October 19-25, 2014

Sunday:  Turkey, Swiss, & Pear Paninis with Spinach Salad

·          These are a delicious and easy dinner option that we all enjoy.  I use blackberry preserves as the sauce inside, and it’s so yummy!

Monday:  Crock Pot Mozzarella Pesto Chicken with Salad and Bread

Crock Pot Mozzarella Pesto Chicken

·          Chad went dove hunting, so this was a great dinner that would be ready for all of us whenever we were ready to eat.  It’s also incredibly simple!  (Just A Pinch)

Tuesday:  Fish Tacos

·          Ranger had a baseball game at 6:00, so we needed an easy dinner that the kids and I could eat early, and Chad could eat once we were back home.  I made some tilapia and we all had tacos.  I topped the fish with spring salad, fresh yellow bell peppers, balsamic dressing, and feta cheese.  It was fast and easy to make them again for Chad once we were back home after the game.  J

Wednesday:  Dinner Out

Thursday:  Dinner at Mom’s

·          Chad was out of town, so the kids and I had dinner and stayed the night with my mom. 

Friday:  Pasta Bolognese with Salad & Bread

Pasta Bolognese

·          I’ve made this recipe from our Uncle Jerry and Aunt Hosannah many times, and one of my favorite things about it is that it is so freezable!  So, on nights like this one, I easily pulled some sauce out of the freezer, thawed it, then warmed it slowly on the stovetop.  I boiled fresh pasta, made a green salad, and broiled a little bread with olive oil and garlic salt.  It makes a tasty, healthy dinner in no time!

Saturday:  White Chicken Enchiladas with Rice & Salad

White Chicken Enchiladas

·          I found this recipe on Pinterest last year some time, and we loved it the first time I made it!  I had totally forgotten about it until going back through some old blog posts.  Verdict is…we still love it.  J  I actually made the kids their own chicken burritos by just baking some tortillas with only chicken and cheese inside and then a little bit of butter on the tortilla.  I baked these in a separate pan from the enchiladas for about half the time.  The kids aren’t really that “saucy,” and just having these as baked burritos made it extremely kid friendly.  To make things even more simple, I used a rotisserie chicken.

October 12-18, 2014

Sunday:  Taco Soup & Cornbread

Taco Soup

·          This recipe is from one of my mom’s friends, Pat.  It’s my favorite taco soup recipe, and it’s so incredibly easy!  This time, I used ground turkey because it’s what I had on hand.  This can be made quickly on the stovetop, or in the crock pot more slowly, which is what I did.  I browned the meat and then placed everything on low in the crockpot while we were at church.  J

1.5 – 2 lbs ground beef or turkey, browned and drained

½ diced onion, sautéed with meat

3 cans stewed tomatoes with juice

2 cans pinto beans, drained

1 can corn, drained

1 can Rotel

1 can mild chopped green chilies

1 package taco seasoning

1 package Ranch dressing mix

Mix together and simmer.  Serve with tortilla chips, grated cheese, sour cream, and any other of your favorite toppings.

Monday:  Rotisserie Chicken, Roasted Broccoli, & Biscuits

·          We had a busy day, so I picked up a rotisserie chicken from Costco.  I added in some fresh roasted broccoli and hot biscuits, and we all enjoyed a tasty meal.

Tuesday:  Spinach & Mozzarella Ravioli Chicken Bake with Spinach Salad & Whole Wheat Bread

Spinach & Mozzarella Ravioli Chicken Bake

·          I had some rotisserie chicken leftover from the night before.  I keep frozen spinach and mozzarella ravioli in the freezer for an easy pasta meal like this one!

Place frozen ravioli in a single layer of a greased baking dish (whatever size you choose for you family).  Top the ravioli with chicken (or any protein of your choice) and pour over pasta sauce.  Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.  Remove foil, top with parmesan and bake an additional 5 minutes.

Wednesday:  Dinner at Mom’s  J

Thursday:  Pizza Night

Friday:  Island Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Asparagus & Sweet Potatoes

Island Pork Tenderloin

·          Chad was out hunting this evening, so I actually made the kids breakfast for dinner (spinach egg scramble, bacon, toast, and fruit), and then I made dinner for the two of us to eat when he arrived home.  This is an incredibly simple and flavorful pork tenderloin.  The spices would have been too hot for my kids, but Chad and I both thoroughly enjoyed it.  If the kids had eaten this also, I could have just given them the inside of the tenderloin, as it wasn’t the spicy part.  I roasted asparagus and diced sweet potatoes to go along with our meal.  Yum!  (Recipe courtesy of Little B Cooks)

Saturday:  Grilled Dove, Hunters’ Rice, & Pear Walnut Salad

·          Chad has been hunting quite a bit lately, and we have a freezer with a good amount of dove in it now!  He wanted to have a big meal and invite over a few of his hunting buddies, and my mom came over too!  All I did was make a big green salad with pears and walnuts.  Chad took care of the rest!

October 5-11, 2014

(Apparently, I declared this the week of the crock pot!)

Sunday:  Crock Pot Ranch Pork Chops with Rice and Spinach Salad

Crock Pot Ranch Pork Chops

·          These are so delicious and so EASY!  I put them in my crock pot around 6:45am, and when we returned home from church around 12:15, they were perfect!  This recipe came from StockPilingMom.com, and I altered it only slightly.  Instead of pork chops, I used thick-cut turkey chops.  They were so moist and tender.  I served ours over a packet of brown rice and quinoa that I buy from Costco with a spinach salad.  Chad went back for seconds!  We didn’t even stop long enough so I could take a picture.

It does call for a can of cream of chicken or mushroom soup, and I know many people now are avoiding them.  I don’t cook with canned cream soups often, so it doesn’t bother me to use them on occasion.  This recipe is so easy, fast, and delicious, I would recommend everyone try to find an alternative soup option just so they can enjoy this dish!  There are gluten free, organic, and homemade cream soup options if you so choose.  J

Monday:  Slow Cooker Quinoa & Sweet Potato Fajitas

Slow Cooker Quinoa & Sweet Potato Fajitas

·          This dish is so simple, and so yummy.  But, I’ll warn you…it makes a TON!  So, if you have a large family, this will be plenty…and if you have a small family, you’ll have leftovers for days.  J  I love that it was all together in one crock pot.  It was easy to add some fresh tortillas and, cheese, sour cream, and cilantro.  (Thanks to Chelsea’s Messy Apron!)  Chad was gone for several days later this week, and these leftovers fed me very well.  J

Tuesday:  Leftovers

Wednesday: Mummy Dogs, Monster Teeth, & Goblin Salad

·          When Daddy’s away, the little monsters will play…and eat!  (And yes…I did put a couple of candy corns on their salads.  J )

Thursday:  Turkey, Cheese, Fruit, & Zucchini Muffins

Zucchini Muffins

·          These little muffins have rounded out many meals for my little rascals over the years.  I always keep a batch in the freezer to pull out as a healthy addition to our plates.  It's a really forgiving recipe, so feel free to add different things.  I usually add even more veggies. 

3 eggs

1 mashed banana

1/2 cup applesauce

1 tbsp vanilla

1 cup shredded zucchini

1 cup of another shredded veggie

1 cup sugar

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup whole oats

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tbsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking powder

Mix eggs, banana, applesauce, vanilla, and veggies.  Add remaining ingredients.  Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes for mini muffins.

Friday:  Dinner & a Movie with Nonnie

Saturday:  Slow Cooker Asian Style Country Ribs with Rice and Stir Fry Veggies

Slow Cooker Asian Style Country Ribs

·          I was so looking forward to trying this recipe, and it did not disappoint.  I didn’t even remember to marinate the ribs the night before, as the recipe suggests.  I just put everything in the crock pot and turned it on.  The meat was tender and full of flavor.  About an hour before we ate, I topped the meat with some fresh snow peas and broccoli.  I spooned just a little bit of the sauce over the vegetables and put the lid back on the crock pot to cook the vegetables.  When it was time to eat, I topped rice with the ribs, broccoli, and snow peas, and dinner was served!

September 28 - October 4, 2014

Sunday:  Pizza with Small Group

Monday:  Turkey, Apple, & Swiss Paninis with Spinach Salad

·          Chad had a softball game at 6:30, so he took the boys with him.  I needed to have a dinner that was easy to make for all of us at different times.  We had some yummy, whole wheat bread from the bakery that I didn’t want to waste.  So, I made paninis!  I buttered the outside of two slices of bread.  In the middle I spread a layer of blackberry preserves on one side.  Then I topped it with turkey, thinly sliced apples, and Swiss cheese.  I grilled them on the stovetop between to skillets.  They were delish!  I served them with a spinach salad.

Tuesday:  Rotisserie Chicken with Caesar Salad

·          Ranger had a 7:00 baseball game, so my mom brought over an easy dinner of rotisserie chicken and Caesar salad from Costco.

Wednesday:  Turkey & Spinach Lasagna, Spinach Salad, and Bread

·          I wasn’t feeling very well, so having a lasagna in the freezer saved our dinner on this evening.  J

Thursday:  Breakfast for Dinner:  Eggs, Bacon, Whole Wheat Toast, and Fruit

Friday:  Dinner Out with My Mom

Saturday:  Daddy Night – Hot Dogs & Fruit!

·          I had dinner out with some girlfriends, so Daddy was in charge!