GIVEAWAY: Running Out? Run In - $25 Publix Gift Card

You know how much I love Publix.  Check out this new sale that starts today!  

So you stocked up at the beginning of the month, but are already running out of the products your family needs?  Guess what? From May 15th  through May 22nd , look for the “Running Out? Run In.” event at Publix® to take advantage of great savings on some of your favorite brands from General Mills and Procter & Gamble, like Wheaties, Totino’s, Charmin and Crest.  Plus, if you buy $30 of participating* items from 5/15 through 5/31, you can mail in to receive a $10 Publix® gift card to use on your next shopping trip!  (For more details on this great rebate, please visit www.runningoutrunin.com)

*Participating products: Wheaties®, Cascadian Farm®, Honey Nut Cheerios® Medley Crunch and Total® Whole Grain Cereal (assorted varieties); Hamburger Helper® and Suddenly Salad® (assorted varieties); Totino’s® Party Pizza (assorted varieties); Totino’s® Pizza Rolls (40ct, assorted varieties); Yoplait® Light Yogurt with Granola (assorted varieties); Yoplait® Go-Gurt (8ct pkg 2.25oz, assorted varieties); Gain Laundry Detergent (100oz, assorted varieties); Dawn® Dish Detergent (20-24oz bottle, assorted varieties); Charmin® Basic Bathroom Tissue (12 double roll pkg, assorted varieties); Bounty® Dura Towel and Bounty® Paper Towels (1 King Roll, 1 Big Roll); Crest® Toothpaste (8.2 oz) + Oral-B Indicator & Complete Manual Brush (1ct) assorted varieties; Herbal Essences® (6.0 -10.7oz, assorted varieties) and Vidal Sassoon Shampoo/Conditioner (12oz, assorted varieties)

The prize pack, information, and giveaway have been provided by General Mills and Publix® through MyBlogSpark.

Now it's your turn to get your gift card from Publix.  To enter this giveaway, you may do any or all of the following:

1.  Tell me which items you need to stock up on.

2.  Like Publix on Facebook and tell me so.

3.  Follow Publix on Twitter and tell me so.

4.  Tweet about this giveaway and leave the link in the comments.

5.  Share this post on Facebook and leave a comment telling me so.

This giveaway is open to US Residents and will end Wednesday May 22, 2013 8 p.m. EST.

Thank you!

GIVEAWAY: Yoplait Greek Yogurt and $25 Publix Gift Card

Ya'll know how much I love my yogurt, especially Greek style yogurt.  In fact, I tried making my own. I was super excited when I got a notification from myblogspark about this new giveaway.

Here's some information about the new product:

It's almost swimsuit season, and Publix® invites you to dive in with a little help from Yoplait Greek 100 Yogurt.

New Yoplait Greek 100 is a tasty way to approach swimsuit season. It's everything you adore about Greek yogurt, with just 100 calories. Come into Publix® May 11th - 31st to save on irresistible flavors like Black Cherry, Lemon, Mixed Berry, Peach, Tropical and more — 10 for just $10! Sample all the delicious flavors of Yoplait Greek 100 at Publix®.

The information and gift pack were provided by General Mills and Publix® through MyBlogSpark. Now it's your turn to win 4 coupons to try the new Yoplait Greek 100 yogurt for FREE and a $25 Publix gift card.  To enter this giveaway, you can do any or all of the following: 1.  Tell me which flavor Yoplait Greek 100 you can't wait to try. 2.  Share this post on Facebook and leave a comment stating so. 3.  Tweet this post and leave a comment stating so. 4.  Share a yummy recipe you like to use yogurt in. 5.  Like Publix on Facebook and leave a comment stating so. This giveaway is open for all US Residents and will end May 20, 2013 at 8 p.m. EST. Have a great day!

Meal Plan Monday 5/6/13

You probably thought I fell off the face of the earth.  Nope, just really busy.  This week is Teacher Appreciation week.  I found some cute ideas on pinterest of course!  The kids also have field day on Tuesday.  Our nightly meeting was changed to Monday night because another congregation has CO this week.  Wednesday-Friday I have to work at the bakeshop for a busy cake weekend.  Another long week.  Meal planning always helps me feel in control even when I'm really not.  I'm also cleaning out our freezer in case we end up moving.

Monday:  Mustard & Rosemary Pork Loin with salad and green beans

Tuesday:  Ground Venison Slow Cooker Chili with crackers and cheddar cheese

Wednesday:  Breakfast for dinner - Ground Venison Sausage with scrambled eggs and fried taters

Thursday:  Shepherd's Pie with salad

Friday:  out to eat

Saturday:  Tuna sandwiches and oven fries for lunch;  Tacos for dinner

Sunday:  Asian Chicken Wings, rice, broccoli and green beans


Have a great week!

Meal Planning Monday 2/18/2013

Last week I made Posole for the first time.  It was a huge success!  Everyone loved it, including my picky eater hubby.  The Jalapeno Popper Chicken was pretty tasty, the cream cheese didn't stay inside the chicken too well though.  I didn't get to the Ham last week, I forgot to thaw it out first.  So we'll eat it this week:

Monday:  Pineapple Brown Sugar Ham (in the slow cooker), mashed sweet/white potatoes, macaroni and cheese and green beans

Tuesday:  Black Bean Taquitos, avocado and salsa with corn and tomato salad

Wednesday: Soup Beans and Cornbread with Chow-Chow relish

Thursday:  Honey Sesame Chicken, rice, peas and carrots

Friday: Taco Bowls with all the fixings

Saturday:  Rotisserie Chicken, Rice and Veggies

Sunday:  Chicken and Rice Soup - using leftover chicken

Have a great week!

Meal Plan Monday 2/11/13

We planned our vegetable garden over the weekend and cleared out the old patch beside the house.  We didn't get to plant a garden last year and I sorely missed it.  I found an amazing site online called smartgardener.com through pinterest. (thanks friends who shared the pin!) and I love it!  It follows the square foot gardening approach that I like so much.  It's visual with pictures.  Another plus for me.  It tells you when you can plant seeds per type and how many of each variety.

My husband gave the talk in Stone Mountain yesterday.  They have a double hall with a basement.  There were a total of 12 congregations meeting there!  AND there's a CO apartment in the basement.  It was huge!

The kids are doing better.  Sissy had a runny nose and her voice is hoarse.  Pretty sure it's from playing outside Saturday.  We are all affected by seasonal allergies and she and my husband are the worse.  We also cut her bangs over the weekend.  She looks cute!  She reminds me of my cousin Karen.

This week we're eating:

Monday:  Posole using leftover chicken and pork...trying a mixture of these two recipes Posole with Turkey and Chicken Posole

Tuesday: Jalapeno Popper Chicken with Salad

Wednesday: Breakfast...maybe bacon waffles and eggs

Thursday:  Pineapple Brown Sugar Ham (in the slow cooker), mashed sweet potatoes/white potatoes, macaroni & cheese, green beans

Friday:  Slow Cooker Orange Chicken, rice and broccoli and green beans

Saturday:  Lunch:  Granny's Chili  with Corn Dog Mini Muffins (we didn't get to this last week), supper is leftovers

Sunday:  Lunch:  Sandwiches and fruit; Rotisserie Chicken in the Crock Pot with potatoes and peas;

___________

Breakfast for me: Oatmeal and Quinoa Breakfast Bowl with fruit and almonds and yogurt;  Egg white scramble with veggies with cheese or yogurt and applesauce.

Lunches for me:  Tuna Beans and Celery, fruit;  Chickpea Salad with fruit

Snacks for me:  Brown bag popcorn with parm cheese;  apple, cheese and almonds

Meal Plan Monday 2/4/13

Good morning!  Hope you had a great week and weekend!

We had a couple over for football and commercial watching last night.  We had a ton of food and now we have leftovers.  So this week we'll be eating some of those leftovers in our weekly meal.

Monday:  Buffalo Chicken Enchilada Casserole with Salad and Blue Cheese Dressing (I didn't use the enchilada sauce...I had leftover spaghetti sauce and use it instead)

Tuesday:  Shrimp Fried Rice with carrots, celery, peppers, and steamed broccoli and peas (using leftover rice from the weekend).

Wednesday:  Egg Omelettes with veggies, yogurt with fruit

Thursday:  Slow Cooker Sticky Chicken and Potato (going to add carrots and celery from our weekend's veggie platter)

Friday:  Thin Crust Alfredo Chicken Pizza with Salad (using leftover chicken from Thursday night)

Saturday: Vegetable Soup with Lettuce Wrapped Ham and Cheese Roll Ups, Fruit

Sunday:  Granny's Chili  with Corn Dog Mini Muffins

Breakfasts for me:  Egg White Scramble with mushrooms, spinach, Rotel, yogurt and applesauce;
Quinoa Breakfast Bowl with strawberries and almonds;  Soaked Oatmeal...this is a favorite of mine, but I got burned out with the grated apple and cinnamon...this site has some good mix-ins

Lunches for me:  Tuna Beans and Celery, fruit;  Chickpea Salad with fruit

Snacks for me:  Brown bag popcorn with parm cheese;  apple, cheese and almonds

Meal Planning Monday 1/28/13

...But on Tuesday

My kiddos have been sick with that horrible stomach virus, belly pain, vomiting and diarrhea.  Two little boys in Boo-Boo's class threw up last week in the school.  Finally, everyone is feeling better in our house.  The little ones went to school and the oldest is catching up on History channel President's specials.

Did you catch any of the Kroger Mega Sale?  There are some really great deals.  Some you don't even need coupons for.  My favorites were the Kraft BBQ sauce for $.49 and Hunt's Tomatoes $.49.  I didn't get to pick up any Rotel, someone had already bought all three shelves.  But Kroger had anticipated the sale on BBQ sauce and tomatoes, so there were 3 locations around the store.     

This week is going to be crazy weather week.  Today the high is supposed to be close to 70.  Tomorrow and cold front is coming through and we are expecting thunderstorms and tornadoes with temperatures being around 70 degrees and dropping 20 degrees in 5 hours.  Welcome to Georgia.  So I'm thinking soup on Wednesday and crock pot on Thursday.

This week we are eating:

Monday:  Crock Pot Rotisserie Chicken (Kroger had whole chickens cut up on sale), mashed sweet potatoes and white potatoes, baby lima beans and salad

Tuesday:  Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti with celery and carrot sticks with ranch dip

Wednesday:  Lasagna Soup with salad

Thursday: Honey Sesame Chicken with Rice, Steamed Broccoli and Green Beans

Friday: Sheep Herders Breakfast with Strawberry Smoothies

Saturday:  Buffalo Chicken Enchiladas with Mexican Rice and  Corn and Tomato Salsa and Salad

Sunday:  Pork Carnita Tacos with leftover Mexican Rice and Corn and Tomato Salsa

For my breakfasts this week:
Egg white scrambles with spinach, yogurt, almond butter sandwich and applesauce
Egg white scramble with spinach and cottage cheese, banana and peanut butter sandwich
Egg white scramble with spinach, cottage cheese parfait with peaches and almonds

Snacks:
turkey wrapped string cheese and apple
yogurt, strawberries and almonds
popcorn with parmesan cheese

Meal Plan Monday: 1/21/13

Yesterday, we tried a new beef recipe from pinterest.  It was Balsamic Beef in the slow cooker.  It was really good.  I didn't have any balsamic vinegar, but I had a bottle of light balsamic vinaigrette I picked up from Aldi a few weeks ago so I used that.  I also didn't have any beef broth, so I just used water instead.  It was really tasty and everyone liked it.  We served it over rice with broccoli.  I'll definitely make it again.

This week we're trying to clean out the freezer:

Monday:  BBQ Meatlballs and Pineapple over rice with steamed broccoli and peas and carrots

Tuesday:  Hoppin' John Soup (I'm using some Italian sausage I found in the freezer) - adding frozen spinach for me and the kids' bowls

Wednesday:  Strawberry Smoothies, Apple Pie Oatmeal, and Breakfast Pizzas (on flour tortillas)

Thursday:  Slow Cooker - Balsamic Mustard Chicken with mashed potatoes and salad

Friday:  Thin Crust Pepperoni Pizzas with salad

Saturday:  eat out

Sunday:  Baked Chicken breasts, salad and rice

Have a great week!

Monthly Meal Plan: January 2013

Is it just me, or did anyone else think 2013 would be like the Jetson's?

I've found some really great recipes to try out on pinterest.  Hopefully we'll get to them this month.

January usually proves to be one of our coldest months.  Sometimes, we even get snow flurries and the entire city shuts down.  The stores run out of toilet paper, bread and milk.  Last year we didn't get any snow or ice.  Very disappointing year.

I baked a turkey today so I'm hoping we can use some of the leftovers for something.

Here's some recipes I'm planning to use this month:

Soups:
Chicken Pot Pie Soup - no mushrooms use leftover turkey
Potato Soup
Chicken and Rice Soup
Taco Soup
Lasagna Soup

Pastas:
Pesto using basil and spinach- Chicken Pesto
Marinara - Chicken Parmesan
Spaghetti
Lasagna

Slow Cooker:
Cashew Chicken - one of our favorites
Honey Sesame Chicken - new one but all the recipes I've tried from their blog are delicious!
Orange Chicken - another new one
Bacon Cheese and Chicken - funny name, but I love bacon
Beef Carnitas
Creamy Chicken Enchilada

Chicken:
Buffalo Chicken Enchiladas
Buffalo Chicken Rolls
Cheese stuffed Chicken
Baked Chicken Fajitas

Breakfast for Dinner:
Huevos Rancheros
Cinnamon Roll Waffles
Sheep Herders Breakfast
Baked Eggs in Ham Cup
Bacon and Corn Griddle Cakes

Tex Mex
Tortillas or Tacos

Our life lately and Planning December

Where does the time go?  The Watchtower study article we had about staying busy is no joke.  Someone asked me the date the other day and I said October 30th.  They stared in disbelief and said it's at least November 11th...I apparently lost 2 weeks of my life. 

Even when our lives are busy, I still try to have a meal plan.  If not, we just eat out way. too. much.  End of story. 

My poor little Boo Boo was so sick last Thursday.  While others were enjoying their turkey dinner, we were cleaning puke off the kitchen floor and diarrhea squirts from underwear.  Maybe a little too much information, but this is my life.  Welcome to it.  Friday was spent watching movies, sipping pedialyte from a spoon every 15 minutes.

While he was sick, I found a couple of yummy recipes on pinterest.  Some of them are conducive for leftovers, but we never seem to have any of those anymore.  It's been over a year since Wooley moved in with us permanently and I'm still trying to figure out leftovers.  We just don't have any with a teenager in the house.  They eat a lot!  He had a friend spend the night last week and we cooked 2 pounds of pasta for spaghetti supper.  I honestly had one small serving leftover for the fridge.  What is it with growing teenage boys?!?! 

Winter time means a new plan. 

Monday:  Chicken Breast dinner

Tuesday:  Pasta Night

Wednesday:  Breakfast for dinner

Thursday:  Taco Night

Friday:  Pizza Night

Saturday:  Chinese Night

Sunday:  Soup Night

So with this plan, I'll be looking for sales on pasta, meat, cheese and beans.  This will help me choose recipes each week too.  This will probably change, especially if I find a yummy recipe, or I find a great deal on meat.  But at least there's a plan in place.  That's a start.

Have a great month!

Meal Plan Monday 11/12/12

This week we're going to try to remember to get meat out of the freezer to thaw the night before.  I keep forgetting!

Monday:  Pork Roast with Onion and Garlic, Mashed Potatoes, Sweet Peas

Tuesday:  Sausage and Lentil Soup with Crusty bread

Wednesday:  Breakfast for Dinner - Egg Casserole with Fruit Smoothies

Thursday:  Pork Carnita Tacos with Avocado, Salsa and Lettuce

Friday:  Thin Crust Pizzas with Salad

Saturday:  Chicken Crescent Bundles (didn't get to make this the other day), Rice and Salad

Sunday:  Chicken and Rice Soup with Crusty bread

breakfasts:  peanut butter toast with fruit and yogurt; egg whites with cheese and yogurt

lunches:  turkey sandwich with fruit; soup and fruit


Have a great week!

Meal Plan Monday 10/29/12

I'm sorry for going silent for a few weeks.  I've been uber busy.

We went tent camping in Ellijay and visited Hillcrest Orchards.  The kids had a blast!

Then I had my first huge wedding cake and it turned out lovely.  And it tasted delicious!

Since then we've had hospitality with some old friends, lunch out with family, the little kids spent the night away from home, we celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary, we've been battling the crud and I'm in the process of hiring for another baking assistant.  Phew!  Oh and I'm still trying to finish up my month of auxiliary pioneering.

For hospitality, I made mashed sweet potatoes and white potatoes.  It's really yummy and a great way to get your family used to eating the more healthy sweet potato.  I had some leftovers, so I'm going to use them this week to make Salmon Cakes.  LOVE these!  The weather has turned colder so you know that means SOUP weather!

Here's the plan (I always think about Proverbs 19:21 when I type "plan".)

Monday:  Salmon Cakes, broccoli, green beans, black eyed peas

Tuesday:  Mung Bean Soup (finally going to try this)

Wednesday:  Quiche with salad and fruit

Thursday:  Crock Pot Dump Chicken (it's sort of a surprise since I can't read what I wrote on the bag.) Rice and Veggie

Friday:  Rotisserie Chicken, mashed potatoes and peas and carrots

Saturday:  Going to a gathering and taking cupcakes:  chocolate, banana and red velvet, my personal favorites. 

Sunday:  Leftover chicken from the rotisserie chicken on Friday night and turning it into these babies Crescent Chicken.  with broccoli and collards.

Lunches:  turkey sandwiches, leftovers, fruit, yogurt tubes; black bean and rice stir fry with salsa and cheese

Breakfasts:  egg white scramble with cheese and blueberry almond milk smoothie; peanut butter and banana with apple and nuts, Pumpkin Spiced Granola with almond milk

Snacks:  Pumpkin Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies, Oatmeal Fruit Bars

Have a great week!  Stay warm!

Meal Plan Monday 10/8/12

Over the weekend, my friends and I finished our first Warrior Dash in Birmingham, Alabama.  It was brutal and muddy.  I was sore and tired.  But guess what?  I signed up for the Warrior Dash in May 2013 in North Georgia.  I guess I'm a glutton for punishment.  But really it was a great way to see where I need to improve.  I've been focusing on jogging for a half marathon on a flat track.  I need to find a course with steep hills and muddy trails.  Then run like a mad woman through the woods.  That should prepare me well enough.

Okay this week is busy:

Monday (ministry) Chili over baked potatoes with cheese

Tuesday (ministry) Tortilla Pizza with Salad

Wednesday (work)  Southwestern Scrambled Eggs with turkey sausage

Thursday (work)  Rotisserie Chicken with rice and veggies

Friday (school field trip)  Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo

Saturday (camping) Chili Cheese Fritos and Hot Dogs

Sunday (camping) Taco in a Bag with fruit

Breakfast stuffs:  breakfast burritos, fruit, yogurt tubes, granola bars
Snacks:  nuts, fruits, s'mores, chocolate banana boats
Lunches:  turkey sandwiches, nutella sandwiches, fruit and chips

Next week will be interesting.  I'm going to try eating a raw vegan meal plan for a few days as a way to see if I can self-control.  I know I struggle with chocolate and sweets.  So I'm already brainstorming ways around that issue.  I'll let you know how it goes.

Have a great week!

Monthly Meal Plan October 2012

Can you believe it's OCTOBER!?!?  Where in the world has time gone?

This month is going to be super busy.  I've already have something planned every single day.

I also have my first huge wedding cake.  It's going to be beautiful, simple and elegant.  I can't wait to get pictures of it, but it's not until the end of the month.  We're also going on our annual apple picking trip to Ellijay and we're going camping nearby for a few days.  Some friends and I are participating in the Warrior Dash in Birmingham this weekend.  I'm a little nervous.  I'm not a fast runner, but I can keep up pretty good.  My husband and I are celebrating our 14th wedding anniversary on the 24th.  And I'm going to try to complete my first half marathon on the 27th in Mableton on the Silver Comet Trail.  I haven't registered yet, but I'm training for it.  I'm at the 8th mile marker currently.  I really want to finish my 11th mile and then I'll see how I'm feeling.

On with the food...

Kids request:
Lasagna
Homemade Pizza
Rice & Beans, Chicken and Salad
Pies
Ice Cream

Chicken dishes for the month:
Crock Pot Rotisserie Chicken
Parmesan Chicken Bake
Buffalo Sloppy Joes
Crock Pot Orange Chicken
Garlic Pesto Chicken with Tomato Penne

Beef dishes for the month:
Chuck roast
Cheap Korean Beef
Taco Casserole

Pork dishes for the month:
Pork Chops (if I can find them on a good sale)
Pork Tenderloin Tips (turned into BBQ pork)
Pork Roast

Bean dishes for the month:
Bean Chalupas
Bean Nachos
Bean and cheese enchiladas

Pizza Friday nights
Tortilla Pizzas
French Bread Pizzas

Have a great month!

Meal Plan Monday 9/24/12

I finally thawed the hamburger meat.  I cooked up 2 meals of the porcupine meatballs.  Except the second one I made hamburger patties with it.  It was way too time consuming waiting for them to brown.  Patties went faster.  I also made a double batch of Cheap Korean Beef and froze the other batch for another meal.  The rest I browned up and will use for tacos, chili or something like that. 

Monday:  Porcupine Meatballs, mashed potatoes, peas (I'm surprised Kevin liked the sauce since he usually says it's too tomato-y.  I replaced the sugar with honey and molasses.)

Tuesday:  BBQ Pork Sandwiches, Oven Cheese Fries, Salad

Wednesday:  Pancake Muffins with Berry Smoothies, Homemade Turkey Sausage (I'm planning to bake up a bunch of these since they were so yummy and they'll be great breakfasts for the kids on the weekend.)

Thursday:  Balsamic Chicken Dump, Pasta and Green beans

Friday:  Tortilla Pizzas with Salad

Saturday: Bean Chalupas with guacamole salad and salsa

Sunday:  Crock Pot Rotisserie Chicken, Baked Potatoes and Salad


Breakfasts:  Banana Oat Muffins with peanut butter; egg whites with salsa and cheese

Lunches:  Turkey Sandwiches with tomato and fruit

Snacks:  Popcorn; Meringue Cookies  ;  string cheese, apple and peanut butter
 

Meal Plan Monday 9/17/12

Better late than never!  That's been my motto this week.  I've had to switcheroo my routine to accommodate a huge sheet cake I'm doing Friday.  It's my first full size sheet cake.  I'm really excited!  My husband is a transportation supervisor at a local food distributor and this week is driver appreciation week.  So I'm going to make a surprise cake for the drivers to be delivered on Friday. 

I'm also tracking my food again.  I've been doing pretty good about keeping up with my training for the half marathon, but my food intake as been HORRIBLE!  It's ironic how you justify eating certain foods because you just burned a ton of calories.  I thought I had broken myself of that mentality, but I guess not.

This week we've eaten:

Monday:  Creamy Chicken Enchilada casserole.  My husband didn't like the green chiles in the sauce, next time we'll leave it out.  It was really yummy!

Tuesday:  Blueberry Pancake Muffins with Mixed Berry and Banana smoothies.  I used a recipe from sparkpeople to make the pancakes since I didn't have boxed mix.  We loved these!  I'll need to make lots next time and put them in the freezer. 

Wednesday:  Taco Casserole with salsa and avocado

Thursday:  Slow Cooker Cashew Chicken - this is really good.  We ate it a few weeks ago.  Rice and broccoli and green beans

Friday:  BBQ Food Truck man.  It's so yummy!  For $20 we can get the family meal!

Saturday:  Bean and cheese enchiladas

Sunday: Hawaiian Pulled BBQ - this sounds so delicious!

Breakfasts:  peanut butter graham crackers with fruit and yogurt
egg white wrap with salsa and cheese and applesauce

Lunches:  turkey sandwich with fruit
salad with pasta, turkey and balsamic dressing with fruit

Snacks: popcorn; almonds, cheese sticks and applesauce; celery sticks with peanut butter and apple

Have a great week!

Meal Plan Monday 9/10/12

Well, we didn't get much accomplished for OAMC.  We did make 4 bags of chicken dumps.  General Tso Chicken, Orange Ginger Chicken, Garlic Herb Chicken and Balsamic Chicken.  We also cooked some chicken in the crock pot and then froze it for quick casseroles. 

My goal this week is to thaw out a huge box of ground beef we purchased from my husband's work and make up some of the ground beef recipes from the monthly meal plan.  I can't wait to eat this Cheap Korean Beef recipe again.  It was so good!

So this week we're going to be eating:

Monday:  BBQ and Pineapple Meatballs over Rice with veggie

Tuesday:  Garlic Herb Chicken, Momma's Scalloped Potatoes and veggie

Wednesday:  Pancake Muffins with Sausage and Fruit Smoothies

Thursday:  Thin Crust Pizza with Salad

Friday:  Black Bean Taquitos with Guacamole Salad

Saturday:  Lunch:  Sandwiches and fruit;  Supper:  Gathering...not sure what I need to bring yet

Sunday: Lunch:  Bean nachos with fruit;  Supper:  Parmesan Chicken Bake with Buttered Parmesan Noodles and veggie

My breakfasts this week:
Soaked oatmeal with apple and egg whites
Open faced egg white sandwich with cheese and salsa and applesauce (and a peanut butter toast)
Ham egg and pepper wrap with applesauce

Snacks:
Peanut butter and banana sandwich with cottage cheese
Apple with peanut butter and cottage cheese
Popcorn

Lunches:
Baked sweet potatoes topped with black beans with fruit
Turkey sandwiches with fruit

Have a great week!

Monthly Meal Plan - September 2012

It's been a while since I've had a minute to post a meal plan, much less a monthly meal plan.  My little ones started back to school 2 weeks ago and we're settling into a little routine.  Our oldest is homeschooling 10th grade and that's coming along nicely too.  He is interested in culinary things, so we decided on Mondays, we'd learn a new technique and possibly make a dish.  He already helps out with supper twice a week.

For September, we're going to go back to our monthly meal plan.  In effort to cut down on eating out.  We've been spending too much going out to eat.  It mostly results from a busy day, and being too tired to cook.  To offset that, we're going to consult our monthly meal plan and have a game plan to avoid eating out and doing a OAMC day.  For those of you who don't know what that means, it stands for Once-a-month-cooking.  Generally, you prepare and/or cook all the month's meals in one day.  I loved doing this before, but life just got busy and I let it go by the wayside.  I think this will be a good teaching tool for Woolley since he's at home and he can help out.

Here's the plan:

Chicken meals
 - Easy Chicken Pot Pie - use precooked chicken
 - Chicken Enchilada Casserole - freeze and then make sauce day of
 - Chicken Parm Casserole
 - Parmesan Chicken Bake - Casserole have everything to make it, but not freezer friendly
 - Crock Pot Rotisserie Chicken
 - Asian Chicken Dump (make double to use leftovers for Chicken Fried Rice)
 - Cilantro Lime Chicken Dump (make double to use leftovers for Taquitos)
 - Taco Casserole - can use precooked chicken
 - Chicken Bacon Alfredo Pasta - can use precooked chicken
 - Slow Cooker Cashew Chicken

Beef meals
 - Cheap Korean Beef - pre cook and freeze for later in the month
 - Shepherd's Pie
 - Tasty Hamburger Casserole
 - Quesadilla Casserole
 - Beef ribs - Korean style Crock Pot
 - Porcupine Meatballs

Bean meals
 - Lentil tacos
 - 1983 Bean Nachos
 - Bean chalupas
 - Bean and cheese enchiladas
 - Black Bean Taquitos

Pork meals
 - Hawaiian Pork BBQ Roast
 - Orange Pork Roast pg 350

Breakfast for dinner ideas
 - Waffles
 - Hash
 - Muffins
 - Pancakes
 - Smoothies

Pizza meals
 - French bread pizzas
 - Bagel pizzas
 - English Muffin pizzas
 - Tortilla pizzas

The dump chicken recipes are the easiest.  We'll cook off some of the chicken ahead of time to use it in the Chicken Enchilada casserole and Chicken Pot Pies. 

Meal Plan Monday 8/27/12

Monday:  Honey Teryaki Chicken Thighs with ginger scented rice and frozen Oriental veggies

Tuesday: Buffalo Sloppy Joes over mashed potatoes with celery and carrots and ranch dip

Wednesday:  Waffles and Blueberry Banana Smoothies

Thursday:  Leftover Chicken and Rice turned into Chicken Fried Rice (stir frying shredded cabbage, red peppers and carrots and adding a scrambled egg)

Friday:  Pizza and Salad

Saturday:  Cookout - hot dogs, cole slaw, deviled eggs, potato salad, chips

Sunday:  Leftovers for lunch;  Bean nachos with salad

Have a great week!

Meal Plan Monday 7/30/12

I'm trying to get back on track with a new routine for the fall.  The kids are starting school in a few weeks.  :*(  My little Boo-Boo will be attending PreK at the public school.  He's so ready, but I'm not.  In the meantime, I'm trying to establish a good morning routine, taking kids to school, going to work, doing housework, running errands, preaching in the ministry...it's a lot, but it can be done.  I know it can, I just have to figure it out.

So meal planning has taken a back seat and I hate it.  We eat out more when I don't have a plan.  And that's a waste of money.

Monday:  Eggplant Parm with Spaghetti and salad

Tuesday:  Baked Chicken with Rice and green beans

Wednesday:  Scrambled Eggs, Toast and Fruit

Thursday:  Crock Pot Beef with veggies

Friday:  Thin Crust Pizza with Salad

Saturday:  Burgers with Oven Cheese Fries, Salad

Sunday:  Tacos, Mexican Rice with salsa

Lunches this week:  Black Beans, Rice and Salad;  Tuna, Celery and Pasta Salad

Breakfasts this week:  Applesauce Pancakes with yogurt, fruit and nuts;  Granola with almond milk and strawberries;  Peanut Butter Toast with Yogurt & Fruit Smoothie

Snacks:  Meringue cookies; Mashed dates rolled in coconut;  Popcorn;  Cocoa Almonds

Have a great week!