September 2016

 *Ok...getting back into the habit after taking a summer off has been harder than I anticipated!  Yeesh!  But, we are feeling settled into our new home, and our homeschool life has fallen into a nice, flexible rhythm.  I do plan on posting weekly as I always have, but September just flew by for me, so here is the full month.  There is nothing gourmet or super special here.  We have baseball practice and games for 2 boys, Chad plays softball on Monday nights, we have small group on Tuesday, and Payton is playing soccer.  But, here is my attempt to have us eating at home and mostly healthy as much as we can.

So...welcome back everyone!  The kitchen is open...

Sunday, August 28 - Saturday, September 3
Sunday lunch:  Slow Cooker Pot Roast with Carrots, Potatoes, & Salad
Sunday dinner:  Breakfast
Monday:  Sandwich night
Tuesday:  Dinner at Nonnie's
Wednesday:  Chicken Enchiladas
Thursday:  Orzo with Sausage, Peppers, & Tomatoes with Salad
Friday:  Grilled Cheeseburgers & Family Movie Night
Saturday:  Date Night (Pizza for the kids)

Sunday, September 4 - Saturday, September 10
Sunday:  Chicken, Corn, & Black Beans with Salsa (Crockpot)
Monday:  Labor Day - leftovers!
Tuesday:  Pasta with Roasted Broccoli
Wednesday:  Hot Dogs with Fresh Veggies & Fruit
Thursday:  Venison Chili (Callen's Favorite for his 6th Birthday!!)
Friday:  Chili Dogs with Salad & Fruit (using all the leftovers!!)
Saturday:  Mommy OUT...Daddy & Kids - Pizza  :-)

Sunday, September 11 - Saturday, September 17
Sunday:  Grilled Venison Tenderloin, Mashed Potatoes, Macaroni & Cheese, & Salad
Monday:  Sandwiches
Tuesday:  Crockpot Chicken Ranch Tacos (Chicken, Ranch Seasoning, Chicken Broth, Pesto - cooked on low in crock pot for 6-8 hours)
Wednesday:  Meatballs with Veggie Pasta & Roasted Broccoli

Thursday:  Dinner at a Birthday Party
Friday:  Date Night with Friends (Kids with Nonnie)
Saturday:  My Birthday!!  Dinner Out!!

Sunday, September 18 - Saturday, September 24
Sunday:  Breakfast for Dinner
Monday:  Basil & Butter Salmon (from Costco in the prepared foods), Salad & Bread
Tuesday:  Tacos/Quesadillas

Wednesday:  Dinner at Nonnie's
Thursday:  Rotisserie Chicken with Fresh Veggies & Fruit
Friday:  Pizza & Movie Night
Saturday:  Leftovers

Sunday, September 25 - Friday, September 30
Sunday lunch: Tortilla Crusted Tilapia (Costco) with Salad

Sunday dinner:  Grilled Venison, Roasted Broccoli, & Apple Slices

Monday:  6 Sisters Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas, Garlic Butter Brown Rice, & Fresh Veggies

Tuesday:  Dinner Out
Wednesday:  Hot Dogs with Chips & Fresh Fruit
Thursday:  Grilled "10 Chicken" with Kale & Brussels Sprouts Salad & Bread
Friday:  Fried  Fish, Pioneer Woman's "Crash" Potatoes, Salad & Bread

Summer Break Time

  Hi friends!  Summer time is family fun time, traveling time, camp time, and for us this year, MOVING time!  So, I'll be taking a little break from regular menu posts for a while.  But, once the dust settles from the move, I'll be back with new and regular menus!!

Have a wonderful summer!!

May 29 - June 4, 2016

Sunday:  Veggie Pasta with Rotisserie Chicken & Homemade Marinara, Roasted Broccoli, & Bread

  *  We had been out of town for 4 days, so for dinner that night, I pulled out a quart-sized bag of homemade marinara and rotisserie chicken from the freezer.  Then I boiled some veggie pasta, roasted some broccoli, and made some garlic bread, and dinner was all set!

Monday:  Memorial Day Cook Out

Tuesday:  Leftover Night

Wednesday:  Dinner Out to Celebrate My Mom's Retirement!!

Thursday:  Crockpot Salsa Verde Honey Lime Chicken Tacos

Crockpot Salsa Verde Honey Lime Chicken Tacos
  This is a flavorful, simple crockpot recipe that can be used for nachos, tacos, salads, or just alone!  It makes quite a bit, so it's good for a crowd, or for freezing some for later.  :-)  (Recipe courtesy of A Latte Food)

Friday:  Graduation Dinner with Family to Celebrate Our Niece, Addy

Saturday:  Cheeseburgers with Roasted Sweet Potatoes & Fresh Pineapple
  *  Perfect for dinner on the porch!  I even made us all special juice drinks with orange pineapple juice and fresh fruit...the kids thought this was pretty special.

May 15-21, 2016

Another weird week of being in and out of our house...

Sunday:  Family Day for Our Niece's Graduation
Monday:  Turkey & Cheese Kabobs with Fruit & Veggies
Tuesday:  Dinner Out Before Callen's Baseball Game
Wednesday:  Hot Dogs, Parmesan Zucchini Chips, & Strawberries

Thursday:  Chicken & Veggie & Cheese Quesadillas with Roasted Broccoli

Friday:  Burgers, Fries, & Fruit - We were home, Chad was home, so we grilled!
Saturday:  Dinner Out for Chad's Birthday

The Last Few Weeks!

  Life has been a little crazy around our house the past few weeks, and this little blog has been very neglected.  We found a new house, and are currently trying to sell ours...yikes!  

  We have eaten at home some, but nothing new.  Everything we've had is either super simple, or a recipe already listed on the blog.  So, I've just listed our meals without adding details.  Check the links to find recipes! 

April 24-30, 2016

Sunday: Jamie's Baked Pasta
Monday:  Leftovers
Tuesday:  "10 Chicken" with Sweet Potatoes & Spinach Salad
Wednesday:  Picnic at the Park with Small Group
Thursday:  Breakfast Crescents with Sausage, Egg, & Cheese
Friday:  Homemade Pizza with Pioneer Woman Pizza Dough & Movie Night
Saturday:  Rotisserie Chicken & Roasted Veggies


May 1-7, 2016

Sunday:  Pizza
Monday:  Grilled Sausage, Baked Beans, & Fresh Bell Peppers
Tuesday:  Chicken Nuggets with Roasted Carrots & Broccoli
Wednesday:  Garlic Butter Quinoa & Shrimp
Thursday:  Dinner Out for Payton's 4th Birthday!
Friday:  Pizza & Movie Night
Saturday:  Leftovers


May 8-14, 2016

Sunday:  Mother's Day
Monday:  Crispy Beef Tacos with Rice & Beans
Tuesday:  Chicken Nuggets with Veggies & Fruit
Wednesday:  Grilled Cheeses & Fruit
Thursday:  Breakfast for Dinner
Friday:  Pizza & Movie Night
Saturday:  Dinner Out

April 17-23, 2016

Sunday:  Leftovers

  We had 1.5 sick kids, so it was basically leftover day to clean out the fridge and also because we were just trying to feed everyone what they would actually eat.  J

Monday:  Ground Turkey & Veggie Tacos (Meredith’s Tacos!)

Such an easy dinner that can have as many veggies as you’d like and also use any ground meat you have on hand!

 -  Ground Chicken  (1-2 pounds depending on how many people you are serving or whether or not you want leftovers)

-   Finely chopped/diced veggies of your choice (I used 1 zucchini, 3 big carrots, & 2-3 big handfuls of spinach.  I use my mini food processor to chop everything really small.)

-   1 Can Rotel or Petite Diced Tomatoes, drained

-   Taco Seasoning  (I use a homemade recipe from One Good Thing by Jillee)

-   Olive Oil

-   Minced Garlic

Heat olive oil in a large pan, then add garlic and cook it just a minute or two.  Then add your veggies and cook until they start to soften…about 10 minutes.  Yum!!  Look at all those colors!!

Pour the veggies in another bowl and set aside.  Using the same pan, cook the chicken with olive oil until no longer pink.  Drain chicken if necessary. Add back in your cooked, diced veggies, Rotel, & taco seasoning.  Mix it all together until everything is heated through.  

Season with salt or garlic salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with tortillas or chips of your choice.  We used corn and flour tortillas and topped them with some shredded cheese and sour cream.  I always make quesadillas for the kids so it’s not such a mess.  

This ground chicken is delicious and healthy and very easy to freeze and have on hand for other meals.  I always make more than we need because it’s such a good leftover and great to freeze.

Tuesday:  Slow Cooker Pork Chops with Creamy Herb Sauce, Brown Rice, & Roasted Broccoli

Slow Cooker Pork Chops with Creamy Herb Sauce

  I had some pork chops in the freezer that I needed to use, and I also had all of the other ingredients for this recipe from Slow Cooker Gourmet on hand.  I love it when that happens!  These are very easy, and also some of the most tender pork chops we’ve ever had!  Ranger asked if it was chicken, and the way the pork chops flaked away easily with a fork, Chad thought it was fish!  This pork was also great as leftovers for me for a few days with a salad for lunch.

Wednesday:  Beef Burger Sliders, Roasted New Potatoes, & Green Beans

  So random, but we stayed home on Wednesday night because of kids just not being completely well, and Chad was home (but was about to leave and be gone through the weekend), so I had him grill burgers while I roasted veggies inside.  The kids were THRILLED with Daddy’s burgers on a Wednesday night!

Thursday:  Dinner at Nonnie’s

Friday:  Dinner with Friends

  All of the hubbies were out of town, so all the moms gathered together and let the kids eat and watch a movie while we talked.  What a fun night!

Saturday:  Dinner with Friends

  Again…no hubbies, but lots of baseball!  So, several of us took the kids to Braums for burgers and ice cream.  J

April 10-16, 2016

Sunday:  One Pan Cheesy Smoked Sausage Pasta

One Pan Cheesy Smoked Sausage Pasta

  This one from Yellow Bliss Road has become a family favorite, and it’s so easy!  J

Monday:  Scrambled Eggs, Grilled Dove, Fruit, & Whole Wheat Oatmeal Banana Bread

  Chad was in Tulsa for work, so the kids and I made breakfast for dinner.  Chad had grilled some dove for lunch after church on Sunday, so we had the leftover dove with our eggs, fruit, and some homemade, whole wheat banana bread.  This recipe from Baked By Rachel is my favorite!

Whole Wheat Oatmeal Banana Bread

A healthier banana bread recipe, using whole wheat flour and old fashioned oatmeal!

Ingredients:

• 1/2C applesauce
• 1/2C granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2C bananas, mashed
• 1C white whole wheat flour
• 1C all purpose flour
• 1C old fashioned oats
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tp salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In a medium bowl, combine wet ingredients. In a second medium bowl, combine dry ingredients. Slowly mix dry mixture into the wet. Whisk until ingredients are fully incorporated and no streaks remain. Pour batter into a 9x5-inch loaf pan. Lightly sprinkle with additional oats if desired. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until center is set. Cool completely before slicing. Store in an airtight container. Serve with your favorite jams and spreads.

Tuesday:  Grilled Cheese with Fresh Fruit and Veggies

  I mean, it was National Grilled Cheese Day for crying out loud!  What else would I have made?  J

Wednesday:  Fish Tacos, Brown Rice, & Fruit

  We had a quick, easy dinner before heading to our small group.  I made some Tortilla Crusted Tilapia from Costco and warmed some Tortilla Land tortillas for a simple meal of fish tacos.

Thursday:  Dinner Out

Friday:  Dinner with Nonnie!

Saturday:  Pizza Night

  Chad had been gone for a few nights, and he wasn’t coming home until close to bedtime on this evening.  We had 2 baseball games in the afternoon, so I called Dominos and let them make dinner for us!  We brought our pizza home and had our dinner on the back porch.  Everyone was happy!