January 25 - February 1, 2015

*This menu has a bonus day at the end.  J  I won’t be posting a menu next weekend, but I should be back the week after!

Sunday:  Leftovers

Monday:  Ranger’s Birthday!  Mooyah…at his request.  J

Tuesday:  Whole Wheat Banana Waffle Sticks, Scrambled Eggs, & Fruit

·          Chad was out of town, so breakfast for dinner was a must.  To make our waffles a bit healthier, I sometimes make them from scratch using whole wheat flour.  This time I also added some mashed bananas and ground flax seeds.  The kids love them!

Wednesday:  One Pot Ziti with Caesar Salad & Bread

One Pot Ziti

·          My mom made this recipe several months ago, and it seemed perfect to have for dinner on a night when we had some friends over.  It makes quite a bit of food, and I doubled it, so there was plenty for everyone, plus some for leftovers, plus some for the freezer!  I even made a small batch the next day to take to some friends from church who just had their first baby.  The kids liked this one as well!  J  From start to finish, you can have dinner on the table in under an hour with very little actually work involved.

Thursday:  Quinoa Patties with Roasted Broccoli

Quinoa Patties

·          My friend Meredith shared this recipe with me because her family loved it so much.  I’m so glad she did because my family loved them as well!  It’s from a site called Frugal Living.  Meredith even used some delicious frozen quinoa with kale from Costco that we all love, but I was out, so I made quinoa the usual way on the stove.  My kids gobbled them right up.  We all had our own various dipping sauces, which was really fun.  I added some roasted broccoli, and our meal was full of protein and veggies!  Chad thinks they would also be tasty with half quinoa and half ground venison (or whatever meat you have on hand), and I agree.  J

Friday:  Crescent Roll Turkey Dogs with Fresh Bell Pepper Slices & Fruit

·          I was out of town for a quick girls’ trip, so Chad was in charge.  He and the kids made their own crescent roll turkey dogs, and apparently everyone made a happy plate!  He sent me this picture with the caption "Boom!"  Hehe...

Saturday:  Chicken Fried Venison with Roasted Broccoli

·          One more night of Daddy being in charge, and he did not disappoint!  He made some chicken fried venison and roasted broccoli that resulted, again, in happy plates by everyone!  I think I may leave more often.  ;-)

Sunday:  Chicken & Broccoli Pasta Alfredo

·          Because I arrived back home late on Saturday night, Chad also thought ahead for our Sunday lunch after church and set out the chicken we had frozen from making Hawaiian Grilled Chicken a few weeks ago.  When we came home from church, he sautéed the chicken with broccoli and boiled some pasta.  He added a small amount of alfredo sauce for a delicious meal we all really enjoyed.  I think I’ll keep him around. 

Have a great week!  There won’t be a menu this week due to our crazy schedules, so look for our next menu in 2 weeks!

January 18-24, 2015

Sunday:  Dinner Out

Monday:  Cinnamon Raisin French Toast, Scrambled Eggs, Bacon, & Strawberries

·          We always have breakfast for dinner when Chad is out of town, and he was feeling a little left out.  J  So, I made breakfast for dinner…the kids’ fave!  I had some cinnamon raisin bread and used that for our French toast.  It was delicious!

Tuesday:  Hawaiian Grilled Chicken with Coconut Rice & Broccoli

Hawaiian Grilled Chicken

·          My friend, Sharon, texted me that she and her family had this recipe from The Girl Who Ate Everything and loved it, so I knew we had to try it too.  I am so glad she shared it…it’s delicious!!  I marinated the chicken for about 9 hours, and I used chicken thighs like she suggests because we really like dark meat.  I also made the coconut rice she suggested, and we all gobbled it right up.  Throwing in some roasted broccoli was all that was left to round out our meal.  Our family certainly can’t eat 3 pounds of chicken in one dinner, but I went ahead and marinated that amount and had Chad grill it.  What we didn’t eat, Chad sliced up and vacuum-sealed it for the freezer.  It will be a wonderful chicken to add to a recipe in the near future.  Prep once for 2 dinners…one of the best ways to save time on a busy weeknight.

Wednesday:  Sweet Potato Nachos  (Mom Cooked!)

Sweet Potato Nachos

·          My mom had originally invited us over for dinner, but I had a couple of sick kids, so she brought everything over and made dinner for us at our house.  She made these amazing sweet potato nachos!  I LOVED them, and even the leftovers were good reheated in the oven the next day for lunch.  We didn’t add sour cream to ours, but the avocado on top was perfect.  I can't say what the kids thought, though...I just made them an easy kid dinner since they were a little sick. (Recipe from SavoryStyle.com.)

Thursday:  Turkey & Veggie Tacos with Rice & Chips, Salsa, & Guacamole

Turkey & Veggie Tacos

·          We had 2 couples over from church, and these tacos are wonderful for feeding lots of people.  They also make a great leftover, and even the meat can be frozen and used for spaghetti or tacos for a future meal.  I used lean, ground turkey for this night, but these can be made with ground chicken also.

Ground Turkey  (I used 2 pounds.)

Finely chopped/diced veggies of your choice (I used 1 zucchini, 3 big carrots, & 2-3 big handfuls of spinach.)

1 Can Rotel (drained) or fresh, diced tomatoes

Taco Seasoning

Olive Oil

Minced Garlic

Cook the chicken with olive oil & minced garlic until no longer pink.  Add your finely diced veggies, Rotel, & taco seasoning.  Mix it all together until everything is heated through.  Serve with tortillas or chips of your choice.  We used corn tortillas and topped with some shredded cheese, sour cream, and salsa.

Friday:  Ranger’s Birthday Party with Friends

·          Ranger had a few friends over to help celebrate his birthday on the 26^th, so we made pizza’s I bought from Walmart.  J 

Saturday:  Ranger’s Birthday Party with Family

·          I’m not sure how, but Ranger managed to have 3 birthday celebrations!  Ha…lucky kid!  We celebrated with my side of the family last weekend, and this week, Chad’s side came over for dinner.  Chad marinated and grilled a variety of meat:  chicken, pork chops, dove, sausage.  I roasted sweet potatoes and onions and made a big salad.  We all had a great meal, and Ranger has been able to see pretty much all of his favorite people in the last week. 

January 11-17, 2015

Sunday:  Church Family Night

Monday:  Chicken Lazone Over Spaghetti Squash with Salad and Bread

Chicken Lazone

·          I found this recipe on Pinterest and thought it was worth a shot.  It was easy, but truthfully I didn’t love it.  We all ate it…even the kids…but I think I should have added some more of the spices to it.  I went light because I didn’t want it to be so spicy for the kids.   So, if I make it or a variation of it again, I’ll add more spices or change them up to suit the kids.  J 

It was a good way to serve spaghetti squash instead of using regular pasta noodles, though.  I just stabbed the spaghetti squash several times with a knife (carefully J) then tossed it in a 400 degree oven for 45 minutes.  When it’s done, take it out and slice it in half.  Scoop out the middle seeds and throw them away.  Then take a fork and shred the squash out into a bowl…instant spaghetti squash noodles.

Tuesday:  Ground Turkey and Veggie Quinoa Stir Fry

Ground Turkey and Veggie Quinoa Stir Fry

·          This dinner was based on this recipe that I found on Pinterest from www.bestcleaneatingrecipes.com.  I didn’t have exactly the vegetables the recipe mentions, but I made a stir fry with what I had.  I sautéed diced zucchini, carrots, broccoli, onion, and garlic in olive oil and also added in some soy sauce.  Then I added quinoa to that as well as a little brown rice and sautéed it all together.  In another pan I browned some lean ground turkey just as the recipe suggests.  When it was all done, I spooned the vegetable and quinoa into a bowl and then put the turkey on top of it.  Chad and I really enjoyed it, and the kids ate all their turkey and most of the vegetables without too much prompting.  This dish also made a tasty leftover for the next few days.

Wednesday:  Turkey & Veggie Quinoa Tacos

·          Because we had leftovers, I made some homemade, whole wheat tortillas so that we could have quesadillas and tacos for dinner.  Chad and I don’t mind leftovers, but we wanted to eat them in a little different way so that we weren’t too bored with it!

Thursday:  Chad Cooked!

·          Chad had a co-worker come over for dinner, so he wanted to be the cook for the night!  He grilled some chicken and dove while I prepared some sweet potatoes, broccoli, and zucchini that we roasted in the oven.

Friday:  Slow Cooker Cheeseburger Soup with Biscuits

Slow Cooker Cheeseburger Soup

·          I made this recipe last year some time and then completely forgot about it.  Chad and I really liked it, so I’m glad I came across it again!  This time I followed her link and actually made it in the crockpot…her original recipe is done all on the stovetop.  Both methods made a delicious soup!  I used lean, ground venison, but any ground meat works well.

Saturday:  Baked Turkey, Cheese, Pear, and Blackberry Preserve Paninis with Salad

Baked Turkey, Cheese, Pear, and Blackberry Preserve Paninis

·          We were having a family movie night, so I needed an easy dinner that we could eat picnic style upstairs that wouldn’t take me long to clean up.  Any kind of grilled sandwich is usually a hit in our house, so I made baked paninis. 

The easiest way I’ve found to make multiple grilled sandwiches is baked in the oven between two cookie sheets.  This time I wanted the grill marks (for effect, I suppose J ), so I used my large grill pan.  To make them a little better than just a regular grilled cheese, I layered a small spread of blackberry preserves, turkey, thin-sliced pears, and cheese in the panini.  I assembled all of the sandwiches on the grill pan, (I buttered both slices of bread on the outside) then I put a piece of foil over them and pressed another cookie sheet over the top.  That smooshes the sandwiches together…yum!  I put them in a cold oven and then heated the oven to 400 degrees and cooked for about 15 minutes or so.  Just lift the top cookie sheet and foil to check the paninis until they are as done as you would like.  I served ours with a kale and Brussels sprouts salad topped with a vinaigrette dressing.  I buy the salad already cut up in a big bag from Costco.

Here are the kids' plates.  

January 4-10, 2015

Sunday:  Turkey Noodle Soup

·          Chad actually made this soup the day before and then put it in our crockpot on Sunday so we could have it for dinner Sunday evening.  He used some smoked turkey we had in the freezer (leftover from Thanksgiving!) along with some homemade turkey stock (that we made using the turkey bones from Thanksgiving).  He added in carrots, zucchini, spices, and noodles.  It was delicious, and perfect for these cold days we’ve been experiencing! 

He and I both are trying to make sure we are using all of the food we have on hand whenever possible.  We are also trying to stay on top of leftovers and freeze them whenever possible for reusing in future meals, rather than simply throwing them away.  Often, we use the meat or dinner in a completely different way the second time around.  J

Monday:  Dinner at Mom’s – Sausage, Egg, & Cheese Roll-ups

Sausage, Egg, & Cheese Roll-ups

·          Chad was out of town for work, so my mom invited us over for dinner.  She made these yummy breakfast roll-ups, and the kids devoured them…I think Ranger ended up eating 4!

Tuesday:  Hot Dogs, Apples, Roasted Zucchini & Carrots

·          Another night with Daddy out of town, so I made hot dogs for the kids and me.  To make it a little healthier, I made the all beef, uncured hot dogs and served them on whole wheat buns.  We also had sliced apples and roasted zucchini and carrots. 

There’s big news on the veggie front around our house…our girl Payton will actually willingly eat some roasted veggies now!  This is HUGE!  We learned the hard way with Ranger, that making dinner a battle is not a worthwhile family activity.  So, with Callen and Payton, we’ve generally just offered the food, but tried not to make a huge issue out of it while eating.  Callen has always been a better eater (most days).  At some point, they become old enough to decide to try it out of curiosity or obedience.  This doesn’t mean eating with my kids is perfect…it’s far from it, trust me.  But, we learned you can’t force food down their throats, so gentler methods must be tried.  J

Wednesday:  Stew with Cheddar Biscuits

·          Back in November, I made this Slow Cooker Pot Roast from Joyously Domestic.  We loved it!  We had quite a bit leftover, so I had frozen it, including the veggies and the roast gravy.  I pulled it out of the freezer for this meal.  After it thawed out a bit, I put it in my crock pot and added beef broth to it…I didn’t measure exactly, but it was probably around 3 cups or so.  I cooked it on low all day.  Then, about an hour before dinner, I added some fresh black eyed peas and frozen green beans.  We had the most delicious stew, and I did almost nothing to prepare it!  Hooray for leftovers!

Thursday:  Oven Baked Ravioli with Chicken, Kale & Brussels Sprouts Salad, Bread

Oven Baked Ravioli

This is an incredibly easy recipe that can be thrown together in about 5 minutes before baking in the oven for 45 minutes.  It is one of the keepers from when I used Emeals a few years ago.  I usually add ground beef, but this time I added rotisserie chicken because I had some in the fridge that needed to be used.

-          1 package frozen ravioli, any kind (I used spinach and mozzarella from Costco)

-          1 jar spaghetti sauce

-          ½ pound browned ground beef, turkey, or chicken

-          Cheese of your choice

Spray an oven-safe pan, then pour in the frozen ravioli in a single layer.  Sprinkle on the cooked ground beef, chicken, or turkey.  Then, pour the spaghetti sauce over that and sprinkle with whatever cheese you choose.  Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes.  Uncover, then bake for 5 more minutes to let the cheese melt. 

Friday:  5 Ingredient White Chicken Chili

5 Ingredient White Chicken Chili

·          We really enjoy this simple, flavorful dinner.  You can make everything fresh and from scratch, or let prepared foods help you out.  I did a little bit of both this time around.  I used a rotisserie chicken for the meat and salsa verde from the grocery store, but I bought dried beans and made those fresh for the chili, rather than using canned beans.  So, the beans soaked all day, and then I made them on the stovetop in about an hour and a half.  Then, I drained the beans and added in all the other ingredients for the chili and simmered it all together for an hour or so.  We topped ours with avocado, fresh cheddar, sour cream, and cilantro.

Saturday:  Sweet Venison Chili Frito Pie

·          I love when Chad is able to cook dinner for us!  And, since he shot another deer a couple of weeks ago, we have plenty of game for him to try out new recipes from his wild game cookbook.  This time he made a sweet chili with some ground venison.  It wasn’t spicy at all, so the boys gobbled it right up with their Fritos and cheese!  I also loved it, and there was enough for us to have leftovers the next day for lunch.  J

December 14-21, 2014

*  This will be my last post until after the New Year!  I hope everyone has a wonderful and merry Christmas and a happy New Year!!

Sunday:  Small Group Christmas Party

Monday:  Healthy Mama Crockpot BBQ Chicken

Healthy Mama Crockpot BBQ Chicken

·          I made this recipe long, long ago when I was stocking up the freezer before Sweet Baby #2.  I wanted to take a meal to some friends of ours that could either be frozen and made later or just used in the crock pot the next day, and I remembered this recipe that has everything you need right in it!  I also wanted to make enough for us to have as well.  The bummer was, I did my multiplication wrong and didn’t have as much chicken as I should have, so our sweet friends were a little light on the chicken and heavy on the veggies.  J  She sweetly said it was fine and that they added some pork to the meal that they already had in the fridge.  It really is a yummy and healthy meal that takes a little time to prep on the front end, but then you just stick it in the crockpot and it’s done!

Tuesday:  Dinner & Christmas Lights at Nonnie’s!

Wednesday:  Girls’ Dinner

·          Daddy was in charge of the kids!

Thursday:  Green Eggs, Bacon, & Pancakes

·          Chad was out of town, and the kids requested breakfast for dinner.  I made some whole wheat pancakes - this time I added flax!  Just to make sure they took in some greens, we had green eggs (egg omelet with spinach and feta).  J

And, I actually made a kale salad for myself and topped it with some basil and tortilla crusted tilapia from Costco.

Friday:  Green Chili Sour Cream Chicken with Roasted Broccoli & Carrots

Green Chili Sour Cream Chicken

·          I had some leftover sauce from making these Chicken Enchiladas With Green Chili Sour Cream Sauce that I had placed in the freezer a while back.  I thawed the sauce during the day, then I warmed it a bit on the stovetop.  Meanwhile, I browned some boneless, skinless chicken thighs in a sauté pan with a little olive oil, salt and pepper.  When I turned them to the second side, I poured the warmed sauce over the top.  I simmered the chicken and sauce together for 25-30 minutes.  I served ours over brown rice with sides of roasted broccoli and carrots.  This was an easy meal to throw together since I made double sauce 6 weeks earlier!

Saturday:  Dinner Out

Sunday:  Crockin’ Girls Baked Ziti, Kale Salad, & Garlic Bread

·          Here’s a bonus day this week since there won’t be another menu until after the New Year.  J  Chad’s parents and my mom came to church with us on Sunday morning, and then they ate lunch with us.  I found this wonderful recipe in my Crockin’ Girls cookbook.  It was PERFECT for a Sunday lunch!  All I did once we arrived home was make a salad and warm some garlic bread.  There was plenty for all of us and a decent amount for leftovers. Yay!  I used sweet Italian turkey sausage.

Crockin’ Girls Baked Ziti 

from the new cookbook, The Crockin' Girls Slow Cookin' Companion

Ingredients:

1 to 1 1/2 pounds ground beef or Italian sausage/ground turkey (whatever suits your fancy)

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 15-ounce container ricotta cheese


2 egg whites

16 ounces mozzarella cheese, divided


1 cup Parmesan cheese


1 teaspoon oregano, divided

1 16-ounce box ziti noodles

2 26-ounce cans of spaghetti/pasta sauce

1/2 teaspoons parsley

Directions:


Brown ground beef with the onion and garlic; drain and set aside. Combine ricotta cheese, egg whites, 8 ounces of mozzarella, Parmesan, and 1/2 teaspoon oregano in a separate bowl; mix well. Rinse uncooked ziti in cold water. In the slow cooker, layer 2 cups sauce, 1/2 of the ground beef mixture, 2 ounces mozzarella, 1/2 of the ziti, and 1/2 of the ricotta cheese mixture; repeat. Top with the remaining sauce and remaining mozzarella. Sprinkle the remaining oregano and the parsley on top. Cover and cook on LOW for 5-6 hours.

December 7-13, 2014

Sorry for the late post this week...the Christmas season and all its festivities has kept us a bit busy!  Thanks!  :-)


Sunday:  Easy Caramelized Baked Chicken, Roasted Butternut Squash & Green Beans, & Bread

Easy Caramelized Baked Chicken

  This recipe is from a blog called Eezy Recipes, and it most certainly fit that description!  I prepared the dish in about 5 minutes…that was it!  I did spoon over some of the sauce a few times while the chicken was cooking just to make sure the sauce stayed over the top of the chicken so it could get nice and caramelized.  It was delicious!  My kids loved it!

When the chicken had about 20 minutes left, I roasted some fresh green beans spritzed with olive oil and sprinkled with Season All alongside some cubed butternut squash that I had seasoned with a little olive oil, sage, salt, and pepper.  Yum!  Once the chicken was done, I turned the oven up to 425 degrees so the veggies would finish roasting at a higher temperature.

Monday:  Pizza Night 

  A quick meal before Callen and Payton's preschool Christmas program.  

Tuesday:  Ground Venison and Veggie Soft Tacos with Homemade Whole Wheat Tortillas

  I'm really taking advantage of having venison in our freezer from Chad's last hunting trip.  He ground some of the venison, and it cooks well for any recipe where you would normally use ground beef or turkey.  I love it because it has almost no fat, so I don't even have to drain off the grease after browning it!  I'll take organic, lean meat any day!  

  I sauteed some fresh, chopped spinach, carrots, onion and garlic in a pan with a little olive oil.  Once all of those veggies were soft, I browned the meat and added homemade taco seasoning (from One Good Thing By Jillee).  Once the meat was cooked through, I added some diced tomatoes.  I left all of that on warm while I made homemade, whole wheat tortillas (from The Lean Green Bean).  We topped ours with cheese, sour cream, and guacamole.

Wednesday:  Honey Garlic Pork Chops with Baked Spaghetti Squash with Garlic and Butter and Sauteed Zucchini

Honey Garlic Pork Chops

  These pork chops are simple and delicious!  Chad grilled them for me, so my job was even easier.  I marinated them for a few hours before grilling time.  

Baked Spaghetti Squash with Garlic and Butter

  A favorite way to eat spaghetti squash in our family!

Thursday:  Santa's Village with Grammy and DadDad!

Friday:  Christmas Party with Our Church Youth Group

Saturday:  Grilled Dove, Hunters Rice, Spinach Salad

  Chad took care of dinner for me!

November 30 - December 6, 2014

Sunday:  Dinner with Small Group

Monday:  Gumbo with White Rice

·          Chad made some amazing gumbo with some of our leftover turkey, duck, and sausage.  It was amazing!  I’m pretty lucky to have a guy who enjoys cooking (when he has time!).  Gumbo is an adaptable recipe because you can use a bit of whatever meats you have on hand.  Here’s Chad’s version:

Chad’s Conglomerate Gumbo

Total Time:3 hours
Prep: 15 min
Cook: 2 hr 45 min
Yield: 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients

4 duck breasts, spoonbills a good option

1 pound smoked sausage, cut into 1/4-inch slices

1 cup smoked turkey/chicken

Salt and pepper

Tony Chacheres

3 bay leaves
1/2 cup peanut oil
1 cup all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, chopped
8 cloves garlic minced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
3 stalks celery chopped
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
4 cups broth/stock
2 cups water (fill broth bag after emptying)
1 bag frozen sliced okra
4 green onions, sliced, white and green parts

Directions

Prep by chopping onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic (trinity) and set aside in a bowl.  Cut sausage into ¼ slices and set aside with duck breasts and shredded turkey/chicken.

Add small amount of oil to hot dutch oven type pot and sear the duck and sausage together for about 6-8 minutes.  Remove meat, set aside in a bowl, and proceed to roux.  To make roux, add the ½ cup oil to pot and let get hot over medium-high heat.  Sprinkle the flour over the oil, add 2 tablespoons of butter and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until rich brown, about 20-30 minutes.  Be patient, whisk constantly, and do not let burn.  If you don’t have time for this step, buy a jar of ready-made roux.

Add the remaining 3 tablespoons butter, along with the trinity mixture and cook for 10 minutes, stirring with wooden spoon until mixture well coated and onions start to wilt. Add Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper, Tony Chach to taste. Add 4 cups broth, 2 cups water, and bay leaves while whisking constantly. Add the chicken and sausage. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for one hour. Add okra. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes or until ready to serve.  Serve over steamed rice, top with green onions, and taste before adding hot sauce to preference.

Tuesday:  Pepperoni Rolls, Caesar Salad, & Fruit

·          I had a Christmas party, so before I left I made crescent pepperoni rolls for Chad and the kids.  Just cut a mozzarella stick in half, put inside a crescent triangle, add 4 pepperoni slices, and roll up.  Bake according to the crescent roll directions.  Easy and kid-friendly!

Wednesday:  Balsamic Flank Steak with Roasted Broccoli and Boiled Potatoes

Balsamic Flank Steak

·         Flank steak is an inexpensive cut of meat, but it needs to be seasoned and cooked well so that it’s tender and tasty enough to eat.  This recipe came from Pinterest, and we really enjoyed it!  For some reason the recipe isn’t showing up on the original site anymore, so I have it below from memory.  Chad actually grilled ours outside (instead of cooking it inside as the recipe suggests).  I actually only had ¼ cup of regular balsamic vinegar, so the other ¼ cup was blackberry balsamic vinegar.  I wasn’t totally sure how it would turn out, but it was delicious!  I marinated mine for about 7 hours.  The original recipe said to marinate it overnight.

½ cup balsamic vinegar

3 tablespoons Worcestershire

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon black pepper

¼ cup chopped parsley

*Stir all ingredients together and pour over a 1 - 1.5 pound flank steak.  Marinate and grill.

As sides, I roasted broccoli and boiled some small honey gold potatoes in a little water and butter.  I seasoned the potatoes with kosher salt and dried rosemary as they were cooking.  My mom used to make potatoes like this for my daddy.  J  The boys LOVED them!

Thursday:  Dinner at Mom’s

·          We had dinner at Mom’s, and she made a yummy taco pizza from Life In a Lofthouse!

Friday:  Dinner Out

Saturday:  Spinach Salad with Flank Steak, Feta, & Pears

Chad and the boys had a bowling and pizza night with the guys from church, so I made a salad for myself with the flank steak leftover from earlier in the week. Payton wasn't feeling well, so she had Cheerios and applesauce.