Here’s a little something worth noting:  Our work as homemakers and mothers is glorious, but rarely glamorous.  I spent some extra time online this weekend, researching new recipe ideas for the holidays. All of the pictures I came across were so pretty, the end result of the recipe was so perfect, and I almost started feeling overwhelmed with trying to keep up with the Joneses (or the Pinterest Queens as the case may be).

Then here I was, ready to post pictures of some of the very simple (but ever so helpful) tasks I got checked off my list this weekend so that I can try to better manage my wife/mom/school/work/ministries life next week. None of my pictures even look exciting, much less pretty or pin-worthy. And don’t look now, but I was so busy cooking and writing on Saturday, I never even made it upstairs to change out of my pajamas. Glamorous? Not even a little bit. Glorious? Absolutely.  I love the life God’s given me.

Here are some snapshots of my not so glamorous, but absolutely glorious (or at least practical) weekend:

Friday afternoon I washed and poked three lovely squash our neighbors had grown in their garden and shared with us. Into the oven they went.

Then, I pulled out the chicken carcasses I’d saved from last weekend and set them to boiling for broth. You’ve got to admit, a picture of chicken carcass floating in water is almost glamorous, yes?

About 1.5 hours after I put the squash into the oven, I pulled them out, took out the seeds, scooped out the inside, and pureed it. I now have five 2-cup portions ready to use for upcoming baking projects. I use this squash in any recipe that calls for pumpkin. No one can tell the difference.

Friday night after the broth was finished, I strained out the bones and cooked rice directly in the broth. I also threw tons of carrots and spinach into the pot. Once cooked, I stirred in chicken and other ingredients to make Creamy Chicken and Rice Casseroles. One went into the freezer for another time. The other went into the fridge for my family to eat this week.

Saturday we ate leftovers all day (a perk to having only three people at home all weekend). I was barely in the kitchen at all except to make a quick batch of Chili and double recipe of Coconut Fudge Bars for this week.

Oh! And I finally finished the “Build Your Menu Planning Notebook” I’ve been working on for the past several months. I’ll be sharing all the details about this on Monday once I get it uploaded into my shop. You are going to love this new fun and helpful resource!

Nothing about meal planning is particularly glamorous, but saving your family money and feeding them nourishing meals? It is glorious. I can’t tell you how much fun I had printing and putting together my own personal Menu  Planning Notebook! I got seriously giddy as I picked from all the pages and then built a notebook to suit my needs. Details soon!

Sunday night, about 30 youth and adults will be meeting at our house for High School Huddle. I’m making baked ham, green beans, fresh pineapple, relish tray (carrots, cucumbers, sweet peppers, and ranch dip), French bread (store-bought, yay me!) and butter, and oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.

As for this week’s menu, here’s what we’re look at eating:

Breakfast

• Pumpkin Breakfast Cake
• Raspberry Oatmeal Bars
• Scrambled Eggs with Spinach and Cheese with Homemade Hashbrown Patties
• Quick Mix Pancakes
• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
• Quick Mix Biscuits with Sausage Gravy
• Egg Sandwiches to-go (heading to our first basketball games!)

Lunch

• Easy Cheesy Bean Dip
• Easy Noodle Stir Fry
• Homemade Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
• Pizza Boats
• Sloppy Joes
• Popcorn Chicken
• Taco Quesadillas

Dinner

• Creamy Chicken and Rice Casserole (spinach and carrots already stirred in!)
• Potato Soup
• Lamb Chops
• Taco Potatoes
• Calico Beans
• Chili

Fruits and Veggies to Work With (I serve 1-4 with each meal)

• Pears
• Clementines
• Fresh Pineapple
• Peas
• Green Beans
• Applesauce
• Apples
• Mixed Greens and/or Spinach
• Steamed Broccoli and Carrots
• Raspberries
• Home-Canned Peaches
• Mini Sweet Peppers
• Sliced Cucumbers
• Cabbage (need to use this up – not sure what we’ll do with it yet)

Here’s to floating chicken carcasses, a simple pot of homemade chili, menu planning, and the glorious lives we can all be thankful for as homemakers!