November 20-26, 2016

  I hope everyone enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving!  Between family time, Thanksgiving day, and a couple of date nights, we only ate at home 3 nights this past week.  One night we grilled with friends, one night was chili and cornbread, and one night was hot dogs and s'mores with neighbors.  :-)  So, I've just listed the chili recipe below.

  The kids and I are headed out on a road trip to visit some dear Georgia friends this week, so there won't be a menu for next week!


Turkey Chili
  This is based on a chili recipe from my sweet mother-in-law that I have in a church cookbook I bought a decade ago.  It's referred to as Prestoncrest Chili.  It's pretty much my go-to chili recipe that I can alter however I like and have simmering on the stove top or in a slow cooker in no time.

3 lbs lean ground beef, chicken, turkey, or venison
3/4 cup chopped onion
1 T salt
1 T cumin powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp black pepper
1 T paprika
3 T chili powder
1 (15-oz) can tomato sauce
1 (32-oz) can chopped tomatoes
2 (15-oz) cans beans (Ranch style, black, pinto)

Brown meat and onions.  Add all other ingredients and simmer together.  Serves 12.

*  I tend to alter this recipe based on what I have on hand, and often I make a half-recipe if it's only for my family.  This freezes really well, so making a full recipe is nice too!  I've also added a tablespoon or two of brown sugar at times and knocked down the spiciness with smaller amounts of chili powder since my kids won't eat super spicy foods.  The kids love eating their chili in the scoop-type tortilla chips with shredded cheese.  I love mine with cornbread muffins, sour cream, and shredded cheese.  Yum!

November 13-19, 2016

Sunday:  Baked & Breaded Chicken Tenders with Quinoa & Fresh Veggies

  The Cowboys were playing, and we decided to start decorating for Christmas.  So, I made a simple dinner of baked chicken tenders accompanied with quinoa & kale (frozen packet from Costco...4 minutes in the microwave!) and fresh veggies.


Monday:  Dinner with Nonnie
  The kids and I had dinner at my mom's while they "helped" her decorate her Christmas tree!  Chad was out of town for work, so he missed out on all the fun.


Tuesday:  Dinner with Small Group


Wednesday:  Breaded "Fried" Ravioli (Me) & Baked Turkey & Cheese Sliders (Kids)
  Chad was flying home from a business trip, so I made an easy dinner for the kids of baked turkey and cheese sliders using rolls leftover from Payton's preschool Thanksgiving Feast earlier that day.

 There wouldn't have been quite enough for all 4 of us, so for myself, I heated a little olive oil in a pan on the stove and added in a few chicken raviolis tossed in a small amount of Italian bread crumbs and parmesan cheese.  I "fried" them lightly on both sides and served them with marinara sauce.

(Do you love our fancy turkey paper plates?) ;-)

Thursday:  Black Bean, Smoked Turkey, & Sweet Potato Tacos

(Chad always makes his dinner plates look so much fancier than mine...)

  We have some smoked turkey in our freezer that needs to be eaten before we receive another smoked turkey this year.  :-)  So, I thawed some during the day.  For dinner, I diced up a sweet potato and sauteed it in a little olive oil with a few sprinkles of season salt.  Once the potatoes were browned and soft, I added in the smoked turkey and a can of drained and rinsed black beans.  Then I simply let it all heat together!  I had some freshly made tortillas from Kroger, so we had our "hash" as tacos and burritos.  This was a seriously yummy meal that was packed full of flavor.  I could see us repeating this with leftover Thanksgiving turkey next week!

Friday:  Pizza & Movie Night!

Saturday:  Hot Dogs

  I was out of town on a girls weekend, so the kids had a fun weekend with Chad...word on the street is that hot dogs were grilled for Saturday night's dinner.  :-)

November 6 - 12, 2016

Sunday:  Leftover Night


Monday:  Chicken, Broccoli, & Quinoa Pasta with Marinara

  We needed a quick dinner, but I also wanted it to be healthy and filling.  I had some diced grilled chicken in the freezer from a previous meal.  I thawed the chicken a bit, and sauteed it with fresh broccoli, olive oil, garlic, and diced onions.  Next, I poured in some plain tomato sauce and added in some basil, salt, and pepper, and I let it all simmer together.  While that cooked together, I boiled some water and made some quinoa pasta.  Then I tossed it all together and sprinkled over some freshly grated Parmesan.  Voila!  Dinner was ready!


Tuesday:  Leftovers


Wednesday:  Sausage, Macaroni & Cheese, & Roasted Broccoli

  Chad was out of town, and I had a dinner with friends, so the kids enjoyed a night with their Aunt Amber!  I made them this easy, kid-pleasing dinner before I headed out.


Thursday:  Chicken Nuggets & Fruit
  Because Chad was still gone, and this meal made us all happy.  :-)


Friday:  Kids with Grammy & DadDad!


Saturday:  Breakfast for Dinner
  Homemade mini-waffles, bacon, scrambled eggs, & fruit!

October 30 - November 5, 2016

Sunday:  Trunk or Treat
  Our church's annual trunk or treat was this evening, and they even provided pizza!  Score!

Monday:  Pesto Ranch Crockpot Chicken Tacos
  Hooray for Halloween!!  Earlier in the day, I just threw some frozen chicken breasts in the crock pot with some jarred pesto, some ranch seasoning, and a little chicken broth.  Cook it on low for 6 hours or so (longer if you have full crockpot), then shred and eat!  It's a yummy chicken for tacos, nachos, and even on salads.  It also makes great leftovers!  I served ours on tortillas and also roasted Brussels sprouts and potatoes as sides.  It was a quick, easy meal that gave us all the energy we needed for some epic Trick-or-Treat time with the kids.  :-)

Tuesday:  Leftovers
  Chad was in California for work, so the kids and I had leftovers.  I love leftovers.


Wednesday:  Slow Cooker Asian Style Country Ribs with Brown Rice

Slow Cooker Asian Style Country Ribs
  This is a delicious recipe that I made once a million years ago, loved it, and then forgot to ever make it again.  It's so simple, yet it packs so much flavor.  Just like the first time I made it, I actually didn't marinate it overnight...I just threw everything in my crockpot and cooked it on low for 8-9 hours.  About an hour before dinner time, I placed fresh broccoli and snow peas in the crockpot and spooned a little of the juice over the top before placing the lid back on.  I made some brown rice on the stove, and dinner was ready!


Thursday:  Dinner at Studio Movie Grill
  The kids have been so excited to see the new movie "Trolls," so we made a fun evening out of it!


Friday:  Kids Staying with Nonnie
  Chad and I both had separate retreats, so the kids stayed at my mom's house.


Saturday:  Cheeseburgers with Spinach Salad and Fresh Fruit

  Chad is always willing to grill for us!