Menu Planning Monday

I am finally ready to get back into the swing of things. Christmas is now a memory and life is moving forward. The post holiday sales have slowed down to a trickle and life is a little less crazy.

I love menu planning. It gives me a great sense of peace knowing that my meals are planned. All I have to do is execute the plan. Things don't always go smoothly. However, having a plan is better than just winging it. It helps cut down on the urge to grab something at the drive-thru. It also helps with our budget.

If you have never tried menu planning, try it for one month. I garrentee that you will become a believer. One of the best ways to get started is to checkout Menu Plan Monday. You'll be able to see what others are making, and use a few of their planned days on your menu plan. You don't have to reinvent the wheel. I often checkout other blogs and link to their recipes. I go to Menu Plan Monday and choose a couple of recipes others have on their list. Then, I pick a few of my families favorites. Voila, my menu plan is finished.

Here is my menu plan for this week.

Monday-Tilapia with Avocado Salsa, Lemon and Cilantro Rice (I will post this recipe tomorrow)

Tuesday-Chicken Salsa Chili and cornbread

Wednesday-Crockpot Honey Lentils, brown rice and pears

Thursday-Breakfast for Dinner

Friday-Porkchops w/Mushroom Gravy over bowtie pasta

Saturday-Chicken and Dumplings, side salad

Sunday Supper-Homemade Pizza

We are really looking forward to try the new recipes that we found. I think the one that is most anticipated is the Tilapia with Avocado Salsa.

If you are looking for inspiration this week, you can visit the Menu Plan Monday link at Org Junkie.

If you have just started menu planning and have questions, feel free to leave a comment.

Menu Planning Monday

I have one word for last weeks menu...YUM! Everything was so good last week but if I had to pick a hands down winner it would be Jamika's Salmon with Pineapple Salsa.

As many of you know, my son (12) does not like potatoes of any kind. We continue to serve them and he taste them but usually leaves them on his plate. I keep hoping that his taste will change but so far nothing. This week will be the week of pasta to give him a break and use up some of our stockpile. Once again I have selected several of Rachael Ray's best. I hope you'll give them a try.

Monday - Goodness Gracious, That's Great Goulash, green salad and bread

Tuesday - Peach Glazed Chicken w/corn on the cob and baked beans, fresh fruit for dessert

Wednesday - Tuscan-Style Chicken with Rosemary, pasta w/garlic, oil and parsley, side salad

Thursday - Canadian Maple Turkey Chili, cornbread and fruit

Friday - Fried Cod, pesto pasta, bread and fruit

Saturday - Dinner Out for my birthday

Sunday Supper - Turkey Sweet Potato Shepard's Pie, Hot Rolls and fruit

That's our menu for the week and I'm really looking forward to these fall/winter comfort food recipes. We have tried a few of these last year and can't wait to have them again.

For more menu plans you can check out the Menu Plan Monday links over at Org Junkie.

Asian Tuna In Wonton Cups

I have so much tuna in my pantry from all the great sale this month. I have been searching high and low for new tuna recipes that don't include the word casserole in them. Here is one that my family really enjoyed.

Dressing:

1 1/2 tsp chopped garlic

1/2 tsp sesame oil

1/2 tsp chili paste

1/4 cup soy sauce

3 tbsp lime juice

1 tbsp honey


Mixture:

2 cans (6 1/2 oz. each) tuna, drained

3 tbsp crushed peanuts ( we used chopped cashews, free from CVS)

4 cups coleslaw mix


1 package of wonton wrappers to make cups to hold tuna mixture.

Heat oven to 350*.

Mix up the dressing ingredients and set aside.

Next, put the tuna mixture ingredients in a large bowl and toss to mix. Add the dressing to this mixture and toss.

Brush 24 muffin tins with peanut oil (1 tbsp). Place 24 wonton wrappers in tins and brush any dry spots, especially tips with oil. Put in oven and bake for 6-7 minutes. Take out of tins and cool on wire rack.


To serve, place a pile of mixture on the plate and 6 wontons per person.We served this with egg rolls and fresh fruit. You could also serve it with corn on the cob, if you don't have or like egg rolls. This was a really lite and refreshing dinner.

I think this mixture would also make a yummy wrap if you don't want to mess with the wontons.

Sicilian Tuna Salad

My daughter and I had the most wonderful tuna salad panini at a little bakery last week. We wrote down a list of the ingredients from the menu on the back of a receipt so that we could make it at home. If you don't like mayo in your tuna then give this recipe a try. It is fresh and delicious.

12 oz. of tuna (close as you can get with what you have on hand)

1 Roma tomato, diced

2 green onions, sliced or a little bit of onion diced

12 black olives, sliced

1/4 cup shredded mozzarella or 1 mozzarella cheese stick, chopped

1 lemon, juiced

1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped

2 to 3 tbsps. of olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Drain the tuna if using canned tuna. Put the tuna in a large bowl and flake. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir until everything is distributed throughout.

I love this salad on a croissant but Jessica loves it on whole wheat. What's your favorite bread for tuna salad? Do you make your own bread? If you do make your own bread, what recipe do you use?

To see more great tips on what works well for others, (recipes, uncommon uses for everyday objects, tips, etc.) check out Works For Me Wednesday at We Are That Family.

Menu Planning Monday

Well it has certainly been a long time since I posted last. I have been dealing with a lot of craziness at my house and am finally feeling more in control. With the upcoming holidays, menu planning is going to be a huge part of keeping stress at bay. I hope you will join me and your holidays are truly a joy.



We are definitely in the mood for a change in our menus. I have scoured my magazines for some great inspiration and am looking forward to this weeks menu.



Monday - BBQ Pork Sandwiches (made with sliced leftover Spice-rubbed Pork Loin from Sunday), chips and fresh fruit



Tuesday - Maple-Walnut Chicken w/wild rice and sauteed spinach



Wednesday - Sizzling Shrimp Quesadillas w/shredded romaine, guacamole, and black beans



Thursday - Thanksgiving Dinner with all the trimmings



Friday - Jamika's Salmon with Pineapple Salsa, basmati rice, and fresh spinach salad



Saturday - Dinner out after church



Sunday - leftover night

I hope after looking at the recipe links you are inspired to try one of these recipes. I know that seafood can sometimes be expensive but I often pick up ez peel shrimp for $3.99 a pound. A pound of shrimp is all you need for a family of four. The rest of the ingredients for the quesadilla can be picked up fairly inexpensively. This is a restaurant quality meal for a fraction of the cost. As we get close to the winter season, the price of salmon has come down and my daughter has asked for salmon this week (I'm always happy to oblige a request when I can).

I will be posting a couple of recipes that we made last week and really enjoyed. One of those recipes uses canned tuna (which is a stockpile staple) and won ton wrappers. Stop by tomorrow to take a peek at these recipes.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.

For more menu plans, hop on over to the Org Junkies Menu Plan Monday post.

Menu Planning Monday

Well I haven't posted a menu in a couple of weeks and it is time to get back into the swing of things. The first week I didn't post we were mainly eating from the stockpile (frozen meals and easy throw togethers). The second week I just wrote it down in a notebook and never got back to post it. This week I feel like we need to be a little more organized, so this is what's on the menu.



Monday - Porkchops, Baked Acorn Squash, side salad and rolls

Tuesday - Black bean and chicken burritos (slow cooker) - This is a recipe received in a feed for Melissa's Bargain Blog. I thought we would try it today because my son has a football game tonight. Quick and Easy is the name of the game tonight.

Ingredients:

1 taco/fajita seasoning packet

2 cans black beans, drained

2-3 chicken breasts

1 can green enchilada sauce

Place chicken breasts in bottom of the crockpot and then add remaining ingredients. Cook on low 6-8 hours. Shred chicken before serving and serve in tortillas. We add cheese, sour cream, etc. to the tortillas. We sometimes add rice (cooked rice to the mixture once we're ready to serve, not in the crockpot!). This is also really good if you use beef instead of the chicken!

Wednesday - Tilapia with Balsamic Browned Butter and Creamy Farfalle with Bacon, Tomato and Peas with a side salad

Thursday - Chili with cornbread and fruit

Friday - Chipotle Chicken Pizza, salad and fruit

Saturday - Dinner out after church

Sunday Supper - Braised Short Ribs with Carrots and Onions over Creamy Polenta (we have made Rachael Ray's version with Beets but it was to much work with the fresh beets and not everyone liked them)

I hope you find something worth trying this week. I personally am looking forward to Tuesdays dinner.

For more inspiration hop over to the Org Junkies Menu Plan Monday link up.

Menu Addition

We didn't have enough leftovers for dinner on Friday so we made this recipe instead.

It's called Farmhouse Chicken Dinner. We really liked it and we had everything already at home. We had a side salad and dinner rolls with it. So next time you don't have enough leftovers, check a few websites and see what you can make with what you already have at home.

Menu Planning Monday

Having a menu plan for each week makes my week run a lot smoother. Especially during football season. My son Sean plays on Monday nights, so you will see a lot of prep ahead meals for Monday's dinner. Sunday we doubled the recipe for the Garlic and Rosemary Meatballs in Red Sauce from last weeks menu. We had it over buttered egg noodles Sunday night and used the leftover meatballs and sauce in hot dog buns with shredded mozzarella tonight(Monday). This made for a very easy post game meal without hitting the drive-thru. I will post this recipe tomorrow. If y'all have any great two for one recipes please feel free to leave them in the comment section or post a link to them.

The Big Boy Sugo turned out good. We made a few changes to the original recipe and I will post it tomorrow. I does take a little time to prepare. I would recommend making it on the weekend when you won't feel too rushed. The flavors of this dish are very good. It is even better the second day and reheats well.

Finally, my favorite new side dish is the Not Potato Salad. It has roasted red peppers in it and I really love those. The recipe uses gnocchi instead of potatoes. I really enjoyed the texture of the gnocchi. Even my son, who dislikes all things potatoes, gobbled up this side dish. I will be making this again.

Now for this weeks menu.

Monday-Leftover Garlic and Rosemary Meatballs in Red Sauce on hot dog buns, chips, and cantaloupe

Tuesday-Chicken Enchilada Casserole with all the fixing's and sliced apples

Wednesday-Steaks, baked potatoes, and salad

Thursday-Parmesan-Dijon Chicken, angel hair pasta w/pesto, Basil-Red Pepper Muffins, and salad

Friday-Cinnamon-Apple Pork Chops, Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes, and salad

Saturday-Dinner Out after church

Sunday Supper-Dinner-Size Texas Chili Cheese Fries (a request of my daughter's that I agreed to since Dad will be out of town) and fruit

I know what you're thinking. I told you, just a few minutes ago, how much Sean dislikes potatoes. In my defense, I am not trying to torment the poor boy. My theory is that I keep offering the detested veggie in hopes that someday that he will enjoy them. As of right now, he likes baked potatoes and steak fries. The Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes is a new recipe for us. I will let you know whether it gets a thumbs up or down from Sean next week.

Are there any veggie detesters in your household? How do you get your kids to eat their veggies?

If you would like to take a peek at what others have on their menus this week head over to Menu Plan Monday at Org Junkie.

Menu Planning Monday

Last weeks menu was a great success. The Hoisin Chicken Wraps on last weeks menu was definitely a family favorite and will be repeated before the year is over. The fish taco menu was also very yummy. Jessica especially liked the green rice. We thought that the Spicy Ginger-and-Orange Chicken with Broccoli was not spicy enough. We will add some crushed red pepper flakes the next time we make that one. We only used a 1/4 tsp. ground red pepper this time.



This week my son Sean has his first football game of the season. He is in 7th grade and we are very excited for him. Because we don't know exactly when we'll be home, sloppy joes will be on the menu. Reheating that will make for a quick gamenight meal.



We are using proteins we already have in the freezer to keep the grocery budget down a little this week. Because we had a lot of chicken last week, I have decided to really mixup the menu this week. I hope you are ready. It's going to be a good one.



Monday-Sloppy Joes

Tuesday-Mexican Turkey Casserole

Wednesday-Big Boy Sugo over egg noodles, green beans and rolls (The recipe for the Sugo is from Rachal Ray's Big Orange Book cookbook. After we try it, I will type it up if we feel like it was worth the time it takes to make.)

Thursday-Chicken Sausages, Not Potato Salad, and Cantelope

Friday-Leftover Night

Saturday-Dinner Out after church

Sunday-Garlic and Rosemary Meatballs in Red Sauce, eggnoodles, and salad

After reading our menu plan, I hope your mouth is watering and you are ready to try something new.

Have you tried any new recipes recently that your family liked? If so, feel free to leave a comment and share some of your favorites.

For more great menu options you can visit Laura over at Org Junkie.

Menu Planning Monday

Welcome back y'all. I hope everyone had a wonderful and safe holiday weekend.


Well from looking at what my daughter and I have planned for meals this week, it is the week of the chicken. We've thrown in one fish night for good measure and to throw a curve ball to the guys when they say, "What's for dinner, chicken?" LOL. Can't wait for that one.


As you have probably noticed, we don't repeat a lot of meals often. We like variety and we never get bored trying new recipes. We will pull out a few of our favorite fall and winter recipes from last year. For the most part we will have at least a few recipes that you have not tried. We will always update you the following week if we made any changes to the recipes used.


This week we were in the mood for food with a lot of flavor. I guess it's that whole going from summer to fall transition. We are in the mood for comfort food and our comfort food has a lot of flavor. I am so excited about the fall and winter recipes. I hope y'all will check back to see what we're cooking.

There were no changes to last weeks recipes. We liked everything except the slaw recipe from friday.


Monday-Labor Day Family Get Together


Tuesday-Hoisin Chicken Wraps and sugar snap peas


Wednesday-Bourbon Orange Skillet BBQ Chicken with Cornbread Topper and a side salad


Thursday-Spicy Ginger-and-Orange Chicken with Broccoli, rice and egg rolls


Friday-Fish Tacos with Quick Slaw, Avocado Sauce and Green Rice


Saturday-Dinner Out after church


Sunday Supper-Old-Fashioned Chicken and Dumplings with a side salad



What are some of your family's favorite recipes? Feel free to leave a link to your favorites or just leave a comment. Maybe will be trying some of your favorites next.

To view more menu plans, head over to Org Junkie.

Menu Planning Monday

Last weeks menu was enjoyed by all. The Pecan Crusted Salmon may be a new family favorite. The crust is a mixture of dried breadcrumbs, crushed pecans, grated ginger and shallot. It was very tasty.

My daughter is actually teaching me a thing or two about saving. Yesterday she asked me if we could freeze leftover stock. We buy the stock in the box because we like the slow cooked taste. She hates when we have to throw away stock after 10 days of sitting in the fridge. I told her of course we could freeze the stock in ice cube trays. After they're frozen, we can put the stock cubes in a freezer bag for later use. It really kills me that I didn't think to do this sooner. We've wasted a lot of stock this summer. We don't have a problem in the winter. We make a lot of soups and dishes that require stock.

Anyway, on to the menu plan for this week.

Monday-Chicken Spaghetti, Rosemary Scones, and a side salad

Tuesday-Canadian Maple Turkey Chili w/cornbread

Wednesday-Pork and Pineapple Curry w/rice and Balsamic Nutty Green Beans

Thursday-Leftovers

Friday-Sweet 'n' Sour Sirloin Stir-Fry w/Ranch Mashed Potatoes and Sesame Slaw

Saturday-Dinner Out after church

Sunday-Summer Shrimp Rolls, baked beans, and fresh fruit

I hope y'all are inspired to try something new. Let me know if you try one of the recipes and what your family thought.

For more great menu ideas, head over to Org Junkie.

Menu Planning Monday...The Late Edition

Hi Everyone,

Sorry about the late post. Last weeks menu worked out great. We made the full recipe for the Turkey Fried Rice and we added frozen peas and some shredded carrot. The Apricot Chicken had a little too strong onion flavor. Next time, we will only use a half package of onion soup mix.

This weeks recipes come mostly from cookbooks we own or have checked out from the library.

Monday - Sloppy Joe mixture w/corn in added put into a casserole and topped with cheese. Take a can of biscuit and cut each in half. Put biscuit around the edges of the casserole and brush with butter then sprinkle them with a mixture of 1 Tbsp cornmeal, 1/2 tsp paprika, and 1/2 tsp garlic powder. We served this with shredded lettuce, fresh diced tomatoes, and cubed avocado.

Tuesday - Pecan crusted salmon w/sweet potato fries and steamed broccoli

Wednesday - Sweet Soy Chicken w/rice and asparagus (Recipe from Dinner Survival cookbook)

Thursday - Cranberry and Grainy Mustard Glazed Pork Tenderloin w/BLT Potatoes

Friday - Hamburgers and Pasta Salad

Saturday - Dinner out after church.

Sunday - Braised Beef w/Polenta

I will write a few post with recipes from the cookbooks with any changes that we might make.

For more great menu ideas head over to Org Junkie.

Menu Planning Monday

We pretty much stuck to the menu plan last week. The only thing we changed is that we went out Saturday night for dinner after my daughter finished Fish Camp. Yes, I have a high school er now. It feels like just yesterday I was dropping her off at Kindergarten. Where does the time go. She has grown into such a lovely young lady. She will always be my little girl.

Back to the menu plan. Last week we made two types of quiche. The one in the recipe and one made with 1/2 a pound of shrimp and broccoli with Italian cheese. The shrimp was my favorite. I had the leftovers for lunch the next two days. My son(12yrs old) liked the one in the recipe. The burger recipe we cut in half and only used ground turkey, we didn't want any leftover burgers this week. The recipe would have made 8 burgers for our family of 4.

On to this weeks menu.

Monday-Frozen Fish Fillets, Velveeta Mac & Cheese, and frozen peas

Tuesday-Turkey Meatballs with Quick and Spicy Tomato Sauce over pasta, salad and Popovers

Wednesday-Pulled Pork Burritos and fruit

Thursday-Turkey Fried Rice over Spinach

Friday-Easy Apricot Chicken, rice and veggies

Saturday-Dinner out after church

Sunday Supper-Dinner out after the ball game using a gift certificate earned at viewpoints.com

Don't forget to stop by Org Junkie for more great menu ideas.

Menu Planning Monday

Everything that was planned for last weeks menu actually got made. We enjoyed all the recipes and will be making them again in the future. Our favorite leftover was the BLT Potatoes from Thursday's dinner. We warmed these up in the microwave the next morning and served them with eggs over easy and toast. This was a quick and easy breakfast. We plan on making more of these potatoes. Who knew that we would like the flavor of the leeks so much. Well if you've never tried leeks before, I hope you'll give them a chance. One little change we made this week is to add a bit of ground cumin to the pulled pork recipe. We love the smokey flavor of the ground cumin and it just seemed to belong their. What changes or adjustment did you make this week. Please share, I love hearing from you.

Monday-Quiche and tossed salad

Tuesday-Mexican Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and salad

Wednesday-Creamy Pesto Shrimp w/Linguine and Roasted Zucchini Slices w/Parmesan Cheese

Thursday-Leftover Night

Friday-Turkey-Club Burgers and Fruit

Saturday-Spaghetti, tossed salad and bread

Sunday Supper-Steak, baked potatoes, salad and brownies for dessert(it's DH B-day).

For more delicious menu ideas head over to Org Junkie.

Remember to, "Pay it Forward."

Menu Planning Monday

Well last weeks menu plan changed a little (read about those changes here) but was very successful. The leftover chicken, from the Maui Chicken showed up in today's menu on the Ginger BBQ Chicken Pizza. We added another days menu to Tuesday and didn't go out to eat. But as the saying goes, "Life Happens." I hope y'all get inspired to cook as a family and try something new. Let me know what kind of food your family is interested in. My daughter and I decided that most crock pot cooking turns out really bland. We have a really easy and delicious pulled pork, done in the crock pot on this weeks menu.

Monday-Homemade Ginger BBQ Chicken Pizza and cantaloupe

Tuesday-Pork Chops in Tangy Fire-Roasted Tomato Sauce with Bacon-Pea Polenta

Fresh Fruit

Wednesday-Shrimp Enchiladas w/lettuce, tomato, avocado, salsa, and sour cream (We have tweaked the enchilada recipe to our taste, we only use about 2 Tbs of green chilies and we use the red enchilada sauce not the green.

Thursday-Chutney and Cheddar-Stuffed Chicken Breast w/BLTP (Bacon, Leek, and Tomato Potatoes)

Friday-Baked Ziti with a side salad (The recipe we use for the baked ziti comes from the clean eating cookbook. The main difference from most recipes is we use 1 bag of matchstick carrots.)

Saturday-Dinner Out after Church

Sunday-Pulled Pork Sandwiches, Pesto Potato Salad, and Fresh Fruit (Our recipe for pulled pork is 3 to 6 pounds of pork tenderloin or roast, 1 can sweeten condensed milk, 1 can of coke, 2 cinnamon sticks, 1 to 2 bay leaves put into a crock pot and cooked on low for 8 hours.)

Remember to, "Bring the Kids into the Kitchen."

This weeks Menu Planning Monday is being hosted by The Happy Housewife.

Menu Planning Monday

This is my first attempt at doing Menu Planning Monday. I hope y'all try some of the recipes that I have listed. My daughter is 14 years old and loves to cook. She has been helping out in the kitchen for a couple of years know and has practically taken over the kitchen. I use to call her my little sous chef. Now, I am her sous chef. She has far surpassed my kitchen skills at the age of 14. I use to burn every batch of snap peas that my mother picked from our acre garden. Anyway, it really is nice cooking with someone who actually enjoys it. I hope that by posting our menus with recipes that I might inspire you to try something different at least once a week.

Monday-Deviled Chicken and Grilled Stone Fruit, Jasmine Rice and Steamed Veggie

Tuesday-Eat Out using a gift certificate purchased using a code from here

Wednesday-Sloppy Joe's (this is our favorite recipe), chips and fruit

Thursday-Maui Chicken, Jasmine Rice and Tossed Salad

Friday-Steak, Potatoes and Corn on the Cob

Saturday-Dinner Out after church

Sunday Supper-Well-Dressed Salmon and Crispy Mashed Potato Cakes

Visit Menu Planning Monday over at Org Junkie for more menu planning ideas.

Remember to, "Pay it Forward."