I'm happy to report that it's starting to feel like spring here! It's above freezing, the sun is shining, and the snow is melting! We're still adjusting to the daylight savings time change (especially the one who naps), but it was SO nice to still see daylight at 6:00 last night.
The week ahead promises to be a lot of fun.
First, we're welcoming some baby chicks on Tuesday. Kiddo is pretty excited! We're going to try our hand at raising meat chickens this spring and summer. I'll talk more about it in a future post, but let's just say we're becoming quite the homesteaders over here. :)
We're also looking forward to a visit from my in-laws this coming weekend to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. No, there won't we any shamrocks or leprechauns. Instead, we'll be celebrating Hubby and his dad's birthday. I'm not sure what the odds are for a parent and child to share a birthday, but I'm sure sharing a birthday on a holiday is pretty rare indeed. We always enjoy visits from Grammy and Grampy. Since they live several hours away, we don't get to see them nearly as often as we'd like. Hubby's mom is also a great seamstress, so we may get a few projects done while they're here.
In light of their visit, I've planned out some breakfast and lunch options below our normal dinner menu plan.
This Week's Menu: 3/10-3/16
Monday: Salad Night
Tuesday: Fajitas (either pork or chicken, Hubby's recipe)
Wednesday: Leftover Chinese Food
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Homemade Pizza (using the Master Recipe for the crust), salad
Saturday: Ribs, Cole Slaw, Potato Salad
Sunday: Pot Roast, Rolls, Green Beans
Breakfasts: Scrambled Eggs and Zucchini Bread, Steel Cut Oats in the Slow Cooker, Easy Breakfast Casserole, Bagels
Lunches: Chicken Salad Sandwiches, Tuna Sandwiches, Fruit, Veggies & Ranch, Maybe Soup
Recipes I tried:
For Small Group yesterday, the family in charge of the main dish brought tacos. Everyone signs up for a side, so I decided to try out a recipe for crock pot Re-fried Beans that I had pinned. I made a half recipe, and there was plenty for the 13 adults and several kids who ate.I would definitely use this recipe again! It was very easy to make, especially since I used my stick blender instead of mashing the beans. The flavor was very similar to the canned stuff, and it was healthier and less expensive. Definitely a keeper!
Freezer Cooking:
Believe it or not, I don't have any freezer meals planned for this week! However, last week I used meals or ingredients from the freezer almost every day. I used frozen ground venison and peppers from our garden to make the Stuffed Pepper Soup , the Buffalo Chicken was a freezer kit I made during the big snow storm, I used some leftover chicken and rice from the freezer to make the Quesadilla Casserole, and the Turkey Gyros (which are delicious, by the way) were from the freezer too. I love having a stocked freezer! |
| Turkey Gyros with Naan and homemade tsatsiki sauce. |
Crock Pot Dishes:
My crock pots were busy this week! I made the Stuffed Pepper Soup on Sunday, and on Wednesday I made the Crock Pot Falafel in my 6-quart and cooked some chicken breasts in my 4-quart. Over the weekend, I had my 4-quart in use for over 48 hours straight, though it wasn't running the whole time. I started soaking the beans for the Re-fried Beans in the crock on Friday, and then I drained, rinsed, and started cooking them on Saturday morning. Once they were done cooking, I transferred them to a pot, washed the crock, and put the Buffalo Chicken in to cook. After dinner, I washed the crock one more time before putting in Steel Cut Oats for Sunday morning's breakfast. The crock pot is definitely one of my favorite kitchen tools!
This Week's Big Goal:
This week's big goal is to finish getting our house in ship-shape for my in-laws' visit. I've been letting the house slide a bit and it's been driving Hubby nuts (I'm a bit more laid back than he is). This visit is just the kick in the pants I need to get things reined in. Currently, clutter and dirty floors are the worst offenders. I'll start with basic maintenance and cleaning, but I'll also try to make a spring cleaning push. We'll see how far I get. :)If you missed last week's posts, you can check out my review of the No Cook Freezer Meals e-book by Kelly at New Leaf Wellness here, and my new weekly series, Tips & Tricks Thursday, here.
Have a great week, friends!
I linked to Menu Plan Monday at I'm An Org Junkie
You have so many mouth watering meals! Those gyros look fantastic! I love making homemade pizza! Rather, I love eating it, not so much making it. We may be eating it this week too though. If it doesn't get swapped for something quicker.
ReplyDeleteYuliya, thank you so much for stopping by!
DeleteThe gyros ARE fantastic, and quick since I made a double batch (enough for 4 meals for our family) when ground turkey was on sale a while ago. I just take out a block to thaw the night before, slice it up at dinner time, and lay the pieces on our electric griddle to warm it and give it that gyro texture. So yummy!
The pizza is a bit more involved, but so worth it. Hubby has to be home to watch Kiddo while I make that meal. :)
Your buffalo chicken sandwiches look great! I make a buffalo chicken dip that everyone loves, but have often wanted to make something like this for more of a "meal" than a "snack."
ReplyDeleteFound you on the Org Junkie link up!
Thanks for stopping by, Beth! Isn't the Org Junkie link-up great?
DeleteI love buffalo chicken dip too! In fact, I mentioned it in the recipe post. My SIL always brings it to our Christmas gathering. Mmm... The sandwiches taste a lot like the dip, and I personally think they're phenomenal. But I am a bit partial. :)
I am assuming you tried the oatmeal recipe in the past and it turned out good enough to make again for your visiting family? My attempt at crockpot oatmeal resulted in a nasty gelatinous blob couldn't eat! If this recipe turns out to to be edible (and maybe even yummy!?) I think I'll try it. I just need some assurance it won't be as awful as last time!!
ReplyDeleteYup, I've made it twice and it was a success both times! We added some water to the leftovers and they microwaved well too. Here are a few things I that I think helped:
Delete1. I used steel cut oats, which are supposed to hold up better to long cooking times.
2. I went with the simplest recipe possible because I figured it was harder to mess up. ;-)
3. I used a small 4 qt. programmable crock pot that automatically turned to warm after 8 hours, so it didn't overcook. There were a few "browned lumps" of overcooked oatmeal on the top which I could have fished out, but we didn't mind it a little lumpy. :-)
Missed you at the retreat, friend! I hope you're doing well!
Awesome blog you have heere
ReplyDelete