Well, I’m off to a great start on my “To Do” List, and you’ll be getting a play-by-play all throughout this week. Bless your heart for being a fly on my wall.

In true “Getting Ahead” fashion, and also in true “I’m totally veering off of my original “To Do” list already” style – since I was making one Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole for lunch today, I went ahead and made an extra one for the freezer. Twice the food, but only one set of messy dishes. Score one for the freezer. (I used my Cheesy Beef and Rice Casserole recipe, but you guessed it, instead of using beef, I used chicken. Clever, huh? Oh, and I also cooked the rice in chicken broth for extra flavor. Tasty!)

We often have a couple extra boys with us on Sundays. Today we got to celebrate a birthday with one of them. I gave him some choices, and he picked Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars… “with Chocolate Milkshakes, please?” Well, of course. (Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars:  This Oatmeal Butterscotch Chip Cookie recipe baked into bars – 350° for 25 minutes. Wow, it is the day for recipe variations, apparently.)

Note to self:  Never again put candles into cookie bars which have just come out of the oven.
They are hot. Duh.
Therefore, they will, of course, melt down into the cookie, causing a nasty,
waxy mess which will almost, but not quite, ruin your birthday celebration, for Pete’s sake.
And also:  As soon as you get off the computer, you need to remember to put “new birthday candles” on your shopping list…

Here is our menu plan for this week:

Sunday, July 29
Straw Propeller Gourmet Oatmeal (The boys were SO excited to help me review these this morning. More info on Thursday.)
Cheesy chicken and rice, green beans, sweet bell peppers
Spicy avocado dip with organic corn chips, fruit

Monday, July 30
Whole wheat pancakes, blueberries
Out to lunch for our “back to school” outing – more on that later this week
Crunchy ranch chicken, stir fried rice and veggies

Tuesday, July 31
Creamy orange cooler, scrambled eggs
Black bean salsa, fruit
Taco potatoes, watermelon

Wednesday, August 1
Pancake sausage muffins, cantaloupe
Tuna salad, tomatoes, sweet peppers, peaches
Lasagna casserole, tossed salad, zucchini

Thursday, August 2
Coconut flour muffins, applesauce
Salmon patties, peas, smoothies
Grilled Italian chicken, zucchini, corn on the cob

Friday, August 3
Cereal (Mom’s day off)
Out for lunch (wow, really?)
Grilled steak, tossed salad, green beans, corn on the cob (um, yeah, it’s my birthday)  :)

Saturday, August 4
Easy breakfast casserole, fruit salad
Leftovers
Cheeseburger macaroni, peas

If you looked thoroughly at my menu plan, you will see that we are eating out not just once, but twice this week. Craziness, huh? It’s a week of celebrations, what can I say? Oh, and do you think the “Cake Boys” might make an appearance on Friday with a special birthday edition? I’ve been sensing that something sneaky is going on behind my back. Just so long as there is chocolate involved… :)

I am blessed to have just arrived home after a lovely three day get-away with my sisters-in-law. I’ll tell you all about it on Gratituesday, but in the meantime, take a look at where I was on Friday:

Matt and the boys managed great on their own, eating much of what I had stocked away in the freezer. Now that I’m home, I’m anxious to get back in the kitchen. The break from the norm was refreshing, but now I feel the need to cook something. :)

Here’s what we’ll be eating this week:

Sunday, July 15
Oatmeal, fruit
Hamburger green bean casserole, cantaloupe
Leftovers

Monday, July 16
Turkey sausage and scrambled eggs, oranges
Homemade corndogs, fruit-kefir smoothies
Grilled bbq chicken, tossed salad, corn on the cob

Tuesday, July 17
Whole wheat pancakes, blueberries
Black bean taco salad, watermelon
Easy noodle stir fry

Wednesday, July 18
Mini breakfast pizza, strawberries
Fried zucchini, cantaloupe, peas
Chicken alfredo, steamed broccoli and carrots

Thursday, July 19
Granola, dried fruit
Tuna casserole, green beans, peaches
Creamy crock pot chicken and rice, tossed salad

Friday, July 20
Giant breakfast cookies, applesauce
Taco corn fritters, watermelon
Grilled steak, zucchini and yellow squash, tossed salad

Saturday, July 21
Chocolate chocolate chip muffins, bananas
Leftovers
One dish meat and potato casserole

And now for the Vanilla Extract announcement!

We have a batch of Homemade Vanilla Extract bottled and ready for sale. We will be offering this on Wednesday, July 18 on a first-come-first-served-while-supplies-last-get-it-while-you-can basis. :)  The sale will begin around 8:00 CST. Mark it down and come to the website early if you’re interested as we usually sell out very quickly. We have two, four, and eight ounce bottles to ship out.

If you’re interested in making your own vanilla, read instructions here. Now is the perfect time to start a batch so that you can bottle it and give it away as Christmas gifts!

If you recall, three out of four of our boys were at their grandparent’s house for several days last week. I missed them like crazy. But I sure did get a lot of work done! I helped Matt paint the front of our house (leaving the high ladder parts up to him). And I was able to spend hours writing a new eBook that I’ve had tons of requests for. This felt like a great accomplishment, as I’ve been working on this book here and there for almost three years. More details coming, just as soon as I feel I’m far enough along in the process to get my hopes up about ever finishing it. ;)

Our boys are all home, so now all is right in my world. A great friend of ours got married this weekend. We are so excited for her and her new husband! Here’s a shot of our family, taken just before the wedding started.

Is it just me, or do any of you married gals feel a little sense of “vow renewal” after attending a wedding? I always leave a wedding with all kinds of sappy feelings of newly married affection toward Matt. Eighteen years and four kids later, I remember how I felt on the day of our wedding so clearly. They tell you on your wedding day that your love will continue to grow. At that time, you can’t imagine that it’s possible. But wow, it’s so very true. Okay…just needed to share all of that since I’ve been feeling all kinds of mushy since yesterday. :)

Moving on to talk of food, since this is my menu plan post, let’s talk homemade chicken nuggets. I find that if I prepare (cut and bread) several batches ahead of time, then freeze them – grabbing them out to make for a quick lunch is super easy!

In case you were wondering, I had served the nuggets with
peas and Creamy Mac and Cheese the day of this picture.

Here’s our menu for this week:

Sunday, July 8
Oatmeal, apples
Grilled marinated Italian chicken, grilled potatoes, tossed salad, peas
Grilled hotdogs, carrot sticks, watermelon (We use all beef, organic Applegate hotdogs that we get from our health food co-op, Azure Standard.)

Monday, July 9
Whole wheat pancakes, blueberries
Homemade chicken nuggets, peas, cantaloupe
Hamburgers, green beans, watermelon

Tuesday, July 10
Coconut flour banana muffins, applesauce
Tuna salad with tomatoes, cottage cheese and pineapple
Spaghetti, zucchini and yellow squash

Wednesday, July 11
Giant breakfast cookies, bananas
Calzones, watermelon
Cheesy beef and rice, green beans

Thursday, July 12
Whole wheat waffles, applesauce
Ham and cheese with crackers, smoothies
Cheesy salsa enchiladas, tossed salad

Friday, July 13
Whole wheat donuts (frozen and rewarmed in the toaster oven)
Corn dog muffins, raw veggies
Leftovers

Saturday, July 14
Scrambled eggs, oranges
Creamy mac and cheese, peas
Bbq chicken, corn on the cob, tossed salad

If menu planning is a struggle for you (or even if it’s not!),
be sure to check into Plan to Eat and enter to win a free year’s subscription!

Soccer season has started up this spring for our boys. I even have a slight sunburn to prove it. Justus had his first games this weekend, and although we lost both games, it sure was great to be back out at the field again. (This is easy for me to say since the weather was gorgeous!)

Last week, I spent some time filling our freezers with some healthy convenience foods to help keep me sane during soccer season. I’ll share more about my experiences in a few days. Ah, but I love a full freezer!

Here’s what we’ll be eating this week:

Sunday, March 25
Oatmeal, fruit
Roast, carrots, potatoes, gravy
High School Huddle – Creamy chicken and rice casserole, green beans, dinner rolls, trail mix

Monday, March 26
Whole wheat pancakes, turkey sausage
Bison brats, fruit salad, carrots with ranch
Baked three cheese chicken pasta, tossed salad, steamed broccoli

Tuesday, March 27
Honey whole wheat bagels, apples
Popcorn chicken, ranch potato wedges, peas
Italian roast wraps with venison roast, steamed carrots

Wednesday, March 28
Creamy orange coolers, scrambled eggs
Chicken chef salad, toast
Pasta with alfredo sauce, tossed salad

Thursday, March 29
Easy breakfast casserole, oranges
Nacho dip with chips, fruit
Cheesy beef and rice, green beans

Friday, March 30
Giant breakfast cookies, bananas
Pigs in a blanket, carrot sticks with ranch, strawberry-orange smoothies
Hamburgers, homemade fries

Saturday, March 31
Whole wheat donuts
Leftovers
Swiss steak with rice

Have anything fun planned to eat this week?

We actually had a calm, stay-at-home weekend. I’m not sure the last time that’s happened. Well, I guess I should interject here that our boys are preparing for Leadership Training for Christ (LTC) in April, so there’s always a lot of running back and forth to practices on Sunday afternoons. Therefore, I’m sure if Matt or the boys read that statement, they’d think I was nuts to call this weekend a calm one. I just mean that we didn’t travel anywhere. We were home more than we were away. We got a little laundry caught up. We had friends over. Busy is relative, right?! :)

Here’s what our menu looks like for this week:

Sunday, March 11
Oatmeal, fruit
Italian stew with potatoes and green beans
High School Huddle – Chicken enchiladas, tossed salad, spanish rice, chips and salsa, cookie tray

Monday, March 12
Whole wheat pancakes, applesauce
Baked potatoes with butter, cheese, and sour cream, fruit salad
Tuna casserole, peas

Tuesday, March 13
Cheesy scrambled eggs, clementines
Homemade pizza pockets, tossed salad
Bbq chicken, fried potatoes, okra

Wednesday, March 14
Banana bread, apples
Corndog  muffins, peas, carrot sticks
Chicken alfredo, steamed broccoli and carrots

Thursday, March 15
Breakfast burritos, oranges
Sloppy joes, ranch potato wedges, carrots with ranch
Lasagna, tossed salad, corn

Friday, March 16
Peanut butter honey toast, bananas and apples
Tuna salad on crackers, fruit/yogurt smoothies
Hamburgers with homemade onion rings

Saturday, March 17
Breakfast cake, applesauce
Leftovers
Homemade pizza

If you’re interested in knowing more about my menu planning method, I encourage you to read:  Why My Whole Foods Menu Plan Might Be Overwhelming.

What’s on your menu this week?

Here’s our menu plan for the week. If you’re interested in knowing more about how I plan our menus, I’d love for you to read this post!

Sunday, January 22
Oatmeal, fruit
Pasta alfredo, steamed broccoli and carrots, tossed salad
High School Huddle – Nacho Bar with chips, taco meat, cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, olives, sour cream, and salsa; chocolate chip brownies

Monday, January 23
Whole wheat waffles, blueberries
Pigs in a blanket, carrots with ranch, apples
Beef and veggie soup, cornbread

Tuesday, January 24
Coconut flour banana muffins, applesauce
Tuna salad on crackers, pears, carrots
Creamy chicken and rice casserole, tossed salad

Wednesday, January 25
Zucchini bread, bananas
Spicy avocado dip with chips, fruit salad
Teriyaki chicken and veggies with rice

Thursday, January 26
Easy breakfast casserole, clementines
Meat and cheese burritos, pineapple
Taco salad

Friday, January 27
Peanut butter honey toast, fruit
Creamy mac and cheese, carrots, apples
Lamb-burgers, homemade fries, green beans

Saturday, January 28
Cereal
Leftovers
Cheesy beef and rice, steamed veggies, tossed salad