Menu Plan Monday Jan 30 - February 5

This week is clouded by the passing of my grandfather. We are rejoicing that he will be rejoining my grandmother whom he has missed so very much...but selfishly, of course, we always wish for one more day. In an attempt to stay sane and keep things as normal as possible for my kiddos, I'm meal planning. Having things planned out really helps provide a little balance amongst chaos. Remember to love each other..life's too short to waste it....

Sunday -
Breakfast - Donuts from our favorite shop
Dinner - Philly cheese steak sandwiches and chips

Monday:
Breakfast - Cheese omelets carried over from last week
Dinner - Chicken and dumplings

Tuesday:
Breakfast - Muffins on the road
Dinner - Crockpot pork chops with apricot sauce, long grain and wild rice and green beans almondine

Wednesday:
Breakfast - Creme Brulee French toast made in the crock pot
Dinner - we're at dance class for 4 hours so it has to be portable so it's chicken bacon ranch wraps, yogurt and vegie chips

Thursday:
Breakfast - Homemade pop tarts
Dinner - Broccoli cheese soup and grilled cheese sandwiches

Friday:
Breakfast - Cereal
Dinner - Family Fun night! Pizza and breadsticks, root beer floats

Saturday:
Breakfast - Breakfast burritos
Dinner - Meatball subs, crinkle fries

For more menu ideas go to www.orgjunkie.com. Have a great week and happy eating!

Menu Plan Monday January 23 - 29

I don't know why, but when I'm starving on a diet I am the most creative in the kitchen. I watch cooking shows non-stop...it's like my eyes are cheating on my stomach...and I become super-inspired! My super new recipe that I am in love with is a stuffed jalapeno recipe I saw Sunny Anderson make on Food Network. I personally don't eat stuffed jalapenos, although 5 of my 7 children do, but it's the stuffing that I am in love with. It is made with chorizo, smoked gouda, cream cheese, sour cream, red onion and hot sauce. I had some left over after making the peppers and used it to stuff a thick pork chop. After that, there was still some left so I mixed it with scrambled eggs and rolled it in a tortilla for breakfast burritos the next morning (7 out of 7 children liked these!). That's a lot of yummy bang for my buck!

This week we are having....

Sunday:
Breakfast - lemon ricotta pancakes and sausage
Dinner - Cranberry, almond and goat cheese stuffed pork chops, honey mustard glazed apples and butternut squash and mashed potatoes

Monday:
Breakfast - chorizo, gouda and egg breakfast burritos
Dinner - Stuffed taco burger sandwiches - hollow out individual buns or rolls, saving the plug of bread from the top. Cook crumbled ground beef with minced onion and garlic. Add 4 ounces cream cheese, 1/2 cup salsa ranch dressing, 1/2 cup sour cream, sliced olives, 1 diced tomato and 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese and stir until all cheeses are melted. Stuff into rolls and replace top of bread. Wrap in foil and place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Serve warm. YUM!! A great on the go dinner which we are most of the time!

Tuesday:
Breakfast - Malt o Meal with bananas and chocolate chips
Dinner - Asian peach chicken with stir fried noodles and vegetables

Wednesday:
Breakfast - Blueberry waffles
Dinner - Creamy chicken and wild rice soup and homemade bread

Thursday:
Breakfast - Ham, cheese and egg breakfast sandwiches
Dinner - American chop suey - macaroni noodles mixed with tomatoes, cheese and ground beef; green beans

Friday -
Breakfast - Chick Fil A (hey, my kids work there...gotta show some love...)
Dinner - Family Fun Night!! Nanny McPhee Returns and pizza, boneless wings and purple cows

Saturday -
Breakfast - Cheese omelets
Dinner - Boys are having a friend spend the night so we'll have stuffed cheese burger with a topping bar, fries and tots, root beer floats and homemade ice cream sandwiches (we will have a couple kinds of cookies, a couple kinds of ice cream and some sprinkles, mini m&m's, chopped nut, etc...to roll the sides in.

Happy eating!
Check out hundreds, maybe thousands, more recipe and meal ideas at www.orgjunkie.com!

A Belated Happy New Year from Mother Hubbard!!!

I can't believe it's 2011! I remember when I was a kid and we used to calculate how old we would be in 2000 and how distant (and old!) it seemed. Now we are eleven years beyond that and I don't feel so old after all (well, some days....)!

Well, as expected, I have made some resolutions. Accountablility is key, so I shall share them with you here....
1. I will become more organized; specifically, I will gain control over the suffocating amount paper in my house (I'll also finish unpacking the few boxes left from moving into our house...last July)

2. I will finish writing my cookbook...the one I've been working on for about 7 years.

3. I will restart my business..and become a giant worldwide conglomerate that will take over the world!!! Muuhaahahaha (That's supposed to be a maniacal laugh)

4. I will try all of those recipes I have been tearing out of magazines since I was 15.

5. Most importantly, I will live my life for Christ. I try, but I will work harder to follow His footsteps. I saw a saying today that I thought was great..."Are the things you are living for worth Christ dying for?" -Leonard Ravenhill
It made me stop and think about everything in my life and how I can improve the way I live it. So, no better time than right now, in the new year!

Another resolution I've made is what I'm calling "The Year of Living Frugal". I thought it would be fun to challenge myself to see how little money I can spend and how much I can save this year! I've already started couponing in earnest (have you watched "Extreme Couponing" on tv?...inspiring) and cooking creatively from the pantry and freezer. Fortunately, I'm only cooking for my kiddos (but if you remember, there are 7 of them!) because I am on a restricted diet for the next couple of weeks (weight loss is not a resolution...I've been working on it slowly for almost a year...52 pounds so far!). I'm also planning to sew more and look for creative projects to finish decorating my house. I've already saved quite a bit by being my own plumber when a pipe burst in our yard!

So far my creative cooking has led us to ham and Swiss sandwiches on cornbread with mango jam and chipotle mayo; Cheesy outside-in sliders on dark wheat buns with homemade relish from the garden; smoked sausage dogs on a stick (smoked sausage stuffed with cheese, wrapped in canned French bread dough and rolled in a mixture of paprika, garlic salt and sesame seeds and baked according to the bread directions); my eldest daughter even came up with chickpea and tomato curry on saffron rice! It's just amazing what you can come up with when you think the cupboard is bare!

Today I made Banana, Brown Sugar and White Chocolate mini bundt cakes. The kids loved them. They (the cakes...ok ,the kids, too) are very cute and perfect with hot chocolate on a rainy, cold day.

I wish you all a blessed and happy new year! I will begin posting my menu plan again next week; in the meantime, visit www.orgjunkie.com for hundreds of amazing ideas. I'm going to go see what else I don't have in my pantry to make for dinner!