I’ve been trying to stick to my menu more - but sometimes Joshua changes it. 🤣. Not really! Our schedule changes it sometimes though!
Friday - Sesame pork loin, souper rice, corn and biscuits
Saturday - dinner at my moms
Sunday - there’s a pot luck at church
Monday - shepherds pie (thanks to my mom)
Tuesday - Crescent Roll pot pie
Wednesday - a frozen meal
Thursday - Tacos!
Spring time is blooming! We always joke here that we get the last snow on April 27th - and that is true many years - but this year doesn't seem like the norm so I am doubting we will see anymore . . .even just a light dusting! Things are quieting down around here again, which is good, as we are pushing through to finish up school over the next few weeks. Nate is trying to finish by mid-May and Josh is aiming for the end of May. I still have to cook though so here is the plan for the coming week:
Friday - Chick-Fil-A Nuggets and Fries
Saturday - Joshua and Nate have a youth activity so Darryl and I are going on a date.
Sunday - Roast, Potatoes, and carrots in the crock pot.
Monday - Beef and Pasta Soup with yeast rolls
Tuesday - tacos and Salad
Wednesday - Leftover Soup and crescent rolls
Thursday - Chicken Alfredo and Garlic Bread
After a super busy week last week, I'm looking forward to a much quieter week this week. I did a lot of running around last week with kids due to Nate having state testing but it was also enjoyable as I got to enjoy two afternoons "in town". For as much running around I do to lessons and youth group, I seldom leave our general area. Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with that or just being home - but it sure is a nice treat to have an afternoon out (and by myself since Nate was testing!)
Anyway, here is the plan for the coming week:
Friday: It's fun food Friday (maybe that should be a thing HA!). Crescent wrapped smokies, stuffed mushrooms, and chili cheese dip.
Saturday - Dinner at my mom's
Sunday - Pork Loin in the crock pot, baked potatoes, green beans, and yeast rolls.
Monday - Tacos.
Tuesday - I have a ladies night out with my Sunday School Class so I'm going to use left over pork loin to make pulled pork and serve that with Mac and Cheese.
Wednesday - Two options for Darryl and I - leftover tacos or pulled pork OR there is leftover soup in the freezer from a few weeks ago.
Thursday - Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes, Corn, and crescent rolls.
We are going to hit the ground running this week after a great week off. This is our last SUPER busy week for awhile which is good. We are nearing the end of school and I want to keep the momentum going so we can be done no later than the end of May. I'll add some info to our days with the menu
Friday - This is the last day of spring break. We are planning to go to a Library Trivia Event in the afternoon. The plan for dinner is a French Dip Sandwiches and French Fries.
Saturday - Dinner at my Father-in-laws (but brunch with my mom!)
Sunday - Slow Cooker Zuppa Tuscana and French bread. I really love to have meals ready when we get home from church.
Monday - It's Eclipse Day! We are meeting up with others from our Co-Op at the airport viewing area as Grand Rapids is almost in the line of totality - it should get pretty dark. Nate also has TKD once we get home so I'll just plan some thing easy like Pot Pies for Darryl and Josh and cereal for Nate and I :-)
Tuesday - Nate has state testing all afternoon. Plus Josh has drums. So to keep it simple, I'm pulling spaghetti sauce out of the freezer and we are having spaghetti!
Wednesday - Nate's second day of state testing. They guys will have youth group too. Soup and biscuits - easy peasy during a super busy week.
Thursday - I think there is nothing today! (Well lots of school work!). My plan is to put a pork loin in the oven to cook slowly (and make the house smell amazing). I think I'll put baked potatoes/sweet potatoes in the crock pot and cook up some green beans. Yum!
Well, here we are at the end of March AND Easter. Time is sure flying! This next week we are on Spring Break which is really a nice break from school. I hoping to have a few things to do - like meeting up with friends one day and seeing a moving another day - but also time at home because we are all ready for "do nothing days." Personally, I have a lot of scrapbooking time penciled into my plan for the week. We still need to eat though so here is the plan:
Friday - This is a new recipe - Cheese Tortellini with Sausage in the crock pot. It sounds super good - we will see how it turns out HA!
Saturday - Dinner at my mom's house.
Sunday - it is EASTER! This year I am hosting. I'm planning Ham, Cheesy Potatoes, Green Beans, 7-layered salad, and some dessert. :-)
Monday - The best thing about cooking a big holiday dinner is all of the Leftovers!!! So tonight is leftover night :-)
Tuesday - One of my favorites - Scalloped potatoes and Ham. I like to diced up a lot of ham and add it to my potatoes and then also serve ham as the protein.
Wednesday - My guys have youth group this week - the teens voted and the leaders agreed so they are still gathering. Darryl and I will have a frozen dinner (We are finding that Birds Eye has some good complete meals and they run about $5.00 a bag so that's a cheap meal!)
Thursday - I'm going to finish up using ham (the rest will go in the freezer to use later) and Corn Chowder. This is another recipe that's been on my "try list". It sounds amazing so we will see if it is a keeper!
We have an impending snowstorm coming in. It will be interesting to see how it plays out. Here’s the plan for the coming week
Friday- Meatballs and Mac and Cheese
Saturday - dinner at my moms
Sunday - Joshua, Nate, and I are attending a program for a friend of theirs that is kind of a dinner theater. Darryl will get to treat himself in the way home from church.
Monday - pot Pies
Tuesday - Tacos for my guys while I have dinner with my Sunday School class.
Wednesday - lasagna and bread sticks
Thursday - spaghetti carbonara and French bread
We had a great week - it was a little quiet so we got a lot of school done yet we still had plenty going on! We have been having amazing weather (I'm little concerned we are in for an extremely hot summer) . . .I wouldn't mind one more snow storm . . .or even a snow flurry or two . .. but even my Michigan heart is doubting we will get anything. (Haters don't hate me LOL) This next week includes one of my favorite holidays and that is St. Patrick's Day. I just find it fun with zero pressure - just fun food, maybe some hidden candy by the "Leprechaun" but no gifts or expectations! Here's the plan for the coming week (and it is actually an "easy" cooking week!)
Friday - Presentation Night for our Co-op. We serve snacks/appetizers so we will just eat there and get cereal at home afterwards if we are still hungry. Joshua, Nate, and I have to be there all afternoon for set up so it is a long afternoon/evening but so much fun!
Saturday - Dinner at my mom's. It has been a few weeks so it will be nice to be back around her table!
Sunday - St. Patrick's Day! We will have our annual feast of Stuffed Cabbage, Crash Potatoes, and Jell-O Salad. I also have an Apple Pie because, well, I read that the traditional dessert of the Irish for St. Paddy's day is . . .. yep, Apple Pie!
Monday - Thanks to my mom, I have a Shephard's Pie in my freezer that I plan to cook up for an easy dinner. We eat in shifts as Nate has TKD and he and I are usually walking out the door while Darryl is walking in the door!
Tuesday - Good Old Fashioned Spaghetti :-) I have some leftover meat sauce from my Spaghetti Pie last week that I am going to add to in order to keep it a simple dinner. Some frozen garlic bread to add to the meal is always good.
Wednesday - Soup and Biscuits for Darryl and I while the guys are at youth group.
Thursday - It's been awhile but Joshua and Nate will be volunteering and serving at the Community Dinner our church helps with every few months so I will eat there when I pick them up. I'm not sure what I will have for Darryl yet. Pot pies are great because they cook for an hour so I can put it in the over when I leave and he can take it out once he gets home :-)
Like I said, it is a pretty easy cooking week. Oh, and did I say that I love my fridge? HA! I'm still figuring out storage on the fridge side as technically I lost a whole shelf and a whole long drawer so I am missing space but I'm slowly getting things in places that work well. Surprisingly I like the tall freezer - it makes it nice to have everything easy to see instead of all down in two freezer drawers. So, pros and cons but, the most important thing?? It keeps everything COLD!!!
We have a fridge!!! It is pretty and better yet, it keeps our food cold!! While we do kind of miss the ice cooler it is nice being able to actually see what we have in the fridge instead of guessing what cooler something was in on any given day. I really have no complaints though - it wasn't "hard" to live out of coolers which are really just little refrigerators. My meal planning is a little more creative now though since it everything is in one place AND I don't need to grocery shop 2-3 times a week due to space. Here's the plan for the coming week.
Friday - my guys are hanging out with some friends so Darryl and I may just eat leftovers.
Saturday- I’m heading out to a ladies activity so I’m leaving BBQ cups and fries for my guys.
Sunday - a rare treat - dinner out after church
Monday - chicken tacos and chips and salsa
Tuesday - Tuscan chicken pasta and garlic bread
Wednesday- Pot Pies and Salad
Thursday - it’s “pi” day so we will have some pies - A Spaghetti Pie, Stuffed Mushroom "pies" (well, the caps look like a pie!) and ….. a pie 🤣
Enjoy your week!
Can you believe it is March?? I cannot! We had a lot of fun with my brother, Ken, in town last week but now it is time to get back to planning meals a little bit more and we are anxiously awaiting our new fridge! The cooler life is getting even older HA! It will be nice to be able to open a door and see what I have on hand instead of looking through coolers 1, 2, and 3 :-) At the writing of this - we are still waiting for our fridge to ship to the store so it could easily be another week or even two before we have it but that's ok - the coolers really do work well.
Here's the plan for the coming week
Friday - I am going out to dinner with a long time friend (last minute plan!) but there will be BBQ pulled chicken in the crock pot for sliders as well as mac and cheese and chips for the guys.
Saturday - For Darryl's birthday I gave him a "day out" and today is the day - we are going out as a family for dinner and then to a concert.
Sunday - Swedish meatballs in the crock pot with noodles, zucchini, and crescent rolls
Monday - Broccoli Cheese Soup, Biscuits, and Ham
Tuesday - Roast in crock pot, noodles, and green beans
Wednesday - Pot Pies and Salad
Thursday - Tacos for my guys - my mom and I are going to hear one of our favorite authors speak and grabbing dinner before hand.
That looks like a good week! :-)
I'm a day late but that's ok :-) HA! We are still living with coolers BUT we ordered a fridge today . . .. and a microwave (which died two weeks ago) and a dishwasher (which has been dead for years). The dishwasher wasn't planned but Menards had some amazing Presidents Day sales still going on and getting all three was still within our budget. The dishwasher and Fridge will hopefully arrive and be delivered by the first week in March.
Here's the plan for the coming week - more cooking than last week HA!
Friday - We had Breakfast - English Muffins, Eggs, Bacon, Sausage and Pancakes. Joshua and Nate had a friend over plus I totally forgot that I planned a roast in the crock pot until I was sitting at lunch at our Homeschool Co-Op so I had to get creative for dinner. It was super yummy though!
Saturday - Dinner at my mom's with my brother Ken.
Sunday - Dinner after church at my mom's with Ken again :-)
Monday - Ham Slices and Broccoli Cheese Soup. Nate is hopefully back to TKD this week now that his fractured toe is healing so we eat in shifts. The meal needs to be easy to re-heat :-)
Tuesday - Tacos! I have a Ladies Night Out with our homeschool co-op for a (ready . . ) taco bar so I'm leaving Tacos at home for the guys too.
Wednesday - Pot Pies. Joshua and Nate eat at youth group and then get cereal afterwards if they are still hungry.
Thursday - Roast, Noodles, and Green Beans!
Enjoy your week!
This next week my brother Ken will be in town so we will enjoy some meals together with my mom!
Friday - Popeyes Chicken!
Saturday- Dinner at my moms
Sunday- my mom and I are picking my brother up from the airport and going out to lunch. My guys will have Chili after church.
Monday- leftover Chili with Spaghetti
Tuesday - Dinner at my moms
Wednesday - pot pies
Thursday - it’s Darryl’s birthday so everyone is coming here for dinner and we are getting Jets pizza!
January was such a long month that I completely missed posted my menu last week HA! Don't worry, you did not miss anything exciting. It was a week of leftovers and "make-up" meals - meals that had been planned for different dates but never got made so I made them this past week :-) We are still using coolers so meal planning still has to be a little creative - or maybe it is grocery shopping that has to be creative - to ensure that I have room for the cold stuff. I'm finding send in 2-3 small pick up orders a week (so every few days) is working best - I am finding that I am spending less money because often times a meal carries over due to extra leftovers or a change in plans for a day. There is just less sitting in the coolers and freezer right now since we use it all up!
Here is the plan for the coming week.
Friday - Joshua and Nate are heading off to winter retreat so Darryl and I will pick up some dinner to enjoy at home. Nothing fancy - maybe some Popeye's Chicken since I have coupons!
Saturday - Darryl and I plan to enjoy an afternoon/evening out which will include a nice dinner. Not sure where yet :-)
Sunday - The teens come home Sunday afternoon and it is Superbowl Sunday. Plans are up in the air - they will come home hungry so more then likely they will want their favorite fast food. Several people in my family can't eat much after about 6:30 due to sensitive stomachs so I'm not thinking we will have many snacks to eat during the game. This blog gets posted (normally) on Friday morning and I probably wont' decide about Sunday food until well, Sunday.
Monday - Meatball Soup and French Bread
Tuesday - Lasagna and Garlic Bread
Wednesday - It is Valentine's Day! It's also Youth Group Night so we won't have our normal Spaghetti Dinner. Darryl and I will enjoy dinner together . . .. not sure what yet.
Thursday - Amish Baked Chicken, Butter Noodles, and Roasted Green Beans
We finally got back into all of the things that have been cancelled due to weather - in some cases it was the first time back since before Christmas as crazy as that sounds since it is the end of January! I've kind of enjoyed the last two weeks with limited activities but it's time to get back into the routine I guess!
Here's the plan for the coming week:
Friday - Ham Slice and Mac and Cheese. Nate is actually heading off to Winter Camp with a friend so it will just be Josh, Darryl and I for the weekend.
Saturday - Instead of dinner this week, we are meeting my mom for brunch at a local cafe. Then Darryl and I plan to head into "the city" to look at some scratch and dent stores to get an idea on what we might be able to get as far as a fridge. I'm still ok with the coolers - and still angry that my fridge died and can't be fixed HA!
Sunday - After church I'm planning to keep it simple. Pork Loin in the crock pot, Souper Rice, and Zucchini There is a HUGE football game Sunday night - will the Lions make it to the Superbowl??? We shall see! Joshua and Nate are watching it with their youth group. Darryl and I will watch at home - maybe we will grab a treat for during the game. (Instead of the normal cereal HA!)
Monday - Beef, Tomato and Anci (Pasta) Soup
Tuesday - Pork and Bean Nachos
Wednesday - The guys have youth group so Darryl and I will most likely have soup and sandwiches.
Thursday - Amish Breakfast Casserole and Banana Bread
This week our Co-Op picks up again and Nate is having a sleep over for his birthday (which was just before Christmas). We also push his "party" into January since people are busy right around the holidays.
Friday - Tonight Nate has a few friends over. I plan on having BBQ and Mashed Potatoes for Darryl, Josh and I but I'll be cooking chicken nuggets and fries for Nate and his friends.
Saturday - Dinner at my mom's
Sunday - Dr. Pepper Meatballs, Biscuits (either to eat with just butter or to make meatball mini subs), and chips and salsa
Monday - Tacos - something easy to eat in shifts since this is Taekwondo night!
Tuesday - Cheddar Crusted Chicken, Souper Rice, and Green Beans
Wednesday - Hopefully there will be youth group this week which means my guys just have a snack before going and Darryl and I will eat something HA!
Thursday - Pasta Carbanara and French Bread
This week didn't go as planned - we planned for EVERYTHING to start back up but . .. due to snow and ice, lots of things were cancelled! We are anticipating (if the weather people are right) a pretty significant snow storm this weekend so I have back-up "snow storm" food for a couple of days. Do you have specific food that you like to make when there is a snow storm? I do - for some reason it is breakfast food for me and crock pot meals!
Friday - Stuffed Shells and Garlic Bread
Saturday - Dinner at my mom's house OR Biscuits and Gravy, Fried Potatoes and Eggs (Also have stuff to make grilled cheese or Egg McMuffins or BLT's for lunch!)
Sunday - My guys and I are going to an event for one of their friends so Darryl is on his own :-) OR (if we are still snowed in) Roast, Noodles, Corn and Rolls.
Monday - Meatball Soup and Hawaiian Rolls
Tuesday - Chicken Pot Pie Crescent Braid and Salad
Wednesday - Soup and Sandwiches
Thursday - Chicken Fried Steak Fingers and Baked Zucchini Sticks (Two new recipes from cookbooks I own - hoping to actually USE my cookbooks this year and find some new favorites!)
I'm already running late and it is only week one! Actually I usually take "Christmas Break" - the two weeks we are off school - and just breath . . .relax, read, and not have any expectations on myself (or others for that matter). Instead I just like to rest. I plan my goals, set up my desk, pick out some books - all of the prep work - and then, as we turn the corner into the 2nd week of January I am ready! That means I didn't get this written on Friday but am finally getting to it today, Saturday.
We are currently without a fridge as ours died the week before Christmas. Don't worry, we are managing fine with 3 electric coolers, one cooler with ice, and our deep freezer. We love the ice cooler - the water, juice, and soda is ICE cold . .. it kinda feels like a consolation prize HA! I shop twice a week as space is a little limited but really, that's ok too. It's always an adventure!
Friday - Grilled Cheese and Soup.
Saturday - Dinner at my mom's house
Sunday - Chili and Fritos after church.
Monday - Leftover chili with spaghetti
Tuesday - Spaghetti Carbanara and French Bread
Wednesday - My guys head back to youth group tonight so they just have a light snack before they leave (like cereal or a sandwich). Darryl and I often have soup or something else simple.
Thursday - BBQ Cups and French Fries
