Menu Plan 7/11/11

I have been slacking on menus because I felt they were all super boring, same old dinners over and over!! We have family favorites (which means the kids will actually eat them), so I cook them often! I've been searching for some quick(er) summer meals and even crock pot meals, so hopefully I'll get out of this rut! I've got two new recipes on the menu this week and hopefully I'll get to them!

Cheesy Black Bean Burgers, Potato Salad, Green Peas

BBQ Grilled Chicken, Potatoes and Squash Patties

Chicken Nachos, Corn on the Cobb (is that a weird combo or what? My kids like it though!)

Lasagna (using a recipe my mom uses and is so yummy!), Salad, Bread Sticks (friends coming over for dinner)

Crock Pot Chicken and Broccoli, Brown Rice

Other: Sandwiches, Leftovers!

Check out Orgjunkie.com for more menu ideas and recipes!

Menu 6/1

Wait.. it's already Wednesday!?! Oh well! With the 3-day weekend and the birthday party coming up my days are all messed up and crazy! So, I do have a menu.. just a short one!

Wed- Scrambled Eggs, Fried Potatoes and Onions, Fruit

Thurs- Grilled Pork Chops, Grilled Squash, Pasta Salad (made w/ homemade ranch dressing)

Fri- Cheeseburger Pizza, Green Salad

That's it! We had leftovers last night so that only leaves 3 nights from now until the birthday party! I can't believe my Luke will be 4!!

Menu Plan Monday & update

So, this no-dairy thing is going OK. I miss it.. but I can deal. I am going to have to get more creative with my menu planning though. I'm not going to make 2 meals. I guess it will just take time to figure out which products I can eat and which I can't. So for the first time in a LONG time here is our menu for the week:

Pinto Beans, Smoked Ham, Corn Cakes

Biscuits (toast for me), Bacon and Eggs

Tacos

Marinated (Italian Dressing) Chicken Breast, Green Beans, Potatoes

Soup (don't know what kind yet), Salad

All I do for the corn cakes is mix corn meal (salt and pepper) with water and fry them in olive oil. They are soo good and dairy free! They are best made really thin so they get crispy!

As far as Eli, he seems to be doing better. I can tell a difference in the way he acts. It's only been a week so I'm hoping to see more improvements over the next few weeks. I still think he has some reflux issues that I'm going to be talking to the Dr about though and that may also have some to do with his fussiness. He's still fussing a good bit when he nurses. I think part of that is just that he's very impatient!

Luke is a ball of energy! He had a blast this weekend having lunch with family and going to a birthday party! We've had two weird episodes of hives though.. and I can't figure out why he got them. He woke up from his nap yesterday with them on his cheek and some on his hand. They looked like little bug bites. I honestly thought something had bitten him. Well, they went away shortly afterwards, so we didn't really think much of it. Well, last night Luke didn't seem to be sleeping well. At about 12:30am the Hubs went in to check on him and he was scratching his legs. He had welts all over his thighs and on one of his hands! So, we gave him some Benadryl and the Hubs and Luke slept on the couch in the den. There were 2 tiny little places this morning but the majority was gone. He hasn't eaten anything different. The only thing we can think of is a blanket that he received as a gift that someone made for him last week (I didn't wash it because he wanted to sleep with it THAT moment!). So, I stripped his bed of everything and washed it all today in All Free and Clear. He's napping now so we'll see how he does after his nap. It's just strange that it's only happened when he was asleep.

So, that's what's going on around here....

Menu for July 15-21

So, it may seem like I am behind on my menu planning. And even though I would have much rather had it finished by Monday night, I'm actually changing my shopping day to Tuesday evenings. It's just getting too difficult for me to do my one BIG shopping day by myself, with Luke. Maybe I'm being a wimp, but making a trip to Target and then Publix all the while loading Luke in and out of the car and loading groceries/ect in and out of the car (oh, and let's not forget that I'm 33 weeks pregnant!!!).. it's just too much! So, Tuesday evenings with the hubby will be our grocery day for a while! I'm hoping next week to still get my menu finished over the weekend so that I can participate in Menu Plan Monday. So, now that you are all updated... because I know you've been dying to know why my menu wasn't up ;).... here is the menu for the week:

Chicken Fingers, Corn (from my previous post!), Cheesy Cauliflower

Ham and Swiss Melts, Potato Salad, Cucumber Slices w/ Dressing

Tuscan Pork Chops, Squash & Zucchini 'Patties', Steamed Broccoli

Dry-Rub Steaks, Roasted Potatoes, Lima Beans

Noodle and Spinach Casserole, Salad

Extra meal on hand- Tuna Sandwiches, Apple Walnut Salad (deiced apples, walnuts, vanilla yogurt)

Breakfast- Cereal/Oatmeal, Blueberry Muffins, Fruit
Lunch- Leftovers, Sandwiches, Salad, Lean Cuisines (for myself), Fruit, Carrots/dressing
Snacks- Fruit/Raisins, Yogurt, Graham Crackers, Popcorn, 100 cal Pudding Cups & 100 cal Cheez Its
Fruits this week- Apples, Bananas, Strawberries, Grapes, Peaches and of course, Blueberries!

Ok, time to start the day!

A late menu

I was too late to post for Menu Plan Monday. I think the big U/S threw me off. I do have a menu to share. I've got a new recipe for a pork chop marinade that was really good. I'll post it at the bottom.

Monday- R and I ate a late lunch after the sonogram and then just had a light supper, sort of. I say 'sort of' because we both ate kind of odd things! R had a salad (which he asked me to make.. Him- "Hey, why don't you make one of those really good salads." Me- "You mean the one with cheese, bacon bits, croutons and ranch dressing." Him- "Yep that's it." I just thought that was funny.. it's a salad!) and popcorn. I had a bowl of frosted flakes, a blueberry waffle and a fried egg. At least it was all breakfast food....

Tuesday- Marinated Baked Pork Chops, Roasted Asparagus, and Rice (the wild and long grain kind) Note- the link is to a video of how I make my asparagus! Easy and YUM!

Wednesday- Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup... I'll probably have a salad instead of soup.

Thursday- Chicken Quesadillas, Corn

Friday- Eggplant Parmesan, salad

Sat and Sunday- Who knows, I didn't plan that far!! :)

Breakfasts- I got a great deal on Cheerios. They had them BuyOneGetOneFree at Publix and then had a coupon for .75 cents off! So, I got 2 boxes of Cheerios for $2.74! I was proud, cereal prices are CRAZY! I got a box of regular and a box of the new fruity kind, which Luke LOVES! So: cereal, egg and cheese sandwiches (for R), oatmeal and fruit ~ bananas, apples, oranges and cantaloupe this week.

Lunch- Leftovers and sandwiches. I had a tomato and cheese sandwich today and it was SO good!

Snacks- Fruit, granola bars, Goldfish/Teddy Grahams/Raisins for Luke


Marinade for Pork Chops

1 T soy sauce
1 T Vegetable oil
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp lemon juice
2 T brown sugar
2 T ketchup

I got this recipe from Allrecipes. The only thing I changed was that I didn't use as much oil. This marinade is really more like a BBQ sauce. I let the pork chops marinate for about 30 minutes in the sauce. I reserved half of the sauce and then baked them for 20 minutes, covered at 350. I turned them over after the 20 minutes and spooned the other half of the sauce on top. I then baked them, uncovered for another 15 minutes. The recipe on the website says it's enough sauce for 6 chops but I only cooked enough for us 3 and the amt of sauce was perfect. So, I think that it would need to be doubled for 6. It would be yummy on the grill!

Menu for the week, Publix Deals

Well, I feel like I haven't posted a menu in forever! It's only been 2 wks though! I need some HEALTHY menus!! I ate WAY too much this past week! Seriously.


Turkey Chili (using a recipe from the new issue of Everyday Food)
Chicken Fajitas, Corn
Cheesy Tortilla Pizzas, Salad
Toasted Ham Sandwiches and Tomato Soup
BBQ Meatball Subs, Potato Salad
Oven Fried Chicken Tenders, Broccoli and Cheese, Roasted Potatoes



I'm still in the process of using up those meatballs and instead of having spaghetti again, I thought meatball subs might be nice..

Since I am trying to cut my grocery bill, I've decided to keep a 'price book'. I'm going to attempt to write down prices of things that I regularly buy, from a few different grocery stores. Today I shopped at WalMart and Publix. I got about half at each place. Before I went shopping this morning I checked the Publix ad online. Here are some of the good deals I got:

Sour Cream 16 oz-$0.99
5lb bag potatoes, $2.00
Dole Salad, 2 for $5.00
Weight Watchers Smart Ones- 50% off
Publix Yogurt, 4oz/6pk- $2.00
Sweet Baby Rays BBQ Sauce- BOGO (saved $2.19, I mean who doesn't use BBQ sauce!)
Angel Soft Bath Tissue- 2 for $10
Progresso Diced Italian Tomatoes- BOGO (saved $1.65 on 2- 28oz cans)

I'm trying to only buy things that I will use in my weekly menu and that I know I can use later! They had some other things on sell but I didn't need them. I was tempted to buy some shredded cheese because they had that 2 for $4 but I have an unreal amount of shredded cheddar cheese left over from Christmas! I mean like almost 2 full LARGE bags because my mom brought one over and left it with us! They also had SeaPak shrimp BOGO which was a great deal but I just had to pass.

Well, I must go.. my son is crying because he must watch the "De-deer" movie (the clay Rudolph movie from the 60's) once more. I have a feeling we will be watching it long after the new year is over. Never mind the 5 new Veggie Tales videos he got for Christmas....

~Yum~ Menu (Inexpensive Meal Ideas Needed!)

All righty... we're tightening up the purse strings. My grocery budget has gotten out of hand. You all (all 2 of you.. ha) know how much I love Publix. And I still do. But Publix has caused me to go out of control on my grocery spending. Not because of the prices mind you.. but because of the wonderful selection of food! (oh, and the Bread Lady who loves to woo my son with sugar cookies therefore causing me to buy loaves of bread)... I do still plan to shop there some. They have good BOGO deals often and they take all of my printable coupons.. I did not tell you how impressed I was that they CALLED me the day before Thanksgiving because I had sent an email, on a whim really, to their customer service asking if they accepted printed coupons. Well, the manager of my local (30 minutes away) Publix called me and explained every detail of what coupons they accept and what they don't. I was very impressed with their customer service. I promise you that I don't have stock or whatever in Publix and they aren't paying me in groceries for saying any of this.. though that would be nice. Anyway.. I have got to be more frugal when planning my meals... meaning I need to start planning healthy (or my version of healthy), inexpensive meals by using what is on sale and coupons I have. I am actually excited about this challenge...
Yes, as you can see.. it doesn't take much to excite me. I am such a dork.
So, if any of you (the 2 of you) out there would like to share with me some inexpensive meal ideas, please do!
Maybe one day I'll get with the program and start posting my menu's on Menu Planning Monday. I usually shop for groceries on Thursday so my menu usually starts on Friday... which is weird, I know. So in my world, the whole menu Monday just doesn't seem right. There's some great menu planning ideas on there though! So, here is my menu.. on FRIDAY! :)

~Vegetable Beef Soup, corn bread
~Spaghetti and meat balls (I bought some frozen meatballs 2 weeks ago thinking that Luke might eat them.. that was a huge negative! So I've got almost a whole bag left!)
~Loaded Baked Potatoes (with bacon, cheese and sour cream), salad
~Pancakes, cheesy scrambled eggs and fried potatoes & onions
~Tuna Salad or Ham Sandwiches w/ chips and salsa (Wednesday night is our sandwich night)

I know we'll have lots of soup leftover for another night plus we've got our first family gathering for Christmas tomorrow night. And I normally do not add this but Luke always has a green veggie offered to him at lunch and dinner. Now, that doesn't mean that he eats it but I always have frozen peas, broccoli, etc for him.

So, do you have any ideas for me?? I need some creative help!

I'm off to bake some yummy sugar cookies (with candy cane kissed in the center) for tomorrow. And in the morning I'm making a Gooey Pumpkin Butter Cake!

Menu ~YUM~ and cookie recipes needed!

Here is a late menu for the week (which actually started yesterday). I am having back problems so my post will be short today. I've got a lot on my mind and would love to sit down and write all about what God has been showing me (I think my blog is in need of a God post!!). Maybe later tonight if my back is doing ok. It just seems to make it worse when I sit here at the computer! Here is the menu:

Minestrone Soup (Crock Pot), french bread
Spaghetti and salad
Italian Pizza Calzones, steamed veggies
Swedish Meatballs and lima beans, sliced fruit
Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup

We had the Swedish meatballs last night and I wasn't really a fan. Something about the sauce just wasn't good. I think I'll stick to stroganoff next time. One thing about last night though was that I had forgotten how much I love lima beans. Weird, I know! I rarely ever think about them though. They were so good (well, at least I thought so)! Tonight is spaghetti! Tomorrow I'm making soup for the weekend and then Monday we'll have Italian pizza calzones. The recipe is from Menus4Moms. The only change I'm making is that I'm using pizza dough instead of crescent rolls. It should make enough for Monday and Tuesday and then Wed being a church night will be soup and sandwiches! I'm gonna start baking next week and would love some tried and true cookie recipes. Please share some with me! :) I'm really wanting to make these!

~YUM~ Recipe and Menu

Yes, this is a very late menu. But I had some 'serious' posts this week that were top priority. We've actually already had chili and the skillet sausage pasta. Luke has been sick so I haven't cooked in 2 days! The other 2 recipes will just carry over this week. I'll try and post the recipe for the sausage and pasta because it is SOO yummy. Look for it later!

We have had another busy week so I only planned 4 meals and luckily one was already made and in the freezer! This weeks menu:

Chili (from last week that I froze)
Taco Pie, Black Beans, Salad**
Skillet Sausage and Pasta, Salad
Crock pot BBQ Chicken, green beans, baked potatoes

The Taco Pie is an adapted recipe from Menus4Moms. I'm using beef instead of chicken. I thought it would be a good way to use up the rest of the flour tortillas I have left over from the quesadillas.We had quesadillas last week and they were yummy and so easy. Here is the way I do them:

1 lb chicken cutlets (about 4)
1/2 packet taco seasoning
1 small bell pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
4-6 flour tortillas
1/3 c water
extra virgin olive oil
salsa
shredded cheese (I used the Mexican blend)
sour cream

Sprinkle 1/2 of taco seasoning (1/4 of a packet) onto chicken (I also added some ground red pepper for some heat to the seasoning mix). On medium heat cook chicken in about a 1/2 Tbsp of oil. (You can use regular chicken breast but I love the cutlets because they cook so quick) Let brown on both sides and cook through, about 3-5 minutes per side for the cutlets. Remove from pan onto a plate to 'rest'. Wipe up any bits in the pan because they tend to burn. Add another 1/2 Tbsp of oil to the pan and saute onions and bell peppers on med heat until they are soft, about 10 minutes. A few minutes into the onion/pepper cooking use a fork and knife to shred the chicken. I shredded 3 cutlets b/c that was perfect for 4 quesadillas and saved one for a later lunch (you could use them all and get 6 out of it, instead of 4!). Add shredded chicken, remainder of seasoning and 1/3 c water to onion mixture. Cook for about 5 min on med-low. Remove from pan to a bowl and wipe down skillet again. Turn heat up to medium. Spray with cooking spray (or use a little oil). Place one tortilla in pan. Layer chicken mixture, salsa, and cheese on 1/2 of the tortilla. Fold over the other side to make a half moon shape. Let that side brown and then flip to the other side. You could layer the whole tortilla and just put another tortilla on top but this way is easier to flip. As you take them out of the pan cover with foil to keep warm. Serve w/ more salsa or sour cream. YUM!
Usually, R and I eat one half moon each so there are 2 left over for the next day. If you eat them the next day for left overs, it's best that you heat them in the oven because the tortilla does get kind of mushy. They crisp up on a sheet pan in a 400 degree oven after about 15 minutes. Luke had a cheese quesadilla!

*YUM!* and major breakthrough! :)

It's menu time. I'm actually using part a menu I got from Menus 4 Moms. It's a menu from a couple weeks back. I'm using 3 of their meals and 1 of mine. The meals with ** are theirs.

Stuffed Chicken w/ Bacon and Feta **, green salad
Vegetable Beef Soup, Apple, Grape and Walnut Salad**
Baked Flounder**, Steamed Broccoli, Brown Rice
Chicken Quesadilla, Corn, green salad

One thing that I MUST mention is that Luke decided that tonight he was going to eat ALL of his broccoli. I honestly don't think he has touched broccoli in at least 2 months. We had chili tonight, so of course Luke did not eat what we had. He was given 2 baked chicken nuggets, roasted potatoes (I cut them thin and toss them in a tiny bit of olive oil and he thinks he's eating french fries!), broccoli, and a little shredded cheese (because we were having it with our chili). Well, he ate 1 chicken nugget, all of his potato and was nibbling on his cheese. I was cleaning up the table and said (as I always do) 'Luke, let's try some broccoli and finish your chicken, please' and walked into the kitchen. Well, R was on the phone with my dad and I was at the sink. R walked through and I asked him if Luke was finished, he said no. So, I walked back through the dining room and my little booger was chowing down on his broccoli! Of course I immediately looked at the floor, fully expecting to see it all there... but no! He had eaten ALL of it! I was just amazed! I know I went a little overboard with the praise. I mean, he shouldn't expect me to praise him so much just for eating veggies but I couldn't help myself! I was just too excited! As I said before, I never know what he is going to do. I'm praying this is a breakthrough though!

~YUM~ and my veggie-hating child!

This is long.. just a warning. I thought about dividing it into 2 posts but I can't seem to copy and paste it and I'm not re-writing it!

So my wonderful trip with my hubby (more on that later) kind of threw me off as far as menu planning and grocery shopping goes. We did all of our grocery shopping Monday night because if I waited until my normal Tues or Thurs shopping we would have starved to death! And on a side note, we went to Ingel's because I wanted to 'try' it out... mainly because when we were in Helen we had to sign up for a Ingel's card to rent a movie. Let me just say, I will stick to Publix. So, here is our menu for this week. Nothing too big & fancy but you can tell there is a slight chill in the air because I'm doing 2 soups! And since we're having soup which usually makes a lot I'm not planning as many meals. R will just have to eat leftovers!

White Bean and Ham Soup, Cornbread
Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
Baked Chicken and Potatoes w/ Green Beans
Spaghetti and Salad

We had spaghetti and salad last night and tonight was leftover/whatever-you-can-find night. Tomorrow I'm making the Bean and Ham Soup. It's a recipe from my mom.

I've been struggling the past few weeks with Luke and vegetables. I think I blogged about it before. He has totally decided to refuse EVERY kind of vegetable, unless it's a french fry. Now, I do not buy french fries (I don't even consider them a vegetable) so he only gets them if we go out to eat. I've read articles on picky eaters and ways to help your toddler eat their veggies. Most of them says to keep giving the veggie to them and they will eventually like the food, going on to say that it may take 10 or more tries before they decide they like it. This is all said assuming that the child is at least tasting the food. Luke will not even touch a vegetable (with the exception of peas... he likes to smush them!) much less taste one! I don't really understand it all either.. because just 2 months ago he was gobbling down broccoli, cauliflower and green peas. He would eat the occasional carrot or baby corn on a good day. Well, I found an exception. In my attempt to get my child to eat veggies I decided to do a search for muffins... zucchini muffins to be exact. I found a good looking recipe, made it healthy and baked up a batch while Luke napped. I had one.. and it wasn't the best thing (or worst thing) I have eaten. It's healthy.. so you know?! Luckily, Luke doesn't get many sweets so he has no idea how sweet things are really suppose to taste. He ate 2 muffins after his nap! I was thrilled to finally get some veggies in him! Next time I'm making carrot/apple muffins. I might even try to find a way to sneak broccoli or spinach in them! Just to give you an idea here is what Luke was offered today:

Breakfast- Juice (half water/half juice), WW pancake, cut up pear
Snack- Gerber Cereal Bar, water
Lunch- 2 baked chicken nuggets, green peas, 1/2 slice of WW toast w/ unsalted butter, 1/2 slice cheddar cheese, milk
Snack- zucchini muffin, water
Supper- Egg and cheese omelet, halved grape tomatoes, 1/2 piece of toast w/ unsalted butter, 1/2 c diced fresh pineapple, milk

(**WW means whole wheat)

Here is what he actually ate:

B'fast- Juice, pancake, 3/4 pear (he always does good with breakfast!)
Snack- cereal bar, water
Lunch- maybe 1 chicken nugget, 1/2 slice of toast, cheese, milk
Snack- 2 zucchini muffins (I normally don't give him so much for a snack.. but since they are good for him!), water
Supper- a few pieces of toast and maybe half of his pineapple chunks, milk

Today was actually a pretty good day. As you can see he loves fruit... minus tomatoes. I usually offer him veggies at dinner but didn't tonight since it was a rushed night after church. And he is always offered what we are having. For instance, last night we had spaghetti. I offered him noodles with no sauce (just cheese) and he did try one.. but that was the only one.
If any wise mom's out there have any suggestions I would love them. I just keep offering the veggies praying that he will actually start eating them again. It's just a phase, right?