September 21-27, 2014

This week was a little different, in that we had several evening activities this week.  So, our menu was very simple, basic, and fast.  :-)

Sunday:  Dinner with Our Small Group


Monday:  Sweet & Spicy Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Broccoli and Carrots

Sweet & Spicy Pork Tenderloin
  This is a delicious slow cooker dish that takes about 3 minutes to put together.  Place a pork tenderloin in your slow cooker.  Then, top with half a jar of apricot preserves and half a bottle of a sweet and spicy sauce.  I chose the Sweet Chili Pineapple from Target.  Cook on low for 6 hours.  That's it!  I served ours with roasted veggies and warm, whole wheat toast!


Tuesday:  Daddy in Charge!
  I had a ladies night with our church, so Chad was in charge!  He made hot dogs.  :-)


Wednesday:  Grilled BBQ Sausage with Homemade Macaroni & Cheese and Spinach Salad


Thursday:  Grilled Chicken with Sauteed Zucchini and Macaroni & Cheese


Friday:  Sliders with Sweet Potato Fries


Saturday:  Date Night!
  Chad and I went out, and the kids stayed with Chad's sister and her family.  Everyone was happy!

September 14-20, 2014

Sunday:  Roast, Potatoes, Carrots, Spinach Salad, and Bread

·          We had some friends over after church, so I made roast!

Monday:  Honey BBQ Turkey Meatloaf with Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Carrots

Honey BBQ Turkey Meatloaf

·          We haven’t had this favorite in a while, and we just love it!  I can throw everything together in less than 10 minutes and then put it in the fridge.  About an hour before we are ready to eat, I can preheat the oven and throw it in, and after adding veggies, our dinner is ready!

Tuesday:  Sweet Chili Lime Chicken with Cilantro CousCous and Roasted Broccoli

Sweet Chili Lime Chicken with Cilantro CousCous

·          This is an easy and flavorful dinner we all enjoy.  It’s actually one of the very first recipes I ever pinned on Pinterest (from Grumpy’s Honey Bunch blog).  The lime and cilantro flavors are amazing, and adding just a bit of red pepper flakes gives the dish a little zing!  (If you don’t have kids, you might add more red pepper.)  This is a great meal for a busy day because it can be done in under 30 minutes, easily.  J  The couscous can be a bit messy with kids, so you’ve been warned!

Wednesday:  My Birthday Dinner!  (Mommy did not cook!)

Thursday:  Basil Pesto Tilapia, French Fries, Spinach Salad

·          Thursday night Ranger has tball practice, so I need a meal that I can eat with Callen and Payton early, and then feed Ranger and Chad when they arrive back home.  Nights like this always make me thankful for Costco! 

Friday:  Mommy, Callen, and Payton Date Night

·          Chad and Ranger went on an evening dove hunt, so I took my other 2 sweeties out for a little Chick-fil-a date.  J

Saturday:  Grilled Venison Kabobs with Roasted Veggies and Toast

·          We had our last venison meal from the deer Chad shot last year.  This meat was back strap, and I think it’s my favorite cut of deer meat.  Chad seasoned it and grilled it on kabobs with yellow and orange sweet peppers, while I roasted asparagus, Brussels sprouts, and carrots inside.  We had a movie night picnic with the kids and watched “101 Dalmations.”  

September 7-13, 2014

Sunday:  Swedish Meatballs, Mashed Potatoes, Brussels Sprouts, & Cornbread

·          I stayed home from church with Callen who wasn’t feeling well.  So, I was able to make lunch and have it ready by the time Chad, Ranger, and Payton came home.  I actually just thawed out some Swedish meatballs from a previous dinner and warmed them with some fresh gravy.  I added mashed potatoes, roasted Brussels sprouts, and cornbread, and we all had a delicious meal!

Monday:  Callen’s Birthday Dinner….at Burger King!

Tuesday:  Breakfast for Dinner – Eggs, Bacon, & Banana Waffles  J

Wednesday:  Fried Red Fish & Trout, Potato Salad, & Roasted Broccoli

·          Our friend Jeff came over and brought some of the fish he has caught and had in his freezer.  Chad fried it (outside on the grill burner…yay!) after dipping it in yellow mustard and Zataran’s fish fry.  It’s so simple and so good!  We also added roasted broccoli and potato salad to the meal.  The boys may have eaten their weight in fish…no joke.  And, since Chad cooked the fish outside, my house didn’t smell like a seafood store!

Thursday:  Monterey Chicken, Butter Pecan Sweet Potatoes, & Roasted Asparagus

Monterey Chicken

·          I absolutely love this meal.  Anytime I make this chicken, I always make it with these 2 sides…always.  It’s just a meal that makes me happy.  Chad really likes it too, and on this night, my mom was here with us.  I leave the tomatoes and green onions off of the kids’ chicken, but otherwise the boys usually eat this right up as well!  (Payton is another story…as usual.  J)  These sweet potatoes are so simple and scrumptious, I want to have them year round

Friday:  Dinner with Friends

Saturday:  French Bread Pizzas

·          I was really tired, but I didn’t want us to eat out.  So, I bought some whole wheat French bread and we all made our own pizzas.  The kids had so much fun!  They made pepperoni and mozzarella pizzas…Payton may have eaten all of her cheese during the prep.  Chad and I added other ingredients to ours like sliced sweet peppers, fresh basil, pesto sauce, sliced tomatoes, and garlic.  A great, easy dinner for all of us!

August 31 - September 6, 2014

Sunday:  Leftover Pasta & Macaroni with Spinach Salad and Bread

·         After church, we came home and warmed up the leftover Bolognese pasta bake from the previous night, as well as some homemade macaroni that I had made for the kids.  (By homemade macaroni, I mean hot elbow macaroni, shredded cheddar, a dash of milk, and a little butter.  I’m not kidding…that’s all, and they love it.)  Chad added some cut up turkey to the kids’ macaroni to give it some more protein.  I made a spinach salad with strawberries, feta, and almonds.  Everyone was happy with this easy Sunday meal!

Monday:  Labor Day – Fun with Friends!

Tuesday:  Pei Wei Take Out

·          This week for school, we are reading “The Story of Ping.”  I thought some Chinese food would be a great way to talk more about our lessons and (let’s be honest) give me an excuse not to cook!  J

Wednesday:  Salmon with a Balsamic Glaze, Roasted Broccoli, & Quinoa with Kale

Salmon with a Balsamic Glaze

·          My mom came over, and she brought some salmon and broccoli with her.  I used Pioneer Woman’s method of cooking the salmon, which is pretty fool-proof.  Then I made my sister-in-law’s recipe for balsamic glaze on the stove top and drizzled it over the salmon once it was done.  Obviously since I baked my salmon in the oven, I didn’t have salmon drippings like the recipe says below.  I added roasted broccoli and some quinioa with kale that I found at CostCo that is really delicious!

Glaze:

1/4 cup vinegar

1/4 cup water

1 1/2 T fresh lemon juice

1 T plus 1 tsp. brown sugar

Stir together in bowl.  Fry salmon in a skillet of butter.  Remove salmon. Carefully add mixture to skillet with salmon drippings.  Simmer until thick and boiled down to about 1/3 cup.  Top salmon with mixture and serve with orzo pasta w barely wilted fresh spinach. Yum!

Thursday:  Porcupines in a Skillet with Roasted Asparagus

Porcupines in a Skillet

·          I pinned this on Pinterest, and it looked like something my kids would eat.  They love beef, and they love rice, so this seemed like a safe bet.  It’s actually a great recipe for a busy evening, and stayed warm even though we ate at different times due to Ranger’s t-ball practice.  It definitely has the flavor of the onion soup, so if that’s not your thing, stay away from it.  J  Chad loved it, and had it for leftovers for lunch the next day over chips.  I really like the basis of this recipe, and I feel like I could play with the seasonings on this easily and have some different flavors.

Friday:  Porcupine Quesadillas with Homemade Whole Wheat Tortillas

·          Even with Chad having leftovers for lunch, we still had some of the beef and rice leftover (I have 3 small kids, mind you…those of you with actual real-size appetites in your house may not have leftovers like we do).  We really like these homemade whole wheat tortillas from The Lean Green Bean, so I made a batch so that we could have quesadillas.  We don’t mind leftovers, but it’s nice to try and change them up just a little bit so that we don’t feel like we are having the exact same meal 2 days in a row.  This marked the end of a very fun, but tiring first week of homeschool and preschool for our family, so we enjoyed these quesadillas while having a picnic upstairs in the media room for movie night!

Saturday:  Dinner at Mom’s:  French Dip Crescents with Homemade Sweet Potato Fries

French Dip Crescents

·          My mom made dinner for us, and it was delicious!  She made these French Dip Crescents from Mama Loves Food, and there was not a bite leftover.  How can you go wrong throwing meat and cheese inside a crescent roll?  J  We did not have the horse radish, but we did have the au jus for dipping.  Yum, yum!