What We're Eating 4/9/12-4/15/12

Last week's meals were pretty tasty! We love the coconut crusted chicken strips - I need to make some ahead of time to put in the freezer. The boys both enjoy them, and it'd be nice to have some homemade nuggets on hand when we need a quick option for lunch or dinner.

Meal planning has been going so well this year, but I need to start planning something different for the weekends. By the time Friday rolls around, I have little interest in cooking. Maybe I need to start planning crockpot meals that I can start early Friday morning? Any ideas for easy meals? This Friday, we ended up at Friendly's for dinner, and on Saturday night, we cooked up some ravioli with red sauce as an easy option.

Our contributions to Easter dinner were Paula Deen's Pineapple Casserole (sounds so weird, but tastes so good), Coconut Cream Cupcakes and Lemon Cookies with White Chocolate.

Tonight, Master Charles ate a few bites of stuffed peppers. I prepped him ahead of time, telling him that it was a new meal, and he only had to eat a few bites. Same rule as always: if he didn't like it, he could have something else (aka a bowl of cereal). I put four small bites on his plate, and he ate the first one pretty quickly. He hardly tasted it before he told us he didn't like it, but we've learned to read him and could tell he liked it (and he hadn't had enough time to taste it to decide he didn't like it). He ended up finishing the four bites, and we let him move on to a bowl of cereal when he didn't want to try any more. We are so happy that we continue to make progress with this. I'm also quite amused that several of the meals he's liked have been atypical meals.


Monday
L: English Muffin Pizzas
D: Peppers Stuffed with Cranberry Bulgur

Tuesday
L: Leftover Peppers, PB&J, Melon
D: Cranberry Stuffed Pork Chops, Leftover Pineapple Casserole, Broccoli

Wednesday
L: Grilled Cheese, Apple Slices
D: Asian Beef with Noodles

Thursday
L: Leftover Asian Beef with Noodles
D: Split Pea Soup with Ham (so, so, so excited!!!!)

Friday
L: Leftover Soup
D: Ham & Swiss Egg Sandwiches, Fruit Salad

Saturday
L: Leftovers
D: Date Night at Mile Away

Sunday
L: Lunch at the Made in NH Expo
D: Spaghetti with Meatballs, French Twists

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

What We're Eating 4/2/12-4/8/12

I have sad news. We didn't like the Spinach & Ricotta Lasagna Rolls from Jamie Cooks it Up. I've tried several recipes from this site and have loved them all, but this one just didn't do it for us. It wasn't awful, but it's not a meal we'd make again. The recipe didn't specify fresh or frozen spinach, but I had frozen on hand so that's what I used. We like spinach, but that's all we could taste! I like the lasagna rolls idea, but I would use a different filling recipe if I were to make them again.

The rest of the meals from last week were hits. (Although we subbed hot dogs on the grill with a side of frozen French fries for the Asian Chicken with Gingered Veggies Thursday night - I didn't feel like cooking.) We were pleasantly surprised to watch the boys gobble up pork chops and hot dogs (2 for Isaac!). Isaac normally won't touch pork chops, and neither of them would touch hot dogs until a few weeks ago. We're making progress!

In my hurried post last week, I forgot to mention that I will never again buy beets. We used them in the Baked Veggie Chips recipe a few weeks ago and were not fans. Chris said they tasted the way corn husks smell, and I kept taking bites to see if the taste might improve. Sadly, it did not, and the beets tainted the taste of the sweet potatoes and regular potatoes also used in the recipe. I've been told we might like them cooked another way, but after this experience, I'm not sure I'm willing to try. Blech!


Monday
L: Leftover Lasagna
D: Coconut Crusted Chicken Strips, Mashed Potatoes, Snow Peas

Tuesday
L: Leftover Chili
D: Bacon, Cheese & Potato Chowder, Ciabatta Bread

Wednesday
L: Leftover Chowder
D: Apple-Glazed Pork Chops, Brown Rice, Carrots

Thursday
L: PB&J, Apple Slices
D: Easy Beef Stroganoff

Friday
L: Leftover Stroganoff
D: Lemon-Pepper Tilapia, Lemon-Dill Potatoes, Lemon Green Beans

Saturday
L: Leftovers
D: Saucy Parmesan Chicken, Egg Noodles, Peas

Sunday
EASTER

For more menu planning inspiration, visit I'm an Organizing Junkie. After reading Laura's menu plan for this week, I'm going to have to plan to make Shepherd's Pie soon! One of my favorites!

What We're Eating 3/26/12-4/1/12

We've got nothing exciting this week. Our menu is almost the same as last week's....last week was so beautiful, we changed up the menu a bit so we could use the grill. There were 5 meals I was able to plug into this week's menu. Ooops. :)



Monday
L: Leftovers
D: Homemade Pizza (dough in freezer)

Tuesday
L: Leftover Pizza
D: Lasagna at Mum's

Wednesday
L: Hamburger Soup (freezer)
D: Simple Sweet Pork Chops, Sweet Potato Fries, Broccoli

Thursday
L: PB&J, Cucumber Sticks
D: Asian Chicken with Gingered Veggies

Friday
L: Calico Beans (freezer)
D: White Bean & Chicken Chili

Saturday
L: Leftover Chili
D: Pancakes (freezer), Fruit

Sunday
L: Leftovers
D: Spinach & Ricotta Lasagna Rolls, French Twists

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

What We're Eating 3/19/12-3/25/12

I almost forgot to post!

Last week was another low-key week apart from a family cookout yesterday with my stepdad's side of the family. And what a beautiful day for a cookout! We had a bunch of appetizers, steak tips, hot dogs, Cheddar Bacon Penne, salad and some pretty amazing cupcakes (an early birthday celebration) that I would definitely make again - Coconut Cream Cupcakes. Yum, yum, yum! The highlight of the cookout (apart from Bruce not having had a cigarette in 5 (I think) days - woohoo!!!) was watching my children (more Isaac than Charlie) eat the same meal as us! Isaac chowed down on the steak tips. So awesome!

The only meal we missed last week was our St. Patrick's Day dinner. We started the day with a somewhat themed breakfast - we had chocolate chip scones with Emerald Mint Milkshakes. Ice cream for breakfast! LOL The crazy part is that the boys didn't even finish their milk shakes! They probably would have eaten more of a green smoothie if I'd had anything in the house to make a green smoothie. For dinner, we had planned to make a Beef & Stout Stew with Irish Soda Bread and Baileys Cookies but were too busy running errands (needed to get some Stout and some Baileys among other things) and got distracted spending some time with my mom/stepdad/sister and then my dad/stepmom and didn't get home early enough to cook the stew for three hours. Oh well!

I ended up getting a little creative and used the stew meat that I had thawed for Saturday today in our French Dip sandwiches. It was a bit of a pain to shred the tiny cubes of beef, but the sandwiches were delicious (as always). Our little meat-lover Isaac ate a bit of his sandwich, too. He was so cute with his little hands and his big fat sandwich!

A mentionable meal from last week was Thursday's Chicken Enchilada Soup. My sour-cream-hating hubby had two big bowls and he requested this soup for our next family night - you'll have to try it before then, Sara and Molly, and see what you think! We'll have to plan a Mexican feast this time. ;)

Jamie Cooks It Up has not failed me yet! The Coconut Cream Cupcakes were from her website, too. Loved them!

This week, we'll be eating...

Monday
L: Grilled Cheese/Cucumber Sticks (boys); Ham & Cheese Sandwich with Leftover Cheddar Bacon Penne (Chris); Leftover Salad and Leftover Cheddar Bacon Penne (me)
D: French Dip Sandwiches, Red/Yellow Pepper Strips, Coconut Cream Cupcakes

Tuesday
L: PB&J, Grapes
D: Rosemary Shrimp with Spaghetti

Wednesday
L: Leftover French Dips with Mashed Potatoes
D: Simple Sweet Pork Chops, Sweet Potato Fries, Broccoli

Thursday - My Birthday!
L: PB&J, Cucumber Sticks
D: Spinach & Ricotta Lasagna Rolls (I plan to freeze half), French Twists (bread machine)

Friday
L: Leftover Lasagna
D: Homemade Pizza (dough from freezer)

Saturday
L: Leftover Pizza
D: Asian Chicken with Gingered Veggies

Sunday
L: Leftovers
D: White Bean & Chicken Chili

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

What We're Eating 3/12/12-3/18/12

We had a pretty low-key week last week with not much on the calendar. Apart from the normal schedule of school and story time at the library, Isaac and I took a trip to Walmart, we signed Charlie up for t-ball and then we spent the majority of the weekend at home (even though I was dying to get out of here) so Chris could boil sap to make more maple syrup. (We unfortunately have nothing to show for all of the boiling Chris did on Sunday because it was so windy that his pot was knocked over and spilled everything inside. Horrible!)

The only exciting thing that happened last week (exciting to me, anyway) was that I did a lot of organizing and some spring cleaning. I cleaned out and rearranged my baking cabinet and several other kitchen cabinets (so excited about the new stands I got to hold all of my pans - LOVE them!), my junk drawer and utensil drawer, the craft/game closet (finally found the bag of Campbell's Labels for Education and box tops that I'd been looking for over the past two weeks), the bathroom cabinets and the rack going down to our basement. I wish I had before and after pictures - what a difference! I also washed the kitchen floor, washed windows and picture frames and cleaned the ceiling fan and lights in the bedrooms. I tossed some junk, re-purposed some items and put a few things aside for if we ever hold the yard sale we've been talking about for a few years now. What a freeing feeling! I have a few more projects in mind for this week. ;)


Monday
L: PB&J, Apple (Chris, Isaac)/Mac&Cheese, Grapes (Charlie, me)
D: Rib Eyes, Egg Noodles, Green Beans, Biscuits (from freezer)

Tuesday
L: Leftovers (Chris)/PB&J, Grapes
D: Applesauce Glazed Pork Chops, Rice, Honey-Glazed Carrots

Wednesday
L: Grilled Cheese, Carrot Sticks
D: Hawaiian Beef Burgers, Baked Veggie Chips

Thursday
L: Leftover Burgers
D: Chicken Enchilada Soup

Friday
L: Leftover Soup
D: Chicken Cordon Bleu, Egg Noodles, Broccoli

Saturday - St. Patrick's Day
L: Leftover Soup
D: Irish Beef & Stout Stew, Irish Soda Bread, Baileys Cookies

Sunday
L: Leftover Stew
D: Cheddar Bacon Penne, Parmesan Zucchini

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

What We're Eating 3/5/12-3/11/12

Our family has been a mess over the past five days.

On Wednesday night, Isaac was fussy at dinnertime. We figured he was tired and Chris was going to bring him down to the bedroom to get ready for bed. Chris stood up and Isaac puked all over Chris and the dining room floor. (Thankfully, we were done eating dinner.) We spent the rest of that night and most of Thursday fighting Isaac to puke into the puke bucket that he wanted nothing to do with and hoping he wouldn't choke during the breath-holding spells he had because he did not like puking. (Not that I blame him.) Isaac and I spent the next two nights camped out on his bedroom floor while Charlie slept in the living room and Chris in bed. We thought we were on the mend until Charlie and Chris came home from a quick shopping trip for supplies on Friday afternoon. Charlie was fine throughout the two stores they went to and was fine in the car. Five minutes (seriously) after they got home, Charlie destroyed the couch and we started all over again.

Chris and I were hoping we would make it through without catching the bug but knew the odds of that were pretty low. The house reeked of bleach, the washing machine had been running pretty much non-stop, and my hands were (still are) red and bleeding from being washed so many times, but we both had the bug on Saturday. We've done a lot of sleeping, reading, watching TV, changing diapers and emptying puke buckets over the past five days. The only good thing to come out of this bug was that I lost almost 4 pounds on my steady diet of toast and Jello! Ha! ;) After four nights on the floor with Isaac, I was finally able to sleep in my own bed next to my husband last night.

And now we go from puking to meal planning..... :)

Times like this make me so grateful for my menu plan and even more grateful that I've been planning two weeks at a time. This stomach bug's timing worked out because I don't think I could have handled looking at recipes this weekend. Even better, I had planned a bunch of freezer meals for this week so I don't have too much cooking to do. And, the next time I plan will be a little easier because we missed a few meals over the weekend.


Monday
L: Leftover Soup/Grilled Cheese, Grapes
D: Macaroni & Tomato Casserole (freezer), Biscuits

Tuesday
L: PB&J, Pepper Slices, Chips
D: Pretzel Crusted Chicken Strips, Rice, Green Beans

Wednesday
L: Leftover Chicken Strips & Rice, Apple Slices
D: Turkey Tetrazzini (freezer)

Thursday
L: Calico Beans (freezer)
D: Chicken & Cheese Rice Bake (slightly modified)

Friday
L: Leftover Rice Bake
D: Baked Potatoes (maybe in the crock pot?)

Saturday
L: PB&J, Grapes
D: Rib Eyes, Egg Noodles, Honey-Glazed Carrots, Biscuits (I froze a few uncooked biscuits tonight - they're best fresh out of the oven)

Sunday
L: Leftovers
D: Overnight Hash Brown Egg Casserole

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

What We're Eating 2/27/12-3/4/12

Last week was a a bit of a wash in terms of goals. Our appointment at Dartmouth last Wednesday went very well, but it messed with my schedule. I missed several days of meditation (4!) and I'm feeling it. Friday night was a blast, but otherwise, I didn't have the best weekend - I think I enjoyed a few too many glasses of wine Friday night. My body was sore and tired, and I was pretty cranky. Chris actually told me to go back to bed Saturday morning. Ooops! :(

The weather last week was nice enough that the boys and I were able to get outside for a long walk with my dad early in the week; we also did quite a bit of walking at the hospital on Wednesday. Our trip to Dartmouth was Isaac's first ever time having Chris and I all to himself and he was such a good boy! We were able to keep him awake on the ride up (a steady supply of pretzels and conversation hearts helped) and he had fun exploring David's House. At the beginning of the EEG, he did NOT want to have anything to do with being on the bed. We had to hold him down but once the tech started marking his head for the electrodes, he settled down. It probably felt like a little head massage. Luckily, he was pretty sleepy and he did fall asleep for the second half of his test. He was so cute in his head wrappings, but it kinda looked like he had a head injury!

His EEG readings were all normal and the doctor gave us some more information on his breath-holding. It's a lot more common than we realized! The doctor said it normally starts around 18 months when kids are learning to speak and assert their independence. It normally ends by 6 years old! Yikes! We're hoping that Isaac may stop sooner, and the doctor indicated that might be the case, because he started the breath-holding earlier (around 12 months) and has been a little more advanced with his speech.

The doctor asked if anyone in the the family has a history of fainting easily or has problems with fainting or getting light-headed at the sight of blood or when having blood drawn. Poor Chris! We're joking that Isaac's breath-holding is all his fault. He tends to pass out when he has blood drawn and has passed out after a few injuries. The doctor indicated that the breath-holding and easy fainting are related - it had something to do with blood flow to the brain. Isaac and Charlie (who also passes out, just not to the extent that Isaac does) will probably have the same issue when they're older.

The appointment was very informative and it was nice to speak with an expert in seizure disorders. I'm glad we made the appointment, but I'm also glad it's over!

For this week, the meal planning continues. Woohoo! I'm trying to keep our grocery bill down and I'm also trying to use up food we have in the cupboards and the freezer. This week's menu is made up of meals that mainly use up what we already have here. I won't have to do much shopping other than cheese and a few perishables. Next week's menu is similar, but I've also planned in some freezer meals so we can eat some of the meals I've already prepared. It seems to be getting easier the more I menu plan, but I don't want to jinx myself either!

Monday
L: Leftover Chicken Parmesan
D: Cheesy Baked Ravioli

Tuesday
L: Leftover Ravioli
D: Potato Spinach Sausage Casserole

Wednesday
L: Leftover Casserole
D: Roasted Shrimp & Broccoli, Corn

Thursday
L: Leftover Casserole/PB&J, grapes, chips
D: Easy Italian Stew

Friday
L: Leftover Stew
D: Peppers Stuffed with Cranberry Bulgur

Saturday
L: Leftover Stuffed Peppers
D: White Bean & Chicken Chili
Sunday
L: Leftovers/PB&J, melon
D: Leftover Chili

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

What We're Eating 2/20/12-2/26/12

When I planned this week's menu, I made sure to make it easy for a few reasons: I have several meals in the freezer than need to be eaten, I want to have an inexpensive grocery week and we'll be taking Isaac up to Dartmouth for an EEG on Wednesday morning. He had a 3rd seizure a few months ago and although we're 99% sure it's because of his breath holding spells, we decided that we want to get him checked out. The last seizure was a lot longer than the others and it scared me pretty badly. He went through so much in the first few weeks of his life during his battle with RSV and pneumonia, including a collapsed lung as the doctors tried to intubate him in the emergency room, that we sometimes worry that there could be some something wrong that we aren't aware of. I would rather find out now and do what can be done to fix it than have something happen later in his life and blame myself for not getting him checked.

Isaac has to stay awake two hours later than normal the night before the EEG and we need to wake him 2 hours earlier than normal that morning (so he's tired during the test and will hopefully fall asleep); I can't imagine trying to keep him awake on the 2-hour car ride, so we'll be spending the night near DHMC and Auntie George will spend the night with Charlie.


Monday
L: Leftover Sesame Chicken
D: Stuffed Shells (from freezer), rolls

Tuesday
L: PB&J, Chips, Apple Slices
D: Macaroni & Cheese for Charlie; Take-out for us - We'll be on our way to DHMC

Wednesday
L: Lunch at DHMC
D: Take-out - Not sure what time we'll be back from DHMC

Thursday
L: PB&J, Grapes, Cheese
D: Hamburger Soup (from freezer)

Friday
L: Leftover Soup
D: Dinner at Sara's! Woohoo!

Saturday
L: Leftover Soup
D: Homemade Pizza (dough in freezer)

Sunday
L: Leftovers
D: Crockpot Chicken Parmesan, Green Beans

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

What We're Eating 2/13/12-2/19/12

This week and next week's menus were the easiest menus I have ever planned! We missed so many meals last week that I was able to fill a few days this week and I planned a few freezer meals for next week.

I haven't uploaded any pictures to the computer yet, but Isaac turned two on Saturday! We had family over to celebrate and had such a fun time. We had both sides of my family (my parents are divorced), as well as my grandmother (the boys' great-grandmother), Chris' mom, Chris' older sister and her son who is 15 days younger than Isaac. I made pizza dough and we supplied sauce and cheese but asked everyone to bring whatever toppings they wanted with them. We ended up with some great pizzas!

I am so grateful that I have the ability to stay at home with my boys and to witness every aspect of their growth. There was so much I missed in Charlie's first two years but I didn't realize it until I was home with Isaac.

Right now, we're enjoying listening to Isaac's speech improve every single day. It blows my mind to hear some of the words he knows and to hear him put words together to tell about something that happened. When Chris got home tonight, Isaac was able to tell him "cookie" and "Peanut" with quite a bit of emotion behind his story. I had to clarify for Chris what he was trying to say (Peanut ate his cookie - he was pretty mad), but it's just so cool that he's telling about something that had already happened versus what was going on right then.

I love to ask him to say certain words - my favorite right now is "worm." So cute! And tonight at bedtime, Chris told Charlie it was time for prayers. Before Charlie started, Isaac started saying a few words from the beginning of the prayer! Chris and I were shocked and so proud of him. I love watching him grow, but I do miss my baby. :(

On to the menu....


Monday
L: Leftovers
D: Pistachio-Crusted Tilapia, Parmesan-Coated Potato Wedges, Honey-Glazed Carrots

Tuesday - Valentine's Day
L: PB&J, Chips, Grapes
D: Pork Chops with Pears, Rice, Broccoli

Wednesday
L: Egg Sandwiches, Fruit Salad
D: Citrus Crunch Chicken, Couscous, Green Beans

Thursday
L: PB&J, Apple Slices, Cheese
D: Honey Sesame Chicken, Rice, Sesame Broccoli

Friday
L: Leftover Sesame Chicken
D: Cheese Ravioli with Pumpkin Alfredo Sauce

Saturday
L: Leftover Ravioli
D: Hash Brown Eggs

Sunday
L: Leftovers
D: Rib Eyes, Egg Noodles, Green Beans, Biscuits

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

What We're Eating 2/6/12-2/12/12

Just because I plan our meals doesn't mean we always follow the meal plan.

Last week ended up being quite a mess. We missed the meals scheduled for Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday! We missed Wednesday because we were supposed to get our taxes done (unfortunately the computers were down and we have to reschedule). On Thursday, I sent Chris a text asking (telling) him to order a pizza because I didn't want to make dinner. Ha! Friday, we went to my sister's basketball game and ate pizza (again) there and we picked up steak & cheese subs on Saturday. It was just a mess! I'd like to blame part of it on my elliptical being broken. Getting a workout in gives me a ton more energy and I was dragging the two days that the elliptical was out of commission. The rest of it was a mix of me being lazy and us being on the run for part of the weekend. Hopefully, this week will be back to normal. At least when I plan my next menu, I only have to find 3 meals instead of 7! LOL



Monday
L: Pulled Pork Sandwiches
D: Skinny Coconut Shrimp, Butternut Squash Puree, Corn

Tuesday
L: Pulled Pork with Mashed Potatoes
D: Tacos!

Wednesday
L: Taco Nachos
D: Chicken with Berry Wine Sauce, Rice, Broccoli

Thursday
L: Leftover Tacos
D: Triple Cheese Spirals, Salad

Friday
L: Leftover Spirals
D: Tortilla Pie

Saturday
L: Leftover Tortilla Pie
D: Hash-Brown Eggs

Sunday
L: Leftovers
D: Baked Ravioli with Meat Sauce

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

What We're Eating 1/30/12-2/5/12

I cannot believe it's almost February!!! And we're still on a roll with the menu planning! A few meals have been missed, but not because we didn't feel like cooking. We had more leftovers than expected last week so we were able to bump a few meals off the menu. We were also able to skip Saturday night's meal thanks to my dad and stepmom - they watched the boys so Chris and I could go on a date to Georgio's with a gift card we got for Christmas. Love cheap (free!) dates!

Charlie is doing well trying new foods. Chris' mom wanted to try a new Chinese restaurant near her work and brought us dinner last night. We were shocked when both boys started eating their chicken fingers with no comments or complaints! That has never happened before and we were so excited.

This afternoon, Charlie asked what we were having for dinner, I told him we were having egg sandwiches. Eggs and ham are new foods for him, so I gave him the option to try one or the other and told him that once he tried the new food, if he didn't like it, he would be able to take it off his sandwich and eat it with just cheese. He decided to try the egg. Compared to some nights, getting him to take that first bite was actually pretty quick! We asked him if he liked it and without thinking, he said yes! Then he caught himself and quickly changed his answer to no. LOL Why is it so hard to admit that he likes something?! Stubborn boy!

On to this week....


Monday
L: English Muffin Pizzas, Pepper Strips, Grapes/Melon
D: Ham & Swiss Egg Sandwiches, Fruit Salad

Tuesday
L: PB&J, Fruit Salad, Cheese Sticks, Chips
D: Coconut Crusted Chicken Nuggets, Egg Noodles, Herbed Green Beans

Wednesday
L: Leftover Nuggets, Veggie Sticks
D: Pork Medallions with Pears

Thursday
L: Leftover Pork Medallions with Pears
D: Honey Sesame Chicken, Brown Rice, Sesame Broccoli

Friday
L: Leftover Sesame Chicken
D: Pistachio Crusted Tilapia, Sweet Potato Fries, Honey-Glazed Carrots

Saturday
L: PB&J, Apple Slices, Pepper Slices
D: Cheese Ravioli with Pumpkin Alfredo Sauce

Sunday
L: Leftover Ravioli with Pumpkin Alfredo Sauce
D: Pulled Pork with Root Beer Sauce, Veggie Sticks

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

What We're Eating 1/23/12-1/29/12

We're still going strong with the menu plan! We ended up having tons of leftovers from a few of last week's meals so some meals got bumped but that will make planning the next menus easier. ;)

If you're looking for an easy and AMAZING crock pot meal, you need to try these French dip sandwiches. Soooo good and soooo easy! We had them as sandwiches and had some leftovers over mashed potatoes. Amazing both ways. Try them!


Monday
L: PB&J, Cantaloupe, Grapes
D: Spinach & Cheese Quiche

Tuesday
L: Leftover Quiche
D: Pineapple Beef Sti-Fry

Wednesday
L: Leftover Stir-Fry
D: Pork Chops with Orange Sauce, Rice, Green Beans

Thursday
L: PB&J, Apple Slices
D: All-American Chili (Family Circle magazine recipe)

Friday
L: Leftover Chili
D: Blueberry-Orange Pancakes (Parents magazine recipe), Bacon, Fruit Salad

Saturday
L: Leftover Chili
D: Citrus-Crunch Chicken, Couscous, Minty Peas

Sunday
L: Leftovers
D: Rosemary Shrimp Skewers, Mashed Sweet Potatoes, Fiesta Corn

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

What We're Eating 1/16/12-1/22/12

We're on a roll with meal planning! I took some time last Wednesday night and planned out another 2 weeks worth of meals. When I don't have a meal planned out, what to make for dinner is on my mind all day; it is much easier to have them all planned out. All I have to do is take a look at my plan the night before, pull meat out of the freezer to thaw if necessary and we're ready to go the next day! Woohoo!

So, for this week, we've got:

Monday
L: English Muffin Pizzas
D: Spinach & Cheese Lasagna, French Twists

Tuesday
L: PB&J, Cucumber Sticks, Grapes
D: Cornbread Chicken Pot Pie (recipe coming this week)

Wednesday - Nana's Birthday
L: Leftover Pot Pie
D: Balsamic Glazed Filet Mignon (with leftover Beef Tenderloin from our Christmas Eve fondue), Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans, Velvet Cake

Thursday
L: Leftovers/PB&J, Fruit, Cheese Sticks
D: French Dip Sandwiches, Cucumber & Carrot Sticks

Friday
L: French Dip Sandwiches, Carrot Sticks, Melon
D: Pork Medallions with Pears

Saturday
L: Leftovers
D: Loaded Potato Soup

Sunday
L: Leftover Soup for boys/Lunch at Pickity Place with Nana, Jenn & Aunt Linda for me!
D: Spinach & Cheese Quiche, Fruit Salad

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

What We're Eating 1/9/12-1/15/12

When I menu planned last week, I actually planned out two weeks of meals. Sometimes this is easier for me, sometimes it's not, so I'm going to go with whatever works at the time. I'm trying hard not to let the perfect be the enemy of the good. So often, I get it in my head that I have to do something an exact way in order for it to work and sometimes, knowing that something won't be the way I visualized it to be will keep me from doing it. I'm working on accepting that life doesn't always go the way I want it to go and accepting that that is okay.

This week, we'll work more on Charlie (and Isaac) trying new foods with the following menu.


Monday
L: Leftover Cran-Apple Turkey Skillet
D: Easy Shrimp & Pasta

Tuesday
L: Leftover Beef & Barley Soup
D: Crockpot Chicken Parmesan, Angel Hair, Focaccia, Green Beans

Wednesday
L: Leftover Chicken Parmesan
D: Southwest Steak Tips, Parmesan Coated Potato Wedges, Roasted Broccoli

Thursday
L: PB&J, Sliced Apples, Pears & Peppers
D: Quinoa Turkey Chili

Friday
L: Leftover Chili
D: Homemade Pizza

Saturday
L: Leftovers
D: Herb Roasted Chicken

Sunday
L: Leftovers
D: Spinach & Cheese Lasagna, French Twists

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

What We're Eating 1/2/12-1/8/12

Happy New Year!!!

I've set a few goals for myself this year, one of which is to blog at least once a week. Last year, I went back and forth between menu planning and not menu planning and the weeks that I planned were much easier for me. So, in the spirit of New Year's Resolutions, last night I sat down and planned out menus for the next two weeks. Today, after bringing Charlie to school and going to story time, Isaac and I took a trip to the grocery store and did some serious grocery shopping. We came home with cantaloupe, grapes, clementines, red peppers, cucumbers, spinach, bananas, broccoli, squash, sweet potatoes, red potatoes, black beans, quinoa, ground turkey, shrimp, lasagna noodles, split peas and so much more!

This week, we'll be eating:

Monday
L: Leftover Egg Dish & Chantilly Potatoes, Carrot Sticks, Apple Slices
D: Broiled Parmesan Tilapia, Parmesan Couscous, Green Beans

Tuesday
L: PB&J, Cheese Sticks, Cantaloupe
D: Pea Soup, Dill Biscuits (minus the dill)

Wednesday
L: Leftover Egg Dish, Fruit Salad
D: Coconut Crusted Chicken Strips, Butternut Squash Puree, Corn

Thursday
L: Leftover Pea Soup, Pepper Strips, Grapes
D: Zesty Hamburger Soup, Homemade French Bread

Friday
L: Leftover Hamburger Soup, Biscuit, Cantaloupe
D: French Toast with Orange Syrup, Fruit Salad

Saturday
L: Leftover Soup
D: Cran-Apple Turkey Skillet

Sunday
L: Leftover Cran-Apple Turkey Skillet
D: Crockpot Beef & Barley Soup

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

We're off to a good start! Let's see how long it lasts. ;)

What We're Eating 11/14-11/20

It's been almost 5 months since I last posted! Sometimes it feels like forever ago and sometimes it feels like it was just yesterday. I've been fighting a pretty touch-and-go battle with my depression for the past few months and really haven't had much energy to devote to writing. Things are looking better, so we'll see about getting back to regular posts. I'm also trying to get back into menu planning to get some sort of order back into our lives.

I've probably planned menus for the past 3 or 4 weeks and it's so nice not thinking "What are we going to have for dinner?" all day.

Tonight's meal was absolutely amazing, but I have to say I was a little scared of it. First, because it involved me cooking fish on the stove top instead of Chris grilling it. Second, because the side was a quinoa salad and Chris isn't always a fan. I have to admit, I was a little nervous about eating it myself because the black beans are straight out of the can, but we both approved. I did make a few adjustments (mainly leaving out jalapenos and some of the herbs) and I will definitely make it again.

So here goes!

Monday

L: Grilled Cheese, Grapes, Red Pepper Strips (for me)

D: Chili Rubbed Tilapia & Quinoa, Corn & Black Bean Salad

Tuesday

L: PB&J, Grapes, Chips

D: Chicken & Cheese Rice Bake (family favorite), Salad

Wednesday

L: Leftover Rice Bake

D: Potato-Spinach-Sausage Casserole

Thursday

L: Leftover Casserole

D: Omelets, Toast, Fruit

Friday

L: Soup, Cheese & Crackers

D: Shrimp Lo Mein

Saturday

L: Whatever leftovers are still in the fridge

D: Homemade Pizza

Sunday

L: Leftover Pizza

D: Cranberry Stuffed Pork Chops (family favorite), Roasted Cauliflower

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

What We're Eating 6/20-6/26

It's not Monday, but this is the first moment this week that I've had a chance to sit down at the computer to write! We had some great meals last week, but we did miss out on the dinner I had planned for Friday night. I haven't rescheduled it yet, but really want to try the Macaroon Crusted Tilapia, so it will appear again sometime soon!

We've been enjoying as many meals as possible out on our deck. The weather has been beautiful lately! I've been trying to plan lots of grilling recipes to take full advantage of the weather and I've been looking for recipes that allow me to use the herbs from my garden. We haven't used anything from our veggie garden yet although the spinach, Romaine and kale are looking pretty good!

Tonight's dinner is a crock pot meal we've had before and loved. I have to be at a real estate class from 6-9 tonight (so I can renew my license) so I wanted to make a meal that would be warm at the different times we'll be eating tonight. I'm not looking forward to eating my dinner around 4:30, but at least I'll get one that I enjoy!

Monday
L: Leftover Grilled Pizza (boys); Turkey Sandwiches, Fruit Salad, Cucumber Slices
D: Hawaiian Beef Burgers, Sweet Potato Fries

Tuesday
L: Picnic lunch after hiking - PB&J, Fruit, Cheese Sticks
D: Gnocchi with Summer Vegetables

Wednesday
L: Leftover Gnocchi
D: Shredded Beef Tacos

Thursday
L: Leftover Tacos
D: Honey Lime Chicken, Coconut Rice, Orange & Mint Snap Peas

Friday
L: Baked Potatoes
D: Scallop, Orange & Cucumber Kabobs, Brown Rice, Sesame Broccoli

Saturday
L: Snacky Lunch
D: Pork Chops with Parmesan Sauce, Parmesan Couscous, Kale Chips

Sunday
L: Free For All
D: Spice-Rubbed Chicken Breasts with Roasted Carrots, Minted Couscous

For menu-planning inspiration, visit I'm an Organizing Junkie.

What We're Eating 6/13-6/19

I am so not in the mood to make dinner tonight. We had a great play date this morning with a former co-worker and her little girl who is 2 weeks older than Isaac, but this afternoon, I should have taken a nap when Isaac did. I'm wiped! My first instinct was to call Chris and tell him I wanted to go out to dinner.

But, I actually planned our meals out this week and I spend a bunch of money grocery shopping yesterday so that I could make those meals. We're trying some new stuff and I'm excited to do that. For the most part, our meals are healthy. Ordering out would have fed into this afternoon's blah mood so I'm making an attempt to fight that even though I would much rather curl up on the couch and cry because I'm so tired!

I've got caramelized onion mashed potatoes staying warm on the stove (I wish I were a better food photographer because those onions were gorgeous!), washed broccolini (new food for us!) and waiting to be sauteed and rubbed pork chops sitting on the counter waiting for Chris to grill. Yum, yum!

Tomorrow, I'll get a crock pot going before we head to the zoo so dinner will be ready for Chris when he gets home from work. The rest of us will be fine dining at McDonald's! ;)



Monday
L: Feta Shrimp SkilletD: Double Sesame Chicken Stir Fry

Tuesday
L: English Muffin Pizzas
D: Smoky Pan-Grilled Pork Chops with Caramelized Onion Mashed Potatoes and Lemon Broccolini

Wednesday - Trip to the Roger Williams Park Zoo
L: PB&J, Chips, Fruit
D: All American Chili (crock pot), Corn Bread

Thursday - Chris' 31st Birthday, so his choice of meals!
L: Grilled Cheese, Fruit
D: Rib Eyes, Homemade French Fries, Salad, Boston Cream Pie

Friday
L: Lunch at Pickity Place
D: Macaroon Crusted Tilapia with Quinoa Salad with Grapes & Almonds, Kale Chips

Saturday
L: Lemony Penne & Broccoli
D: Hot Dogs/Burgers, Grilled Corn on the Cob, Fruit Salad

Sunday - Father's Day, Chris' choice of meals
L: Brunch - Pancakes, Bacon, Fruit Salad
D: Homemade Chicken Cordon Bleu Pizza

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

Meal Plan 4/4-4/10

The past few weeks in our household have been pretty rough. We went from a stomach bug that lasted about 8 hours for Chris and me and about 5 days for poor Charlie to a nasty head cold with lots of boogers for Isaac and me. We've left the house to grocery shop and take a few walks, but have done little else.

I have been menu planning and cooking and we've found some really great meals. Unfortunately, I just haven't been up to posting. I've mentioned before that I've been dealing with depression and after observing myself for the past few months, I've realized that my depression (and anger, irritability, over-eating, sleeping as much as possible and more) is linked to my menstrual cycle.

I went to see my doctor and we discussed the possibility that I could be dealing with PMDD. The treatment for PMDD is usually anti-depressants. I've been down that road before and opted to try something else first to see if it works. Birth control can sometimes help, so for the meantime, I am back on birth control. Month One is almost down. It can take three months to be completely effective, so we'll see how it goes. Last week was my rough week and apart from some lingering phlegm from my head cold, I'm back to my normal self this week!

Monday
L: Leftovers
D: Smoky Pork with Quinoa Pilaf (new family favorite)

Tuesday
L: PB&J, Grapes, Chips
D: Saucy Parmesan Chicken, Egg Noodles, Broccoli

Wednesday
L: Beans & Cheese Quesadillas (from freezer)
D: Spinach Cheese Lasagna

Thursday
L: Leftover Lasagna
D: Modified Turkey Tetrazzini

Friday
L: English Muffin Pizzas
D: Baked Potatoes

Saturday
L: Kraft Spiral Mac&Cheese with Turkey & Broccoli
D: Whiskey Steak Tips, Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes, Minty Peas

Sunday
L: Leftovers
D: Pork Chops with Orange Sauce, Couscous, Herbed Green Beans

I will also be making an orange version of this Lemon Fluff Dessert that we first made last summer. I can't wait to try it!

Meal Plan 3/7-3/13

We had some great meals last week! It took me an entire day (seriously 9am to about 10pm - I procrastinated all day) to plan out the last two weeks of dinner menus, but, oh, it was so worth it! We have eaten a lot of tasty, and for the most part, healthy meals, and we've done a lot of experimenting with "different" food combos. I've been doing a lot of recipes from Cooking Light and Taste of Home's Healthy Cooking magazine; I like that the calorie count is included on most of the recipes because its easier for me to calculate my day's intake that way. (I now have an official goal of dropping 20 pounds by June so I can purchase a bridesmaid dress for a friend's wedding in the size I want to wear.)

My breakfasts for the past week have been different variations of this oatmeal. I stumbled upon it last Sunday, and despite eating it for seven days in a row now, I'm not anywhere close to sick of it! I started simply and topped it with 1/2 a banana and some walnuts before I moved on to peanut butter and bananas. Mid-week, I topped it with some Parmesan cheese, a chopped up chicken sausage and a fried egg (with a runny yolk). Later, I added some raisins and used up the pumpkin leftover from Thursday's dinner of Sausage and Pumpkin Pasta (one of the odd combos I mentioned earlier - wicked good! Chris declared, "I would eat this again.") and topped it with a sprinkle of coconut, walnuts and a spoonful of peanut butter. I even made a bowl for Chris this morning and he approved. All of the versions were so tasty and I don't think I could decide on a favorite.... but that runny egg yolk mixed in with the oatmeal was A.MA.Z.I.N.G.

For this week, we have planned the following:

Monday
L: Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup
D: Pumpkin Lasagna (minus the mushrooms), Whole Wheat Rolls (from freezer)

Tuesday
L: Leftover Lasagna
D: Sweet 'n' Sour Chicken, Rice Pilaf, Honey-Glazed Carrots

Wednesday
L: Easy Italian Stew (from freezer)
D: Applesauce Glazed Pork Chops, Mashed Potatoes, Broccoli

Thursday
L: PB&J, Chips, Fruit/Veggie
D: Cheesy Spinach Lasagna Soup

Friday
L: Leftover Soup
D: Terrific Teriyaki Burgers, Sesame Green Bean Salad

Saturday
L: Heading to Mass for a Birthday Party
D: Charlie & I are heading to a Monarchs game with Sara & Kale from A Kiss A Day - should be fun!

Sunday
L: Pasta with sauce
D: Marinated Steak Tips, Baked Potatoes, Roasted Pear Salad