slightly late Menu Planning Monday

Since I was out of town last weekend, I didn't have a menu plan. Once again I was reminded of how much easier the week flows when I do have one!

Monday: hot dogs, mac & cheese, assorted leftover veggies
Tuesday: Hoppin' John, greens
Wednesday: Steak & Onions with Potatoes (from the freezer, Dream Dinners meal), asparagus
Thursday: Chicken Parmesan (Dream Dinners), garlic bread, salad
Friday: lentil & rice tacos, corn, carrot sticks
Saturday: leftovers
Sunday: frittata, salad or other veggies (depending on what produce we have left by then)

Breakfasts - Amish Baked Oatmeal and bacon or eggs, frozen breakfast sandwich, biscuits & sausage gravy with eggs

Lunches - egg salad, baked tofu, PB&J or corned beef sandwiches (made from last week's leftover corned beef), yogurt or cottage cheese and soup, cheese & cracker plate with fruit

See what other people are planning for their menus this week at I'm an Organizing Junkie!

OUTSIDE!

Baby + outdoors = happiness

Chickadee is quite fond of the camera

Mountain Pie

I'm not sure why it's called this, but we had this a lot when I was growing up. It's good with canned peaches, fruit cocktail... and probably just about any other kind of fruit that comes in a can!

MOUNTAIN PIE

Melt 3/4 stick of butter or margarine in a baking dish or pan.

Mix a batter of:

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 3/4 cup milk

Pour the batter over the butter in the baking dish.

Pour a 16-20 oz. can of fruit (including juice) over the batter.

Bake at 350F until well browned, approximately 45 minutes.

Menu Planning Monday - better late than never!

We're going out of town Sunday evening, so I only have to plan this weeks menu from Monday to Saturday.

Monday: pumpkin ravioli, oven fried chicken, sauteed greens
Tuesday: cheese manicotti (from freezer), garlic bread, sauteed greens
Wednesday: Oven Fried Pork Chops, roasted beets, sauteed cabbage, applesauce
Thursday: "Breakfast for Dinner" - sausage links (from freezer), waffles, applesauce
Friday: Bacony Lentil Stew (I have a bunch of bacon ends that I need to use up), sauteed cabbage, Mountain Pie
Saturday: leftovers

Breakfasts: yogurt, cereal; eggs, toast
Lunches: nori rolls (avocado, carrot, rice, nori), teriyaki meatballs; leftover oven fried chicken, fruit; PB&J/ham & cheese sandwiches, tortilla chips or pretzels; Crock Pot Falafel, hummus, pita chips, carrot sticks and/or cucumber slices; smoothies, popcorn

it's coming...

I've had a busy day and am now too tired to type out this week's menu plan (although I did finish it). I promise, it's getting posted tomorrow!

Coconut Rice

This works well for a breakfast dish or a dessert, although some people serve it on the side with a spicy curry. It's quite nice with slices of fresh mango, but it's good on its own as well. This is an especially nice treat for those who are avoiding gluten and/or dairy.

Coconut Rice

• 2 cups white rice
• 2 cups coconut milk or cream
• 1 cup sugar (I prefer either raw or brown sugar)
• 2 tsp. salt

Cook rice. While rice is cooking, combine coconut milk or cream, sugar, and salt in a pan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir well and set aside.
When rice is cooked, remove from heat; pour coconut mixture over hot rice and stir well. Let sit covered at least 30 minutes to allow rice to absorb mixture. Do not refrigerate.

Sloppy Joes

I'm not sure where I originally found this recipe... maybe the Better Homes & Gardens cookbook, or the Betty Crocker cookbook? In any case, around here we like it better than sloppy joes made from Manwich sauce -- plus it's a whole lot cheaper!

Sloppy Joes

• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• 1 cup ketchup
• 2 tbsp. yellow mustard
• 1 tsp. soy sauce
• 1/8 tsp. pepper
• 1 tbsp. dried onion

Cook beef in a skillet over medium heat 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally until beef is browned.
Drain.
Stir in remaining ingredients. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve on buns or over cooked noodles.

Sloppy Janes/vegetarian variation: Rehydrate 1 cup TVP with 7/8 cup boiling water or vegetable broth. Let stand until liquid is absorbed. Substitute the TVP for the browned ground beef.

Curried Beans & Rice

(I'm posting some of my recipes so I'll have easy access to them later.)

Curried Beans & Rice

• 2 cans baked beans
• 1 diced onion
• 1 tbsp. curry powder (more or less to taste)
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 tbsp. honey (if you think the beans are sweet enough already, leave it out)
• 1 bag frozen broccoli
• cooked rice
• sliced almonds (0ptional)

Saute the onion, cumin, and curry powder in a little oil until onions are translucent and aromatic. Add bag of broccoli to skillet; cover and cook for 2 minutes. Add baked beans and honey; stir and simmer for another 5 minutes. Serve with cooked rice, garnished with sliced almonds.

Grocery Outlet bargains

We stopped by the Grocery Outlet on the way home today in hopes of finding some green chiles. We didn't find those, but we did find a few good bargains, including:

• Stonyfield Farms organic Caramel Underground yogurt cups - $.50
• Stonyfield Farms organic blueberry Greek yogurt cups - $.50
• 1/2 gallon Silk unsweetened soy milk - $1.99
• Purely Decadent dairy-free ice cream single serving cups (chocolate obsession, cookie dough, pomegranate chip, and cherry nirvana) - $.50

There were lots of other yogurt bargains, both soy and dairy (including Rachel's Exotic Yogurt), but I only have so much room in my fridge right now. I also got a few cartons of shelf-stable organic unsweetened soy milk, but the refrigerated Silk was by far the better bargain.

time for Menu Planning Monday (with recipe links)

Our schedule has been shuffled around this week -- my class on Thursday has been cancelled for the week, but Munchkin won't be riding in her usual carpool to class on Friday! Just when I thought there'd be a little extra free time, I find it's being traded elsewhere. Oh, well!

DINNERS

Monday: white chicken chili, tortilla chips, broccoli
Tuesday: leftovers
Wednesday: Hamburger Barley Stew, muffins
Thursday: Turkey Medallions with Savory Cranberry Sauce (Dream Dinners meal from freezer), stuffing, green beans
Friday: lentil & rice burritos with salsa, lettuce, and cheese
Saturday: pumpkin ravioli (from freezer), oven fried chicken tenders, green beans
Sunday: frozen or homemade pizza, veggies

BREAKFASTS:
quiche (from freezer)
muffins (freezer) and eggs
sandwich made from English muffin, sausage patty, and fried egg
smoothies (to use up the browning bananas)
cereal and eggs

LUNCHES:
yogurt and bacon & cheese muffin
PB&J or ham sandwich
leftover chili
smoothie
things from freezer like burritos, pot pies, etc.

See what other people are planning for their menus this week at I'm an Organizing Junkie!