Fall Treats

It was a fall rainy day here today.  And we loved it!  "Why?" you ask.  Because we lit a fire in our fire place, snuggled in the living room to watch a movie, and enjoyed some yummy fall treats we made this week!

 

 

Check out these adorable Acorn Cookies!  I found the idea on Pinterest.  It didn't actually have a link, it was just a picture, but I didn't think it looked to hard to figure out.  So, we gave it a go!

Menu Plan for March

I am so late getting this out, but here it is anyway.  This month is scheduled to run from March 4 - 31.  So we've already completed the first week and are on to week 2. 

I've also decided to alternate our taco/nacho night with pizza, just to mix things up a bit so as to not get too tired of our favorite - tacos!  But we're still keeping it simple and easy for our busy day.

Having a menu plan has been so helpful for me.  Yes, it takes a little work to get it set for the month,

Cabbage Rolls Recipe

Today I made one of my favorite childhood dinners.  I have so many memories of my Grandma making this.  We called it Cabbage Rolls.  And it's really simple with only a few ingredients, so I thought I would share it with you while it's simmering on the stove top.

Ingredients:

1 head of cabbage

1 lb. ground beef or ground turkey (I use ground turkey)

1 cup of minute rice

salt and pepper

minced onion

1 can tomato sauce

Boil a large pot of water.  With a sharp knife carefully core the head of cabbage.  Once the pot is to a boil add the cabbage.  You could be smart and make sure the cabbage will fit into the pot of water before you boil it, or like me . . . you can splash boiling water all over your stove because you had too much water in the pot - either way it's your preference - lol.  Cover, remove from heat and let set 2-3 minutes.

February Menu Plan

Wow!  Nothing like waiting until the very last minute to complete this menu plan.  Although, it is hard to think about food when you're not feeling very well.  But, as of just moments ago, the menu plan is now complete (with my husband's help - thank you!).  And yes, that means we are stuck doing our shopping trip on a Saturday - actually, my loving husband was already out the door before I finished this post with 2 of our kiddos to do the shopping!  He is so awesome!  I am so blessed!  Now, hopefully we can get back on track after this . . .

I have included some new recipes that I found on Pinterest.  I put a * next to those new recipes.  And I have them pinned here, if you would like to see them (and more).  If there is another recipe that you would like from this menu plan, please leave me a comment and I will get that recipe out for you.

Last month I switched to planning for 5 meals per week.  And this worked out great!  There always seems to be enough leftovers to carry us through the entire week. 

And we are sticking with our traditional taco/nacho meal on Sundays.  With morning service and AWANA, its nice to have a set meal that I don't have to think about.  Plus, my husband makes it so I don't have to do anything!!!  See, I truly am blessed or spoiled - either way I am very thankful!

I hope you find this menu plan helpful!

Blueberry Banana Oatmeal

Usually when I grab the bananas and frozen blueberries, it's to make smoothies - which we all love.

But this time I was making oatmeal . . .

Blueberry Banana Oatmeal!

And it was a huge hit!

 I made 2 servings of old-fashioned oats on the stove top, following the directions on the canister.  I mashed up 2 bananas and grabbed a heaping cup of frozen blueberries.  I mixed them both in the oatmeal as soon as I pulled it off the stovetop. 

Slow Cooker Orange Chicken

This was a recipe I pulled from a Kraft Food and Family magazine years ago

(back when they were free). 

I love it becuase it's only 6 ingredients!

It cooks in the crock pot!

And it's super yummy!

I made a few minor adjustments, so here's my recipe.

Ingredients:
4 or 5 chicken breasts
2 tbsp. flour
1/3 cup orange marmalade
1/3 cup BBQ sauce
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. ground ginger

January Menu Plan

So here it is . . . January's Menu Plan.

I made some adjustments this time.  First, I added a week in order to finish the month.  This menu plan will take you from January 1 through February 4.  Every 3rd month will have 5 weeks instead of 4, so I can stay on track with the months. 

Also, I limited my meals to 5 each week.  We were having too many leftovers with 6 meals each week - therefore throwing out too much food.  And throwing out food, means money over-spent at the grocery store.  So, we are going to try 5 meals a week - and hopefully we can eat up those leftovers!

3 Turtle Doves...?

Okay, I know, I know, it's 2 Turtle Doves. 
But 3 is the key here!  And we are making Turtles!
The simplest, yummiest Christmas treat, that your kiddos can practically do themselves!

Just remember 3

3 ingredients

300 degree oven

3 minutes

Here's the 3 ingredients - round pretzels, Rolo candies, & pecans.

December Menu Planner

With a week to go yet in my November Menu Planner, I have December’s ready to go – yay me !!

I loved having a menu plan for November!  It was a bit of work to begin with, but it sure made my weekly preparations a breeze.  I just looked over my plan for the week and created my grocery list according to that – easy!  I have to say this really has helped us.  Before, I would take so long deciding what to have and trying to create my grocery list at the same time, often putting off the dreaded grocery shopping trip by days.  Which would, in turn, force us to eat out more often.  So far, for November, we haven’t had that issue.  The plan is in place; making the list and sticking to a regular grocery schedule is much easier now.
Here’s the menu plan for December 4 – 31. 

We usually have Tacos/Nachos on Sundays, since it’s a favorite at our house and a great meal for such a busy day.  Also, I plan on one night each week being “leftover night”, so only 6 meals

November Menu Plan

I did it!  I finally got on the ball and created a menu plan for the month.  I'm a little late in getting it ready, so this month will carry us through the first few days of December.  But I am so relieved to have it completed. 

I actually had a goal of creating a seasonal menu plan.  I had the idea that since I tend to prepare meals that go with the different seasons (i.e. - grilling in the summer, comfort foods in the colder weather, etc.) that this made sense. With each season being 13 weeks,  I thought I could come up with 5 or 6 weeks of menus that were organized by meals that fit nicely together for grocery shopping, as well as being balanced as far as variety goes.  Then I thought I would just pick whichever list I wanted that week.  The menu would be ready to go, I would just have to create a grocery list from that week's menu based on what I already had.  And I could repeat which ever weeks I wanted to to complete the season.  Great idea!  But reality and time are interfering.

So I will settle for my 4 weeks of menu plans.  Settle is and understatement. . . I am thrilled to have this completed!  And I thought I would share it with you!

I only make a menu for our evening meals.  That's the one that gives me the most trouble.  We have a handful off choices for breakfast and lunch that we are accustom

Yummy Dinner - Even a Hit with the Kids!

I had to share this dinner since it was such a big hit with my whole family!  It is seldom that I find something that everyone loves - so this one is pretty special.  It's a recipe from a Pampered Chef cookbook that I altered.  We call it Dorito Chicken.  So now you know why the kids loved it!  I don't buy Doritos often - they are so messy; orange everywhere!  So the kids thought it was cool to have Doritos be a part of our dinner. 

Here's my recipe (I can't take complete credit for it, like I said it was a recipe that I altered from a Pampered Chef cookbook):


4-5 chicken breasts
Juice from 1 or 2 limes
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 egg whites
Doritos
shredded Monterrey Jack cheese (can substitute with cheddar)