to do is the sides.

Here is this week's menu:

Monday -
Penne Pasta Bake w/meatballs - made three pans today (Sunday), 2 for the freezer.
Cottage Cheese
Green Salad

Tuesday -
Chicken, Broccoli Rice Casserole (from the freezer)
Garlic Toast

Wednesday -
Leftovers - always exciting :)~

Thursday -
Savory Pork Roast, from the *Fix-It-and-Forget-it Cookbook.
Rice
Baked Sweet Potatoes
* I expect that at some point I will be getting a Cease and Desist letter from Phyllis Pellman Good for sharing the recipes we use from her book, but they are just so darn good and easy I can't help myself :)

Savory Pork Roast
4 -5 lb. Pork Loin Roast
1 large onion, sliced
1 bay leaf
2 TBLS soy sauce
1 TBLS garlic powder

1. Place roast and onion in the slow cooker. Add bay leaf, soy sauce and garlic powder.

2. Cover. Cook on high 1 hour and then on Low 6 hours.

Friday - Stuffed Cheese Burgers w/bacon (from the freezer)
Parmesan Noodles
Salad

Saturday -
Tacos w/ Indian Fry Bread

Big Freezer cooking day! My DH brought home some big packages of short dated hamburger last week but we didn't have time to break it up before freezing so we will be making bunches of stuff up. And, if you have an awesome Hamburger recipe that freezes well, I WANT TO HEAR ABOUT IT! Please leave me a comment w/your link so I know where to find it :)

We plan on making:

Taco filling
Shepard's Pie
Italian Seasoned Browned Hamburger (for Spaghetti and such)
Cheesy Mashed Potato Casserole

Sunday -
Breakfast for Dinner, either these delish Sourdough Pancakes or Christmas Breakfast (bacon and cheddar version), not decided yet.

So, what you eating this week? Need some inspiration? Go check out the MPM at the Orgjunkie for great dinner ideas!

Menu Plan Monday

So, for the last 2 weeks we have been putting a Fish fry on the menu, but it never happened. The first week, the guys went fishing and didn't get back until after dark but since they didn't tell me they planned on staying out that long I was really just too perturbed to fry up fish. Yesterday, my mom decided to abandon ship and I wasn't going to make that kind of mess just to clean it all up myself so no Fish fry last week. Guess what's on the menu for next week?

Monday -
Fish and Chips - and I swear, if it doesn't happen again then I am going to throw out the freakin fish cuz I am tired of them taking up freezer space while we don't seem to be interested in eating them. I could store a good 10-12 boxes of Toaster Strudels in the space they are taking up!

Tuesday-
Homemade Mac-n-Cheese (from the freezer)
Smoked Sausage
Green Salad

Wednesday- St. Patrick's Day!
Corned Beef Brisket w/ Cabbage and Red Potatoes

Thursday-
Pizza
Salad

Friday-
Tequila Lime Turkey Tenderloin
Green Bean Casserole
Baked Sweet Potatoes

Saturday-
Leftovers or Eat out. It's up to Mom, DH and I have a B-day party to attend at the in laws.

Sunday-
Chicken Enchiladas (from the freezer)
Cottage Cheese
Green Salad

Looking for the menu inspiration? Go check out the MPM event over at I'm an Organizing Junkie!

Menu Plan Monday

Happy Sunday night/Monday morning everyone! I hope everyone had a great weekend :)

I didn't realize that last week was my 20th time participating in the MPM! I must have been distracted by my anxiety over my new job. Which, so far, has been good. I have already received a raise, and might be getting another one this coming week :) Turns out, I have more skills that they want to use then originally considered. It has been quite the adjustment going back to work, even part time, after 6 years of staying at home. I could really use some new Crock Pot and Freezer Cooking recipes, please leave a comment with a link to your tried and true favorites!

So, check out these fish! The boys went fishing on Saturday out at Sprague Lake and brought home 2 very nice Trout. The big one is 4 lbs.! Now, my dad wants me to tell you about what kind of lures they used but I don't give a rat's patootty so if your interested in what caught these beauties you can go read about it HERE on his blog.

Ironically, these fish were captured on the same day that we were suppose to have a fish fry, but they didn't get back until after dark. I wasn't told that they planned on staying out all day, was rather irritated with them for leaving that little detail out and in no mood to fry up a mess of fish. They got stuck with Grilled Cheese w/Turkey sandwiches and Tater Tots for dinner. Like they cared, my husband said that big one was the second largest fish he ever caught! Thus, the Fish fry has been moved to next week.

Here is the meal plan for this week. Chores are being done on an "as it gets done" basis until I can get adjusted to my new schedule. We are living in a pig sty.

Breakfast: Yogurt, Cereal, Eggs and Toast

Lunch: Sandwiches, Left overs for the DH.

Snacks: Apples, Cuties, crackers and cheese.

Dinner:

Monday -
Home made Mac-n-Cheese (from the freezer)
Smoked Sausages
Green Salad

Tuesday -
Crock Pot Rotisserie Chicken
Mashed Potatoes (did you know you can freeze Mashed Potatoes?)
Dilled Green Beans

Wednesday -
Pork Chops
Baked Sweet Potatoes
Green Salad

Thursday -
10 Layer Slow- Cook Dish, from the Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook by Dawn J. Rank and Phyllis Pellman Good. We are making a double batch, one for dinner, one to stick in the freezer for later.

Recipe:
6 medium potatoes, thinly sliced
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
salt and pepper to taste
15 oz. can of corn (we are using frozen)
15 oz can of peas (also frozen)
1/4 C. water
1 1/2 lb. ground beef, browned
10 3/4-oz can of cream of mushroom soup

1. Layer 1: 1/4 of potatoes, 1/2 of onion, salt and pepper.
2. Layer 2: 1/2 can of corn.
3. Layer 3: 1/4 of potatoes.
4. Layer 4: 1/2 can of peas.
5. Layer 5: 1/4 of potatoes, 1/2 of onion, salt and pepper.
6. Layer 6: remaining corn.
7. Layer 7: remaining potatoes.
8. Layer 8: remaining peas and water.
9. Layer 9: ground beef
10: Layer 10: soup

Cover, cook on High for 4 hours.

Friday -
Our 6th Wedding Anniversary! Dh and I are going to PF Chang's, those stuck at home are having left overs, or what ever they want. I don't care, I am going to PF Chang's!

Saturday -
Pan fried Trout
Home made oven fries
Fresh veg (what ever is on sale this week)

Sunday-
Creamy Chicken Italiano served over pasta - again from the Fix-it and Forget-it cookbook.
Green Salad


Here is the recipe for the Creamy Chicken Italiano:
4 boneless, skinless chicken-breast halves
1 envelope dry Italian salad dressing mix
1/4 C. water
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
10 3/4-oz. can cream of chicken soup
4 oz. can mushrooms, drained (we will be leaving these out!)

1. Place chicken in slow cooker
2. Combine salad dressing mix and water. Pour over chicken.
3. Cover. Cook on low for 3 hours.
4. Combine cream cheese and soup until blended. Stir in the mushrooms. Pour over chicken.
5. Cover. Cook on Low for 1 hour or until chicken juices run clear.
6. Serve over noodles or rice.

So, what are you eating this week? Get recipe inspiration over at The Organization Junkie's MPM event!

Menu Plan Monday

Happy March everyone!

Whew! Last week was a doozy! I got the Freezer cooking bug big time and its a good thing because in the middle of it, I got a job offer! So, as of 3/01/10, I am a working momma again. I am excited, and nervous. But, jobs just don't fall out of the sky like that every day so I am taking it and thanking God that I got the opportunity :)

Here is this week's menu and chore plan. Since I won't be getting home until after 5 it will up to my mom to start meal prep but we have a good head start with our freezer meals and Menu Planning, of course.

Monday - Vacuum, dust.
Meatloaf (from the freezer)
Baked Squash (still have some from last year's garden that we need to use or lose)
Roasted Broccoli

Tuesday - don't know, what ever needs to be done and it's going to be like that for the rest of the week.
Cranberry Pork Roast
Scalloped Potatoes
Sweet Potato Biscuits

Here is the Recipe for Cranberry Pork Roast, from the Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook.

3 - 4 lb. Pork Roast
salt and pepper to taste
1 C. ground, or finely chopped cranberries
1/4 C. Honey
1 tsp. grated orange peel
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg

1. Sprinkle roast with salt and pepper. Place in slow cooker.
2. Combine remaining ingredients. Pour over roast.
3. Cover, cook on low 8 - 10 hours.

Wednesday
Chicken Pasta Bake
Green Salad

Thursday
Pizza!

Friday - shopping, laundry
Left over Pork Roast
Rice (making enough for 2 nights)
Fresh Veg

Saturday- put away laundry
Pan fried Trout
Fried Rice
Baked Sweet Potatoes

Sunday - Get garbage out, clip coupons
BBQ Steaks (DH scored on some Rib Eye)
Baked Potatoes
Finish off left overs in the fridge.

Check out more recipes on the MPM, hosted by Laura, the Organizing Junkie!

Menu Plan Monday

Or Sunday, as it happens :)

The MPM event actually starts on Sunday evening, and this works great for me. I usually start working out next week's menu on Friday or Saturday so that everyone in the house has a chance to review it or make requests for what they would like to see on the menu. It gives me time to go through the freezers and pantry to see what I need to use up and figure out what I need to buy for coming meals as well.

This week I am going to make up some freezer meals. Today, I am roasting 2 whole chickens, 1 for dinner tonight and 1 for some casseroles I want to make up. I will be making 2 pans of Chicken Enchiladas, and an easy Chicken Cordon Blue Casserole. Both of these are family favorites and freeze really well.

Breakfasts this week will be the usual, cereal, fresh fruit, toast. Weekend Breakfast are considerably hardier. If I want to get my husband and dad to get anything done around the house (and not run off with their fishing poles), I got to make the Grand Slam for them :)

Lunches this week will be Turkey Sandwiches (got a great deal on lunch meat!) When that runs out I might make up some Egg Salad. We also still have a good deal of crackers and cheese to snack on, and I am thinking about making some Soft Peanut Brittle. My dad is down to his last piece of Rat Turd Pie, so I will probably have to make another one of those too. Please come home soon Mom...

Monday - make freezer casseroles
Easy Chicken Stew with Dumplings, if there are any leftovers from this meal I will slap a Bisquick crust on it for a Chicken Pot Pie and stick in the freezer too :)

Tuesday - vacuum/dust/mop...again
I found these tasty looking recipes for Spaghetti a la Philly and Rice Lasagna on Jane4girls800dollarannualbudget and I have been wanting to try both, so dinner will be one or the other. Thanks Erin!
Steamed Broccoli
Garlic Toast

Wednesday - starting some garden seeds!
Breakfast for Dinner!
I am going to try these Yummy looking Sweet Potato Waffles and hope the boy likes them because if he does then YAY - he's adding something new to his diet!

Thursday - shopping, if needed
Pizza!
I have been dying to try this recipe for Buffalo Bacon Ranch Pizza!

Friday - laundry
Chicken Enchiladas
Green Salad
Cottage Cheese

Saturday - yard work
Meatloaf
Baked Sweet Potatoes or Squash
Leftover Green Salad

Sunday - get the Garbage out, plan next week's menu ;)
Leftovers, or soup and sandwiches

Go check out the MPM event for recipe inspiration and cool blog jogging!

Menu Plan Monday

I hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day! Thanks for coming by and be sure to enter my Mahatma Rice Give-away HERE! There will be 3 winners chosen on 2/20!

I was out in my yard, the weather was beautiful around here yesterday so I thought I would get a bit of a jump start on some of those weeds that are ALREADY coming up in my Herb Garden and a BEE tried to get me! What the??? It's the middle of February! It's just so weird, last year we were literally buried under 60 inches of snow and this year, there are weeds and bees....

Anyway, since it looks like garden season is early this year some of my chores this week will be related to getting my garden spots ready (as the weather allows) and I think I might plant some lettuce and see what happens. It will be the first time I have ever planted something in February. If this keeps up, I am going to plant some Watermelon this year - another first since our growing season is usually too short for it. I am getting excited!

Here is what we are going to eat this week:

Breakfast will be Cereal, Orange slices and Toast. On Saturday and Sunday I try to make a big traditional breakfast (since my husband has the weekend off now) of Fried Eggs, Sausage or Bacon (sometimes both), Fried Potatoes and Pancakes or Toast.

Lunches will be Trout Salad (like Tuna but with Trout), Hot Dogs and Grilled Cheese Sandwiches for us at home, DH will get left overs for work.

Dinner Menu - Most of the main dishes are still being made from items out of the Pantry and Freezers.

Monday - Vacuum, dust, sort huge basket of clean socks and put away.
Tacos (making enough for 2 nights)
All the fixings

Tuesday - Mop, clean windows.
Smoked Sausage
Baked Beans
Corn bread muffins
Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Wednesday - Change beddings, wash.
Macaroni Taco Bake (from Org Junkies menu last week)
Green Salad
Cottage Cheese

Thursday - whatever is left around the house that needs to be done.
Pizza (of course!)
Snack Buffet
Green Salad (yes, again)

Friday - Clean off desk!
Baked Trout (the boys are fishing again so we need to start eating up what is already in the freezer)
Brown Rice Pilaf
Baked Squash

Saturday - Work and School laundry
Hamburgers w/all the fixings
More roasted Sweet Potatoes (use em or lose em)
Left over Baked Beans

Sunday - Get garbage out...try to get clothes put away - Im really bad about this part of the laundry process :(
Roasted Chicken (making 2 - we are having Chicken Enchiladas next week)
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Fresh Veg (what ever is on sale this week)

See more menus and recipes at the always awesome MPM event, hosted by Laura, the Organization Junkie!

Menu Plan Monday

Hi Everyone!

I am really looking forward to this week because I am going to be able to relax around here a little bit. My parents had to go over to the coast to help out my grandparents for a while and really don't know when they will be back. So, there is only myself, my husband and our son that I have to cook for this week plus the reduced foot traffic in the house means not so much housework! YAY! I am pretty much done and caught up on stuff, so it will just be the daily pick up that needs to be done this week.

So, the only real chore I have planned for this is week is to clip coupons and clean out the coupon binder. I have been talking to a few people about different coupon organization systems, but right now I usually only get 1 copy of the paper and oddly enough, I went to the store without my binder a couple times this week and actually felt naked!

Monday -

Game Day Leftovers

Tuesday -

Fried Egg Sandwiches w/cheese and bacon

Fried Potatoes

Green Salad

Wednesday -

Tequila Lime Turkey Tenderloins

Baked Sweet Potatoes

Parmesan Noodles

Thursday - Survivor starts again!

PIZZA !

Friday -

Smoked Sausage and Rice Casserole

Salad and Broccoli

In case anyone is wondering, this casserole is so easy! It's just a fried up Smoked Sausage rope mixed with a box of Beef Rice-a-Roni, a little cheese on top and TADA! It's pretty darn tasty too :)

Saturday -

Leftovers

Sunday - Valentine's Day

DH is cooking a surprise meal for me!

But, knowing what he likes I am pretty sure it will be Rib eye steaks, baked sweet potatoes and salad. I will still get some flowers out of the deal though :)

For menu inspiration and great blog jogging, go check out the MPM Event hosted by Laura, the Organization Junkie. Thanks Laura!!