December 15-21, 2013

*Since this upcoming week is Christmas, there won't be a menu posted next Sunday.  I should be back the Sunday after that.  Merry Christmas everyone!*

Sunday:  5 Ingredient White Chicken Chili

5 Ingredient White Chicken Chili

·          We had this delicious chili for lunch after church.  I put everything in the crockpot around 9:00am, and it was perfect when we ate lunch at 12:30.  I had some turkey from Thanksgiving in the freezer, so I actually diced that up and used it instead of chicken this time.  We couldn’t even tell the difference.  I topped ours with avocado, tortilla chips, and shredded cheese.  It really hit the spot on a cold day.  (http://www.gimmesomeoven.com)

Monday:  Taco Pizza at Mom’s House    

Taco Pizza

·          We went to my mom’s house on Monday night for dinner, and she made this delicious taco pizza from Life in the Lofthouse.  After cooking the pizza, we topped ours with some fresh chopped lettuce to give it a little more crunch.  Chad added a little more spice to his with some Frank’s Red Hot.  The kids enjoyed this as well!  After dinner, we all went to look at Christmas lights.  We love Christmas!

Tuesday:  Chicken Nuggets, French Fries, & Spinach Salad

·          I had a ladies Christmas party this evening, so I made a quick dinner of frozen chicken nuggets and French fries for Chad and the kids before I left.  I added a spinach salad with apples, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar to give a little bit of green to the plate.  J

Wednesday:  Breakfast

·          Chad was out of town, which almost always means breakfast!  This time…biscuits, bacon, eggs, & berries!

Thursday:  Grilled Soy-Orange Chicken, Roasted Diced Veggies, & Yeast Rolls

·          Chad’s parents always come over on Thursdays, and this day they stayed for dinner!  Earlier in the afternoon, I marinated chicken in orange juice, soy sauce, fresh ground pepper, olive oil, and garlic powder.  Chad grilled it for us.  I also diced up 2 zucchini, 2 yellow squash, and 3 sweet potatoes.  It sounds like a lot, but I wanted some leftovers!  I tossed it all with olive oil and season salt and roasted it at 425 for 25 minutes.  I stirred everything around after the first 15 minutes.  Yum!

Friday:  Leftovers for Me

·          As I said, I wanted leftovers!  Chad was hunting this weekend, and the boys were staying the night with my mom.  So Payton and I enjoyed the leftover chicken and vegetables from the night before.  J

Saturday:  A Happy Meal and Take-Out Pad Thai Night

·          Chad was still off hunting, and Ranger had a fever and wasn’t feeling well.  He said he wanted a cheeseburger for dinner, so I picked up Happy Meals (their fave) for the kids and some Pad Thai from a local Thai restaurant for me.  Everyone was happy!

December 8-14, 2013

Sunday:  Frito Pie with Turkey Chili

·          We were on day 3 of being “iced in,” and chili seemed like the perfect dinner.  I thawed some ground turkey from the freezer and prepared chili with ingredients I had on hand (beans, crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, onion, spices).  It was yum-o, and hit the spot on that cold day!  Plus, we had great leftovers for lunch the next day.  J

Monday:  Beef Enchilada Stack with Spinach Salad

Beef Enchilada Stack

·          This is a wonderful enchilada recipe, and it makes quite a bit, so it’s perfect for a large family, when you are entertaining, or if you want leftovers.  This was actually half of a recipe that I made a couple of months ago and froze.  I had spent the afternoon doing quite a bit of cleaning because we combined the boys into the same room.  So, I needed a quick meal that wouldn’t stop my momentum in order to cook dinner.  Viola!  I love taking advantage of my freezer whenever possible for days like this.  I threw together a simple salad with fresh spinach, feta, diced apples, balsamic vinegar and a little olive oil.  (http://www.chef-in-training.com)

Tuesday:  Chicken and Spinach Pasta Bake, Caesar Salad, & Whole Wheat Bread

Chicken and Spinach Pasta Bake

·          Another great Pinterest find!  This is absolutely wonderful…seriously!  I made the full recipe, which was a ridiculous amount for my family.  But, it was great because we had it for leftovers the next night.  Plus I had lunch for a couple of days.  Adding the red pepper flakes really makes this recipe special.  It’s just a hint of spicy, without being too overbearing for the kids.  I’ll definitely make it again.  (http://www.joyouslydomestic.com)

Wednesday:  Leftovers!

Thursday:  Swedish Meatballs with Egg Noodles and Roasted Broccoli and Carrots

Swedish Meatballs

·          This is one of Ranger’s top 5 favorite meals.  He LOVES meatballs!  He particularly likes Swedish meatballs like you can buy at Ikea.  I’ve had this recipe for a while…I was a subscriber to E-Meals several years ago and this was one of our favorites.  It’s so easy, can be prepared ahead of time, and everyone enjoys it!

Ingredients:

Meatballs

1 lb extra lean ground beef

1/2 onion, finely chopped

1/2 c bread crumbs

1 egg

1/4 cup milk

1 t salt

1/4 t pepper

1/4 t allspice

Gravy

1 pkg onion soup mix

1 c water

2 T flour

1 c milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix all meatball ingredients together.  Form into 1″ balls.  Place in 9x13 pan and bake for 30 mins.  In large skillet, mix together the onion soup mix, water, flour, and milk.  Heat until thickened.  Add cooked meatballs to skillet.  Simmer for 20 mins, stirring occasionally.  Serve over egg noodles, cooked according to package directions.

Roasted Parmesan Broccoli

·          Cut up your broccoli into bite-sized pieces and place on a foil-lined baking sheet (for easy clean up!).  Drizzle with a little olive oil (I use my olive oil sprayer) and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Roast at 425 degrees for 15 minutes, and toss it around.  Roast for 5 minutes more.  The broccoli is ready when the edges become brown and crispy.  Yum!  Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and add a little fresh lemon juice if you have it.  It’s delish!

Friday:  Pizza and Movie Night!

·          We ordered pizza and watched “The Polar Express” in the media room.  It was a perfect family night!

Saturday:  Dinner with Family!

·          We went to Wade and Amber’s (Chad’s sister and her husband) house for dinner.  My kids are pretty much in hog heaven anytime we are at their house.  J  

December 1-7, 2013

Sunday:  Dinner out with Small Group

Monday:  Chicken Fried Venison, Garlic Butter Spaghetti Squash, Roasted Brussels Sprouts, & Bread

·          Chad was able to prep the venison and prepare it outside on the grill, which I always love!  I took care of the vegetables inside.  We had our favorite Garlic Butter Spaghetti Squash and roasted Brussels sprouts.  For the Brussels sprouts, just cut them in half and core them.  Some of the leaves will fall off of the outside, and that’s ok!  Put the Brussels sprouts in a ziplock bag and toss them around with olive oil, salt, & pepper.  I left mine in the bag for about 30 minutes so that the olive oil would really sink into the sprouts.  Then I roasted them at 400 degrees for 15 -20 minutes or so, stirring them around about halfway through.  You’ll know they are done with they have started turning golden brown.

Tuesday:  Pizza Night

·          We had to run some errands late in the afternoon, which almost never happens.  Chad was eating out that evening, so we picked up a pizza from the deli at the grocery store for a quick, easy dinner.  J

Wednesday:  Black Bean Spinach Enchiladas with Rice

Black Bean Spinach Enchiladas

·          My friend Sharon made these for us several months ago when she and her family stayed with us, and they are DELISH!  This week, I actually made several frozen meals for some family friends, and this was one that I knew would freeze well.  Everything that I made for them, I also made for us.  These enchiladas are so, so good…even as a leftover!  (http://www.thegardengrazer.com)

Thursday:  Chicken Pot Pie

·          This was the afternoon that “Ice-Maggedon 2013” hit the metroplex!  My goodness…I was so happy that I made meals for another family because it ensured that we had dinners as well.  The roads have been so unsafe, that leaving the house is almost impossible. This is a wonderful and simple chicken pot pie that can be made ahead and stored in the fridge or freezer. 

Chicken Pot Pie

        2 cans Cream of Potato soup

        15 oz frozen mixed veggies or canned veggies (drained)

        2 cups cooked chicken, diced

        ½ cup milk

        1 tsp thyme

        Black pepper

        2 9-inch pie crusts

        1 egg, slightly beaten

        Combine soup, veggies, chicken, milk, thyme, & pepper.  Spoon into prepared pie crust.  Cover with the other pie crust, crimping the edges of the two pie crusts together to seal.  Slit the top crust with a sharp knife, and if desired, brush with beaten egg.  Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes.  Yum!

Friday:  Honey BBQ Turkey Meatloaf with Roasted, Diced Sweet Potatoes, Zucchini, & Asparagus and Rolls

Honey BBQ Turkey Meatloaf

·          We’ve had this a few times lately, but it sounded delicious again during our days of being “iced in.”  It’s a great cold weather meal, especially since this one was already prepared and in the freezer.  As always, I used ground turkey instead of beef and oatmeal instead of bread crumbs.  I also diced up a sweet potato and a zucchini and cut up some asparagus and roasted it all together with a little Season All at 400 for about 20 minutes.  Roasting different vegetables together this way is a great use of any random vegetables you might have in your fridge that need to be eaten before they go bad.

Saturday:  3 Envelope Pot Roast Sliders with Roasted Pesto Potatoes and Roasted Broccoli

Slow Cooker Three Envelope Pot Roast Sliders

·          This recipe is actually a combination of Six Sisters’ Three Envelope Pot Roast Sliders and You’re Too Crafty’s Best Pot Roast Ever.  I saw the Six Sisters recipe first and liked the idea of having pot roast sliders rather than traditional roast with sides.  But, I didn’t want the flavor of salsa, so I used a Coke instead, as suggested by You’re Too Crafty. 

So, I put my roast in the crock pot.  Then I mixed 1 packet of onion soup mix, 1 packet of Italian dressing mix, & 1 packet of Au Jus gravy mix with 1 cup of water.  I poured that on top of the roast, then poured a Coke on top of that.  I cooked it on high for 2 hours, then on low for 3-4 (my slow cooker cooks pretty hot).  It was SO, SO GOOD!  The house smelled amazing all afternoon!  Seriously, the gravy is so ridiculously delicious that I could have downed it with a straw.  J 

I used King’s Hawaiian Rolls, spicy mustard, & Havarti cheese to make our sliders.  I put the gravy in small bowls so we could dip our sliders into it.  I’m not kidding…these are DELISH!  Make them!

Roasted Pesto Potatoes

·          Wash and peel potatoes and dice them into 1-inch chunks.  Throw them in a bowl with several generous spoonfuls of pesto.  Stir it all around and toss onto a greased baking sheet.  Roast at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes until potatoes are golden and fork tender.  J

November 24-30, 2013

Sunday:  Pizza Night

Monday:  Honey BBQ Meatloaf with Roasted Broccoli & Carrots

Honey BBQ Meatloaf

·          My mom and I went to see a movie on this evening, so I prepared this delicious meatloaf (a family fave!) and had it in the fridge so all Chad had to do was throw it in the oven for dinner.  I substituted turkey for the ground beef and oatmeal for the breadcrumbs.  I also cut up some broccoli and carrots that he roasted as well.  Everyone was happy!  (http://www.canyoustayfordinner.com/)

Tuesday:  Sweet & Spicy Pork Tenderloin with Garlic Butter Spaghetti Squash & Roasted Green Beans

Sweet & Spicy Pork Tenderloin

·          This is a wonderful and easy recipe from my friend, Meredith.  Simply put a pork tenderloin (which are often on sale and usually very affordable) in the crockpot and top with half a jar of apricot preserves and half a bottle of hot & sweet pineapple chili sauce (mine is from Target, but I think any version of a hot and sweet sauce would work).  Cook on low for 6 hours, and it simply shreds into tender deliciousness.  It’s a little spicy, but not too spicy for the kids.  Yum!

Baked Garlic Butter Spaghetti Squash

·          Love this!  (www.steamykitchen.com)

Wednesday:  Dinner at Mom’s!

Thursday:  Thanksgiving!

Friday:  Sliders with French Fries and Pears

·          After a few days of family and food, we had an easy night at home.  Chad grilled little burgers – sliders – and I threw some fries in the oven.  We all sat together on the floor and had a picnic while watching “Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer.”  We love these nights!

Saturday:  Creamy Crockpot Tortellini Soup with Garlic Bread

Creamy Crockpot Tortellini Soup

·          I pinned this recipe recently on Pinterest from Family Fresh Meals and was pretty excited to try it.  It was FABULOUS!  Seriously…it’s so, so good!  After we (Chad helped chop the veggies while I tended to Payton) put it all together in the crockpot, I realized just how much soup there was.  So, we invited some friends over to eat dinner with us.  There was more than enough for everyone, and Chad and I even had it as a leftover for Sunday lunch.  The kids ate their soup, and I appreciate how there are some veggies in there that they barely realized they were eating!  This is a new family favorite!