May 4-10, 2014

**Not a week when I cooked much, but here it is anyway!**  :-)

Sunday:  Market Street Dinner

·          After small group we picked out dinner at Market Street and brought it home to eat.

Monday:  Dinner with my Mom for Payton’s Birthday!!

·          Chad was out of town, and it was our girl Payton’s birthday.  So we went and celebrated with Nonnie!

Tuesday:  Dinner Out

·          We had some unexpected things come up with some of our family, and I needed to be with them.  So, we grabbed a quick dinner out before heading to my mom’s house.  The kids stayed the night while I went up to the hospital.  Everything is good now!  I’m so grateful for my mom and her willingness to be with us and help us absolutely anytime.  J

Wednesday:  Breakfast for Dinner

·          Chad was still out of town, so we had one of our stand-by dinners…breakfast!  This time it was omelets and pancakes.  Yum!

Thursday:  Incredible Hulk Sliders with Ninja Turtle Macaroni & Cheese and Fruit

Incredible Hulk Sliders

·          My friend, Meredith, made these for us last week, and we had some extras that I stuck into the freezer.  I pulled them out and cooked them in the skillet.  Since I didn’t make them, I’m not exactly sure what she put in them.  It was ground chicken that she seasoned and mixed with tiny, diced veggies like spinach, carrots, and broccoli.  They really are green!  The kids thought they were fantastic!  I served ours on whole wheat slider buns.  We had seen some Ninja Turtle mac-n-cheese at the store earlier in the day, so that made a fun addition to dinner for the kids.

Friday:  Chad in Charge!

·          I was gone all day to the Homeschool Book Fair, so it was Daddy Day!!  The kids were absolutely thrilled to have all day with Daddy since he had been gone all week.  Chad took care of all of the meals all day.  J

Saturday:  Honey BBQ Turkey Meatloaf with Steam Veggies and Toast

·          Ranger had a 5:00 tball game, but I didn’t want to eat out AGAIN this week.  So, earlier in the day I put together our family fave…Honey BBQ Meatloaf!  Before we left around 4:35, I put the meatloaf in the oven and set the “Delay Start” feature.  The oven came on at 5:35, and when we arrived back home around 6:25 or so, it was perfectly done!  I used microwave steam veggies for this meal so that we could be eating as soon as possible.  As with most of our meals lately, we enjoyed it on our back porch.

Honey Barbecue Meatloaf

Adapted from:  http://www.canyoustayfordinner.com/2011/03/09/honey-barbecue-meatloaf/

serves 4

1 lb 90% lean ground turkey

1 slice white bread, ground to crumbs in food processor -or- 2/3 cup panko bread crumbs or oatmeal

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard

1/2 cup smoky barbecue sauce, divided

2 tablespoons honey, divided

1 egg

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Toss one slice of soft white bread in your food processor and grind it into crumbs.

In a large bowl, use your hands to mix together the ground beef, fresh bread crumbs, 1 tablespoon of the worcestershire sauce, the spicy brown mustard, 1/4 cup of the barbecue sauce, 1 tablespoon honey, egg, salt, and black pepper.

Shape the mixture into a long, thick log and place in an oiled baking dish. Be careful not to pack the meat too tightly or you’ll end up with a very dense, tough loaf.

In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 1/4 cup barbecue sauce, 1 tablespoon honey, and 2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce. Spread half of this mixture evenly all over the meatloaf. Reserve the other half for serving.

Bake for 45 minutes. Slice and drizzle with reserved honey barbecue sauce