Menu Plan Monday: 6/8-6/14

Happy Monday! I hope you're enjoying beautiful summery weather like we are today.

I'm getting excited for all things summer - especially the fresh produce! This week my mom is coming out for a visit and we plan to go strawberry picking. (I'm thankful for reinforcements since taking just one kid was a bit overwhelming last year.) I'm not sure how much we'll be able to pick during that time, but I hope to pick enough over the next few weeks to freeze for the winter.

Our garden is also really starting to come in. And believe it or not, we have even more garden space and even more veggies planted than we did last year! Hopefully I can get my rear in gear and share a 2015 Garden Tour by the end of June!

This Week's Menu Plan: 6/8-6/14

Monday: Ham & Swiss Casserole, Rice

Tuesday: Crock Pot Beef Roast with Potatoes, Carrots, and Salad

Wednesday: Creamy Tomato Spinach Pasta

Thursday: Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken, Rice, Broccoli

Friday: Cookout! Hot Dogs, Pasta Salad, Salad/Baby Carrots, and S'mores for dessert :) 

Saturday: Leftover Pot Roast

Sunday: Small Group - Smoked Pulled Pork Barbecue
(We're in charge of the main dish this month and Hubby will be using his grill as a smoker like he did for this rib recipe. Dee-lish!)

So, Tell Me...

Do you have a garden? What are your favorite summer fruits and veggies? I'd love to hear from you in the comments below!

I link up at these fabulous link parties.

Menu Plan Monday: 6/1-6/7

Happy first day of June! May seemed to just fly by,  so I'm hoping that things can slow down a little now that summer is here. (But realistically, I know that's probably not going to happen!)

When I was working on this week's menu plan last night, a thunder storm knocked out our internet. Since I'm writing this on my cell phone, I'm going to keep this short and sweet.  It's a comfort food kind of week. Creamed chicken and biscuits,  Grammy's oven-fried chicken, Nana's meatloaf, mashed potatoes... so many of our faves are on the docket this week.

This Week's Menu Plan: 6/1-6/7

Monday: Creamed Chicken, Biscuits, Peas

Tuesday: Tuna Wraps, Baby Carrots

Wednesday: Nana's Meatloaf, Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes in the Slow Cooker, Balsamic Sauteed Summer Squash

Thursday: Grammy's Oven-Fried Chicken, Rice & Couscous Pilaf, Broccoli

Friday: Venison Fajitas

Saturday: Leftover Meatloaf, Baked Potatoes

Sunday: Leftover Oven-Fried Chicken, Leftover Mashed Potatoes, Cauliflower

So, Tell Me...

If youcould make a menu with your favorite comfort foods, what would be on your list? I'd love to hear from you in the comments below!

I link up at these fabulous link parties.

Menu Plan Tuesday 5/25-5/31

Since Monday was Memorial Day, and we were traveling home from a visit with family, this week's menu plan is a day late.

Our holiday weekend was definitely memorable. It was our first time meeting our new nephew and Hubby's family's first time meeting our baby girl, which was definitely the highlight of our visit.

Unfortunately, at our family picnic on Saturday, our 18-month-old niece had a seizure and was admitted to the hospital overnight. It was a terrifying experience, but thankfully she is appears to be back to her normal, adorable self. The night she was discharged from the hospital she had a great time playing with Kiddo, and except for the hospital bracelet and a few marks from the IV and EEG, you would never know she spent about 24 hours in the hospital. There are still follow-up appointments to be made now that she's home, hopefully to determine exactly why she had the seizure as the doctors were not able to confirm the cause. We are praying for completely restored health and no more seizures.

It was all very scary, but we are so blessed to have supportive family and friends. Between caring for our niece while waiting for the ambulance, cleaning up from the picnic, helping with the kids (Kiddo, baby girl, and our 4-month-old nephew), making phone calls, sitting with my sister-in-law in the hospital, and many, many prayers, everyone chipped in so every need was met. God is good! And I am so grateful to have married into this special family.

To top off the weekend, a stomach bug passed through the family. My mother-in-law started with it after she came home from the hospital late Saturday/early Sunday morning. And by early Monday morning, Hubby had gotten it too. As of tonight, over 10 family members and friends have gotten sick. Since Hubby and I took the majority of the responsibility for the kids during the time that our niece was in the hospital, we are thankful that he didn't fall ill until after everyone returned. I'm also thankful that he was feeling well enough to travel home yesterday and that no one else got sick in the car. We're praying that we continue to stay healthy, especially the kids.

Obviously, this was not the weekend any of us would have wanted, but there are so many things to be grateful for, so I choose to focus on that.

This Week's Menu Plan: 5/25-5/31

Monday:  Savory Crescent Chicken Pockets*, Chicken & Rice Soup*

Tuesday: Venison Steaks, Easy Oven Roasted Potatoes, Salad

Wednesday: Cranberry-Orange Pork* (courtesy of my mom), Rice, Salad

Thursday: A variation of these Ham & Cheese Spirals, Baby Carrots

Friday: Simple Roast Chicken in the Crock Pot


Saturday: Spaghetti & Meatballs*, Salad

Sunday: Creamed Chicken, Biscuits, Green Beans

 

So, Tell Me...

What do you have planned for the week ahead? I'd love to hear from you in the comments below!

I link up at these fabulous link parties.

Menu Plan Monday: 5/18

 

Hi friends, remember me? It's been a while.

As I mentioned on Facebook recently, I'm still adjusting to this whole mom-of-two thing and I'm having a hard time figuring out a new schedule to work on bloggy stuff. It's especially difficult because I normally worked on the blog after Kiddo went to bed, but right now Baby Girl pretty much nurses allll evening long (about once an hour from 7:30/8:00 til 10:30/11:00), so it's hard to get in a blogging groove. It will take time to figure out the right balance, so I appreciate your patience as I adjust.

So... I actually did write up a Menu Plan for last Monday, but I never got around to putting on the final touches and hitting "publish." That means you get to see what we ate last week and what we plan to eat for most of this week. For the holiday weekend, we have a bunch of family get-togethers, so I'm not bothering to write a meal plan for Friday-Sunday.

Our Menu Plan:

5/11-5/17

Monday: Nana's Meatloaf, Crock Pot Parrots and Potatoes (leftover from last week's pot roast)

Tuesday: General Tso's Chicken (made with store-bought sauce), Salad

Wednesday: Hamburgers, Salad, Easy Oven Roasted Potatoes

Thursday: Chicken Salad Wraps, Baby Carrots

Friday: Creamed Chicken, Biscuits, Salad

Saturday: Lasagna Casserole*, Salad

Sunday: Leftover Meatloaf, Baked Potatoes, Sauteed Summer Squash

5/18-5/21

Monday: Leftover Creamed Chicken, Biscuits, Green Beans

Tuesday: Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches, Rolls, Baby Carrots & Celery, Homemade Ranch

Wednesday: Leftover Lasagna Casserole

Thursday: Buffalo Chicken Wraps, Carrots

*Indicates a freezer meal.

So, Tell Me...

What do you have planned for the week ahead? I'd love to hear from you in the comments below!

I link up at these fabulous link parties.

Menu Plan Monday: 5/4-5/10

It's the first week of May and Spring has really sprung around here. The weekend was gorgeous and today is another sunny day with a high close to 80! Flowers are also springing up, and there's plenty of pollen in the air... which means my allergies are starting to kick in. But I'm not going to complain today - instead we're going to play outside and soak in the sunshine. :) 

This Week's Menu Plan: 5/4-5/10

Monday: Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken, Rice, Broccoli

Tuesday: Spaghetti and Meatballs*

Wednesday: Pot Roast in the Crock Pot

Thursday: Tuna-Noodle Casserole*, Green Beans

Friday: Leftover Teriyaki Chicken

Saturday: Leftover Tuna Casserole

Sunday: Leftover Pot Roast

*Indicates a freezer meal.

So, Tell Me...

What do you have planned for the week ahead? How are you enjoying the spring weather? I'd love to hear from you in the comments below!

I link up at these fabulous link parties.

Menu Plan Monday: 4/27-5/3

I'm going to let you in on a secret. 

Ready? Here it is:

Just because you make a meal plan doesn't mean you need to follow it.



Ok, so it's no big secret, but I think it's still important to remember. I'm pretty sure (because friends have told me so) that there are people out there who don't make a meal plan because they don't want to be tied to making a meal on a certain day. They prefer to be spontaneous. And I totally get that. 

There are weeks where I follow our meal plan to the letter, and weeks where it looks totally different from the plan.

Guess how many meals followed last week's menu? One. Really.

That's right, just a single meal was made as planned. And that's ok!

It all started when a friend from church called on Monday to let me know she would be bringing us a roast chicken for dinner that night. Whoo-hoo! With that one kind gesture, our meals for the week changed. On Tuesday we had Venison Fajitas, Wednesday was leftovers (as planned), Thursday was another night of leftovers and pancakes for Kiddo, Friday was chilly so we had Stuffed Pepper Soup from the freezer, Saturday we had hamburgers, and Sunday we had leftover Roast Chicken for lunch and Chinese for dinner. I like having a plan in place, but this is real life and sometimes you need to be flexible.

I still love having a menu plan, though. Especially for a busy week like this one when Hubby and I both have nights we'll be out of the house for meetings and a softball game, having a plan makes things so much easier.

This Week's Menu Plan: 4/27-5/3

Monday: Meatball* Sandwiches, Salad

Tuesday: Chick-Fil-A

Wednesday: Leftover Chinese, Baby Carrots

Thursday: Grammy's Oven-Fried Chicken, Cous Cous, Salad

Friday: Cod, Easy Oven-Roasted Potatoes, Green Beans

Saturday: Savory Crescent Chicken Pockets*, Cauliflower

Sunday: Leftover Oven-Fried Chicken

*Indicates a freezer meal.

Recent Posts 

  

 

So, Tell Me...

What do you have planned for the week ahead? It can be about your meals for the week or the events on your schedule. Either way, I'd love to hear from you in the comments below!

I link up at these fabulous link parties.

Menu Plan Monday 4/20-4/26

Did anyone else have beautiful weather over the weekend? It was absolutely perfect here, especially on Saturday. Hubby and Kiddo spent the day working outside and baby girl and I enjoyed sitting on our front porch for a little while between her naps. And then we went on our first family walk of the season. Heaven! I am getting SO excited for the warmer weather and slower pace of the summer months.

And now on to the menu plan. We were so grateful for the meals brought by members of our church as we adjust to being a family of four. It made a pretty busy week that much easier, knowing that I didn't have to make as many meals. Freezer meals have also been such a huge help since they require minimal hands-on time and either Hubby or I can easily prepare them. I'm so glad I took the time to stock our freezer.

This Week's Menu Plan: 4/20-4/26

Monday: Chicken Fajitas

Tuesday: Sloppy Joes (We jokingly call them "Sloppy Does" since they're made with ground venison. Get it?)

Wednesday: Leftovers

Thursday: Tuna-Noodle Casserole*

Friday: Meatball* Sandwiches

Saturday: Leftover Tuna Casserole

Sunday: Savory Crescent Chicken Pockets*

*Indicates a Freezer Meal 

Recent Posts

So, Tell Me...

What do you have planned for the week ahead? It can be about your meals for the week or the events on your schedule. Either way, I'd love to hear from you in the comments below!

I link up at these fabulous link parties.

Menu Plan Monday 4/13-4/19

I'm back! After a two-week break from Menu Plan Monday posts, it's great to be back in the saddle. Actually, I had a two-week break from meal planning too. When we got home from the hospital with Baby Girl, Hubby sat down and made a two-week menu plan and wrote up a grocery list. He cooked pretty much all the meals that first week too. I tell you, I picked a keeper! When my in-laws came into town that weekend to meet Baby Girl and spend Easter with us, they brought both a ham and a turkey. Needless to say, I didn't have to cook then either. We've barely made a dent in my freezer stash, which is really encouraging as I figure out this whole "mom of two" thing.

A little blurry, but here was Hubby's 2-week meal plan. He's a good one!

This is going to be a bit of a crazy week. For starters, since Hubby worked from home 3 days last week, it will be my first full week flying solo with two kids (except for Wednesday, when my mom will be coming out to visit and help out). I'll also be on my own for a few bedtimes due to Hubby's evening Bible Study, softball practice, and a meeting this week.

On top of all that, it's a MOPs week, and I'm dying to get out of the house and spend some time with other adults. The pediatrician gave me the go-ahead as long as I keep baby girl with me and don't pass her around. (Sorry, MOPs friends!) :) He tends to be pretty conservative when it comes to taking newborns into public places, and I do understand why. Thankfully, spring weather is finally here, so we can at least make trips to the park and get out of the house into the sunshine!

I'm also very thankful for our church's meal ministry. Members of our church are dropping off meals on Monday and Thursday, so those are two days I won't have to cook, and since there will probably be leftovers, I may be cooking even less. We also have some Amish Chicken Pot Pie Soup left from another meal we received on Thursday. It's such a help to have meals ready-made for us on such a busy week!

This Week's Menu Plan: 4/13-4/19

Monday: Meal Delivery

Tuesday: Leftovers


Wednesday: Salad Night

Thursday: Meal Delivery

Friday: Family Dinner (Happy Birthday, Dad!)

Saturday: Leftovers or Savory Crescent Chicken Pockets*, salad

Sunday: Stuffed Pepper Soup*

*Indicates a Freezer Meal

Recent Posts

Please bear with me as I get my blogging act together. I have some posts that are ready to go... I just actually need to hit "Publish"! I will sit down and schedule a few for this week. My plan is for a nursery decor tutorial and a recipe.

So, Tell Me...

What's do you have planned for the week ahead? Is it a busy one? It can be about your meals for the week or the events you have planned. Either way, I'd love to hear you in the comments below!

I link up at these fabulous link parties.

Menu Plan Monday: 3/23-3/29

Good afternoon!

Well, I'm "still here," as they say. No baby yet. I'm honestly not too anxious this time around. As I said before, since Kiddo was late, I'm trying not to get too hung up on my due date this time around (which is Saturday, in case you were wondering). We had a play date, so I didn't get the menu posted this morning like I prefer to. But I'm not complaining - its nice to have things to look forward to this week.

As for meals, I'm keeping things simple. A few are freezer meals, one is take-out, and all should make just enough for one meal. Anything we have planned for this week will not require much cooking or thawing time, just in case. :)

This Week's Menu Plan: 3/23-3/29

Monday: Sloppy Joes, Green Beans

Tuesday: Venison Fajitas

Wednesday: Savory Crescent Chicken Pockets, Broccoli

Thursday: Alaskan Cod, Easy Oven Roasted Potatoes, Salad

Friday: Pizza or Chinese

Saturday: Incredibly Simple Tomato Soup, Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Sunday: Chicken & Rice Soup (from the freezer)

On The Home Front:

As I mentioned on Facebook last week, while most pregnant moms I know nest by cleaning house, I've been nesting by cooking and baking. At the beginning of the week, I made 2 batches of chex party mix (a birthday treat for Hubby, and some of it is went in the hospital bag!), 3 sheets of granola bars (96 total), biscuit mix, chicken salad, 4 loaves of applesauce bread, and savory chicken pockets to freeze.When I wasn't in the kitchen, I worked on some projects for the nursery. All that kept me busy enough that I didn't get to complete a blog post. Lately, all the photo-taking and editing has not seemed appealing, so I'd rather cook/bake or create for the nursery instead.

However, I do have about 4 blog posts that are close, so be prepared for a few this week (hopefully!). Other than hanging wall art (and my wish for bedside tables), the nursery is basically finished. Bags are packed and ready for the hospital (and Nana's house for Kiddo). Now it's just a waiting game. Maybe I will actually get to some cleaning-type nesting!


What do you have planned for the week ahead?

I link up at these fabulous link parties.

Menu Plan Monday: 3/16-3/22

Good Morning!

It's going to be a good week, friends. Tuesday is Hubby's birthday and Friday is the official first day of Spring. And who knows? By the end of the week, baby girl could make her appearance. Kiddo was eight days late, so I'm not holding my breath, but you never know. :-)

On the Home Front

If you walk into our home, it's obvious that there's a baby coming! Almost all the baby gear is out of the basement, washed, and assembled. Bags are packed for Kiddo, Baby Girl, and myself. The infant car seat is installed. And yesterday, Kiddo attended a Sibling Tour at the hospital. There is still more that could be done, but at this point we're ready enough that I'm not panicked at the though of her arrival.

Curious George was our practice model for the Big Sibling Tour today at the hospital. :) There IS a big brother back there. This is what happened when I said, "hold George so I can see him and say 'cheese!'" #2weeksleft #hopefully #anytimenow

A photo posted by Kim {Pinspired Home} (@kim_pinspired_home) on Mar 15, 2015 at 9:00am PDT

On Saturday, my family came for a visit. Kiddo soaked up all the attention, and I got some "feminine input" on baby girl's nursery. My sweet mom, sister, and sister-in-law surprised me with some beautiful wall art they made for the nursery. I haven't hung them yet, but I really think they will add so much to the room once they're up!

My mom, sis, and sis-in-law surprised me today with a few little goodies for the #nursery. Wall hangings to add in the pop of turquoise I've been missing, plus a VERY soft throw in just the right color of coral. It's really starting to come together! Can't wait to show you the progress soon #ontheblog !

A photo posted by Kim {Pinspired Home} (@kim_pinspired_home) on Mar 14, 2015 at 3:08pm PDT

This week, I hope to show you what I have done in the nursery. There are a few things I still need to add that I won't be able to get til after Baby Girl arrives and family visits, but she really only needs a place to sleep and some diapers, right?

Anyway, on to the meal plan.

 

This Week's Menu Plan: 3/16-3/22

Monday: Simple Roast Chicken in the Crock Pot

Tuesday: Hamburgers, Potato Chips, Salad (Happy Birthday to Hubby!)

Wednesday: Salad Night

Thursday: Leftover Taco Casserole

Friday: Spinach Tortellini Soup

Saturday: Crock Pot Pork Roast with Cinnamon and Apples, Rice

Sunday: Leftovers

Last Week's Post:

What do you have planned for the week ahead?

I link up at these fabulous link parties.

Menu Plan Monday: 3/9-3/15

Monday, Monday....

I am totally embracing it this week. There may still be snow on the ground today, but the weather is GLORIOUS! It's currently 49 degrees outside, which may sound cold to some, but when the average temperature for the last month was 21.8, it feels downright balmy. Especially after last week.

Still a lot of snow on the ground, but oh, that glorious sunshine! Loving it - 49 degrees feels downright balmy. #springfever #meltingsnow #happygirl

A photo posted by Kim {Pinspired Home} (@kim_pinspired_home) on Mar 9, 2015 at 1:35pm PDT

Ohhh last week... It started out fairly normal, really. Monday was cold and windy but sunny. Not exactly how we wanted to welcome March, but not out of the norm either.
However, on Tuesday the fun began. By mid-morning it was snowing pretty steadily and chools dismissed early. Between ice on Wednesday and unexpectedly heavy snowfall Thursday (which was not properly removed, leaving unsafe road conditions), schools remained closed for the rest of the week. Yes, that means that kids were home from school three and a half days! While I don't have a school-age child yet, I sympathize with my fellow parents. Kiddo and I were cooped up inside all week and, to add insult to injury, MOPs was canceled on Thursday. After being stuck at home since Tuesday, I was SO excited to get out for my obstetric appointment on Friday. (Sad, I know.)

On The Home Front:

Having all that at-home time gave me some more opportunities to get things ready for baby girl. I finished another pillow for the guest bed, made some necessary phone calls, baked four loaves of applesauce bread, sewed a (very simple) crib skirt, washed more baby clothes, made a rough design for some wall art prints, arranged the furniture in the nursery, and began organizing the nursery closet and dresser. Over the weekend, I also made some more lists - for the hospital bag, ideas for a big brother gift for Kiddo, and a shopping list for needed postpartum and baby items. At 37 weeks, I'm feeling the need to be ready!

This Week's Menu Plan: 3/9-3/15

Monday: Korean Beef (a new recipe), Rice, Broccoli

Tuesday: Leftover Oven-Fried Chicken, Baby Potatoes, Roasted Carrots

Wednesday: Pizza, Baby Carrots

Thursday: Simple Roast Chicken in the Crock Pot

Friday: Dinner with Friends

Saturday: Crock Pot Stuffed Pepper Soup, tortilla chips or cornbread

Sunday: Leftover Chicken or Chicken Salad Sandwiches

Last Week's Post:

I was SO excited to share this post with you! This craft was a total experiment, but I LOVE the way it turned out. It's the perfect addition to the guest bed in baby girl's room.

With all that I crossed off my list, blogging pretty much took a backseat. My goal is to take an afternoon and draft out some new posts so I won't leave you hanging. I hope to share two more posts this week and get back to posting 3 times a week until the baby comes. Wish me luck!

What do you have planned for the week ahead?

I link up at these fabulous link parties.

Menu Plan Monday: 3/2-3/8

It's another Monday, the first in March. It's crazy to think that our little pink bundle of joy should arrive in less than 30 days! (Though I'm mentally preparing myself for an April arrival, just in case she is over a week late like her brother was).  

On the Home Front:

The last couple weeks have been filled with an awesome weekend retreat with my mom and two of my favorite sisters, more freezing (stocking the freezer has become a mini-obsession), and a little bit of crafting/sewing for the nursery (be on the lookout for a fun tutorial this week!). 

Kiddo also had his first dental appointment last week and he handled it like a pro! We watched the Mr. Rogers dentist episode right before we left, and the hygienist was amazing explaining all the equipment to him. They even gave him special Lightning McQueen sunglasses to wear while his teeth were cleaned. I was so proud that there were absolutely no tears or fears. What a champ!

Of course, George had to come too.
Do you see him hiding under the bib?

Can You Help Me Out?

Back to the menu, I feel like I'm in a recipe rut. I'm in the mood to try new things, or make some of our yummy recipe favorites, but at 36 weeks pregnant, I just don't have the energy at dinner time to make anything too involved. Crock pot meals have been such a life-saver, because I usually have more energy first thing in the morning. I'm looking for meals that are simple and don't require me to be on my feet for too long at dinner time. This is where I turn to you, dear readers! What easy, tried-and-true recipes do you love, crock pot or otherwise?

Anyway, since March could be a bit up in the air, I plan to share weekly menu plans instead of posting 2 weeks at a time. I have planned meals for the next two weeks since I only shop every other week, but week #2 is still pretty tentative. I probably have too many meals planned, but I'd rather have too many than not enough. We'll see how far I the leftovers stretch and go from there.

As you'll see, the meals for this week are mostly tried-and-true favorites. I'm excited to bring my Grammy's oven-fried chicken into the mix - a favorite I haven't made in years! Be assured that I also have a brand new recipe in the plan for next week as well. I'm excited to see how that one turns out.

This Week's Menu Plan: 3/2-3/8

Monday: Salad Night

Tuesday: Leftover Chinese Takeout, Green Beans

Wednesday: Alaskan Cod, Easy Oven Roasted Potatoes, Salad

Thursday: Leftover Beef Stew

Friday: Corned Beef in the Crock Pot, Cole Slaw

Saturday: Grammy's Oven-Fried Chicken (recipe to come), Cole Slaw, Rice

Sunday: Small Group at lunch, Leftovers for dinner


So that's it for this week's menu! This week (and probably next), keep an eye out for a fun project for the nursery, my tips for freezing cookie dough, and one of my favorite cookie recipes!

Last Week's Post:

What do you have planned for the week ahead?

I link up at these fabulous link parties.