Category Archives: Menu Planning

5 Things Friday

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  1. This has been a very long stressful week!  Matt’s surgery was on Tuesday and with me having a half a day workday on Thursday, I have remained confused and exhausted all week. Wednesday we attended a student’s vs staff basketball game at Zach’s school. Thursday, I delivered a meal to a friend. I am looking forward to a slower weekend.
  2. The meal plan was totally derailed however I am happy to report that we have not gone out to eat during this stressful week. Today, I stopped at a bakery and purchased several pieces of cake instead.  We have been using up left-overs and eating at home!
  3. It is time to start thinking and planning for our garden this summer. In fact, we already have some lettuce growing and have planted green peppers. No green peppers have sprouted but I am hoping this was not a waste of time. We plan to start tomatoes from seed on Monday.  I have decided not to plant sweet potatoes this year. We have been cooking up and packaging the remaining ones from the garden. Currently we have 11 pounds packaged up with another 4 or 5 pounds that need to be cooked and packaged.  This is more than enough to last us another year.  Now to decide what to plant instead!
  4. I do have plans for outside tomorrow. Matt’s building for his beetle needs two more pieces of tin placed on top. I need to trim the rose bushes, plant the strawberry plants and raspberry canes that arrived in the mail today. These are both replacements for items I purchased last spring that did not survive.
  5. The chickens are laying! We are currently receiving 4 eggs on a daily basis. On Wednesday, I made a huge breakfast bowl. After dinner I was able to package up 10 additional burritos that we can enjoy in the weeks to come!

Monday Menu Plan

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We are entering week 7 of the pantry challenge. It is also the week of Junk Food Sunday. I hope to keep spending at a minimum as we continue to make progress toward the overall goal!

Breakfast- Saturday- eggs, grits, sausage, bacon and biscuits Sunday-Grits and eggs Monday, Tuesday Wednesday and Friday- find it oatmeal, omelets cereal and milk, French toast sticks, bagels, and. Thursday- homemade bagels or baked oatmeal.

Lunch- Saturday-left-overs Sunday Gregg’s, Monday- leftovers Tuesday- leftovers, Wednesday- leftover Thursday- soup of some kind Friday- out to eat.

Dinner- Saturday-Pizza from Dominos   Sunday-Junk Food Sunday Monday-Left-overs Tuesday- Gift of dinner   Wednesday- Egg Rolls and pot stickers Thursday- Breakfast burritos  Friday-Steak and salad?

Menu Planning Monday

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This week’s plan is fairly simple and straightforward. The focus is on “Junk Food Sunday” We were able to get most of the dinner meals prepared ahead of time or at least started for the week. I know that we also need to get some deserts prepared ahead on Thursday and Friday. I may also go ahead and get components ready as I can!  I am planning a long post on the pantry challenge and the plan for February sometime this week. So, for now I am still using items from the freezer and pantries and will definitely be working from my meals list next time!

Breakfast- Saturday- eggs, grits, sausage, bacon and biscuits Sunday-muffins Monday, Tuesday Wednesday and Friday- find it oatmeal, omelets cereal and milk, French toast sticks, bagels, and. Thursday- homemade bagels or baked oatmeal.

Lunch- Saturday-left-overs Sunday Time Square Pizza, Monday- leftovers Tuesday- leftovers, Wednesday- out to eat Thursday- soup of some kind Friday- out to eat.

Dinner- Saturday-Costco chicken and sweet potatoes    Sunday-Stuffed green pepper soup. Monday-Sloppy joes and french fries. Tuesday- new to us Taco Pasta Wednesday- chicken pot pie Thursday-Mini Quiches Friday-leftovers likely.

Successful Sunday

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Sunday are usually a less stressful day around here. Today was less stressful but I am so happy with all we were able to get accomplished that I wanted to share.

We did the usual of course, church and lunch out! Then we came home and I got an hour nap which was much needed!
This afternoon, Matt worked on getting some plants started in our living room. I live in zone 7b, which means we have long summers but still not long enough to grow a ton of peppers. So this year, we are trying something different. We have sown approximately 35 pepper seeds in our living room. I am not currently planning to purchase any seeds this year so I am hoping that we get at least 15 pepper plants to grow!   I did purchase a grow mat to keep under the seeds until they germinate.  Matt also planted a batch of lettuce seeds.  If we get to eat some leaves I will be happy if not we have only wasted time.
We ended up purchasing a Costco chicken yesterday an ate for dinner. Last night I pulled off all the meat and threw the skin and bones in the crockpot. They finished 18 plus hours this morning before we left for church.  This afternoon I was able to can up 9 pints of chicken booth and used the remaining bit for dinner and for a chicken pot pie later this week. I used the remaining meat from the chicken along with several bowls of vegetable soup I found in the freezer to make a chicken pot pie. I will add a topping for dinner on Wednesday this week.
Matt was able to fry up 6 pounds of ground beef on the Blackstone. I used a pound for green pepper soup, a pound for a taco casserole I am going to try this week and the remaining 4 turned into my chili.  I ended up canning 5 pints of chill with one left out to use for Junk Food Sunday.
This week gets slightly more busy with baseball workouts starting but we no longer have swim in the morning.

Monday Menu Planning- Week 5 of Pantry Challenge

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Week 5 of the Pantry Challenge!  I still swear that someone adds an extra month into January every year!  I am excited that next week, I can begin re-using meals from my list.

Breakfast- Saturday- gravy and biscuits, Sunday-omelets Monday, Tuesday Wednesday and Friday- find it oatmeal, omelets cereal and milk, French toast sticks, bagels, breakfast burritos and pancakes. Thursday- homemade bagels or baked oatmeal.

Lunch- Saturday-beef nachos Sunday-Lorn horn Steakhouse, Monday- leftovers Tuesday- leftovers, Wednesday- out to meet, Thursday- soup of some kind Friday- workshop.

Dinner- Saturday-Cookout   Sunday-chicken and – Spaghetti Tuesday- Salisbury steak, green beans and rice. Wednesday- Cheeseburger Pizza Thursday-Chicken Angel Pasta (new recipe).   Friday-tacos

Monday Menu Planning

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Week 4 of the Pantry Challenge!  This week you will notice some different items on the menu. I am trying a new soup and also pulling items from the freezer to use as well. I am so looking forward to February because I have a list of 14 meals already to start just writing in.  Some days it is truly a struggle to figure out what we are eating.  This is the first weekend that you will notice we are eating up left-overs!  Another exciting thing for us because at some points it feels like we have the never-ending leftovers!

Breakfast- Saturday- bacon, sausage, eggs and toast, Sunday-left-overs Monday- Zucchini Bread Tuesday Wednesday and Friday- find it oatmeal, omelets cereal and milk, French toast sticks, bagels, breakfast burritos and pancakes. Thursday- homemade bagels or baked oatmeal.

Lunch- Saturday-Left-overs  Sunday-Christos, Monday- leftovers from Christos, Tuesday Beef liver and onions, Wednesday- sandwich or roll up, Thursday- soup of some kind  Friday- out to eat

Dinner- Saturday-Left-overs   Sunday-Tomato Basil or Broccoli Cheese soup from the freezer with homemade bread. Monday- Grilled chicken, pasta salad, scallop potatoes and pineapple casserole Tuesday- Pizza Soup Wednesday- Eat out because of swim meet.  Thursday-Tortellini alfredo and bread.   Friday-tacos

Monday Menu Planning

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Week 3 of the Pantry Challenge and I have two exciting things to share. First my children have decided to stalk my blog to figure out what we are eating!  Second we don’t have any night events this week!  And finally, we have managed a three day weekend with only our scheduled meal out!  We will be using up left-over sides for most meals this week.

Breakfast- Saturday- bacon, sausage, eggs and toast, Sunday-left-overs Monday- pancakes and sausage, Tuesday Wednesday and Friday- find it oatmeal, omelets cereal and milk, French toast sticks, bagels, breakfast burritos and pancakes. Thursday- homemade bagels or baked oatmeal.

Lunch- Saturday-Everything pigs in blanket and cucumbers Sunday-Panda Panda, Monday- Quesadilla and Mexican street corn, Tuesday Beef liver and onions, Wednesday- sandwich or roll up, Thursday- taco soup Friday- out to eat

Dinner- Saturday-Beef ribs, baked beans, 7-layer salad green beans and corn bread.  Sunday- Potato Sausage Soup from Freezer, Monday-Broiled Fish, and green beans Tuesday- Shake and Bake Pork Chops   Wednesday- Hamburger Helper, Thursday- Kielbasa and Rice Friday-Grilled chicken and pasta salad.

 

Monday Menu Planning

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Week 2 of the Pantry Challenge is guaranteed to be more complicated than the first. This week we have two swim meets.  Which means figuring out how we can work around and eat at home for at least of these evenings.  I am also trying to think ahead and make sure we use up the fresh veggies that are here already. Last week, we had enough left-over pork fried rice to use for my lunch this week.  I also have 8 meals on my list to repeat in February so far!

Breakfast- Saturday- chicken and waffles    Sunday-Pear sauce bread.  Monday, Tuesday Wednesday and Friday- find it oatmeal, omelets cereal and milk, French toast sticks, bagels, breakfast burritos and pancakes. Thursday- homemade bagels or baked oatmeal.

Lunch- Saturday-sliders    Sunday-Olive Garden, Monday- left-overs, Tuesday salad, Wednesday- sandwich or roll up, Thursday- taco soup Friday- out to eat

Dinner- Saturday-Mexican snack feast Sunday- Potato Sausage Soup from Freezer, Monday-Salisbury Steak, mashed potatoes and green beans Tuesday- KFC bowls using mashed potatoes   Wednesday- Eat on the way to or from Swim meet   Thursday- Beef and Broccoli   Friday-Leftovers or grilled cheese sandwiches.

This is another easy week for us!  I am so glad!

Monday Menu Planning

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I know that in order for me to stay on top of the pantry challenge I have got to plan for all meals.  This week is fairly easy as we have a swim meet on Saturday so we can eat both before and after. I also wanted to make sure that I am using some of the “non-preferred” items up front.  In order to make lunches easier for me I have decided to try the following Leftover meal. salad meal, soup and either a sandwich or roll up.  This should keep me on track as long as I get lunch made the night before!

Breakfast- Saturday- bacon, sausage and pancakes   Sunday-toast.  Monday, Tuesday Wednesday and Friday- find it oatmeal, omelets cereal and milk, French toast sticks, bagels, breakfast burritos and pancakes. Thursday- homemade bagels or baked oatmeal.

Lunch- Saturday-Nachos   Sunday-La Caretta, Monday- left-overs, Tuesday salad, Wednesday- sandwich or roll up, Thursday- taco soup Friday- out to eat

Dinner- Saturday-Snack feast for New Year Eve,  Sunday- Baked Ziti, Monday- Bacon/cheddar burgers and fries Tuesday- Chicken enchiladas- with a second pan to freeze for later, Wednesday- spaghetti and garlic bread   Thursday- Pork Fried Rice   Friday-Leftovers or grilled cheese sandwiches.

Everything has already been pulled from the freezer so it should be pretty simple and straight forward!

Monday Menu Plan

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This week the focus is on using up left-overs. We still have a refrigerator full of leftovers in all forms and fashion.  We also have not cooked any meat since Thanksgiving Day. We have been working on eating what we have.  Turkey sliders, leftover sandwiches and ham bone soup have all been on the menu this weekend. On Sunday, my goal was to get several meals that are really easy to complete while using the leftovers that we have. I feel successful as we have four meals planned and mostly prepped for the week.  I am also very doubtful that we will be completely finished with these leftovers at the end of the week.

Breakfast- Saturday-leftover eggs, sausage and waffles   Sunday-Sausage patties.  Monday, Tuesday Wednesday and Friday- find it oatmeal, omelets cereal and milk, French toast sticks, bagels, breakfast burritos and pancakes. Thursday- homemade bagels or baked oatmeal.

Lunch- Saturday-Leftovers sandwiches   Sunday-Christo’s    Monday- Instant pot hamburger helper   Tuesday- hambone soup    Wednesday- leftover something.   Thursday- Leftover soup again    Friday- out to eat.

Dinner- Saturday-Turkey Sliders    Sunday- Ham Bone Corn Chowder, Monday Turkey pot pie and potato salad Tuesday- Leftover Mexican soup from last week.  Wednesday-Ham and broccoli casserole Thursday- Full Thanksgiving meal (I need to make stuffing and cranberry sauce).   Friday-  I am thinking about a turkey soup of some kind.