Monthly Meal Plan: January 2013

Is it just me, or did anyone else think 2013 would be like the Jetson's?

I've found some really great recipes to try out on pinterest.  Hopefully we'll get to them this month.

January usually proves to be one of our coldest months.  Sometimes, we even get snow flurries and the entire city shuts down.  The stores run out of toilet paper, bread and milk.  Last year we didn't get any snow or ice.  Very disappointing year.

I baked a turkey today so I'm hoping we can use some of the leftovers for something.

Here's some recipes I'm planning to use this month:

Soups:
Chicken Pot Pie Soup - no mushrooms use leftover turkey
Potato Soup
Chicken and Rice Soup
Taco Soup
Lasagna Soup

Pastas:
Pesto using basil and spinach- Chicken Pesto
Marinara - Chicken Parmesan
Spaghetti
Lasagna

Slow Cooker:
Cashew Chicken - one of our favorites
Honey Sesame Chicken - new one but all the recipes I've tried from their blog are delicious!
Orange Chicken - another new one
Bacon Cheese and Chicken - funny name, but I love bacon
Beef Carnitas
Creamy Chicken Enchilada

Chicken:
Buffalo Chicken Enchiladas
Buffalo Chicken Rolls
Cheese stuffed Chicken
Baked Chicken Fajitas

Breakfast for Dinner:
Huevos Rancheros
Cinnamon Roll Waffles
Sheep Herders Breakfast
Baked Eggs in Ham Cup
Bacon and Corn Griddle Cakes

Tex Mex
Tortillas or Tacos

Monthly Meal Plan October 2012

Can you believe it's OCTOBER!?!?  Where in the world has time gone?

This month is going to be super busy.  I've already have something planned every single day.

I also have my first huge wedding cake.  It's going to be beautiful, simple and elegant.  I can't wait to get pictures of it, but it's not until the end of the month.  We're also going on our annual apple picking trip to Ellijay and we're going camping nearby for a few days.  Some friends and I are participating in the Warrior Dash in Birmingham this weekend.  I'm a little nervous.  I'm not a fast runner, but I can keep up pretty good.  My husband and I are celebrating our 14th wedding anniversary on the 24th.  And I'm going to try to complete my first half marathon on the 27th in Mableton on the Silver Comet Trail.  I haven't registered yet, but I'm training for it.  I'm at the 8th mile marker currently.  I really want to finish my 11th mile and then I'll see how I'm feeling.

On with the food...

Kids request:
Lasagna
Homemade Pizza
Rice & Beans, Chicken and Salad
Pies
Ice Cream

Chicken dishes for the month:
Crock Pot Rotisserie Chicken
Parmesan Chicken Bake
Buffalo Sloppy Joes
Crock Pot Orange Chicken
Garlic Pesto Chicken with Tomato Penne

Beef dishes for the month:
Chuck roast
Cheap Korean Beef
Taco Casserole

Pork dishes for the month:
Pork Chops (if I can find them on a good sale)
Pork Tenderloin Tips (turned into BBQ pork)
Pork Roast

Bean dishes for the month:
Bean Chalupas
Bean Nachos
Bean and cheese enchiladas

Pizza Friday nights
Tortilla Pizzas
French Bread Pizzas

Have a great month!

Monthly Meal Plan - September 2012

It's been a while since I've had a minute to post a meal plan, much less a monthly meal plan.  My little ones started back to school 2 weeks ago and we're settling into a little routine.  Our oldest is homeschooling 10th grade and that's coming along nicely too.  He is interested in culinary things, so we decided on Mondays, we'd learn a new technique and possibly make a dish.  He already helps out with supper twice a week.

For September, we're going to go back to our monthly meal plan.  In effort to cut down on eating out.  We've been spending too much going out to eat.  It mostly results from a busy day, and being too tired to cook.  To offset that, we're going to consult our monthly meal plan and have a game plan to avoid eating out and doing a OAMC day.  For those of you who don't know what that means, it stands for Once-a-month-cooking.  Generally, you prepare and/or cook all the month's meals in one day.  I loved doing this before, but life just got busy and I let it go by the wayside.  I think this will be a good teaching tool for Woolley since he's at home and he can help out.

Here's the plan:

Chicken meals
 - Easy Chicken Pot Pie - use precooked chicken
 - Chicken Enchilada Casserole - freeze and then make sauce day of
 - Chicken Parm Casserole
 - Parmesan Chicken Bake - Casserole have everything to make it, but not freezer friendly
 - Crock Pot Rotisserie Chicken
 - Asian Chicken Dump (make double to use leftovers for Chicken Fried Rice)
 - Cilantro Lime Chicken Dump (make double to use leftovers for Taquitos)
 - Taco Casserole - can use precooked chicken
 - Chicken Bacon Alfredo Pasta - can use precooked chicken
 - Slow Cooker Cashew Chicken

Beef meals
 - Cheap Korean Beef - pre cook and freeze for later in the month
 - Shepherd's Pie
 - Tasty Hamburger Casserole
 - Quesadilla Casserole
 - Beef ribs - Korean style Crock Pot
 - Porcupine Meatballs

Bean meals
 - Lentil tacos
 - 1983 Bean Nachos
 - Bean chalupas
 - Bean and cheese enchiladas
 - Black Bean Taquitos

Pork meals
 - Hawaiian Pork BBQ Roast
 - Orange Pork Roast pg 350

Breakfast for dinner ideas
 - Waffles
 - Hash
 - Muffins
 - Pancakes
 - Smoothies

Pizza meals
 - French bread pizzas
 - Bagel pizzas
 - English Muffin pizzas
 - Tortilla pizzas

The dump chicken recipes are the easiest.  We'll cook off some of the chicken ahead of time to use it in the Chicken Enchilada casserole and Chicken Pot Pies. 

Monthly Meal Plan: May 2012

Time just slips away.  I'm still stuck in March.

This past weekend, I joined several friends (16 of us in all) for my first ever mud run!  It was so much fun!!!  I'm already planning to do it again next year, as is everyone else.  It's a great way to stay in shape and have a goal to meet.  I'm still aiming for the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon in Savannah in November.  My doctor suggested the website www.runkeeper.com for some run/walk training.  I looked it over last night and think it's completely doable.  So I'm going to print out a calendar and mark the training days and suggested walk/run intervals to keep me motivated.  I think the mud run is what I needed to spur me on to continue losing weight.  I still want to lose another 30 pounds and I think this training will help me. 

I need to clean out the freezer and fridge.  We have quite a few things I've purchased over the last few months and they haven't been eaten yet.

Wooley and I just finished doing freezer inventory and I must say, I'm a hoarder.  But my brother says no, since there was no one to come and clean out the freezer for me.  :)

I've got a ton of stuff in that freezer.  I'm a little embarrassed to list everything here, so I'll just tell you what we're going to eat this month.  Then you can figure it out. 

Lamb Roast (I'm excited to try this.  I bought a small 4 lb lamb roast at the grocery store for $.99/lb.)

Source: skinnytaste.com via Candi on Pinterest

Chicken Dumps (3)
Spaghetti
Fish fry (from my husband's father)

BBQ & Pineapple Meatballs

Source: myrecipeboxx.blogspot.com via Whitney on Pinterest

Creamy Cilantro Shrimp and Peppers (peppers and shrimp in freezer)
Chicken Enchilada Casserole (in the freezer)
Sausage and Lentil soup

Source: familystampingfood.blogspot.com via Candi on Pinterest

Brunswick stew (in the freezer)

Sloppy Joes

Tamale Chicken Pie

Source: myrecipes.com via Candi on Pinterest

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

Source: joyful-mommas-kitchen.blogspot.com via Candi on Pinterest

Stuffed Pepper Casserole

Source: familystampingfood.blogspot.com via Candi on Pinterest

These are some recipes I'm planning to make this month using up some cooked chicken, cooked turkey and some frozen peppers and ground beef.

I hope you all have a great month!

Enjoy!

Monthly Meal Plan April 2012

Phew!  March was a busy month.  So glad it's over and we can have a few calmer days.

This month we'll be eating:

Thursday Nights:
Honey Lemon Pepper Rosemary Chicken (lol!  yes, I just through a bunch of stuff in the bag)
Tuscan Sundried Tomato Chicken
BBQ Chicken (bbq sauce, A1, Worcestershire sauce, steak seasoning)
Asian Chicken (Ken's steakhouse Asian Sesame with Soy and Ginger)
*  I've already made these up and put them in the freezer.  We found some fresh chicken breasts for $.99/lb and popped them in the bags in the freezer. 

Friday Night Pizza

Burgers on Saturday Nights:
Pesto Ground Turkey Burgers
Bacon & BBQ Turkey Burgers (Turkey bacon)
Southwestern Turkey Burger
Mozzarella Stuffed Turkey Burger


Sunday -
BBQ Pineapple and Meatballs
Citrus Cumin Pork Roast
Leftover Pork = Pork Carnita Over Cilantro Lime Rice
Turkey Tetrazzini
Cook out one night?

Monday:
Spaghetti x 3
Lasagna x 2



Tuesday:
Tex Mex - Bean Chalupas, Burritos, Nachos, etc...


Wednesday - Breakfast for Dinner
Scrambled Eggs
Rabbit in the Hole
Breakfast Casserole
Paleo Breakfast Casserole

Hope you have a great month!

Enjoy!

Monthly Meal Plan: March 2012

This month my husband and I are auxiliary pioneering.  If you are not familiar with that, it means we will be participating in a special ministry where we commit to spending at least 30 hours a month preaching about the Bible and God's Kingdom.  Normally the requirement is 50 hours, but this is a special month of activity since the Memorial of Christ's death is in April and we'll be distributing the invitation from door-to-door.  So if you see us coming, don't shut door :)

Earlier this week I spent a couple of days in the kitchen doing my OAMC day(s).  Here's my monthly meal plan to use up the things we made:

Monday - Casseroles
Tuesday - Soups
Wednesday - Breakfast
Thursday - Crock Pot Dump Chicken
Friday - Pizza or using our restaurant.com certificates
Saturday - Sandwiches/Italian
Sunday - Leftovers/Tex-Mex

1. Apricot Jam Dump Chicken
2. Oz Pizza
3. Turkey Sloppy Joes for lunch/Lasagna for supper
4. Leftovers for lunch/Bean Nachos for supper
5. Buffalo Chicken Pie
6. Hoppin' John Soup*
7. Breakfast for Dinner (Southwestern Scramble over Baked potatoes)
8. Pesto Chicken Dump
9. $2 Gift Certificate to Tyme Out Neighborhood Grill
10. Pizza Steak Sandwiches for lunch/Spaghetti for supper
11. Leftovers for lunch/Bean Burritos for supper
12. Chicken Enchiladas
13. Mexican Chicken and Rice Soup
14. Breakfast for Dinner
15. Lime & Jalapeno Chicken Dump
16. Oz Pizza
17. Turkey Sloppy Joes for lunch/Spaghetti for supper
18. Leftover for lunch/Bean Nachos for supper
19. Buffalo Chicken Pie
20. Chili
21. Breakfast
22. Balsamic Mustard Chicken Dump
23. Oz Pizza
24. Pizza Steak Sandwiches for lunch/Lasagna for supper
25. leftovers for lunch/Bean Burritos for supper
26. Chicken Enchiladas
27. Lentils and Sausage Soup
28. Breakfast
29. Asian Chicken Dump (Ken's Steakhouse Asian Sesame dressing with added ginger and soy)
30. La Parrilla
31. Tuna Sandwiches for lunch/Pineapple BBQ Meatballs

Okay dokey...hope the month goes smoothly without any hiccups!

Enjoy!

Monthly Meal Plan: January 2012

WOW!!!  Can you believe it's 2012?  Wasn't there a movie about 2012?  Anyway, we are not living like the Jetson's, yet.  We pretty much have all the technology they did, except for the flying cars.  And I want Rosie to come to my house to do our laundry.

So this month we're going to be trying some new soups.  I went shopping with my cousin Christina and she's going to share a Mung Bean Soup recipe with me.  I can't wait!  She also shared her Split Pea Soup recipe (I've never had it before.  I bought yellow split peas and green ones....hmmm decisions decisions!)

Here's the plan, but you know life happens and sometimes we don't get to everything...

Soups:
Kale, Sweet Potato & Chickpea Stew*
Mung Bean Soup*
Split Pea Soup*
Lentil & Sausage Soup (from last month...I loved it!) - sharing the recipe soon
Lentil Soup*
Red Lentil Curry *
Mum's Everyday Red Lentils*

Chicken Recipes:
Pesto & Cheese Stuffed Chicken*
Chicken & Mango Stir Fry over Quinoa*
Crock Pot Salsa Chicken 
Sauteed Rice Sticks* with Boiled Chicken (Poncit Bihon) I'm going to use the recipe on the package

Ground Beef Recipes:
Deconstructed Stuffed Cabbage Casserole*
Deconstructed Stuffed Peppers Casserole*
Carne Guisada (Latin Beef Stew)* - if I can find beef in the reduced bin
Meatloaf

Salads:
All Hail Kale*
Spring Mix Salad with Shredded Carrot, Quinoa and Roasted Corn Salsa*
Quinoa and 4 Bean Salad*

Meatballs:
Polynesian Glazed Meatballs (we ate this recently and loved it!)
BBQ Cola Meatballs*
Meatball and Spaghetti Soup* or my Lasagna Soup with Meatballs

Breakfast Ideas:
Cinnamon Quinoa*
Mexican Breakfast Scramble*
Ham & Egg Scramble*
Sausage Apple and Egg Casserole*

Pizzas:
BBQ Chicken Pizza with Pineapple
Meat-a-tarian Pizza

Monthly Meal Plan: November 2011

Some things planned this month:
Anniversary Dinner for my parents' 39th
Rapunzel Party for Sissy and some of her closest friends
Going away party for a dear couple in our hall
Weekend to visit Kevin's parents in Savannah
Cooler weather = soups and chili

Here's the plan for the month of November. 

1. Shrimp Fried Rice with lemon pepper broccoli
2. Breakfast - Egg and Turkey Bacon Frittata
3. Crock Pot - Country Style Pork Ribs
4. Pizza - baked pizza and thin crust pizzas
5. Dinner out?  Dollar Movie?
6. Turkey Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes, Sweet Peas or Green Beans
7. Granny's Chili
8. Pumpkin Pasta with Sausage*
9. Breakfast -
10. Crock Pot - Chicken Ropa Vieja* over brown rice
11. Tex Mex - Cheesy Enchilada Stack*
12. Pizza
13. Turkey Dinner for my Parents
14. Pumpkin Black Bean Soup*
15. Chicken and Rice Casserole - using turkey
16. Breakfast -
17. Mexican Chicken Tortilla Soup - shredding turkey
18. Pizza
19. Gathering - covered dish
20. Teriyaki Turkey Wraps*
21. Shepherd's Pie
22. Kale & Sausage Soup
23. Breakfast
24. Crock Pot - Pollo in Potacchio*
25. Visit Family
26. Visit Family
27. Visit Family
28. Bean - Turkey and Black Bean Enchiladas*
29. Tex Mex - Chipotle Shredded Chicken Tacos*
30. Breakfast

I've got several new recipes I'd like to try this month. (*)   

Do you have a favorite soup for the winter months?

Enjoy!

Monthly Meal Plan: October 2011

I'm sorry I've been missing for the last few weeks.  My life is truly out of my control right now.  I have a ton going on at work and some unexpected things came up.  I will be taking a few days off to take care of some business out of town and so the hubby will be holding down the fort for a few days.  It couldn't have come at a worse time, but you know what they say, "when it rains, it pours".  So I'm holding up the umbrella and trying to handle everything the best I can.  We also have our 13th wedding anniversary this month.  Boy, does time fly!  It's hard to believe, but this time last year we were planning our Disney Trip and I had my carpal tunnel surgery.  Enough with the reminiscing. 

So back to the monthly meal plan.

I know I always say we're going to eat from our freezer. But this month we really need to eat down what's in that thing! I keep seeing reduced meat at the local grocery store and I've been picking up some every now and again. Now we have all sorts of yummy things to choose from this month.  We have dried beans, country fried steak patties, chicken, sausage, ground beef, frozen shrimp scampi, pork roast...all in the freezer.

Monday: Bean
Tuesday: Chicken
Wednesday: Breakfast
Thursday: Crock Pot
Friday: Pizza
Saturday: Leftovers or Out to eat
Sunday: TBD each week
 
So I think this month will go something like this:
3. Shrimp Scampi over Angel Hair pasta with broccoli
4. Baked Lemon Pepper Chicken Breasts, Peas and Rice
5. "fend for yourself night"
6. Scrambled eggs with sausage and leftover rice (weird I know, but it was good)
7. Rotel with ground beef and velveeta  over nachos with popcorn for movie night
8. Leftovers or Out
9. I'm not sure yet...
10. 15 Bean Soup with smoked turkey wings and cornbread
11. Chicken - Creamy Italian Chicken
12. Louisiana Red Beans and Rice (we ate this a few weeks ago and it was so good)
13. Crock Pot - Citrus Cumin Pork Roast
14. Frozen Pizza
15. Pork Tacos (using leftover pork roast)
16. McDonald's
17. Cereal or Frozen Meal
18. BBQ Chicken
19. Breakfast
20. Country Fried Steak with Gravy and Mashed Potatoes
21. Anniversary
22. Anniversary
23. Anniversary
24. Bean
25. Chicken
26. Breakfast
27. Crock Pot
28. Pizza
29. Zone Meeting in Columbus
30. Leftovers
31. Beans

Hope you all have a great month!

Monthly Meal Plan: September 2011

This month I really need to work on stockpiling my dry pantry.  We are running low on oatmeal, cereal and frozen veggies.  But the thing about the frozen veggies, is that our freezer is slowly dying.  The frost is ridiculous and so I'm trying to old off on stockpiling frozen veggies, but buying them when we need them during the week.  Which is not always cost effective, but at this point I need to be practical.  I also need to eat up the frozen meats I've stockpiled over the last couple of months.  I have a ham in there from April.  There are several small packages of ground sirloin and chicken breasts in there too.  

So here's the plan...

Monday - Tex Mex - bean meal

Tuesday - Chicken meal

Wednesday - Breakfast

Thursday - Crock Pot

Friday - Pizza

Saturday - Leftovers or dinner out

Sunday - Ground beef meal

1. crock pot Brown Sugar Chicken
2. Ham dinner 
3. Mama Ninfa's for Dragon*Con
4. ground beef (no school) XLean Beef Enchilada
5. tex mex (bean) Bean Quesadillas
6. chicken - Herbed Baked Chicken Breasts
7. breakfast (egg) Frittata
8. Crock Pot Salsa Chicken
9. pizza
10. leftovers
11. Poole's BBQ after Apple Picking
12. tex mex (bean) Simple Bean Burrito
13. chicken Chicken Tikka Masala (need to remember to get garam masala)
14. breakfast (egg)
15. crock pot Lasagna
16. pizza
17. leftovers
18. ground beef North African Meatballs
19. tex mex (bean) 1983 Bean Nachos
20. chicken Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches
21. breakfast (egg)
22. crock pot Buffalo Chicken Lasagna
23. pizza
24. leftovers
25. ground beef Meatball Curry
26. (bean) Pasta Fagioli
27. chicken BBQ Bacon Wrapped Chicken
28. breakfast (egg)
29. crock pot Creamy Italian Chicken
30. pizza

I know this will change, but it's nice to have something to reference throughout the month.  I need the semblance of control in my life. 

Have a great week!

Enjoy!

Monthly Meal Plan: July 2011

Busy, busy.  Isn't that how summertime is supposed to be?  Hot and busy!

Okay.  So this month we are so excited because our oldest son, "Woolly" will finally be moving in.  For. Good.  He's old enough to make the decision and he's wanted to live with us for as long as I can remember.  My husband has to finalize a few details with the court and with Woolly's mom, but other than that, looks like he'll be moving in July 9th.

We also have our annual District Convention July 22-24 in Duluth.  We are so excited about it.  This year we are in for a very special treat.  Two full dramas.  That's a big deal!  I can't wait!

I also have a few exciting cake orders due this month.  I'm anxious to see how they turn out.

Our meal plan is going to be simple this month.  We might try a few new meals, but nothing outlandish.

Monday - Crock Pot

Tuesday - Grilled Chicken Dump

Wednesday - Breakfast

Thursday - Rice Meal Kit

Friday - Pizza & Salad

Saturday - Tex Mex

Sunday - Burgers

1. Thin Crust Pizza with Salad
2. Refried Bean Nachos with Salad and salsa
3. Burger - Black Bean Burgers
4. Crock Pot Rotisserie Chicken (Adobo Rubbed Chicken)
5. Dump Chicken Grill - Lime Jalapeno Chicken
6. Breakfast - Overnight French Toast
7. Rice Meal Kit - Stacy's Southwestern Chicken & Rice (Using leftover Rotisserie Chicken)
8. Thin Crust Pizza & Salad
9. Tex Mex - Tacos
10. Burgers - Chicken Parm Burgers
11. Crock Pot Rotisserie Pork Roast (Cumin Citrus Rubbed)
12. Dump Chicken -
13. Breakfast - Scrambled Eggs with Turkey Sausage and fruit
14. Rice Meal Kit - Chinese Chicken and Rice
15. Thin Crust Pizza & Salad
16. Tex Mex - Pork Carnitas Tacos (using leftover Pork Roast)
17. Burgers - Turkey Pesto Burger
18. Crock Pot - Rotisserie Chicken
19. Dump Chicken
20. Breakfast - Baked Oatmeal, fruit and Nuts
21. Rice Meal Kit - Fiesta Salad - replacing beans with leftover Rotisserie Chicken)
22. Convention - Thin Crust Pizza & Salad or dinner out
23. Convention - Tex Mex or dinner out
24. Convention - Burgers or dinner out
25. Crock Pot - Pork Roast
26. Dump Chicken
27. Breakfast - Pancakes
28. Rice Meal Kit - Chinese Pork and Rice (using leftover pork roast)
29. Pizza & Salad
30. Tex Mex
31. Burgers

Hope you have a great month!

Enjoy!

Monthly Meal Plan: June 2011

Summer has arrived!  Along with the heat!  Ugh!  It's been over 90 degrees every single day for the last week!  I'm ready for FALL!  I know, I know, I shouldn't complain, but really the heat is unbearable.

That means we're bringing back Summer Burger Bash.

We'll be eating some low calorie burgers, utilitizing lean ground beef, ground chicken and ground turkey. 

Here's what we're eating this month:

1. breakfast
2. Fiesta Salad
3. Pizza
4. Baby Shower
5. Turkey Dinner (leftovers to turned into other meals)
6. Simple Bean Burritos
7. Grilled Chicken Bruschetta
8. leftovers or Pizza Rolls
9. breakfast
10. pizza & salad
11. Ballet Recital - Mexican Food - Tacos, Simple Bean Burritos, Guacamole, Rice & Beans, Salsa, Chips, Dips
12. Burger Night - Buffalo Chicken Burgers
13. Bean Nachos
14. Drunken Pork Chops
15. leftovers or Pizza Rolls
16. Breakfast
17. pizza & salad
18. dinner out
19. Burger Night - Chicken Parm Burger
20. Simple Bean Burritos
21. Crock Pot Cube Steak and Gravy
22. leftovers or Pizza Rolls
23. breakfast
24. Subway
25. dinner with family
26. dinner out
27. Bean nachos
28. Skinny Chicken Tikka Masala
29. leftovers
30. breakfast

Hope y'all have a great month!

Enjoy!

Monthly Meal Plan: May 2011

The month feels like it's half over, but it's not really.  Just already been busy, trying to catch up...AGAIN! 

1. Sandwiches
2. Crock pot
3. new
4. breakfast
5. leftovers
6. tacos
7. party, pizza
8. leftovers
9. Crock Pot
10. New
11. Breakfast
12. Soup - Garbanzo Bean and Chorizo Soup - minus the chorizo
13. Nachos - Lentil Ground Turkey Taco Mix* new recipe
14. May Day - Truck Rodeo, Pizza Night
15. Talk out of town
16. Crock Pot - Sloppy Toms
17. New - Orecchiette with Chicken Sausage
18. Breakfast
19. Soup - Black Bean Soup with Cumin and Tomato
20. Tacos - Lentil Ground Turkey Taco Mix
21. Circuit Assembly
22. Circuit Assembly
23. Crock Pot - BBQ Sandwiches
24. New - Orange Chipotle Ribs
25. Breakfast
26. Soup
27. Classic Nachos
28. Pizza Night
29. Turkey Dinner???
30. Crock Pot - Sloppy Toms
31. New - Lemon Chicken

Have a great month!

Enjoy!

Monthly Meal Plan: April 2011

It's going to be a very busy month.  We're going to be auxiliary pioneering for the month and it's going to be super extra busy.  We also have the anniversary of Christ's death.  This is a very special commemoration that is observed every year in obedience to our Lord's words recorded in Matthew 26:26-28.  To alleviate some of the busyness, I'm planning some quick meals using freezer kits for dinners in 15 minutes or less.

For the kits, I need to prepare some brown rice, ground turkey Taco Meat and beans.  I'm also going to try to freeze my Oven Cheese Fries.  I've been experimenting with this for a while and think I might have finally figured it out.  If so, I'll share it with y'all on an "In the Kitchen" post. 

Here's a little of what we'll be eating this month.

Monday:  Tex-Mex (beans)

Tuesday:  Asian

Wednesday:  Breakfast

Thursday:  Tex-Mex (meat)

Friday:  Pizza
Saturday: Leftovers
Sunday:  Seafood - new recipes*

1. Thin Crust Pizza
2. Leftovers
3. Shrimp Creole* over Brown Rice, Steamed Veggies
4. Classic Bean Nachos
5. Chicken Fried Rice, Steamed Veggies
6. Frittata, sliced potato, spinach, turkey bacon, Oranges
7. Fiesta Salad (using ground turkey Taco Meat)
8. Thin Crust Pizza
9. Visit Family - Strawberry Festival at Ottawa Farms
10. Subway for supper
11. Bean Chalupas
12. Shrimp Fried Rice
13. Scrambled Eggs, Turkey Bacon, Toast, Oranges
14. Stacy's Southwestern Chicken & Rice 
15. Thin Crust Pizza
16. Leftovers
17. Shrimp Fajita*
18. Classic Bean Nachos with Guacamole Salad and Tomatoes
19. Teriyaki Grilled Chicken* Steamed Veggies, Brown Rice
20. Breakfast Casserole (using egg whites, turkey bacon, reduced calorie bread and cheese), Fruit
21. Fiesta Salad  (using ground turkey Taco Meat)
22. Thin Crust Pizza
23. Leftovers
24. Broiled Salmon with Rosemary*, Steamed Veggies, Oven Cheese Fries
25. Chalupas
26. Teriyaki Grilled Salmon*, Steamed Veggies, Brown Rice
27. Hashbrown Casserole*, Fruit
28. Stacy's Southwestern Chicken & Rice
29. Thin Crust Pizza
30. Leftovers

Hope you have a great month!

Enjoy!

This post has been linked to:
Monthly Meal Plan at Mommy's Kitchen

Monthly Meal Plan: March 2011

Well, it's the end of the month and that means I need to come up with another monthly meal plan.  We have quite a few things in the freezer so March already looks yummy!

I'm still using the sparkpeople.com account information to help me with breakfasts, lunches and snacks.  It even provides detailed information for suppers, but I prefer to use my own meals and compare them with the calories which I'm supposed to be eating.

Some exciting things on schedule for the month of March are our Kingdom Hall remodel, working in the Kitchen and serving the friends meals, participating in a community yard sale (all the proceeds from the sale of my things will benefit the Chatt Hills Charter School) and visiting family.  Several of us are going to help prepare and serve some meals to the volunteer workers during the Kingdom Hall remodel.  We're going to be working with the Spanish congregation to provide meals Thursday-Sunday.  The other two congregations will be handling the last weekend.  This might change as the we get closer.

We've been implementing a few food changes over the last couple of months.  The first was moving from white rice to brown rice.  It was a slow process, but I think my husband likes it pretty good.  It has a chewier texture over white rice and it takes such a long time for it to cook.  I've been precooking it and bagging it up in 1-1/2 cup portions and freezing them.  I'll share a simple picture tutorial showing how I do this later on.  It's a huge time-saver and I love having it in the freezer waiting on me.  The second is eating brown bread, preferably 100% whole wheat.  The kids and I already eat wheat bread, my husband still prefers the white bread (but I'm working on it!).  Recently, I started eating the Healthy Life Bread.  It's only 35 calories per slice.  I don't know about you, but when I eat a sandwich, I prefer to have a top AND a bottom.  The other bread I was buying was 70 calories per slice.  It might seem silly to you, but in my mind I was feeling deprived only eating one slice of bread.  And for this whole-life-changing-healthy-eating-thing to be successful, I need to avoid all feelings of deprivation.  So far, so good!  We have also considerably decreased the amount of white sugar we are consuming.  I've been using honey as a replacement in almost everything.  I love honey and can't really tell the difference.

Next we're going to be working on our meat and vegetables.  I already mentioned before about buying a cow and having it processed for food this year.  It looks like that might be happening over the next month or so.  I'm so excited, I can't even express it in words.  My friend Carrie (who blogs at Natural Moms Talk Radio) has agreed to go "half-ers" with me.  We're going to "share" the cow.  There is no way we can possibly keep 500 lbs of meat in our freezer.  Besides, I don't think we can eat that much beef in a year's time anyway.  We're going to work out the logistics later on.  As for the vegetables, I'm going to be planting another garden this year.  I love getting out there and planting seeds and seeing the little sprouts push through the ground.  It's just so amazing to think about how God created everything and seeing the life in the seeds.  It's a blessing to be able to have a little piece of land to put in a garden.  My children love to see the fruits of our labors, and I have to admit, I get a little giddy too!

Now about the meal plan this month:

Last month, the daily themed meals worked out well so I'm planning to do it again this month:

Monday:  crock pot night

Tuesday:  soup night

Wednesday:  breakfast for dinner

Thursday:  Tex-Mex night

Friday:  pizza

Saturday:  family favorite

Sunday:  new recipe night/fish?

1. Turkey Tetrazzini, salad and green beans
2. breakfast - Rabbit in the Hole, fruit
3. Fiesta Salad (sharing recipe soon)
4. pizza - Thin Crust Pizza
5. Chicken Fried Rice with carrots, peas and green beans
6. Bobby's Baked Tilapia* with brown rice, asparagus, green beans
7. Crock Pot Salsa Chicken* over Brown Rice with Broccoli and Green Beans
8. soup - Garbanzo and Chorizo Soup (one of my favorite soups!)
9. breakfast - Breakfast Casserole, yogurt, fruit
10. Stacy's Southwestern Chicken and Rice Skillet
11. pizza - Thin Crust Pizza
12. family dinner
13. Subway
14. Crock Pot Rotisserie Chicken, Green Beans, Potatoes (using leftover potatoes for lunch, making stock for the tomorrow's supper, reserving some chicken for tomorrow's soup)
15. soup - Chicken Pasole*
16. breakfast - Scrambled Eggs, turkey bacon, fruit, toast
17. KH meal
18. KH meal
19. KH meal
20. KH meal
21. Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken* with brown rice, sweet peas, broccoli and green beans
22. soup - Lasagna Soup with salad
23. breakfast - Egg White Omelet filled with veggies and low fat cheese, fruit, toast
24. KH meal - yard sale
25. KH meal - yard sale
26. KH meal
27. KH meal
28. Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken* over Whole Wheat Pasta, Green Beans and Carrots
29. soup - Taco Soup (in the freezer from January) with cornbread
30. breakfast - Scrambled Eggs, turkey bacon, fruit, toast
31. Fiesta Salad

I'll be checking the freezer to see how much rice, beans and chicken stock I have in there.  That will determine how much I need to pre-cook for the month.

Hope you have a great month!

Enjoy!

This has been linked to :
Mommy's Kitchen Monthly Meal Plan

Monthly Meal Plan: February 2011

February is always a fun month.  I think it's because it's the shortest of the all the months.  We're going to be eating meals planned from the freezer stockpile.

My husband and I have been in talks about purchasing a cow.

No, not a cow we can call our pet, and keep it in the backyard.

We want to buy a cow to eat.

Beef is good!

Anyway, there are a couple of options we are checking into.  In the meantime, we need to eat down some of our freezer stockpile to make some room.

Monday's have proved to be pretty hectic around here, so I'm going to be doing a slow-cooker meal that day.  

Here's what I have to work with:

chicken wings

chicken breasts

country style pork ribs

boneless beef short ribs

pork chops

ham bone

ground turkey patties

turkey pot pie filling

turkey tetrazzini

whole turkey
chorizo

Here's the plan:

Monday:  slow-cooker night

Tuesday:  soup night

Wednesday:  breakfast night   

Thursday:  leftovers

Friday:  pizza night

Saturday:  new meal/pantry night

Sunday:  tex-mex night

Here's the plan for February:

1. Soup Beans and Cornbread (mashing leftover beans and freezing)
2. Scrambled Eggs and Turkey Bacon
3. Leftovers
4. Pizza - Salami 
5. New Meal:  Potatoes and Chicken Fiesta* (adding pre-cooked chicken breast)
6. Super Bowl:  Granny's Chili, Piglets in Blankets, Greek Garden Spread, Asian Chicken Wings, Veggie Platter and Fudge Brownies*
7. Slow-Cooker - Italian Chicken Orzo* (might use rice instead of orzo)
8. Beef, Potato and Quinoa Soup*
9. Frittata with Turkey Bacon
10. Leftovers
11. Pizza - Ham 
12. Visiting Family
13. Subway Sandwiches
14. Slow-Cooker - Crock Pot Lasagna (using ground turkey)
15. Ground Turkey Barley Soup*
16. Scrambled Eggs and Bacon
17. Leftovers
18. Pizza - Pepperoni
19. New Meal:  Creamy Salsa Potatoes* (adding pre-cooked ground turkey)
20. Sweet and Spicy Short Rib Tacos
21. Slow-Cooker - Crock Pot Turkey Pot Pie (thawing from freezer, heat in crockpot) with Biscuits
22. Chicken, Chorizo and Tortilla Soup*
23. Egg White Omelet with Salsa
24. Leftovers
25. Pizza - Pepperoni
26. Turkey Tetrazzini (thaw from freezer, bake in oven)
27. Country Style Pork Ribs using this Rub
28. Hearty Hamburger Soup* (using ground turkey)

We are trying a few new recipes (*) this month.  I'm going to precook the chicken breasts and brown the ground turkey.  That way I'll have it ready to put into the meals.  It's much faster and easier to prepare meals throughout the month.  I'll also prebake the bacon so it's waiting for us when we have breakfast for supper.

Have a great month!

Enjoy!

This post has been linked to:
Mommy's Kitchen - Monthly Meal Plan

Monthly Meal Plan: January 2011

Gracious!  Can you believe it's 2011?  When I was younger I wondered what life would be like in the year 2000, now we're in 2011.  I'm married, have 3 children in our life, drive a mini-van, coupon-like-a-mad-woman, watch movies from Netflix on my laptop,  who would have thought?

And I make meal plans.  

I had a little trouble with the monthly meal plan this time around.  I'm not feeling it for some reason.  Here's what I came up with.  It's likely to change...

1. Visiting Family   sick - Ginger-Ale and crackers
   
2. Subway  sick - Ginger-Ale, crackers, bananas, toast
3. Thai Chicken and Basil*(new) we ate Ham, mashed sweet potatoes, green beans
   
4. Apricot Pork Chops we ate Super Easy Turkey Pie and salad with apple *sharing recipe Saturday
   
5. Chicken-in-a-Skillet*(new)  Ham and Eggs
   
6. Leftovers (thawed leftover turkey earlier this week) Turkey Rice Casserole
7. Pizza & Salad
8. Shrimp Alfredo* (Pantry Meal) - share next Saturday 1/15/11
9. Tacos
10. Baked Ziti BBQ Turkey over Mashed Potatoes
11. Country Ribs Turkey Wreath with Salad and Green Beans
12. Pancakes (in the freezer)
13. Leftovers or Soup
14. Pizza & Salad
15. Dinner out
16. Chili and Cornbread
17. Shepherd's Pie*
18. Turkey Pot Pie*
19. Scrambled Eggs, Bacon, Oranges
20. Leftovers
21. Pizza & Salad
22. Visiting Family
23. Subway
24. Beef Stroganoff Casserole*(new)
25. Turkey Dumplings Turkey Croquettes
26. Baked French Toast
27. Leftovers
28. Pizza & Salad
29. Dinner Out
30. Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas
31. TBA - Waiting for more sales...

(*) Some recipes are new to us, some are family favorites I haven't posted yet on Sissy's recipe blog.  

As for the OAMC and Batch Cooking.  I'm thinking I should bake up some of the free Krusteaz Muffins.  Last week we baked up the Banana Nut Muffins and added chocolate chips.  The kids loved them. We still have a few leftover and I popped them into the freezer.  So I don't think we'll be baking anymore this week.  But I do have a small list of things I need to complete this week:

• Pumpkin Spice Granola
• Thaw out some chicken breasts for meals later this week
• Soak and cook some black beans for meals
• Cinnamon Banana French Toast Sticks

Hope you have a great month!

Enjoy!

This post has been linked to:

• Mommy's Kitchen Monthly Meal Plan

Monthly Meal Plan: December 2010

I've been planning our monthly meal plans for over a year now.  I cannot tell you how much easier life flows when you have just one small detailed ironed out, like "what's for dinner".  We eat out a lot less, saving quite a bit of money (money we didn't have anyway).  We eat a lot less junk food (which we don't need anyway).

Last month we picked up on the cheap sweet potatoes ($.35/lb at Food Depot).  I'll probably pick up a few more pounds to puree and freeze in 2 cup portions.  We also got a free turkey from Kevin's work and I bought one at Publix for $.59/lb.

We might have a few changes along the way, but here's the game plan.

Here's what we're planning for December:

1. Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs, Hashbrown Casserole*, Oranges
2. Crock Pot Chicken, Potatoes, Broccoli and Green Beans
3. Pizza
4. Soup: Chicken Tortellini Soup*, Peasant Bread
5. Chalupas
6. Tex Mex:  Mexican Pasta Shells* with Sante Fe Salad
7. Crock Pot Chicken, Broccoli Rice & Cheese, Green Beans
8. Breakfast:  Frittata with Fried Taters and Oranges
9. Soup:  Yakisoba Chicken Noodle Soup*
10. Pizza
11. Turkey Dinner:  Billisu's Oven Roasted Turkey, Cornbread Dressing, Southern Style Collards, Squash Casserole, Sweet Potato Souffle, Mashed Potatoes, Rolls, Sawdust Pie*
12. Ravioli Lasagna*, Salad with Garlic Bread 
13. Tex Mex:  Burrito Casserole with Sante Fe Salad
14. Crock Pot Chicken, Red Quinoa Pilaf, Sweet Peas and Carrots
15. Breakfast:  Pancakes, Bacon and Grapefruit
16. Soup:  Italian Sausage Vegetable Soup, Peasant Bread
17. Family:  Subway
18. Family Dinner
19. Family:  Subway
20. Crock Pot Bean Enchiladas* with Guacamole Salad and Corn & Tomato Salad
21. Crock Pot Maple Chicken with Sweet Potatoes* with Broccoli and Cheese
22. Breakfast:  Frittata and Apple & Spinach Salad
23. Soup:  Lasagna Soup with Peasant Bread
24. Pizza
25. Leftovers
26. Pork Chops with Apricot Sauce*, Warm Lentil Salad*
27. Tex Mex:  Turkey Taquitos*, Spicy Baked Sweet Potato Fries
28. Crock Pot Chicken, Rice and Green Beans and Corn
29. Breakfast:  Pancakes, Sausage and Oranges
30. Soup:  Creamy Chicken Noodle Lipton Soup with Crackers*
31. Pizza

We have a few new recipes to try this month.  Some things I made quite a lot, but have never documented for Sissy's recipe blog.  I'll be blogging those recipes over there.  The ones that are successful, will make their way to her blog as well.

As for the freezer cooking this month, I've sort of been working on it a little this week.

• Southern Style Collards - using up some collards we got while at Callaway Gardens
• Soaking Great Northern Beans and cooking them today in the crock pot for meals this month
• Lemon Poppyseed Muffins - I didn't get to make these last month, but hoping to get to them this week
• Oatmeal Pouches - trying maple and brown sugar flavored this time around
• Cinnamon Banana French Toast Sticks - the kids gobbled them up fast!  They really loved them and so did I!
• Baked up some sweet potatoes yesterday, mashed them and bagged them for the freezer for Sweet Potato Souffle later this month
• Crunchy Granola - I've got about a cup left
• Homemade Pancakes - I'll do this in a batch cooking job when we eat them for the first time next week, then I'll freeze up the rest

Hope you have a great month!

Enjoy!

This has been linked to:

• Mommy's Kitchen Meal Plan Monthly
• Life as Mom - December Freezer Cooking

Q&A: Do you use a Menu Planning System or Program?

photo credit

A while back a friend sent me a message on Facebook asking me about menu planning:

Do you use a menu planning system or program?

My answer is: Nope.

Sometimes I think it might be easier to plug the information into a system or program, but I'm way too much of a control freak to allow something or someone to plan our meals.

So how do I plan?

Remember, I'm a couponer first and foremost.  This allows me to stockpile rice, pasta, spaghetti sauce, frozen vegetables, canned green beans (this is my husband's only real vegetable he'll eat and he prefers them in the can), cereal, oatmeal and peanut butter (to name just a few of the basics). 

I stockpile proteins at certain price points:

• Chicken breasts (with skin and bones, I think they are more flavorful) when they are on sale for $.99/lb or less.  I usually purchase 3 or 4 packages (each package normally has 3 large 1lb chicken breasts).  
• Ground beef is rarely on sale, but the best price I've found was at our local Food Depot for $1.49/lb and I purchase 8 lbs.  
• Fish fillets at $2.99/lb, I can find this at Food Lion and Aldi.  
• Pork Chops are indeed rare for us.  Sometimes I check the reduced bin at Food Depot or Kroger.  They'll have it marked down to $1.99/lb or less and I'll get a couple of packages.  
• Pork Roasts are perfectly priced on sale for $.89/lb or less.  
• My goal price for whole chickens is $.79/lb but I've paid $.99/lb when I was in a pinch. 
• When I find Beef Roasts on sale for $1.99/lb, I'll pick one up.

Each month the grocery stores offer these items on sale.  Some things are seasonal, like ground beef, but for the most part, you'll see the prices dip once or twice during the month.  When you've decided what is the best price for you to pay for something, you should stockpile enough to get you through the month.  Most stores cycle prices every 4-6 weeks.  So you'll want to pick up enough at the best price until the next time it's on sale.

I find spending about 30-60 minutes once a month, can reduce the stress of "what's for dinner" throughout the month.  It saves on your budget, i.e. eating out, impulse buying...these can add up. 

The next step is to review what's in your freezer and pantry from the previous month's purchases.  Some find it easy to keep a list of what's in the freezer so things don't get overlooked.  Once you've used that item, mark it off your list.

To make it even easier to plan meals, I specify certain types of meals for specific days of the week.  Printing a calendar helps make this easier for me, but you can use a calendar you keep on your wall or in your purse.  Check the calendar for special occasions, gatherings, date-nights, out of towners and what not.  Mark the calendar so you'll not have to plan meals for those nights.  

Monday - Crock Pot Meal/Chicken

Tuesday - Leftover Meal/Soup

Wednesday - Breakfast for Supper

Thursday - Tex Mex/Bean Night

Friday - Pizza

Saturday - Try a new recipe/Dinner Out

Sunday - Crock Pot Meal/Family Favorites

This changes monthly, but Wednesday and Friday are almost always the same.

I have several cookbooks I reference for new recipes.  I also regularly check food blog carnivals, you can find delicious tried-and-true recipes with detailed instructions on how to prepare the dish.  You can find a list of those carnivals at the bottom of most of my recipe posts.  And of course, I love the Food Network, and often get inspiration from the many chef's recipes.  Sometimes I need to tweak the recipe to feed my family, but it gives you starting place.  

So that's it in a nutshell.  I hope you'll give meal planning a try if you're not already doing so.  I would suggest starting out with a simple weekly plan so you don't feel overwhelmed.  Once you get that down pat, you can try to be a little more adventurous by planning 2 weeks worth of meals.  After that, you'll be ready for monthly planning.  It's really not that hard, in fact, I'll have been planning our monthly meal plan for an entire year come December!  And I can tell you, it's been working for me for a year!

Enjoy!

Monthly Meal Plan: November 2010 (...and OAMC Plan)

Yeah!!!  It's soup weather!  Kevin and I have talked about eating fewer calories and one of the best ways to do that is by eating a yummy filling soup.  This month I'll be making a couple of new soups for lunch.  As you may know, my husband is a meat-a-tarian and prefers simple soups that are not filled with yummy filling vegetables.  He prefers his soups with one or two main ingredients so I've found a couple of interesting looking soups for supper we're going to try.  We're also going to be adding a few fish meals since I found some tilapia on sale at Aldi for $2.99 per pound.  And let's not forget about adding "Bean Night".  I made a large batch of Refried Beans last month and I'll be using them throughout the month.

Crock Pot Rotisserie Chicken

Here's the simple game plan.  Each week for Meal Plan Monday, I'm hoping to elaborate based on what we've been able to stockpile:

1. Crock Pot Rotisserie Chicken
2. LEFTOVERS:  Chicken & Rice Soup
3. Breakfast for supper
4. Bean Night
5. Pizza night
6. Family dinner
7. Subway Supper
8. Grilled Chicken 
9. Pumpkin and Black Bean Soup*
10. Breakfast for supper
11. Bean Night
12. Pizza Night
13. Lemon Pepper Tilapia*
14. Salmon Cakes
15. Crock Pot Rotisserie Chicken
16. LEFTOVERS:  Chicken & Dumplings
17. Breakfast for supper
18. Bean Night
19. Pizza Night
20. Crispy Golden Sauteed Fish*
21. Crock Pot Sweet & Spicy Short Rib Tacos*
22. Grilled Chicken 
23. Garbanzo & Chorizo Soup*
24. Breakfast for supper
25. Bean Night
26. Pizza Night
27. Family Dinner
28. Fish and White Bean Tostadas*
29. Crock Pot Rotisserie Chicken
30. LEFTOVERS:  Classic Tortilla Soup*

(*) new-to-us recipes

Here's the OAMC Plan for November:

• Marinated Chicken Breasts x 2 dinners, "dump chicken breasts" to be grilled later (exact marinade is unclear at this point :)
• Refried Beans x 4 dinners (for bean night)
• Black Beans (for soup night and nacho lunches)
• Cannellini or Great Northern Beans (for soup night and homemade hummus)
• Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins (new lowfat recipe, sharing soon)*
• Pumpkin Spice Granola (this is a new one to try)*
• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Granola Bars (this is a new recipe for us to try)*
• Pizza Muffins (for kid's lunches)*
• Cheddar Cornmeal Waffles (to accompany soups this month)*
• English Muffin Breakfast Pizzas (for my husband's breakfasts)*
• Fruity Breakfast Burritos
• French Toast Sticks (think we're going to try banana cinnamon)

I'm so excited to try some new recipes.  We are sort of tired of eating my chocolate chip granola bars (not that they aren't delicious, but we were eating them every month) and was thrilled to read about the pumpkin granola bars.

I'm hoping to stockpile a few more pantry staples like pasta, spaghetti sauce, canned green beans and peanut butter.  I'll just need to keep an eye open at the store ads to make sure I don't miss anything!

Enjoy!

This has been linked to:

• Mommy's Kitchen Meal Plan Monthly
• Life as Mom November OAMC Plan 
• This Mommy Cooks Monthly Meal Plan