Menu Plan Monday, March 21, 2011

I'm trying to stick to our grocery budget, but I made a couple purchases this weekend and later realized we went over by a couple of dollars. So, for the rest of the month I'm staying out of the stores and getting creative with the stock in our pantry and freezer!

Monday: Leftover Meatloaf, mashed potatoes and homemade applesauce. (I used to make my applesauce on the stove, but then I found this recipe from Jessica at Good Cheap Eats for the crockpot. It is to not have to babysit the pot on the stove. I add brown sugar and cinnamon to taste after cooking).

Tuesday: Ham and Garden Veggie Shells. We have diced ham in the freezer. I started brainstorming a spring pasta dish to use with it when I came across this recipe at Finding Joy in My Kitchen. It looks really tasty. I'll have to adapt it though as we don't have broccoli or mushrooms, or shells. :-) But, I do have corn, peas, and carrots and cheddar cheese. I'll probably use penne or egg noodles.

Wednesday: Battered Dipped Chicken Breasts. This is new recipe, but I'm very excited to try it.

Thursday: Brown Bagged Burritos. I made a bunch of these before our daughter was born, but we haven't had them since. I'm looking forward a tasty alternative to taco night.

Friday: Korean Roast Chicken Thighs. This is also a new recipe. I'll use chicken breasts and not cook it as long. I borrowed some sesame oil from my awesome neighbor! I'll serve it with rice.

Saturday: Leftovers or Burgers on the Foreman.

I'm also going to try my hand at apple pie. I tried making a couple when I was first married, but they never turned out. I think I'll use a crumb topping as it sounds a bit easier. I'll let you know if it turns out :-)

For more menus, visit Menu Plan Monday with Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Project Simplify: Tackling Paper Clutter

For one month, Tsh over at Simple Mom is hosting Project: Simplify. Each week, she announces a new hot spot for readers to tackle. Last week was the closet. This week the dreaded paper clutter. I didn't get to my closet last week. After moving last summer, I cleared out a lot of clothing, so it really isn't a hot spot. However, after seeing the work Tracy at Girls to Grow did on her closet, I realized that I could have made even more progress organizing the clothes I kept. I will work on that another day.

Paper clutter is definitely a hot spot for me. Earlier this month, I created a family finance goal list for us. I listed time lines for entering receipts, clearing files, etc. Hopefully, it will help me be more intentional about keeping our finances (and my many receipts) in order. Tsh's instructions were very thorough. I almost felt like if I couldn't get it all done, perhaps I shouldn't try to organize my paper at all. I didn't get to every item on her list, but this week's challenge was the incentive I needed to finally finish shredding my paper, and clean out my to-be-filed drawer. I also created "Monthly Receipt" and "long term receipt" folders. I still need more work organizing and I definitely need a go to place for daily receipts. However, these were tasks that have been on my to do list for a while. I suppose with these challenges I need to recognize that I may not get everything done in one week, but it helps to get part of it done.

Before: "To Be Filed" Drawer

Before: Shredded Pile

After: To Be Filed Drawer

After: Shredded Pile

I'm looking forward to seeing the progress others made on Project: Simplify.

Sandwich Bread Success!

One of my New Year's Resolutions this year was to learn how to make sandwich bread. My friend at Clearly Tasty recommended this recipe from the Joy of Cooking. I've made it several times and we really enjoy it. It is hearty, but not too dense. Ben said it is better than store bought. I make the whole wheat version using 3 cups bread flour and 2 cups whole wheat. Once, I even turned a loaf into cinnamon raisin bread. The bread got a hole in it, so it wasn't that great for toast, but we enjoyed a tasty french toast dinner! The recipe makes two loaves. Unlike store bought, this dries out faster, so we make sure to use it up fast. I've started freezing the second loaf so it lasts longer. Plus, I only have to make it every other week. Now, I just have to figure out how to cut the slices nice and straight. I'm getting better, but Ben had some funny looking sandwiches at first. He was a good sport about it.

This post is linked to Tasty Tuesday.

Menu Plan Monday, March 14, 2011

This week promises to be quite busy, but has already started with a couple menu successes. Yesterday, we hosted some friends for dinner. I made my best chicken ever, cheesy potato bake (tip, this tastes best if you use a shallow dish), and carrot cake from Bob's Red Mill with homemade frosting. (I've reduced the sugar in the cake to 1/4 cup brown and 2 T white. I also omit the nuts and add 1/4 cup raisins. It is moist and tasty!) They brought a tasty corn and green bean dish.

They have a son near our daughter's age. It was fun to watch our children play together. At one point, they were playing with some toys, and slowly and steadily, our daughter managed to take all the toys and put them next to her. Apparently, we will have to teach her about sharing someday in the near future! She has also started eating solids. So far, she likes pears, applesauce, banana, sweet potato, and avocado, and tolerates carrots and peas. It is more work than nursing, but kinda fun to have her join me for breakfast in the morning, and us for dinner in the evening.

I also came across a Crockpot March Madness Bracket. This looks like fun! Plus, I may get some good ideas.

This week's menu has a few new dishes and a few standbys:

Sunday: Tammy's Creamy Mac and Cheese. (I used half and half and topped it with breadcrumbs.) This is rather rich so I won't make it all the time, but it is delicious and creamy. I think I may try sharp cheddar next. My husband liked it. He said it was much better than the boxed stuff :-)

Monday: Cider Bacon Chicken (a new recipe). I plan on serving this with Honeyed Carrots and Oranges. I got this recipe from Real Simple. The first time I made it, the orange was not good, and it turned the whole dish rather bitter. I'm hoping that since the oranges are much sweeter now, it will improve the dish. I'll serve it with leftover applesauce.

Tuesday: Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and corn.

Wednesday: Leftover Mac and Cheese.

Thursday: Eating out! I'm also making this recipe for Baked Moroccan Chicken to take to a mama who just had a little baby girl. I did a test last week to see if I could make it in the morning and then reheat it in the evening, and it worked just fine.

Friday: Chicken Strips and Fries.
I tried making hamburger buns, but they didn't turn out at all. So, I learned how to make bread crumbs in my blender, and now I have a freezer full! I used to buy my breadcrumbs at the store, but I saw they contained High Fructose Corn Syrup. I'm trying to avoid it as much as possible, so I decided to learn how to make them instead. I'm looking forward to using fresh crumbs with this recipe.

Saturday: ? TBD I'm hoping to get some good ideas from more menus at Laura's Menu Plan Monday :-)