A New Plan

Well I guess the summer was more "miss" than "hit" with menu posting. I guess when you combine adjusting to three kids, a busy summer and a stolen laptop that's what you get! I did make menus each week, but they never made it to the cyber world.

As I try to get our family in some sort of groove for the school year, I've come up with a new menu plan. A friend of mine introduced me to e-mealz and I've decided to give it a go. This is a weekly service that provides either a 5 or 7 day menu and grocery list! (Cue the angels singing!) You can pick from a few different grocery chains and in doing so, the menus are planned around the weekly ads to save you money. There are also specialty menus such as low-carb and vegetarian. You have to pay for 3 months at a time which comes to $15. My plan is to try it out for three months. If I like it, I'll stick with it another round or two. If not, I'll use the menus/lists I received and integrate them in with family favorites and new meals we'd like to try. I'm hoping to re-vamp our meal list in the mean-time to make this whole process more stream-lined. Menu planning has just become such a beating for me so I'm hoping this helps.

If anyone is interested in looking at some of the menus/lists or going in on a subscription with me, let me know. We can all use a little help some days! :)

June 11 - 17

Just when I was getting back into the groove of making and posting menus, summer hit! Without preschool I'm having to find different days and times to get to the store so this will probably be pretty hit-or-miss until the fall.

Before I get to this week's menu, just a couple of quick reviews. Only one of the 3 chicken recipes I posted previously worked out for us - the cordon bleu bundles. The other 2 were just ok. I've made the bundles twice now and they look so fancy and taste just as good! Also, the sesame cold noodles were very tasty and perfect for the hot summer weather we've been having. The only downside was it made way more than we could eat before it went bad. I need to remember that recipe for the next bbq we're invited to :)

Orange Marmalade Chicken

Chillie Lime Cobb Salad

Pizza

BBQ Beef Sandwiches and Cole Slaw

Turkey Burgers with Sweet Potato Fries

Lemon Linguine with French Bread

May 23 - 29

I stumbled upon a new recipe while shopping for last week's groceries. I was planning on buying potatoes to mash them for a side dish when I found 1lb packages of bite-sized potatoes in various varieties - golden, red, purple and mixed. On the back of each was a recipe. I ended up choosing the goldens and making creamy lime potatoes. It was quite good warm or cold (think potato salad). On top of that, it was super easy: boil the potatoes whole for about 15 minutes & drain. In a bowl combine 1/2 cup sour cream with the juice and zest of 1 lime. Toss the potatoes with the sauce and salt and pepper to taste. Done!

For this week I found 3 easy chicken dishes while watching the Nate Berkus show the other day (as much as it embarrasses me to admit that!). I'm planning on cooking up an entire family size package of chicken breasts to help with the prep.

Chicken Dishes:

• BBQ Chicken Penne




• Chicken Cordon Bleu Bundles




• Chicken Salad Sandwiches

Sesame Cold Noodles with Zuccini and Cabbage


Cheese, Crackers and Fruit


Tacos

May 10 - 16

Once again I forgot to post my menu for last week. I don't remember trying any new meals, but I did try a new snack recipe - kale chips! They are so good and good for you! Here's what I do:

Wash and completely dry one bunch of kale. Tear the leaf part into chip-size pieces (do not use the thick stem part). Toss the pieces with about a tablespoon of olive oil (don't use too much oil) and some sea salt (or whatever seasoning your heart desires). Spread onto a cookie sheet spacing out the chips a bit and bake at 375 for 10-15 minutes or until crispy, but not burned. So far I've over-seasoned one batch and under-seasoned another. It's kind of a trial and error thing. To me they taste like roasted pumpkin seeds and are super addictive!

This is a short menu week for us and we still have one last game of t-ball so easy meals are on the list.

• Swedish Meatballs with Mashed Potatoes

• Fish Tacos

• Pizza

• Firecracker Enchiladas (left-overs in the freezer)

• Sub Sandwiches with Chips and Fruit

April 26 - May 2

I'm still getting my groove back in the dinner-making arena. I managed to make a menu last week, but never got it posted here. Sorry about that. The only new recipe we tried was for Chicken Picadillo out of the Penzey's spice catalog. Keenan called it a Jamaican wrap and everyone enjoyed it - including the kids! I'll try to post it another time.

On to this week. Tomorrow's Chick-Fil-A family night which means I can feed the 4 of us that eat solid food for $7 with 2 free kids meal and a BOGO deal card! We also have visitors this week who will be taking us out to dinner one night. A nice, easy week for me. When it comes to cooking anyway ;)

• Chipotle Mac and Cheese

• Firecracker Enchiladas

• Sausage Pepper Pasta

• Orange Marmalade Chicken with Rice

• Crockpot Braised Short Ribs with Cabbage and Carrots

April 12 - 18

Well I did pretty well for my first full week of meals after a month off. Some friends invited us over for dinner one night and we ended up eating out another (nothing like remodeling the kitchen for a good eat out excuse!). Now I have one roll-over for this week! Here we go! Turkey Meatloaf Spaghetti Pizza Chicken Tacos Grilled Chicken & Orange Skewers with Zuccini Rice (from my latest Real Simple) Roast Sausage and Potatoes Special Treat: Orange Rolls

Back in the Saddle - April 5 - 11

Well, it's been a month with our new baby and I've definitely been spoiled. We had family in town for almost 3 weeks straight and during the in-between times our lovely church family provided meals for us. There was a night or two here and there that I needed to provide a meal for my family, but I was able to pull together something quick using freezer and pantry supplies.

Now it's time to get back at it. I'm not sure how this is going to go with t-ball 3 times a week and a month old baby, but we'll see. I already warned Keenan there may be some impromtu take-out nights :)

• Greek Pasta Salad with Chicken


• Baked Tofu with Rice and Sugar Snap Peas


• Orange Marmalade Chicken and Rice


• Tacos


• Turkey Meatloaf with Mashed Potatoes


• Hot Dogs with Baked Beans


• Breakfast - Trail Mix Breakfast Bites

Feb 22 - 28

This should be the last menu I'll post for a little while ;) Tomorrow night is "Family Night" at Chick-Fil-A and kids eat free so we'll be taking advantage of that! Also, some sweet friends from our Sunday school class offered to bring us a meal this week which will help a ton! Other than that, it's old stand-by's and a couple of recent repeats since Keenan didn't have a sense of taste at the time. See you in a few weeks! :)

Breakfast for Dinner - quiche in a cup, yogurt waffles, turkey bacon and yogurt, fruit and quinoa crunch parfaits.

Hamburgers and French Fries

Chicken Tikka Masala with Rice

Orange Marmalade Chicken with Rice

BLT's with Avocado, Fruit and Chips

Feb 15 - 21

Review time! Our crockpot meals were great and just what I needed as I've hit the "I'm ready to have this baby" wall :) First we tried the Slow-Cooker Spinach and Ricotta Lasagna. While it lacked a little something (garlic maybe?), I think if I try a different sauce it has some potential. Much less work than regular lasagna and just as tasty! Next we had the Slow-Cooker Creamy Chicken and Biscuits. I used some of my Mural of Flavor spice from Penzkeys as the poultry seasoning and the whole dish was great! Of course, the best part was the homemade drop biscuits - perfection!

Keenan has a band commitment this week so he'll be gone 4 evenings this week. Bring on the easy, kid-friendly meals!

Falafel Sandwiches

Curried Tomato Bisque with Fresh Bread or Grilled Cheese

Pizza

Cauliflower Gratin

Chicken Nuggets with Mac 'n Cheese

Tacos

Feb 8 - 14

Our only new recipe for last week, the Corn and Kielbasa Chowder was a winner!. I went ahead and made a double bactch and stuck half in the freezer for these upcoming weeks/months :) I'm very thankful that my latest Real Simple came this week. My energy and creativity levels are pretty low with two sick kiddos and being a week from full term - yikes! The magazine has a great slow-cooker section that I've picked two of our meals from as well as a yummy-sounding soup. We're hoping to go out to dinner with friends this weekend, but I've planned plenty of meals in case the kids aren't well when the time comes. Is it spring yet?

Turkey Tenderloin with Mashed Potatoes and Veggies

Spinach & Ricotta Lasagna (in the crock-pot, Real Simple)

Creamy Chicken & Biscuits (in the crock-pot, Real Simple)

Curried Tomato Bisque Soup (Real Simple) with Fresh Bread

Orange Marmalade Chicken and Rice

Bratwurst with Baked Beans

Turkey Bacon BLT's with Avocado

Breakfast Treat: Lemon Rolls

Nothing to review this week as I chose all tried and true recipes last week. I did, however, test out my new pressure cooker (thanks to my MIL both for getting it for me and showing me how to work it!) making some pinto beans to flesh out our Spanish Beef and Rice meal. Now that I'm over my intimidation, I definitely need to use it more often - what a time saver! I'm hoping to stock-pile some beans and chicken in the freezer for these first few months with a newborn in the house again :)

Another "easy" menu for this week. It's supposed to be pretty cold the next few days so I tried to pick some hearty/feel-good meals. I guess I'm on a roast turkey/chicken kick :)

Roast Chicken and Veggies with Breadmaker Rolls

Chicken Tacos (using leftover roast chicken)

Corn and Kielbasa Chowder

Cottage Cheese Blintzes with Strawberry Sauce

Turkey Breast, Mashed Potatoes and Veggies

Buffalo Chicken Meatballs with Carrots and Celery for Super Bowl Sunday!

Pizza (out)

Jan 25 - 31

After my friend posted her menu last week, I suddenly realized I forgot to post mine! Sorry about that. We did have a highlight new meal last week - Crock Pot Braised Short Ribs. It was so easy and so tasty and gave us plenty of leftovers. Yummy!

On to this week!

Chili and Cornbread

Tofu Stir Fry

Chicken and Spinach Alfredo with French Bread

Roast Turkey Breast, Mashed Potatoes and Veggies

Spanish Beef and Rice

Stuffed Poblano Peppers using left-over Spanish Beef and Rice

Jan 11 - 17

The only new recipe from last week was the Italian Wedding Soup and it worked out great. The only down-side was the orzo soaked up most of the broth for our leftovers. It still tastes good, but not really soup-like anymore. Definitely a nice light, but warming winter meal.

Here's this week's plan:

Cranberry Muffins for Saturday breakfast

Pan-Fried Spinach Ravioli

Pepperoni Pizza Puffs (roll-over)

Chicken Tacos (using leftover roast chicken)

Tofu Stir Fry

Chili and Cornbread

Reuben Sandwiches with Chips and Fruit

Eggs and Potatoes

Jan 4 - 10

Time to get back at it! Somehow this week's menu wasn't too tough to pull together. I had some roll-overs from last week (that I forgot to post) and a couple of old stand-bys we haven't had in a while. Here we go!

Smothered Bean Burritos

Spaghetti with French Bread

Turkey Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes

Italian Wedding Soup

Roast Chicken and Veggies with Bread Machine Dinner Rolls

Pepperoni Pizza Puffs with Crunchy Veggies

Dec 14 - 20

The Spicy Monte Cristos from last week were a huge hit! So much so - we're having them again this week :) I was hoping to make a menu to get us through to Christmas, but that's just not happening tonight. At least next week's run will (should) be a quick one.

Beef Stroganoff with Noodles and Peas

Spicy Monte Cristos with Chips and Fruit

Baked Fish and Chips with Veggies

Chicken Cesar Salad with Fresh Bread

Lasagna with Salad and Fresh Bread

Beans and Cornbread

Bean Burritos (using leftover beans)

Dec 7 - 13

As for reviews, I only have 2. The spinach and brie chicken was just ok. It just lacked a little something. The orzo salad that went with it, however, was quite tasty and the kids loved it. The veggie enchiladas were also just ok. I'm pretty sure it was the sauce that I was underwhelmed by so I'm considering making them again with Rachael Ray's Firecracker Enchilada sauce.

Keenan helped out some friends and neighbors this past week with various projects and his (our) payment was in dinner! So, I have a couple of roll-overs this week. I also remembered some shepherd's pie in the freezer that we should eat making for an easy menu this week. Next week will be more of a challenge trying to get us to Christmas with only one major grocery trip! We'll see how that goes!

Chicken and Spinach Alfredo with fresh bread

Sausage, Chestnut and Apple Stuffing

Shepherd's Pie (from the freezer)

Brinner: home fries and eggs

Hot Dogs with Baked Beans

Paella

Spicy Monte Cristos with Chips and Fruit

Nov 28 - Dec 6

Ok...time to get back at it. Since we just got back in town and needed food in the house, I've made this menu to get me through the next week and a half instead of shopping twice (shiver). We swapped Hannukah gifts with my family while we were in town and I now have a bread maker! I'm hoping to make a loaf or two this week to accompany our meals :)

Tacos

Broccoli and Cheese Soup with (bread maker) French bread

Veggie Enchiladas

Spinach and Brie Chicken with Orzo Salad

Sausage, Apple and Chestnut Dressing

Hannukah Dinner: Pot Roast, Cauliflower Gratin and Latkes

Mac 'n Cheese and Fish Sticks

Tofu Stir Fry

Spinach and Chicken Alfredo

Ooops

Sorry...I forgot to post my menu for this week. Well, really there's nothing to post. Still some roll-overs, a couple of quick and easy meals (think spaghetti), eating out and getting ready to leave town. Speaking of which - no menu next week either. I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving! :)

Let's start with some reviews this time. The Mexican-sytle Quinoa was a big hit with everyone. The kids didn't even question it and dove right in. The Baked Ziti was just ok for me. Nothing too special worth trying again. We did get a decent amount of leftovers out of it, though :)

On to this week. We have a couple of nights with dinner plans so it was an easy menu-making week for me :)

Spinach Salad with Warm (Turkey) Bacon Dressing

Chili with Cornbread

Chicken and Gnocci Soup

Swedish Meatballs and Mashed Potatoes (thanks to an Ikea run!)

Creamy Green Chilie Enchiladas with Spanish Rice (using leftover roast chicken!)

Nov 2 - 8

I guess I must be back in the swing of things because tonight's menu-making process was agonizing! It's supposed to be much cooler this week so I can finally pull out some soups/stews/chilies with more enjoyment. :)


Mexican-style Quinoa (see recipe below)

Creamy Baked Ziti

Chili and Cornbread

Roast Chicken and Veggies (again, for company)

Chicken Fajitas (using leftover chicken)

Broccoli Cheddar Soup and Sandwiches

Mexican-Style Quinoa

1tsp cumin

1T olive oil

juice of 1 lime

1/4 cup cilantro

1/2tsp minced garlic

1 cup chopped green bell pepper

1 cup diced tomato

1 cup black beans

1 cup rinsed quinoa, cooked according to package

Sliced avocados

Chop veggies and combine all ingredients while quinoa cooks. Add quinoa to veggie mix and chill for 15 min. Serve with avocados.