Dark Chocolate Granola

We are so excited that this week we will be having a house full of company! Each year in October during York College Homecoming, we get to host quite a few friends and family. We fill the house and have so much fun. It’s one of my favorite weekends of the year.

I’ve been putting lots of homemade, prepared food in the freezer so that I can enjoy my company instead of cooking the whole time they are here. The first of our guests show up on Wednesday, and the fun continues from there. Here’s what we’ll be eating:

Sunday, October 6
Poppyseed bread (recipe in {Healthy Make-Ahead Meals and Snacks}), apples
Sandwich lunch meeting after church
Small group potluck – Black bean salsa and chips, Italian pasta bake, banana muffins

Monday, October 7
Giant breakfast cookies, pears
Potato soup, carrots
Spanish rice with chicken, tossed salad

Tuesday, October 8
Peanut Butter Pancakes, bananas
Pizza casserole, grapes
Taco potatoes, tomatoes and lettuce

Wednesday, October 9
Dark chocolate granola, apples
Creamy chicken and rice casserole, tossed salad
Cheddar ranch burgers, potato wedges, carrots

Thursday, October 10
Papa’s donuts, scrambled eggs, fruit
Hearty green bean casserole (in Oh, For Real), fruit salad
Sweet and sour meatballs (in Let’s Do This! ecourse), baked potatoes in the crock pot, tossed salad, peas

Friday, October 11
Crock pot breakfast casserole, cantaloupe
Sandwiches, chips, carrots, fruit, cookies
Lasagna (in Oh, For Real), tossed salad, French bread

Saturday, October 12
Whole wheat waffles, blueberries
Sloppy joes, veggie tray with homemade ranch dip, chips, fruit plate
Baked Italian chicken, baked potatoes in the crock pot, green beans, cream cheese corn, tossed salad

Happy First Day of Fall! That means it’s a holiday, right? And that I should take a nap to celebrate? Yes. Okay then. Right after I get my menu plan written. :)

I feel like I’m learning right along with you more ways to get ahead in the kitchen and more reasons that getting ahead is helpful. As much as I love cooking, I do not want it to be a full time job. I love being ahead, saving myself stress, and still putting great food on the table for my family.

I haven’t been able to do anything yet toward the Getting Ahead for Dinner Challenge. Have you? What I have done is take advantage of the meals I already had prepared and in the freezer. Such a life saver after a full day of soccer games. Hopefully during the next few days I can replenish my stock. Otherwise, I’ll actually have to cook a meal from start to finish at dinnertime. Can you imagine?! :)

Here’s what our menu looks like this week:

Sunday, September 22
Turkey sausage gravy over leftover bread, fruit
Italian pasta bake, tossed salad
Small group meeting potluck – bbq chicken sandwiches, fruit plate

Monday, September 23
Quick mix pancakes, peaches
Calzones, pears, baby carrots
Homemade tomato soup, grilled cheese sandwiches

Tuesday, September 24
Scrambled egg sandwiches, pears
Tuna casserole, peas
Beefy enchilada bake, tossed salad

Wednesday, September 25
Pumpkin chocolate chip muffins, apples
Taco corn fritters, baby carrots, peaches
Three cheese garlic chicken pasta, tossed salad

Thursday, September 26
Quick mix biscuits with peanut butter and honey, applesauce
Homemade mini pizzas, pears
Bacon cheeseburger casserole (from Make-Ahead eBook), tossed salad

Friday, September 27
Dark chocolate almond granola, applesauce
Sloppy joes, fruit salad
Popcorn chicken, sweet potato fries, peas

Saturday, September 28
Fried eggs on toast, blueberries
Leftovers
Potato soup, carrots

It’s been a strangely quiet weekend. Matt was gone for two days with the soccer team in Iowa. Asa and Justus, our oldest, were out at their beloved church camp for a state-wide youth rally. That left just Elias, Malachi, and me at home. It’s been strange to only have two kids here, and I got loads of work done. Why? Because I let my younger two have more technology time than normal. Plus I didn’t cook for two days. Not one thing. I splurged on bread, lunch meat, and sliced cheese and we ate sandwiches and fruit whenever we felt like it. It was a vacation.

Our normal and busy will start up again on Monday, and I’ll be ready. But the break was needed and I feel refreshed.

Here’s our menu plan for this week:

Monday, September 2
Almond flour muffins, raspberries
Creamy mac and cheese, peas
Grilled bbq chicken, crock pot baked potatoes, tossed salad, green beans

Tuesday, September 3
Fried eggs, pineapple mango smoothies
Tuna salad on tomatoes and lettuce, crispy cheese crackers, baby carrots
Teriyaki chicken and veggies

Wednesday, September 4
Peanut butter pancakes, bananas
Black bean salsa, chips, cantaloupe
Chicken patty sandwiches, fresh tomatoes, potato wedges, steamed broccoli

Thursday, September 5
Strawberry bread, applesauce
Crustless pizza, fruit salad
Chicken fried steak strips, mashed potatoes, gravy, peas

Friday, September 6
Homemade grape nuts cereal, blueberries
Pigs in a blanket, baby carrots, strawberries
Italian pasta bake, tossed salad

Saturday, September 7
Homemade poptarts, cantaloupe
Leftovers
Burgers on the grill, corn on the cob, watermelon

Have you been doing anything special for Labor Day weekend?  Hope you were able to find some refreshment!

If you haven’t already, many of you who pre-ordered Oh, For Real should be receiving it in the mail any day now! (Those of you who just ordered last week – yours will be on its way tomorrow!)  I’ve heard back from several of you who have received your book already. Thank you so much for your encouraging responses!

Jolene:  Got my Oh, For Real book today in the mail!!! Loving it already!

Patty:  Just wanted to let you know that since bringing your book home my oldest (10 years) has been cooking up a storm. I have never seen him so excited to be in the kitchen. He is preparing everything with only a little guidance. We have had a lot of messes in the kitchen, but some delicious food.

Beth:  I got my book in the mail yesterday. I enjoyed looking through it last evening even though it made me hungry. I plan to share the book with my daughter.

I have to say (and I feel a little bit giggly as I say it) – Having my own cookbook in my kitchen has already been a tremendous help to me, too. I have to keep reminding myself that it’s there. My first response when I need to check a recipe is to run to the computer to look it up here on my website. Then I remember, “Laura! Look in your book!” And there it is. I’m so thankful for it, and I’m happy to say that so far, I’ve been careful enough not to spill anything on it. (Now that I’ve said that out loud, I will probably go goober it up with a pretty combination of chicken broth, barbecue sauce, and cookie dough.)

Here is what our menu plan looks like for this week:

Sunday, March 24
Homemade poptarts, apples
Barbecue chicken sandwiches, carrot sticks
Huddle at our friends’ house

Monday, March 25
Easy breakfast casserole, oranges
Pizza boats, peas
Cheesy salsa enchiladas, tossed salad

Tuesday, March 26
Quick mix pancakes, blueberries
Chicken patty sandwiches, creamy cole slaw, strawberry-peach slushies
Roasted chicken, potatoes, carrots, gravy

Wednesday, March 27
Peanut butter chocolate chip muffins, applesauce
Tacos
Alfredo sauce with pasta, tossed salad

Thursday, March 28
Blueberry coffeecake, apples
Homemade corndogs, green beans, carrot sticks
Creamy crockpot chicken and rice, tossed salad

Friday, March 29
Baked oatmeal cups, bananas
Cheese quesadillas, pears
Popcorn chicken, steamed veggies

Saturday, March 30
Granola, dried fruit
Leftovers
Potato soup, carrots