Weekly Meal Plan 1/7 thru 1/13

New Year, New Menu.  I had a menu plan for last week, but due to Covid, I really didn't adhere to it at all.  Lucky for us, New Year's Day menu was to smoke a ham and a pork butt.  That fed the boys while I was out of commission (but they are completely porked out!),

Friday 1/7 (meatless Friday):  Spicey GF Pasta with garlic and oil, rolls

Saturday 1/8:  Shake N Frank Chicken, mashed potatoes, and vegetable.  (I found Tastemade and Struggle Meals while recuperating).  I will use gluten free panko for this recipe and I'm looking forward to trying it because it already doesn't use eggs only the buttermilk.

Sunday 1/9:  Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Monday 1/10:  Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken from The Gunny Sack

Tuesday 1/11:  Turkey Tacos

Wednesday 1/12:  BLT Club Wraps with salad

Thursday 1/13:  Gluten free pasta with homemade sauce, rolls, salad

Meal Plan Monday 5-24-21

 Things have been busy around here!  

Easter
First Communion
Baseball
Picking up oldest from college
End of the school year activities

This is the last week of school.  Of course, the 8 year old is home sick the last Monday of the school year.  How very Monday-ish. 

So we or may not have baseball this week depending on how he's feeling.  He was supposed to play tonight, but that is not going to happen.  Poor kid has had the worst time of it lately.  At the end of April he got hit in the face with a bat (trip to ER, broken tooth, no stitches), last Wednesday he fell off the swings at school and had a slight concussion, and now today he's sick.  He needs a break!

Since this is the last week of school, you would think that I would have some things planned for this summer.  You would be wrong on that front.  The older I get, the more of a slacker I become in this area.  We do have vacation planned.  But that's about it.   We belong to a swim club so I'm guessing that is where we will be spending most of our time since I'm already paying for it.  I'd also like to get to the zoo.  And on rainy days I want to take him to the history museum, the art museum, and possibly the science museum.  And he's requested bowling.  The older two will be working so they can join us on days off.

I should probably put a "summer meal plan" together, but I'm not there yet.  I did get a membership at Costco, so I plan to stock up on snacks and meat.  My downstairs fridge is already loaded with chicken sausage and smoked sausages for nights we set up the fire pit.

Last week of school meal plan:

Friday:  Fish Tacos

Saturday:  Chicken kabobs and mushroom and potato kabobs on the grill

Sunday:  Roasted chicken (I roasted two for left overs for lunch), watermelon, and mixed veg

Monday:  Tater Tot casserole

Tuesday:  Pressure Cooker Salsa Chicken with Cream Cheese

Wednesday:  Slow Cooker Cheeseburger Soup

Thursday:  Last Day of School Pizza Celebration


So this is it for the 2020-2021 school year.  It has been better than 2019-2020 that's for sure!  But I'm hoping that 2021-2022 is even more back to normal.  The 21-22 school year will bring us a college sophomore, a 3rd grader, and a high school senior.  When I started my first blog, the senior child was 2 years old.  How is this even possible?  I remember my mother telling me that the older you get, the faster time goes by.  At the time, I didn't understand (I was a teen).  But now I get it.  I really do.

But bring on Summer 2021!  We are ready for you.  And I, for one, am looking forward to lazy days and family time.  

For more MPM Visit Org Junkie

Menu Plan Monday 3-29-21 - Holy Week 2021

 Another week is upon us, and another month is passing by.  Soon it will April and Easter will be upon us.  We are also starting the baseball season.  While practices have been going on for a while, the Little Guys have been consistent, but the Middle guys high school schedule is like a moving target.  And we don't get the schedule for the week until Sunday afternoon.  It's been making dinner and meal planning difficult and I had to switch things around last week to make it work.  And it didn't always work and one night I had to do take out pizza.  Now I love take out pizza but not when I didn't actually plan for it.  I put together a freezer meal plan and I spent all morning and early afternoon after church yesterday, getting some quick and easy freezer meals together so we can avoid take out pizza in the future (unless we plan on it!).  I will put together a separate post this week on that.  But below is this weeks menu:

Friday:  Homemade French fries and fish sticks (salmon for those with food allergies):  Meatless Friday
I used this recipe for the fries from Abby Thome and Heinen's

Saturday:  Skillet sausage, peppers, and onions and instead of the kielbasa, I used fresh Italian sausage.

Sunday:  Grilled boneless chicken breast, sautéed shiitake mushrooms, and baked potato

Monday:  Loaded slow cooker potato soup from Made It. Ate It. Loved It.

Tuesday:  Venison tacos

Wednesday:  Hamburger Steak, veggie, and salad

Thursday:  I was going to make this "clean up day" but we really haven't had much to clean up lately.  Since it's Holy Thursday, I would like to do something special but I'm not sure exactly what, so Thursday's meal is a work in progress.

I do know that Good Friday is a day of strict fast and abstinence.  So Friday's meal will be 

Spanakorizo for all and I will add fish for the kids.

Have a blessed Holy Week and a very Happy Easter!!

For more menu planning ideas, visit Orgjunkie.com

Menu Plan Monday 3-22-21

 Happy First Monday Of Spring!  Weather here in Ohio is giving us total spring vibes.  It's perfect!!

Baseball has started for the Middle and the Little.  Weekends will be totally full until further notice (beginning of July)..  It's a LONG season.  But it's fun to watch the boys play.

Menu Plan for 3/22/21

Friday:  Fish, Veg, and Potato.  My grocery pick up only gave me 1 pound of cod vs. the 2 pounds that I asked for and there was no way that my 3 guys could share 1 pound of fish for dinner.  So we decided that the child with food allergies would get the fish and the rest of us would order take out.  Normally we have meatless Fridays, but this Friday was the solemnity of St. Joseph which is a celebration in the Catholic church so it ended up being a "Meat Friday" (yes, even during Lent).  The two guys still opted for the fish fry and I ended up having a chicken florentine flat bread.  It was HUGE and I only at 1/2 and the 8 year old finished the other half for lunch the next day (that kid can eat).

Chicken Florentine Flat Bread.  It's so good!

Saturday:  Hamburger and hot dogs on the grill; baked beans

Sunday:  Slow Cooker Garlic Butter Chicken with Cream Sauce, baked asparagus, and brown rice

Monday:  Veggie stir fry and brown rice (meatless Monday)

Tuesday:  Mexican Spinach Hamburger Casserole

Wednesday:  Middle Eastern Meatballs with Dill Sauce (I'll be using ground turkey), salad

Thursday:  Clean up day

Sunday Brunch:  Smoked Salmon, with bagels or gluten free toast

Lunches:  Left overs or sandwiches

Have a wonderful and blessed first full week of spring!!  Visit Org Junkie for more menu planning or organizing ideas.

Menu Plan Monday 3/08/2021

 Happy Monday!!  It's sunny here today and we are supposed to get a few days in the 60's.  I'm so ready for Winter to be over.  I know winter isn't gone for good yet, but it's nice to see an end in sight.

I've been shopping at Aldi's the past few weeks trying to save money.  I've also been going to our local butcher for lunch meat and a few extras.  I do see some savings, but I still need to do better.  I'll be working on that over the next few weeks.

Menu for the week of 3/5-3/11:

Friday:  Egg and cheese sandwiches (like an egg McMuffin but homemade), boxed gluten free Mac and Cheese, and fruit. (meatless Friday)

Saturday:  Hamburgers and Hot Dogs on the grill: potato chips as a side dish 

Sunday:  Cowboy Grub This is from the Trim Healthy Mama cook book (pg 59)

Monday:  Gluten Free stuffed shells (I made a double batch for Christmas Eve and these were in the freezer); salad; Italian bread (meatless Monday)

Tuesday:  Chicken Tacos:  I don't really have a recipe for these. I usually make them in the slow cooker, but I'm going to make them in the Instapot tomorrow.  I'm basically going to make shredded chicken in the Instapot and I'll be making enough for Wednesday's dinner too.  I'll separate Tuesday and Wednesday's chicken and add taco sauce to Tuesday portion.  I have corn tortillas that I need to use so I am going to fry those on the stove, add the chicken and all the toppings and serve.

Wednesday:  Chicken Fried Double Rice (brown rice and cauli rice mixed).  Again, this recipe is from the Trim Healthy Mama cook book.

Thursday: Clean up day

I also made a veggie and cheese frittata for breakfast this week

Trim Healthy Mama Trim Train Taco Soup for lunches.  The hubby will add a sandwich to his lunch and I'll have a salad.

And I made all the rice for last nights dinner, to go with Taco Tuesday, and for Wednesdays Chicken Fried Double Rice.

So that's our week of food.  I hope you have a wonderful and blessed week ahead!

Visit Orgjunkie.com for more menu planning ideas or to join in on MPM.

Menu Plan Monday 3/01/21

 Happy March!!  New month, new week!  We are seeing signs of spring here, but this is Ohio so I'm not ready to put the snow boots away yet.  But we are definitely on the down side of winter.  I have my seeds started.  Fingers crossed!  I don't have good luck with seeds or plants in general.  But I planned for this and I really hope that most of them take.

habanero peppers for the hubby.

When I started doing this, my family thought these were brownies. 

This weeks menu:

Friday:  Take out fish fry and pierogi's (meatless Fridays).  I made a fish dinner for the son with food allergies.

Saturday:  Aldi pizza and frozen gf pizza.  It's not my favorite, but you can not beat the price or the ease of dinner.  

Sunday:  Baked chicken thighs and legs, bacon wrapped green beans, and salad

Monday:  Tik Tok Pasta  I have seen this everywhere!  It looks delicious, so we are going to try it.  I couldn't find a block of feta cheese at the two stores I went to, so we are going to try it with crumbled feta. (meatless Mondays)

Tuesday:  Venison tacos

Wednesday:  Cheeseburger Soup

Thursday: Clean up or Venison hamburger steaks.

Have a wonderful first week of March!  Visit Orgjunkie.com for more menu planning ideas.

Menu Plan Monday 2-22-21

 I can NOT believe that we are moving into the last week of February.  This month really flew by.  
I have plans to get my seeds started this week.  Last week was very busy with a lot of doctors appointments, so I'm very behind on my housework. I need to fit in a lot things this week to make up for lost time.

One important thing happening this week is that the eight year old will be making his First Reconciliation this Thursday.  This is such an exciting time.  He is very nervous, but I know he will do great.  The more we go, the more comfortable we get.  I also need to get to confession at some point in the near future. 

Friday:  Copycat Panera Creamy Tomato Soup and Oven Grilled Cheese

This soup was really tasty and very easy.

I made the grilled cheese with cheddar and gouda.  

Saturday:  Sriracha Turkey Meatballs with asparagus and rice

I made the rice in my new multi-cooker and I made enough for the whole week.  It worked out really well.

Saturday night was family game night and we had fun with this.

Sunday:  Greek Chicken Legs, baked sweet potatoes, and salad
For the chicken legs:  I used a family pack of chicken legs (approximately 12) and marinated them in lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper.  Then I sprinkled them with Greek seasoning and baked in the oven at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes until done (mine were a little frozen so it took 45 minutes).

Monday:  Country Mushroom Soup from the Twelve Months of Monastery Soups cookbook, French bread

Tuesday:  Baked Fish, vegetable, rice

Wednesday:  Sausage and Veggie Sheet Pan I use chicken sausage and whatever veggies I have on hand, left over rice.

Thursday:  Having take out to celebrate the 8 year olds First Reconciliation.  

Happy Monday and have a blessed week!!

For more menu planning visit Orgjunkie.com

 

Menu Plan Monday: February 15, 2021

 Happy Monday!  I hope you had a wonderful Valentine's Day.  This weeks menu got turned around a little bit due to the Hubby surprising me with sushi on Saturday night.  I've been wanting sushi for weeks, and he thought that it would make a good Valentine's Day surprise.  And it did.

Friday:  gluten free pasta with nut free pesto; rolls

Saturday:  Sushi and charcuterie (should have been beef stew)

Sunday:  Steak, au gratin potatoes, streamed asparagus

Monday:  Beef Stew - instead of the instapot, I'll be using my new slow cooker.

Tuesday: Shrove Tuesday :  Pancakes, home fries, and bacon (I also ordered some paczki from a local bakery).  It's sure to be a FAT Tuesday.

Wednesday:  Ash Wednesday - The beginning of Lent  This is a day of strict fast and abstinence.  
Dinner only:  French Lentil Soup from Twelve Months of Monastery Soups: A Cookbook

Thursday:  Poor Man's Meal from Great Depression Cooking with Clara on YouTube  You can also find this recipe in Clara's Kitchen: Wisdom, Memories, and Recipes from The Great Depression

Breakfast/Lunch/Extras:

Egg Cups:  I made some with whole eggs and some with egg whites only

Sweet Pepper salad (similar to this one).  I used a recipe from Trim Healthy Table Cook Book

Happy Eating!  Have a wonderful and blessed week.

Visit Menu Plan Monday at Orgjunkie.com for more recipes and menu planning tips.

Menu Plan Monday: February 1 2021

 What  I love about menu planning is that I have all the food on hand, a plan, but that everything can be flexible.  We had a lot of left overs at the end of last week so I took Thursdays meal (Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken) and moved it to Saturday and Thursday ended up being "left over day".  Wednesday's meal of mini meatloaves and mashed potatoes got turned into shepherds pie due to the fact that the slow cooker mashed potatoes were over cooked.  Although things don't always go as planned, everybody ate.

I was disappointed in the slow cooker mashed potatoes.  I've never had a slow cooker meal fail so miserably.  The potatoes burned to the side of the slow cooker.  I tried to mash them anyway, and I had to pull out the burned parts.  The potatoes themselves were thick and gummy.  But I turned the whole thing into shepherds pie and the family loved it.  I had never made shepherds pie before and they asked that I add it into rotation.

Friday:  Naan Bread Pizza

I made a white pizza with banana peppers and Kalamata olives, a white pizza with banana peppers, Kalamata olives, and feta cheese (the husband I don't eat meat on Fridays), and a traditional pepperoni for the 8 year old.  The middle son had his gluten free pizza.

Saturday:  Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken

Everything started off fine (first photo), but again the entire dish was just over cooked.  The chicken was so dry (it was so dry that I choked on it and it got stuck.  Things were a little scary but I'm ok).  So we figured out that the slow cooker is broken and just cooking everything on high instead of the low setting that I programed it for.  So now I'm on the hunt for a new slow cooker.

Sunday:  Garlic butter chicken, baked potatoes in the air fryer, and honey glazed carrots
No slow cooker involved so dinner turned out great.

I rubbed the potatoes with avocado oil and sprinkled with kosher salt.  I cooked them in the air fryer at 400 degrees F for 50 minutes. 
The chicken breasts were HUGE but I also had smaller thighs and legs.  I started the breasts 20 minutes ahead of the smaller pieces.   I melted butter and mixed it with chopped garlic then I brushed the chicken pieces front and back with the butter mixture and sprinkled with our favorite Greek seasoning.  I cooked the chicken at 400 degrees until it reached the internal temperature of 165 degrees. I steamed the carrots and melted 2 tbs of butter and mixed with 2-3 tbs of honey and poured it over the carrots.

Monday:  Red beans and rice with andouille sausage
I will use the ingredients I have on hand but this is the recipe from a Pinch of Healthy that I'm basing it on.

Tuesday:  Slow Cooker Lentil Soup
I have a small slow cooker (my larger one is now in the trash) that I think I can use for this.  I have made this dish for so many years that I just do it from memory.  The recipe that is close to what I do is this recipe from All Recipes.

Wednesday:  Tater Tot Casserole (Cowboy Casserole) from the Cutting Edge of Ordinary.  This one is a family favorite.  I got this recipe over 10 years ago from Menu Plan Monday.  

Thursday:  Tacos

So that's our menu for this week.  It's a good thing I only had one slow cooker meal planned for the week.  If anyone has a slow cooker that they love and that works great for them, please let me know in comments.

For more menu plans and dinner ideas see Menu Plan Monday at Organizing Junkie