Monday Menu and Hearts at Home!

Oh, what a weekend!  I am just back from Hearts at Home and eager to tell you all about it.  But, first things first!  Let's handle the menu!

Several people have asked how I go about communicating the menu to my family.  Since the beginning of the year, I have posted our weekly menu on the fridge for all to see.  I love this because even my pickiest eaters have time to come to terms with what meals are upcoming.  The fact that they do this on their own is helpful because I am not fielding comments and questions (and sometimes complaints) about what we are going to eat.  Mark and I tend to be pretty strict about eating what is prepared for you.  I am not a momma who cooks separate food for kids who do not want to eat whatever the rest of us are eating.  And still, some of my kids are picky.  I can live with that.  :)  

On Sunday night or Monday morning (depending on when I get the menu completed), I type everything out and  put it on the fridge.  It looks exactly like this:  

Menu for Blog

(I will now try to act all cool, like I have always known how to insert a document into my blog... I will definitely not admit that I just spent a good 45 minutes trying to figure this all out!)  :)

So, that is what it looks like for us this week.  Since I have previously shared many of these recipes, I will only talk about the stew today.

I know a lot of folks are intimidated by stews and roasts and such but I find them easier to make than a lot of other meals.  I know there are fancy ways to create these meals but for me, simple is the way to go!  So, here is our process for beef stew:

Ingredients:

2 lbs beef stew meat (or other beef if on sale, cut into small pieces)
4 large potatoes
4 large carrots
1 large onion
Other veggies you like (rutabagas, squash, pearl onions, etc...)
1 can cream of mushroom
1 envelope dry onion soup mix

Place raw, defrosted beef into the crock pot.  Sprinkle with onion soup mix.  Spread cream of mushroom (or cream of mushroom with garlic, if you can find it!) on top.  Add potatoes, carrots and onions on top.  Put lid on crock pot and turn it on.

How long?

Are you starting it in the morning?  Low.
Did you forget to start it and now it is the afternoon?  High.

I usually keep an eye on it.  When everything seems to be done and cooked, I turn it onto my "Keep warm." setting so the veggies are not overcooked and falling apart.

See?  Easy peasy.  :)  But today, when the Little Ones and I come home from Benjamin's volleyball game and Mark and Noah come home from Noah's soccer game, dinner will be hot, ready and hearty.  LOVE that.

Now that we are done with business, can we talk about Hearts at Home?

We had a fabulous weekend, my friends and I.  As always, I learned so much.  I was blessed to hear presentations by Michelle Duggar, Julie Barnhill, The FlyLady, and many others!

Today, I am hoping to not overwhelm myself with all this helpful information, but to just focus on one small change.  I was honestly so inspired by how calmly and quietly Michelle Duggar handles all her many children.  She talked about how she made an intentional decision to speak very quietly to them.  She noticed how much more peaceful her house was when she did that and it became a habit.  For me, this seems like a good place to start.  With four children, my house can be loud and I often feel like I must be loud to be heard.  But, what if I did the opposite?  What if I taught my children to hear my quiet voice?  I love that this small change can also effect their spiritual lives.  We are taught to listen for God's "still, small voice" and to "be still and know that He is God".  If my voice is quiet, might my precious babies learn to listen to God's quiet voice, as well?  This is my prayer... 

What about you?  What do you hope to do with your family this week?  What area can you tweak to be a better momma to your little ones?  And... what are you already doing well?  :)  It's okay, you know, to see that there are things you are doing well.  It really is.  I learned that this weekend, too.  But that is for another blog...

Blessings on your day!

Monday Menu on Tuesday--Your Turn, Too!

There is a give-away tucked inside this post!  Read carefully and jump on in!  

Last week, it seemed like every day held some hidden surprise.  A volleyball tournament we did not know about, a church event that included dinner, a birthday outing and concert... all wonderful things that we loved attending.  But, for the first time this year, our menu went right out the window!  Now, I am not complaining because the week was good... and because I am ahead of the game for this week!  :)  Last week's menu will essentially become this week's menu, with a few minor changes for the meals we did make.

So, today let's try something new.  Deal?  Are you in?

I know you wander in here, all quiet-like and take a peek around.  But, one of the things I love (like really, really love) is community.  In some ways, we have it here.  I think about some stuff, write it down, you stop on by and read it.  Sometimes, you leave a comment.  Sometimes, you send an email or contact me on Facebook.  Sometimes, we just both think about the same stuff on the same day.  We are doing some "same things" at the same time and we get a little peek into community.

But, for today, let's approach it more intentionally.  Still reading?  :)

Let's talk about family friendly food.  What do you make for your family that they love to eat?  A casserole?  Some yummy meal?  Can you like it to a recipe site?  I would love to see us leave a comment with a recipe link (or type in the recipe!) so that we are all sharing new ideas with one another.  Then, we will all have a bunch of things to try in the upcoming weeks!

Now, I know some of you are already telling yourself that you are not going to do this!  C'mon now!  We need your ideas too!

And there's more!

Every single one of you who leaves a comment here before midnight tonight will be entered in a give-away!!!

So, here's the scoop:

Several years ago while we were fundraising for our adoption, we partnered with 9 other adopting families to write a cookbook.  We did the whole thing ourselves.  We collected recipes, formatted the book and had it published.  The book is amazing and overflowing with family-friendly, tried and true recipes.  There are almost 400 pages in our book and it is the first thing I reach for when I need a recipe.

Wouldn't you love this book??  All you have to do is leave a recipe or a link to a recipe in the comments below and you will automatically be entered to win a copy of this helpful cookbook!  Want to have more than one entry?  You may enter twice by leaving two comments with recipes or recipe links!  Just please be sure to leave enough information that I can reach you when you win!

Did I mention that a copy of our cookbook has been in the hands of a United States President??  It's true!  Our book was (and likely still is) used by a first-lady and was bought by her husband at a farmer's market in Iowa.  Would you like to guess which President?

So, let's get started!  You know you want in!

I will leave the first recipe.  We had this last night!

Swiss Chicken Casserole:  My kids loved this!  I will say though, that I altered the recipe a bit.  Once I took the foil off to finish the baking, I poured some chicken broth on the top to make the stuffing a big more "stuffing-like".  We served it with roasted Brussels sprouts.  So good and so easy!

Now, it's your turn.  I cannot wait to try what works for you!

So there we go!  The give-away begins!

Blessings on your day!

Monday Morning and Menu Planning

It's quiet today.  Maybe after the hoopla about the Oscars last night, the silence of the house with the kids all at school is more noticeable.  I like it, though. I like to hear the sound of the radiators warming.  I like to listen to the returning bird's songs.  I like that the click.clack.clicking of the computer keys can be heard today.  The fridge is running. The dog is sleep-breathing and I am relaxing into the hum of it all.  A quiet house is always comforting after the chaotic clamoring of the weekend falls away.

Now, it is time to write.  As I drove my children to school today, my head was swimming with new ideas.  I fought the urge to be overwhelmed by word counts and focused instead on what I wanted to say.  The book is coming together.  Four chapters are edited and now await tweaking.  Two more chapters are started and coming along.  An appendix is becoming clearer and I am beginning to let myself think that it all might actually happen after all.  That makes me smile.  

But, as eager as I am to get to typing, the minutiae of mom-life calls to me too.  So, I am sitting at the dining room table and taking care of all the tiny details that must be handled today.  Emails have been returned.  Carpools have been set.  The living room is cleaned.  The menu is written.

Want to know what we are eating this week?

Monday: Hot pork sandwiches.  Using my leftover pork roast from Sunday dinner, I throw simple ingredients into the crock pot and tonight it will be ready to eat.  I follow this recipe for beef sandwiches (but substituting pork and adding a jar of mild giardineira ).

Tuesday:  Marinated flank steak with Asian veggies and noodles.  In the morning, I will pull the flank steak out of the freezer and add olive oil, brown sugar, sesame oil, soy sauce, fresh garlic and grated fresh ginger to the meat in a zip lock bag. (I do not follow a recipe but this one is similar to what I do...) By dinnertime, it will be ready to throw on a grill pan.  I have a stir-fry veggie mix in the freezer and will serve this with noodles (shh... don't tell!  I will use ramen for this!  Cheap and easy to keep on hand!)  My kids LOVE this meal.

Wednesday:  Swiss Casserole Chicken.   I still have turkey and chicken in the deep freeze from recent meals so even though this recipe calls for chicken breasts, I will use diced chicken or sliced turkey.  With this we will have roasted Brussels sprouts and fresh baked bread.

Thursday:  Easy Taco Casserole.  My kids LOVE tacos.  I am hoping to expand on that with this new recipe.

Friday:  Fish sandwiches?  Sticking to my hopes of eating fish on Fridays in Lent, this is on the menu.  That said, Friday is my birthday... so maybe I won't have to cook?  :)

Our weekends are usually the same, week to week.  Soup for lunch on Saturday.  A big, traditional Sunday dinner.

So, what about you?  What are making this week?  Where is your favorite place to hunt for new recipes to try?  I would love it if you would share a link!  :)

I am off to make the most of this quiet Monday morning.

Blessings on your day!

Menu Planning Monday and "Recipe Boredom"

Oh, how I love a long weekend!  My children are enjoying day four of a four day and I am thrilled that we have had time to relax and enjoy extended time together.  Noah was gone on a retreat for part of the weekend but the rest of us have had time to sit and watch movies, go on long walks and do the things we need to do to unwind.  In the midst of that, we had basketball games to watch, work to do, rehearsals and practices to attend and lots of driving from here to there.  But, the gift of extra time... that, I love.

As I sit here now, Josiah is chomping an apple while watching Benjamin play a computer game.  Elizabeth and Noah are sleeping in and the house is quiet and peaceful.  It is after 9:00 AM and we are not dressed.... no need to be!  Starting slow is a gift and I am grateful for a few minutes to enjoy my coffee and work on my blog and ease into this new day.

As I worked on the menu this week, I took the following things into consideration:

Monday:  We can order pizza for less than it costs me to cook.
Tuesday:  The boys have basketball practice to so a quick, easy meal works best.
Wednesday:  I have a speaking engagement making a crock-pot meal ideal.  We will need to be able to eat quickly before attending an evening service for Ash Wednesday.
Thursday:  I have time to cook and create a meal.
Friday:  The first Friday in Lent--I would love to go "meatless".
Saturday:  This is the perfect day for a kid-friendly meal!
Sunday:  What can I make that will help me plan meals for next week?

Looking at my week helps me to plan a realistic menu that will work for our family.  I am also always on the look-out for things that my family would enjoy.  I recently joined Pinterest and have found many new recipes to try on that site.  I will be trying one of those this week!

So, here is our menu plan for the next 7 days:

Monday:  Half-priced pizza from a local restaurant.  We can feed our whole family for $9.00!
Tuesday:  Pinterest recipe-Ham and cheese sliders with veggies and dip
Wednesday:  Chili with whole wheat noodles
Thursday:  Ham and potato casserole (using last Sunday's leftover ham)
Friday:  Fish sandwiches and broccoli slaw
Saturday:  Hot dogs in crescent rolls, veggies and fruit
Sunday:  Sunday dinner with all the fixings!

I am struggling lately with "recipe boredom".  Wondering if that ever happens to you?  I find it so hard to be excited to cook when the meals are so... I don't know... ordinary?  I love creating something fun, something new.  I tell myself that some days need to be function over form but when I spend so much time cooking for my family, something with flair goes a long, long way.  When I first started menu-planning, I looked forward to what it could be but I am feeling now like I am staring down a blank page each week.

When I talked to Mark about this, I was looking for ideas.  He said it was time to start reusing menus.  He was trying to be helpful but it was not what I wanted to hear.  I spend so much time in the kitchen, I want to be interested in what I am making... reusing menus does not lead to this.  But, there must be a place where reality intersects desire.  Where is that place for you?  How do you keep yourself interested in what you are making while paying attention to budget and time constraints?  Do you cycle through a set of family recipes or create something new regularly?  As someone who loves to cook, I want to look forward to providing for my family this way but sometimes that "recipe boredom" begins to win out.  I would love to hear your ideas...

Elizabeth is up and it's time for breakfast.  Waffles, sausage and fruit today... a nice start to a slow morning.

Blessings on your day.

Menu Planning on Monday--Gotta Regroup!

It seems to me it takes a plan... and sometimes I can pull that together, and sometimes I cannot.  Some weeks fall into my lap and I am totally unprepared to pull us through it all.  To be honest, that "pulling us through" is not a job I love.  When the responsibility for getting my family from Point A to Point B lands on me, I find myself struck in frustration and spinning my wheels.

I spent last week reminding myself of a very basic truth.  When I am in that spot... micromanaging my family and telling them what needs to be done next... I have put myself there.  Mark and I have allowed ourselves to be pulled back in to a place where my children rely on us to tell them what is happening.  It does not have to be this way.  It is not what is best for any of us.  And yet, last week I found myself saying things like this:

-brush your teeth

-use soap in the shower

-get ready for school

-feed the dog

-help with the table

-pick up your dishes

-etc.. etc... etc... 

Why do I let myself fall back into this?  I know better!  We all know better.  My children (and your children) do not need to be told every single thing because they already know these things.  We have taught them these things from an early age!  What we need to do is empower our families to manage their day, doing all the things they know they must do.  When they do, stress is relieved and our day runs smoothly and we get to be the people we want to be... the parents we want to be.  

This week, I will get organized and take care of the things that I must do.  I will chip away at chores and make my menu plan and work behind the scenes.  And I will empower my children to do the same.  (I speak on this topic, Sticks!, so contact me at www.NadiaSwearingen-Friesen.com if you want to know more about the way we make this happen at home.)  This week, I will remind myself that some jobs are mine and some are theirs and when we all do what we need to do, our home runs beautifully.  When we do this, we have time to share together and emotional energy to spend in positive ways.

So today, I will start at the beginning. 

1. I will review our schedule and post it. 

2. I will be sure that chores are assigned. 

3. I will post our menu.  

What are we eating?  Read on! 

Monday:  Half priced pizza from a local restaurant... enough for all to eat for about $9.00!  

Tuesday:  Crock pot meatballs and mashed potatoes. I posted the recipe link here.  I had no idea how much my kids loved this meal until I started tracking our menu.  It is quick and easy and I like it, too!  I am planning a special dessert to celebrate Valentine's Day!  

Wednesday:  Lasagna with homemade garlic bread and spinach.  

Thursday:  Chicken quesadillas with dips and veggies.  This meal is so easy, it is amazing!  The chicken quesadillas are a mixture of cooked, diced chicken, a blend of cheeses and canned chopped green chilies.  I put a tortilla in a hot pan, top with this mixture and then top with another tortilla.  After flipping to heat both sides, I put the quesadilla in a warm oven and continue on to the next batch. Right before serving, I cut them with a pizza cutter and serve with fresh salsa, guacamole and sour cream.  Easy and kid-friendly! 

Friday:  Mark will be home with the kids and they will grill hamburger and hot dogs.

Saturday:  The kids will cook!  Hello, mac and cheese!  We will round this out with fresh fruit and veggies. 

Sunday:  You know how I love Sunday dinner!  This week, we will have ham with all the fixings!  

What about you?  What will  you be doing this week to ensure your days go smoothly?  What jobs can you delegate to family members to relieve the stress you feel?  Today is Monday.  Let's make a plan and start the week off well.  Think it through with me... What are you going to do?  

I have wipe boards to clean, Stick! cups to set out, chores to assign and a week to plan!  So, it is time for me to begin!  

Blessings on your day!  

Menu Planning Monday on Tuesday

I have to be honest.  Sometimes, even when the menu is done, I want to write about something else.  Yesterday, the story of my morning with Elizabeth felt far more important than what we were planning to eat.  So, if you are following the meal planning, please be patient.  It is coming... but I want to be sensitive to first things first.  

And lest you think all is wonderful here after our Sunday morning discipline, let me say once again that my home is much like yours.  We walk together, stumble together and sometimes get it right.  And sometimes not.  Oh how my sweet girlie is struggling with putting aside what she wants most in order to be obedient.  Last night, the struggle continued and I worked very hard to be patient as I retaught the lesson we had learned the day before.  Even when we are intentional... even when we are loving... even when we are consistent... sometimes our children miss what we are teaching them.  After a frustrating afternoon, and likely too much conversation, EB was off and laughing and playing again.  I am glad we can work through these difficult patches but I am eager to see her remember the lesson.  Watching our children learn to choose well can be agonizing but I am trying (trying!) to focus on how amazing it will be when she realizes that working for what she wants is the best way to get that thing...

And, I am straying from the topic at hand!  Menu planning continues to work well for us and I am finding that if I do not post the menu on Sunday night, nearly everyone will come to me wondering what we are doing.  In this way, I think it may be helping us to organize our meals and plan ahead.

I am continuing to create the menu based on what I am finding on sale.  This week, whole chickens were on sale so I bought two.  Both are on the stove boiling right now (the house smells amazing!) and the meat will be used in many upcoming recipes.

Here are our dinners for the week:

Monday:  We ordered pizza.  A local restaurant offers half-off pizza on Mondays so we spent only $9.00 to feed us all.  I love that!  (As an aside, Monday morning, we tried a new breakfast... pumpkin oatmeal.  I loved it.  Some of the kids liked it.  It got mixed reviews.  I think we will try it again... healthy, fast, filling... worth another shot!)

Tuesday:  It is nearly 60 degrees in Chicago today... bizarrely warm for January.  To make the most of this spring-like weather, we will be grilling Italian sausage with veggies tonight!  Yum!

Wednesday:  In an effort to broaden the foods my kids will eat, we are going to try Peanut Noodles with chicken and veggies.  One of my kiddos will not eat peanut butter so I may be setting myself up for a fail here... though the same child does eat Scotcheroos.  :)  So... we will see how this meal goes.

Thursday:  My family is not big on salads though I have had good luck with Taco Salad.  With less fat and calories than traditional tacos, I feel good about making this meal.

Friday:  We are going to try letting the kids choose this meal.  I have no idea what will sound good to them!  Tonight, we take a vote!  Keeping meal planning fun has been working for us, so far.

Saturday:  For lunch, I making chicken soup using the broth and chicken I am cooking today.  I will serve fresh bread with this which always makes a meal so cozy.  For dinner, we will make chicken quesadillas... a recipe so easy I can throw it together in minutes.

Sunday:  While I normally make a huge meal for lunch, this week is the Super Bowl!  :)  We will eat lighter in the afternoon and then have a great time with snacks during the game.  I will be choosing our snacks from the following list (most of which I found on Pinterest!):

-apples and dip
-garlic chicken crescent rolls
-coconut chicken strips
-chips and cheese
-veggies and dip
-pizza muffins
-ham and cheese sliders
-buffalo chicken balls
-buffalo chicken tacos
-vanilla cupcakes

No, I will not be making all of these things... though I would love to!  I am excited though to find a couple of new favorites to add to our Sunday snack list.

So, there ya go!  A brand new menu for a brand new(ish) week!  What about you?  What are you looking forward to eating this week?

Blessings on your day!

Menu Planning Mondays

For the past several years, we have tried and tried to eat out less.  It is not that we do so very often... but when  we can easily drop $35.00 on a trip through the Golden Arches, every time matters.  With careful meal planning, I can make a complete family dinner for around $10.00.  With this in mind, I am overwhelmed by how wasteful it is for me to spend the equivalent of 3.5 dinners at home on food that is not even good for us!  Since we have started meal planning, we have eaten out one time... and it was planned and budgeted for as a special event.  I am thrilled that my planning is making a difference!

Maybe you are stuck on that $10.00 amount above.  How can we feed our family of 6 for $10.00 or less?  A lot of things come into play when I am trying to figure out what we will eat this week.  It is important for you to know that I also love to use coupons.  A couple of years ago, we began couponing in a way that really impacted our family budget.  We planned meals around those things that I could buy with coupons, at a greatly reduced cost.  When those items came around, I bought a bunch and stored them up to be used over time.  Unfortunately, the way coupons work seems to have been impacted by recent TV shows that depict people (often, though not always) abusing coupons and store policies.  Because of this, my couponing has been somewhat curtailed.  If you are interested in learning more about how to make the most of your grocery shopping, I recommend Jill Cataldo's Coupon blog.  I have learned so much from this site and hope it will be useful to you, too.

Now, onto my menu for the week!  I will be posting only dinners, as our breakfast and lunches are basically the same.  My children carry a lunch to school and they pack them with things I have on hand.  There is always a healthy snack in their lunches so I keep these things available.  Looking for an easy, inexpensive, healthy lunch item?  Pick up a bag of clementines!  Kids usually love them and they are easy to peel!  Our breakfasts rotate between eggs and toast, cereal, whole wheat waffles and oatmeal.  I assign each of these items a day of the week and most often my kids can help with the preparation.

Dinners this week:

Monday:  Meatballs, mashed potatoes and corn from our packing last summer.  I will be making the easy meatballs using chili sauce and grape jelly tossed with meatballs in the crock pot.  I always love these when we have them elsewhere but rarely remember to make them!

Tuesday:  Ham and potato casserole with veggies.  I still have cooked, diced ham in my freezer from Christmas which I will add to the recipe for Party Potatoes.  My kids love this meal and it makes use of things I have on hand.

Wednesday:  Sloppy Joes with carrots and french fries.  I was able to find ground beef on sale last week so I have this on hand in my freezer.  I found Sloppy Joe mix on sale and had a coupon for it a while back so this will be a very inexpensive meal!  Love that.  I have been slowly cutting back on chips and french fries for my family  so I know they will love this treat.

Thursday:  Meatloaf with spinach and noodles.  I have a great recipe for Pizza meatloaf and since I have the meat from last week's sale, this will make good use of that!  To make spinach, I buy a large container of baby spinach and rinse it very well.  I drain it out, shaking away any extra water and then add it to a very hot pan with a bit of heated olive oil.  It wilts quickly.  I add two cloves of chopped, fresh garlic and stir it around.  Once the wilting begins, I am almost done!  I put a lid on the pan, turn off the heat and let it steam away for a few.  Sometimes, I will drain it before serving.  All of kids love spinach made this way and it is quick, easy and healthy, too!

Friday:  Bubble pizza, again?  I am thinking so!  This is a great option when my kids have friends over for dinner... inexpensive and feeds a crowd!

Saturday:  Beef and barley soup.  I have a dear friend who makes this for our Supper Swap and I love this easy recipe.  I can use a lot of ingredients I have on hand and will, once again, use the beef I bought on sale and froze.  The recipe I use is similar to one I found on AllRecipes.com 

Sunday:  Roast, mashed potatoes, bread, gravy, corn casserole and applesauce.  :)  I love Sundays.

So, this week is heavy on beef... which I wish was not so.  But, here is what I am beginning to learn:  I have a great responsibility to feed my family each day.  And, in the grand scheme of things, we are overwhelmingly blessed with an abundant table.  I want to make the most of the things we have and the things we can afford... and this week, that plan was effected by a great sale on ground beef.  We have taken to browning and rinsing our ground beef to remove as much fat as possible.  While I know these meals are far from gourmet, I also know that gourmet is not the standard to live by today.  Today, I have four kiddos with grumbly tummies and palates that prefer mac and cheese to most other foods.  So... this menu is realistic.  Realistic to my family.  Realistic to my finances.  Realistic to me.  My days for gourmet dinners is yet to come... and when that happens, I will be thrilled.  But this week?  Simple and affordable will guide our  meals.

What are you making this week?  What guides your meal planning?  I would love to hear from you!

Blessings on your day!

Menu Planning Monday... On Wednesday!

You probably thought I forgot all about you, didn't you?  Oh, how crazy the weeks can be!  With my kids off of school on Monday, my time was spent with them... and then I found myself behind on Tuesday!  So, today is my day for catching up.  While I wrote the menu for this week on Sunday, this is my first opportunity to post it here.

The menu planning has been a huge hit with my family.  I am finding that it is helpful to me in planning... but also that it is helpful to the kids.  For those who are particularly picky, it can be so helpful for them to know what is coming up.  We have a lot less complaining and fussing over food!  Love that.  On Sunday, I post the menu on the fridge so they can look it over and so they can help with meal prep., too!

The breakfasts and lunches will be very similar to last week.  If you missed that post, you can find it here.  I had considered not assigning breakfast foods but changed my mind.  The menu seems to be encouraging all the kids to try new foods and to eat a greater variety of items throughout the week.  This is great for my budget, too!  I am able to spread out more expensive items and encourage more fruits and veggies... a bonus I did not anticipate when we began.

Dinners this week:

Monday- The kids were out of school and we "splurged" on our favorite burger place!  Eating at home saves money on costly beverages and the kids were thrilled for the treat!

Tuesday-Hot pork sandwiches with veggies and dip.  This simple recipe uses my crock pot, leftover Sunday roast and canned good I keep on hand.  We use:  one can of beef broth, one envelope Italian dressing seasoning, one jar mild pepper rings, one jar mild giardiniera.  Simply throw all of this in the crock pot and let it simmer all day.  Serve on crusty rolls with cheese.  So easy, so good!

Wednesday-Chicken taquitos with dips and rice.  I use the recipe found here and make extras to freeze.  The dips are mainly healthy... homemade salsa, homemade guacamole, taco dip and one cheese dip.  These are served with the taquitos and can personalize the meal. The last time we made these, my kids went nuts for them!  Very family friendly!

Thursday-Spaghetti with sauteed spinach and homemade garlic bread.  The last time I made spaghetti sauce, I froze a bunch so I am set for this meal.  The recipe for spaghetti sauce and meatballs found here is the very best I have ever had... totally worth the time spent making it.  Try it.  I dare ya!

Friday-Bubble Pizza with fruit.  Friday, we are hoping to have friends over so fun food is a perfect fit!  Bubble pizza is fast and easy and most kids love it.  Have you tried it?  Here is a recipe you can peruse but feel free to personalize it with the toppings your family loves the most.  (We use Italian sausage instead of ground beef.)

Saturday-Chili dogs with veggies.  Last week's chili dogs got replaced with something else so the supplies are still here and the meal can be used.  Saturday afternoons are perfect for this!

Sunday Dinner-We always make a big, traditional dinner on Sundays after church.  This week, I will make a beef roast in the crock pot (my kids call this "the meat that falls apart when you touch it"... catchy, huh?) and with that we will have mashed potatoes, gravy, homemade bread, corn we froze last summer and applesauce (I throw in some Red Hots to make our special family recipe!).  The leftovers from this meal will make lunches for Mark for next week and be used in, at least, one meal to come.

So, there it is.  One week of meals using a bunch of things I had on hand!  What are you making this week? I would love some new ideas!  The traffic on last week's menu post was amazing. As long as you are here, please leave a quick message below about what you are cooking or what you would like to try.  Your thoughts can encourage so many others to try new things!  Thanks so much!

Blessings on your day!

Menu Planning Monday

One of the goals I am working with for the new year is to do a better job of planning our meals.  When I plan meals, we make better use of the food we have on hand and spend less on grocery shopping.  I love to use coupons and planning a menu helps me to use the coupons we have on hand to further reduce our food costs.  All of that is good!  I also post our menu on the fridge which gives my kids a chance to get excited about the meals they love and to prepare themselves for the meals they loathe.  :)

Another bonus?  Maybe this doesn't happen to you, but when we work without a plan, healthy meals can fall by the wayside and we eat out more than we would like.  I have also noticed that encouraging my kids to try new foods is important but often neglected.  When we eat the same meals often, I find myself feeling bored with meal preparation which is no good for anyone!  So, it is time for me to take the initiative and start planning!  Want to know what's cooking here this week?

The kids went back to school today so we are back in routine mode.  Breakfast is important to us but it also matters that the kids can make breakfast, most days, on their own.  With kids leaving in shifts and being driven to two different campuses, I am not always available to cook a hot breakfast.  So this week, the kids are given choices of cereal, toast and eggs or oatmeal.  My older boys know how to quickly scramble an egg so this works well!  In addition to these items, we have yogurt and string cheese and fruit on hand to round out the morning meal.  For days when I am available to cook, we will have eggs and sausage, waffles and sausage or pumpkin muffins.

My kids carry a lunch to school daily.  They enjoy a wide variety of foods for this, though not all are as healthy as I would like.  On the menu this week for packed lunches are:  sandwiches supplies (peanut butter, honey, ham and cheese), mac and cheese, canned soups, pizza rolls, lean pockets, whole wheat crackers, fruit snacks, fresh fruit, chips, oatmeal cookies, etc...

Now for dinner!  I began this week's menu based on what I had gotten on sale last week.  With the holidays over, we picked up a turkey on a great sale.  Even though that will make a lot of work for me today, roasting a turkey this afternoon will help to feed us for several meals.  So here are our dinners for this week:

Monday:  Roasted turkey dinner with all the fixings!  I will make mashed potatoes, fresh bread, gravy, sweet potatoes, roasted Brussels sprouts and stuffing.

Tuesday:  Turkey soup!  I have a speaking engagement on Tuesday so using my crock pot will be really helpful.  We have a shortcut for making soup... When tight on time, try picking out some cans of a healthy soup and using them as a base for a home-made version you can personalize.  Add fresh or frozen veggies, roasted meat and spices to taste.  We have also thrown a bit of gravy into our soup which makes the broth much richer.  We will serve rolls or fresh bread with this.

Wednesday:  Smoked sausage, mac and cheese and veggies!  After two days of turkey, I know we won't want another!  :)  I am planning here for an easy meal that the kids can help with.  I have a coupon for smoked sausage and have mac and cheese on hand.  Roasted broccoli or kale chips will round this out.

Thursday:  Lasagna, garlic bread and roasted veggies!  I have a speaking engagement on Thursday, too.  An easy meal will help a ton!  I have a frozen lasagna to use so that is great for this week!  Are you noticing a trend here with our veggies?  My kids will eat almost anything we roast.  :)  If you ask them about their favorite veggies, they will quickly say broccoli and Brussels sprouts but we serve both roasted.  It is easy to do!  A little olive oil and a hot oven and veggies taste amazing!

Friday:  Turkey enchiladas!  Using the last of our turkey, I will make enchiladas.  I have tortillas, enchilada sauce and black beans on hand.  I only need to pick up some cheese and mix this one up!  We will serve this dinner with Mexican rice and corn we froze last summer.

Saturday:  Fun and easy dinner... Chili dogs!  This was one of the new meals I began introducing to my kids.  I know it could be healthier so I will serve it with pita chips and hummus.  My kids are still not sold on hummus but we are chipping away at that a bit at a time.

Sunday:  Pork roast and all the fixings!  We make a big Sunday dinner every week but try to make enough to help my menu for the next week.  On Sunday, we will have pork roast, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn casserole, roasted broccoli, homemade applesauce and homemade bread.  Next week, our leftover pork roast will make for hot sandwiches from the crock pot!

So, that is what we are eating this week.  What about you?  What is on your menu?  What do you do to help your kids try new (and healthier?) foods?  How do you save on your dinner menu?  I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas about menu planning at home!

Blessings on your day!