Menu Plan - 9.28.09 (recipe added)

Today is the first day that the weather really feels like fall. I want to put on a comfy sweatshirt, curl up under a blanket, sip some cider, and watch football. So, it works out perfectly that this week's plan includes chili and homemade bread. Mmmmm!

If you want more menu inspiration, visit orgjunkie.com.

Monday
Chili and homemade bread

Tuesday
Spaghetti and meatballs

Wednesday
Cheesy chicken and noodles*

Thursday
Breakfast for dinner

Friday
Leftovers

*The cheesy chicken and noodles casserole is one of our favorites, and is great for when you want to take a meal to someone. I just looked in my archives and I don't think I've ever posted the recipe, which I can't believe because it is such a favorite! I don't have it in front of me at the moment, but I'll return to post it later. It's a keeper!

***Here it is***

Cheesy Chicken & Noodles
16 oz noodles, cooked
4 cups chicken, cooked and cubed
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2 cups velveta cheese
2 cups milk

Mix all ingredients and pour into a baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes, stirring a few times to incorporate the ingredients.

This makes a lot so I usually freeze half of this or plan to have it twice in a week. (It's yummy enough that we'll eat twice in one week!)

Menu Plan Monday - 9/21/09

There's not anything extraordinary about my menu plan for the week, but I guess that's what makes it realistic. :-) As always, for more menu ideas visit orgjunkie.com.

Monday
Stir Fry

Tuesday
Roast w/ potatoes and carrots in the crock pot

Wednesday
Goulash (using leftover roast)

Thursday
Ham and bean soup

Friday
Left overs

Menu plan for 9/14/09

There is something about fall that makes me extremely motivated to be in the kitchen. Case in point: this weekend I froze five pints of tomatoes from our garden, made four pints of homemade chicken stock, cooked and froze four cups of chicken, and cooked and froze four cups of ham. Wow! I haven't been that active in the kitchen all summer!

I'm also much better about planning out a weekly menu in the fall which is why I am making a return to Menu Plan Monday. It definitely helps me to keep focused during the week - when I don't do this we end up eating out a lot more and doing more convenience foods at home. Here is the menu for this week:

Monday
Pork fried rice

Tuesday
Spaghetti and meatballs

Wednesday
Chicken and stuffing

Thursday
Leftovers

Friday
Pizza

For more menu ideas visit orgjunkie.com.

Efficiency cooking

I have been busy, busy, busy in the kitchen tonight.

Well, I'm not sure if my activity qualifies for three "busy" labels, but it does qualify for at least two. (It does. I checked the rules and guidelines on using the word "busy" and according to the powers-that-be, I am completely justified.)

(I just made that last part up.)

(Like you didn't already know that.)

Yeah, so anyway, back to tonight's "efficiency cooking." I'm calling it this because I cooked several things tonight that will make my meal preparation for the week a breeze. I also have some surplus that will go in the freezer for future meals. Yay!

So, first, here is my menu plan for the week:

Monday
Pork chops in the crock pot, stuffing, cooked carrots

Tuesday
Goulash, salad

Wednesday
Rush off to church night - leftovers, or whatever we can find

Thursday
Chicken stir fry, rice

Friday
Sloppy Joe's, fries, and some form of vegetable

And now, the efficiency part...

In the past couple months I've made an effort to stockpile things in my freezer. This means that I try to make extras of what I'm making already, or I am intentional about prepping foods ahead of time so they are easier to use down the road.

There are three things that I did weeks ago that will help me immensely this week. First, I bought a big beef roast on sale, made it in the crock pot, then sliced it and froze it.

Second, I made a triple batch of sloppy joe's when we had company two weeks ago, and froze the extra.

Third, when I make pasta or noodles, I try to make double what I need so I can freeze the rest. I figure if I'm going to have to wash my big ole pasta pot, I might as well make enough for several meals!

Now on to what I did today. Kroger had chicken breasts on sale this week so I picked up several packages, and I threw all of the chicken in the crock pot when we got home from church today. I cubed all of it tonight, and what I don't use for my chicken stir fry will go in the freezer for use at a later date.

Next, I pulled out some bell peppers, carrots, and mushrooms and chopped them up. I stir fried all of the carrots, and half of the peppers and mushrooms. I tried to leave them a little undercooked so that when I reheat them on Thursday (adding some of the cubed chicken that I cooked in the crock pot), they'll be just right.

In the same pan that I used for the stir fry, I cooked the rest of the peppers and mushrooms, along with some chopped tomatoes. Then I diced my pre-cooked roast, threw that into the mix, and eventually added my pre-cooked macaroni, a can of tomato soup, and some tomato sauce to finish off my goulash. This is now in the fridge, ready to be reheated and eaten on Tuesday.

Since I am using the crock pot tomorrow to cook my pork chops, and since my sloppy joes are pre-made and waiting for me in the freezer, all of this cooking tonight means that I won't have to do much cooking for the rest of the week. Woohoo!

Oh, and tomorrow I am making more pork chops than we can possibly eat (like the chicken, I bought extra because they were on sale this week), so guess where those will end up? In the freezer! For a future meal!

(I seriously need to get a stand-alone freezer.)

Another thing I accomplished tonight was making all of our lunches ahead for the week. I made enough sandwiches for the whole week and bagged up a bunch of chips, then set all of the other elements (cans of pop, fruit cups, 100-calorie cookie packs, pudding) together on a shelf where I can easily grab them in the morning.

Yeah, AND I set the coffee for tomorrow morning.

This was more than I wanted to do on a Sunday night, but knowing that I'm pretty much set for the week makes it all worth it.

Here are three more things to be excited about this week:
1. My birthday!
2. As of Wednesday, no more political ads.
3. My first bloggy award! (Thanks Whitney!) I'll be back to post about this tomorrow.

Head over to orgjunkie.com for more great meal plans!

Menu Plan Monday - Week of 10.13.08

Last week at our house didn't turn out how I thought. (Thankfully, there were no fires.)

We arrived home from church last Wednesday night and were about to put Kaitlyn to bed, when she got a wierd look on her face.

A face that made us say, "Uh Oh."

Yeah, she threw up.

Five or six times.

She was sick on Thursday, did fairly well on Friday, but then got sick again on Saturday. Sheesh!

Yesterday was a good day, so she went back to the sitter's house today.

So, that's why I haven't posted in a week. But, I'm back to post my menu plan. (I'm sure your appreciative that I've combined the subjects of menu planning and throwing up in the same post.)

I normally only post my weekday menu but this weekend we might be having friends over, so I will post the menu for that as well.

Monday
Pork roast and potatoes in the crock pot, with herb soup seasoning (mixed with water) on top

Tuesday
Erin's made up chicken casserole - this will be a cross between chicken pot pie (chicken and veggies mixed with cream of chicken soup and chicken broth) and shepherd's pie (w/ mashed potatoes on top)

Wednesday
Pork chops and scalloped potatoes

Thursday
Chicken stir fry with brown rice

Friday
Up for grabs

Weekend Entertaining
Sloppy joes - I made this yesterday and have it in the freezer for the weekend
Mac and cheese - I'm not sure if the kiddos will be too excited about sloppy joes, so I'm making this as an option for them. It's a new recipe for me, but it appealed to me because 1) I can make it in the crock pot and 2) it's Paula Deen - yum!
Veggies and dip
Chips
A modified version of these fruit bars - I pack a little of the mixture in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish, top with sliced apples, then sprinkle the rest of the mixture* on top and bake as recommended. It makes a yummy apple crisp!

*When I say "the rest of the mixture" I really mean whatever is left over after I have "sampled" and "taste tested" it. I wonder how many Weight Watcher points are in this...

There you have it! Stop by orgjunkie.com for more menu ideas.

A menu plan by the incredible shrinking woman who also gave herself an early birthday present

This post is a combination of three posts that have been running through my brain in the past two days.

Hence, the never-ending title.

I hope the post won't be never-ending.

Subject #1: My menu plan, in no particular order...

Chicken noodle soup and homemade (!!!) rolls
Pork chops and stuffing (carried over from last week)
Chicken and noodle casserole
Shredded pork enchiladas
Chicken left overs
Enchilada left overs

I was Susie Homemaker this weekend! I bought some bone in chicken breasts and used them (along with carrots, celery, and onion) to make my own chicken stock.

I took the chicken off the bone and divided it in half - one half to be used for soup and one half to be used in the casserole. I also set aside a couple pints of the chicken stock - one for the casserole, and one for future use.

Then, I made my chicken noodle soup and included homemade noodles (using my mom's recipe). Mmmmm.

In addition to the homemade noodles, I used this recipe to make dinner rolls from scratch. Mmmmmmm.

Then I cooked some noodles (not homemade) for my casserole, and put them, the chicken, two cups of chicken stock, a can of 98% fat-free cream of chicken soup, and some seasonings in a casserole dish. I put in the fridge and heated it up for dinner tonight. Simple, but good, and we have lots of leftovers.

Today I also cooked a four-pound pork loin in the crock pot. When I got home I divided it into four sections, shredded it all, put three sections in the freezer for later use, then mixed the fourth section with some taco seasoning and put it in the fridge for Thursday night, when I plan to make enchiladas.

Whew! I promise you that I'm not always this productive. In fact, I don't know what's gotten into me lately. All I know is that I want to get as much stuff in the freezer while I have this crazy energy!

Subject #2: The incredible shrinking woman

I joined Weight Watchers (again) last week. I had success with WW before I got married, and since Kaitlyn was born I've tried several times to get back on track. But lately I've had renewed motivation to lose the 75 extra pounds I'm carrying.

75 POUNDS.

That's crazy!

Anyway, this renewed motivation happened to coincide with a recent revival in my prayer life. Coincidence? I think not.

It also happened to coincide with the start of a "Weight Watchers at Work" program through my employer.

So.

I weighed in today and in the first week, I lost 5.2 pounds! WOO! HOO!

(People usually lose a lot of weight during the first week because of all the water weight, and then it's supposed to level off to 0-2 pounds per week.)

I have lots of other thoughts related to the weight issue, but I'll save those for another day.

Subject #3: My early birthday present

For a while now, I've wanted to get a FoodSaver vacuum sealer. Kohl's has them on sale this week - their normal price is $199 and I got it on sale for $79.99. Happy birthday to me!

I got it yesterday and I've already used it to seal up leftovers from last night, the three pounds of shredded pork I mentioned above, and a bag of baby carrots that was soon to go bad.

I think Mike is skeptical that I'll use it on a regular basis, but I have high hopes. I gave it a place of honor on my kitchen counter, which I've read is one of the keys to actually USING it, versus storing it in a cupboard and intending to pull it out when needed.

If anyone has a vacuum sealer, feel free to share any tips or suggestions!

Subject #4: My mom

Ok, so I cheated and threw this one in at the last minute. (Get over it.)

My mom started her chemo today. I talked to her tonight and she was in good spirits. If you think of it, please pray that the rest of her week (especially once the medicine really kicks in) will go smoothly.

Subject #5: Mike and the fire

Yeah, I cheated again and threw another one in. (Hey, it is my blog, after all.)

The majority owner of the company has found a building to lease for the short-term, and is thinking about rebuilding on the site of the building that got BBQ'd. They will hopefully be able to begin portions of production tomorrow.

In the meantime, they are getting orders like crazy! This is a big answer to prayer! For 3+ years we've been waiting for things to take off, and we seem to finally be getting to that place. Ironic, because they manufacture RV's (fold-out campers, to be exact), and while so many RV companies have been laying people off and closing down factories, we are GROWING.

Praise the Lord!

(I'm done now.)

Menu Plan Monday - Week of 9.29.08

Mike will be super busy this week, so I'm not sure if we'll follow through on all these meals. It could be me, Kaitlyn, and a couple of PB&J's or mac and cheese on one or more of these nights. If it is, at least I'll have some meals planned for next week!

Here's the menu for this week:

Monday
Pork BBQ (in the crock pot) for sandwiches, french fries and veggies

Tuesday
Spaghetti, green beans, and salad

Wednesday
Tuna melts, chips and veggies

Thursday
Pork chops, stuffing, and cooked carrots

Friday
Pizza, using left-over spaghetti sauce (which will include lean ground turkey, bell peppers, and mushrooms). Since my first attempt at making bread turned out well, I'm going to try this pizza crust recipe from Alaina at Meant to Be.

If you want more great meal ideas, visit orgjunkie.com and see what other bloggers have on their menu for the week!

Menu Plan Monday - week of 9.22.08

So this has now turned into "Menu Plan Tuesday". Oh well. Here is what is on the menu for this week:

Monday
Omelets

Tuesday
Pork roast and potatoes in the crock pot

Wednesday
Tacos

Thursday
Chili

Friday
Up for grabs

It's a pretty simple menu, but this week will be fairly busy between Mike's work load and family activities.

Next week Mike's company will be moving to a new factory, and to say that he's a little stressed about the details would be an understatement.

Regarding the family activities, we are celebrating my parents' 40th wedding anniversary this weekend. Their anniversary is at the end of October, but we originally decided to celebrate early as a family so they could take the time around their actual anniversary date to celebrate as a couple.

Unfortunately, my mom's chemo treatments will probably prevent them from doing anything too flashy for this year, but I'm sure they'll make up for it later.

Speaking of chemo, she is set to start this on October 7 so if you think of it, please pray that things will go as smoothly as possible.

On another note, I must tattle on her just a little. Last week she got a teensy bit carried away while rocking in her glider, and she tipped it over backwards.

I think she just wanted a little excitement and decided to create some.

She's always been a rebel like that.

(Next thing you know, she'll be trying to roller skate in the driveway.)

Ok, anyway, back to the topic of menu planning. If you want to see more menus, head over to orgjunkie.com. This week Laura is doing a themed Menu Plan Monday and has asked everyone to post a family favorite recipe, so you should be able to find lots of great recipes to try out.

As you may have noticed, I have not posted a family favorite recipe. In light of this, and in light of the fact that I am posting my Menu Plan Monday on a Tuesday, I will not link to my blog from Laura's MPM post.

I would hate for people to come in search of a family favorite and all they would find is a story about how my mom is off her rocker. (They would also probably think that I inherited the rebel gene from my mom, which I probably did.)

Menu Plan Monday - week of 9.15.08

I think I'm finally back on track and back in a routine with menu planning. I doubt that I will follow my plan to a "T", but for me, the point of creating the plan is to be in control of my grocery list (and money) and to know that I have definite options for meals during the week.

So... here we go...

Monday - Up for Grabs
This is coming earlier in the week than it has in the past, but I don't feel like cooking tonight and we have left overs in the fridge and lots of miscellaneous options that will make for a great "up for grabs" night.

Tuesday - Goulash (or something resembling it)
I will mix ground beef, noodles, canned tomatoes, bell peppers, mushrooms, and who knows what else into a goulashesque concoction.

Wednesday - Pork Chops, Stuffing and Cooked Carrots
I'm not exactly sure how I'll make the chops - I'll probably throw them in the oven with some cream of something soup.

(Hmmm... I'm beginning to realize that I've used the term "plan" a little loosely since it appears that I have lots of ingredients, but the way in which I use them will be decided on the fly...)

Thursday - Frozen Pizza and Veggies
Not exactly the most nutritious, but it's nice to throw it in the plan every once in a while

Friday - Leftover Goulash
I'm sure we'll have oodles of this leftover, and it will make for an easy start to the weekend.

On Saturday night we are having some new friends over for dinner (they also happen to be our neighbors) and I will make Poor Man's Steak in the Crock Pot. When I find the recipe, I'll come back and post it. It's a keeper! [I have now added the recipe here.]

Also, last week we had spaghetti one night and I got to thinking about the sauce. Somehow we always end up with a little more sauce than pasta and I throw it away because it's not enough to do anything with.

This time, I decided to add a can of diced tomatoes to the jar of sauce, to stretch it a little bit. Then I saved the sauce, bought some whole wheat hoagie rolls and mozzarella cheese, and last night I made a cross between pizza bread and open faced meatball sandwiches.

It was sooooo yummy, and I was happy to have finally found a way to use the extra sauce, especially considering the rising cost of food. Next time I might also add fresh mushrooms and bell peppers to the sauce to sneak in extra veggies and to stretch it even further.

Visit orgjunkie.com for more great meal ideas!

Menu Plan Monday - week of 8.18.08

I'm actually here to post my menu! Since our week will include trips to the hospital to visit my mom, I've kept the plan very simple.

I also don't expect to follow through on all of this, but for me, the point of menu planning is to have a focused grocery list and to make sure I have options available when I need them.

After a crazy couple of months, I'm very happy to get back to menu planning and at least have one normal routine again. I think I'm starting to remember what it's like to grocery shop and cook.

Here is my rough plan for this week:

Monday - chicken pot pie from a lovely person at church, who made this and froze it so I could us it whenever I needed to. What a great idea!
Tuesday - Chicken tacos
Wednesday - Hamburgers on the grill, fries
Thursday - Pork roast in the crock pot, scalloped potatoes
Friday - Chicken in the crock pot, stuffing

Here are my "recipes" (I use this term loosely):

Chicken tacos
1 pound frozen chicken breasts
1 can tomatoes w/green chilies
1 packet taco seasoning

Mix canned tomatoes and taco seasoning. Put chicken in crock pot and pour tomato mixture on top. Cook on low for 7-8 hours. Shred chicken and use for tacos, or this is also great for casseroles.

Pork Roast in the crock pot
1 pork roast
pork rub, or whatever seasoning you want (I make this up as I go)
a little water, or chicken broth, or sometimes I live life on the edge and I don't use *any* liquid because the pork can cook in it's own juices

Put seasoning on pork. Put pork in the crock pot. Add the water/broth (or not, if you are feeling crazy and adventurous). Cook on low all day. Come home to really juicy pork, eat it, and then shred the leftovers and use them for pork bbq sandwiches.

Simple chicken in the crock pot
Chicken (I'll be using a couple pounds of chicken thighs, and they'll probably be mostly frozen when I put them in)
1 can cream of something soup (cream of chicken, cream of mushroom, cream of celery - whatever you have on hand)

Put the chicken in the crock pot. Pour the cream soup on top. Cook on low 7-8 hours, depending on the size of your crock pot and how much chicken you use, etc.

---

I don't know if you can call these recipes - they are more like a working mother's attempt at home cooking without making it too complicated, but without resorting to fish sticks, frozen pizza, and chef boyardee.

(Rest assured that vegetables will also be included, but I'm not sure which ones on what night.)

That's all for now. Go to http://orgjunkie.com/ for more meal ideas!

P.S. Stacie, I don't know if you are famous, exactly, but I am tickled to know that you read my blog. :-D I hope you have a great morning with my sister!

P.P.S. Thanks for the prayers for my mom! Later today I hope to have a few minutes to post some specific prayer requests for her surgery tomorrow.

Menu Planning

After a month of craziness, I am craving a return to routine and normalcy. I desperately need to plan a menu and go grocery shopping, but after so long of not doing this, I feel more than a little lost.

What is it that we like eat? I can't remember. Seriously. I'm sitting here at the end of the day at work, trying to remember what my go-to meals are.

And all I can think of is mac and cheese, Subway, and Chinese take-out.

I know I have frozen chicken of some sort in my freezer, and I know that I generally cook that kind of thing in the Crock Pot, but I don't remember how I cook it.

I think this must be some sort menu-planning/cooking atrophy.

I got on the "year of crockpotting" blog because I figured that I would at least find something good there, and I did, but the problem is that I found 200+ good things. I wandered aimlessly around the site for at least ten minutes before giving up.

Sometimes having too many choices leaves me feeling paralyzed to the point of not making any sort of decision.

Which is what led me to write my own blog post about my dilemma. Because, clearly, writing my own blog post will help me accomplish writing out a menu.

Right?

What will actually happen is that I'll probably go to Wal-Mart tonight after Kaitlyn goes to bed, and will wander the aisles for a while. I'll come home with an assortment of meat, vegetables, and other miscellaneous products that will hopefully turn into several edible meals over the course of the rest of the week.

By the way, I must pause to mention how much I love the Wal-Mart close to my new house. Seriously. I had previously written off Wal-Mart because I always walked out of there feeling like I had been through war.

But this new Wal-Mart is heavenly. It's clean. The workers are nice, and appear to actually be knowledgeable. Even the other shoppers were courteous, and I didn't catch one swear word from anyone. The whole experience was great.

Which is especially lovely since the store is five minutes from my house.

But I digress.

Menu planning.

Yes, my goal for tonight is to have some sort of plan in place. I can't guarantee that I'll have a chance to post it, but my goal for next week is to get back to participating in Menu Plan Monday.

(Which, as I've heard through the grapevine, should make Stacie happy.)

:-D

MPM - Week of June 23

Last week's menu did NOT go as planned, considering that I ended up with a temperature and a sore throat on Tuesday night, Wednesday, and Thursday, and was still recovering on Friday. One of last week's meals got moved to tonight, and another one will get saved for a later date. Here is the plan for the rest of this week:

Monday: Grilled chicken (marinated in Italian dressing - my favorite!!)
Tuesday: Roast in the crock pot
Wednesday: Tacos
Thursday: Up for grabs (Love in Action night)
Friday: Beef and noodle concoction, using left over roast

Friday's "recipe" will consist of the left over roast, macaroni pasta, a can (or two?) of diced tomatoes, fresh bell peppers and mushrooms, and whatever seasonings happen to sound good. And maybe a little sour cream. And whatever other ingredients happen to inspire me at the moment. (I like to live on the wild side.) I guess it could be called my own version of goulash. I'll try to keep track of what goes in it, and if it is super yummy I'll come back and let you know. ;-D

Stop by OrgJunkie.com for more great menu ideas!

MPM - Week of 6/16/08

This week's menu is not really that exciting, but I thought I'd post it anyway. :-) Here is the plan:

Monday - BLT's*, chips, veggies
Tuesday - Simple chicken (cooked in the slow cooker with a can of 98% fat free cream of chicken soup), stuffing, corn or green beans
Wednesday - Breakfast for dinner (carried over from last week)
Thursday - Up for grabs (and the first Love in Action of the summer! I'll post more about this later in the week.)
Friday - Grilled chicken (marinated in Italian dressing) served on a nice big salad

The Friday plan could get carried to next week since Mike might have a trip out of town, and if he doesn't go out of town we might decide to go to the Jazz Festival instead and eat there.

Like I said, it's all very simple, but it's that kind of a week. :-) Go see Laura's blog for more great menu ideas!

*The BLT's are being made with tomatoes from my parents' tomato plants. They are on vacation and while I was checking on things at their house this weekend I noticed some ripe tomatoes ready for picking. Woohoo! No salmonella for us, thank you very much!

Menu Plan Monday - Week of 5/5/08

I didn't get a MPM post done last week, but I want to make sure and mention that I made these sloppy joes. (Thanks to Sara for sharing the recipe!) These are more work than opening up a can and mixing it with browned ground beef, but the work is sooooo worth it. The recipe makes enough for us to get several meals out of it.

Ok, now on to this week's meals:

Pork roast (made in the slow cooker, save half for pork BBQ later in the week) with au gratin potatoes
Chicken tacos (see this post for the recipe)
Breakfast for dinner - eggs, hash browns, sausage (maybe made into burritos using tortillas left over from the chicken tacos)
Pork BBQ sandwiches
Grilled chicken (marinated in Italian dressing) and grilled veggies

Visit orgjunkie.com for more meal ideas!

MPM - Week of 4/21/08

Better late than never, right??

Menu for week of 4/21/08

Monday: Roast, potatoes and carrots in slow cooker
Tuesday: Up for grabs
Wednesday: Chicken and rice in slow cooker (see below for recipe)
Thursday: Grilled chicken and pasta salad
Friday: Up for grabs
Saturday: Out of town
Sunday: Out of town

Chicken & Wild Rice Casserole
(a recipe from Sandy H., passed on to me by my sister Andrea)

1 Chicken, cut in pieces
1 box (small) Uncle Ben's Wild Rice
1 can mushrooms (w/ juice)
1 pkg. slivered almonds
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can water
Butter*

Combine soups, almonds, rice and 1 can of water. Stir in 1/2 of the rice seasoning pack. Put in a 9x13 dish. Melt some butter to dip chicken pieces in*, then lay the chicken on top of the rice mixture. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 of seasoning pack. Bake at 250 degrees for 2.5-3 hours - do not cover.

OR... follow directions above but place in a slow cooker and cook on low for 7-8 hours.

*I leave the butter step out to save a few calories. (Forgive me, Pioneer Woman!)

Visit OrgJunkie.com for more menu ideas.

MPM - Week of 4/7/08

Once again, last week's plan got derailed at some point. Probably due to the frenzy of cleaning, due to the open house we had today. The open house where one person showed up. At least that's better than the last open house. And it only takes one buyer, right?

Anyway, two of the items for this week's menu plan are carried over from last week - the sticky chicken and the chicken quesadillas. So, without further ado...

Menu for the week of 4/7/08
Monday: Sticky Chicken with stuffing and green beans
Tuesday: Quesadillas, using the left-over Sticky Chicken, with corn and chips
Wednesday: Up for Grabs
Thursday: Pork BBQ in slow cooker with french fries and veggies
Friday: Grilled marinated steak (see below for marinade recipe)
Saturday: Sweet and Spicy Chicken in slow cooker (I am modifying this recipe, by using it with bone-in chicken breasts instead of wings)
Sunday: Up for Grabs

By the way, I made this recipe for teriyaki chicken last week and it was a hit! It's definitely one to keep in the recipe file. Go to OrgJunkie.com to look at more great menus!

Steak Marinade
1/3 cup soy sauce
3/4 cup salad oil (I usually use olive oil)
1/8 cup Worcestershire
1 tbsp dry mustard
2 tsp salt
1 tsp parsley
1 1/2 tsp ground pepper
1 crushed garlic clove
1/4 cup lemon juice

Blend all ingredients together in blender for 1/2 minute. Marinade steak to your heart's content. Grill. Enjoy.

Menu Plan Monday - week of 3/24/08

This week's menu plan is rather optimistic because I'm planning to grill out. I don't know if we will actually be able to grill "out" - it might become grilling "in" on the Foreman grill, but a girl can dream, can't she? I definitely have spring fever and can't wait to start incorporating more grilling into my menu!! Oh, and a few of the days this week were planned in an effort to use up the Easter eggs. :-)

Here is the plan for the week:

Monday: Mexican lasagna (see below for recipe)

Tuesday: Chef salad (using some Easter eggs)

Wednesday: Left over Mexican lasagna

Thursday: Tuna melts (using some Easter eggs), low-fat chips, veggies

Friday: Teriyaki chicken (made in the Crock Pot), rice, green beans

Saturday: Up for grabs

Sunday: Grilled chicken, french fries, salad

Thanks to Laura at OrgJunkie.com for hosting MPM, and also for sharing the teriyaki chicken recipe!

Mexican Lasagna

1 lb gound beef, browned

1 can fat-free refried beans

2 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. ground cumin

3/4 tsp. garlic powder

12 uncooked lasagna noodles

2 1/2 cups water

2 1/2 cups salsa

2 cups sour cream

3/4 cup green onions, chopped

1 can black olives, chopped

4 oz shredded cheese

Combine beef, beans, oregano, cumin and garlic powder. Place four of the lasagna noodles in the bottom of a 13x9x2 baking pan. Spread half of the beef mixture over the noodles. Top with 4 more noodles and then the remaining beef mixture. Cover with the remaining 4 noodles. Combine water and salsa; pour over all. Cover tightly with foil and bake at 350 for 1 1/2 hours or until noodles are tender. Combine sour cream, onions and olives - spoon over casserole and top with cheese. Bake, uncovered, 5 more minutes or until cheese is melted.

This makes enough for us to eat for 3 or 4 meals and makes GREAT left overs!! I actually made this on Saturday and now it's sitting in my fridge waiting for dinner tonight. When I make it ahead I wait until I'm ready to serve it and do the last step with the sour cream and cheese while I'm warming it up in the oven. Or, I cut the cooked lasagna into individual portions, put it in containers in the fridge or freezer, and then put the sour cream, cheese, etc. on it and heat it up in the microwave.

Menu Plan Monday - week of 3/17/08

We all got bronchitis last week so my menu didn't go as planned, but the good thing is I didn't have to think about what to make for several days this week. :-D

Monday: Chicken Helper, Broccoli
Tuesday: Pork Tenderloin, Cheesy Potatoes, Green Beans
Wednesday: Beef Stir Fry, Rice
Thursday: Chicken Tacos, Corn
Friday: Up for Grabs
Saturday: Ravioli, Mixed Veggies
Sunday: Easter Dinner at Mom & Dad's - I'm bringing cheesecake. Yummmmm.

Head over to OrgJunkie.com to peruse more meal ideas!

Menu Plan Monday

Ok, so I already know that this plan is going to be modified tonight. We are all under the weather and I forgot to get the chicken breasts out to marinate/thaw this morning before I left for work. :-( At least I can move it on over to next week's plan and know that I have one less day to think about!

I've been peeking in on several others' menu plans for a few weeks now and am excited to finally participate in Menu Plan Monday. Yay! Hop on over to OrgJunkie to see what others have on their menus for the week.

Monday: grilled chicken (on the foreman grill) marinated in italian dressing, tator tots, green beans
Tuesday: chicken tacos (see recipe below)
Wednesday: philly sandwiches, fries, salad
Thursday: roast with potatoes and carrots
Friday: left overs
Saturday: frozen pizza for Mike (I have a Stampin Up party)
Sunday: beef stir fry with rice

Mexican Chicken in the Crock Pot
1 pound chicken breasts (boneless or bone in)
1 can diced tomatoes w/green chiles
1 package taco seasoning

Mix taco seasoning and diced tomatoes. Put chicken in crock pot and pour tomato mixture on top. Cook on low 7-8 hours. Cut up chicken and use in tacos, or serve over Mexican rice. I've also used this recipe with a roast, and have added onions and peppers for "fajitas."