Meal Prep Monday

This week....


Monday: Roast, Potatoes, Carrots and Onions with Rice and Gravy (Carried over from last week)

Tuesday: Soup and Sandwiches

Wednesday: Dinner at Church

Thursday: Pizza

Friday: Breakfast for Dinner

Saturday: Lasagna, Salad and Bread

Sunday: Out

What's cooking at your house this week?

Monday Prep Menu

Well, it's a foggy Monday morning here in Southeast Texas. I had planned to be at Hobby Lobby when the doors opened, but this fog has delayed my plans a bit. So, my thoughts have turned toward the menu at our house this week and to be quite honest...I'm not sure if one bit of this will happen. 

We are installing a new sound system at church this week and some of our meals will be provided by our precious kitchen crew at church. These men and women are some of the most dedicated people I know! They take feeding us very seriously! So rest assured my family will not go hungry....Tucker and Bruce most likely will be helping with pulling wires and cords so I anticipate they may eat at church all week long!

But in the event that we are home...this week's plan will look something like this:

Monday: Sandwiches, Chips

Tuesday: Homemade Pizzas

Wednesday: Church supper

Thursday: BLT's and Coleslaw

Friday: Chili and Rice

Saturday: Roast, potatoes, carrots, salad, rolls

Sunday: Out to Eat

So, what's cooking at your house this week?

Meal Prep Monday

Before going to the grocery store at the end of the week, I am trying to clean out the fridge and get ride of leftovers and extra food I have on hand. Here's what I am planning..

Monday: Chicken and Stove Top Stuffing with veggie steam packs

Tuesday: Sausage, pan fried potatoes, cornbread, green beans

Wednesday: Dinner at church

Thursday: Grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup

Friday: Pizza

Saturday: Chili and Rice

Sunday: Out to eat

What's cooking at your house this week?

Monday Morning Menu Planning

Well, if you followed the menu from last week, you know I tried a new Mongolian Beef recipe and I promised to report back to you with a review...

We....meaning every person in my family...LOVED it! It will definitely go on the rotation. The flavor or sweet steakish beef and the saltiness from the sauce were a nice combination. I did double the sauce because I was using a little more meat than it called for. Also, the longer you can leave it in the slow cooker the better it is...just starts getting more tender with every passing minute.

Unfortunately, that's about all that went as planned last week so I am using the same groceries I had from last week to make meals for this week. Please tell me I am not the only one this happens to?!

Monday: Taco Salad

Tuesday: Chicken Spaghetti

Wednesday: Dinner at church

Thursday: Ribs

Friday: BLT's

Saturday: Steaks and smashed potatoes

Sunday: Out

January Meal List

We spend too much money eating out.

And times are a changin' round here. 

So that can only mean one thing....Momma's meal planning. 

And it's nothing fancy...but if you're a little like me and sometimes just thinking of something different to eat can be the challenge, then take a look and maybe grab a few ideas for January's dinners. 

I am listing these in no particular order. The goal is that we will only eat out once a week. And even though that is still around $150-$200 a month, if you only knew how much we ate out in 2015 you would understand that this is way LESS and you might even give me a fist pump. I'd love to hear what's cooking at your house. Let me know and I might even include it in my February line up. I'll also let you know if anything is a flop...because let's face it...I haven't cook 26 meals in a month ever in my life so I am anticipating that at some point there's a slight chance I will fix something that does not pass the edible test. Don't worry....PB and J is a staple in this house. No one will starve. 

Happy Planning!

1. Spaghetti

2. Lasagna

3. Pizza

4. Tacos

5. Chili

6. Chicken Spaghetti

7. Broccoli Rice Chicken Casserole

8. Roast, Potatoes, Carrots, Onions

9. Hot Dogs

10. BBQ

11. Potato Soup

12. Breakfast 

13. Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup

14. Hamburger Helper - don't judge

15. Turkey Roast

16. Sausage

17. Brisket Tacos

18. Chicken Pot Pie

19. Fettuccine Alfredo

20. Baked Ziti

21. Stew

22. Stuffed Peppers

23. Teriyaki Chicken

24. Grilled hamburgers

25. Crockpot Ribs

26. Nachos Supreme

I will add veggies and salads and the occasional roll or cornbread. If I come across some recipe that is revolutionary I'll be sure to share! 

When You Missed Menu Monday...and it's Tuesday Afternoon

So....how's this for you...I didn't menu plan for this week. I usually do that on Saturday when I have a little time to peruse Pinterest or at least flip through my Taste of Home magazine stash...or call my mom for a recipe. But Saturday I spent the morning at Costco....which might have you thinking....why didn't you pick up groceries then? Well....because I am a failure....I was overwhelmed and it was crowded...and I didn't have a list and I wasn't sure what was a good buy and what wasn't... wait....I'm remembering now...I did pick up 4 pounds of bacon. I mean...every family has its priorities right?

Anyway...now we are sitting at Tuesday afternoon. I am eating a cookie that has Christmas decorations on it....yes....gross. Tucker just ate a second bowl of cereal and I'm pretty sure Savannah just drank the pickle juice out of the jar. EPIC Fail.

Bruce is picking up Dairy Queen on the way home.

So what do you do when you think you're a failure?

I've tried nearly everything to recover from failure before...

Eat my way out.
Cry my eyes out.
Hide out.
Shout out.

But honestly, I know that although all those things feel good for a little bit. That ultimately they don't fix anything. Someone a long time ago told me this...or a version of this (my mind is reeling from the enormous amount of sugar I just had from the Christmas cookie...)

------Sift the truth from the failure....Could you have planned better, acted better, done better?
------Throw away the lies.....What didn't you have control over? What was out of your hands? What is the enemy feeding you that isn't true?
------Use the truth to build for a better decision next time. What does God's Word say about it?
------Forgive yourself and forgive others

And while menu planning isn't going to make the world stop turning...there have been things in my life I have failed miserably at and I've needed to take a serious look at so they didn't happen again. I've had to forgive myself when it was easier to beat myself up. I've had to examine the feelings of failure and reject the lies of "You're not a good enough "menu planner", mom, wife, daughter, sister, friend..." And use the truth to walk uprightly and with confidence that better days are ahead...No, we aren't starting a steady diet of pickle juice and stale Christmas cookies....meat and veggies is in the near future. I am not the worst mom in the world.

And while I jest about much of this...isn't this true for the times of real defeat? There's nothing better that the devil wants than for us to be down for the count because we failed. Newsflash....I'm going to fail. So are you. So is your kid, your boss, your husband, your parents.  So just know that God has a purpose in the failure. What is it?  Growth is a pretty sure answer. There's always room to grow. There's always room to improve. There's always room to get closer to the one with all the answers.

And meanwhile...Dairy Queen for dinner is not the worst thing that can happen....

Menu Monday

Here's what's cooking at our house for dinner this week:

Monday: Little Cesar's Pizza (hold your applause)

Tuesday: Fajitas and grilled corn (good deal at Wal-mart on fresh corn...you should get some)

Wednesday: Hot Dogs, Chips

Thursday: Spaghetti, Salad

Friday: BLT's, Pasta Salad

Saturday: Grilled Steaks, Potatoes, Veggies

Sunday: Leftovers

Homemade Goal- I am making a goal of baking our bread this week. THIS is the recipe I'm making.

Lunches- Sandwiches, Leftovers and any leftover easy meals from school year (Ramen Noodles, Easy-man, Lunchables, Frozen lunch meals) I'm trying to move some food out of the pantry and freezer!

Breakfast- Cereal, Poptarts, fruit, breakfast bars.

What's cookin' at your house?

Meal Plan for Wk of Jan 20

Well...here we go. This week is going to be crazy because we are having some interior painting done and my guys are out of town until Wednesday afternoon....but Savannah and I still have to eat so we've made a special meal plan while they are gone...(her favorites).

Monday- Leftover Spaghetti
Tuesday- Homemade pizza
Wednesday- Eat at the church
Thursday- Chicken Spaghetti
Friday- Corn Dogs (for the kids)
             Date Night (Bruce and Gina)
Saturday- Sausage/Potatoes/Onions with green beans and salad

Nothing exciting at all...except date night!!!

Meal Plan Week of January 13

Here's our meal plan for this week. We're eating out of the freezer this week for the most part. I have most of these items on hand so that should make my weekly trip to the store much quicker and cheaper.

Breakfast Options:

Oatmeal

Blueberry Muffins

Pigs in a Blanket

Cereal

Lunch:

Sandwiches

Baked Chips or Pretzels

Snack- for kids

Fruit

Dinner:

Meal 1- Turkey Sausage with onion and bell pepper, Green beans, Mac n Cheese

Meal 2- Homemade Spaghetti in Meat Sauce, Salad, Rolls

Meal 3- Chicken, Rice, Broccoli Bake, Salad

Meal 4- Pizza

Meal 5- Chili Dogs, Potato Salad

What's cookin' at your house this week?

Meal Plan- Wk of Jan 7-11

I've decided to post our meal plans here again for a couple of reasons:

1. It keeps me on track...If I'm planning ahead and shopping ahead, I know what we are going to eat and there's an answer for the age old question "What's for dinner?".

2. I enjoy surfing the web for meal plans...and there may be some other nut out there that is bored with what they are eating and wants to mix it up...and might need a place for a few ideas.

3. Maybe by me sharing....someone else will share and I'll get some great ideas for more interesting, healthy, easy meals.

One of the things that I am changing is that I am only planning for 5 days. Inevitably we will eat out some and so instead of buying food that is going to go to waste I just decided that I'm only shopping for five days a week. Chances are we will have leftovers anyway so if we need food or get snowed in (yeah, right) or the car breaks down or we have no money....there will still be food.

So here it is:

Day 1-  Cereal or Oatmeal
             Leftovers or Sandwiches
             Salisbury Steak, Mashed Potatoes, Salad and Rolls

Day 2- Cereal or Oatmeal
            Sandwich, Baked Chips, Fruit (Kids get a snack in lunch)
            Ranch Chicken, Rice and Green Beans

Day 3- Cereal or Oatmeal
            Sandwich, Baked Chips, Fruit (Kids get a snack in lunch)
            Church Dinner

Day 4- Cereal or Oatmeal
            Sandwich, Baked Chips, Fruit (Kids get a snack in lunch)
            Beef/Vegetable Stew and Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Day 5: Cereal or Oatmeal
            Sandwich, Baked Chips, Fruit (Kids get a snack in lunch)
            Baked Potato Wedges and BBQ Chicken Drumsticks

What's cooking at your house this week?
         

Menu Plan- February 13 to February 19

Hey Good lookin' whatcha got cookin'?  (Tribute to my mom who sang this little tune when I was a child)

Here's what's cooking at our house this week:

Monday: MANwich (Bruce is cooking), Chips

Tuesday: Spaghetti (Savannah is cooking), Salad, bread

Wednesday: Hotdogs, potato salad, brownies

Thursday: Roast, Potatoes, Carrots, Onions, Salad, Bread

Friday: Sour Cream and Bacon Crockpot Chicken-  Recipe HERE , green beans, whole grain pasta salad

Saturday: Chili, Rice and Cornbread

Sunday: One Meal Out, One Meal Leftovers

Menu Plan February 6-12

We've got a few things going on this week so....our big meals are going to bookend our week.

Monday: Beef Stroganoff ...get the recipe HERE. Served with Whole grain pasta and green beans.

Tuesday: Chicken Strips, Pineapple, Broccoli

Wednesday: Pizza

Thursday: Chili Dogs, Sweet Potato Fries

Friday: Out of Town...Dinner provided

Saturday: Spaghetti, Garlic Bread

Sunday: Out

What's cookin' this week at your house?

Meal Plan for January 30-February 5

Almost forgot to get my meal plan posted for this week. Here it is:

Monday: Leftovers
Tuesday: Chicken Sandwiches and Sweet Tater fries
Wednesday: Pizza
Thursday: Salisbury Steak, Pasta and Italian Green Beans
Friday: Baked Potato Bar
Saturday: Chicken Strips, Mac N Cheese, Salad
Sunday: Out

Not too fancy this week!

Menu Plan for January 23-30th

We're closing in on the end of the month and I gotta say this meal planning thing is working for us. I'm enjoying the ease of knowing what's for dinner before the clock strikes 5pm and I'm enjoying knowing we saved a huge amount of money this month by eating in. I've also learned a few things from some of the mistakes I've made.

1. Plan something super easy for Wednesday nights (this is our busy night). We deemed Wednesday night Pizza night at our house. We've done homemade before and I hope to get back to that, for January however, it's just been store bought at about $5 a pizza.

2. Realize the menu may need to be scrambled. It's not set in stone, so if something comes up and you need to trade meals it's no big deal...The menu planning police will not come get you.

3. Keeping a few extra meals on hands makes it easy to make a less fussy meal if something unexpected comes up. I did this with nachos one week when I forgot to start the crock pot!

4. Crock pot Lasagna is awesome... you can find the recipe at Betty Crocker's website ...however I do think adding a cup of water would help soften the noodles more uniformally.

From now on I'm not going to list my breakfast and lunch items because we are boring...we either eat cereal or breakfast bars or yogurt and fruit for breakfast. It NEVER changes. We eat sandwiches or leftovers for lunch. Everyday. I know...boring...but it works for us for now.

Without futher ado.....

Monday: Lasagna, green beans and salad
Tuesday: Chicken Stew, corn bread
Wednesday: Pizza
Thursday: Baked Chicken. Mexican Rice with corn and black beans, Pinnapple salad
Friday: Honey BBQ Chicken, sweet tater fries
Saturday: Breakfast for Dinner...we call this Brinner at our house!
Sunday: OTE (Out to Eat)

What's cookin' at your house this week?

Meal Plan for January 16 thru 22

Hungry? Here's what's cooking in our kitchen this week:

Monday:

Breakfast- Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Fruit

Lunch- Leftovers from the weekend

Dinner- Sausage, Baked Beans, Corn, Salad

Tuesday:

Breakfast- Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Fruit

Lunch- Sandwiches, Chips

Dinner- Slow Cooker BBQ served on Texas Toast, potato salad

Wednesday:

Breakfast- Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Fruit

Lunch- Leftovers or Sandwiches

Dinner- Pizza

Thursday:

Breakfast- Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Fruit

Lunch- Sandwiches, Chips

Dinner- Chicken Fettuccine, green beans, salad

Friday: 

Breakfast- Muffins

Lunch- Chicken Salad Sandwiches

Dinner- Chili/Rice

Saturday:

Breakfast- Pancakes

Lunch- Chicken Salad Sandwiches

Dinner- Nachos

Sunday- Cereal

Lunch- Out

Dinner- Out

What's for dinner at your house this week?

Cheesy Crockpot Chicken

Slow cooking now in the crockpot is the following:


Cheesy Crockpot Chicken


1 Can Cream of Chicken (reduced fat)
1 Can Condensed Cheese Soup
4 Chicken Breasts
1/4 tsp garlic powder

Place chicken in crockpot. Mix remaining ingredients together and pour on top of chicken. Slow cook for 8 hours on low and serve over rice or pasta (we will be using pasta). We'll be having a side serving of Italian green beans. Super Easy!

Meal Plan January 9-15

Here's what's cookin' at our house this week:

Monday:

Breakfast: Breakfast Bar/Gogurt/Cereal (choice)
Lunch: Sandwiches or Leftovers from weekend
Dinner: Cornbread Casserole/Salad (recipe here)

Tuesday:

Breakfast: Breakfast Bar/Gogurt/Cereal (choice)
Lunch: Sandwiches or leftovers
Dinner: Cheesy Chicken (Crockpot) with noodles, green beans

Wednesday:

Breakfast: Breakfast Bar/Gogurt/Cereal (choice)
Lunch: Hotdogs/Chips
Dinner: Pizza

Thursday:

Breakfast: Breakfast Bar/Gogurt/Cereal (choice)
Lunch: Sandwiches or Leftovers
Dinner: Chicken Nuggets/FF

Friday:

Breakfast: Breakfast Bar/Gogurt/Cereal (choice)
Lunch: Grilled Cheese/Chips/Fruit
Dinner: Crockpot Lasagna/Salad/Bread

Saturday:

Breakfast: Pancakes
Lunch: Leftovers
Dinner: Chicken Stew w/biscuits

Sunday:

Breakfast: Breakfast Bar/Gogurt/Cereal (choice)
Lunch: Out to Eat
Dinner: FF, Leftovers, Sandwiches...OYO

I'm linking up with OrgJunkie's Meal Plan Monday! Check out other great meal plans there!

Menu Plan for January 2-8

Here's my menu plan for the week. Hope your first week of 2012 is awesome!

Monday:

Breakfast- cereal (Honey Nut Cheerios)

Lunch- Ramon Noodles

Dinner- Left Overs from the weekend

Tuesday:

Breakfast- Breakfast bars or Cereal or Yogurt

Lunch- Turkey Sandwiches and Chips 

Dinner- Roast/Potatoes/Carrots/Onion and Salad and Bread (crock pot)

Wednesday:

Breakfast- Fruit and Cereal or breakfast bar (school starts back)

Lunch- Leftovers or Turkey Sandwich and Chips

Dinner- Pigs in a Blanket, Macaroni and Cheese and Fruit

Thursday:

Breakfast- Fruit and Cereal or Breakfast bar

Lunch- Turkey Sandwich and Chips or Ramon or Leftovers

Dinner- Spaghetti, green beans, bread

Friday:

Breakfast- Breakfast bar or Cereal and Fruit or Yogurt

Lunch- Hot Dogs and Chips

Dinner- Jambalaya, cornbread and salad

Saturday: (Bruce's Birthday!)

Breakfast- Pancakes 

Lunch- Egg Salad or Chicken Salad Sandwiches and Chips

Dinner- BBQ Chicken, Sweet Potato Fries, Broccoli, Pineapple

Sunday:

Breakfast- Cereal or Yogurt

Lunch- Out to Eat (Sit Down)

Dinner- Leftovers from the week or Sandwiches

Snack Items:

Dessert for Bruce's Birthday

Brownie Mix

Ice Cream

Anything yummy cookin' at your house this week?

I'm linking up with Orgjunkie today for Meal Plan Monday.

Meal Plan

Here's what's cookin' for dinner at our house this week:


Monday: Steaks, roasted potatoes, green beans, corn on the cob, strawberry shortcake

Tuesday: Pork Chops, broccoli and rice casserole, tomato and cucumber salad

Wednesday: Hot Dogs, mac n cheese

Thursday: Lasagna, Salad, Bread

Friday: Cornbread Casserole


What's cookin' in your neck of the woods?

Meal Plan Monday

This week my family will be eating....

Monday: Pizza (I will be eating Kashi's brand)
Tuesday: Lemon Herb Chicken w/whole grain pasta, Green Beans, Fruit
Wednesday: Subway (I will be eating a veggie sub)
Thursday: Turkey Sausage and chipolte roasted sweet potatoes and veggies, pineapple
Friday: Turkey Dogs, Whole Grain Mac and Cheese

What's cookin' in your kitchen?