Weekly Menu 8/22

All good things must come to an end. Summer as we know it in our house is coming to an end this week. Monday is DH's last day of vacation and the school year starts with in-service days Tuesday.

Our menu plan for the week is as follows:

Monday:

Breakfast: Oatmeal with sliced peaches

Lunch: Peanut butter and Jelly sandwiches, pears and raisins

Dinner: Meatloaf Packets (recipe at the end of the post) and broccoli

Tuesday:

Breakfast: Peach Muffins

Lunch: Noodle soup and peanut butter pinwheels, peaches

Dinner: Pork Chop Hamburger helper and broccoli

Wednesday, Pasta Day:

Breakfast: English Muffins and fruit

Lunch: Quesadillas and mixed fruit

Dinner: Butternut Squash Ravioli

Fishy Thursday:

Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs, toast w/ jam

Lunch: Bologna or Salami Sandwiches

Dinner: Salmon Burgers (patties to the rest of the world), rice, sauteed summer squash and zucchini

Meatless Friday:

Breakfast: Oatmeal and fruit

Lunch: English Muffin Pizzas, veggie sticks

Dinner:Lentil & Rice Burritos

Saturday:

Breakfast: Pancakes or Waffles (Triple batch for the freezer and quick breakfasts another day)
Lunch: Leftovers

Dinner: Hot Dogs, Mac or potato salad, fruit or veggie stix

Crock Pot Sunday:

Breakfast: Bacon, Eggs & toast

Lunch: Stuffed Peppers (main meal)

Dinner: noodle soup, quesadillas, leftovers

Meatloaf Packets

1 1/2 lb ground beef (80%)

1 Package onion soup mix

1 egg

3/4 C milk

1/2 C bread crumbs

1 lb potatoes skin on, cut into wedges

3 C carrot sticks

1. Heat gas or charcoal grill. Cut 6 (18x10-inch) sheets of heavy-duty foil; spray with cooking spray. In medium bowl, mix beef, dry soup mix, egg, milk and bread crumbs. Shape into 6 loaves, 4x2 1/2x1 inch. Place 1 loaf on each foil sheet. Microwave potatoes for 4 -6 min. Place about 1/2 cup potatoes and 1/2 cup carrots around each loaf.

2. Bring up 2 sides of foil so edges meet. Seal edges, making tight 1/2-inch fold; fold again, allowing space for heat circulation and expansion. Fold other sides to seal.

3. Place packets on grill. Cover grill; cook over medium heat 25 to 30 minutes, rotating packets 1/2 turn after 15 minutes, until vegetables are tender and meat thermometer inserted in center of loaves reads 160ºF. To serve, cut large X across top of each packet; carefully fold back foil to allow steam to escape. Garnish with parsley.

I may just try to bake these in the oven depending on the weather. i will probably start cooking them at 350 degrees for a half hour. I will try to remember to include the oven baking instructions if that is what i do.

Menu Plan 8-15 to 8-21

It’s Back to School time again, and time for me to get back into my routines. The biggest one I have missed is my Menu Planning. I’m tired of pulling something frozen out of the freezer and thawing it 30 minutes before I want to eat. I have drawn up a monthly game plan and have decided to add themed days. ..Crock Pot Sunday, Meatless Friday (because I can’t do it on Monday like the rest of the world lest I make something that would trigger DH’s stomach issues), Pasta Wednesday, Pizza Night, and Fish Thursday. I also would like to send the kids off to school with a warm breakfast daily, so will be researching some recipes for that to keep some variety. And I’m sorely in need of lunch inspiration. We’ll see what I can come up with for that. Here’s what I‘ve Planned for this week.

Monday:

Dinner: Spaghetti, Italian Sausage, and Salad

Tuesday:

Lunch: English Muffin Pizzas, fruit

Dinner: Mediterranean Quinoa Skillet derived from this recipe from the $5 Dollar Dinner Mom ( for my meatless meal of the week)

Wednesday:

Lunch: Peanut butter and Jelly, fruit or veggie sticks

Dinner: Steak with all the trimmings…baked potatoes, Salad,

Thursday:

Lunch :Quesidillas, veggies

Dinner:

Friday:

Lunch:Salami Sandwiches, fruit or veggie stix

Dinner: Whatever my mom makes…we’ll be going down home for the weekend.

Saturday:

Lunch: Bug’s Birthday Party.

Pulled Pork Sandwiches, coleslaw, rolls

Hot Dogs, Buns

Broccoli Salad

Jello Salad

Chips and pretzels

Grandma Eva’s Baked Beans

Fruit

Cake & Ice Cream

Dinner: Green beans & Potatoes & Lunch leftovers

Next week I’ll try to plan a Breakfast schedule to and practice that with dh being off to school again.

Weekly Menu~ January 4

Monday
Lunch~ Macaroni and cheese, orange & apple slices
Dinner~Chicken Noodle Soup, veggie sticks, Hamburgers

Tuesday
Lunch~Ravioli, Toasted Cheese, Fruit
Dinner~ Spaghetti, Garlic Knots, broccoli

Wednesday
Lunch~Tomato Soup, toasted cheese, fruit
Dinner~ Lentil Rice Tacos*, rice, pineapple, corn

Thursday
Lunch~Peanutbutter & Jelly, Chicken noodle soup, fruit or veggies
Dinner~Fish, Shrimp poppers, broccoli normandy, pears

Friday
Lunch~Soup, bread, fruit
Dinner~ Pizza or Strombolis, veggie sticks, fruit

Saturday
Lunch~ Leftovers
Dinner~Steak Stir Fry/out to chinese if the kids are good

Sunday (Crock Pot Day)
Lunch~ Ramen noodles, leftovers
Diinner~ Bar-b-que pork roast, mashed potatoes, coleslaw, fruit

Taco Style Lentils & Rice


3/4 cup dry lentils
3/4 cup brown rice**
4 cups tap water
4 beef bouillon cubes
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

In a 2-quart saucepan bring the water to a boil. As the water is heating, add the lentils, rice, bouillon, chili powder, cumin, onion powder, and garlic powder. Bring the whole thing to a nice fat boil. Reduce the heat to low. Place a lid on the lentils and allow the mixture to simmer for about 45 to 50 minutes. The water should be mostly absorbed. You may serve this as it, topped with a little cheddar cheese if desired. Or you can use it to fill burritos or tacos instead. Both ways are very tasty.

**if you want to get the most nutrients out of your brown rice (or have super tender tummies like my house) Put the rice in the pan with 1 C of cold water and 1 TBSP of cider vinegar. Drain before cooking and follow the recipe as directed.

Menu Plan Monday 11/23-11/29

Here we are at the start of another week. Here's the game plan for the week.

Monday: Lunch~chicken noodle soup & peanut butter sandwiches
Dinner~ French Onion Soup or Pizza

Tuesday: Lunch~ Bologna sandwiches, soup, fruit
Dinner~ Denver Omelet/Frittata, toast, orange slices
Thanksgiving Prep~ Cook the bird in the crock pot

Wednesday: Lunch~ Toasted cheese and tomato soup
Dinner~ Tacos, lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, rice and corn
Thanksgiving Prep~ Cranberry Sauce and pies

Thursday~ Lunch~ whatever...leftovers maybe
Dinner~ Thanksgiving Feast: Turkey and gravy, Stuffing, Cranberry Sauce*, Mashed potatoes, green beans, Roasted Root Vegetables, Croissants, Pumpkin* & Pecan Pie

Friday: Lunch~ Leftovers
Dinner~ Meatloaf, potatoes and vegetables

Saturday: Lunch~ Leftovers
Dinner~ Pizza, veggie sticks, fruit

Sunday: Lunch~ Ramen noodles, leftovers
Dinner: Roast Chicken or Soup

*recipes will follow. today's just a busy day, so they might be a day or two.

Menu Plan Monday 11/16 to 22

Here's the game plan for the week:

Lunches
Monday: Visit to Grammy Sue's.
Tuesday: Bologna Sandwiches, apple slices
Wednesday: Soup, PB & J, fruit
Thursday: Sandwiches, soup, fruit
Friday: Laura's bringing lunch. Probably soup again, but I adore soup when the weather is cold. I could really eat it 7 days a week...even twice a day some times.
Saturday: At my Mother-in-law's.
Sunday: Ramen Noodles for the kids, leftovers for grown ups.

Dinners:
Monday: Fish, couscous, pears
Tuesday: Hamburger Vegetable Soup, Buttermilk Biscuits, and Sliced apples
Wednesday: Garlic Chicken legs, mashed potatoes, broccoli normandy
Thursday: Stuffed Pork chops, scalloped potatoes, veggie
Friday: Pizza, veggie sticks,
Saturday: Trip to Mother In Law's. I'd like to take dinner down for her since we're celebrating her birthday.
Sunday: Pasta with clam sauce, salad, and bread knots.

Monday's Menu Plan 11/9-15

Well, it's another week. Here's what we're hoping to eat this week.

Monday~ Ravioli, salad, cheesy garlic knots

Tuesday~ Breakfast for Dinner--pumpkin pancakes, sausage, eggs

Wednesday~ BLTs, macaroni salad, fruit/veggie

Thursday~ Chicken Salsa & Black Bean soup, cornbread & salad. (freezer leftovers)

Friday~ Fish & Chips (or maybe onion rings...not sure what's in the freezer)

Saturday~ Pizza, Stromboli, or calzones

Sunday~ ?? we'll see what we're hungry for.

Meal Plan 11-2

Here's the menu of the week...I don't konw how well i'll adhere to it. I have 2 pretty sick kiddos but it gives me something to strive for right ;-)

Monday~ Chicken Noodle Soup

Tuesday~ Beef & Bean burritos

Wednesday~ Pork Chops, scalloped potatoes & broccoli

Thursday~ Frittata, toast and bacon or sausage

Friday~ Pizza--Mommy's off to a Women's Seminar

Saturday~ Special Pasta

Sunday~ Left Overs or Spaghetti and Meatballs

Menu Plan for 10-26

Here's what we're planning on eating this week:

Monday Roast beef with potatoes, carrots and parsnips, broccoli

Tuesday: chicken something...

Wednesday: Roast beef burritos, rice and corn (made from leftover roast beef) I'll try to find the link to the original recipe and post it.

Thursday: Pork chops

Friday: Soup, fresh bread

Saturday: Pizza, chips, root beer floats for our "un-Halloween" party.

Sunday: Tacos and all the fixins.

Today we have a crazy day. DH called from work and the hospital is doing a clinic for the H1N1 vaccines. I'm taking the under 5 set and hopefully we won't be too far down the line. Then lunch with my mom and a quick dr's appointment to discuss how to treat my seasonal affect disorder. Somewhere along the line, I'm hoping to finish up my fall post and hopefully a little relaxing.

And of course, I know you want my famous Roast Beef recipe cause it's absolutely delicious.

Susan's Roast Beef
Ingredients:

Beef roast of choice (tonight it's a chuck roast b/c dh bought meat. i prefer the lean bottom or top round roasts when they go on sale)
4 parsnips, peeled and roughly chopped
4 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
4 potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 envelope of Onion soup mix
cinnamon
2 cups beef broth
2 onions quartered
1 sm can of mushrooms

1. Peel and chop all veggies to a uniform size. Layer them in the bottom of a roaster or crock pot.

2. Sprinkle roast generously with the cinnamon. I know this might sound odd, but trust me, the cinnamon is what makes the dish, then place on top of the veggies and sprinkle the Onion soup mix on top of the roast and veggies. This is what my roast looks like after the cinnamon, but before the onion soup. I sprinkle both sides.
3. Pour the broth around the edges of the pan, but not over the meat.

4. Cook in a crock pot for 6-8 hours, or bake for 2-3 hours at 325.

Menu Plan Monday~10/5

Here's the game plan for the week. I'm not sure how it will work out. Sunday's a repeat from last week as we've had rain for I don't know...seems like 14 or so days straight and haven't had the opportunity to grill. Hopefully we'll have a sunnier/less rainy week this week.

Monday 5, Tacos/Taco lasagna/ Burritos, rice, veggie, fruit
Tuesday 6, Chicken Wild Rice Soup , bread, salad
Wednesday 7, Stuffed Shells, salad, bread, veggie
Thursday 8, Breaded Hamburgers, mashed Potatoes, carrots
Friday 9, Stromboli, veggie stix, salad
Saturday 10, Spare Ribs, salad, fruit
Sunday 11, Hot Dogs,Lentil & barley soup

I must say,I'm having one of those Mondays. The kind where you feel like you've gotten up on the wrong side of the bed. The plans I had for today have come undone and changed completely. It all started last night after Bible Study. We went up stairs to put the kids to bed and the darned dog got into the garbage. She got locked in her crate for a bit, but I knew I had to let her out so that she wouldn't need to go out in the night. I was a bit leery about letting her out because we have a skunk problem in our neighborhood, and she'd yet to be skunked...well all good things must end. She was out for maybe 15-20 minutes. I was in the opposite end of the house watching TV and I got a whiff of skunk. Sure enough, Freckles had managed to get skunked. So I brought her in and washed her up. Fortunately, I think the skunk was in the driveway and Freckles got skunked through the fence because only her paws and tip of her tail smelled. After a quick wash she smelled fine. Thank You Jesus! Then, as I get done taking care of the dog and lighting candles to dissipate the stench, Bean starts to wail. She'd had an accident. Poor kid. Completely soaked her bed, all the covers and for her sweetness, nothing is worse than having an accident. She just hates it and not having her blankies to comfort her just made it worse. I didn't get to bed till midnight. Not good for the extremely tired pregnant lady, but had to have those blankies clean.



Today, I was supposed to have my Parents as Teachers meeting, but canceled it due to a trip to my Mom's to make cider with my playgroup. No one RSVP for it, so we canceled. But in church yesterday, I was asked to help with a funeral dinner they're putting on for the family. So I guess I'll be on the run all day today. The kiddos get to stay home with Miss Laura, my friend.



Oh, and did I mention that Bear got kissed at school on Friday. I had no idea that Pre-Kindergarten boys were interested in kissing! Apparently, after their restroom break before lunch, she was sitting at her desk and R* came up and kissed her on the lips. She was afraid she would get yelled at by her teacher, so she didn't say anything to her at school. Instead, she waited till she saw DH after school and told him. Fortunately it was a parent who I know and I was able to resolve the whole issue with a phone call to my friend. I was a little disturbed (and jealous as I never received much male attention especially at that age) but now I can look back and laugh. It is kind of cute. Any way, I think that catches you up on all my important happenings, so I'm off to do my housework now. Have a great Monday! Oh, and stop over to heavenlyhomemakers.com Laura has a great Fall Giveaway Carnival this week. I'm sure she'll have some good stuff linked to.