Menu Plan Monday – Sick Kid Edition

This is going to be quick. Little Dude is sick – nasty cough, high fever. It got so bad that we went to the ER over the weekend. It’s viral they say – which translates to we’re not sure what it is.

So we’ve spent the weekend doing the nebulizer, tubbys and lots of cuddling. Which didn’t leave me any time to coupon and grocery shop. So we’re eating what we have in the house this week.

Breakfasts: baked oatmeal, eggs, cold cereal or frozen waffles

Lunches: cold cuts, left overs, salad, tuna

Snacks: pop corn, celery & carrots with hummus, yogurt, graham crackers, apples, cheese sticks, oranges (check out this pic – LOL!)

Dinners: I’m turning to my freezer to help this week. Plus a little help from my friends Betty Crocker and Campbells!

• Sunday: Hubby made “Meat Turtles” – cheeseburgers wrapped in bacon, then hot dogs used for the head, tail and legs. I call it MEAT OVERLOAD – but hey, Little Dude ate most of his and when he’s sick I’ll give him anything he wants! (all meats were already in our freezer)
• Monday: Bisquick Ham, Spinach & Swiss Strata (left over ham from the freezer)
• Toddler Tuesday: choice of chicken nuggets or fish sticks, mac & cheese and mixed veggies
• Wednesday: Creamy Pesto Chicken and homemade bread (yep – chicken is from the freezer)
• Thursday: breakfast for dinner or left overs (hoping for pancakes – need to restock the freezer supply!)
• Friday: Pea Soup (from the freezer) and grilled cheese on homemade bread
• Saturday: Slow Cooker Pot Roast (the pot roast has been in my freezer)

Now I’m going back to cuddling my sick little boy. What’s on your menu this week? Need ideas? visit OrgJunkie.com for tons of links for Menu Plan Monday!

PS: The giveaway for Free Banquet Family Entree or Meal is open until midnight tonight – head over and enter now!

Menu Plan Monday

Last week my meal plan got a little messed-up. Why did I plan to make dinner on Friday when it was our 10th anniversary? We had reservations! DUH!

Anyway, this week’s plan is very similar to last weeks:

Breakfasts:
baked oatmeal, eggs, cold cereal or frozen waffles

Lunches:
cold cuts, left overs

Snacks:
pop corn, celery & carrots with hummus, yogurt, graham crackers, apples, cheese sticks

Dinners:
Sunday: Shepherd’s Pie
Monday: Chicken & Gravy Heaven
Toddler Tuesday: choice of ham steak or chicken nuggets
Wednesday: dinner at my Mom’s house
Thursday: breakfast for dinner (pancakes & bacon)
Friday: Weeknight Ravioli Lasagna
Saturday: Broiled Citrus Salmon

So what’cha got on your menu this week?

As always, I’m linking to Laura’s Menu Plan Monday.

Menu Plan Monday

Not much going on this week except that I have a ton of work I’d like to get done. So I tried to create a meal plan that would keep me out of the kitchen as much as possible!

Breakfasts:
baked oatmeal, eggs, cold cereal or frozen waffles

Lunches:
cold cuts, left overs

Snacks:
pop corn, celery & carrots with hummus, yogurt, graham crackers, apples, cheese sticks

Dinners:
Sunday: dinner at my Mother-in-law’s
Monday: fried chicken
Toddler Tuesday: choice of ham steak or tuna casserole
Wednesday: Ground Beef Stroganoff
Thursday: breakfast for dinner (probably scrambled eggs)
Friday: Chicken & Gravy Heaven
Saturday: Grilled cheese & tomato soup

So what’cha got on your menu this week?

Menu Plan Monday: 24 Reasons to Gather Around the Dinner Table

How often does your family have dinner together? If you’re like most families nowadays, the answer is probably, “Not very often.”

It’s understandable. Modern families are busy. Both parents work and sometimes get home at different times. Children have activities to go to, and Mom’s got to drive them all over the place. Really, who’s got the time and energy to even cook dinner every single night?

You, that’s who! Eating together is good for you and your family. So you better make time and find the energy to make home-cooked meals and sit down and eat together more often.

Researchers have found many benefits to home-cooked meals. Watch this video to learn about some of them. In my own experience, though, there are many more. Here are 24 reasons I have found to share family meals more often:

1. Families who eat together eat healthier, because home-cooked food is healthier than fast food.

2. Family meals allow busy families to catch up with each other.

3. Young children learn a lot of verbal skills just by eating with their family members.

4. It gives everyone a chance to unwind after a busy day.

5. Having family meals more often forces you to end your working day and other obligations in time for dinner.

6. Home cooked meals are not only healthier, they’re also cheaper than takeout food or eating out.

7. Eating together forces everybody to tell stories.

8. Cooking at home motivates you to be creative with your meal planning and cooking.

9. Children can get involved in cooking meals.

10. Cooking and eating together creates happy childhood memories.

11. Eating together is an opportunity to explore different cuisines.

12. Eating with your family is more fun than eating in front of the television (or the computer).

13. Eating together gives parents a chance to talk about current events from their point of view, injecting their personal values without giving a lecture.

14. Eating together helps family members bond and get to know each other better.

15. You’ll be surprised what your kids reveal when you’re in a relaxed environment, such as a family meal.

16. Kids are less likely to roll their eyes when you reminisce and tell stories from your childhood while eating a meal together.

17. Family meals can be good teaching moments, even for small children. My toddler learned how to count by counting after-meal treats on his high chair.

18. Eating together is a good opportunity to teach and model good manners.

19. Family meals give a good transition from work or school to home life.

20. Family meals are also good times to share music together.

21. Family meals teach everyone valuable life skills, such as sharing and taking turns.

22. Stopping and sitting down to a meal gives everyone a chance to quiet down and regroup.

23. Family meals provide an additional occasion for family members to pray together.

24. Eating home is more eco-friendly than eating out or ordering food – less waste!

If you think having family meals is too much work, don’t despair. You can get help for everything from meal planning to putting your weekly grocery shopping list together. Check out Dine Without Whine for kid-tested, quick recipes that will help you put together family meals with less effort. Dine Without Whine’s weekly shopping lists will also help you get food shopping done much faster, and even save money on groceries.

As you can see from the list above, the extra time and effort you spend to have family meals more often are worthwhile.

PS: I posted more about Dine Without Whine here.

Menu Plan Monday – A Reminder Of It’s Benefits

I was going to post my menu plan for the week as usual – but I came down with a migraine that knocked me on off my feet. Literally. I spent the day in the silence of my bedroom, eyes covered with frozen bags of veggies and a window open even though it’s 33 degrees here.

But I didn’t stress about my boys. Our routines are written out, so Hubby was able to take over Little Dude’s needs. Plus, because I meal plan, I had the chicken for dinner already thawed.  All I had to do was tell Hubby what recipe to pull from my binder.

Meal planning is a tool I used for my sanity! Each day I’m (mostly) sane at dinner time because I’m prepared – whether I’m the one cooking or not.

Menu Plan Monday

I’ve made a change to my meal plan each week. I now have a new “theme day” – but before I tell you what that is, I want to share with you the story behind this change.

Last Thursday, Hubby worked late. Because he works overnight, he got home around 2pm. He was beat, so went to lay down and nap for a while. In the meantime, I prepared a delicious dinner (If I do say so myself).

Come 4:30, I send Little Dude upstairs to wake up Hubby and tell him dinner is ready. The table is set – my delicious dinner is ready to be eaten – and we all sit down.

“I’m not at all hungry. We had sandwiches delivered for our staff meeting and I ate too much” Hubby informs me.

Are you kidding me? You couldn’t have mentioned this before I went through the trouble of making dinner? Did it occur to you that I could have done something else with my time instead of slaving over the stove?

This may seem like I’m being dramatic, but it’s not the first time this has happened. Hubby works a bit late every Thursday because of his staff meeting. And recently, a few time he just wasn’t in the mood for dinner.

So from now on, I’m going to save myself the trouble. Thursday’s are now going to be “Breakfast For Dinner”. Hubby is not a big fan, whereas Little Dude and I could live on breakfast foods – particularly scrambled eggs. Now if I get “I’m not hungry” from Hubby, who cares – go fend for yourself. Little Dude and I are having breakfast.

And now for this week’s menu. I have the standards in stock for breakfasts, lunches and snacks. For dinners I’ve planned the following:

• Sunday: Football Food (chicken wings, sweet potato fries and fried green beans – yum!)
• Monday: Ham and baked sweet potatoes
• Toddler Tuesday: Little Dude can choose from fish sticks, grilled cheese or pizza
• Wednesday: Sweet & Sour Chicken
• Thursday: Breakfast For Dinner – probably eggs and bacon (so I can make extra bacon for Friday)
• Friday: Bacon Cheese Burgers
• Saturday: Angel Pasta Chicken

So this week’s tip: plan your menus around the schedule of you and your family. If you know a particular day of the week is not conducive to making a full dinner, make it breakfast for dinner day!

PS: As always I’m linking to Laura @ OrgJunkie.com and participating in Menu Plan Monday. Head on over for some great meal planning ideas and recipes!

Menu Plan Monday

Hubby and I were super busy today clearing out clutter (more on that later on this week) so I almost forgot to post my meal plan for this week!

I’m semi-joining the Eating From The Pantry challenge from The Menu Mom. To be honest I’ve been so busy with house work recently that I didn’t make the time to really take an inventory of my pantry and freezer, So I just made this week’s menu from my memory (eek!). I plan on making time this week to really dig through my stock pile of foods to try the challenge!

And don’t forget, I’m cooking without an oven. (Yes I know, we really should do something about that!)

Anyway, here’s this week’s meal plan.

Breakfasts this week can be scrambled eggs, oatmeal, cold cereal, waffles, or muffins.
Lunches this week can be chicken nuggets, cold cuts, left overs or good old fashioned PB&J.
Plus we have cheese sticks, carrots, celery, crackers, raisins, and hummus for snacking. I have fruit cups, but I really needs to get out and pick-up some fresh fruits and veggies!

After all the rich foods over the holidays, dinners this week are very basic. And I’m looking forward to it!

• Monday: Spaghetti and meat sauce
• Tuesday: Toddler Tuesday – he can pick from ham steak, fish sticks or grilled cheese & soup.
• Wednesday: Chinese chicken stirfry
• Thursday: Beef stew (from the freezer) and dumplings
• Friday: We’re ordering pizza – whoot whoot! (It’s been a while…)
• Saturday: BBQ Chicken (fingers crossed that the weather hold’s up and let’s us use the grill)
• Sunday: Baked ziti (from the freezer) and hopefully I’ll have an oven to make garlic bread.

As usual, I’m linking to my friend Laura’s Menu Plan Monday – take a peek cause she has over 400 participants this week! And I’m linking to Christine The Menu Mom’s challenge too.

Menu Plan Monday – With No Oven!

Remember when I blogged about hoping my harvest-gold oven would be the next appliance to die? Well my wish came true – at the worst time possible! Last Wednesday, right in the middle of baking Christmas cookies my oven decided to quit. The stove top works, and the broiler works, but the oven doesn’t regulate the temperature. It’s either off or 500 degrees – not good for baking!

Side Note: Just before she died, she baked 6 dozen snickerdoodles PERFECTLY. So at least she went out with a bang! I finished my Christmas baking at my Mom’s – it’s a good thing I only live about a mile from her.

So while Hubby and I decide what to do about replacing old “Goldie”, I’m trying to meal plan without using my oven. TRICKY!

• MONDAY: Popcorn Shrimp and Veggies (Hubby got a Fry Daddy for Christmas so we get to try it out on dinner!)
• TUESDAY: Toddler Tuesday – Little Dude can choose from grilled cheese & soup, bacon & eggs or Hamburger Helper
• WEDNESDAY: No Cooking – we’ll be out with family
• THURSDAY: Hors d’ourves (see below)
• FRIDAY: Slow Cooker Garlic Chicken & veggies
• SATURDAY: Split Pea and Ham Soup and home-made bread (left-over ham bone from Christmas dinner put to good use!)
• SUNDAY: Pasta and Meatballs with home-made bread (pulling some sauce and meatballs from the freezer)

Each New Year’s Eve we have hors d’ourves for dinner. Since I’m cooking sans oven, I’m rethinking the appetizers to cook. Maybe we’ll take advantage of the Fry Daddy again and fry some chicken wings. I can make a nice cheese fondue and some home-made bread and veggies to sip. OOh, and I’ve wanted to try making a dip a dip in my slow cooker – maybe artichoke?

I’m sure that soups, slow cooker, or skillet meals will get old fast. Hopefully our decision process won’t take too long. But more on that in another post.

So If you have any suggestions on what to make for dinner without using an oven, I’d love to hear from you!

Free Thanksgiving Cookbook

Related: More Free Cookbooks To Download

Tips for Saving Time and Money in the Grocery Store

As a kid grocery shopping looked like fun. As the parent, it is a chore that many of us could do without. Here are a few tips to save you both time and money on your next excursion to the grocery store. You might just change your mind about the experience after trying one or two.

First, why do people dislike going to the grocery store? You probably don’t like the long checkout lines or the time it takes to go up and down every aisle to find what you are looking for. Or, it could be the high cost of food and other grocery items these days.

Now, examine the following tips in light of what bugs you about the grocery store:

1. Clip coupons. This point can’t be stressed enough. Using money-saving coupons on the items that you use most is free money. Some grocery stores routinely double or triple coupons. (You can print coupons from SmartSource, RedPlum and Coupons.com here)

2. Create a grocery list from your meal menu. Meal planning saves money at the grocery store because you start with a list that encompasses everything you will need for all meals that week. Only pick up those items. With a list, you can target what you want and get out of the store fast.

3. Visit the grocery store early in the morning. This works for stay-at-home moms. Everyone else is at work so you will have the place pretty much to yourself. Many trucks deliver supplies to the grocery stores in the morning. You’ll be the first to get the freshest cuts of meat and the best produce.

4. Know your store. The biggest pet peeve has to do with the need to shop every aisle to find something. Choose a grocery store that has all of the food and qualities you like in a supermarket. On your grocery list, put the number of the aisle next to the item. Now, you won’t skip over the bread on aisle two while looking for the green beans which are on aisle four.

5. Stock up on common staples. Since you plan your meals every week, you know which items are needed most. When shopping, it’s okay to buy those items in bulk so that it cuts down on weekly shopping bills. For instance, if peanut butter is a lunch menu item most of the time, buy a lot when the peanut butter is on sale to save money.

6. Leave the kids home. Grocery shopping can be chore on it’s own. There is no need to add onto it keeping an eye on the kids. Plus the distractions! My bonus of shopping alone: I use this time to catch-up on podcasts and take my iPod along.

These tips make you want to run to the grocery store right now don’t they? Start with one and eventually use all five to shop like a pro.

All The Best-

PS: Do you need help meal planning? Here’s a how-to-guide to get started.

How to Get Your Toddler to Eat More Vegetables

“Yuck! I hate vege-bles!” you hear your toddler – or preschooler – say. Before you know it, the tug of war over how to get your toddler to eat more vegetables has begun. You’re determined you’re going to win this time, but things don’t look promising.

You may be pulling your hair out as you try to get your child to eat more than peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or macaroni and cheese. Try these six tips on how to improve your child’s opinion of vegetables.

* Let them pick what vegetable to have with dinner. Since starting “Toddler Tuesday” in my meal plans, I let my Little Dude (now 4 years old) pick what we’re having for dinner. Because it’s was picked by him and made just for him, he eats every bite.

* Make eating vegetables fun. If you cut them up into smaller pieces that don’t seem too big to eat, they may be more willing to give them a try. Make broccoli  into “little trees” or cut celery into “little boats”. Little Dude will eat carrots  as long as we call them “bunny snacks” and let them hop to his mouth. I can also get him to eat avacado, but you don’t want to know what we call that!

* Let them help in the kitchen. Of course, you’re not going to give your toddler a sharp knife and ask them to cut up vegetables, but you can still get their help. Get out your hand masher and let them mash either white or sweet potatoes. You can even add some milk, butter and cheese to cauliflower to mash them. I let my Little Dude put the veggies into a bowl, then into the microwave. Then after I set the time, he presses the start button. Because he “helped”, he eats it up!

* Make a deal to get them to try anything and respect their taste. We tell Little Dude that if he tries it, and doesn’t like it, he can have something else (like corn or peas from the freezer to easily heat up in the microwave). Sometimes they need a little coaxing to try something new. And sometimes, you need to get them to try something new 4 or 5 times before they actually like it.

* Add some cheese. I learned this trick with Hubby! Seriously, anything I add cheese to gets gobbled up. You can either melt some shredded cheese onto your veggie or use cheddar cheese soup to entice a picky eater.

* Sneak a veggie (or two) into a smoothie. The only way I can get Little Dude to digest any amount of  spinach is to include it with pineapple in a smoothie. The sweetness of the pineapple hides the flavor and he loves the “yucky” green color.

Your child may not want to eat their vegetables, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get them to eat them with some clever thinking and a little bit of ingenuity. You may not like being sneaky when getting your toddler to eat more vegetables, but if you want them to be healthy it might not seem like such a bad idea.

I’m so excited to learn that Horizon now has yogurt with fruits AND VEGETABLES in it for kids. Since he already loves yogurt, I’m sure banana and sweet potato or strawberry and carrot yogurt will be a hit. You can find out more information and sign up for a coupon at www.LittleBlends.com.

And to help spread the word about www.LittleBlends.com, Twitter Moms is hosting a blogging contest. You can get the details and participate at the Twitter Moms forum.

Menu Plan Monday

I don’t have my usual menu plan done for the week. We were away for a long weekend visiting family, so I’m a little behind. But that’s OK – I always have back-up in the freezer! Maybe some zucchini lasagna or tuna casserole.

So I’ll share some tips instead of my weekly plan.

Menu Planning Tips for Busy Moms

Dinner is the last meal of the day and a time when families can get together and discuss their day. It is also a hectic meal for busy moms who are just getting off of work or who have been busy with other activities all day. If you are a busy mom or you know a busy mom, here are some menu planning tips to help make dinner meals easy and even fun.

1.    Schedule your meals a week in advance.  This is one of the most important planning tips for meals. Knowing what you are going to eat throughout the week means less chance that you will stop off at the closest fast food joint for a convenient, but unhealthy meal. Decide on the last day of the previous week (let’s say Saturday for the sake of argument) what the menu will be for the following week. Create your shopping list from the list of ingredients to avoid buying what you don’t need at the grocery store.

2.    Look for bargains. Clip coupons, read advertising circulars and the like to decide where the best grocery to shop is for your menu items. If one ingredient is a common denominator in many meals, consider buying in bulk to save money. Common staples like milk, eggs, bread and sugar can be bought in bulk as well. Some stores will have double or triple coupon days when you can save even more.

3.    Search online. After a while your family will get tired of chicken and rice every Thursday. You can get into a menu rut sometimes. Use the Internet to search for new and exciting recipes. Learn to put a twist on old recipes for a new taste. (Did you know I have a growing database of recipes?)

4.    Have a leftover night. After preparing meals for five or six days, there is bound to be some food left over. Designate one night to be leftover night and let everyone mix and match for dinner. It saves mom from having to throw away any food.

5.    Cook your meals in advance. After deciding on a menu plan for the week, go ahead and fix as many meals as you can. Choose a day when the entire family can help like Saturday morning or Sunday afternoon. Each person can take one meal and fix it for the following week. Once everything has cooled, store it in sealed containers or casserole dishes to be frozen until the night it is needed.

6.    Do prep work in advance. All of the meals can’t be cooked at once. Some foods just taste better freshly prepared. For them, so as much prep work in advance as you can. Enlist your kids to help chop (give them the kitchen shears instead) vegetables, dice cooked meat and mix together dry ingredients. The night of the meal, all that is needed is to add the wet ingredients and bake.

Meal time doesn’t have to be all on mom. The entire family can help with dinner so it is a relaxing meal for everyone. My Little Dude loves to “help”. And I’ve talked before about Hubby’s meatballs and sauce. At dinner time my kitchen is full – and it’s fun! We prep, cook, eat and clean-up together.

If you need help with planning your menus, here’s a step-by-step guide!

Next Page »