Menu Plan for the Week of 1/7/10

We are SNOWED IN! 21 + inches of snow over the weekend and 6-10 more coming between tonight and Thursday. I am ready for Spring!! The grocery store was a madhouse this week so I grabbed what I could find! Here is what you will find on our dinner table this week (I also included some pictures at the end of this post to show what fun 21 inches of snow can be! :)

Sunday: Superbowl beer brat sandwiches, vegetable tray, taco dip, crescent dogs, brownies

Monday: Linguine and clam sauce, salad

Tuesday: Chicken fiesta, black beans, yellow rice

Wednesday: Mushroom roast beef in the crock pot, steamed broccoli, chocolate marshmallow pie

Thursday: Taco bar, brown rice, refried beans

Friday: Homemade pizza, salad

Saturday: Valentine Party (still not sure what we are eating . . . I will figure it out after the roads are clear again!)

**If you want the recipes to anything on my weekly menu, please leave me a comment :)

Join the Organizing Junkie at www.orgjunkie.com every Monday for Menu Plan Monday and lots of great ideas for your weekly menu plan!

I had difficulty getting the front door open on Saturday morning. . . .






Who wouldn't want to be snowed in with a face like that?

Our favorite Super Bowl Snack: Buffalo Chicken Dip

Even though the Steelers are not in the big game this year, I will still be preparing some yummy appetizers and snacks on Sunday. If you are looking for something quick and delicious for your crock, check out my post on Italian Sausage Sandwiches.

One of our favorite appetizers is Buffalo Chicken Dip. I am a huge fan of hot sauce so I usually go a little heavier on it than the recipe calls for. Enjoy!

Buffalo Chicken Dip

8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup blue cheese or ranch salad dressing

1/2 cup Louisiana hot sauce

1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

2 cans (12.5 oz. each) chicken breast in water, drained

Heat oven to 350°F. Place cream cheese into baking dish and stir until smooth.

Mix in salad dressing, buffalo sauce, cheese, and chicken.

Bake 20 min. or until mixture is heated through; stir. Garnish as desired. Serve with tortilla chips.

Make Your Home a Haven: Morning Routine

What do you do in your home to create a haven for your family? I am looking forward to sharing what I do to make our home more peaceful and beautiful as I participate in the Make Your Home a Haven weekly series from The Homespun Heart. I encourage you to leave me a comment and let me know what you are doing in your homes to make it place of peace and serenity!

Last week the focus was on a morning routine. (I am a little behind on the series and plan to catch up!) I have always had a morning routine but once I put it down in writing, it seemed to work much better for me . I use a FlyLady Control Journal (CJ), and I place my routines and goals in the very front. There are definitely times I put my CJ aside but I always seem to come back to it when life seems a little unbalanced.

Here is my morning routine and/or what I strive to accomplish:

6:30 a.m. Wake, quiet time: read and Rosary, make bed.

7:00 a.m. Girls wake, get dressed

7:15 a.m. Make breakfast and smoothies, vitamins

7:30 a.m. Make school lunches and snack

7:45 a.m. Empty and reload dishwasher, start laundry
Girls brush teeth, hair

8:15 a.m. Drop girls off at school

8:30a.m. Tidy living room, dining room, and kitchen,
Start dinner and plan after school snack.
Shower

10:00 a.m. Start schooling: reading and activities

This schedule changes often but it has been working well for me lately. I am not an early riser so it is something I constantly struggle with. When I do wake early and start my day with some quiet time and prayer, my day is so much better and I am a much better mom. Because I am nursing my toddler and co-sleeping (often with both my toddler and preschooler), it is difficult to keep the little ones asleep when I get up. I often just stay in bed and read and pray the Rosary with a small book light.

If you are struggling with your morning routine, I recommend looking at www.flylady.net and the book, Sink Reflections by Fly Lady, Marla Cilley. I also recently found a free e-book called Maximize Your Mornings at www.inspiredtoaction.com. It is a great blog and resource to help you start intentionally using your mornings to jump start your day.

So what type of morning routine do you have?

Menu Plan for the Week of 1/31/10

I did not plan my menus last week so I was a bit more stressed than usual! This week is a very busy week for us. I am volunteering to help with activities for Catholic Schools Week, 100th day of school, and Daisy Scouts. I am planning some easy dinners and using my crock pot as much as possible. I spent much of last week cleaning and decluttering, so I plan to do some batch cooking this week to stock up my freezer.

Here is what you find on our dinner table this week:

Sunday: Leftovers

Monday: Crockpot chicken, steamed broccoli, Italian bread, sweet potato pie

Tuesday: Stuffed shells, salad

Wednesday: Crockpot chicken, rice and vegetable soup, homemade dinner rolls

Thursday: Crockpot sundried tomato and feta tri-tip, salad, brown rice

Friday: Homemade pizza, vegetable tray with dip

Saturday: Family Fun Night: Bingo
Hot dogs, baked beans, sweet potato baked chips
Homemade funnel cakes and popcorn

Batch Cooking:
2 whole chickens in crock
chicken broth
whole wheat waffles
whole wheat banana pancakes
granola bars
sour cream muffins
apple sauce
chocolate chip cookies


Join the Organizing Junkie at www.orgjunkie.com every Monday for Menu Plan Monday and lots of great ideas for your weekly menu plan!

Herb Braised Chicken Thighs

I am not sure if I have mentioned it before but I absolutely love the Saving Dinner series of cookbooks, e-books, podcasts, website, etc. by Leanne Ely. I signed up to get daily articles and recipes sent to my email for free. When I received this recipe recently, I knew it was something I wanted to try. Our family loved it! I have a subscription to the Saving Dinner Menu Mailer and it has been a great help getting my weekly menu plan and grocery list together. Check out the website and enjoy the recipe!

Herb Braised Chicken Thighs
Serves 6

3 tablespoons flour
3 teaspoons paprika
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
12 skinless chicken thighs
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
2 cups (2-inch-thick) sliced carrots
2 large onions, cut into wedges
2 1/4 cups low sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup dry white wine
2 1/4 pounds small red potatoes, quartered

Combine first 6 ingredients (flour through pepper) in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add chicken; seal bag, shaking to coat.

Heat oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat. Add chicken and remaining flour mixture to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until lightly brown. Add carrot and onion; cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add broth, wine, and potatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 35 minutes or until chicken is done and vegetables are tender.

A New Twist on Classic Lasagna

I sampled this recipe at our local supermarket and had to try it for myself. It was delicious and my kids loved it! Enjoy!

1 tbsp. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, diced
1 lb. ground beef
Salt and pepper, as needed
1 jar tomato sauce
2 packages gnocchi
12 oz. ricotta cheese
6 oz. parmesan, grated
4 cups mozzarella, shredded
Fresh basil, chopped

Heat oil in a saute' pan. Add onions and garlic and cook for 5 minutes until translucent. Add ground beef and brown. Season to taste. In the meantime, boil gnocchi according to package.

Layer sauce, beef, gnocchi, and cheese in baking dish. Repeat. Top with remainder of mozzarella and finish with basil.

Cover with foil and bake for 35-40 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking until cheese starts to lightly brown.

Menu Plan for the Week of 1/17/10

While I love to have a menu plan in place each week, I do not always enjoy planning the menu and grocery list. This week, I started thinking about the coming weeks. Every time I saw a recipe or a meal that I knew I wanted to serve, I jotted it down. Before I knew it, I had almost two weeks of menus and grocery lists done! It is a very simple solution, and it saved me about an hour of planning on Saturday.

Here is our plan for the week:

Sunday: Chicken noodle soup, dinner rolls

Monday: Gnocchi lasagna, salad

Tuesday: Chick-fil-A Family Night

Wednesday: Herb braised chicken thighs, steamed broccoli, whole wheat couscous

Thursday: Crab cakes, baked sweet potatoes, salad

Friday: Chicken piccata, steamed brussel sprouts, brown rice

Saturday: Family Game Night: Swedish meatballs over noodles, salad
Fun snacks: kettle popcorn, monkey munch, buffalo chicken dip with tortilla chips and vege tray with dip


Join the Organizing Junkie at www.orgjunkie.com every Monday for Menu Plan Monday and lots of great ideas for your weekly menu plan!