Menu Plan

Well, back in the MP saddle again. I may not get to this every week, but going to try to do better. We eat healthier, cheaper and frankly, just plain better when I take the time to meal plan.

We are going to try to do fresh fish at least twice a week, sometimes adding a third night of fish if we feel like it. Jeff and I were talking meals and realized that we love fish and really don’t have it as much as we used to. Add to that it is SO good for us, seems silly not to.

We have a great fish monger near Jeff’s office so he is going to stop on his way home to see what looks good that particular night. Whatever looks good will decide how it’s made. Here are the choices:

Billie Ruth’s Catfish

Asian Marinade (our fav fish marinade - great on any fish!)

Ginger-Soy Marinade

Don’t forget to check out Laura’s for more MPM!

~~~~~

Mother’s Day: Jeff is in charge and is making one of my fav meals! Steak on the grill (with Cowboy Thai Marinade), baked sweet pots, corn on the cob

Taco Salad - perfect for a hot night when I don’t feel like cooking. What we like in ours (I put all the stuff on the counter and we sorta buffet-it): ground beef or turkey with taco seasoning, taco chips of some kind, shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, canned corn (rinsed and chilled), pineapple (I know it’s odd, but it really works!), sliced olives (for Jeff & Emi), shredded cheese and salsa (both mild and whatever Jeff is eating at the moment, varies from medium to oh-my-gosh stomach walls burned away).

Chicken Tortilla Bake

Spaghetti and Meatballs - Nothing fancy, jarred sauce with tons of chopped vege’s tossed in, frozen meatballs. Easy, simple, can be tossed together in less than 15 minutes.

Shortcut Lasagna

And the two nights of fish.

Menu Plan (Mar 22 - 28)

So last week went pretty well, menu-wise. Except, I still haven't made this: Balsamic Chicken & Mushrooms! How is it possible. It looks divine. It looks easy. Magi made it, I know it will rock. What's up with me? It is, again, on my menu plan this week. I *must* make it!

The birthday 'boy' selected fish, rice and butternut squash for dinner last night along with blueberry pie. Not surprising. At all. We had this marinade for the fish - salmon for him, tuna steak for me, we made Emi a Tilapia fillet and she rejected it! We were amazed, but since the whole brown rice discovery, nothing comes between Emi and her rice these days. She even said no to the butternut squash, which she loves. We are going to have to hide the rice steamer from her to get her to eat something else first. Go figure, since this is the little gal that for the first year she was home with us wouldn't touch rice (well, she'd devour wild rice).

Since my fiasco with the Stuffed Pork Loin, I am once again going to attempt it. No, it wasn't on sale. I just can't get it off my mind. We love us some pork, and stuffed ... yum. That and it's Barbara's recipe, I know I can't go wrong (as long as the meat doesn't spoil!).

So, for next week:
Balsamic Chicken & Mushrooms
Stuffed Pork Loin
Chicken Tortilla Bake (doubled for leftovers)
Grilled Chicken Breasts using this marinade
Quick Spinach Roll-Ups

Don't forget to head on over to Laura's at I'm an Organizing Junkie for more MPM!

Hair Update and Menu for the Week

Okay, first. Gosh you guys are brutal! lol On the hair front, Emi and I have a lunch thing to go to at Jeff's office tomorrow so I will have to do it - and do it well! If it turns out, I will try to remember to have Jeff take our picture. IF the picture turns out, I will post it.

On to the menu planning. Well, needless to say menu planning didn't happen yesterday. I wish weekends would slow down! First, the crock pot fish chowder was so-so at best. Not sure if it was the fish I used or if we had different expectations but Emi was indifferent to it (she drank the broth), I didn't care for it at all and Jeff liked it well enough. So, I am moving that recipe to my so-so category and will keep looking. If anyone has a great (easy) crock pot recipe for clam/fish/corn chowder please share it with me!

I didn't get to the Balsamic Chicken & Mushrooms, that's my plan for tonight. The Spinach-Artichoke Cheesy Tortellini as always, was totally wonderful. I do use fresh spinach that I chop, and use half the cheese and fat-free half and half for the cream and it is wonderful. Now that I've made it a few times, it takes about 20 minutes tops. Easy and yummy. If you haven't tried it, it's a keeper for us. (Well, except for Emi. It's a bit too much for her, so I leave some tortellini's out for her and usually give her a vege and/or fruit to go with it.)

Something I that I was seriously bummed about, was the pork loin. I actually remembered to take it out of the freezer and pop it into the fridge (too many years spent in the restaurant biz - I am crazed about thawing meats, I never ever ever thaw on the kitchen counter). So Monday I make the stuffing and while it's cooling down I take the pork loin from the fridge, open the package and .... yuck! Eight dollars worth of pork loin had gone bad at some point. All we can think of is that it happened at the store, before I bought it. I am also crazed about meat handling. I buy it last when shopping, even though it requires backtracking. I always put it away first. So, I know it wasn't me. But, when it comes down to it, it doesn't matter, my dinner was trashed. Jeff ran back to the store and picked up some ready-made chicken (yum), I tossed a vege in the nuker and with the stuffing, that was dinner. But, at least we didn't scrap it totally and call out for pizza. Although I am not sure where running out for rotisserie chicken falls into 'not eating out'. But, it worked in a pinch.

Meals for this week:
Balsamic Chicken & Mushrooms
Udon-Beef Noodle Bowl (with chicken)
Quiche (yes, it's that easy)
Breakfast (grits, eggs and turkey or chicken sausage most likely)


Only four meals planned as we have a birthday to celebrate this week. Jeff's! I still haven't decided exactly what to make and since I want it to be a surprise - I can't post it! Nope, not duck again. I am hoping for something different.

Menu Plan (March 8 - 14)

So, menu-wise, meals went better than expected last week. We did send Jeff out for pizza once and go out once. Not good, I really want to step on that. If I am too pooped to cook, I want to at least do 'vege night' which we did do once. And hey, we lived through it and enjoyed it. AND ... it didn't set us back $20-30. We need to do more of that, and we will.

So, Emi and I headed off to the grocery store with almost no plan in place (not good). Fortunately, a very nice tuna steak just jumped into my cart. Since that happened, I decided to add a nice piece of salmon for Jeff (I love and adore tuna steaks, even more than beef or bison!). Emi, for once, refused fish. But I am wondering if it was just because she was too busy with the (gasp) brown rice, and peas. I can't believe I now LOVE brown rice. We finally broke down and bought a new rice steamer and whoa, does it rock. It takes forEVER to make the rice (both white and brown) but it's worth the time. Oh, and it makes the best ever sticky rice. Ahhh, heaven. But now that I've discovered brown (nice nutty flavor, needs extremely little butter!) we rarely do white any more. And, as a bonus, Emi loves the brown and is quite indifferent to the white. The recipe used was the Asian-Style Grilled Tilapia. (Not suprised?) YUM!

What else did we have? Jules' Homemade Tomato Soup and grilled sandwiches, Vege Nite (udon noodles with a bit of ginger and soy sauce, corn on the cob on the grill), um ... well, we did eat, I just can't remember what else!

BTW, I can't remember if I posted about the Pasta with Creamy Pancetta-and-Pea Sauce. If I did, just skip this as it will be a repeat! It was amazing. Really really amazing. Emi picked through and ate the pasta, wouldn't touch the peas ... she kept trying to get the sauce off them (yes, the same sauce that the pasta had on it). I finally gave up and nuked her some plain ones. Kids. :) But Jeff and I almost climbed into the pan, it was that good. I did use Lythrum's hints - the ham was a very nice touch, but the biggie was using less pans. I hate to do dishes and clean up, so that was a great tip. Oh, and I thought it was a pretty easy and fun recipe to do. It's a keeper here. (Oh, and Serdmom's Apple Crisp has been banned from the house ... oh my, I didn't want to share! Seriously though, total yum and quite easy. Too easy.)

So, now the question is, what are we having this week? I have no idea! Going to figure it out as I type. But it has to be quick and easy, which seems to be a theme these days.

CrockPot Fish Chowder Recipe
Emi has been on a chowder kick lately. No, really - every time we go out for lunch or dinner, this is what she's been eating. I ordered it once awhile ago and she wanted to try it, she ended up eating the whole bowl. So I've been toying with trying my hand at making it at home. HA! I just knew Steph at A Year of Crockpotting would have something. I am going to attempt this this week. If I get to it, I will report in. (Oh, and it's not just chowder - you mention the word soup and she's ready to eat. Heh, go figure.)

Pork Loin
I have one in the freezer that I bought when our grocery store was having a big sale. I may just bake it (it's a pre-marinated one, lemon zest I think) but I am seriously toying with trying this. If I do, I will report in. But since it's a Barbara recipe I already know it will rock.
Update: I decided to add it to my Recipe Box, it just looks too good not to try. But I will still report in! Stuffed Pork Loin

Balsamic Chicken & Mushrooms, Mashed Potatoes
I had hoped to make this last week and I didn't get the chance. With luck, I will give it a go this week. It looks total yum!

Quiche
We actually didn't have this last week (I know, I'm shocked too) but now, I can put in on this week's menu. I am thinking cheese (whatever we have), spinach and mushrooms. Maybe a nice loaf of specialty bread and call it dinner.

Spinach-Artichoke Cheesy Tortellini
I didn't get to this the other week and still have the tortellini in the fridge. This is so easy, there is no reason not to make it. I am determined! :)

There, five meals! Between leftovers, rice in the rice steamer, udon noodles and tons of frozen vege's, breakfast for dinner - there should be absolutely NO reason to go out or have Jeff pick up anything on the way home. Let's see how I do, shall we? Maybe a little challenge? Anyone up for it? A whole week of only eating at home (dinners). Hmmmm, this could work!

The Menu Plan ...

... is missing this week, I am well aware of it. However, I somehow lost Saturday this past weekend. I thought on Sunday afternoon (my typical MP time) that it was Saturday. In fact, I thought that until Jeff started getting ready for work Monday morning.

"What are you doing dear? Getting ready for work. It's Sunday, come back to bed while she is still sleeping. Honey, it's Monday. NO NO NO, don't leave me alone with her!"

Okay, that last part might have been in my head. Unknowingly, I should have said it out loud, and made him stay home. There's more to this story, coming soon.

But, the long and short of this is is yes, the MP is missing. Yes, I need to pull something together. No, it hasn't happened yet. But, never fear dear reader my family will eat this week. It may be eggs and grits, omelets, and burgers from the freezer, but that's what pantry's and freezers are for. For weeks when Mama is just not as on the ball as she should be.

Like most of the time!



P.S. Magi posted a recipe this week that looks SO good. I may have to break down and try that this week. Depends on if I am brave enough to tackle the grocery store with Emi. Yikes.

Menu Plan (February 22 - 28)

I am SO uninspired this week. I had to actually make myself sit down and do this. Jeff said to just blow it off if I wanted, but we still have to eat. If I don't come up with a plan I know we will just eat out or do take out. The budget (and waistlines!) just can't afford that simply because I am feeling lazy. I think it's the time of the year. Blah. February/March is probably my most unfav time. Grey skies, cold and rainy (or worse, cold and snowy!), cooped up in the house all the time. Gosh Kiy, whine much? But I think that most of us feel that way about now (well, except for my friend Christina who lives in Australia who is enjoying her summer right now, and the lucky folks who live in places like Key West!).

I am carrying some things over from last week, again. We have some projects around the house that we are working on and I find myself with limited time. I can either work on those or watch/play with Emi. Emi 'helping' is a scary thing! So, instead of working on dinner during nap times, I am working on the projects. So, the next several weeks I will be doing massively simple and easy, tried and true, and crock potting. I want healthy, fun and yummy ... with none of the work! I can fuss over meals another time (like summer and fall when it's fun) but right now, it's all about getting a meal on the table.

With that said, here's the plan with no specific days mapped out. What we have will be determined by how much time I have on any given day.


Pasta with Creamy Pancetta-and-Pea Sauce (carry-over from last week), possibly something in reserve for Emi in case she turns her nose up at this - but I doubt she will, except for the meat these are things she loves - pasta, sauce of some kind and peas! I am so determined to make this. It looks amazing and fun and yummy, and I have all the ingredients in the house except .... the noodles! In fact, I went to make it last night and found out, no pasta. How is that possible in this house? But, sent Jeff to the store today so we now have the pasta!

Chili with a Little Sass (also a carry-over from last week), cornbread, frozen vege (Is it summer yet? I sure do miss the Farmer's Market!)

Garden Vege Burgers on the grill, Oriental Salad (this can also be used as a stand-alone meal, but using it as a side dish will allow for leftovers and take-to-work lunches for Jeff)

Spinach-Artichoke Cheesy Tortellini (One pot meal although I will toss together a frozen vege for Emi who is not a big fan of spinach OR artichokes. In fact, I will probably save out some pasta plain for her so I do not have to pick through the dish to get what she will eat).

Jules' Homemade Tomato Soup and grilled sandwiches

Bison Burgers on the grill, frozen vege (for Emi), Spinach and Mandarin Orange Salad (I've been craving this!)

Don't forget to head on over to Laura's at I'm an Organizing Junkie for more MPM!

Menu Plan (February 15 - 21)

How sad is this. Last week's ENTIRE menu, is being carried over this week. And, I can honestly blame it on Emi. No, she wasn't in charge of cooking (although, I am sure that time will come!). She came down with a cold last Saturday, which meant little-to-no sleep for Mama and Daddy on both Saturday and Sunday. Needless to say, I could have cared less what we ate Sunday night, we may have had one of my stand-by's: eggs and grits. Considering that I think of myself as a northern gal and Miss Emi most definitely is not from the American south, we all love it and have come to think of that as a sort of comfort food. Funny how finally learning how to cook grits (several minutes longer than the package states and at a lower temp) can make a person fall in love with them.

Miss Emi woke on Monday morning with most of her cold gone. Hurray! Sadly, Mama had the beginnings of it that same morning and it was raging by afternoon. Daddy had it by Wednesday. Emi had her cold for 48 hours (roughly), Jeff and I had it most of the week and still are feeling a bit off. Figures. But, that works as this one kicked me in the butt and caring for both Emi and I while sick would not have been fun. Although she was quite herself all week, which made keeping up with her interesting!

We lived off whatever we could find in the fridge and pantry. Also, I hate to say, take-out. Although no MickeyD's or anything like that. We had Japanese one night (miso soup and yakisoba noodles, yum ... Emi can almost eat/drink us under the table with miso soup, she loves it!). We did have the bison burgers (as they are easy - grill food!), and Jeff brought Applebee's home one night. I know we had something else but darned if I can remember what!

So, here is last week's menu this week. I am *determined* to make each and every thing on this. So help me! :)

I am not going to link up my menu plan this week, as there's nothing new but if you are looking for inspiration head on over to Laura's at I'm an Organizing Junkie for more MPM!


Chili with a Little Sass

Cinnamon-Beef Noodles

Toasted French Toast & Oven Poached Eggs

Bison Burgers on the Grill

Billie Ruth's Catfish Parmesan

Pasta with Creamy Pancetta-and-Pea Sauce

Extras:

Stuffed French Toast

Serdmom's Apple Crisp

Menu Plan (Feb 9 - 14)

In honor of Valentine's Day (reminder: next Saturday), I am doing a special Friends Week. This is a week full of recipes that I have been given (or 'borrowed') from friends, some I have tried and some are new (the recipes, the friends are all old ... err, wait). I am not going to pick days, just list the recipes in no particular order). I haven't decided yet which meal will be on which day (hey, today I am going to be lucky to get this post done at all!) :)

Meals:

Chili with a Little Sass - this recipe is incredible and we always get a smile when we have it. For one thing, Barbara (Candy Hearts & Paper Flowers) posted it and I totally had to try it. For another thing, poor Jeff's life is filled with a little sass (both wife and child). I love Barbara's site. I rarely do what she has going on as, I will never ever have a love of housework (yikes, don't read this mom!) even though I love a neat, tidy and clean house. Keeping house is a chore to me, something to get done as quickly as possible. Barbara really cares about doing it well and right, I just want it done and forgotten about! However, I do think if I followed along on her daily ideas that maybe the house wouldn't be such a chore to me. Maybe. Some day.

Cinnamon-Beef Noodles - Gina (Olivia, Opinions & Occasions) shared this recipe with me. I have only made it the one time, but we loved it! I have been wanting to make it again, and this week is the perfect time. I am toying with saving this for Saturday night, as I want something special but not something that keeps me in the kitchen all day long. Gina and I met through the adoption of our two girls. Sadly, we were not in China at the same time but we have made a friendship that makes me *know* that we will meet someday! I love her sense of humor and I find the longer we know each other, the more in common we have. Head on over to her site, meet the ever-wonderful Olivia. She's a delight and her parents are just simply great people!

Toasted French Toast & Oven Poached Eggs - I've tried a variation of Tamy's (3 Sides of Crazy) french toast before (mainly, toasting the bread) but wanted to give the whole thing a whirl. This is the week. She has also raved on her baked eggs and I seriously have wanted to try them. I keep getting stuck at the bacon. Oh, I love bacon but not the mess. But, this once, I will make it and see how it goes (probably in the microwave, however). I can't remember exactly how I met Tamy. It was either from menu planning, or quite possibly, through Barbara. But we continue to chat in short emails (almost like IM'g without the, you know, IM!) and I have enjoyed getting to know her better.

Bison Burgers on the Grill - Two of my very best friends do not have blogs (hi Aunt M and Uncle R!). The she part of the couple doesn't like to cook all that much (although I hear that is changing a bit!), and he does but I am not sure he is a recipe kind of guy. But, one of my fondest memories is when we had cookouts at their home. He makes a mean ANYthing on the grill. No, really, he does. Their home feels like home, every time I walk in. Which, sadly, isn't as often as it used to be as we live on opposite ends of the country (working on that!). Their home continues to be one of my most fav places to be. I could spend hours on their back patio, drinking sweet tea, soaking up their wonderful landscaping, and chatting. Some friendships become family, this is one of those. In their honor we are having yummy bison burgers on the grill this week. We love them and while we have not had these burgers with this couple, I know they'd love them!

Billie Ruth's Catfish Parmesan - I am actually making this for a friend, rather than getting the recipe from a friend. That friend would be my very best friend, my husband. My life is richer for having him in it. I am happy, contented, loved and so very very lucky.

Pasta with Creamy Pancetta-and-Pea Sauce - Lythrum (Goblins in My Garden) shared this recipe with me several years ago. I keep wanting to make it but then forgetting about it. I found it again today when I was wandering through my recipes. Lythrum and I seemingly have very little in common, yet have a lasting friendship. We can go awhile without chatting (emailing) and then pick up like we talked yesterday. We are both (sorta) new moms learning our way, with our girls just about a year apart in age. My one big wish is that we lived closer, as I would love to have my backyard look a teensy bit like hers (okay, I'd love it if it looked a LOT like hers but I am just not willing to do what it takes!).



Extras:

Stuffed French Toast - Not everyone is lucky enough to call their mom, friend. I am. And I know it. This recipe is a memory trigger. It reminds me, of course, of my mom but also of one of Jeff and my first Christmases together. I have just recently started making it again for special occasions and we love it. It also is a hit with Miss Emi. My current plan is to make this Friday evening for Valentine's Day Breakfast. Mom and I talk, almost every day. Someone once asked us, separately, what we talked about. Everything and nothing. We have a special relationship that has formed into a friendship. I don't take this for granted, and neither does she. And no, it wasn't always like this. See above, Chili with a Little Sass. But I grew out of it, or rather the teen sass, the adult sass is here to stay. :)

Serdmom's Apple Crisp - Serdic (Tritely Banal) has many recipes (ginger sparklers!) but he tends to like to fuss more than I have time for these days (I'm told he is an *amazing* cook and his baking - ooh la la!). This is quick and easy, and I am not sure that I have ever told him I've made it (oops). Serdic is a friend that I made long ago, who also lives far away. He was there from day one when we started our paperchase for Miss Emi. He always had a shoulder, ear and heart to lean on when needed during that time. He has also been one of our biggest cheerleaders (yikes, visual, sorry - no short skirts were involved!) when it came down to 'do we stay in the program or give up'. Thankfully, we stayed in. Now, Miss Emi has an Uncle Serdic (and Aunt TheSinger @ Reports from the Dewey Decimal Zone!). They love her dearly, and we love them.


I have more recipes from other friends, but only so many days in a week. This was so much fun I think I will do it again! I hope you have enjoyed meeting my friends.

Don't forget to head on over to Laura's at I'm an Organizing Junkie for more MPM!

Menu Plan

My menu plan is taking a break this week. I will toss something together most likely, but we have a TON of leftovers from last week plus a pantry and freezer still full of stuff. I really need to work on getting some of that down to manageable quantities.

That and, I'm pooped.

We did Emi's birthday today (a day early) and now, I'm pretty much ready for bed. But, two new posts are ready for tomorrow so stop back then!

Menu Plan (Jan 25 - 31)

Odd week, menu-wise (but then, these days, when isn't it?). I worked on last week's plan on Saturday, thinking I was ahead of the game and quite impressed with myself. Then, I went shopping on Monday afternoon, and found different sales. Oops, that's right. Sale stuff changes on Sundays (mental head smack). Okay, regrouped and bought stuff on sale and decided to punt for the week. And actually, I didn't do too bad. But the question is, can I remember what I did? Um, no actually, I cannot. I do remember one thing I did, however.

I made stuffed pork chops, and they rocked! I bought thin ones and the dude behind the meat counter must have been in a good mood as he offered to slice a pocket in them for me. Color me happy! I also bought a box of mushroom and onion stuffing mix. (Seriously, did you think I was going to make homemade stuffing? I did that for Thanksgiving, once a year is plenty!). I don't really have a recipe for the stuffed pork chops. I added a bit of thyme to the stuffing mix 'cause I like thyme! Then I sprinkled the outsides of the chops with salt, pepper (freshly ground, of course) and thyme. Seared them in a very hot pan with some oil on each side, stuffed them and tossed them in a baking pan (sprayed with Pam, or Pam substitute). Pushed a meat thermometer in one of them and baked at 400 degrees for about 30 or 40 minutes (just before the done mark on the thermometer - we like our pork a bit pink, but it has to be done - not like how we like our {beef} steaks .... moooooving!) . They turned out GOOD! Of course Emi only ate the stuffing (and the peas that I also made). She eye-balled the chops but didn't touch them, not surprising, she still isn't really into meat. But I don't care, as long as she loves fruits and vege's I can get protein into her other ways.

I used the leftover chops (bought four, we didn't each finish one - they are huge this way!) for a pork lo mein dish. I'd post the recipe but I am not sure I would use it again. Lots of steps. Plus, I really want to try Gina's yet so want to see which is our favorite. Emi also loves lo mein. Okay, truth-be-told, Emi loves noodles. She could give a fig what you do to them!

Gosh, I use commas a lot. BUT, I do know that a lot is TWO words. That has to count for something, right? :)

Oh, another thing I did do: Steaks on the grill with Thai Cowboy Steak Marinade. Oh my, yum. Seriously, if you haven't tried this marinade do it! And for those that freak at the oyster sauce, you can't taste the oyster. I promise. I don't eat oysters. Yuck!

So, since I made very little from last week's menu, there is a bit carried over. Sorry folks, no reason to make a completely new menu! Wow, it sure is a crock pot kind of week I have planned.

P.S. Don't forget to head on over to Laura's at I'm an Organizing Junkie for more MPM!

• Sunday: Chicken Chili (from Tamy @ 3 Sides of Crazy), cornbread and green beans

• Monday: CrockPot Butternut Squash Soup Recipe, fresh bread from the local bakery
• Steph's year of 365 Crock Potting has come to and end but I am still using her great site! I am going to try this as it looks so wonderful and perfect for a cold winter's nite!
  

• Tuesday: Breakfast Nite! Eggs, grits, chicken sausage, melon slices

• Wednesday: CrockPot Chicken Teriyaki Recipe, wild rice, some kind of vege

• Thursday: Chicken Merlot with Mushrooms (crock pot), noodles of some kind, and a vege (frozen peas?)

• Friday: We are going out for a Chinese New Year party - yay, no cooking!

• Saturday: Free Nite (actually, since we are going out on Friday, I am going to do the Leftover Buffet on Saturday)
  
• We tend to go out one night a week. Scratch that. Trying to not go out as much. But I am going to keep this as my ‘whatever night’ as we still will probably need a night of not making dinner for various reasons. I am factoring this in my menu plan each week, but it won’t necessarily always (or often) be on a Saturday. We may use this as our leftover night if there are any by this time.

Menu Plan

I made a longer post today (here) so this is a quick and dirty post. Post the menu plan and go to bed! We've had a fun weekend, but Emi's sleep is still distrupting and thus, distrupting mine too. Oy, this gal's beat! Have a great week folks.

P.S. Don't forget to head on over to Laura's at I'm an Organizing Junkie for more MPM!

• Sunday: Chicken Tortilla Bake (Yes, it's still on the menu, Emi has been a handful later in the day, so I last week there were a few toss together meals that didn't require me to stay in the kitchen long. While this is a great recipe, it takes a bit of time. Something Emi wasn't willing to give last week. Making this on a night Jeff is home to play with her.)

• Monday: CrockPot Butternut Squash Soup Recipe, fresh bread from the local bakery
• Steph's year of 365 Crock Potting has come to and end but I am still using her great site! I am going to try this as it looks so wonderful and perfect for a cold winter's nite!
  

• Tuesday: Breakfast! Eggs, grits, chicken sausage, melon slices, maybe toast

• Wednesday: CrockPot Chicken Teriyaki Recipe, wild rice, some kind of vege

• Thursday: Leftover Buffet

• Friday: Steaks on the grill with Thai Cowboy Steak Marinade, wild rice, steamed carrots
• We both have a craving for steak!
  

• Saturday: Free Nite
• We tend to go out one night a week. Scratch that. Trying to not go out as much. But I am going to keep this as my ‘whatever night’ as we still will probably need a night of not making dinner for various reasons. I am factoring this in my menu plan each week, but it won’t necessarily always (or often) be on a Saturday. We may use this as our leftover night if there are any by this time.

Menu Plan (Jan 11 - Jan 17)

Last week was an odd week, cooking-wise. I ended up not making most of what was on my plan, but still cooking each night. Or rather, cooking part of what was on the menu plan. Take the ham steak and hash brown casserole for example. We ended up having the casserole, with eggs! It was a mood thing. Not sure I am joining to buy another ham steak again, maybe it's a mood food or something, but for whatever reason it's been in the fridge for a couple of weeks and I still have yet to make it. I think I need to make it for one of our breakfast dinners, so that's my plan!

What I didn't get to (besides the ham steak): Asian-Style Grilled Tilapia, Chicken Melt on a Bed of Spinach, and the Chicken Tortilla Bake.

I also have a strange hankering for baked apples. Now, usually I would just toss them in the microwave but Steph has been a bad influence on me! Now my first thought tends to be can I make it in the crock pot? So I had to wander over to see if she had made these this past year, and she had! So, one night this week we will have baked apples - crock pot style. This is still keeping in plan with my 'eat smarter' plan. It's not a 17 layer cake with ice cream (oh my, bad visual on that one, sorry folks). It's still a sweet, but not a totally bad one - depending on how much brown sugar one uses (and I tend to hold back on sugars a bit, both Jeff and Emi like their sweets not so sweet, so that helps me too).

CrockPot Stuffed and Baked Apple Recipe

They are all going back on this week's menu as I have all the ingredients on hand.

Here is the plan:

• Sunday: Chicken Tortilla Bake (requested) – one-pot meal!
  

• Monday: Breakfast! Ricotta Pancakes adding a cup of pumpkin and a teaspoon or so of pumpkin pie spice, 1/2 teaspoon each of nutmeg and ginger - omitting the blueberries, honey, most of the sugar and will use half the vanilla. Ham steak (question of the week, will I really use this? The death date is 2/01/09 so I still have a few weeks, haha!), eggs (if Jeff wants any).

• Tuesday: The quiche was such a hit last week (even Emi ate it!) that it's back on the menu again. Does this count as two breakfast dinners? :) Not sure what all I will add to the quiche but it won't be bacon (I don't cook bacon!). Probably onion and spinach again, as it's rare not to have some on hand, cheese of some sort (whatever's on hand) and if there is any ham left over I will chunk that up and toss it in here. Yummm, this sounds good already!
• The other thing I am going to do with this is to make two. Not that much more work, we all love it and it's an easy lunch for taking to work or nuking at home.

• Wednesday: Chicken Melt on a Bed of Spinach, wild rice, vege for Emi (will offer the spinach, the other vege can be an extra if she likes the spinach)

• Thursday: Leftover Buffet

• Friday: Asian-Style Grilled Tilapia, wild rice, miscellaneous vege

• Saturday: Free Nite
• We tend to go out one night a week. Scratch that. Trying to not go out as much. But I am going to keep this as my ‘whatever night’ as we still will probably need a night of not making dinner for various reasons. I am factoring this in my menu plan each week, but it won’t necessarily always (or often) be on a Saturday. We may use this as our leftover night if there are any by this time.

P.S. Don't forget to head on over to Laura's at I'm an Organizing Junkie for more MPM!

Menu Plan (Jan 4 - Jan 10)

Boy, did I learn my lesson! Never again will I not really plan a menu for the week. It was almost too loose last week, and we kept on just goofing off and not eating what was on the sort-of-plan. Mostly as I didn't have it really planned out, so none of the prep would get done (mainly, defrosting). So, a good lesson but one I hope I don't have to learn again.

BTW, a couple notes from things I actually DID make last week. First off, the catfish. Whoa, we had forgotten just how amazingly good this is, I am not a huge fan of catfish and I loved it! Jeff picked up three fillets, one on the smaller side for Emi. She ate the whole thing, and then ... had some of mine! She was put off at first at the looks of it (she's not into crumbly textures right now), but I shared a bite of mine and then she couldn't get enough. We had wild rice (a fav of her's) and peas (another fav), she barely touched either. It was fish fish fish! This is another SUPER easy dish to make. Really, it's hard to not make it just right. I set up two wide bowls, one for the butter (I halved the amount) and one for the breading mixture (used less than the recipe called for on the bread crumbs as I wanted to really be able to taste the cheese). Then the baking pan (spray it good) was next in line. Took no time at all! This is a recipe that would lend itself very well to a few people or a crowd. It was just like having it breaded (heavily breaded, not lightly like this was) and deep-fried. It was tender on the inside and crisp and fun on the outside! I think you could use any fish that can hold it's shape, I wouldn't use Tilapia or sole as they are pretty thin, but the catfish was perfect and I'd even try it on salmon, grouper, sea bass, halibut, etc.

The other thing I did was make the Stuffed French Toast, but I did it MY way and thought I'd share. See the recipe for my changes.

In keeping with my post on Saturday, I am looking for healthy foods and recipes for this week but also want to keep working on clearing out the freezer, fridge and pantry. Jeff and I talked about what we wanted to do this week, so here is the plan we came up with:

• Sunday: Asian-Style Grilled Tilapia, wild rice, miscellaneous vege

• Monday: Leftovers from last week (we still have spaghetti left and some odds and ends)

• Tuesday: Hamburgers, grilled onions and mushrooms, spinach salad

• Wednesday: Chicken Melt on a Bed of Spinach, wild rice, vege for Emi (will offer the spinach, the other vege can be an extra if she likes the spinach)

• Thursday: Ham steak (I never used the one I bought a couple of weeks ago), quiche (not using the bacon, going with mushroom, onions and zucchini with maybe some ricotta cheese as I still have quite a bit left in the fridge)

• Friday: Chicken Tortilla Bake (requested) – one-pot meal!
• One change I make to this, I halve the amount of refried beans. Jeff's not crazy about them and I don't need them!
  

• Saturday: Free Nite
• We tend to go out one night a week. Scratch that. Trying to not go out as much. But I am going to keep this as my ‘whatever night’ as we still will probably need a night of not making dinner for various reasons. I am factoring this in my menu plan each week, but it won’t necessarily always (or often) be on a Saturday. We may use this as our leftover night if there are any by this time.

P.S. Don't forget to head on over to Laura's at I'm an Organizing Junkie for more MPM!

Menu Plan (Dec 28 - Jan 3)

I am still working on a Christmas post but did want to recap Christmas dinner. The crock pot duck was a HUGE success. Anyone out there hesitating on whether or not to try it, go for it. It was massively easy. I did not skin it and Jeff said it was really good. Not 'under the broiler' crisp, but crisp considering that it was in the crock pot. Also, (he says) between sitting up on a rack and being in the crock pot it wasn't fatty and was moist and tender. Couldn't have been better. I meant to take a picture of the 'after dinner' duck as .... he ate almost 3/4 of the duck (!!) but forgot. Granted it was a small one, but I'd say that was a success, any way you slice it (haha). Oh, and no, I wasn't brave enough to try it but my steak was perfect!

I made the Stuffed French Toast for Christmas morning and this is another very easy recipe that is so doable, even by non-cooks. Jeff and I loved it but Emi ... adored it! She couldn't get enough and ate two Emi-sized squares (without maple syrup). It's been requested again for this week and seeing as how Jeff is off all week, I don't see why not. It takes about 15 minutes the night before you want to serve it, and most of that is just cutting up the bread in cubes. Secrets to success: (1) Make sure you get bread that will hold up to cubing and soaking all night in the egg mixture, that white Wonderbread isn't going to cut it! I use an oatmeal/grain but a wheat combo also would work, just not soft white bread. And (2) make sure your cream cheese is COLD (oh, and I use the 1/3 less fat stuff ... you know, the one that no one can pronounce). Right before I am going to cube the cream cheese I pop it into the freezer for about 5-7 minutes - and set the timer, if you forget to take it out give up on slicing it. Just saying.

Both of the crock pot chicken recipes rocked. I was so happy I finally got to make the brown sugar one - and it's so easy there was no excuse for it being on my menu plan for weeks! It was a huge hit, even Emi (the no meat gal) gobbled it up! I did make the pork loin but it was only so-so, I think I should have marinated it longer than an hour (I forgot to start it the night before, which is how I usually marinade - big mistake!).

P.S. Don't forget to head on over to Laura's at I'm an Organizing Junkie for more MPM!

Our menu for the week is going to be pretty loose. With Jeff home, we just want to hang out and not worry about anything - but we still have to eat! I am also going to try and whittle down our freezer, fridge and pantry. In no particular order, here is a general plan for the week:

• Leftovers (!!) - and we have lots!
• A big pot of Barbara's chili
• A big pot of soup
• Spaghetti
• And, if I can find any, catfish for New Year's Eve for Jeff ... we don't go out and this year we are planning on watching a movie together that night
• Last, but not least, it was requested that an apple pie get put onto this week's menu. So, I made it this afternoon. Oh my goodness, does the house smell divine! I wonder if we can just have pie for dinner tonight?
  

Oh, and because what's a menu plan without a picture of a little cutie cooking?

Come back in a day or so for more cute Emi pic's from Christmas!

Menu Plan (Dec 21 - Dec 27)

Update: I forgot this was also Family Favorites Edition!

Well, here we are, the Sunday before Christmas. Everyone ready? Me either.

Well, to be truthful, I am 'mostly' ready. All the gifts are purchased and all the ones that needed to be mailed are gone (whooohooo!). The kitchen is about half put together (for us, that's ahead of schedule!). I still have a few gifts incoming, a few things for Jeff and a couple little things for Emi (or is that Mama?) that I saw and just couldn't resist (although, I may hold those for her birthday). I still haven't decided - they were last minute add-ons when things went massively on sale at amazon. But other than that and wrapping those few things, the gifts are done. It seemed real easy this year and once again, no mall shopping. Sweeeeet! Emi and I went once for the Santa photo (isn't that sweet?) but never quite found the time to go back. I wanted to go back and just wander around to look at all the decorations and to see if I could get another pic of Emi with Santa. But, that's okay.

The good news is, even with the huge amounts of snow we got this weekend, I got to the grocery store this afternoon! I was going to wait and go tomorrow, but they are forecasting even more snow all week. So we are going to hunker in and stay warm. Well, Emi and I are. Jeff has to go to work Monday and Tuesday but then he is off until January 5th. I am SO excited! We have nothing special planned for that time, just hang out and enjoy being together (and not on the road!). Emi has been unimpressed with the snow this year (yay me!) so going out adventuring isn't on the list of things to do. If the mood hits we may go and get a sled to pull her around but we aren't sure she'd even be happy about that. Maybe just hang out at home and let her cook for us for a change. :)

So, that's the news here. Menu-wise, meals went great last week. Except ... I kept forgetting to start my chicken in the crock pot each morning! What's up with that? I'd think of it oh around 2-3 pm each day. I made myself a sticky note for tomorrow as I am determined to make it. It sounds delish ! (And easy.)

Here's the menu for the upcoming week. I have lots planned, but still simple. The exciting thing on the menu is Christmas dinner.

Jeff, if you are still reading ... STOP NOW! It's a surprise.

I involved Steph over at A Year of Crockpotting as my partner in crime, and she rocks. Not only did she make this dish once in very short notice, but twice!

Have a wonderful week. And to those celebrating Christmas, however you celebrate, have a wonderful day.

P.S. Don't forget to head on over to Laura's at I'm an Organizing Junkie for more MPM!

Menu Plan for Week of: December 21 – December 27

• Sunday: *What I Didn’t Get to Last Week

• No matter how much I plan or promise myself I won’t laze out and just say, “scrounge night”, it happens. At least once a week. So, I end up with a menu and (usually) ingredients for one meal (sadly, sometimes more than one). So here is my plan to not waste anything and to use up that meal.
• This week it was the CrockPot Brown Sugar Chicken. However, it is on the plan for Monday (see reason for this above). We decided to really goof off – cheese, meat, crackers, apples, and milk for Emi. Fun and easy!

• Monday: CrockPot Brown Sugar Chicken Recipe, steamed rice, sugar snap peas

• Tuesday: Breakfast! Eggs, grits, chicken sausage, melon slices or grapes
• This is a biggie on family fav's - even Emi loves and adores grits!
  

• Wednesday: Christmas Eve – Ham steak, Hash Brown Casserole, baked carrots

• Thursday: Christmas!

Breakfast: Stuffed French Toast, chicken sausages, fruit salad
Not only a family fav, but a memory trigger of Chirstmases Past

Snacking: Crockpot Chex Mix
This very quickly became a family fav!

Dinner: Crockpot Peking Duck for Jeff and Steak with Thai Cowboy Marinade for Kiy (who knows if Emi will eat either although she will be offered both). Wild rice (made by Uncle Ben, I love that guy – he can come to dinner any time!), Cranberry-Orange Sauce, butternut squash, Emi’s making muffins again (probably out a box) and carrot cake with cream cheese frosting (also out of a box – this year, next year I hope to get back to ‘real’ baking!).

• Friday: Crockpot Chicken Teriyaki, steamed rice, a vege of some kind

• Saturday: Pork Loin (going to use this recipe), pasta with butter and Parmesan cheese, green salad
• Note: With Jeff home most of this week, I am purposely not counting on leftovers for dinners this week. Leftovers, it’s what’s for lunch!

Menu Plan (Dec 7 - Dec 13) and Update

With our event from last week, I didn't get two of our meals made. I did make one tonight, but only because Jeff was home to sit with Miss Emi.

She is feeling a bit better today, and now is quite clingy. Her temps were down all day, but still is quite grouchy, hungry then not hungry, tired then over tired. Poor baby. We are wondering, now that she is feeling sort of better, if she is remembering the events from Thursday. It was *not* a good day, and so very scary for her. Thank goodness they allowed us to stay with her, and hold her through all those tests. 'Back in the day', they didn't. I don't know how I would have handled that.

It was hard not to sit and cuddle with her all weekend. So you know what? I did! The tree still isn't decorated, the boxes are still waiting with the rest of the decorations for around the house but my darling girl needed me, so they waited. She is enjoying the Christmas tree as it is, with lights, tree skirt and the angel. So if that is what gets done this year, that is enough. Last weekend we put a tiny tree in her room that I found for $8.00! With tiny decorations (the tree came pre-lit) the whole thing cost about $12. Priceless. She loves it and already knows what "Christmas tree" is.

I do have cookies on my to-do list for this week (Monday and Tuesday). I want to take a couple of plates by the fire station, with Emi, as a small thank you. Sure, we (or rather our insurance) will get a bill, but the EMT guys were so amazing. Both with Emi and with me. A small token, a tiny gesture. I know now that Emi was never not going to make it through that, but at the time I thought they (and the 911 gal) saved Emi's life. I will never forget that.

If I actually do get those cookies made (all depends on how Miss Emi is doing), I will post my recipes. Each one is new, but supposed to be ultra-easy. Seeing as I want Miss Emi to be part of this, that is key.

So, after a quiet weekend, we expect a pretty quiet week. Emi has a follow-up with her ped on Tuesday. I have a feeling (and a huge hope) that by then she will be completely back to normal. We also have Jeff's holiday party on Wednesday. I really really hope she is up for that. She always loves the functions at Jeff's office, and of course tends to be the center of attention (that she laps up!), so we'd really hate for her to miss it. We will see.

Back to menu planning. Quiet week equals simple meals. Which, these days seems to be my norm. I think my days of elaborate and fancy meals are gone with a toddler in the house. All too soon I will have the time, and wish I didn't.

As always, don't forget to hop on over to Laura's at I'm an Organizing Junkie for more MPM!

• Sunday: *What I Didn’t Get to Last Week

• No matter how much I plan or promise myself I won’t laze out and just say, “scrounge night”, it happens. At least once a week. So, I end up with a menu and (usually) ingredients for one meal (sadly, sometimes more than one). So here is my plan to not waste anything and to use up that meal.
• This week it was Chicken Tortilla Bake. ((Yum, it was so good. I really need to make this more often!))

• Monday: Jules’ Homemade Tomato Soup, grilled ham and cheese sandwiches, grapes
• Note: This is probably our favorite soup. It's just as easy as opening a can of Campbell's but OH!, so much tastier!
  

• Tuesday: Breakfast! Eggs, grits, kielbasa, melon slices, maybe toast

• Wednesday: Jeff’s Office Holiday Party

• Thursday: Leftover Buffet

• Friday: Chicken Pockets, green salad (another hold over from last week)

• Saturday: Udon-Beef Noodle Bowl