Heavenly Homemakers

Encouraging women in homemaking, healthy eating and parenting

Menu Plan for the Week

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It’s been a soccer tournament filled weekend (I have a nice sunburned face to prove it)! I LOVE watching our kids play soccer and it’s kept me away from my computer much of the weekend. So…I haven’t had time to work on a menu plan (except in my head, which you can’t see).

This week, instead of writing a thorough menu plan, I am once again “jotting” down a quick list of ideas to grab from. I have been working to fill my freezer over the past week and can also grab from those meals if I need to. I’ll share about all my “cooking ahead” later this week!

Breakfast/Snack Ideas:

Lunch/Dinner Ideas:

In between games this weekend, I did find time to have a party with three big chickens in my kitchen. Wanna hear about it? It was very exciting. There was a lot of broth involved.

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Menu Plan for the Week (Feeding the Masses!)

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It’s that time of year again. My husband helps coach our local Christian college women’s soccer team. They are back in town for pre-season practices and well, they’re hungry. :)  Remember how we fed them several meals last year? We’re at it again, feeding them five different times. We already fed them one meal last week. This week we’re feeding them lunches Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

So how many are we feeding? Well, there are 34 of them…plus the six of us. So that’s a total of 40 people each time. Yeah, that’s a lot of food.

My friends think I’m crazy and can’t decide whether to shake their heads at me for saying yes to this or to just simply feel sorry for me because of all the work looming ahead for me. I say, do neither.  We LOVE this. I don’t think we could do it if we didn’t. We’re just using our gifts. We love these ladies. We love feeding people. You have no idea how awesome it was Thursday when they arrived and many of the returning students ran into the kitchen to give hugs and let us know how excited they were that we were feeding them again! Shucks…they even stay after and help with dishes. And they’re girls. It’s nice to be around the female sort every now and again.

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As I was planning the meals this time, I went back and re-read all of  the ideas for feeding a crowd you all offered last year. Wow, was it helpful!! I’m sticking with some of the team favorites (I don’t think they’d let me get away with not making lasagna!) but I’m adding in some of your ideas too. 

Here’s what I’ll be feeding the crowd:

As far as the rest of our meals this week, you know, since my family will still be wanting breakfast and dinner before and after those big lunches? I’m just going to make lists here to pull from. I’ve been saving most of the food I had made ahead and put into the freezer specifically for this week. YAY for freezer food. It will be saving my neck this week for sure! (Not to mention my brain.)

Breakfasts – served with fruit or smoothies:

Dinners – served with whatever vegetable I can find to throw in:

In case you’re worried or wondering…I’m drinking lots of water and taking my vitamins this week to be sure and keep myself healthy. Matt actually has two days off this week, which doesn’t happen very often, so he’ll be a great help. The kids are a huge help too…and somehow we’ll get their school work done in the middle of the cooking.

Oh, and did I mention that I already have most of the bulk cooking finished and in the freezer? Yes, and I took pictures in case you want to see the mess. I mean…in case you want to see the big pans of lasagna. I’ll try to share all about it soon. ;)

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Visit Organizing Junkie for more menu planning inspiration!

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Menu Plan for the Week, Plus This Year’s Corn “Party”

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I warned them.  On my way out the door to the farmer’s market Thursday evening I told the boys that I was hoping to come home with a big load of corn so they’d better get their shucker game face on.

At the market, I walked right up to my favorite organic food grower, took a look at her corn and said, “Can I have all of it (please)?!”

She’s always great to work with, I trust how she grows her food and she is very fair with her pricing. In fact, she only charged me for 10 dozen ears, when in fact she sent me home with over 13 dozen!! That’s a stinkin’ lot of corn. 

I’m still sore.

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The boys helped me lug it out of the van (Matt was at work so he missed all the fun!) and they went to town shucking while I started boiling water in my big stock pot.

And they shucked. And they shucked. (13 dozen is no less than 156 ears of corn. They did the math.)

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Just for fun, check out these pictures from their shucking time two years ago. They are so much bigger now. Wow.

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In case you’re wondering, you can read about the process of freezing corn here. I did invest in a cool Kernel Cutter from Pampered Chef this year and it was GREAT to work with! So much better than a regular knife!

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Yes, I thought you’d like to see the gigantic mess I made in the kitchen that night. Not pictured:  My hair looking like a half-shucked corn cob.  By the way, did you know that corn is very, very sticky? Just so ya know.

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I’m happy to report that I got 61 bags of corn for all of this work!!! That’s enough for the whole year, so I am officially checking “put up corn” off my list!! Hallelujah! (You can read more about the Seal-a-Meal I used here.)  The cost for all of that ends up being about 66¢/bag for the freshest, sweetest, organic-est corn there is…woohoo!

In other news, I made a big peach cobbler (recipe found here) with some of our Michigan peaches. Oh, it is so much fun to surprise my husband with his favorite treat. The kids didn’t mind either.

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And here is our menu plan for this week, filled with so many summertime goodies!

Sunday, August 8
Oatmeal, peaches
Roast, potatoes, carrots, gravy
Black bean salsa and chips, watermelon

Monday, August 9
Peach cobbler
Turkey/cheese melts on biscuits, carrot sticks with ranch dip, cherries
BBQ meatballs, new potatoes from the garden!!, green beans

Tuesday, August 10
Mini breakfast pizza, strawberry-peach slushies
BLTs, watermelon
Taco salad, creamy orange cooler

Wednesday, August 11
Peanut butter honey toast, blueberries
Spaghetti, fried okra, corn on the cob
Pizza, grapes

Thursday, August 12
Scrambled eggs, fruit-kefir smoothies
Feeding YC women’s soccer team:  Nacho Bar with all the fixin’s, homemade ice cream sandwiches
Egg rolls (experimenting with recipes on this!), watermelon

Friday, August 13 (Happy Anniversary to us!!)
Crepes with jelly, bananas
Cheesy turkey sausage stromboli, fruit salad
Cookout with friends

Saturday, August 14
Whole Wheat Donuts
Leftovers
Lamb chops, green beans, tossed salad

Stay tuned this week for a very fun Back 2 School Bash!!

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Menu Plan for the Week…sort of

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This is a very busy week, which means that I don’t have time to create a nice, detailed menu plan. Instead, here’s a list I came up with of food I’ll make whichever day I decide to make it!

I’ll probably try to get some bread baked this week so that we can sometimes have peanut butter-honey sandwiches!

Hopefully I’ll get my act in gear and create a better menu plan next week!

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Menu Plan for the Week + Homemade Ketchup Update

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Ever wonder what in the world happened to my homemade ketchup making experiments? Yeah, me too.

I’ve told you several different times that I was experimenting with a good ketchup recipe. Many of you have sent me wonderful looking recipes. And still…I have nothing to share with you. I figured I should at least offer a little update, for all of you who have been eagerly sitting there with a hamburger in your hand waiting for me to tell you how to make ketchup to garnish it.

Here’s what happened:  I tried two different recipes several months ago. We sort of liked one and really didn’t like the other. I thought maybe after they sat in the fridge a few days, we would like them more, but we didn’t. Then you sent some recipes and they looked really good and I picked out a few to try…but then I never did because there are just SO many things to do and recipes to try and posts to write and children to watch flying off the stair railing.

And so I just keep getting this kind. And I like it. And all it requires is opening a bottle and squeezing. 

I make almost everything from scratch. I have decided to give myself a break on the ketchup and buy it for now. Until I can catch-up. I will leave “homemade ketchup” on my list of reader-requested recipes…but for now…if you’re sitting there with your hamburger waiting for the homemade ketchup, I’ll have to apologize and say…go ahead and eat your burger. :(  I think that I thought making a tasty homemade ketchup would be easy…and it’s kinda not. I wanted to make it easy for all of us, you know?

On another, happier note though…you know our little corn crop that got pummeled by the wind? You were all right in your comments. It DID perk itself up and we have been able to save most of it!!! We were so excited that Matt did a little corn photography:

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The purtiest corn we ever did see.

And now…on to the menu plan for this week!

Sunday, July 25
Oatmeal, pears
Italian stew with green beans, corn on the cob
Grilled cheese sandwiches, strawberry milkshake

Monday, July 26
Strawberry bread, applesauce
Chicken nuggets and french fries, peaches
Cheesy beef and rice, steamed broccoli

Tuesday, July 27
Honey whole wheat bagels, cantaloupe
Pizza, apples
Three cheese garlic chicken pasta, steamed carrots

Wednesday, July 28
Scrambled eggs, fruit-kefir smoothies
Taco Potatoes, watermelon
Cheesy Salsa Enchiladas, tossed salad

Thursday, July 29
Giant breakfast cookies, bananas
Hamburgers, fresh tomatoes, onion rings
BBQ meatballs, baked potatoes, green beans

Friday, July 30
Peanut butter honey toast, applesauce
Strawberry chicken salad (found in this free book), watermelon
Tacos

Saturday, July 31
Homemade donuts
Leftovers
Cookout with friends

If you haven’t signed up to win a copy of Lisa Whelchel’s Friendship for Grown-Ups, hurry on over and put your name in the hat!

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Visit Organizing Junkie for more menu planning inspiration!

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

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Everything around me is starting to look like a green bean. Or a giganitic zucchini. This is such an exciting time of year!! I have 27 quarts of beans put up in the freezer already with plenty more ready to pick. Oh, and our corn is almost ready to eat!! Somebody hand me a stick of butter and a salt shaker.

Here’s our menu for the week, in which we add a few main dishes to our awesome fresh vegetables and fruits:

Sunday, July 18
Chocolate chip muffins, pears
Lamb roast, corn on the cob, cantaloupe
Cheeseburger zucchini boats, watermelon

Monday, July 19
Crepes with jelly
Hamburger patties, hashbrowns, green beans
BBQ brisket, cheesy mashed potatoes, tossed salad

Tuesday, July 20
Mini breakfast pizza, peaches
Black bean salsa with chips, applesauce, carrots
Fruit-kefir smoothies, soft pretzels, scrambled eggs

Wednesday, July 21
Simple soaked pancakes, blueberries
Salmon patties, strawberry peach slushies
Crock-pot chicken, carrots, green beans

Thursday, July 22
Creamy orange cooler, toast
Black bean taco salad, cherries
Chicken and rice, peas

Friday, July 23
Strawberry shortcake, fresh whipped cream
Turkey sausage, creamy mac and cheese, sauted zucchini
Lamb chops, baked potatoes, green beans

Saturday, July 24
Whole wheat donuts
Leftovers
Fried chicken legs, mashed potatoes and gravy, asparagus

Snacks to make and have on hand:

Just so ya know, we are busily working on something new for the site that we are hoping YOU will greatly enjoy. Be watching for a fun announcement in the next few days just as soon as we finish up all the details!!!
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Visit Organizing Junkie for more menu planning inspiration!

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

A Recipe, A Giveaway, and Oh Yeah – A Menu Plan

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Welcome to my very long post. I’m not sure if this is called multitasking…or if it’s called the best way to overwhelm your audience. Maybe it’s simply called Laura is trying to play catch-up. Yes, apparently I’m trying to kill three birds with one…post.

Disclaimer:  No birds were harmed during the writing of this post.

The Menu Plan:

Sunday, July 11
Oatmeal, pears
Cheddar ranch burgers, corn on the cob (while we watch the World Cup finals!)
Bean and rice bowls, fresh pineapple

Monday, July 12
Whole wheat waffles
Grilled cheese sandwiches, tomato soup, carrot sticks
Venison roast, potatoes, carrots, gravy

Tuesday, July 13
Scrambled eggs, oranges
Homemade pizza, grapes
Crunchy ranch chicken, stir fried rice and veggies

Wednesday, July 14
French toast, blueberries
Tuna on tomatoes, crispy cheese crackers, fruit kefir smoothies
Chicken fried steak strips, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans

Thursday, July 15
Mini apple pies, cheese
Corn dogs, watermelon
Egg/turkey sausage/hashbrown casserole, orange muffins

Friday, July 16
Peanut butter honey toast, applesauce
Popcorn chicken, green beans
Sloppy cornbread, strawberry-peach slushies, peas

Saturday, July 17
Funnel cakes
Leftovers
Tacos

The Recipe

Back when I threw out the question about grills, Christy left a comment about how she makes Apple Crisp on the grill. I asked her for the recipe…and she kindly sent it to me. Doesn’t this sound SO good?

Apple Crisp on the Grill

In a bowl, mix together the apples, cinnamon and flour. Coat well, and add apple juice and sugar/or honey. Mix in with apples and fold in until mixture is combined. Place in an old metal bread pan or two disposable pie plates.

5-6 apples diced w/skins on (Adds color and extra vitamins)
2 T Sugar or honey
2 T. Apple juice
1 t . cinnamon
2T. whole wheat or AP flour

Topping:
1/4 c. whole wheat flour
1/4 c. rolled oats
1/4 c. butter (cold is good)
3 T . Brown Sugar
1 t. cinnamon

Mix topping ingredients together, and crumble evenly to the top of the apples! Wrap tightly in foil.

Christy says, “I put the crisp on the BBQ on low, at the same time as I I put on my potatoes, followed by the vegetables, then the burgers! When our main course is ready I turn off the heat, and let the crisp finish, and let the juices get nice and thick. The smell is amazing and brings a touch of fall to the air” :)

The Giveaway:

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I was sent TWO coupons for a FREE package of Original Brat Hans Sausages. My grocery stores don’t carry these sausages (I think you can find them at Whole Foods), so they said I could give them away to two of you!! If you’re interested in these Brat Hans Gourmet Chicken Sausages with No Nitrates, No Nitrites, No MSG, No Fillers, No Antibiotics, No Added Hormones, No Preservatives…leave a comment on this post! I’ll draw two random winners at the end of the week.

You may also be interested to know that I will be drawing the winner for Learn Your Letters, Learn To Serve Curriculum Kit tonight…and you know what comes after that!!!

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

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It’s been a very soccer filled weekend for us. Between watching World Cup games together and running back and forth to Lincoln for Justus to play in a soccer tournament…we’ve been watching a LOT of games. At one point actually, we were watching Justus’ game from the van and listening to the remainder of the US vs. Ghana game on the radio. Ever watched one game and listened to another at the same time? It was a little bit interesting. I was never quite sure when to shout and when to cringe. Wow, are we a die hard soccer family, or what?

(I won’t even tell you about the great lengths we went to since we were out of town for the day and just HAD to watch US play Ghana. Hey, Matt and I have been to Ghana before. It is a special place to us. We were gonna see that game!)

Here’s our menu for this week:

Sunday, June 27
Oatmeal, pears
Lamb roast, potatoes, carrots, gravy
Leftovers

Monday, June 28
Honey whole wheat bagels, cantaloupe
Black Bean Taco Salad, watermelon
Cheesy beef and rice, green beans

Tuesday, June 29
Mini breakfast pizza, oranges
Corn dogs, applesauce, carrot sticks
Shepherds pie, tossed salad

Wednesday, June 30
Whole wheat and honey zucchini bread, bananas
Homemade pizza, grapes
Simple soaked pancakes, homemade peanut butter and maple syrup, bacon

Thursday, July 1
Scramble eggs, turkey sausage, peaches
Tuna salad on tomatoes, fresh pineapple, crispy cheese crackers
Tacos on homemade tortillas, watermelon

Friday, July 2
Giant breakfast cookies, cantaloupe
Sandwiches, carrots, apples
Going to a cookout

Saturday, July 3
Cinnamon rolls
Ham, potatoes, salad
Chicken sandwiches, fries, fruit

Snack Ideas:

Visit Organizing Junkie for more menu planning inspiration.

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Menu Plan for the Week

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Same as last week, between traveling and having company, I’m just making out a few meal and snack lists to draw from for the week. Yay for flexibility!

Breakfast Ideas:

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Lunch and Dinner Ideas:

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Snack Ideas:

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Don’t forget to grab your new FREE summertime menu planners and grocery lists here!

Be sure to visit Organizing Junkie for more menu planning inspiration!

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

New Free Downloadable Menu Planners for Summertime!

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Pretty menu planners make me happy. They are much nicer to look at than a piece of faded paper ripped out of a notebook and thrown onto my fridge. Any menu planner is better than having no plan at all, but still…isn’t it more fun to be pretty and organized?

I’ve been wanting to work on some new summertime planners to share with you, but since I was having a hard time getting a round tuit, I asked Char of Delight-Design to make some for me. And for you. :)

Ah, she did way better than I could have ever done. Take a look at these! Not only did Char create pretty menu planners…she made pretty grocery lists to go with them! Just click the link below each image to download, print and share as many as you would like!!

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Summer Menu Planner 1

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Summer Grocery List 1

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Summer Menu Planner 2

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Summer Grocery List 2

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Summer Menu Planner 3

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Summer Grocery List 3

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Summer Menu Planner 4

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Summer Grocery List 4

Do feel free to share these, blog about them, tell your friends on facebook, print them and give them as gifts…whatever you would like to do! They’re free!

Enjoy your menu planning!! (Your PRETTY menu planning, that is!)

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