Book of Days - Jan. 30, 2015

Outside my window...
The acacia trees in my neighbors yard are currently full of berries, and those berries are attracting lots of birds. When I look really carefully at the branches, I see LOTS of little happy finches enjoying lunch.

I am thinking...
I need to journal/blog more and use Facebook less.

I am wearing...
A black Alternative Tentacles zip up hoodie, a grey t-shirt, jeans, and the pink flip flops that I wear everywhere.

I am creating...
Ruby Red grapefruit cordial (which I guess is like a "grapefruitade" concentrate). The fruit flies are pretty interested in the fruit bowl, and I'm trying to use up what people aren't interested in eating right now.

I am going...
...to be in a car for several hours today on a slightly stressful errand.

I am wondering...
...how to get back on track with menu planning and batch cooking. My health and energy levels are a lot different than they were a few years ago, which actually makes it both difficult AND necessary to do this planning.

I am reading...
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. I first read it nearly 20 years ago, which is a strange thought. I don't feel 20 years older than I did then. Was that really half of my life ago?

I am eating...
I had scrambled eggs with radish homefries for breakfast. I haven't really had lunch yet, and am wondering how to make a can of sardines interesting without a lot of effort (or suddenly surrounding myself with curious cats and a dog all wanting a bite).

All this for $25.88!

Using coupons and sale prices, we were able to get all of this from Food Maxx today.  Some were completely free, so we ended up with a couple of treats that we might not usually buy.

• honey wheat berry bread [FREE!]
• 3 lbs. Gala apples [FREE!]
• 2 dozen eggs
• 3 lbs. yellow onions
• 3 lbs. frozen broccoli
• 1 lb. frozen peas & carrots
• several cans of diced tomatoes (which were badly needed, we were out!)
• 2 lbs. ricotta cheese
• 5 lbs. rice
• 12 oz. sliced cheddar cheese
• 64 oz. apple juice [FREE!]
• 2 liters root beer [FREE!]
• Armour Lunchmakers ham & cheese cracker stackers [FREE!]

Thanksgiving 2011 prep/cooking schedule

Proving yet again that I'm more Type A than I care to admit.

Monday:

• make the Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes that everyone liked last year
• clean part of kitchen
• make Pomegranate-Cranberry Sauce, put in fridge in jars
• have epiphany that this is more jelly-like and that the cranberry eaters like a more relish-like sauce
• decide to have the pom-cran sauce this year anyway, but vow to make a low-sugar cran-orange relish next year
• make Butternut Squash Puree, freeze flat in ziploc bags
• dice celery & onion, put in containers in fridge
• worry that the fridge is already looking full

Tuesday:

• more kitchen cleaning
• wash and trim Brussels sprouts
• move Halloween items to garage
• pull pie crust out of freezer, put in fridge to thaw
• pull pumpkin puree out of freezer, put in fridge to thaw
• pull turkey breast out of freezer, put in fridge to thaw
• pull turkey stock out of freezer to use in stuffing, put in fridge to thaw
• have Sage do more vacuuming

Wednesday:

• locate matching placemats & napkins
• mix up turkey brine, brine to boil, cool
• wash gravy boat
• more vacuuming
• scrub out brining cooler

Wednesday night:

• make pie, leave on kitchen island covered with tea towel
• prep herbs for turkey and roasted pears, leave on counter work area
• put new stick of butter in butter dish
• make sure there is enough butter in fridge for stuffing
• measure out butter for Roasted Balsamic Pears, put in container in fridge
• put can of green beans (hey, they were requested that way!) on counter work area
• pull blueberry sweet rolls out of freezer, put in fridge to thaw (if possible -- otherwise leave in freezer & use alternate cooking instructions)
• put jar of honeyed almonds on counter work area
• pull bag of Butternut Squash Puree out of freezer, put in fridge to thaw
• brine turkey breast overnight

Thursday morning:

• drain brine out of cooler, pat turkey breast dry, but leave in cooler
• scramble eggs, bake sweet rolls, turn on Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade
• pull out side dishes to come to room temp
• put bottles of cranberry juice and Spicy Cider in fridge
• eat breakfast
• preheat oven for turkey breast

After breakfast:

• put turkey breast in oven
• set starters/snacks on table
• dot potatoes with butter
• toss Brussels sprouts with olive oil and salt, put on baking sheet
• put Butternut Squash Puree in casserole dish, dot with butter
• put cornbread stuffing together
• start making sausage/apple/mushroom stuffing
• preheat toaster oven to 350F

After turkey is finished:

• set turkey breast on top of stove, tent with foil, turn oven up to 375F.
• put sprouts, mashed potatoes, and squash in oven
• put cornbread stuffing in toaster oven
• warm gravy, add stock if needed

After sides finish:

• turn oven up to 425F
• heat green beans in microwave
• put rolls in oven
• have Sage set table
• pull beverages out of fridge

After rolls finish:

• turn off oven, put pie in oven to warm
• pull butter for pears out of fridge
• EAT!

When ready for dessert:

• pull pie out of oven, turn oven on 400F
• roast pears
• enjoy dessert

Wow, that's a crazy list. At the same time, I'm wondering what I left out. I tried to simplify things this year, and yet it still complicated itself.

how strange!

For some reason all of my previous posts have been pushed to a different page rather than appearing below. I wouldn't think too much about it if I hadn't been making some recent posts, and now my blog looks pretty empty.

Odd. Anyone know why this happened?

EDITED TO ADD: Never mind! I removed a picture from the last post and it all looks fine now!

to do today

• make Sticky Chicken for tonight's dinner
• work on/finish paper for Marine Biology
• gather remaining paperwork for SFSU
• work on field trip questions for Monterey Bay Aquarium field trip
• menu plan for next week? (may wait till tomorrow night - schoolwork taking priority today)

Maybe that's it for now.

to do

Hello, neglected blog.

Today:

• roast the lemon-rosemary-bay brined chicken (no recipe, just based it off of this formula for brining and added chunked up lemons and some rosemary to the brine)
• pull chicken off of the bones, set aside in 3 cup portions
• do some research for my marine biology paper
• clean some more off of my desk
• prep veggies for the week - snap ends off of beans, trim kale & broccoli, wash lettuce, scrub carrots
• pack lunch for the week (already have 2 packed, will be doing a picnic lunch on Thursday)
• print out form for SFSU
• clear at least 23 things out of the kitchen cabinet
• throw away 23 things off of the kitchen table
• finish menu planning for the rest of the week

Menu Planning Monday: Jan 10 - 16

Classes started again, so I'm short on time. Here's this week's menu plan:

Monday: pernil, sweet potatoes, broccoli
Tuesday: Tuscan Chicken and White Bean Stew (from the freezer, but I got the recipe from The Working Mother Cookbook), baguette (from Costco)
Wednesday: BBQ pork sandwiches, macaroni & cheese, sauteed cabbage
Thursday: Leftover Buffet
Friday: cheese ravioli (from Treasure Box) with red sauce, Italian sausage, green beans (or something from the CSA box)
Saturday: Chicken & Rice Casserole, CSA veggies (something green)
Sunday: tomato basil soup (from Angel Food Ministries) and grilled cheese sandwiches

For more menu planning ideas, check out the Menu Planning thread at I'm An Organizing Junkie!

Menu Planning Monday: Jan 3 - 9

(I thought I posted this days ago! I guess something went wrong?)

Monday: turkey rice soup (made from leftover turkey, turkey stock, chopped up veggies from the NYE veggie tray, and brown rice), cheese & crackers
Tuesday: meatloaf (made from a mixture of ground beef and leftover ground roast turkey), roasted veggies, Romanesco cauliflower
Wednesday: crockpot corned beef, cabbage, carrots, potatoes
Thursday: Peppercorn Chicken with broccoli (the original recipe calls for spinach, but I think broccoli will do)
Friday: Leftovers Buffet
Saturday: Sticky Chicken, roasted veggies
Sunday: spaghetti with red sauce & meatballs, green beans

Menu plan for Dec. 26 - Jan. 1

Oh, dear.... it's Wednesday again, isn't it? I guess this is actually "Menu Planning Wednesday" instead, but I don't have a graphic with the right title.

Here's what we had and will have:

Monday: roast turkey, roasted sweet potatoes, Spanish Green Beans
Tuesday: beef barley vegetable soup (made from leftover prime rib meat, stock made from the prime rib bones, and frozen veggies), blueberry muffins
Wednesday: BBQ turkey pizza (based off of this recipe), fruit (lots of fresh fruit leftover from Christmas)
Thursday: turkey enchilada pie (based off of this recipe)
New Year's Eve: our traditional NYE meal of appetizers/party food - taquitos, veggie tray & dip, pizza, chicken nuggets
New Year's Day: kielbasa, fried cabbage, pierogies
Sunday: Leftovers Buffet (or turkey chili, depending on what's left)

For more menu planning ideas, go to I'm An Organizing Junkie!

Christmas Week Menu

It's been so busy, I've neglected sitting down and plotting out a menu. Same old story. So here's what's in line for the rest of this week:

Earlier tonight (Wednesday): Roast Sticky Chicken, waffle fries, and green beans
Thursday: hamburgers, waffle fries (we have 10 lbs of them -- seriously!), stir fried carrots and bok choy
Christmas Eve: shrimp cocktail, spaghetti with meatballs & Italian sausages, garlic bread, salad, grape juice
Christmas breakfast: quiche made with ham, cheddar, and broccoli, orange juice
Christmas dinner: roast prime rib, baked potatoes, rolls, green beans, mini dessert cups (found at Costco)

For more menu planning ideas, go to I'm An Organizing Junkie!

The Shortest Day

And so the Shortest Day came and the year died
And everywhere down the centuries of the snow-white world
Came people singing, dancing,
To drive the dark away.
They lighted candles in the winter trees;
They hung their homes with evergreen;
They burned beseeching fires all night long
To keep the year alive.
And when the new year's sunshine blazed awake
They shouted, revelling.
Through all the frosty ages you can hear them
Echoing behind us - listen!
All the long echoes, sing the same delight,
This Shortest Day,
As promise wakens in the sleeping land:
They carol, feast, give thanks,
And dearly love their friends,
And hope for peace.
And now so do we, here, now,
This year and every year.

~ by Susan Cooper

Thanksgiving cooking/prep

Here's the cooking/prep schedule:

Saturday: pick up turkey, stick in cooler with plenty of ice

Sunday: dice celery and onion for stuffing, put in containers in fridge
mix up green bean casserole (minus the onion topping) in oven safe dish, put in fridge
cut up sugar pie pumpkin, saving the seeds
bake pumpkin pieces, scoop cooked pumpkin out of the shell
make pumpkin puree for pie, put in cheesecloth lined colander in the fridge

Monday: make the Make-Ahead mashed potato recipe found on the Pioneer Woman website
put drained pumpkin puree in sealed container in fridge
buy bread for Thursday (rolls for dinner, gingerbread bagels for breakfast)
clean part of the kitchen
realize the probe thermometer is broken & there is no way to properly cook the turkey without it

Tuesday: more kitchen cleaning
wash & trim Brussels sprouts
pull apple pie filling out of the freezer and put into the fridge to thaw
pull pie crusts out of the freezer to thaw
move things from family room to the garage
get Munchkin to vacuum the front room
clean off island in kitchen (I hope?)
buy a new probe thermometer

Wednesday: locate matching placemats and napkins, wash if needed
scrub out big 5 gallon beverage cooler (used only for turkey brining)
mix up turkey brine, bring to a boil, let cool
locate & wash gravy boats
get Munchkin to vacuum family room

Wednesday night: make pies, leave on island to cool, cover with tea towel
cut up squash, save seeds, put squash pieces in container in fridge
unwrap & rinse off turkey, put giblets in container in fridge
put turkey brine, turkey, and ice in the brining cooler
mix up frittata for breakfast, put in fridge
prep mushroom filling ingredients for pastry shells
gather aromatics for turkey, place on counter near work area
put new stick of butter in butter dish, put jar of cranberry-apple butter next to butter dish

Thursday morning: make breakfast frittata, toast bagels, turn on Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade
pull out side dishes to come to room temperature, preheat oven to 500F
put sparking juice and Spicy Cider in the fridge
drain brine from cooler, pat turkey dry, put on rack in roasting pan (with turkey neck in pan underneath the rack)
steep turkey aromatics in microwave, stuff them in the turkey, rub turkey with oil
roast turkey for 30 mins
toss pumpkin/squash seeds with oil and roast in toaster oven, salt to taste
eat breakfast using paper plates

Thursday, after breakfast: turn oven down to 350F, then leave alone until turkey reaches 161F.
after turkey has roasted for an hour, rub squash with olive oil and roast in toaster oven for an hour
set appetizers/snacks out on table
dot mashed potatoes with butter, top casserole with onion topping, toss Brussels sprouts with olive oil in a baking dish

After the turkey is finished: set turkey on top of the stove to rest, tent with foil
place mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and Brussels sprouts in the oven
warm mushroom gravy, make turkey gravy
make the mushroom filling
heat green beans (not casserole) in microwave

After side dishes are finished: turn oven up to 400F
Put rolls and pastry shells in oven
Have Munchkin pull beverages out of fridge and set table

After rolls & shells are finished: Turn off oven
Fill pastry shells with mushroom filling, call people to table
put pies in still warm oven to hold while everyone eats
enjoy Thanksgiving dinner!

I'm sure I've left out something.

Thanksgiving dinner menu - 2010

Here's what we're eating:

Snacks/appetizers to munch on while waiting for the main meal to finish cooking

• marinated asparagus & roasted red peppers
• crackers with assorted cheeses
• hummus and pita crisps and/or carrot sticks
• sweet potato chips
• roasted pumpkin seeds (maybe)

Main meal

• turkey
• mushrooms in puff pastry shells (for the non-turkey eaters)
• stuffing
• mashed potatoes (2 batches - one vegan, one dairy)
• gravy (2 batches - one turkey, one vegan mushroom)
• green bean casserole (for the ones who think Thanksgiving will be all wrong without it)
• green beans (for the ones who don't like green bean casserole)
• roasted Brussels sprouts
• baked Sweet Dumpling squash
• orange-cranberry sauce
• buttermilk rolls with cranberry-apple butter (or just plain butter -- or both!)

Desserts

• apple pie
• dairy-free pumpkin pie
• possibly a raisin pie if I have time or room for leftovers
• vanilla ice cream and vanilla bean coconut milk ice cream to go with the pies

Drinks - sparkling cranberry-cabernet juice or TJ's Spicy Cider

We've taken a few shortcuts. The vegan potatoes and gravy were purchased, but I might do them from scratch in the future (the potatoes look pretty simple... potatoes, olive oil, vegetable stock, salt & pepper). The fresh orange-cranberry sauce is also purchased; I can make this from scratch, but this one tastes exactly like it would if I made it and saves me a little time. The rolls are a higher end brown-n-serve variety. The stuffing base is a seasoned mix (but not Stove Top!) that I'll enhance with sauteed vegetables and stock. The pies will be a bit of a contradiction -- while I know how to make pie crust, I'm using purchased frozen pie crusts this time. On the other hand, all of the pie filling is made from scratch (including from fresh pumpkin).

Tawny Pumpkin Pie

This is the pumpkin pie I've made for Thanksgiving for decades. It's from one of the Farm Journal cookbooks.

Tawny Pumpkin Pie

• 1-1/4 c. cooked mashed or canned pumpkin
  
• 3/4 c. sugar.
• 1/2 tsp. salt.
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon.
• 1/4 tsp. ground ginger.
• 1 tsp flour.
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten.
• 1 c. evaporated milk.
• 2 tblsp. water.
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla.
• 1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell

1. Combine pumpkin, sugar, salt, spices and flour in a mixing bowl.
2. Add eggs.
3. Mix well.
4. Add evaporated milk, water and vanilla.
5. Mix well.
6. Pour into pie shell.
7. Bake in 400 degree oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until knife inserted near center comes out clean.
8. Cool on rack.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

long time, no blog... and needing some menu suggestions

Hello, little blog. I've thought of you often, yet I've had a hard time stopping by to talk with you. Life always seems to get in the way. I know, I know... you've noticed that I've been hanging out a lot with the little blue bird, but he doesn't require much of my time. Mere seconds, really. But I do need you, dear blog. Life seems to run so much better when I remember to visit you more often and discuss my weekly plans.

That being said...

I need some help figuring out menus for the next month. I feel as if I've fallen into a rut and I'm using a lot of the same things over and over again. I have several things that I need to use up, especially since we're trying to empty out one of our freezers so we can unplug it.

Here's what I have to work with:

4 lbs. chicken leg quarters
3 lbs. whole split chicken
1.5 lbs. boneless pork roast
1.5 lbs. beef tips in gravy (I'm worried that it's more gravy than beef... might have to stretch it by adding veggies & using it in a stew)
1.5 lbs. boneless turkey breast
1.75 lbs. fully-cooked breaded party chicken wings
1 lb. beef hot dogs
20 oz. steak fajitas (I think this is a mixture of beef strips, pepper strips, and sliced onions... so it won't go terribly far among 5 people. What can I do with this other than making fajitas?)
1 lb. battered fish pieces
1 lb. ground beef
several lbs. of breakfast sausage links
several lbs. of smoked sausages
1 lb. frozen green pepper and onion mixture
3 lb. frozen green beans
1 lb. frozen peas & carrots
several lbs. frozen corn
20 oz. frozen shoestring fries
1.5 lbs. frozen rice with red & green peppers
4.5 lbs. frozen potato medley (diced potatoes, carrots, celery, and onion... definitely a soup/stew mixture)
1 lb. dried 16-bean soup mix
several lbs. of pinto beans
several lbs. of black beans
several lbs. of rice
corn muffin mix (as well as other flavors of muffin mix)
several boxes of mac & cheese
3 lbs. sweet potatoes
2 heads of cabbage (1 red, 1 green)
lots of fresh apples
lots of potatoes (both red and smallish white or Yukon)
lots of carrots
lots of onions
lots of beets
This is by no means an exhaustive list of what we have in our freezer/fridge/pantry. There's also the usual pantry staples like cans of soup, tuna, powdered milk, pasta, etc.

Any tips? I welcome any and all suggestions (although the simpler the better).

The Growing Challenge

I signed up for the Growing Challenge at One Green Generation's blog. The main rules for the challenge are (copied from the website):

#1: Grow one additional type of fruit or vegetable than you did last year, and grow it from seed.

#2: If rule #1 is not enough of a challenge for you, you may make your own rules.

#3: Post about gardening once each week. This could be a post about researching different plants, ordering seeds, buying pots, digging beds, planting the seeds, pruning, adding compost, all the way to preparing

a meal that includes the food you grew.

#4: Check In. Every week [she] will write a check-in post at 1 Green Generation. Please come comment and let everyone know what you’re up to – this is a really great way to learn from one another!!

#5: When signing up, make sure to include your zone and where you’re located. (Find your zone: U.S., Australia, Canada, Europe, South America, China.)

#6: Let [her] know in the comments [below the original post] if you’re joining in the fun!

Last weekend we started this year's garden. We've tried container gardening before and had very minimal and disappointing crops, but everything I had read lately seemed to indicate that starting from seed (rather than with pre-sprouted plants) might be more successful.

We built our 4'x4' raised bed for our garden and then mixed in soil and compost (the girls had a lot of fun with that part). Then we sectioned off square foot sections of the bed and planted seeds in each section according to information we had found on square foot gardening.

I'll be thrilled if even 50% of this grows... that'll be more than we've ever gotten from a garden! I'm still surprised at how many plants we might have in such a small space. In all, we planted 8 tri-color beans, 18 Easter Egg radishes, 12 butter lettuces, 36 beet medleys (red, gold, and Candy Stripe), 20 rainbow chards, and 16 red onions. The only vegetables out of the bunch that we've grown before are lettuce, and never that variety.

Crossing our fingers!

Christmas Week - Menu Plan Monday

Finally, the week we've waited for all year! It seems like each year the month of December gets shorter and shorter, and we end up not having enough time to do it all. I keep reminding myself to slow down, to not worry about doing everything, and to just focus on the important stuff. The presents will be shipped out late, we won't get to all of the holiday activities in town, but that's ok... we'll enjoy time together as a family and have a couple of really nice days with each other.

And to ensure that the next few days are a little less hectic, here's the menu plan for this week.


Breakfasts
scrambled eggs w/ bacon or sausage (we're using up the powdered eggs in my pantry), assorted toasts (might be frozen waffles, bagels, etc.)
Christmas morning: Breakfast Bread Pudding (from Dream Dinners), sausage, orange juice

Dinners
Winter Solstice: turkey medallions w/ cranberry sauce, apple-sausage stuffing, green beans
Tuesday: chicken with roasted root veggies (beets, rutabagas, turnips, carrots) and leeks
Wednesday: Leftovers Buffet
Christmas Eve: shrimp & crab cocktail*, spaghetti and meatballs, sourdough bread (shaped like a Christmas tree!), salad, grape juice
Christmas: prime rib roast (Dream Dinners), roasted potatoes with rosemary, green beans, chocolate cheesecake
Boxing Day: homemade chicken vegetable soup, sourdough bread, applesauce
Sunday: Leftovers Buffet or chicken fried rice and orange segments

* - Growing up, we always had fish, bread, and grape juice on Christmas Eve. I tried carrying on this tradition as an adult and we had a similar meal for several years. A couple of years ago I realized that most of the family disliked fish and actually dreaded the meal. We decided to instead have spaghetti each Christmas Eve and we've all been happy with the new tradition. All the same, I try to have some kind of seafood on Christmas Eve in homage to my childhood traditions. ;)

jFor more menu planning ideas, go to I'm an Organizing Junkie!

this week's menu plan (posted on Sunday, but called Menu Plan Monday)

Monday: beef stir-fry -- sliced beef, Napa cabbage, peppers, carrots (and possibly some mushrooms that have been hiding in the pantry) -- and rice, egg rolls (from the freezer)
Prep tonight: soak beans for tomorrow's dinner; pull Monte Cristo Chicken from freezer, put tray in fridge to thaw
Tuesday: crockpot chili -- ground beef and ground pork (really need to use up the pork), beans, canned tomatoes, peppers and onions (from CSA basket), spices, other veggies -- and leftover rice from yesterday
Prep tonight: Pull corned beef out of freezer, put in fridge to thaw
Wednesday: Monte Cristo Chicken (Dream Dinners entree... we haven't made any new entrees there in a while; still using up the freezer stash!), green beans
Thursday: MUNCHKIN COOKS DINNER -- meatballs (from freezer) and spaghetti, homemade garlic bread, peas (she picked out this menu by herself)
Friday: pot roasted (in the crockpot) corned beef with root veggies (carrots, potatoes, beets), onion, and green beans
Saturday: leftovers or quick homemade soup
Sunday: lentil & rice tacos (with shredded lettuce or cabbage, salsa, avocado, etc. -- this feels like it needs a side dish, but I'm stumped. If we load the tacos up with veggies, do we *need* a side dish?

Wednesday and Friday are busy days, so I hope I've planned accordingly. I've posted the little reminders so I remember to pull stuff out of the freezer in time!

Breakfasts: toast/eggs, baked oatmeal, yogurt & fruit parfaits*, cold cereal (with almond milk)/scrambled eggs

* - (tricky since we seem to be becoming lactose intolerant, but we need to use up the yogurt & are crossing our fingers with the hope that we'll be ok with yogurt -- we aren't ok anymore with glasses of milk or heavy cheese dishes)

Lunches: English muffin pizzas, soup & peanut (or almond) butter sandwiches, sliced chicken sandwiches, hummus vegetable wraps, green smoothies & hummus with tortilla chips

For more menu planning ideas, see I'm an Organizing Junkie!

Menu Planning Monday (need better titles for these posts)

In a hurry tonight (baby needs my attention soon), so here's this week's menu plan without the usual chatter that I like to include. We're out of the house a lot this week, so some of the meals are ones that can be quickly prepared or don't require a lot of attention.

Dinners
Monday: oven fried chicken, green beans, spoonbread
Tuesday: teriyaki meatballs with stir-fried veggies and rice
Wednesday: stuffed pork chops, mixed veggies
Thursday: no one at home -- some of us will be at a wedding and having dinner at the reception, the rest will be eating elsewhere
Friday: Hawaiian chicken with jasmine rice (Dream Dinners entree), broccoli
Saturday: leftovers
Sunday: Breakfast for Dinner - scrambled eggs, sausage, English muffins, fresh berries... or maybe we'll get industrious and make red flannel hash with eggs (we've got beets that we don't know what to do with this week!) and serve them with the English muffins and some applesauce

Breakfasts (the ones during the morning): eggs & English muffins, eggs & waffles, eggs & cold cereal (there was a really good sale on eggs this week), yogurt and berries

Lunches: peanut or almond butter & jelly sandwiches, cioppino (Dream Dinners), leftovers, frozen "TV dinners" from the back of the freezer (not sure how long they've been there & they need to be eaten!)

For more menu planning ideas, join in this week's fun over at The Happy Housewife!

camping out with Menu Plan Monday

We're going camping in Yosemite tomorrow! This means I had to plan the menu for this week a little more carefully, taking into account the meals that have to be eaten at the campsite (dinner on Monday, all of Tuesday's meals, and breakfast on Wednesday) and cooking after we get home. We're having some of the leftover ham from last Saturday's dinner for a few meals and making use of some of our dehydrated foods. Since I know we're likely to be tired when we get home, we're relying on one of our freezer meals for an easy dinner after traveling back.

I'm also planning on making a big green smoothie to drink before heading out and another when we get back since we're not going to have a lot in the way of fresh produce while camping. I'll also be taking a few packets of Greens To Go along with us.


Camping Day Meals
Monday: [B] eggs, toast, fruit [L] peanut butter or almond butter & jelly sandwiches, canned peaches, pickles [D] BBQ pork sandwiches, green beans
Tuesday: [B] scrambled eggs, ham, grits [L] cheese, crackers, ham, apple slices [D] baked beans, hot dogs, blueberry applesauce, green beans
Wednesday: [B] bacon fried rice, [L] burgers at Sonic on the way home, [D] chicken enchiladas (Dream Dinners entree), summer squash

The remaining dinners
Thursday: chicken vegetable soup with butternut squash ravioli (added instead of noodles)
Friday: sloppy joes, CSA veggies (no idea what's coming yet)
Saturday: Cornflake Crusted Chicken (Dream Dinners entree), buttered potatoes, CSA veggies
Sunday: all the fabulous leftovers!

For more menu planning ideas, go to I'm an Organizing Junkie!

another Menu Planning Monday!

Here's what we're having this week...

Monday: ham & beans, sliced beets, corn
Tuesday: hot dogs, sodas, cotton candy (we're going to the beach boardwalk for their 75 cent night)
Wednesday: Honey Garlic Orange Chicken (Dream Dinners entree), rice, carrots
Thursday: teriyaki pork tenderloin, rice, stir fried veggies
Friday: spaghetti & Italian sausages, garlic bread, Zucchini Moons

Saturday: Christmas in July! - ham, green bean casserole, glazed carrots, sparkling apple cider, pumpkin pie with whipped cream, Christmas cookies
Sunday: all the awesome leftovers

Breakfasts: eggs & toast, eggs & cereal, smoothies
Lunches: leftovers, bean & rice burritos, egg salad & crackers with fruit, PB&J, canned soup

For more meal planning ideas, check out I'm an Organizing Junkie!

green smoothies

Everyone's talking about green smoothies lately, and I have to admit I've hopped on the bandwagon. Not only do they help me to use up the produce in the fridge before I have to toss it in the compost, but I actually feel better on the days that I drink them.

Yeah, I know. It sounds like propaganda, right? It's just vegetables, fruit, and sometimes water!

Maybe it's the chlorophyll content in the vegetables. After all, a mango-banana smoothie doesn't make me feel the same way... adding some spinach or kale to that combination makes a big difference. Maybe it's the vitamin content, or maybe there's more oxygen in the leafy greens? Maybe it's all in my head?

Either way, it's been getting me to eat more vegetables and that's always a good thing.

Here's a few of my favorite green smoothie combinations:

• kale, apples (1 or 2, depending on how sweet they are), and a big handful of mint *** #1 FAVORITE ***
  
• pineapple, collards, and banana
• green grapes and celery
• cucumber, tomato, avocado, and celery (savory smoothies are still good! Think gazpacho)
• pomegranate-blueberry juice, pineapple, spinach, banana, and blueberries
• parsley, pineapple, apple

Sometimes I add ice, but usually just 1/2 a cup of water in the bottom of the blender (unless I use juice in the smoothie) is enough.

Weekend at the farm + Menu Plan Monday

We had a nice, relaxed couple of days this weekend. Saturday we went to our CSA's community day at the farm. This was Chickadee's first visit to the farm, although Munchkin has visited there several times. We got to see their new baby goats, pick blackberries, meet the farm dogs, and the kids climbed all over the straw bale forts. Chickadee had a great time pulling handful after handful of straw out of the bales!



Father's Day breakfast was the traditional cinnamon rolls and orange juice, and the girls presented Daddy with a bound picture book titled "Daddy's Adventure Book" (inspired by the scrapbook from the movie Up!). The book showed pictures of him with the girls (mostly Munchkin since Chickadee is less than a year old, and has had fewer years to accumulate pictures) from 2001 to the present. He cried and said it was the best present ever. :)

The rest of the day was spent dismantling Munchkin's bed and rearranging her room in preparation for her new bed arriving tomorrow morning. She has slept in one of those lofted beds with a ladder and a slide for the last 6 years, but she's a bit too big for it now. While she's going to miss her old bed, she's pretty excited about the new one.

Breakfasts:
eggs & cold cereal/toast/waffles, sausage or bacon, radish hash browns

Lunches: leftovers, green smoothies, tuna salad and crackers, Monterey Chicken quesadillas, cioppino (maybe... we have some in the freezer and only two of us like it, so it's a better lunch option than one for dinner)

Monday: pulled smoked pork w/ BBQ sauce, collards, cornbread
Tuesday: linguine with chicken & Alfredo sauce, salad or broccoli
Wednesday: veggie chili (from freezer), salad or broccoli
Thursday: Teriyaki Tomato Rice & Beef, zucchini
Friday: Leftover Buffet or grilled sausages, peppers and onions
Saturday: Blackberry Balsamic Chicken (Dream Dinners entree from freezer), salad, cornbread
Sunday: soup (canned or a simple homemade veggie soup) & grilled cheese sandwiches

For more meal planning ideas, go to I'm an Organizing Junkie!

This week's menu

Kind of an odd week -- trying to use up things in the freezer, so we have to make sure we schedule enough time for thawing. We're seeing Up! one night this week (thanks to Diaper Days at Camera Cinemas) and I have a meeting on Friday, so we also have to schedule around those events.

Monday: Italian sausages and hotdogs, sauteed mushrooms with peppers and onions, carrots
Tuesday: pizza (from the pizza place next to the movie theatre)
Wednesday: Orangey Asian Chicken (from freezer - never got around to this last week), rice, stir fried asparagus with onions and mushrooms
Thursday: stuffed shells (from freezer), summer squash, garlic bread (if there's any left in the freezer)
Friday: leftovers? (or dinner out, depending on length of meeting)
Saturday: Monte Cristo Chicken (from freezer - Dream Dinners), veggies
Sunday: Breakfast for Dinner (using waffles and sausage from freezer)

For more menu planning ideas, go to I'm an Organizing Junkie!

Finally - Menu Plan Monday!

It's been a while (again) since I posted a menu... for the past few weeks we've kind of followed one that was hurriedly jotted down on paper, but I'd rather get back into the habit of posting these again.

Monday: Corned Beef Casserole (minus the cheese and potato chips), summer squash
Tuesday: ham & beans (from freezer), sauteed greens, cornbread
Wednesday: turkey soup with rice & vegetables (made with meat and stock from $0.49/lb. organic turkey backs that I bought on Christmas Eve and cooked over the weekend), fruit
Thursday: steak (cut from $1.49/lb. beef tenderloin purchased 2 months ago, sauteed fava beans & carrots (a variation on this recipe), Israeli couscous
Friday: Orangey Asian Chicken (frozen Dream Dinners meal - and yes, it's really spelled that way!), rice, stir-fried mei qing choi (similar to bok choy) & whatever other vegetables we need to use up
Saturday: The elder child keeps asking for pizza, and I may just give in. We have a couple in the freezer that I could pull out.
Sunday: canned soup & grilled cheese sandwiches or Leftovers Buffet

Breakfasts: frozen waffles (because they're taking up a lot of room in the freezer), eggs & toast, corned beef hash (made with radishes instead of potatoes)

Lunches: tuna salad or PB&J sandwiches, frozen veggie "chicken" nuggets with ketchup, leftovers from dinner; apples or chips or pretzels on the side

For more menu planning ideas, visit I'm an Organizing Junkie!

long time, no menu!

I did it again. I got too busy to make a menu, but found that the week(s) ended up even more hectic without one. I'm still pretty busy, but I'm going to try to post SOMETHING so I have some sort of a guideline.

The temperature was in the 90s today and it's expected to stay pretty hot for the rest of the week, so I'm gearing meals towards using the oven as little as possible.

Breakfasts:
smoothies
quiches (we have several single serving quiches from Trader Joe's)
blueberry bran muffins with yogurt (or another smoothie)
French toast (freezer) or waffles (freezer) with yogurt

Lunches:
Salads
Salads
Salads (chicken salad, tuna salad, egg salad, green salad, fruit salad, etc.)
smoothies with hummus and crackers
sandwich (PB&J, meat or egg salad, veggie, etc.) with yogurt

Dinners:
Beef Carbonara with noodles (Dream Dinner entree from freezer, make in crock pot)
Carrot Top Soup
Subway $5 footlong sandwich (evening activity at the school, so we're having dinner out)
steak tacos (cook steak on Foreman grill, slice, saute vegetables in skillet)
Brown Rice Vegetable Risotto (substitute broth for the wine)
BBQ Pork Sandwiches (Dream Dinners)
leftovers

For more meal planning ideas, go to I'm an Organizing Junkie!

Happy Easter!

My two girls wish you a happy Easter (ok, I do too)!

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!

...and we're back! Menu Planning Monday

I certainly missed having a menu plan last week! From Wednesday on, every night I had to figure out what we were having for dinner. Planning it out in advance certainly makes it easier.

Dinners -
Monday: roast chicken, roasted root veggies (sweet potatoes, rutabagas, beets)
Tuesday: Breakfast for Dinner - since it's Fat Tuesday/Pancake Day/Mardi Gras for much of America, having pancakes for dinner seems like a fine idea! Pancakes, sausage, yogurt and fruit smoothies
Wednesday: black bean & vegetable soup, corn bread
Thursday: "Pizza Fondue" (pizza or spaghetti sauce and mozzarella cheese melted together) with meatballs, Italian sausage slices, mozzarella sticks, and garlic bread as dippers
Friday: Mango Glazed Pork Chops (from freezer), rice pilaf, carrots or sweet potatoes
Saturday: homemade chicken soup, crackers, fruit salad or smoothies
Sunday: leftovers

Breakfasts - scrambled egg burritos, smoothie and hard boiled eggs, breakfast sandwiches (the remaining pre-made ones from the freezer plus fried egg/cheese/toast sandwiches), cereal and eggs, waffles (from freezer) with sausage and eggs

Lunches - salmon burgers (from freezer), soup with bacon & cheese muffins (modified from this recipe), yogurt with bacon & cheese muffins, ham & cheese sandwiches or PBJ, grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup, hummus with tortilla chips & veggies

For more meal planning ideas, visit I'm an Organizing Junkie!

short menu week - Menu Plan Monday

We won't be home from Friday to Monday, so it's a short menu this week.

Monday: burritos, Spanish rice, caulflower, greens
Tuesday: Thai ginger beef kabobs (freezer), rice, broccoli
Wednesday: spaghetti with meatballs, green beans
Thursday: crockpot chili, tortilla chips, corn

We have lots of yogurt and cottage cheese to use up before we leave, so they'll be included in this week's breakfasts and lunches. I haven't planned much beyond that!

For more menu planning ideas, go to I'm an Organizing Junkie!

Anyone have any suggestions for eating in hotel? The hotel's restaurants are EXPENSIVE. There are restaurants nearby, but I'll only get a chance to leave the hotel once a day (maybe). I might be able to eat from the hotel's continental breakfast selection, but it's mostly just starch and sugar. Technically they don't want us to cook in our rooms, but I've used a crock pot and a rice cooker in this hotel before... I just have to use them in the bathroom so the fire alarm doesn't go off. As it is, I'm not sure if I'm taking these appliances or not; we don't know if we're going to be able to get a fridge or not.

Monday

It's time for Menu Plan Monday!

It's been confirmed -- with the busier schedule now that I'm back in school, the menu plans really help.

Breakfasts

• eggs and toast/bagel/English muffin (with butter or butter & Marmite)
• homemade breakfast burritos (salsa, scrambled eggs, bacon, and cheese in a tortilla)
  
• Jimmy Dean breakfast sandwich
• eggs and hot cereal
• monkey bread and eggs (probably weekend morning)
  

Lunches

• cottage cheese (we have a lot!) and soup
• ham sandwich, fruit
• PBJ (or something equivalent made with cashew butter) and yogurt
• chicken nuggets (from the freezer, I swear!), mixed veggies
• taco salad (I'm hoping to make a batch of it sometime this week)
  

Dinners

Monday: homemade tacos, mixed veggies
Tuesday: Poppy Seed Chicken casserole, green beans
Wednesday: leftovers
Thursday: pork chops with raisins and apples (from freezer), roasted Brussels sprouts
Friday: chili dogs, corn, fruit cocktail
Saturday: roast chicken, rutabagas
Sunday: Soup & Bread Night -- hamburger soup, cornbread or scones

For more meal planning ideas, go to I'm an Organizing Junkie!