Menu Plan Monday - September 8th

Well, here we are again. I don't know what is up with me, but nothing sounds good to eat and I haven't felt like cooking at all! I guess I'm just wiped out. The last time I actually prepared a real meal was Thursday night doing the hootenannies. And before that was Tuesday night and the Poppy Seed Chicken (only because I had my brother and his family over for dinner... if they hadn't come over, it would have been a cereal night - eek!). With Jim and Marji and their cute kids in town and I've been in party mode. They left this morning, so now it's back to reality (we had a great time with you guys!).

This weeks menu is boring. Nothing sounds good to me.

• Monday: Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup (I'll have to post this recipe someday - I love it!)
• Tuesday: Grilled Salmon (Frozen Salmon Fillets from Costco - super easy)
  
• Wednesday: Tacos
  
• Thursday: Is Megan's Birthday! I think we'll go out, it'll be a busy evening because it is parents night at the Junior High as well.
• Friday: It is our Ward Progressive Dinner - a fun annual tradition that has been going on for 25+ years (My mom and our current RS Pres started it way back when).
• Saturday: I keep putting homemade burgers or homemade pizza on the menu, but have yet to make them. I think that this isn't working for me, so I'm going to do Hootenannies instead... they're so good and easy!

So it's a very boring week. I guess I should try something new, but I'm too busy getting ready for preschool to find a new recipe. Yesterday our lesson in Relief Society was about just doing the best you can. So I'm no longer going to beat myself up about my lack of meal prep and my boring menu and just do the best I can in feeding my family - there is always back up food. For example, my friend Katie (Katie, if you had a blog, I would link to it right there!) brought me over a big bag of a yummy garlic chicken/pasta meal by Birds Eye that she picked up at Costco for me (after I had Logan). We've eaten the first half already, and the other half is just waiting for me to remember to use on a night I don't feel like cooking. Thanks Katie! Dang, I still need to get all my thank you cards out (all the other grateful mommies would have their thank you cards out by now - gee, the baby is 3 months old now!!!!)

Oh wait, did I just say that? Getting back to what I was saying... just do the best you can - and stop comparing yourself to the perfect sweet and crafty mommies whose blogs your read. Maybe we should have a "What You Really Don't Want to Know Wednesday"... ha - wouldn't that been an eye opener for all... I'm sure you all would love to keep your little happy lives! ;)

Have a great week!

Menu Plan Monday - September 2nd

Well, this labor day weekend has thrown me off! But here is my plan for the rest of the week.

Tuesday: (my brother and his wife and kids are coming for dinner tonight!!)
Poppy Seed Chicken

2-4 chicken breasts, chopped, ½-1cup chopped yellow onion Olive oil

1 can cream of chicken soup, 1 cup sour cream

1 sleeve Crumbled Ritz crackers, ½ cup butter

Poppy seeds

1-2 cups rice, cooked

Brown chicken and onion together in olive oil until chicken is cooked through and onions are soft. Add soup and sour cream. Melt butter and add to combine with Ritz crackers in a small bowl. Add poppy seeds - as many as you think appropriate. Put rice in bottom of casserole dish. Top with chicken mixture. Sprinkle with Ritz crackers. Bake in 350 degree oven, covered for 30-40 mins. Remove covering and bake 5 more mins.

Wednesday: Hootinannies

Thursday: Beef Enchiladas (we ended up eating at my moms this night last week, so we'll try for it this week!)

Friday: Frozen Pizza - I'm going out!

Saturday: Homemade burgers and fries (again, didn't get to this last week, cuz we have been playing with my brother and his wife all weekend!)

Sunday: Roast in the crock pot (same story)...

Last week's verdicts - I probably won't make the Spaghetti cups again... too much work and only half the family liked them. I'll just stick with boring Spaghetti.

Menu Plan Monday - August 25th

OK, so I almost didn't make it last week - sticking to my menu plan I mean. I had a weak moment on Wednesday. When 6 pm hit, I was pooped. It was one of those days that you leave first thing in the morning before all of the morning stuff gets done. Then, after being gone for hours, you come home to a messy house. I don't care for those days. So I tried to catch Roman on his way home to have him pick up some Panda. But he was almost home. He asked what I had planned for the evening (German Pancakes - or "Pop up Pancakes" as I had them listed). In order to stick with our plan of cutting back on the eating out, he offered to make dinner! I got to sit back on the couch with my feet propped up and give him the directions as he worked in his ugly green polyester apron (I'll have to get a picture of him in it one day)! I thought it was sure sweet of him!

Here are the verdicts on this past week's meals...

• Anything from Picky Palate is delish!
• Didn't love the Honey Glazed Chicken :(
• Instead of the Pop Up Pancakes (cuz I didn't want to scrub muffin tins), we did Hootenannies (aka: German Pancakes)... I really liked this recipe and we need to do a double batch easily. It was soooo dang good!
• The Micro meatloaf was just my moms meatloaf recipe, put in a 9x9 glass dish with an empty circle in the middle, cooked uncovered in the microwave for 12 minutes. I also make a sauce to go on top that consists of brown sugar, ketchup, a little mustard, and some nutmeg. Mmm so good - Roman doesn't love meatloaf, but everyone else does and there are never leftovers!
• Saturday I didn't do homemade pizza... too tired to do the dough. We just ate frozen pizza instead.
• Today I didn't feel like doing the Pork Chops, so I decided to do THIS. It was yummy and earned Romans seal of approval (I think he is picky myself). It was nice to take 5 minutes before church and throw it all in the crock pot, and come home to a yummy smell (better than a poopy diaper smell)! We ate it with rice and corn on the cob (thanks dad!).

The plan for this week -

Monday - another Picky Palate creation! Flaky Garlic Toasted Spaghetti Cups

Tuesday - I will really Grill some Pork Chops! I will possibly try THIS marinade

Wednesday - Beef Enchiladas (which is just flour tortillas stuffed with ground beef mixed with refried beans and a little enchilada sauce, cheese on top, rolled up, the rest of the enchilada sauce over rolled up tortillas, sprinkle more cheese - bake for 15-20 and garnish with lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, and avocado. YUM!)

Thursday - Grill some chicken (or crock pot, depending on how hot the day will be), use Bullseye for the sauce.

Friday - Roman is refereeing a football game (and so it begins), so I'll be at home with the kiddies... will probably just do frozen pizza or mac n cheese or cereal! I just don't do well cooking on Friday nights!

Saturday - Grill Burgers (have you ever put avocado on your cheeseburger? It is sooo good! My sister taught me that one!) and French Fry's!

Sunday - I'll do a crock pot Roast (my dad raises a cow or two every year, so we have a lot of beef in the freezer). Maybe for dessert I will make this little diddy: Sour Cream Lemon Pie! I love SCLP! In my youth, I was a waitress at a restaurant that specialized in pies, and this was one of my favorites!

My big brother and his wife and their three kidlets are coming in town on Friday and I can hardly wait to see them!!! Maybe we'll have Sunday dinner at my moms (hint hint) and I won't have to cook! Although, I may still do that pie!

Have a super fantastic week and good luck with all the cookin! (Talking to myself there)

Menu Plan Monday

So I'm joining in on the "Menu Plan Monday" over at I'm an Organizing Junkie. The whole idea is that every Monday I will post my dinners for the whole week. We'll see if I can stick to it! It has NEVER been a strength of mine!

Monday: Garlic Toasted Open Face Lasagna
Tuesday: Honey Glazed Chicken Stir Fry
Wednesday: Pop-up Pancakes
Thursday: Microwave Meatloaf with potatoes and corn on the cob
Friday: umm DATE NIGHT!! I'm not cookin! (frozen pizza or mac & cheese)
Saturday: Homemade Pizza
Sunday: Pork Chops - marinade and grill

We'll see if I can stick to it! Too many nights getting Panda Express or pizza or boogers burgers!