Cooking Day

Even though I’m a late arrival to the whole Pinterest scene, I must admit that I am totally hooked!  Since I absolutely love to cook and bake, I have more than enjoyed scanning through new recipes and cooking strategies.

In fact, the baguettes that I have listed twice this week are a Pinterest find.  I made the baguettes on Sunday, and they were an instant hit.  My second oldest son told me they were more than great – they were a home run.  And since this kiddo eats, sleeps, and drinks baseball, any compliment that includes a baseball analogy is a truly awesome compliment!

Anyhow, here’s our family’s menu plan for this week:

Monday – chicken parmesan, pasta, salad

Tuesday - autumn sausage casserole, baguettes, apple slices

Wednesday - crockpot chicken and dumplings, corn, salad

Thursday - egg casserole, cheese danish, waffles, fruit salad

Friday - homemade pizza & pretzels, fresh fruit

Saturday - beef stew, baguettes, fresh fruit

Sunday - chicken fingers, potato wedges, green beans

I’ll be sharing the cheese danish recipe later this week.  It’s one of those recipes that looks really impressive, but in fact, is a snap to make.

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I had such lofty menu plans for last week….plans that did not include our computer crashing…..or making an ER run with one of our kiddos.  However, despite the chaos surrounding the week, I feel incredibly blessed that our son is okay – which makes all of my other plans for last week pale in comparison.

We’ve started this week off on a better foot, and not only have I put together a menu plan for our family, but I’ve also drafted a plan for accomplishing quite a bit of freezer cooking as well.  First off, here’s our menu plan for this week:

Monday – Pasta bake, garlic bread, salad

Tuesday – Pulled pork barbecue, roasted red potatoes, green beans

Wednesday – Chicken bake, rolls, fresh fruit

Thursday – Chicken fingers, potato wedges, corn

Friday – Lasagna, fresh bread, salad

Saturday – Fajitas, rice with cilantro, fresh fruit

Sunday – Homemade pizza, breadsticks, salad

By the end of the week, I am planning to have the following meals in the freezer:

Lasagna x2
Pasta Bake
Chicken Bake
Alpine Chicken

In the past, I’ve often set aside a day or a long afternoon to put together several meals at once.  However, with juggling four different curriculum plans for the kids this year, this option is no longer feasible.

Instead, I plan to make these meals as I’m cooking dinner for our family several evenings this week.  This way, I’m able to accomplish my overall goal, but am able to do so while I’m already in the kitchen preparing a meal.  I’ll post an update at the end of the week with what I’ve managed to accomplish, as well as a few recipes from this week.

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After several weeks of holiday festivities, meals with family members and friends, and sneaking a few too many Christmas treats, I am more than ready to settle back into a normal routine of meal planning.  In addition to meal planning, I have also made a goal to prepare at least one additional meal per week to pop into the freezer (I’ll be posting more about my 2012 goals later this week).

Here’s what I have planned for our family’s dinners this week:

Monday – Crockpot brown sugar chicken, rice, orange quarters

Tuesday - Stroganoff, homemade rolls, green beans

Wednesday – Alpine chicken, baked potatoes, corn

Thursday – Leftovers

Friday – Crockpot pork loin, pasta, garden salad

Saturday – Beef stew, bread bowls, fresh fruit

Sunday – Pork fried rice, fruit salad

We also tried a new recipe for Apple Strudel Muffins over the Christmas holiday, and we all loved them.  I’ll be sharing pictures and the recipe later this week.

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Each week, I plan our family’s dinner meals, but typically I’ve never been a big planner for our breakfast or lunch meals.  Our breakfast usually consists of a combination of cereal and milk, yogurt, hot oatmeal, or fruit, and we usually either have sandwiches or leftovers for lunch.

However, I’m sure that I’m not the only consumer who has not only seen a rise in the price of cereal, but also a decline in both cereal sales and good cereal coupons.  All of these things have made me rethink our breakfast plans.

I’m working to put together a few simple breakfast combinations for the next few weeks that are both healthy and frugal.  I also need to make sure that they can either be made ahead of time or can be quickly prepared in the morning.  We’ve found more so this school year than any other, that it is imperative to get our day off to an early start in order to accomplish all of our schoolwork in a timely manner (and to ensure that no one is still sitting around the school table in the late afternoon with a glazed look in their eyes!).

As I begin to experiment with different breakfast ideas, I’ll be sure to share our recipes and tips as we stumble through work to find a good combination for our family’s needs.  In the meantime, here’s our dinner plan for this week:

Monday - Alpine chicken, twice baked potatoes, green beans

Tuesday - Calzones, breadsticks, apple slices

Wednesday - Ultimate chicken fingers, potato wedges, corn

Thursday - Meatloaf, baked potatoes, tossed salad

Friday - Chicken parmesan, rolls, tossed salad

Saturday - Burrito casserole, rice with cilantro, corn

Sunday - Leftovers

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Since we are studying Canada this week, we will be making a traditional French-Canadian Tourtiere for dinner on Thursday.  The kids have loved studying different countries and cultures this year, and making recipes that correspond with the countries we’ve studied has been one of their favorite parts of the curriculum.

Here is the menu plan for our household this week:

Monday - $2 Burritos from Chipotle

Tuesday - Chicken bake, rolls, corn

Wednesday - Sausage and potatoes, green beans, apple slices

Thursday - French-Canadian Tourtiere, fresh bread, peas

Friday - Chicken Parmesan, pasta, salad

Saturday - Burrito casserole, rice with cilantro, corn

Sunday - Chicken fingers, potato wedges, apple slices

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Two of last week’s meals got bumped up to this week instead.  With sick kiddos, we improvised throughout last week, and pulled meals together based on what we had readily available.

I also scrapped my lofty plans of making pumpkin rolls and a Halloween-themed dessert.  Between doses of Motrin, checking temperatures, and pushing fluids, the idea of making a dessert (besides a boxed brownie mix!) seemed insurmountable!  I’m planning to add these goals to this week’s list instead.

Here’s what’s on our menu plan for this week:

Monday – Marinated pork loin, baked potatoes, green beans

Tuesday – Chicken noodle soup, homemade bread sticks, apple slices

Wednesday – Leftovers

Thursday – Turkey, wild rice and cranberries, corn

Friday – Zesty marinated chicken, hash brown casserole, green beans

Saturday – Egg casserole, cheese danish, fresh fruit

Sunday – Spaghetti with homemade meatballs, garlic bread, side salad

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Here’s what’s on our menu plan for this week:

Monday – Chicken fried rice, fresh fruit

Tuesday – Southwestern vegetarian chili, tortilla chips, fresh fruit

Wednesday – Zesty marinated chicken, baked potatoes, green beans

Thursday – Southwestern chicken roll-ups, rice with cilantro, fresh fruit

Friday – Cheeseburgers, potato wedges, corn

Saturday – Egg casserole, cheese danishes, fresh fruit

Sunday – Beef BBQ, potato wedges, apple slices

I’m also hoping to have enough time to make pumpkin rolls and a fun Halloween-themed cake.  If I have a chance to squeeze those into the week, I’ll be sure to post pictures and recipes next week.

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Now that it’s officially fall, we’re all looking forward to making some of our favorite meals that we tend to gravitate towards this time of year.  Here’s what’s on our menu plan for this week:

Monday – Cheeseburgers, french fries, corn, apple crisp (to celebrate our studies of the USA this week)

Tuesday – Chicken & rice bowls, fresh fruit

Wednesday – Chicken & bacon wraps, pasta salad, corn

Thursday – Spaghetti with homemade meatballs, cheesy biscuits, salad

Friday – Ultimate chicken fingers, potato wedges, green beans

Saturday – Slow cooker chili, breadsticks, fresh fruit

Sunday – Leftovers

I’m also planning to use some of the canned pumpkin I have to make a pumpkin related dessert.  Plus, I’d like to make a fun Halloween dessert as a surprise for our kiddos!

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