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Menu Plan for the Week (What? We’re Actually Eating Out?!)

July 29, 2012 by Laura 6 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

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… :)

Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!

Menu Plan for the Week – and a Vanilla Announcement!

July 15, 2012 by Laura 26 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

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!

 

Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!

Menu Plan for the Week

July 8, 2012 by Laura 22 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

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!

Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!

Menu Plan for the Week

June 24, 2012 by Laura 9 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

Lookie how pretty this is. I love this Gratitude plate from Blessings Unlimited. What a great way to start my day, with a reminder to be grateful. And well, hot pancakes and fresh milk – what’s not to be grateful for? :)

Here is our menu for this week:

Sunday, June 24
Oatmeal, fruit
Roast, carrots, potatoes, gravy
Leftovers

Monday, June 25
Peanut butter pancakes, bananas
Taco corn fritters, pineapple
Grilled bbq chicken, okra, green beans

Tuesday, June 26
Coconut flour banana muffins, apples
Tuna salad, tomatoes, crackers, carrot sticks
Chicken fried steak strips, mashed potatoes, gravy, peas

Wednesday, June 27
Granola, dried fruit, milk
Black bean taco salad, fruit
Burgers on the grill, watermelon, green beans

Thursday, June 28
Scrambled egg sandwiches, oranges
Meat and cheese burritos, cantaloupe
Italian chicken, asparagus, steamed carrots

Friday, June 29
Peanut butter honey toast, applesauce
Calzones, grapes
Nacho bar

Saturday, June 30
Easy egg casserole, fruit
Pulled pork (family gathering), cheesy potatoes, green beans
Hamburgers, fruit, carrots

Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!

Menu Plan for the Week – {and a little bit of Mother’s Day mysterious dessert making play-by-play}

May 13, 2012 by Laura 12 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

1:25 pm Well, I am currently shut into my office right now, and I don’t have permission to come out until the mysterious dessert my boys are working on has come out of the oven. I can hear the beaters running and if my family knows me at all, I expect to smell something chocolatey any minute now… ;)

Matt and the boys have been doing a great job spoiling me today, making Mother’s Day super special. Check out the lunch I just feasted on:

1:46 pm Matt just snuck in with a smirk to say, “Apparently the eggs were supposed to be beat separately before adding the other ingredients. Therefore, they have a bowl with 1 cup of flour, mixed with some baking powder and two eggs. Can you figure out something to do with that tomorrow so we don’t have to waste it?” I have two things to say:  I am both excited and afraid to see my kitchen after today. And, I think I’ll be making pancakes tomorrow from that flour/egg/baking powder mixture. It just makes sense. :)

And now, back to the menu plan for this week:

Sunday, May 13
Cereal
Grilled steak, spinach and mushroom rice florentine, cream cheese corn, mystery dessert  ;)
Nachos and a movie

Monday, May 14
Whole wheat pancakes (apparently)
Chicken nuggets, peas, baby carrots
Cheesy beef and rice, green beans

Tuesday, May 15
Fried eggs on toast, strawberry coconut smoothies
Creamy mac and cheese, steamed broccoli
Lasagna, tossed salad

2:01 pm I hear beaters again. I can not wait to find out what those boys are making. And I also really hope that I taught everyone well enough not to pick up the beaters before turning them off first!!

Wednesday, May 16
Chocolate chocolate chip muffins, apples
Crunch ranch chicken, stir fried rice and veggies
Roast, carrots, potatoes, gravy

Thursday, May 17
Scrambled eggs, hashbrowns, oranges
Pigs in a blanket, green beans
Creamy crockpot chicken and rice, carrots

Friday, May 18
Mini apple pies, turkey bacon
Easy noodle stir fry, milkshakes
Homemade pizza, fried okra

2:07 pm The beaters are still going! What are they making in there????

Saturday, May 19
Whole wheat cinnamon rolls, bananas
Leftovers
Chicken alfredo, steamed veggies, asparagus

2:12 pm Seriously, the beaters…still. How long can beaters run without burning out the motor?

2:13 pm If they don’t hurry up, I’m going to have to sneak out because um…I need to potty.

2:14 pm Ah, the beaters are off! Can I come out yet?

Apparently not.

While I’m still here in the office, I’ll show you a picture of Carrie Vitt’s (from Deliciously Organic) amazing Loaded Baked Potato Soup that we made yesterday.


Wow, that soup was good! Matt added some dehydrated red peppers in his bowl and loved the kick. The rest of us loved it with sour cream and cheese. It was easy to make, and everyone in the family devoured it. I liked that it called for chicken broth, giving me a meatless meal and a new option for stretching a chicken for six meals. If you haven’t yet, be sure to look into the deal Carrie put together for all Heavenly Homemakers readers. Get her amazing cookbook along with some healthy and family friendly meal plans at a great price!

2:18 pm Elias just came in to ask, “I can’t tell you pacifically, but if you were making frosting, would you use brown sugar or sucanat?”

I told him, “Brown sugar, and there’s organic brown sugar in the pantry”, but are you sure it doesn’t call for powdered sugar?”

And ‘pacifically’? Be still my heart. The cuteness abounds.

2:20 pm Elias came back in to say, “If you smell that burned smell, don’t worry.”

Okay, I’ll try. ;)

2:28 pm Beaters again. What in the world???

I’d say this post is “to be continued…” I’ll be back later with an update on what the boys made for my Mother’s Day dessert.

Hope you’re having a blessed day. There’s no doubt that I am. Even if I do have to ignore that burned smell coming from the kitchen. ;)

Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!

Menu Plan for the Week

March 25, 2012 by Laura 10 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

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?

Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!

Menu Plan for the Week

March 11, 2012 by Laura 9 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

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?! :)

bananamuffins2sm

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?

Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!

Menu Plan for the Week

February 5, 2012 by Laura 14 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

We got a bunch of snow dumped on us this weekend. I see lots of snow forts in our future. We’ll definitely be making Snow Ice Cream this week as well.

I’ve been doing more figuring and calculating for our Real Food – Low Cost Challenge over the weekend, the results of which I will share in the next few days. I have really enjoyed learning how much our meals cost! I wanted to let you know that Kacie at Sense to Save has a handy Recipe Cost Calculator that may help you as you calculate the costs of your real food recipes.

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

Sunday, February 5
Oatmeal, fruit
Hamburgers, spicy avocado dip, fruit salad, green beans
Healthier cheese dip, corn chips, apples

Monday, February 6
Simple soaked pancakes, applesauce
Salmon patties, creamy mac and cheese, peas
Lasagna, tossed salad, corn, honey whole wheat bread

Tuesday, February 7
Fried eggs on toast, oranges
Homemade beef balogna, crispy cheese crackers, cheddar cheese, apples
Crunchy ranch chicken, rice and veggie stir fry

Wednesday, February 8
Honey whole wheat bagels, clementines
Cheesy rice, steamed carrots and broccoli
Roasted chicken, potatoes, carrots, gravy

Thursday, February 9
Easy breakfast casserole, creamy orange cooler
Veggie soup, homemade soft pretzels
Italian pasta bake, green beans

Friday, February 10
Peanut butter honey toast, bananas
Beef and cheese burritos, applesauce, carrot sticks
Popcorn chicken, ranch potato wedges, peas

Saturday, February 11
Whole wheat donuts
Leftovers
Lamb chops, baked potatoes, fried okra, green beans

Did you get any snow at your house this weekend?

Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!

Menu Plan for the Week

January 22, 2012 by Laura 5 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

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

Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!

Menu Plan for the Week

January 15, 2012 by Laura 5 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

I really appreciated hearing from so many of you last week in regard to menu planning. Sounds like many of you have great methods of organizing your meal plans for your family. If you find my menu plan somewhat overwhelming, please read through this post to learn the method behind my madness. :)

I love using this Creamy Mac and Cheese recipe to make Tuna Casserole.
I just add two cans of tuna and it’s done. One of the easiest meals ever to put together!

Here are the meals we’re looking to have this week:

Sunday, January 15
Oatmeal, pears
Tuna casserole, peas
High School Huddle – Chili with fritos, cheese, and sour cream; carrot sticks, olives, chocolate chip cookies

Monday, January 16
Simple soaked pancakes, blueberries
Taco corn fritters, applesauce
Italian cream cheese chicken, tossed salad

Tuesday, January 17
Fried eggs on toast, clementines
Sloppy cornbread muffins, fruit salad
Roasted chicken, carrots, potatoes, gravy

Wednesday, January 18
Elias’ birthday – still waiting to hear his bday meal choices! :)

Thursday, January 19
Mini breakfast pizza, oranges
Chicken tortilla soup, carrots
Beefy enchilada bake, tossed salad

Friday, January 20
Peanut butter honey toast, applesauce
Quesadillas, apples
Homemade pizza

Saturday, January 21
Mini apple pies
Grilled cheese sandwiches, tomato soup
Roast, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans

What’s on your menu this week?

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