Well, I wonder how Organizing Junkie is getting along on this, her second day of being unplugged?! I’ll bet she’s having a great time on her vacation with her family (even if she is having computer withdrawals)! I’m interested to know what’s on her vacation menu…. :)

In the meantime, I am super honored and excited to host Menu Plan Monday here at Heavenly Homemakers! 

I was terribly sick all last week, and I’m feeling much better, just a bit low on energy still. Therefore, as I was planning the meals this week, I asked my boys, “What meals sound good for YOU to make this week?!” 

I made the mistake of asking this question right at bedtime, so they felt like they really should stay up later and keep on helping Mommy plan the meals (“Wait, we still need to think of more…”). 

Here’s what we came up with together:

Sunday, June 29
Oatmeal
Sloppy joes, fruit
Frozen fruit milk shakes

Monday, June 30
Applesauce muffins, bananas
Ham and cheese melts, grapes
Cheesy beef and rice, green beans

Tuesday, July 1
Whole wheat pancakes
Tuna salad on tortillas, watermelon
Deer steak, steamed carrots, peas

Wednesday, July 2
Scrambled eggs, oranges
Nachos, cantaloupe
Shepherds pie, tossed salad

Thursday, July 3-Saturday July 5.…we’re headed to Oklahoma for another family reunion. We’ll pack sandwiches for the road and about 37 other snacks since that’s what the boys think we do on trips. Once we’re there, I’m not sure what’s planned…but I’m guessing it involves lots of hot dogs, hamburgers, salads…and I KNOW there will be homemade ice cream!

How about you? Do you have lots of yummy weekend plans?

What’s on your menu this week? 
————————————————-
[blenza_autolink code]

Well, it’s not every week that we begin a new business and host a family reunion all in the same week. Apparently all of the go-go-go from last week did me in completely. By Saturday morning of our reunion…I was so sick I could hardly get out of bed. Grr.  I KNEW I was doing too much to keep up with myself through the week, but I felt like I needed to keep going anyway to get everything done. (Well, I guess I wouldn’t have had to clean my toilets..but I figured my guests would enjoy their stay here more if I did.) 

So, I’m working to recover (and by working, I mean resting and taking my nutrition supplements from my chiropractor and drinking lots of water…). 

I don’t have the brain power to plan meals right now, nor do I have the strength to cook them. Thankfully, Daddy and the boys are ready to pitch in and take over in the kitchen. (I love my guys…)

Here’s the list of things I’ve thought of that they can make from what we have on hand…

Leftover fried chicken from the reunion
Spaghetti
Quesadillas
Tuna casserole
Eggs
PB & J
Smoothies and slushies

I’m thankful that I have a rich chicken broth in my freezer that I had made a few weeks ago that I’ll thaw for myself (or that Matt will thaw for me), we have lots of fruit and veggies to go with the meals they make, I have applesauce muffins in the freezer and lettuce in the garden.

I’m too tired to proofread for typos, so soory if their ar sum. :)

If all else fails, I’ll send Matt over to Organizing Junkie for some more meal ideas!

We made all of Daddy’s favorites for Father’s Day. It was great…and we were stuffed. :)

As you read through the rest of my menu, you might notice how many salads we’re having. It’s because I HAVE FRESH LETTUCE AND SPINACH COMING OUT MY EARS!!! (Want some?)  It’s so awesome!

Sunday, June 15
Biscuits and gravy, hashbrowns, scrambled eggs
Leg-O-Lamb, mashed potatoes and gravy, roasted carrots, chocolate peanut butter pie
Who needs dinner after all of that?

Monday, June 16
Whole wheat pancakes
Taco salad, pineapple orange slushie cups
Italian roast wraps, tossed salad

Tuesday, June 17
Yogurt with strawberries and blueberries
Peanut butter and jelly on biscuits, grapes, carrot sticks
Spaghetti, tossed salad, corn

Wednesday, June 18
Strawberry and peach slushies (with fresh spinach hidden inside…I promise you can’t even tell!)
Grilled chicken strips, mashed potato pancakes, peas
Chicken enchiladas (already prepared and in my freezer!), tossed salad (what a surprise)

Thursday, June 19
Breakfast Cookies
Quesadillas, cottage cheese and peaches
Farmer’s Market…pack some snacks

Thursday night, many of my relatives come into town for a family reunion!! The rest of our menu will tell you what we’re eating together!

Friday, June 20
Whole wheat waffles, scrambled eggs, sausage
Picnic in the park
Chicken fajitas, spanish rice, tossed salad, chocolate chip cookies

Saturday, June 21
Applesauce bread, fruit, juice
Ultimate nacho bar
BBQ at our cousin’s house

I’ve got a pretty busy week ahead of me, getting ready to sell baked goods at our Farmer’s Market and getting ready for our Family Reunion! I’m super excited though and have LISTS like crazy to help keep me organized!!

On my blogging list for the week…

In my “Getting Real With Food” series, I’ll share more about eating healthy on a budget (I’ll give you the break down on what we spend our food money on). Also, I MUST share with you my whole wheat cinnamon roll recipe. They are SO YUMMY!

Visit Organizing Junkie for more menu planning ideas. For sure, because of my hectic week…having my menu planned is even more important than it usually is! (It is not pretty to watch me try to prepare food without a plan.)  :)

Today (Sunday) is Asa’s birthday which means he got to choose what we ate all day long! Mmm…great choices. 

Sunday, June 8
Cereal (Asa chose this as a treat, since we rarely eat it!)
Grilled hamburgers on homemade buns, homemade potato chips, strawberries, chocolate pound cake with whipped cream
Nachos, grapes

   
    You HAVE to try these chips!!

Monday, June 9
Whole wheat pancakes (here’s a fun way to shape your pancakes!)
Grilled cheese sandwiches, fruit smoothies, carrot sticks
Deer steak, mashed potatoes, gravy, peas

Tuesday, June 10
Scrambled eggs, oranges
Sloppy joes, baked beans, cantaloupe
Grilled chicken, stir fried rice and veggies

Wednesday, June 11
Orange muffins, bananas
Pizza Casserole, corn, apples
Spanish rice with chicken, tossed salad

Thursday, June 12
Peanut butter honey toast, fruit and yogurt delight
Hearty bean casserole, pineapple orange slushies
“To Go” foods to eat while we’re at the Farmer’s Market (Homemade pretzels, cheese sticks, carrot sticks, apples)

Friday, June 13
French toast, fruit
Homemade chicken nuggets and fries, watermelon
Homemade pizza, fruit salad

Saturday, June 14
Homemade whole wheat donuts
Cheeseburger macaroni, steamed broccoli and carrots
BBQ meatballs, baked potatoes, green beans

And…if you’d like some free downloadable menu planners to help make your menu planning fun click here!

On the blogging menu for this week:  I promise to show you inside my fridge and freezers and continue on with my “Getting Real With Food” series. (In case you need to peek into my pantry again, here you go!)  I also plan on talking a bit about my food budget and how we eat real food on a real budget. And…Marie asked me if I could come up with a yummy breakfast bar…and I just couldn’t let her down! I’ll be sharing that recipe this week! :)

Have a great week…and I hope to see you back here soon. Head on over to Org Junkie to find more menu planning ideas!

I think I’m almost getting caught up around here…and I’ve even figured out what day it is again. (Thursday, right? No, Saturday. Okay, yeah…I still don’t know.)

The events of last week made me appreciate everything that is fine and normal. Like menu planning and doing laundry and washing dishes and seeing my husband come home after a day of work and listening to my kids argue and reminding them to pick up their messes, etc. I appreciate those things so much more than I did a week ago. 

After coming home from Kansas on Wednesday night…we went for several days without a meal plan. Put together the fact that I was in an emotional fog and the fact that I didn’t have a meal plan…and you know there were issues. I look forward to being more on top of things this week. (It is Wednesday after all.)  (Friday?) 

For the sake of everyone who lives at my house and tends to get hungry frequently…here’s my meal plan for the week. With dates and coordinating days of the week and everything. And of course it’s printed out and put right onto the refrigerator to make it easier and more fun.

Sunday, June 1
Banana bread, oranges, milk
Italian Roast Wraps, steamed carrots, watermelon
“Clean out the fridge special” (Who knows what we might find!?)

Monday, June 2
Whole wheat pancake shapes*, milk
Cheese quesadillas, cantelope, carrot sticks
Spaghetti, tossed salad, corn

Tuesday, June 3
French toast
Homemade pizza, pears
Turkey ham, macaroni and cheese, green beans, applesauce

Wednesday, June 4
Scrambled eggs, fruit slushies
Homemade chicken nuggets, french fries, watermelon
Taco potatoes, fruit salad

Thursday, June 5
Peanut butter honey toast, banana slices
Bean dip and chips, pineapple
Sandwiches, carrots, raisins (packed to take to farmer’s market)

Friday, June 6
Applesauce bread, oranges
Cheesy beef and rice, broccoli and carrots
Hamburgers on homemade buns, onion rings

Saturday, June 7
Breakfast cookies
Grilled cheese sandwiches, cantelope
Spaghetti squash with chicken in cream sauce, tossed salad

Be sure to visit Organizing Junkie for more great menu ideas. 

And join us here this week for Gratituesday (really…I will figure out what day it is by Tuesday!)  There’s SO MUCH to be grateful for!!!!!

*Also…I just learned a fun and EASY way to make shaped pancakes that I plan to share!! See you soon!

 I’ve always liked to display my menu on the fridge so that I can see at a quick glance what I’ll need to prepare next! (My husband and kids also love to have the menu plan on the fridge so that they know what to get hungry for next!) 

I used to always write my menus on a piece of notebook paper (complete with fringe)…and slap it onto my fridge. For some reason…I always felt like it looked….tacky. ;)

I started making these fun menu planners…and I really like them. (They look so much more cheerful in my kitchen than the piece of paper ripped out of a notebook…)

And now…here are some new springtime menu planners that you are welcome to download and use to brighten up your kitchen!

                                   
              Butterfly Menu Planner                     Little Red Menu Planner 

Lavender Flowers Menu Planner

And here’s what I’ll be writing on my springtime menu planner this week:

Monday, April 28
Whole Wheat Waffles
Chicken Tortilla Soup, tossed salad
BBQ Meatballs, cheesy potatoes, green beans

Tuesday, April 29
Mini Breakfast Pizzas, fruit
Grilled Cheese, tomato soup
Baked Spaghetti, tossed salad, corn

Wednesday, April 30
Orange Muffins, bananas
Quiche, fruit salad
Beefy Enchilada Bake, taco salad

Thursday, May 1
Fried eggs on toast, oranges
Homemade Pizza Pockets, pineapple
Crunchy Ranch Chicken, rice and veggie stir fry

Friday, May 2
Granola, fruit smoothies
Pizza Casserole, salad
Hamburgers on homemade buns, onion rings

Saturday, May 3
Homemade Donuts
Nachos
Grilled steak, asparagus, cantelope

Also…this week on the blogging menu…

May Basket Craft Idea…More Yummy Recipes…Honoring Mothers….and more! Hope to see you again this week!

Be sure to visit Organizing Junkie for more great menu planning ideas!

Well…we’re starting off the week with three sick kids…so we’ll see how the menu plan goes! I just got back from the store with LOTS and LOTS of fruits and veggies…so while the kids aren’t eating much else (which proves that they’re sick!)…at least they’ll munch on some fruit.

I’ve also got a big chicken thawing so that I can make a rich broth for the sickies. (I’ll try to take pictures and show you how I make a very nutritious broth in the next few days!) 

Having said all that…if everyone begins to feel better…this is what we’ll be eating this week! (I’ve begun to hear a couple of sibling arguments…so things must be looking…up…)  :)

Sunday, April 20
Oatmeal, fruit
Chicken Broccoli Bake, spinach salad, corn
Leftovers, Fruit

Monday, April 21
Toast made on homemade bread, fruit
Sloppy Joes on homemade buns, creamy cole slaw, baked beans
Chicken and rice, steamed carrots

Tuesday, April 22
Scrambled eggs, orange slices
Meat and cheese burritoes, pineapple orange slushies
Easy chicken alfredo, tossed salad, green beans

Wednesday, April 23
Honey brown bread, applesauce
Spinach Quiche, fruit salad
Chicken enchiladas, tossed salad

Thursday, April 24
Crepes with jelly, cottage cheese
Homemade pizza rolls, carrot sticks, green smoothies
Tuna casserole, peas

Friday, April 25
French toast
Baked potatoes, fruit smoothies
Homemade pizza

Saturday, April 26
Breakfast cookies, bananas
Bean dip with chips
Meatloaf, scalloped potatoes and carrots

Be sure to check back in as I continue to post new recipes for great new breakfast ideas…yummy ways to eat more fruits and veggies…and make ahead meal ideas!

Oh, and I think I finally came up with a good recipe for homemade whole wheat hamburger buns! I’ll be sharing that with you this week too! (Um, IF I can get the courage to blog about my buns…)  ;)

Go on over to Organizing Junkie to see many more menu plan ideas!