Menu Monday

Ok so we are in serious countdown til the move. Less than 3 weeks and soo much still to finalize and pack. I have come to the realization that you cannot in fact pack a three level home, keep it in "show condition", and avoid moving boxes constantly. All while the garage is off limits because it holds all the goodies for the yard sale. Yeah not possible.

Anyways I have been thinking about my off hand comment about laying out a month of meals and how ridiculous that would be for me to follow.
I figured though that I could make a 2 week menu based on the food prices I happen upon on paydays. This may help me to reduce my trips to the store to twice a month if I can plan it right. So here's the list...

Breakfast:
Buckwheat Pancakes
Blueberry Muffins (trying a gluten free mix cross you fingers)
Breakfast Rissoto (breakfast in the crock pot? Why yes I think I will!)
Slow Cooker Breakfast Casserole
Yogurt and Fruit
Sorghum Muffin Recipe
Oatmeal
Eggs
Pumpkin Scones
Granola and Almond Milk (our compromise on cereal)

Lunch:
Leftovers, Salad

Dinner:
Split Pea Soup
Ham and Veggies
Bean and Kale Scramble
Eggs in a Nest
Crock Pot White Chili
Pesto Spaghetti Squash Lasagna
Sweet Potato Chili
Moroccan Lentil Soup
Honey Lentils
Broccoli Casserole
Chickpea Balls and Marinara over rice (or quinoa)
Asparagus Quiche

As you can see I fully intend to give my crock pot a workout over the next few weeks. I really see this as my only method of survival. I haven't been able to make up extra meals like I would have liked to due to budget constraints and time constraints. Fortunately I have a FAB church family and one lady there has offered to cook us a meal for our move in night so that's one less thing on my list of "to plan for's".
And although I was really scared and overwhelmed at first I *think* I may have planned the next 2 weeks gluten free! I sure hope I feel some differences. Don't forget to head on over to Org Junkie to see what's cooking elsewhere!

Menu Monday

Monday Monday Monday!!
This week I am slightly more enthused about planning. Only slightly though. I'm seriously contemplating working out a month of meals and that be the staple to go by.
Who am I kidding?
I could never stick with that!
LOL

This week's Breakfasts are a little all over the place as we are trying to incorporate a different grain each day. I'm still working on it, but right now rice pudding is for breakfast for Monday, and porridge on Friday.... the rest will come.

Lunch will be leftovers as I have yet to commit to making a loaf of bread since deciding I needed to try a gluten free option.

Dinner is where all the planning has taken place...
Quinoa and Balsamic Mushrooms
Butternut Squash Risotto
Black Bean Enchiladas
Turkey and Veggies (Our Passover Celebration meal)
Turkey Fajitas (because there will be leftovers and I got my Wildtree Fajita Spice this week)
Black Beans and Corn bread.
I will be making the tortillas with Sorghum Flour or Spelt so they will be gluten free as well.
I'm still on the fence as to going totally gluten free but am working on at least a variety of flours at the moment.
As I mentioned before I did get a variety of spices from a Wildtree party I attended, so I'm working on experimenting with those as well. Hopefully their website will prove helpful in finding new and yummy ideas for dinner!

Menu Monday

image: shutterstock

This week, my heart's just not in the planning of it all. With all the craziness and other things I need to plan for, nourishment for my family should really be top priority. It is, I just wish I could pass the baton this week.

To be honest I only have dinners planned, which is probably going to be a real issue this week since my family likes to eat more than once a day. But we will make do.

This is what we will be eating.
Mexican Cornmeal Pie (did not make it to the table last week)
Baked Beans in Tomato Sauce
Chicken Strips and asparagus
Chickpea Pot pie (not the freezer one, gona make another one)
Friday we have a cookout to attend so THEY get to cook. Yippee!!
Spinach Calzone
Sunday I think is going to be a leftovers kind of day.

What are you eating? How do you avoid menu planning fatigue?

Menu Monday-

So last week I was lamenting over the rut we have found ourselves in as the seasons are changing. Once I linked up with Org Junkie I noticed that there was another veggie entry so I checked her blog out and found this wonderful site called Veggie Num Num! Go look at it! Super tasty looking stuff!

Ok, On to the week...

Breakfasts:
Pancakes, Yogurt and granola, Omlet sandwiches, oatmeal

Lunch:
Leftovers, tuna and crackers, salads, sandwiches

Dinner:
Indian Lentil Pilaf
Stuffed Peppers
Spaghetti Squash and Marinara
Spicy Potato with Barley and Lentils
Mexican Cornmeal Pie
Spanish Chickpea Balls
One night (probably wed) will be a leftover/get your own night to help keep the fridge under control.

Some of these recipes are new so I'm not 100% on how my family will react to them, Keep your fingers crossed!

Menu Monday

As we are trying to eat more within the seasons I have come to recognize those "in between" times where the stores of last years harvest are all but depleted as are the ideas on how to revamp them. Warm soups are comforting but their constant appearance leaves even the most supportive eagerly eyeing the delivery man and secretly wishing he would just make a mistake one time and deliver here instead.
It doesn't help that our little seedlings are sprouting so quickly, teasing us with the ideas of fresh salads, juicy tomatoes, and mouth watering melons....

These were my thoughts while compiling my family's menu this week. As I browse the grocery store and see the prices of produce continue to climb it is VERY tempting to just "buy the box". But I have made a promise to my family to do all I can to keep us healthy. So I again search and search for new (and hopefully loved) or less used recipes to nourish my family for another week.
Here is what I have come up with.

Breakfasts:
Muffins, Pancakes, Oatmeal, French Toast

Lunch: Leftovers, Sandwiches, Salad, Tuna

Dinner:
Ham and Spinach Calzone
Macaroni Minestrone Soup (a la' Jakob)
Quinoa with Balsamic Roasted Mushrooms
Black Bean and Rice Burgers
Split Pea Soup
Broccoli Cheese and Rice Casserole
Indian Lentil Pilaf

Freezer Meals:
I added Butternut Squash Soup to the freezer this week. I have no clue what to add this week, and am sure that will all depend on the veggie deals I find at the store on Friday.

Don't forget to head over to Org Junkie to see what everyone else is eatin'!

Menu Planning Monday.

Since I started posting my menus for the week I have noticed the areas in which I was just not doing what I should. Like snacks. I know my kids (and I) need snacks but I never plan for them which often times leads to poor choices or whining over lack of choice. I'm trying to get better. It's hard with so much else going on to add one more thing to my plate. But, I like this being prepared and somewhat organized momma here lately, so I will work through this until it becomes second nature. And with that here's our week.

Breakfast:
Granola and Yogurt
Pancakes
Oatmeal
Egg-wiches
Cornmeal muffins
(Jakob has found a recipe book he likes at the library so we are in the process of deciding on those recipes for the remaining days)

Lunch:
Leftovers
Sandwiches
Soup and Salad

Dinner:
Hummus and Veggies with Ciabatta (sp?) bread
Black Bean enchiladas
Barley and Mushrooms with white beans
Greek spinach and Feta Pie
Indian Lentil pilaf
Black Beans and Rice Burgers
Ham and veggies

I am still working on freezer meals which will cut down my cooking during the move. My aim is to just work one in a week from now until the move so that I have at least a week's worth ready to go. So far I have
Chickpea Pot Pie
Potato Soup
Pinto Beans for burritos
Black Beans for soup or enchiladas
(we use dry beans so having them cooked an in the freezer still counts as preparation)

Snacks:Fruit, popcorn, veggie sticks, and hopefully granola bars

What are YOU eating this week? And don't forget to head over to Org Junkie to see what everyone else is up to.

Menu Planning Monday- The week of St. Paddy's

There's a Holiday this week so of course I feel compelled to cook especially for it. I will get to the rest of the week's menu in a Moment, but first here is what I have planned for Thursday:
Breakfast: Green Scones- The green will come from a little blended spinach and they will be filled with jam.
Am Snack- Celery Sticks with P-nut Butter
Lunch- Broccoli Casserole
PM Snack- Food from local St. Paddy Fair
Dinner- Corned Beef and Cabbage
Yay! So yummy and so good for you.. well I'm sure we won't choose too terribly at the Fair and the Corned Beef does have a lot of Salt, but I am really excited to celebrate all things green!

Now for the rest of the week-
Breakfast-
Oatmeal, pancakes, Zucchini Muffins, Eggs, English Muffins and Jam, Bagels with Cream Cheese
Lunch- Sandwiches, Tomato Soup, Leftovers, Spinach Pizza
Dinner- Sweet Potato Risotto, French Toast (By request), Stuffed Bell Peppers, Moroccan Tangine (sans chicken), Mushroom Stroganoff, Black Bean Enchiladas.

I am trying to find some easy and healthy doubling recipes so that I can stock my freezer and eat from that during out moving out period. Anyone have any suggestions?
For other ideas on what to feed your family this week visit Org Junkie for her Monday Menu link up!

Fairy Tale Feasts Does it again!

Remember my porridge post? Oh we have had so much fun finding stories to read and even stories to make up just to "justify" having porridge for breakfast.
Its been loads of fun!
Lunch has been a different story. Lunch for me is the hardest part of the day. Its still an awkward transition between activities with Hazel and Jakob finishing up his written work. Most times I find myself just heating up leftovers for me and a peanut butter sandwich for the kids.
Out of pure desperation and boredom of how lame lunch had become I grabbed Fairy Tale Feasts and looked to see if they offered anything quick for lunch. (Because quick IS the requirement for lunch as Momma is usually more than ready for quiet time afterwards)
And there it was...
the Story?
The Magic Cave
the meal?
Goat Cheese Sandwiches
umm... YUM!!!
I had to tweak the recipe a little as no one who is home during the day in my house likes tomatoes or cucumbers, but cheese and bread and balsamic vinegar? What's not to love?
I had a package of buns collecting freezer burn in the icebox so they became the canvas for this masterpiece. Add in the cheese that the kids made the other week, some basil flakes and a salad and lunch suddenly became this Event!

I could barely get through the story. I was ready to EAT! And the kids loved it and even saved Daddy a slice to go with his painted cookies when he got home from work.
It was simple and quick, but it truly was heavenly.

Tonight we had "Seaweed" Stuffed Shells to go along with our story of "The Little Mermaid".
The seaweed was actually spinach, but the kids didn't care, it was too yummy to even think about it.
I'm excited to see if I can plug in any more recipes and stories before we have to turn the book back in to the Library. Tomorrow's lunch looks like maybe a little Brer Rabbit and some Carrot Soup. I'm so excited! Hope Hazel's on board too!

Menu Monday

Wow he's a happy little feller isn't he?

In an attempt to be a little more organized and thoughtful about my food I am participating in Menu Monday with Orgjunkie
I won't set things for a specific day but I will have the list of whats on the menu so that we have a plan and can be flexible.

Breakfasts:
Granola and Yogurt
Porridge 3 ways- Oatmeal Porridge, Barley porridge, and MAYBE even Quinoa Porridge!!
Oatmeal and Wheat Pancakes- With a special treat I picked up from the Farmer's Market
Scrambled Eggs- Eggs and Cheese for the Kids, Spinach Egg and Cheese for Momma

Lunches:
Mainly here we do leftovers and sandwiches, salads, and the occasionaly hummus and veggie platter. I am thinking I need more structure here but right now that's what we are going with.

Dinner:
Spinach Stuffed Shells
French Onion Soup
Chickpea Pot Pie
Bean Burritos
Minestrone Soup(ish)
Butternut Squash and Cheese Ravioli
Dear God Please let there be a Leftover day in there somewhere!

Snacks:
Fruit- Apples and Oranges are in the house right now, cheese sticks, and popcorn... and of course whatever we cook during our school day.

I'm still cultivating Recipes from different books that fit my new nutritional needs, but I have to find something other than soups soon or my family may revolt!

Because Porridge sounds more magical than oatmeal.....

Mornings are an issue here.
Each child has their signature "thing" that can try Momma's patience.
One doesn't like to get dressed, brush her hair, or eat an entire meal at the table the other likes to engross himself in endless chatter of video games, Lego creations, and antagonizing the dog.
Add in that Momma is desperately trying to keep a cheerful look on the day while combating 30 years of NOT being a morning person and it can get dicey.
I mentioned before that I had started setting up a little morning activity things like drawing, playing with playdough, or a quick card stamping fun usually gets them to the table and entertained while I make breakfast. Add in the new rule of, "You don't dress, you don't eat" and life seems to be moving in the right direction.
Until I foolishly ask, "What would you like for breakfast?"
Let's just say we rarely all agree... at the "both same time".
(That's a Hazelism for those who don't know us)

I decided to take away the "choices" and just cook, but I was still left with a scowl and a little girl who must get up in between bites to twirl in the kitchen. (and sometimes sneak off to her room to play)
Then I found this adorable book at the Library called Fairy Tale Feasts. Its basically a cookbook who's recipes compliment various Fairy Tales. And since both my kids LOVE to be read to, eating the breakfast that matches up with the story (while sitting in our chair the whole time) is totally achievable.
We have had French Toast to go with French Fairy Tales and Pancakes to compliment "The Runaway Pancake", but the one that still has the highest rating so far is...
Porridge.
Yes porridge is just a fancy word for oatmeal, but call it Porridge and my kids eyes light up like I am giving them free reign in Wonka's Chocolate Factory!
And although there is only one story in this anthology dedicated to Porridge I'm sure I can dig out a few others to keep the magic alive.
Here's to little houses nestled in the woods and children who eat all their
porridge..