Today is our oldest son’s 17th birthday. This is super weird since he was just born last week and two days ago he lost his first tooth. Believe people when they say that little ones grow up quickly. That never made sense to me until now.

Speaking of the birthday boy, Asa arrived home from Ecuador at 4:00 yesterday morning. We’ve had a great time looking at his pictures and hearing more about his experiences. He loved every minute of his time there, and we can’t wait to hear more as he continues to share stories of everything he did. He and Justus, our 14 year old, actually left this afternoon for a week on the York College campus for a camp called Soul Quest. Yep, Asa got back from Ecuador just in time to attend this beloved event. We don’t see much of our older boys in the summer, but we sure do see a lot of spiritual growth in them after all the trips and camps.

So back to today being Asa’s birthday. In his sleepy state yesterday after he pulled himself out of bed, I asked him to come up with some birthday food choices for today. Knowing his birthday fell on a Sunday, he hesitated to ask for Biscuits and Gravy. “Would you have time to make that before church?” he asked. Ah yes. No problem. But only because I had biscuits in the freezer and turkey sausage already made. Get all the details here for how to put a meal of biscuits and gravy on the table within 15 minutes.

All the other males in the family were thrilled with Asa’s breakfast choice, as you can imagine. I loved how easy it was to put together and please my men. ;)

Here’s the rest of our menu for this week:

Sunday, June 8
Biscuits and gravy, raspberries
Lasagna casserole, tossed salad, ice cream with homemade hot fudge
Turkey and cheese sandwiches, carrots, tomatoes, sweet peppers, strawberries and chocolate whipped cream

Monday, June 9
Poppy seed bread with orange glaze (recipe in {Healthy} Make-Ahead Meals and Snacks eBook), scrambled eggs, cantaloupe
Sloppy joes, carrots, cucumber, raspberries, chips and salsa
Pizza, tossed salad, watermelon

Tuesday, June 10
Whole wheat waffles, blueberries, whipped cream
Easy noodle stir fry with broccoli and carrots, cantaloupe
Grilled barbeque chicken, tossed salad, asparagus, green beans

Wednesday, June 11
Honey whole wheat bagels, strawberries
Lamburger patties, cheesy cauliflower cakes, peas, pineapple cream dessert
Easy cheesy bean dip with chips, strawberry peach slushie

Thursday, June 12
Cheesy omelets, creamy orange cooler
Chef salads with chicken, cheese, and lots of veggies
Cheesy salsa enchiladas, green machine milkshakes

Friday, June 13
Strawberry cream muffins, applesauce
Black bean chicken nachos, pineapple, sweet peppers
Pasta salad bar

Saturday, June 14
Whole wheat donuts, cantaloupe
Leftovers
Cheeseburger macaroni, tossed salad, peas

What’s on your menu this week?

Well, here’s proof that I apparently can’t get enough Chocolate Whipped Cream:

Somebody thought adding just one more spoonful would surely be a great idea.

Not to worry – I licked it all off the sides of the mug (picture not included). I considered getting a straw to slurp up everything that ended up on the counter-top, but then I figured, why waste a straw? So I skipped the straw and just lapped it right up with my tongue. Sheesh, I’m kidding. I cleaned it up with a washrag like a normal, less obsessed person. Then I sat down with my sticky, messy mug and savored every last drop of Chocolate Whipped Cream Coffee.

If you haven’t tried this yet, you must. It’s the perfect no-sugar treat. We’ve been going through pounds and pounds of strawberries with the Chocolate Whipped Cream, too. I can’t think of a better way to eat fruit, can you?

In other, less chocolate whipped creamy news, have you tried making Black Bean Chicken Nachos? This is a super quick and delicious meal!

Just in case my family decides we’d like something other than Chocolate Whipped Cream to eat this week, here’s our menu plan:

Sunday, May 18
Instant oatmeal packets, clementines
Beef stew, green beans
Small Group potluck – butter garlic shrimp, fresh pineapple, flourless banana bars (a recipe experiment)

Monday, May 19
Strawberry shortcake
Tuna salad on tomatoes and lettuce, pineapple mango smoothies, sweet peppers
Peanut butter pancakes, scrambled eggs, bananas

Tuesday, May 20
Quick mix pancakes, sausage gravy, pears
Black bean chicken nachos with lettuce and tomatoes, fresh pineapple
Cheesy salsa enchiladas, tossed salad, cantaloupe

Wednesday, May 21
Snickerdoodle muffins, fried eggs, blackberries
Crustless pizza, tossed salad, sweet peppers, olives
Crock pot barbecue chicken breasts, baked potatoes, peas, roasted asparagus

Thursday, May 22
Chocolate whipped cream on strawberries (oh look, there it is again), toast
Popcorn chicken, ranch potato wedges, green beans, raspberries
Lasagna casserole, tossed salad, steamed broccoli and carrots

Friday, May 23
Raspberry oatmeal bars, apple slices
Healthier cheese dip with corn chips, fruit/kefir/spinach smoothies
Leftovers

Saturday, May 24
Whole wheat waffles, blueberries, strawberries, whipped cream
BLT Wraps, cantaloupe, sweet peppers, cucumbers, carrots
Grilled Italian chicken, potato salad, creamy coleslaw, watermelon, grape tomatoes

Tell me if you’ve tried the Chocolate Whipped Cream yet! Join the obsession!

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