Menu Planning Monday January 17, 2011 (meatballs, chicken cacciatore, pizza)

Whoa... it's been a long time since I've done this! I can tell, too, by how long it was taking me to decide what to cook tonight ;)

So, here we go~ This is my "Workweek" menu~ Not sure what the weekend will bring~ :)
Oh, and I think I"m going to try to figure out how to create a page with recipes, but in the meantime, if there are any that you'd like to see, comment, and I'll type it up here... :)

Monday~ Turkey Meatballs, Buttered Pasta, and Steamed Broccoli with sauteed onions
Turkey Meatballs
1 lb ground turkey
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup milk
1 egg beaten with a fork
1/2 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp dried basil
salt and pepper



1. Preheat Oven to 375 degrees F
2. Mix all ingredients together
3. Form meatballs by hand, OR use a handy/dandy cookie scoop! This time I used the little one I received for review from CSN Stores before Christmas. I like the smaller size(looks like more on the plate, you know... ;) ), and I LOVE keeping my hands relatively clean! :D (Works great for cookies, muffins and little ice cream portions, too!)
4. Cook for about 20 minutes, till browned.

Tuesday~ Grilled Pork Chops, Wild Rice/Lentil mixes from Trader Joes, Carrot Pennies, and Apple Sauce on the side

Wednesday~ Rolled Chicken Cacciatore (I haven't made this since we've had kids, I think... YUM!)  and Salad

Thursday~ Potentially a "Leftover Soup" with Beer Bread Toast. :)

Friday~ Pizza(Also likely a "Left-over" variety.... love those!)

Have a Fabulous week!
Blessings~

Pork Stoganoff(?) Cranberry Chicken, and Curried Carrot Soup to name a few....

Monday, Monday! What meals to cook??? Monday, Monday~ Menu Plan Monday, Let's take a look~

Monday~ a Pork Stroganoff sort of dish that I'm planning to make up to use left-over roast pork, served over egg noodles, with possibly green beans or broccoli on the side(All depends on what comes home from the grocery store!)
Tuesday~ Stealing the idea from my friend Lori(Thanks for posting  on Menu Plan Monday, early! I needed some "inspiration"!), I'm also going with  No-Bean Chili. I will use basically the same recipe, except that I will add green chiles, 2 cans of hominy, and Worcestershire sauce to the mix. Hmmm.... is this becoming my own recipe? Not sure about that at this point, but should be good. :) (Also thinking of doing it in the crockpot, but we shall see)
Wednesday~ Chicken Crockpot dish~ probably cranberry-ish (my recipe is fromFix-It and Forget-It Recipes for Entertaining Cookbook   , but it's basically the same as the recipe I linked if you use the "Suggestion" ) and salad.
Thursday~Curried Carrot Soup (This is similar to the recipe I'll use)with crusty bread~ YUM!
Friday~ Left-overs or "Left-over Pizza".... something QUICK! I will definitely be using my favorite pizza crust recipe, tho'.

Whew! Now that I have that written down hopefully my week will go smoothly! :)
Blessings~

Edit: This just in~ The Chicken will move to Thursday and Wednesday will be Soup Day, with a Broccoli soup utilizing left-over Broccoli from tonight~ LOTS of broccoli! YUM!

Old Standbys, and eating out...

OK, I've been rather absent posting these lately, but thought maybe I'd take a shot at it this week...
Now things are a little "in flux" because we have company (My dad and his bride) coming this week, but I'm going to do my best~

Monday~ Pizza with Pesto and Sausage, and Pizza with Pesto and carmelized Onion
Tuesday~ Tuna Salad Sandwiches and Salad!
Wednesday~ Airport pick-up.... probably dinner out
Thursday~ Maybe... possibly....hopefully.... Seafood! (Possbily Lobster, steamers, Corn on the Cob, and Potato Salad... maybe even Watermelon! ;) DH cooks the seagood, I'll make the Potato Salad )
Friday~ French Fry Soup and Salad before our first AWANA club meeting of the year~ it's a family affair at our house! :)
Saturday~ Dinner with both FIL's... likely out (Or carry out), and based on what I know of both fathers.... Seafood again! :)
Sunday we have a double digit birthday boy, and he'd like to go to Texas Roadhouse. I'm going to try to dissuade him, and suggest a nice picnic instead, but we shall see.... birthdays only come once a year.

YIPES!  Dinner out possibly 3 times??? EGADS! However, this is what often happens when famly visits infrequently... should be fun! :)

Be sure to check out lots of other menu plans by clicking the picture/link at the top of my post~ Blessings~

Menu Monday~ Pizza, Quiche with Rice crust, Popcorn Chicken (links)u

http://orgjunkie.com/2010/07/menu-plan-monday-july-12th.htmlHmmm... let's see what we're going to think about eating this week~

Monday~ Salad and Pizza (Using leftover crust I made on Saturday, topped with onions and zucchini)
Tuesday~ Quiche with a rice crust ~I made something along these lines a couple of weeks ago, but with different "fillings', and it was YUMMY! I used advice on this website for cooking the rice a little more quickly that the typical 50 minutes.
Wednesday~ Didn't get to this one the last time, so I think I'll plan for it again! Popcorn Chicken
Thursday~ Pork Tenderloin and rice
Friday~ Taco "Something"... either "traveling" or pasta, we'll see what we feel like.

We've been enjoying fresh cherries, watermelon, and some delicious plums that my daughter and I have dubbed Plumbanapples because they have flavors reminiscent of those three fruits~ And Youngest son has declared a need for carrots by his continual snacking on them! :) (Not a bad thing)


Be sure to check out Organizing Junkie for hundreds of other families' menu plans for this week if you are looking for some inspiration. :)

Blessings~

Menu Monday~ 6/21/10

Well~ I'd better make this quick, because this week is crazy/busy, just like the last few weeks when I've been MIA with menu-planning~ Here's my hopeful plan for the "work week". :)

• Monday~ left overs from dinner out yesterday, and a big salad~ no outside plans, thank goodness~
• Tuesday~ Little League playoff game~ pasta salad(Maybe a curried tuna or swordfish pasta salad)
• Wednesday~ sleepover birthday party~ Tortilla Chip Casserole, chips & salsa, and Chocolate Suffle' Roll for cake
• Thursday~ Breakfast for the girlies~ maybe pikelets, maybe muffins(pumpkin chocolate chip  if I can find the canned pumpkin~ apparently it is strictly "Seasonal" in some grocery stores :/)       Dinner~ I'm thinking hot dogs before the hopeful Championship Little League Game. Potato Salad if I get the potatoes...
• Friday~ Hmmm.. this looks interesting! Looking for a good idea for our night with no major outside plans...  Popcorn Chicken

Be sure to check out Organizing Junkie for hundreds of other families' menu plans for this week if you are looking for some inspiration. :)

Oh, and visit Heavenly Homemakers for some cute, free, printable "summer themed" menu planners and grocery lists~ I like the beachy theme at the bottom! :)

Blessings~

Menu Monday 3/22/10 (no recipes this week, but ask me!)

Hello, folks~

It's that time of the week again~
BTW, the Bubble and Squeak with AlFresco Chicken Sausages were the hit of the week last week. :)

So, here we go~

Monday~ We're having chicken and rice enchiladas with leftover chicken and rice from Saturday
Tuesday~ Pasta with Al Fresco Chicken Sausage and corn niblets
Wednesday~ Ground Turkey and Barley Soup
Thursday~Mexican Pizza with leftover (Frozen) chicken
Friday~ Leftovers and/or Cheese Toast OR Mexican casserole because a couple of weeks ago I made this Mex Casserole with Ground Turkey, and used the leftovers to make a soup, and it was YUMMO!

I don't really have recipe for any of these, and plan to just "Wing it", but if anything looks interesting to you let me know, and I'll try to write it down and post it. :)

So~ There you have it~ Be sure to head on over to Menu Plan Monday to get some inspiration for your week this week or next!

Blessings~

Menu Monday 3/15/10 Tuna, Chicken, Bubble& Squeak

OK, Let's see if I can get my brain wrapped around a menu this week~ I love heading over to orgjunkie.com to help me get organized for the week ahead... it seems to go much more smoothly when I do!

• Monday~ Creamed Tuna over Crackers (I'm going to try to use coconut flour to thicken it instead of regular flour~ We shall see what we think), with sliced cucumber and carrots on the side, maybe even some broccoli, for broccoli boy
• Tuesday~Thai Crockpot Chicken (Thanks, Laura at orgjunkie.com) and rice
  
• Wednesday~ I know~ It's St. Patty's Day, and I usually make Bubble & Squeak, but DD is out performing with her Irish Dance School all afternoon and evening, so... maybe something terrible like hot dogs or .... pasta salad?
• Thursday~ Bubble & squeak, and MAYBE some Corned beef if we pick some up. if not some sausage would go well..
  
• Friday~ Leftovers from the week(Hmmmmm.. Thai Chicken Pizza sounds good!:)

Have a great week! Blessings~

French Fry Soup

French Fry Soup

It's a little bit of a glorified (Fast) version of potato soup that I came up with last winter.

Ingredients:

2 Tbs Olive Oil
1 Tbs Butter
1 medium Onion, chopped
1 bag of frozen French Fries (The healthier the better...)
2 qts chicken broth (I used these great boxes of Rachel Ray's Natural Chicken Stock)

Melt your butter with the olive oil in the bottom of a heavy stockpot over medium low heat.

Chop your onion (don't cry too hard), and saute in the hot oil/butter mixture until transparent and starting to turn golden. (They should just about melt in your mouth)

Add your bag of frozen french fries and your chicken broth/stock and bring to a boil. Then let it simmer for about 15 minutes, to cook the potatoes.

Mash your potatoes up to the consistency you prefer (Or really pulverize it in the blender, if you want CREAMY.... I prefer some chuncks in mine), and serve with yummy, crusty, toasted bread.

Variations on a theme: You can use any frozen french fries you like, but I highly recommend the less "processed", closer to the garden varieties. Some that we have used, all from Trader Joe's: Garlic French Fries, Chipotle French Fries, Sweet Potato French Fries

Sometimes I add some Basil... but then it is less "French Fry" soup.

Now, I have to say, this particular batch of French Fry Soup that I used for the photos (the last time I made it) was going to be another experimental batch... we were going to try a bit with a dollop of blue cheese dressing on top when serving (Since most of our family dips their french fries in blue cheese dressing instead of ketchup), and my son was going to try a squirt of ketchup (Since he's more traditional). Sad story.... we didn't get to try it yet, because I had to throw the soup out. We had to leave the house unexpectedly before dinner, so I tossed the soup in the crockpot on low to keep it warm.... but when we returned to the house hours later, we discovered that the crockpot had come unplugged (a slightly pesky outlet...),the soup was cold, and potentially hazardous. :( So, not only did we not get to try our experiments, but I had to come up with something else to feed my tired family.... ERGH! Next time I make it, I'll post an update with our findings.

Blessings~

Menu Monday 3/1/10

So... tomorrow would be the mathematical equation day that my daughter will enjoy... 3-2-10 :)

First, here's a post up with my French Fry Soup recipe from a couple of weeks ago, and now
~ See what I'm doing this week :

• Monday~ Left over Seafood Chowder and Salad
• Tuesday~ Shepherd's Pie using rotisserie chicken and leftover IRIO from our African meal last week as the topping
• Wednesday~ Pizza with leftover Rotisserie Chicken on top(And maybe red peppers???mmm) and raw carrots on the side
• Thursday~ Possibly dinner out... we're going skiing for the 1st time as a family! (Woohoo! I haven't been on skis in over 13 years...)
• Friday~ Mexican pasta with "Chili" using Trader Joe's frozen "Succotash" mix (Corn, edamame, and red peppers) in place of beans

So, we'll see how it goes~
click on the pic to visit hundreds of other blogs and reap some great ideas!

Blessings~

Menu Planning Monday, 2 + 8 = 10 ;)

So, my daughter likes to see patterns in the dates.... and today was 2/8/10, hence my equation in the title. :)

Ah... menu for the week? Haven't done this for a while and need to start back! You can see what about 300 other families have on their menus this week at orgjunkie.com.... just click the banner above.

• Monday~ A Turkey Chili concoction that I made using a frozen veggie mix from Trader Joes.... it has edamame, corn and red peppers in it... edamame, because dried beans don't like DH, but edamame seem to be fine! :) It was yum, served with cornbread and sauteed greenbeans with caramelized onions.
• Tuesday~ Soup... either French Fry or Broccoli... I have fixin's for either
• Wednesday~ Turkey Meatballs and rice with salad
• Thursday~ Creamed Tuna over Crackers and steamed asparagus
• Friday~ Turkey Burgers
• Saturday~ Hmmm..... not sure yet~
• Sunday~ Possibly dinner out with the family & friends~ or maybe we'll come up with a menu plan... have to chat.

If I get the chance, I'll add in some recipes later~
Blessings~

Menu Monday~ Fall!

I'm trying to get back into menu planning, now that the school/fall schedule is back into full swing. We have too many nights that are "out" nights, so I can use the help to plan ahead!

Monday~ Chicken/vegetable chowder with easy cheesy scones
Modified from the above recipes
Tuesday~ Pasta with Al Fresco Sausage and Salad (And crockpot yogurt for breakfasts)
Wednesday~ Shepherd's Pie(?) or "Stuffed Meatloaf" (Potato filled meatloaf.. YUM!)
Thursday~ Indian-style chicken in the crockpot (I hope~ Utilizing some of that crockpot yogurt!)
Friday~ Sandwich Night~ racing from Oireachtas practice to AWANA

So there you have it... I am hoping to actually make the Tandoori Chicken, since I've "planned" to at least 2 times and haven't gotten to it... we shall see~ At least the chicken is paid for (That's part of the problem... it's in the freezer and needs defrosting.... )

Check out all the other Menu plans for this week at Organizing Junkie at get inspired to make some food and save some change!

Menu Monday, June 15

Hey, I did pretty well last week!

BTW, those cold Chicken Satay Noodles that Laura has on her menu this week are yummy! We had them last week, and everyone liked! Check out her site for more great menus!

This week:
Monday Little League Playoff Game night: Chicken and Broccoli casserole with leftover chicken and broccoli from Friday
Tuesday Irish Step Dance Practice night: Crockpot Tandoori Chicken (Chicken legs/thighs are on sale for $0.69/lb this week!)
Wednesday night:
Thursday Little League Championship or Consolation Game night: pizza at the field!
Friday:
Saturday: Oldest's Birthday....something "out" perhaps?
Sunday Father's Day: probably a cook-out sort of thing? or maybe Indian food? Have to check with our friends~~~ :)

Well, I'm missing a couple of spots here... I'll post for now, and fill them in when I get the chance! (Which means I'm going to go scout around a few other posts, and see what looks good!)

Blessings~
Lis

Menu Monday, June 8

Well, I did "ok" last week, with a couple of misses~ so now I'll try for this week, and see how we go~

Monday: Cold-cut subs with leftovers from Sunday's church business meeting
Tuesday: Homemade pizza with leftovers from the porkchops on Saturday
Wednesday: Baseball game~ Hot dogs? Not sure on this one....
Thursday: Homeschool meeting~ Maybe the Cold Chicken Satay noodles that Laura referenced
Friday: Last regular Little League game of the season~ Rebecca's Tortilla casserole(From Honest Pretzels) with leftover chicken,
Saturday: Eek... I still have to work on my grocery shopping/sales this week
Sunday: leftovers or eating out... we'll see...

Pretty skimpy this week, not feeling as "planned", but I'm still trying!

Any help would be great!
Blessings~
Lis

Menu Monday

OK, we did pretty well last week, although I didn't get around to making the Tandoori Chicken(didn't buy the chicken when it was on sale) or the Shepherd's Pie(Ran out of time). However things definitely ran more smoothly with a plan, so here we go again.

Monday: Chicken Quesadilla's (With chicken intended for Shepherd's Pie) and raw carrots
Tuesday: Shepherd's Pie with the rest of the Chicken
Wednesday: Quiche (Possibly a rainy day, so a good day for baking), carrots, cucumbers
Thursday: Mussels in white wine with Garlic and Scallions and salad
Friday: Pasta and sausage, asparagus
Saturday: Pork Chops on the grill or in the crock-pot, with baked sweet potatoes
Sunday: ?? Not sure on that one yet.

So, here you have it.
Oh... a funny from last week.
Littlest's favorite vegetable is steamed broccoli, which we haven't had for a couple of weeks. When we brought it to the table on Friday, he started pumping his arms up and down, kicking his legs out, and chanting "o-cco-li! o-cco-li! o-cco-li!" It was just so funny, especially since I don't remember teaching him a "Cheer" for anything, much less his vegetables. Makes a mamma's heart sing to see something like that, tho'. :)

Blessings~

Menu Planning Monday

Happy Memorial Day!

I hope that everyone had a good day, remembering and being thankful for those who gave their lives for the freedom of our country, and countless others, AND appreciating those who are currently serving.

I'm going to take a stab at menu-planning... we'll see how it goes. I really *should* get organized, because I now have two kids in activities, and both of them are 2-3 times/ week! ACK!

OK, so here we go:
Monday: Tonight we had left over Texas Roadhouse Pulled Pork sandwiches, potato salad, and corn on the cob.

Tuesday: Homemade Pizza and salad

Wednesday: Grilled sirloin tips and chicken, potato salad (Again... I made a big batch!) and corn on the cob.

Thursday: Pasta "bake" with leftover meat, raw carrots and cucumber on the side

Friday: Tandoori Chicken in the crockpot(From crockpot365), rice, and cucumbers.

Saturday: Salad with Roasted Chicken from the store, Hummus and chips

Sunday: Shepherd's Pie made with leftover Chicken and a bag of veggies from the freezer

So, there you have it.... hopefully I'll manage to stick to it! :)

Our favorite Pizza....

Well, this blog hasn't gotten as much use as my TOS Crew reviews blog, but I'm going to try to remedy that. One of my "Crew-mates" introduced me to the world of "memes", so I'm joining my first with this "Works For Me Wednesday" post.

Due to frantic Friday evenings getting out to AWANA, last year was the year of the frozen Schwann's pizza. This year, in trying to "Save some dough", I decided to try making my OWN dough. I searched for a recipe for "Quick Pizza Crust" and found this . I have played with it and modified it over the months, so what follows is my version of quick and easy and TASTY pizza, with no preservatives, and only whole wheat goodness! (Editing to add in another variation that we like right now!)

Friday's Fabulous Fast Fixin's(aka Speedy Pizza)
This recipe makes enough to fill two large rectangular bar pans from Pampered chef(I suppose it would work for two round pizza stones, too, but I don't have any of those, so we eat rectangular pizza!)

• 4 1/2 tsp yeast
• 2 tsp sugar(I used Florida's Naturals)
• 2 cups warm water
• 5 cups whole wheat flour OR 2 cups whole wheat flour, 2 cups white wheat flour, and 1 cup cornmeal (This is our current favorite crust combo)
• 4 Tbs olive oil
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup shredded cheese(Optional)
• 2 tsp dried basil OR 1/4 cup Sesame Seeds (Optional)
  
• extra olive oil
  

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.
Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water. Set the timer for 10 minutes.
Mix the flour, salt, cheese, and basil in a medium sized bowl, while the yeast is "activating".
When the timer goes off, the yeast mixture should be "creamy", if it is,
Add the yeast mixture and the oil to the dried ingredients, and beat until smooth.
Split in half (I save one half in an airtight container or ziplock baggie for another night)
Let the dough "relax" for 5 minutes, so that it will be easier to roll out.

Shape your pizza, and brush with the extra olive oil, then add the rest of your desired toppings. My kids aren't fans of red sauce, so we tend to go with some combination of the following:
(We always have cheese and sauteed onion slices)

• meat of some sort (leftover meatballs(sliced), rotisserie chicken, slices of Al Fresco chicken sausages, etc...)
• sliced grape tomatoes
• roasted red pepper strips
• slices of calamata olives
• sauteed mushrooms
• steamed broccoli
• minced garlic

Pop it into the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes. Be sure to let it cool a couple of minutes after baking, so that nobody burns the roof of their mouth.

So... this is what works for us, and I thought I'd share! :) You can find out what works for other families at We are THAT Family which is hosting "Works For Me Wednesday" posts

Blessings~
Lis