Menu Planning Monday - April 30th

So, here we are - another busy week. last week was really kind of low key, and I liked it much better. It seems about every other week (the week with Girl Scouts) we're running ragged.

If anyone was considering trying the recipe i posted last week for the Peanut butter cup brownies - they were DELICIOUS! But if you wanted to try the slow cooker fajitas (with chicken rather then beef), I advise against it. Now, don't get me wrong, it wasn't BAD... but rather there was a lot of standing liquid and the meat itself was dry. Yea, in a slow cooker, I can't figure that one out.

So here is how our week is working itself out:

Monday - Macaroni and cheese, corn dogs, assorted veggies with dip
Tuesday - Breakfast (french toast bake, eggs, sausage, fruit)
Wednesday - Pasta night, salad
Thursday - clean out the fridge night! (left overs)
 Friday - "Happy Hour" Friday dinner: chicken fingers, homemade mozzarella sticks, veggie tray with ranch dip (we missed this last week)
Saturday - Pizza night
Sunday - Grilled chicken, corn, salad

As always, make sure to check out I'm an Organizing Junkie for more menu planning ideas!

{this moment}

{this moment} - inspired by SouleMama

A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.




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Keep Calm, Craft On

This post has been sitting in my drafts for 3 days now, so I figured I may as well finish it up - right?

I am sorry to say that I have no photo of my project this week, as we have had rain the last 5 days straight. No complaints, we really needed it.

Anyways - I am slowly but surely working on a Wonderful Wallaby for Andrew (link is to my Ravelry project page)

I'm finally to the part where the placket is forming, but we haven't divided to create the opening yet that will lead into the neck and then hood. I've pretty much been at this point since early October (I always seem to have a post-holiday lull in crafting, I just can't do it)

At any rate, I hope that MAYBE I will have to done for his birthday... in mid-June (that's just shy of 2 months, do able - right? maybe....)

Sadly, the knit horse I was working on my last KCCO post is sitting unfinished - i keep getting distracted while sewing the seams and am only about 1/4 of the way done sewing the seams so i can stuff, make ears, add the mane... Elizabeth knows what is coming and it's for her, maybe I'll have hers done for her birthday too (late-mid June)

That's it - hopefully I'll have more progress (and pictures!) next time!

Linking up with Nicole from Frontier Dreams

Menu Planning Monday - April 23rd

WOW - last week was HECTIC! To top it off we woke up to SNOW this morning!
So thankfully that this week is a bit calmer. 1 home lacrosse game and that's it for kid's  activities until the weekend.

So - without further ado, here is our plan for the week!

Monday - Grilled cheese and tomato soup
Tuesday - Slow cooker chicken fajitas
Wednesday - Pasta night - slow cooker sauce with meatballs and thin spaghetti, salad
Thursday - Chicken and rice pilaf dish, with broccoli
Friday - "Happy Hour" Friday dinner: chicken fingers, homemade mozzarella sticks, veggie tray with ranch dip
Saturday - Pizza night
Sunday - Roast chicken, herb baked potatoes (scroll down past the coca-cola chicken recipe for the potato one), and green beans

 I'm also going to be doing an assortment of baking. Some as snacks for the kids (esp with the oldest doing lacrosse and the youngest starting baseball, plus the middle child is starving after horseback riding... they have hollow legs, I tell you!). Plus, I volunteered to make snack for the kids in my middle child's class after they are finished with the standardized testing for New York state this week.

Peanut butter cup brownies - for school treat
Homemade granola bars  - after school snack?
Energy balls - sports snack

I'll be subbing in chai seeds for the flax seed, as well as cocoa for coconut in a batch of the energy balls (oldest hates flaked coconut!)


As always, make sure to check out I'm an Organizing Junkie for more menu planning ideas!

{this moment}

{this moment} - inspired by SouleMama

A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.


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Menu Planning Monday - April 16th

A lot of people I see in my day-to-day life ask me about menu planning, so today this post is for them. 

Menu planning is awesome! It has helped me to stream line my grocery shopping list and helps cut down on cost and waste. I check out the weather so I don't try panning too many heavy, hot meals if the weather is going to be nice, or vice versa. Menu planning also helps me to simplify the evening and leaves me with ideas for dinner when dinner time rolls around, rather then having everyone ask "mom, what's for supper?" when they are already starving. I order out less, and cook more. But when I first started menu planning, I completely stressed out when dinner plans didn't turn our perfectly as planned for, I was one seriously stressed out mama.

I recently posted on my personal Facebook wall that "being a mom means being flexible". I think that especially is true when it comes to meal times and coordinating everyone's schedules, with work, activities and sports. With my young, busy family, we are often on the go more then not, especially during the week.

So I'm learning to be flexible. So while I do show what days of the week I try to have specific meals panned for, more often then not things happen. The meat isn't thawed, someone finished the last of the bread (or milk, etc), or a last minute unknown activity calls us away from home. So we often have meals on different days, or something altogether entirely different (you're starving now and want cereal for dinner? sure!). This is why you may see a lot of repeated menu ideas from me from one week to the next - chances are we didn't have that meal and I still have most everything I need to prepare it!

So if are you curious about menu planning and if it will work for you, I saw give it a try! It doesn't matter if you are a family or 1 or 2, or a family of more! Even just for a week or 2 and see if it helps make meal times more pleasant for you and your family.

So - without further ado, here is our plan for the week!

Monday - BLTs
Tuesday - Big breakfast night - french toast, fruit, sausage, etc...
Wednesday - Pasta night - baked ziti with salad
Thursday - YOYO - you're on your own
Friday - Grilling - "anything we can toss on their grill to eat"
Saturday - Pizza night
Sunday - We just haven't decided yet, we may go out.

As always, make sure to check out I'm an Organizing Junkie for more menu planning ideas!

Weekending

Hoping everyone is having an excellent weekend!

{this moment}

{this moment} - inspired by SouleMama

A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.




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 Translation of kid's writing:Dear Easter Bunny, Are you brown or white? we left lettuce help you self! Sincerely, Elizabeth

Menu Planning Monday - April 9th

Menu planning will be vital this week, with the kids being home from school from spring break. As such, I've made a list of lunch ideas I am going to share below our dinner menu plan for the week. My kids love sandwiches, so most of our lunch ideas will be sandwiches.

Thankfully, my trio slept in rather then waking up me rudely on their first day of spring break. Obviously I'm already in heaven and hoping the rest of spring break runs as smoothly (though the girls arguing in the kitchen gives me serious doubts).

Also, some dinners are a carry over form last week, when various snafus turned planned dinners into simple sandwich nights, or even an evening at my in-laws for Easter dinner on Saturday. No complaints here - means less to shop for this week!

Monday: Chicken and rice, green beans
Tuesday: Breakfast for dinner (ham and cheese omelets, waffles, fruit, yogurt)
Wednesday: Pizza, salad, and cinnamon bread sticks
Thursday: Pasta night - plain pasta, marinara sauce
Friday: "Fast Food" Friday (made at home) - chicken strips, burgers, fries
Saturday: fend-for-yourself night
Sunday: Baked ziti, salad


Lunch Ideas
Sandwiches:
Ham Salad
Tuna salad
Egg salad
Peanut butter and Jelly
Homemade hot pockets
Macaroni and cheese
Leftovers
Soup
"sides": grapes, apples, orange segments, raisins, carrots, celery, yogurt

As always, make sure you check out I'm an Organizing Junkie for my menu planning ideas!

{this moment}

{this moment} - inspired by SouleMama

A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.



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Keep Calm, Craft On

It may not look it now, but by Easter morning this bit of yarn will transform itself into a lovely horse for my sweet Lizzy.

Sadly, Andrew's wonderful wallaby hasn't seen much action since last fall (I did knit a couple of rows, a couple of weeks ago). Thinking I should get on top of that after I finish this horse.

Joining Nicole and the rest of those linking up over on the Frontier Dreams blog

Menu Planning Monday - April 2nd

It's been awhile since I've posted a menu, but here I am again! It's been a crazy whirlwind of a winter and start of spring, and it isn't slowing down at all anytime soon! So thankfully that I menu plan for times like these!

I also found a new printable for weekly dinner planning that I LOVE! you can find it free over at the blog called AE. Or follow this link directly to the post (and download) of the printable!

Here is our week at a glance

Monday: Homemade macaroni and cheese (we use shredded cheddar), with broccoli

Tuesday: Crunchy onion chicken, red potatoes in chive butter sauce

Wednesday: One dish vegetarian dinner (pasta dish)

Thursday: Chicken and rice pilaf, with veggies and dip

Friday: Fried haddock, fries, salad

Saturday: Pizza and bread sticks, with salad

Sunday: Easter dinner - Ham (slow cooker style, so good and it can start cooking while at church!), scalloped and roasted potatoes, green beans, pineapple, and no doubt some desserts will be made too!

Make sure to stop over to I'm an Organizing Junkie for my links to bloggers sharing their weekly menus!