Menu Planning, 9/26/10

This weekend was a busy one! We had a rather relaxing day on Saturday, but today, after a rather chilly weekend, I had to pull out the kids' winter clothes and put away or get rid of their summer clothes. This is always such a big chore! But now it's done and their room looks much better. (I'll post a picture of all that I got rid of tomorrow in the Declutter Challenge.)

Here is the menu plan for this week:

Monday--Steamed Baby Bok Choy and Broccoli and Breaded Pork Chops
Tuesday--BBQ Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Broccoli
Wednesday--Sweet & Sour Chicken Bowls (recipe is at the bottom of the page)
Thursday--Turkey and Bean Burritos, Salad with avocado
Friday--Pepsi T-Bone Steak and Grilled Garlic Zucchini
Saturday--Pioneer Woman's Macaroni & Cheese and Carrots
Sunday--Dinner out

Breakfast will be the usual--toast, oatmeal, omelettes, smoothies, cereal, etc.
Lunches will be leftovers or sandwiches.

Menu Planning, 9/19/10

The weeks just keep flying by! I can't believe we are already this far into September. I am enjoying the cooler weather though. After spring, fall is my favorite season.

Here is the plan for the week:

Monday--Cheesy Chicken Biscuit Bake
Tuesday--Stacked Tacos (recipe for this coming later today)

Wednesday--Chili with Cornbread

Thursday--Eggs, Hashbrowns, Turkey Sausage, Smoothies

Friday--Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti with Meatballs

Saturday--Dinner Out

Sunday--Leftovers

Lunches will be sandwiches and leftovers.

Breakfasts will be omelettes, eggs, fruit, cereal, muffins, etc.

Menu Planning, 9/12/10

Ah, the week after the big freezer cooking day. (Actually not so big this month.) Now it is time to pull out those meals and enjoy not cooking, or only cooking a little! I am also embarking on a pantry challenge for the next two weeks, so I am trying to use up the meat I have in the freezer.

Monday--Macaroni & Cheese, cubed chicken, broccoli
Tuesday--Stacked Tacos, avocado, salad
Wednesday--Freezer Burritos, salad
Thursday--Turkey & Bow Tie Pasta Skillet Dinner, spinach
Friday--Autumn Glazed Pork Chops (pushed back from last week)
Saturday--Mustard Marinated Steak, Carrot Coins, Mashed Potatoes
Sunday--Quick Slow Cooker Turkey Chili, rolls

Lunches will be leftovers, sandwiches or something else we create. (See our lunch box ideas here.)

Breakfasts will be omelettes, toast, fruit, granola, Cheerios, smoothies, etc.

Menu Planning, 9/5/10

Here is the plan for the week:

Monday--Italian Pizza*, broccoli

Tuesday--Autumn Glazed Pork Chops, Baked Potatoes, veggie

Wednesday--Asian Steak with Soy Sesame Sauce, rice & veggie

Thursday--Pork Steamed Dumplings* in Broth, veggie

Friday--Lighter Meatloaf*, french fries, veggie

Saturday--dinner out

Sunday--Southwest Stew*

*These meals are in the freezer or will be after my freezer cooking day on Monday. (See my freezer cooking menu and plan here.)

Breakfasts will be the usual: smoothies, omelettes, eggs, cereal, French toast, etc.

Lunches will be leftovers or sandwiches

Menu Planning - 8/29/10

This week's menu plan is all about easy preparation. Almost all of them come out of the freezer as I attempt to make space for my next batch cooking day (coming very soon!)

Monday--Sloppy Joes*, chips, carrot sticks
Tuesday--Cola BBQ sandwiches*, broccoli















Wednesday--Breakfast sandwiches*, strawberry-banana smoothies
Thursday--Pork steamed dumplings*, spinach, rice

Friday--Chicken Pot Pie* (pushed back from last week)
Saturday--Dinner Out
Sunday--Slow Cooker Picante Chicken* tacos, salad

Breakfasts will be homemade granola, muffins, cereal, omelettes, smoothies, etc.

Lunches will be leftovers or sandwiches.

* Denotes meals that I have already made and have frozen

Menu Planning, 8/22/10

In light of my recent discovery that I am dairy intolerant, I will be feeding my family freezer meals made with my favorite items--cheese and milk--so I can make room in the freezer for cooking freezer meals next week that I can enjoy. I am not sure what I will be eating this week for dinner--whatever I can find that doesn't have dairy!

Monday--Stuffed Shells* & Garlic Butter Cheese Bread*, Spinach

Tuesday--Freezer Burritos*, salad

Wednesday--Beefy Cornbread Muffins*, broccoli

Thursday--No Meat Burritos*, mixed veggies

Friday--Turkey Burgers, salad, french fries

Saturday--Dinner out

Sunday--Chicken Pot Pie*

Breakfasts will be breakfast burritos*, breakfast sanwiches*, smoothies for me, eggs, etc.

Lunches will be leftovers or sandwiches.

All items marked with * are already made and in the freezer.

A Suprising Find

My dad died of colon cancer less than two months after his 38th birthday. I had just turned 15.

So, just recently, when I began to have serious gastrointestinal distress (we will just leave it at that without the details), my mind began to wander back to the time he was sick, and fear slowly crept into me--fear that I would suffer the same fate. I have been disciplined about getting a colonoscopy every 5 years beginning at the age of 29, so this knowledge helped keep my fear in check.

I went to the doctor and to my surprise, she advised me to go off all dairy for a week. You can probably tell from my weekly menu plans and my freezer meals, that I am a dairy girl. I love cheese, butter, ice cream, milk. . .Going off all of that was hard, but I had no idea that dairy is lurking in so many items--frozen meals and cereal being two biggies.

It has only been 4 days now since I have been off ALL dairy, but I can't tell you how much better I feel! I have no physical problems. It has been a bit difficult to adjust to the dietary changes, but not as difficult as I thought it would be, mainly because I am feeling so much better. And, I am so grateful that it is just a dairy intolerance and not something more serious or life threatening.

For the past two years, since my second child was born, I have not felt like myself. I had to have Gas-X several times a week, and an upset stomach was typical more days than not. I wondered if it was somehow psychological; I wondered if I would ever feel normal again. Now I realize all of those problems were related to dairy consumption.

All of that discomfort is gone, and I finally feel like myself. I feel so much better!

What does that mean for this blog? I still plan to continue like normal recipe-wise because my family is still eating dairy and I think my children love their macaroni and cheese too much to say good-bye for ever. But I will start to explore and share some dairy free recipes and products.

If any of you have discovered you have a dairy intolerance, I would love to hear about your experience!

Menu Planning, 8/15/10

Well, we are back home from vacation, my new computer is now up and running--time to settle back into a normal life.


Monday--Beefy Cornbread* & Broccoli

Tuesday--Bolder Tuna Burger, Chips, Corn (this was pushed back from last week)

Wednesday--Lighter Meatloaf*, Mashed Potatoes, Spinach

Thursday--Slow Cooker Cheesy Potato Soup, Fish, Broccoli

Friday--No Meat Burritos*, Lettuce, Tomato, Avocado

Saturday--Turkey Burgers, French Fries, Carrot Sticks

Sunday--Grilled Cheese & Soup

Breakfasts will be breakfast sandwiches, pancakes, oatmeal, fruit, smoothies, cereal, toast, etc.

Lunches will be leftovers or sandwiches.

Menu Planning, 8/8/10

We have a busy week this week, so we will partly be relying on freezer meals. I also ran across a great sale on tuna last week, so you will see that popping up on the menu.

Monday--Tuna Noodle Casserole, Broccoli















Tuesday--Texas BBQ Sauce Pork Ribs, Green Beans
Wednesday--Bolder Tuna Burger, Chips, Corn
Thursday--Freezer Burritos*, Lettuce, Tomato
Friday--Chili* & Cornbread*
Saturday--No Meat Burritos*, Lettuce Tomato
Sunday--Blueberry Pancakes*, Bacon & Smoothies

Lunches will be leftovers and sandwiches.

Breakfasts will be Breakfast Sandwiches,*omelets, cereal, fruit, pancakes, yogurt

*These items are already prepared and in the freezer.

Menu Planning, 8/1/10

It is August already! I can't believe it. Summer usually goes quickly, but since I had the baby in April, time is just flying.

Monday--Kielbasa Bean Slow Cooker Soup
Tuesday--Pancakes, Bacon, Cantaloupe
Wednesday--Slow Cooker Cheeseburgers
Thursday--Grilled Cheese & Soup
Friday--dinner out
Saturday--family picnic
Sunday--No Meat Burritos

Lunches will be Cola BBQ Sandwiches (recipe coming soon), Thanksgiving Turker Burgers (recipe coming soon), leftovers or sandwiches.

Breakfasts will be Breakfast Sandwiches, pancakes, oatmeal, banana butterscotch muffins, fruit, smoothies, etc.

Menu Planning, 7/25/10

A few weeks ago I scored some pork chops on sale for .99/lb since they were near their expiration date, so I have plans to use some of those this week. I have gotten so many .99/lb deals on various types of meat at one particular store in the last several weeks that I am afraid that store location will close! I hope not. I like .99/lb meat!

Monday--Chicken Enchiladas,* Spinach
Tuesday--Freezer Burritos,* mixed veggies
Wednesday--Crockpot Chili Pork Chops, Mashed Potatoes, Broccoli
Thursday--spaghetti & garlic bread*
Friday--Monterey Jack Stuffed Chicken*, Mashed Potatoes, Carrots
Saturday--dinner out
Sunday--soup & sandwiches

all items with * are already prepared in the freezer

Breakfasts will be omelettes, oatmeal, cereal, fruit

Lunches will be sandwiches or leftovers

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Menu Planning, 7/18/10

We went to Michigan this week and stopped by Leducs Blueberries to grab 20 pounds of fresh blueberries. Yum! I am in the process of freezing them so we can enjoy them all year long, so I need to clear out some freezer space. Most of our meals this week are freezer meals once again.

Monday--Chicken and Bacon Sub Sandwich* with baby carrots & lettuce
Tuesday--Spaghetti and meatballs* with garlic bread *and spinach
Wednesday--No Meat Freezer Burritos,* lettuce & mixed veggies
Thursday--Homemade Pizza
Friday--Stuffed Shells,* garlic bread *& broccoli
Saturday--dinner out
Sunday--sandwiches & soup & veggie

All items marked with * are already prepared in the freezer.

I will be taking some of those fresh blueberries and making several batches of Banana-Blueberry Muffins for breakfast. We will also be eating omelettes, oatmeal and fruit salads for breakfast.

Lunches will be sandwiches or leftovers.

Menu Planning, 7/12/10

It is getting hot and sticky around here (but I think any weather over 80 is too hot!), so I am glad my freezer is stocked, and I don't really have to cook. In fact, there is only one recipe--Monday's--that I am cooking, and that is a simple one.

Monday--Grilled Buttermilk Chicken Salad, bread
Tuesday--Turkey Sloppy Joes*, cucumbers, chips
Wednesday--Salsa Chix Dump Tacos*
Thursday--Chicken Enchiladas* & salad
Friday--dinner out
Saturday--dinner at a wedding reception
Sunday--spaghetti & meatballs* with garlic bread*

All recipes with a * are already made in the freezer.

For breakfast we will be having fruit salads, oatmeal, omelettes or banana-blueberry muffins.

Lunches will be sandwiches or leftovers.

Don't forget to enter my giveaway for 10 lbs. of fresh blueberries and a gift basket!

Menu Planning, 7/4/10

I just had a very successful freezer cooking bout (more on that coming tomorrow), so all the meals with a * are ones I am taking out of the freezer.

Monday--Turkey Croquettes*, broccoli, fruit salad
Tuesday--Freezer burritos*, salad
Wednesday--Empanadas*, salad
Thursday--Turkey Burgers, corn on the cob, fruit
Friday--Steak with Dry Rub, french fries, mixed veggies
Saturday--Chicken & Broccoli* over noodles
Sunday--dinner out

Do your kids like to help you cook? Check out my giveaway for a child's apron & oven mitt.

Menu Planning, 6/27/10

I have hit upon some crazy sales at the grocery store lately--.99 cents for a pound of pork chops and .99 cents for 4 turkey burger patties. It pays to scope out the clearance section! Both of these were set to expire the day I bought them. I just put them in the freezer, and we will be enjoying them this week!

Monday--Apple Pork Chops, Broccoli & Rice
Tuesday--Turkey Croquettes & spinach
Wednesday--Slow Cooker Pork Chops, spinach & rice
Thursday--Chicken & Broccoli over noodles
Friday--Dinner out
Saturday--Yummy No Meat Burritos
Sunday--Turkey burger hamburgers, chips, corn

Breakfasts will be muesli, omelettes, muffins, and breakfast burritos

Lunches will be leftovers or sandwiches.

Menu Planning, 6/20/10

Well, we survived our crazy weekend. My son did a great job at his dance recital. I was worried that he would be nervous, but he kept saying he loved being on stage and felt like a star. Obviously he doesn't get stage fright like his mother!

Monday--Sloppy Joes*, chips, corn
Tuesday--Tacos* with lettuce & tomato
Wednesday--Turkey stuffing casserole*, broccoli
Thursday--Meat lasagna, carrots
Friday--dinner out
Saturday--Salsa chicken dump tacos*, veggie
Sunday--Kielbasa & black bean stew*

All meals marked with a *denote meals already made and in the freezer.

Breakfasts will be pancakes, eggs, breakfast burritos, or breakfast sandwiches.

Lunches will be leftovers or sandwiches.

Menu Planning, 6/12/10

We are going to have a busy week this week. Grandma is coming into town this weekend, it is my son's birthday, Father's Day, and my son is having his kindergarten graduation and his dance recital on the same day. I am tired just thinking about it!

Monday—Turkey Burgers w/ Cheese, Corn on the cob, watermelon
Tuesday—No Meat Burritos & salad
Wednesday—Taco Salad
Thursday—Stuffed Pepper Soup
Friday—Freezer Burritos, salad
Saturday—Breakfast sandwiches, fruit
Sunday—Spaghetti & meatballs

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Menu Planning, 6/6/10

This will mark week two of our no spending challenge, so I tried to plan for meals that use what we already have on hand or meals that I have made for the freezer. Here is the plan:

Monday--Omelet for Two, smoothies, toast
Tuesday--Slow Cooker Hamburger Soup*, peas
Wednesday--Ham & Cheese Sandwiches, canned soup with added veggies
Thursday--Turkey Croquettes*, mashed potatoes, veggie
Friday--Taco salad* (made with taco meat from the freezer)
Saturday--Sirloin Sizzler, corn on the cob, green veggie
Sunday--Chicken Quesadillas (made with Salsa Chicken Dump*)

*All of these recipes are already prepared in the freezer.

For lunches we will eat sandwiches or some of the burritos we made for the freezer.

Breakfasts will be some of the breakfast meals we made on freezer cooking day (linked above).

Menu Planning, 5/31/10

I made alot of freezer meal breakfasts last week. Now, I am going to make double or triple of our meals this week to stock the freezer. It will be so handy to have breakfasts, lunches and dinners ready to go in the freezer if I need them.

Monday--dinner out
Tuesday--Freezer Burritos,
Wednesday--Crockpot Chicken, Cheese & Bean Burritos
Thursday--Cheeseburger Rolls
Friday--Chicken Quesadillas
Saturday--Weight Watchers General Tso's Chicken
Sunday--Weight Watchers Chicken Salad Wraps

We will also be making the following freezer meal snacks/desserts:
Breakfast Oaties,
Peanut Butter Honey Bars

Menu Planning, 5/23/10

It is supposed to be hot here the next few days, so I picked simple meals that wouldn't heat up the kitchen.

Monday--BLT salad, garlic bread, applesauce
Tuesday--Freezer burritos, sauteed spinach
Wednesday--OAMC Baked ham sandwiches, broccoli, baby carrots
Thursday--OAMC Salsa Dump Chicken tacos, sauteed spinach
Friday--dinner out
Saturday--family picnic
Sunday--family picnic

Breakfasts will be eggs, toast, omelettes, yogurt, muffins

Lunches will be leftovers and sandwiches.