February 14-20, 2016

Sunday:  Valentine’s Day Breakfast for Dinner <3

  We celebrated our Valentine’s Day together at home with the kids and also my mom.  We had cinnamon raisin French toast with berries, pure maple syrup, and powdered sugar, scrambled eggs, and bacon.  It was a perfect way to remind my people how much I love them!  J

Monday:  Dinner Out with Family

Tuesday:  Hot Dogs, Chips, & Spinach Salad with Mango

  Tuesday evening marked the beginning of Spring baseball for our family.  Callen is playing t-ball for the first time, and his first practice was this evening.  Chad just had ankle surgery the week before, so he wasn’t able to go.  But, he was able to stand long enough to grill some all-beef hot dogs from Costco for us.  When we arrived back home, I just added chips and an easy salad, and our meal at home was ready in no time!  Hot dogs may not be gourmet, but it did allow us to eat at home as a family rather than running through a drive through.  I’m not saying we will never eat out on Tuesday or Thursday nights after baseball practice…some weeks it will just happen!  But, I will try not to make in a habit, both for our health and also because we are on a cash system and eating out is a treat, not a regular occurrence.  J

  As a bonus, I will say that having mango on our salad meant that we didn’t even use any dressing!  The fresh mango was so sweet and juicy, it didn’t need anything else!

Wednesday:  Dinner with Small Group

Thursday:  One Pan Cheesy Smoked Sausage Pasta

One Pan Cheese Smoked Sausage Pasta

  Now for Ranger’s turn for baseball to start!  Chad still wasn’t able to go and stand for a full practice on his ankle, but we are fortunate that we live in the neighborhood with our good friends, one of whom happens to be Ranger’s baseball coach!  So, I took Ranger and his buddy to practice, and Brad was able to bring Ranger home after.  That meant I had time to cook dinner and have it ready when Ranger arrived home.

  As soon as I started cooking the sausage and onions, I knew this recipe would be a HIT!  Our house smelled SO AMAZING, and I couldn’t wait for dinner!  This is a one-pot meal, which is perfect for a busy night.  I also used veggie pasta, and while I realize it’s not as healthy for us as eating a big batch of fresh veggies, it sure made this dinner easy, and I’m happy it worked out this way.  I used all-beef, nitrate free sausage, but you could obviously use any sausage you prefer.  This dish could be altered to fit your family very easily.  We all cleaned our bowls on this one!  I liked this so much I went to Pinterest and followed Yellow Bliss Road just so I would remember to try more of her recipes in the future.  J

Friday:  Sliders, Sweet Potato Fries, & Salad

  Family movie night!  Little burgers are always a hit!

Saturday:  Venison & Veggie Tacos

  Our nephew, Davis, is staying with us for a few days, so I wanted to make sure I made yummy dinners he would also enjoy.  Tacos are always tasty, and using some the ground venison Chad has in our freezer also makes it really economical!  I always add in small (like really small), diced veggies to our taco meat…this time I added in zucchini and carrots.  Then, all you need to do is season it to your taste, and you are good to go!  I don’t even buy taco seasoning, as I always have on hand in the pantry all the spices that go into one of those little packets…minus anything they add in that there really isn’t any need to have.  J

  I warmed up some Tortilla Land flour tortillas (I buy them from CostCo, but I’ve seen them at Sprouts and Walmart in smaller packages….corn tortillas too!) on a skillet, and our dinner was ready!  For the kids, I folded theirs over like a quesadilla.  Since the tortilla and meat were hot, the cheese melted pretty easily.  Chad and Davis made soft tacos, and I made a taco salad.

  As a bonus, I intentionally made a double recipe so that we would have enough meat leftover for venison nachos after church on Sunday!  In only 20 minutes, I had our Sunday lunch ready to go simply by placing the meat on top of chips and topping that with shredded cheese and warming it all in the oven until the cheese was bubbly!  These nachos were a big hit with Chad and Davis….I kind of like cooking for a hungry teenager!  J

January 31 - February 6, 2016

Sunday:  Breakfast for Dinner!  Strawberry Waffles, Eggs, & Bacon

  Chad was still out of town (5^th night in a row!), and the kids and I had a busy day of church, a birthday party, and a little family time.  So, by the time we arrived back home and we all took our baths and showers, I knew I needed an easy dinner that would fill everyone up but not wear me out!  In our family, that meal is almost always breakfast. 

  Scrambled eggs and bacon are almost always part of the breakfast for dinner menu, but the carb portion changes a bit.  Since it was the last day of the month (I always go to the store on the first day of the month), our fresh fruit supply was pretty low, so I pureed some frozen strawberries that I had thawed a bit, and I added that puree to my waffle batter.  It made slightly pink, sweet waffles that we all really enjoyed!  I learned after the first waffle that I needed to spray my waffle iron since the sugar in the strawberries made them stick a bit.  We all loved these, and I made extra for the freezer for breakfasts during the week!

Monday:  One Skillet Chicken with Lemon Garlic Cream Sauce, Roasted Broccoli, & Brown Rice

One Skillet Chicken with Lemon Garlic Cream Sauce

  This recipe is from Little Spice Jar, which is a new blog for me.  As much as I enjoyed this recipe, I will be browsing around her blog for more!  I really enjoy the flavor of lemon with chicken, and making this cream sauce made it feel a bit more special.  Since Chad had been gone for 5 nights, and also because he was only home for 2 nights before leaving again, I wanted to make sure we had nice, homecooked meals together as a family.  This one felt fancy, but wasn’t really hard at all!  Payton even helped me get the broccoli ready for roasting.  J  This dish was also a super yummy leftover for my lunch the next day.

Tuesday:  Pioneer Woman Sour Cream Noodle Bake with Salad

Pioneer Woman Sour Cream Noodle Bake

  This pasta dish is super simple, and quite tasty.  I altered her recipe just a bit by using ground venison instead of beef and plain green yogurt instead of sour cream.  I also used whole wheat egg noodles.  No matter how you alter it, this dish takes no time at all to prep and put together.  I made enough to put an extra one in the freezer for an easy meal in the future. 

Wednesday:  Dinner with Small Group

Thursday:  Homemade Mini-Pizzas with Fresh Veggies & Fruit Salad

  I toasted some whole wheat bread and then cut the crusts off.  Then, I gave the kids some pizza sauce, cheese, and pepperonis and let them make their own mini-pizzas.  

I realize using toasted bread isn’t quite a pizza crust, but my kids didn’t seem to mind!  J  I had leftover pasta from the night before.

Friday:  Dinner out with Nonnie

Saturday:  Pizza & Movie Night with Friends

January 24-30, 2016

Sunday:  “10 Chicken” with Steamed Butter & Parmesan Potatoes & Green Beans

“10 Chicken”

  This chicken marinade is so simple, yummy, and fast!  All you need is soy sauce, Italian dressing, and garlic powder.  Mix up the amounts…sorry I don’t have exact measurements…and pour over whatever chicken your family prefers.  We used boneless chicken breasts because that’s what I had on hand.  Then marinate a few hours or all day and grill.  That’s it!  This marinade is also a good one to prep, pour over chicken, and freeze.  Then you can thaw it out and grill it, or you can just throw it all frozen in a crock pot and cook on low all day.  J  (A big thanks to my cousin Britney for this family fave!)

  I served ours with fresh green beans that I steamed and then added a little butter, salt, and pepper before eating and also some steamed new potatoes.  For the potatoes I added a little butter…okay…maybe it was more than a little butter…freshly grated parmesan, and some homemade Ranch.  These potatoes were AH-MAZING!  I wouldn’t say they were a healthy side dish, but they were so delish, Chad and I didn’t care one bit.  ;-)

Monday:  Turkey Meatballs with Roasted Broccoli & Carrots

Turkey Meatballs

  This dinner was a bit thrown together as we had a little unplanned adventure in our afternoon.  Callen had a small accident on his bike, so we had to spend some time at the pediatrician’s office to have his head glued back together.  So, on the way home I grabbed Chick-fil-a for the kids because they were hungry.  Happy kids, happy mommy.  J  Then, while they ate, I made some meatballs with ground turkey I had in the fridge so that Chad and I could have dinner after he arrived home later that evening.  I added oats and an egg and then some salt and spices to the meatballs, brushed on a little BBQ sauce, then baked them in a foil-lined baking pan for about 40 minutes at 375.  I tossed some broccoli and baby carrots on another baking sheet and roasted those for 20 minutes or so.  Chad and I had a yummy dinner while the kids enjoyed cookies and milk.  What a day!

Tuesday:  Ranger’s Birthday Dinner!

  We always let our kids decide what’s for dinner on their birthdays.  I am happy to cook, or they may choose for us to go out.  Ranger chose SmashBurger!  Happy 7^th birthday to my sweet guy!

Wednesday:  Chicken & Cheese Quesadillas

  Chad was gone on a business trip, so the rest of the week was filled with kid-friendly fare.  I had some “10 Chicken” leftover and diced up in the fridge from Sunday night and had been having it on my salads for lunch.  I used some of it to make simple quesadillas for dinner.  I served ours with fresh fruits and veggies, and everyone was happy.  It’s so nice to have some already cooked chicken or beef around for quick meals!

Thursday:  Dinner Out

  Ranger had some birthday money he wanted to spend at the Lego Store, so off to the mall we went.  As a bonus, I let the kids pick dinner from the food court.  J

Friday:  Movie Night & Sleepover at Nonnie’s

  Since Chad was still out of town, the kids and I went and had a sleepover at my mom’s house.  She made us dinner.  Yay!

Saturday:  Chicken & Cheese Tortilla Roll-ups

  I’ve mentioned before what a fan I am of the uncooked tortillas from Tortilla Land that I buy at Costco.  They also sell them at Walmart, and I’ve just discovered they have corn as well!  They are so nice to have on hand because you can have fresh, hot tortillas in just a few minutes.  Plus, the ingredient list is super simple, short, and preservative free! 

  I had some nitrate-free deli chicken and cheese in the fridge and used them both to make little rollups for the kids.  The tortillas were just warm enough that the cheese melted a little bit and helped them “stick” together.  The kids thought these were really fun.  I also added fresh fruits and veggies to their plates, and a few chips too!  I made more than we would eat so that the kids could have more for lunch after church on Sunday.

  Sunday Lunch:

    Easy peasey!

January 17-23, 2016

Sunday:  Sausage Gravy with Biscuits & Eggs

  Sometimes, you just need comfort food.  J  I don’t often make gravy, but this one turned out pretty tasty.  I used turkey sausage, and it was just right.  I also whipped up some biscuits using Bisquick. 

Monday:  Grilled Duck with Rice & Broccoli

  Chad offered to grill, and I always take him up on that offer!  He marinated some duck (from one of his hunts) in soy sauce with olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic.  I roasted broccoli inside and also made some brown rice.

Tuesday:  Hawaiian Chicken with Whole Wheat Pasta, Pesto, & Tomatoes & Roasted Green Beans

  I had some Hawaiian Chicken already cooked and diced in the freezer from making a big batch a few weeks ago.  I thawed some of it and then warmed it on the stove.  While the chicken was warming, I boiled some whole wheat spiral pasta.  Then I tossed the pasta with a little pesto sauce and diced tomatoes.  This was a super simple, healthy meal that came together in no time.

Wednesday:  Dinner with Small Group

Thursday:  Ground Chicken & Venison & Veggie Tacos with Homemade Whole Wheat Tortillas

Ground Chicken & Venison & Veggie Tacos

  This is a wonderful meal that can use any ground meat and any veggies you have on hand.  Just cook your meat and then add your small, diced veggies (I used zucchini and carrots that I diced up really small in my mini food processor).  If I have tomatoes on hand (which I did), I add those at the end as well.  I season mine with salt, pepper, and taco seasoning.  This meat is so wonderful on tacos, quesadillas, nachos, salads, or even with pasta sauce.  So, I decided to use both ground chicken and ground venison and make a double batch so that we would have some leftover for meals during the week and also some to toss in the freezer to add to a meal later on.

Homemade Whole Wheat Tortillas

  I haven’t made these in a while, but we enjoy them!  They aren’t going to be exactly like a regular tortilla since they are made with whole wheat.  But, they are a little thicker and chewier, which we kind of like for a change. 

Friday:  Quesadillas for Us, Pizza for the Kids

  Hooray for family movie night!  I bought some little frozen pizzas for the kids, and then Chad and I had quesadillas with the meat and veggies I made the night before. 

Saturday:  Ranger’s Birthday Cookout!

  We had a few friends and family over for a cookout to celebrate Ranger’s upcoming 7^th birthday!

January 10-16, 2016

Sunday:  Lunch – Leftover White Chicken Chili

                 Dinner – Chicken Tenders, Roasted Broccoli, Macaroni & Cheese

  For lunch after church, we had chili leftover from the night before (see last week’s menu).  For dinner that night, Chad and I had a date night with friends, so our niece Addy came to stay with our kids.  I baked some chicken tenders, roasted broccoli, and made macaroni & cheese for the kids’ fun night with one of their favorite people  J

Monday:  Stir Fry

  A very simply, healthy, and quick meal is stir fry.  I almost always have some sort of cooked, shredded chicken in my freezer (either from a rotisserie chicken or diced from grilling when we’ve prepared more than we needed to eat).  Having cooked chicken in the freezer can make a meal come together very quickly.  I set it out a few hours before dinner to thaw a bit. 

  When I was ready to cook, I warmed a little avocado oil in a skillet on the stove and then tossed in the chicken to reheat it.  When the chicken was warmed through, I scooted it around the sides and tossed in some frozen stir fry veggies and cooked those.  I added in soy sauce and a little rice vinegar I had.  Then I seasoned it with salt and pepper to taste.  I added a small amount of Sriracha sauce, but not much so it wouldn’t be too spicy for the kids.  (Chad and I always add more to our portions when we dish it out.) While all that was cooking, I made brown rice in my rice cooker.  That’s all!  Dinner was ready in no time at all, and it included our protein, veggies, and whole grains.

Tuesday:  Turkey, Cheese, Pear, & Blackberry Preserve Paninis with Kale Salad & Fruit

  Chad was out of town, and my mom was over for dinner.  The kids and I had been gone all afternoon for various activities, so I needed to make us a quick, kid-friendly dinner.  Adding thin-sliced pears and a little layer of blackberry preserves makes an ordinary grilled cheese just a little bit more special.  J

Wednesday:  Chad’s Venison Chili Frito Pie

  We hosted small group, so Chad wanted to make venison chili for our group.  Chili is a great way to feed a large group of people!  I added a fresh veggie tray with hummus and some mini corn dogs for the non-chili-eating kids.

Thursday:  Chicken & Waffle Skewers with Eggs

  Just a little change on chicken!  My kids love eating food off of a stick!  We had done a good job on our fruits and veggies during the day, so I didn’t even add any to our dinner.  I made the chicken nuggets myself and whole wheat waffles, and even that didn’t require much work on my part.  But, this meal could be thrown together completely homemade or with frozen chicken and waffles.  Whatever works for you!

Friday:  Pizza Night with Nonnie!

  The kids stayed the night with my mom so Chad and I could go to dinner with the other adults from our small group.  J

Saturday:  Honey BBQ Turkey Meatloaf with Carrot & Zucchini Sauté

  This is a family fave that we haven’t had in a while!  It comes together so quickly, and we all enjoy it.  I usually top the kids’ portion with a little ketchup rather than the spicier BBQ sauce.  I sautéed diced zucchini and carrots in a little olive oil with pepper and season salt to round out our meal.  There was also enough meatloaf leftover for Chad and I to have for lunch after church the next day.  But, my kids are small, so if you have more kids, older kids, or bigger eaters, you will likely go through the whole meatloaf.  You might even make two! 

Honey Barbecue Meatloaf

1 – 1.25 lb lean ground turkey

2/3 cup oatmeal (old fashioned or instant is fine)

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard

1/2 cup smoky barbecue sauce, divided

2 tablespoons honey, divided

1 egg

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, use your hands to mix together the ground turkey, oatmeal, 1 tablespoon of the Worcestershire sauce, the spicy brown mustard, 1/4 cup of the barbecue sauce, 1 tablespoon honey, egg, salt, and black pepper.

Shape the mixture into a long, thick log and place in an oiled baking dish. Be careful not to pack the meat too tightly or you’ll end up with a very dense, tough loaf.

In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 1/4 cup barbecue sauce, 1 tablespoon honey, and 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce. Spread half of this mixture evenly all over the meatloaf. Reserve the other half for serving.

Bake for 45 minutes. Slice and drizzle with reserved honey barbecue sauce.

January 1-9, 2016

Friday:  Girls Dinner with Mom

  Chad and the boys were hunting, so Payton and I went and had a New Year’s dinner with my mom.  J

Saturday:  Venison Pasta with Salad & Bread

Venison Pasta

  Chad has brought home deer meat for us this fall and winter, and I love it!  Venison is such a lean, versatile meat, and ground venison can be used just like ground beef, chicken, or turkey in just about any recipe.  I browned a pound of it and added in a can of crushed tomatoes and several different herbs and spices.  (Really…sorry that’s not exact, but I just grabbed a few things like garlic salt, pepper, Italian seasonings, red pepper, and eyeballed it to our tastes. J)  I boiled some pasta and added salad and whole wheat garlic bread, and dinner was ready!

Sunday:  Lunch – Leftover Pasta / Dinner – Balsamic Flank Steak with Baked Garlic Butter Spaghetti Squash & Roasted Green Beans

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.

Baked Garlic Butter Spaghetti Squash

  We love spaghetti squash this way!  If you haven’t ever tried spaghetti squash, this is great first recipe.  It takes a lot like macaroni and cheese, I think.  I added some fresh cherry tomatoes to ours this time.  (Recipe courtesy of Steamy Kitchen)

Monday:  Breakfast for Dinner – Whole Wheat French Toast, Scrambled Eggs, Bacon & Berries

  I can’t believe how much French toast my kids ate!  They love it!  I mean, let's be honest.  Other than the "whole wheat" part, French toast is basically dessert. J

Tuesday:  Dinner at Mom’s

Wednesday:  Pizza with Small Group

  We were the host family this week, so I took the easy route and went to Walmart and picked up pizzas from their deli.  I also served fresh fruits and veggies.

Thursday:  Hawaiian Grilled Chicken with Coconut Rice & Roasted Broccoli

Hawaiian Grilled Chicken

·  My friend, Sharon, shared this recipe from The Girl Who Ate Everything last year.  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.  This chicken is wonderful in any other recipe…pasta, pizza, salads, quesadillas…anything!

Friday:  Cheeseburger Sliders, Roasted Sweet Potatoes, & Salad

The kids love this meal for family movie night!  I love that they can have cheeseburgers…one of their faves (especially Ranger!), but having burgers at home means I can have healthier sides that really don’t take much time at all.  Once you’ve peeled and diced your sweet potatoes and tossed them with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper, they only take 20-25 minutes at 425 degrees.  Stir them around a time or two during roasting.

Saturday:  5 Ingredient White Chicken Chili

5 Ingredient White Chicken Chili

Yummy, simple, easy.  I topped ours with avocado, tortilla chips, and shredded cheese.  It really hit the spot on a cold day.  Plus, we can have the leftovers for a simple, warm lunch after church on Sunday.  (http://www.gimmesomeoven.com)

Getting Back Into the Swing of Things in the New Year...

We so enjoyed our Christmas season, but now life is settling back into our normal routine.  I have our menu all planned out for the next 2 weeks, and Payton and I went grocery shopping yesterday.  There should be a full weekly menu posted next week!

Happy New Year!