I am all about celebrating the small wins right now. So for me to actually get this posted on a Monday is a HUGE small win.  I have multiple meetings after school this week. Zach and Kendall start swim practice 3 or more times a week. So life is definitely not getting any slower.  Another positive is that we are still using up some quick “convenience” meals from the freezer.  I am only shopping for items we need which means we are completely out of.  I am hopeful to continue this until at least December. I will likely have to restock some meals or at least start some different things in the crock pot to keep up with the busy schedule.

Breakfast- Saturday- Sausage balls and pancakes. Sunday-  Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday, Thursday Friday– find it (oatmeal, omelets, cereal and milk,sausage, pop-tarts, and eggs)I would like to make at least one more hot breakfast this week but no guarantees.

Lunch- Saturday- Sandwiches (I did make bread for these) Sunday- LongHorn Steak .  Left-overs are always great for lunches and I have a stash of crackers and other snack items as well.

Dinner- Saturday-Matt and I ate out and the kids had chicken from Costco  Sunday- Chicken Gnocchi  Soup, Monday-Baked Ziti Tuesday- Chicken Enchiladas  Wednesday-Rice A Roni and Chicken Sausage Thursday- Probably left -overs  Friday-  Taco Pasta

2 blogs in a week!  Another success!

It has been a while since I have posted a menu  plan for the week. At least 6 weeks and maybe more. Mondays are a hard day at work for me. I am super busy and my caseload is heavy and hard and exhausting. I am struggling to keep up but I know that my attitude makes a difference.  Therefore this week, I choose joy!    I have been reading online that October is “Crockpot month”  . I am always up for a good challenge, however I am sure that I would face a revolt if I attempted to use the crock pot every day of the week. So for now I am going to attempt to use it 2x a week. We have some favorites but I also am wanting to try new things to see if they work.  My ultimate goal would be to include at least one meal a week in the crockpot. This is much easier in the cooler month but again it is great to have goals.

Breakfast- Saturday-I made myself some fried eggs   Sunday- Bagels from Costco  Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday, Thursday Friday– find it (oatmeal, omelets, cereal and milk,sausage, pop-tarts, and eggs) We need to finish up the bagels and my goal is to make a hot breakfast two days a week but this has yet to happen. But it is a great goal to have.

Lunch- Saturday- Rotisserie Chicken, stuffing and cranberry sauce Sunday- East Coast wings.  Left-overs are always great for lunches and I have a stash of crackers and other snack items as well.

Dinner- Saturday-Kids all ate out for Homecoming, Matt and I found left-overs or something.  Sunday- Potato Soup (one meal in the freezer and 5 lunches for this week.) Monday-Stuffed pepper and broccoli cornbread. Tuesday- Taco Pasta  Wednesday-Beef Raman in Crockpot (new)Thursday- Baked Ziti  Friday- new crockpot meal-

Small steps = progress!

I am not excited to return to work this week but so is life. Last week only two of the four new recipes that we tried ended up a hit.  We ended up eating out on Friday because it was just the two of us and it was just easier. This week we are going to continue to try new recipes to add to the rotation.

Breakfast- Saturday-Hashbrowns, sausage, bacon and eggs  Sunday- Apple Cinnamon Baked Area Monday- Store bought muffins, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday Friday– find it (oatmeal, omelets, cereal and milk ,sausage, pop-tarts, grits and eggs.

Lunch- Saturday-left-overs Sunday-Kimono’s  Monday and Tuesday, Wednesday-Left-overs . Thursday and Friday-I go back to work so I am going to give myself the luxury of eating out.

Dinner- Saturday-Left-over,  Sunday- More Left-overs    Monday-Sloppy joe cheeseburger pasta. Tuesday-Billion Dollar Chicken Wednesday- Poor Man Casserole  Thursday-Pesto Chicken Lasagna Friday- Slow Cooker Hamburger Helper

I have been menu planning for a long long time. I just looked back and the answer is since 2010. I actually love menu planning but it does become somewhat mandate but after 15 years most things do. Over the years I have changed up my menu planning and a week at a time works well for our purposes.  Now moving forward,  I have less than two weeks until I return to work full time. My goal for this school year is to use up as much as possible from our pantries and freezers. This should allow me to cut our grocery budget by half, less than $450 a month.  I am also looking ahead to needing to purchase another cow by next summer as well so I would like to start saving for this expense so that it does not hit so hard.  But I have to be able to plan and make meal quickly due to our busy schedule.  I recently saw on line where a person had a list of thirty meals and then they rotated through them. I am going to adapt that just a bit. I am in the process of making a list of all the possible meals that we have in the house. From that list I am going to pick a list of thirty at the beginning of each month. Then I will look at each week and rotate to make things not so boring. But before that I also have a huge collection of different recipes that I want to try. So for the next two weeks, I am not using any familiar and favorite recipes, all these will be new recipes that I can decide to include in the rotation or simply leave out. I will likely also plan to include at least one new to us recipe a month just to keep things interesting.  This is going to take a little planning but I hope that it will make meal prepping less stress and expensive in the near future.

Breakfast- Saturday-Pancakes and sausage   Sunday- Dutch/German pancakes   Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday Friday– find it (oatmeal, omelets, cereal and milk ,sausage, pop-tarts, grits and eggs.  I am planning to make a baked oatmeal for one breakfast this week.

Lunch- Saturday-Chinese from yard sale profits Sunday-Christo’s  Monday and Tuesday, I am having a salad from Sunday lunch Wednesday -Friday  Left-overs or what ever you find most days.

Dinner- Saturday-Left-over Chinese   Sunday- More Left-overs    Monday-BBQ ribs, squash casserole and cream corn. Tuesday-Beef enchilada  casserole . Wednesday- Pork Chops  Thursday-Chicken Parmesan casserole Friday-Sloppy joe cheeseburger pasta.

Here is to a new adventure!

I honestly did not realize how busy I was the week before vacation. but two weeks have passed so I must have been super busy. Last week, we were camping at Myrtle Beach. My current plan is to post some of my thoughts and tips tomorrow. But for today, a menu plan is needed!

Breakfast- Saturday-Left-overs or find your own before heading home.   Sunday- Spaghetti scrambled eggs.   Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday Friday– find it (oatmeal, omelets, cereal and milk ,sausage, pop-tarts, and eggs. The cereal is still a go to and I am planning to make a baked oatmeal for one breakfast this week.

Lunch- Saturday-Bucces Sunday-Spaghetti Monday- Chicken bacon ranch pizza, Tuesday-Friday  Left-overs or what ever you find most days.

Dinner- Saturday-We just snacked alot. I ate the baked potato salad that I purchased earlier.   Sunday Hot Dogs .   Monday-Meatball sliders and tomato pie  Tuesday-Chicken and green bean casserole . Wednesday- Pizza at the swim team party Thursday-KFC bowls Friday- Homemade pepperoni pizza or this may change if we are pizza out. Depends on what is going on.  The other option for me is steak and baked potatoes.

A menu plan was a must for this busy week. A couple of the kids began complaining last week because It was a sandwich or left over kind of vibe for me. This week is again focusing on adding to the stockpile of easy to prepare meals and canned goods for the school year.

Breakfast- Saturday-Biscuits and gravy.  Sunday- Sausage balls and eggs  Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday Friday– find it (oatmeal, omelets, cereal and milk ,sausage, pop-tarts, and eggs. I was able to find some good deals on cereal last week so that is a hot treat right now. I also purchased some mini muffins for the kids this week as I am focusing on using garden produce.

Lunch- Saturday-Tomato sandwiches  Sunday-Panda Panda  Left-overs or what ever you find most days.

Dinner- Saturday-Million Dollar Spaghetti  Sunday Rotisserie Chicken, stuffing, cranberry sauce and zucchini.   Monday- stuffed green peppers and tomato pie  Tuesday-Taco Pasta . Wednesday- Cheesy Chicken bake  Thursday-Everyone’s Favorite Left-overs Friday- Pasta Salad at the County Swim meet.

The first full week of summer break. The focus for this week is  preserve food and eat at home. The kids are all on a busy schedule so I am trying to have some left-overs in order to have something for their lunch/dinner as needed.

Breakfast- Saturday-Bacon and Biscuits  Sunday- Left-overs for everyone  Monday, Tuesday=-blueberry and strawberry muffins, Wednesday, Thursday Friday– find it (oatmeal, omelets, cereal and milk ,sausage, pop-tarts, and eggs. I may also make some baked oatmeal this week.

Lunch- Saturday-Grilled chicken and zucchini bake.  Sunday-Hawaiian chicken and rice. Left-overs or what ever you find most days.

Dinner- Saturday-Beef Lo Mein   Sunday-Chicken sausage and penne pasta, Monday- KFC bowls .  Tuesday- Pasta Salad at the swim meet. Wednesday-  Totachos  Thursday-Beef and broccoli,  Friday- Broccoli/Chicken/Rice with extra in the freezer

Summer is here at  or at least so close I can taste it! I have to work on Monday and Tuesday of this week but then I am free!  The focus of meals will change to summer as well as to things that I can cook once and have for at least 3 if not 4 other meals. My thought is that if I am cooking then I have to make it worth my while. 

Breakfast- Saturday-We ended up eating at Rick’s in Denton as Bojangles was closed.   Sunday- Breakfast bowls  Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday Friday– find it (oatmeal, omelets, cereal and milk ,sausage, pop-tarts, and eggs.  I am planning to make banana bread at some point and also a baked oatmeal one day but we shall see. 

Lunch- Saturday-Snacks as we were at the swim meet.  Sunday-Outback for Father’s Day. The kids are not responsible for finding their own lunch. 

Dinner- Saturday-Matt and I had a date night with Sushi   Sunday- Chicken tortellini on the Blackstone ,Monday- Baked potatoes and Cucumber appetizers.  Tuesday- Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad. Wednesday-  Baked Ziti with lots to spare Thursday- Hot ham and cheese sliders with veggie tray  Friday- Tacos (I am hoping to make and can  some meat as well. 

Let the fun begin!