Meal Plan 2/28-3/6

I enjoyed a little quiet time this afternoon! Isaac napped and Charlie watched Oliver and Company so instead of procrastinating by browsing Facebook and the blogs on my Google Reader, I enjoyed a snack (Honey-Banana Muffin from the freezer, grapes and a vanilla Greek yogurt along with a cup of maple tea sweetened with maple syrup - yum!) and blogged!

I got back to my menu planning last week and started working out again as well.... well, on Monday and Tuesday at least! I started off this week on the right foot by getting up and out of bed at 5am, putting on my workout gear and hopping on the elliptical. I did a 40-minute workout, strength training and stretching before the kids got up and I was able to shower while Chris was still home. Woohoo! I would like to MAKE myself be a morning person and I took my first steps today!

After my shower and getting the boys settled with some Cheerios and fruit, I started out with a good breakfast. I think I am hooked on this oatmeal (minus the chia seeds since I don't have any - yet!). Yesterday, I topped it with walnuts and half a banana. Today, I put a small scoop of peanut butter into the bottom of my bowl, added the oatmeal and then the rest of my banana along with another small scoop of peanut butter on my spoon. Soooo good and I cannot wait to try some of the other combos listed on the website. I should have some leftover pumpkin after Thursday's dinner so I might be trying some pumpkin oatmeal Friday morning. TRY IT! Because it's oatmeal, you'd think it would take a while, but it's only about 5 minutes on the stovetop. Well worth it.

On to the menu.... And I can't believe tomorrow is March 1st! That means it's my birthday month! hahaha Poor Chris! Almost all of our meals this week are new again.... except maybe one. I'm looking forward to trying them and can't wait to see how they turn out!


Monday
L: English Muffin Pizzas (Charlie had cheese, Chris had ham and I had turkey and red pepper - yum!), Red Pepper Slices (for me)
D: Beans & Cheese Quesadillas (from Family Circle May 2009)

Tuesday
L: Leftover Quesadillas
D: Oregano Chicken, Homemade Sweet Potato Fries, Honey-Glazed Carrots

Wednesday
L: Grilled Cheese, Tomato Soup
D: Smokey Pork with Quinoa Pilaf (from Family Circle September 2010)

Thursday
L: Quesadillas
D: Sausage & Pumpkin Pasta

Friday
L: Leftover Pasta
D: Rosemary Shrimp with Spaghetti

Saturday
L: PB&J, Chips, Fruit/Veggie Sticks
D: Burgers, Homemade French Fries, Veggie Sticks

Sunday
L: Nachos
D: Herb Roasted Chicken

For more menu planning ideas, visit I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Meal Plan 2/21-2/27

I did a meal plan for last week and this week but didn't get around to posting it last week. It took me ALL day (and I mean ALL day, from like 9am to 10pm) to get the meal plan put together. I procrastinated all day. I just did not want to do a menu and I'm not sure what my aversion was/is. I know how much better off I am with one, but putting it together isn't my favorite chore.

Last week, every meal we ate was new (maybe this is why menu planning takes me so long....). They were all a hit and I got my cream cream, cottage cheese, yogurt, sour cream hating husband to eat cream cheese and cottage cheese in one night and actually enjoy it! Chris loved the Oven Baked Chicken Parm and I loved that it was so super-duper easy to make and we both loved the Maple and Soy-Glazed Steak Tips (that were supposed to be flank steak which I couldn't find when I went grocery shopping). The Macaroni & Cheese was yummy, but a little too rich. It was made with reduced-fat Velveeta and I'm not sure I'll make that for myself again.... The Velveeta kinda grossed me out. Processed. Cheese. Product. Blech. Yummy, but even though the recipe was a makeover of a less healthy recipe, it's still not very good for you. I think I'd prefer taste and nutrition.

Monday
L: English Muffin/Tortilla Pizzas
D: Applesauce Glazed Pork Chops, Couscous, Peas

Tuesday
L: PB&J, Chips, Fruit/Veggie
D: Spinach Cheese Manicotti

Wednesday
L: Leftover Manicotti
D: Oven Baked Chicken Parmesan, Whole Wheat Angel Hair, Green Beans

Thursday
L: Nachos
D: Maple and Soy Glazed Steak Tips, Silky Sesame Cucumbers, Scallion Noodles

Friday
L: The boys scrounged up whatever they wanted (hot dog for Chris, PB&J for the boys) while my mother-in-law and I dined in peace at Pickity Place - yum!
D: Mashed Potato Bar for my Lia Sophia party

Saturday
L: We ended up eating at McDonald's (and I really should have gotten a salad instead of chicken nuggets)
D: Makeover Macaroni & Cheese with broccoli and ham

Sunday
L: Leftover Macaroni & Cheese before heading out to our nephew's 1st birthday party
D: Leftover Mashed Potatoes

Too Busy to Organize!

I've gone missing again! I've been doing a lot of blog reading, but no blog writing. We've been pretty busy the past few weeks. We have something on the calendar for every weekend in February. This is not normal for us. We normally have a few things scheduled, but spend a lot of time home or out and about as a family. It's been nice to be busy, but I'm also very off track because of it.

Some big news first - this little guy (and I mean little - he weighed in at 17 lbs, 10 oz at his 12-month check-up) turned one last Friday!



We had Molly of Molly Viglione Photography over to do photos for Isaac's birthday. Once again, she did a beautiful job and I can't wait to see the final result!

I have not menu planned for the past two weeks and I'm feeling cRaZy because of the lack of organization! I hate racking my brain all day trying to figure out what I'm going to make for dinner. Monday night - Valentine's Day! - we ended up eating chicken nuggets. Just chicken nuggets. No sides. What. So. Ever. I actually put the pan I cooked the nuggets on in the center of the table and we ate them with our fingers!!! Soooo romantic. Last night and tonight, actual meals were served, but I have no idea what to make tomorrow. I hope to get my butt back in gear and do some menu planning when we are home this weekend; we are going to Winterfest at the camp with Chris' extended family one day, but we will be home the other.

Not only have I not been organized, but I haven't gotten a good workout in for the past few weeks and I'm feeling like poo because of this. First, a bearing in the elliptical went, then the belt kept slipping and then the other bearing went. My wonderfully handy husband was able to fix all three issues, but it was a matter of a week and a half before the machine was working properly.

On the bright side, because I haven't been working out, for the first time in a long while, I managed to get the house cleaned last week using the room-a-day cleaning system I had been using in the summer/fall. This week hasn't been quite on track, but I'm getting there. :) I'm still trying to figure out how to work everything that needs to be done in one day into one day! I have NO idea how I managed when I was working full time!

Lastly, I mentioned that I would have some exciting (to me) news coming up. Last night I became one of three new trustees at our local library! I've been wanting to become involved in our community and I think the library will be a perfect fit for me. There's going to be a lot involved and it's certainly going to be a learning experience, but I'm looking forward to it!

Once this weekend is over, I hope to be a bit more organized so that I can get on here to write. I've missed it!

Meal Plan 1/31-2/6

I'm a little late, but didn't have a chance to post last night. The boys and I made a last-minute trip to Geeky's basketball game and didn't get home until around 9pm. Once they were in bed, I had cleaning up to do and didn't have a chance to post.

We don't have anything really exciting planned this week. Honestly, I'm just hoping to make it through the week and to the weekend. I'm not having the best week, but I'm looking forward to Saturday - we are going to be spending the weekend with my sister-in-law, brother-in-law and their boys to celebrate their boys' birthdays and their wedding anniversary. It'll be a day of sledding, ice skating and other outdoor activities and some hot tubbing and adult time once the kiddos are in bed. I cannot wait to spend a little time away from our house!

Monday
L: Leftovers
D: Turkey Sandwiches

Tuesday
L: English Muffin Pizzas
D: Tacos

Wednesday
L: Leftover Tacos
D: Pork Chops with Pears, Brown Rice, Roasted Green Beans

Thursday
L: PB&J, Veggie Sticks with Hummus
D: Whole Wheat Rotini with Vodka Sauce, French Bread

Friday
L: Leftover Rotini
D: Spinach & Cheese Quiche

Saturday
L: Lunch with Sister-in-Law & Brother-in-Law
D: Dinner with Sister-in-Law & Brother-in-Law

Sunday
L: Leftover Quiche
D: Shepherd's Pie

For more meal planning ideas, head over to I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Squares

I have a pretty serious sweet tooth and LOVE dessert. If I'm in the mood for a treat but don't want to spend a bunch of time in the kitchen, I'll whip up a batch of Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Squares.



Now, this isn't Chris' favorite recipe; he actually groans when I make it. This and pasta were on the menu quite often when I was pregnant with Charlie and even though that was three years ago, I think he's had enough. He prefers something a little more gooey.... think brownies, cookies, Seven Layer Bars.

This is a recipe I've had since high school and got it from my best friend's mom. The first time I made it was at my best friend's house; her mom put out the ingredients for me and none of us realized until we were eating it that she put out powdered sugar instead of flour. I like sweet, but that was a bit too much!

When I made these tonight, I decided to try to "healthify" the recipe by substituting wheat flour for half of the white flour. The resulting squares were a little more dry than normal, but they crisped up quite nicely and I liked it.... so much that I ate two, no make that three squares! So much for staying on track today! lol

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Squares

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup wheat flour (or additional 1/2 cup white flour)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. While oven is heating, place stick of butter in 8x8 pan and pop the pan into the oven to melt the butter (and save you from having to wash an extra dish!). Once butter is melted, remove pan from oven and add all ingredients, except chocolate chips, to the pan. Mix with a fork. When ingredients are combined, add chocolate chips and mix. Press mixture with fork to flatten. Bake for 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Enjoy!

Linked up at The King's Court IV: What's Cooking Wednesday.

Family Snowshoeing Outing

One of my favorite family activities is hiking and this past Saturday, we packed up our gear, the kids and the dog and headed over to my mother-in-law's house to walk her land. This was our first time snowshoeing this year and it was also Charlie's first time in snowshoes. He was a natural!



A former co-worker of mine offered me Charlie's snowshoes in return for me writing up her bio for the company website - what a great deal! We went out a few times last year but thought the shoes would be too big for Charlie. We packed them this time figuring it would be another no-go, but they tightened up around his boots nicely and within two steps, Charlie was walking all over the place. He even managed to get up easily when he fell over! However, he quickly decided it was fun to fall in the snow and pretend he couldn't get up so that I would have to lean over (with Isaac in the backpack) and give him a hand. Silly boy!



Our first trip lasted about 70 minutes. Isaac was nice and cozy on my back



and Charlie survived about half the trip on his shoes. Unfortunately, his love for falling into the snow didn't keep his gloves very dry and he got a little whiny. Luckily, he has the best Popsy ever and got a mix of shoulder rides and sled rides on the walk back to the car.





I would say we all had a blast and we will definitely be doing it again! I can't wait!

Meal Plan 1/24-1/30

Most people hate grocery shopping, but I really enjoy it! I'm a big fan of meal plans and I go to the store with my grocery list in hand and do a pretty good job of just getting what's on my list. Plus, I love having a fridge that's stocked full of fresh fruits and veggies and other healthy snacks.

Our meal plan for this week is as follows:

Monday
L: Turkey Sandwiches, Apple Slices
D: Gnocchi with White Beans

Tuesday
L: Leftover Gnocchi
D: Coconut Chicken Fingers, Sweet Potato Fries, Broccoli

Wednesday
L: Chef Salad
D: Parmesan & Tuscan Herb Crusted Haddock, Squash Puree, Roasted Cauliflower

Thursday
L: Grilled Cheese with Tomato Soup
D: Cheesy Spinach Lasagna Soup

Friday
L: Leftover Soup
D: Homemade Pizza (with Wheat Crust)

Saturday
L: Leftover Pizza
D: Pulled Pork Sandwiches, Veggie Sticks & Hummus

Sunday
L: Leftovers
D: Pot Roast with Fall Veggies

For more meal planning ideas, visit I'm an Organizing Junkie.