Snow is on the ground, Thanksgiving is only days away, and it's a great week to have a menu plan in place! Here's what we're eating this week:
We have a busy week ahead with my sixth grader's first band concert, parent-teacher conferences, and a community garage sale. I'm glad to have a menu plan in place this week!
I had some leftover butternut squash, so I decided to use it up by making squash soup. I didn't really follow a recipe, just took some ideas from recipes I had looked at. I love the V8 Campbell's Butternut Squash Soup--especially the little spicy kick it has--and was looking to make something similar. I used
8 cups popped lightly salted popcorn (low-fat microwave popcorn is fine)
I heard about this alternative to Egg in a Hole when I was listening to Martha Stewart radio on Sirius.
This summer, I made freezer jam for the first time ever. I had raspberries from my mom and blueberries that I bought by the case, and I added a few strawberries at the end to get just the right amount of fruit. I followed the directions from the Sure Jell package. It was so easy, I'm not sure why I had never tried it before!
I'm not always sure if it's cost effective to make my own versus buying a product, so I broke down the cost of making this batch of jam:
I used Polaner All Fruit jars I had saved=FREE
1 1/2 cups fresh blackberries (I used strawberries)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Ready to grill
Ready to eat
Summer is just slipping away, and we're less than a week away from August! We continue to grill often and serve simple, cool sides. Here's what we're eating this week:
I didn't get a menu posted last week, and haven't been feeling very creative in the kitchen lately. Here's what we're eating this week:
I changed things around a little last week, and we ended up eating pork chops, burgers, tacos and grilled chicken last week Wednesday through Saturday. For the Fourth we ate ham cooked in the roaster outside so I wouldn't have to turn on the oven,
homemade potato salad,
fruit "sparklers"
and peas and carrots with Poke Cake for dessert. 
Here's what we're eating this week:
1 egg 1 cup sugar
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 3/4 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup fresh or frozen (thawed) blueberries
Mix egg, sugar, sour cream, and oil until blended. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt and add to egg mixture. Stir in blueberries.
Spoon mixture into greased muffin pan or muffin cups.
Bake in pre-heated oven at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes.
Wow, summer sure has been busy so far! I didn't even get my menu posted last week. I can't believe it's almost July. I have been keeping it pretty simple in the kitchen--lots of grilling and easy sides like fresh fruit and veggies. Last week we had two of my favorites: shrimp kabobs with mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, grape tomatoes, and zucchini, marinated in szechuan marinade AND chicken fajitas, marinated like this. Here's what we're eating this week--
I made everything on the menu plan last week, just changed the days around a little. Instead of pizza, I made pizza burgers with leftover sloppy joe and spaghetti meat on top of leftover buns and frozen garlic bread. This week, hubby and oldest son will be gone half the week at supper time, so it'll be a simple week for the rest of us. Here's what we're eating this week:
1 1/2 T. vegetable oil
I cooked the chicken first. I removed it from the pan, added the coconut milk, tomatoes, tomato paste and curry powder, cooking until thickened. I added the chicken back along with the spinach for about 3 minutes, then served over rice.
Marinade:
5. To serve, layer the tortillas with shredded lettuce, the chicken strips, the remaining cheese, and any additional toppings.
I followed last week's plan pretty closely. I only switched Friday and Saturday because the birthday girl chose pizza, so we had tuna melts on Friday night. Here's what we're eating this week:
1 lb. whole wheat penne pasta (I used regular penne)
I made a few changes last week to the menu. I used the leftover chicken from Monday to make a chicken salad with ring noodles, craisins and shredded apple and Parmesan dressing. We had BLTs on Tuesday instead of Thursday, Wednesday we had tacos made with ground turkey and black beans, Thursday was steak on the grill, potato salad and lettuce salad, and Saturday we grilled a ham and had sides from the deli. I don't have a very specific plan this week, but at least it's a start! Here's what we're eating this week:
The only thing I changed on last week's menu was on Tuesday when we grilled chicken breasts instead of having cashew chicken. Saturday we had ribs (slow cooked in the oven then finished on the grill) with deli coleslaw and potato salad. I have a menu planned for the week, but it may change after I go grocery shopping. Here's what we're eating this week:
Last week I stayed pretty close to my plan. On Thursday we had fish, noodles and peas and Saturday hubby and oldest son were gone, so the rest of us had leftover spaghetti. I often find that I don't plan a specific meal for Saturday as I never know if there will be leftovers, who will be home, what we'll be doing all day, etc. Here's what we're eating this week:
Here's what we're eating this week:
I completely stuck to our menu plan last week. On Saturday we had leftover pork tenderloin with roasted potatoes and carrots. Here's what we're eating this week:1 large red pepper, chopped (I used red and orange peppers from the freezer)
1 onion, chopped (I omitted the onion because the meatballs I used had onion in them)
1/4 cup KRAFT Original Barbecue Sauce
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. garlic powder
2 cans (8 oz. each) pineapple chunks, drained, liquid reserved (I used 1 large can of pineapple)
12 oz. (3/4 of 1-lb. pkg.) frozen cooked meatballs (I used my basic meatball recipe but made the meatballs about half the size I normally do. Then I sauteed them until they were cooked through. I did this earlier in the day so when I cooked the rest of the meal, the meatballs were ready.)
2 cups instant white rice, uncooked (I cooked brown rice)
HEAT oil in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add peppers and onions; cook 5 min. or until crisp-tender, stirring frequently.
STIR in barbecue sauce, ginger, garlic powder and reserved pineapple liquid. Add meatballs; mix lightly until evenly coated. Cook 10 min. or until meatballs are heated through, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, cook rice as directed on package.
STIR pineapple into meatball mixture. Serve over rice.
The menu plan worked well last week--only changes were a pizza-like dish on Friday night in stead of pizza, and on Saturday (after grocery shopping) we grilled bacon wrapped pork tenderloin and also had baked sweet potatoes and broccoli. Here's what we're eating this week:
It's been a few weeks since I've linked up to Menu Plan Monday. The kids were on Spring Break, we were out of town for awhile, and life has just been busy! But I'm back on track again for this week. Here's what we're eating:
This is fun for the kids to pick their own toppings (I think someone is ready and waiting!).
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup (Regular or 98% Fat Free)1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup Pace® Picante Sauce (I just used whatever salsa I had on hand)
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (about 2 ounces)
6 flour tortillas (6-inch), warmed
1 small tomato, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1 green onion, sliced (about 2 tablespoons) (I omitted the green onions)
Last week I stuck pretty close to the menu plan: on Thursday we had leftovers, Friday French bread pizza and Saturday we had Cheesy Ham and Potato Soup. Here's what we're eating this week:| 2 | teaspoons canola oil |
| 1 | lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces |
| 1 | teaspoon finely chopped gingerroot (I used ground ginger) |
| 2 | cups fresh broccoli florets |
| 1 | cup reduced-sodium chicken broth |
| 1/8 | teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (I used a bit of cayenne pepper) |
| 2 | cups frozen sugar snap peas (I didn't have peas; I used mushrooms instead) |
| 3 | tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce (I used regular) |
| 2 | teaspoons rice vinegar (I used regular vinegar) |
| 1 | tablespoon cornstarch |
| 1 | teaspoon sugar |
| 2 | medium green onions, sliced (2 tablespoons) (I did not use green onions) |
| 3 | cups hot cooked brown rice |
| 1/4 | cup salted roasted cashew halves and pieces |
| In 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken and gingerroot; cook and stir 4 to 5 minutes or until chicken begins to brown. | |
| Add broccoli, 1/2 cup of the broth and the pepper flakes. Cover; cook over medium heat 2 minutes, stirring once. Add peas; cook 2 to 4 minutes longer, stirring once, until vegetables are crisp-tender. | |
| In small bowl, mix remaining 1/2 cup broth, the soy sauce, vinegar, cornstarch and sugar; stir into chicken mixture. Add onions; cook, stirring frequently, until sauce is thickened and bubbly. Serve over rice; sprinkle with cashews. |
A few changes last week: on Wednesday I made Chili Pie. Thursday we had creamy cheesy chicken on buns and Friday was homemade pizza. My sister and her kids were here on Saturday and we had hamburgers, homemade fries and carrot sticks. Here's what we're eating this week:
1 T. vegetable oil
Only a couple changes last week: on Thursday we had chicken burgers and Saturday we had Broccoli and Cheese Soup. Here's what we're eating this week:
1 can chicken broth
Only a couple of minor changes to last week's menu: instead of spaghetti on Thursday, we used up leftover taco meat and chicken and had quesadillas. On Saturday, my oldest son talked me into making Spaghetti Tacos. Here's what we're having this week:
