Menu Plan Monday - July 28th

Once again this past week didn't go as planned so some of the previous weeks meals will be for this week. I can't really complain, it just means less planning and shopping for me!

Here is what is on our menu this week:

Breakfasts:

• Muesli *w/some added spices and coconut & Toast

• Millet Muffins & Smoothies
  *substituting at least 1/2 the oil w/applesauce

• Nourishing Traditions Waffles

• Yogurt & Granola w/ Fresh Fruit

• Eggs & Toast

• Cold Cereal

Lunches:

• Egg Salad Wraps

• Peanut Butter and Jelly w/fresh fruit or veggies

• Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup

• Tuscan Penne Pasta Salad
  

• *leftovers*
  

Dinners:

• Buffalo Turkey Burgers w/ steamed red potatoes and celery sticks. (Rachael Ray's 365: No Repeats cookbook)

• Sloppy Lentils w/steamed veggies on the side
  

• Shepherds Pie & Fresh Fruit
  

• Crock Pot Indian Curry & brown rice
  

• Spicy & Tender Crock Pot Pork Chops w/ brown rice

** Thank you to Laura at Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday! **

Menu Plan Monday - July 21st

This week I am going to try a couple of new recipes just like last week! I am excited to try some more new recipes. Last week we enjoyed everything we tried, so we have some new 'keepers' :) I would definitely recommend the Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins (yum yum!), 5 Minute Southwest Salad (thanks to orgjunkie, this salad rocked and was SO fast and easy!) and the Citrus Fish w/ Couscous! The Chicken and Black Bean Quesadillas were great too, even without the chicken.

I made a mistake this past week that cost us. I had everything out and I was all ready to start dinner when Malachi called me and said we were invited to his parents house for dinner. So I put everything away (or so I thought.) On the way home from his parents house I had a vision of the chicken still in the sink. I was certain that I had put it away along with everything else. When we got home I found the chicken in the sink. :( I was SO mad at myself because the chicken was for 2 meals! I don't know where my mind was!

Anyway, here is our meal plan for this week!

Breakfast:

• Oatmeal w/ Fresh Fruit
• Cold Cereal
• Yogurt, Granola & Fresh Fruit
  
• Whole-Wheat Pancakes w/ Nutty Topping
  
• Smoothies & Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffin's from last week.

Lunch:

***Lunch is usually leftovers around here. If there aren't any leftovers we usually just have sandwiches, burritos, quesadillas, soups or salads...

Dinner:

• Pecan Crusted Chicken w/ Spinach Salad

• Very Veggie Slow Cooked Red Beans & Rice
  

• Sloppy Lentils w/ Steamed Veggies on the side
  

• Shepherd's Pie w/ Fresh Fruit on the side

• Pioneer Woman's Pasta Primavera w/ Whole Wheat Bread

**We didn't get to the Buffalo Turkey Burgers or the Honey Mustard Pasta last week so those will probably make there way into the menu this week as well.

For more menu ideas head on over to orgjunkie's Menu Plan Monday!

Menu Plan Monday - July 14th

Ever since Malachi and I were married I have been doing menu planning....well I guess I actually started my own personal menu plan back when I was living alone as well. Menu planning is such a great way to keep yourself organized and less stressed out during the week. It is nice to have a variety of different meals to choose from and not have to make so many trips to the store. It also helps to keep your meals within a budget and we all know that is important!

I try to base my menu off of what is on sale and what I already have on hand. I usually open up my cookbooks, or browse around online on Sunday or Monday with the grocery ads for the week in hand. First I try to find meals with ingredients that I already have. Then I see which meats/produce are on sale and build the rest of the menu from that. I also like to try and get a variety of different meats and produce for throughout the week with at least one meatless meal. (Usually not Malachi's favorite, hehe.) When I have decided on the meals for the week I bookmark any recipes I find online and organize them into a folder. For recipes I find in a cookbook/magazine I just bookmark the page and also write the page number down on my list of meals for the week.

I make my grocery list and break it down into categories that follow the layout of the store I am going to like dairy, meat, bread, produce, canned/bulk..etc. That way my list is organized and easy to follow when I am in the store. I also go through my coupon binder and pull any coupons that I have for items on my list and put them in the front of my binder for easy access.

Shopping off of a list helps me a lot. I really try to focus on what I already have on the list so that I do not buy things that I do not need, that is unless I find some sweet sale that I can't pass up and have coupons to go along with it. Of course I always make sure not to go over budget, hehe. *wink* Seriously though...I set an amount and try my hardest not to go over that amount. I feel really happy with myself when I get everything I need for less then my set amount. I usually skip out of the store with a big ol' grin when that happens, j/k.

Some weeks I seriously have know idea what I want to make. I don't like those weeks. A couple of months back I found orgjunkie. I wasn't even looking for menu planning ideas, I think I had googled something about organizing closests or something, but I was happy with what I found. Every Monday she hosts 'Menu Plan Monday'. I have been able to find some great menu ideas from everyone who posts there weekly menu plans there. It is very helpful, especially when you have the 'I don't know what to make this week' problem.

I decided that it was kind of rude of me to find such great ideas from other people and not post anything myself. So I am going to start sharing our weekly menu's here and participate in Menu Plan Monday. Share your menu too, maybe we can get some ideas from each other!



Here is what we will be feasting on this week:
*I don't assign meals to certain days. I like to keep it flexible. You just never know what mood your are gonna be in from day to day. ;)

Breakfast:

• Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins
• Oatmeal and Whole Wheat Toast
• Yogurt and Granola w/ Blueberries
  
• Cereal
• Eggs and Toast
• Smoothies
  

Lunch:
***Lunch is usually leftovers around here. If there aren't any leftovers we usually just have sandwiches, burritos, quesadillas, soups or salads...

Dinner:

• Citrus Fish with Bell Pepper Couscous with steamed zucchini and squash.

• Grilled Chicken & Black Bean Quesadillas w/fresh pineapple on the side.

• BBQ Beef Sandwiches and Pasta salad. (Fix it & Forget It cookbook)
  

• 5 Minute Southwest Salad w/whole wheat bread on the side.

• Ravioli Pasta Bake w/ tossed salad and whole wheat bread.

• Buffalo Turkey Burgers w/ steamed red potatoes and celery sticks. (Rachael Ray's 365: No Repeats cookbook)
  

• Honey Mustard Pasta w/fresh fruit and a tossed salad.

I had a few ideas but thanks to orgjunkie I was able to quickly find some other recipes to help me fill in the rest of the week. I thought the Honey Mustard Pasta, and the 5 Minute Southwest Salad sounded good and I got the recipe links from her!

For more menu ideas head on over to orgjunkie's Menu Plan Monday!

Teething Cookies for Baby

Deacon has been chewing on everything he can get his hands on right now. Poor little guy, his molars are on their way in. I happened to find a recipe at keeperofthehome.org for a healthy teething cookie so I just had to try it! Turns out baby D loves them!

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Teething Cookies for Baby

2 Tbsp honey (not suitable for babies under one year of age)
1 Tbsp molasses
2 Tbsp oil (Coconut oil or butter is recommended)
1 egg yolk, beaten
1/2 cup rice or millet flour
3/4 cup flour of your choice (spelt, wheat, kamut, barley)

Stir together the honey, molasses, oil and egg yolk. Mix the flours, and add to make a stiff dough. Since flours differ, if it is too thick, add a Tbsp of milk. If too soft, add a bit more rice or millet flour.

Roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into rectangles 1 x 1 1/2 inches. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 F until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes.

Makes 4 dozen cookies.

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I used a combination of brown rice flour and whole wheat flour along with coconut oil. I actually had to add about 4-5 tbsp's of milk to my mixture because the mixture was pretty crumbly and not forming into anything so you may have to do that. I rolled the dough out a little bit thicker than 1/4" so I baked them for about 25 minutes. I also didn't get 4 dozen cookies out of it since I rolled it thicker and I cut them a bit larger than 1 x 1 1/2".

I tried one myself and they are pretty hard but they mush/gum up nice. I thought maybe my little guy wouldn't like them. They are not very sweet at all, I would maybe even add 1 more tbsp of honey next time. That didn't seem to bother Deacon, he had 3 yesterday! He really liked them! I have to admit that made me feel kinda good, hehe.

In'N Out Secrets

I am really trying to eat healthy, but I have to admit I am a sucker for In'N Out Burger. After months of waiting we finally got one down the street from our house! Danger...danger. Hehe.

Well, I knew about a few of the 'secret menu items' - but I had not heard about them all, til today. Malachi found them, and I thought I would share.

**In-N-Out Burger has a secret unpublished menu for insiders who are In-The-Know. Next time you're there (tomorrow . . . or maybe tonight), order a bag of these off-the-menu specials:

"3-by-3" = three meat patties and three slices of cheese.***ooohh a triple decker!***

"4-by-4" = four meat patties and four slices of cheese. *Malachi loves this one!*

"2-by-4" = two meat patties and four slices of cheese.****got cheese?***

*Note: You can get a burger with as many meat patties or cheese slices as you want. Just tell the In-N-Out Burger cashier how many meat patties and how much cheese you want and that is what you'll get! For instance, if you want 6 pieces of meat and 10 pieces of cheese tell them you want a "6-by-10." ****Wow who has a mouth that can fit around a stack like that?****

"Double Meat" = like a Double Double without cheese.***No cheese, eh?****

"3 by Meat" = three meat patties and no cheese.***That's a lot of meat!****

"Animal Style" = the meat is cooked and fried with mustard and then pickles are added, extra spread and grilled onions are added. ****This one is MY FAVORITE! I get it almost every time I go, hehe*****

"Animal Style Fries" = fries with cheese, spread, grilled onions and pickles (if you ask for them). ***Yum, yum I always forget about this one.***

"Protein Style" = for all you low-carbohydrate dieters, this is a burger with no bun (wrapped in lettuce). ***This is what I should get ;)***

"Flying Dutchman" = two meat patties, two slices of melted cheese and nothing else - not even a bun! ***How do you eat this one? With a knife and fork? I don't want melted cheese all over my hands!***

Fries "Well-Done" = extra crispy fries . . . even better than the regular! ***That's what I'm talkin' about!****

Fries "Light" = opposite of fries well-done, more raw than most people like 'em ***No thanks!***

"Grilled Cheese" = no meat, just melted cheese, tomato, lettuce and spread on a bun. ***What?! No meat?***

"Veggie Burger" = burger without the patty or cheese. Sometimes we call this the "Wish Burger." ****Boring.****

"Neapolitan" Shake = strawberry, vanilla and chocolate blended together.***I think I will stick to a one flavor shake.***

The friendly employees of In-N-Out Burger will take your special order without question, if you use the right terminology. The printed receipt will have your special request typed on it just as we said it.

Try it!