What's for Dinner - Week of 1/17/11

This week started off with Martin Luther King Day and the day off of work and school for all six of my boys (yes, Mark is included!).  Since we spent the day skiing and snowboarding, it essentially became a "lost" day.  Funny how quickly a day becomes lost in the week!  I already feel behind the eight ball and it is only Tuesday. 

Thankfully, I know what is for dinner . . .

Monday:  Out to dinner
                  This wasn't really planned, but we were all really tired from the days' activities.  The children won out!

Tuesday:  Leftovers
                   I feel like I perpetually have leftovers!  But when I make smaller amounts we never have enough.  Funny how that works.

Wednesday:  Chicken with carmelized onions, couscous and grapes
                   The following are more recipes from my favorite cookbook, The Six O'Clock Scramble.  This recipe is essentially adult chicken nuggets.

Thursday:  Quinoa and Black Bean Burritos, green beans
                   Mexican night!  Quinoa (keen-wa) is much healthier than rice, but easy to sub in for rice.  The children have eaten it by itself, so shouldn't be too upset with it in a burrito.

Friday:  Maryland Crabcakes, corn, English muffins
                   Everyone likes crab and they love cocktail sauce, so it should be a hit!

Saturday:  Baked Artichoke Pasta, carrots
                   This is described as being similar to a hot artichoke dip.  Yum!

Sunday:  Cobb Salad, oranges, French bread
                   If nothing else, it includes bacon and cheese!

I have referred several times to "my favorite cookbook".  I love this cookbook for several reasons.  The recipes are family friendly but are somewhat outside the box, allowing me to expose the children to different foods.  The recipes are organized by season, allowing me to utilize seasonal fruits and vegetables, and hopefully be more cost effective.  Best of all, the five weekly recipes come with a shopping list, allowing me to streamline my grocery shopping!  Score!

I first became aware of "The Scramble" when I was using their weekly grocery planning service at http://www.thescramble.com/.  It was a life saver for me when I first became a stay-at-home mom.  My only regret is that I didn't find it in time for me to have used it while I worked.  Check it out!  Contact me if you have any questions.

Have a good week!

Enjoy!

I am participating in Menu Plan Monday over at http://www.orgjunkie.com/!
                

What's for Dinner - Week of 1/10/11

This has been a crazy week already, and it's only Tuesday!

It's amazing to me to look at other people's meal plans.  So many people plan out breakfast, lunch and dinner.  I thought that I was being so good planning out a week's worth of dinners!  Breakfast around here during the week is usually pretty hectic.  I typically act like a short order cook making everyone's choice, but it's all really easy stuff:  instant oatmeal, freezer waffles and pancakes, poptarts and cold cereal.  Lunch is fairly boring, usually with just myself and Rowan eating PB&J (my personal favorite).  The older ones either pack or buy lunch at school.  Weekends are when those meals become a little more structured.  I will usually cook one "big" breakfast; almost always it includes bacon.  Lunch will be subs or sometimes leftovers.  I guess that by knowing that the children get their choices for breakfast and lunch I don't feel so bad if they don't particularly like a dinner I prepare (I only offer one option for dinner, take it or leave it).  They don't have that long til their next meal!

For this week . . . .

Monday:  Pork Tenderloin, brown rice, green beans
                 Nothing fancy.

Tuesday:  Takeout from City BBQ
                 This is for a fundraiser for our school.  Hard to turn it down when it is a favorite!

Wednesday:  Tortilla Casserole, salad
                  The recipe is from Everyday Food magazine.  It is a "lighter" recipe, but I will add in a pound of ground beef to appease the boys.

Thursday:  Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches, french fries, crudites
                  Also from the above magazine.  This is a crockpot recipe.  Bonus!

Friday:  Out to dinner for hockey game
                   Go Jackets!!

Saturday:  Leftovers
                    Lots of goodies to eat up!

Sunday:  Spicy Black Bean Soup, corn muffins, salad
                    Everyone pretty much likes black bean soup here.  The fact that it is labeled "spicy" should make it a hit.

Have a good week.

Enjoy!

I am participating in Menu Plan Monday over at http://www.orgjunkie.com/!

What's for Dinner - Week 1/3/11

Happy New Year!  It's hard to believe that another year has come and gone.  The years just fly by with children anymore.  They keep getting bigger and hungrier! 

One of my goals this year is to continue with the menu planning and posting.  My mother was laughing at me the other day at my organization.  This woman is amazing.  She would grocery shop for two weeks at a time, for a family of seven, off the cuff.  She would push one cart and pull another and manage it all without a list!  I am attributing my inability to do this to the fact that I am significantly older now than she was then; but my mother has always been known for her great memory.  I'm just happy that I haven't actually left anyone at the store yet.  Notice that I said actually left the store, just almost!  Thankfully, one of the benefits of having five children is the fact that they noticed the missing child!  Oh well, not one of my finer moments.

On to the food . . .

Monday:  Leftovers/Smorgasbord
                 I try to make it sound a little bit better than it is by calling it "Smorgasbord".  Sometimes it even fools the younger ones!

Tuesday:  Leftovers/CORN (clean out the refrigerator)
                 I don't know where it is all coming from, but we have a lot of food to kill off!  Again, trying to fool the kids into thinking it is something else.  I'm not sure it is going to work!

Wednesday:  Eggplant Pita Sandwiches/Greek Sandwiches
                 I'll offer a meat option for the children.  They will think I'm trying to poison them with an eggplant only option.  I love eggplant though!  Will try to convince them to try it.  It may work, as Patrick is at ski club this evening.

Thursday:  Roast Chicken, Cheddar and Bacon Stuffed Potatoes
                 We never had this a couple of weeks ago, so it is reappearing on the menu.  I will get the roast chicken from the grocery.  The children will love the cheddar and bacon potatoes.

Friday:  Seared Fish with Beets and Broccoli
                This is from Everyday Food magazine; their "light issue".  A perfect recipe for another one of my New Year's goals . . . lose weight and try to eat more fish.  They have a "grocery bag" section that has five recipes with a shopping list.  It helps make menu planning very easy!

Saturday:  Parmesan Chicken with Mushrooms and Brussels Sprouts
                The chicken will be a huge hit.  I am always amazed at how good brussels sprouts are when they are roasted!  Who would have thought?!  More from the magazine.

Sunday:  Steak and Potato Salad
                Enough said!  My carnivores will be drooling.  Ditto the source.

Have a great week!
 
Enjoy!

I am participating in Menu Plan Monday over at http://www.orgjunkie.com/!

What's for Dinner - Week 12/27/10

I've mentioned in my previous posts that I like to menu plan. I have just the thing to make it easy!  It is a planning pad that I found at a local stationery store. . .

It is the perfect thing for me to plan out my dinners.  I have space to include the main entree and sides.  I can put anything that I need on my grocery list as I plan out my meals.  It is perforated, both at the top and in the middle, allowing me to post the menu in the kitchen and put the grocery list in my purse.  Perfect!  You can find out where to get them at http://www.donovandesignsinc.com/ (no, I do not work for them!). 

I started posting my menus in the kitchen to avoid some of the "what's for dinner?" questions that inevitably start at around 5pm.  This way the children know what's for dinner tonight, can see what's for dinner tomorrow, and hopefully can steel themselves for whatever experiment I have planned.  It only partially works in that regard, and sometimes can backfire, when it is something they don't think they will like!  I'm still trying though.  So that you know what we are having and can comment along with the rest of the peanut gallery . . .

Monday:  Rotini with Bacon and Goat Cheese, Spinach Salad
                 Pasta is usually a big hit around here.  Anything with bacon in it is sure to please!

Tuesday:  Manhattan Clam Chowder
                 Leftovers from last week; it made a ton!  The children will get a bone thrown to them with some chicken nuggets.

Wednesday:  Erin's Baked Ziti
                 My friend Erin has a great baked ziti recipe that she made for us at her lake house this summer.  It travels well and will go with us on our ski trip.

Thursday:  Banu's Beef Carnitas
                 My friend Banu will be making beef carnitas in the crockpot for the skiers that night.

Friday:  Pasta with Meat Sauce
                  Lots of pasta for the skiers this week!

Saturday:  Cincinnati Chili
                 I will make this at home and bring it along.  It just gets better with time.  More pasta!

Sunday:  Out to dinner with some Eversave certificates on the way home

Enjoy!

I am participating in Menu Plan Monday over at http://www.orgjunkie.com/!



             

What's for Dinner - Week 12/20/10

Being the Type A personality that I am, organization is what rocks my boat.  It also keeps me sane.  I have tried grocery shopping by the seat of my pants, but it just doesn't work for me.  I forget stuff. A lot of stuff.  And when I have seven mouths to feed, it gets difficult.  So I have resorted to menu planning for our dinners, and it works!  I love knowing what I am feeding everyone ahead of time.  I love knowing that I have all the groceries in the house.  I love knowing that I don't need to set foot into the grocery store for another week.  I am able to thaw my meat out ahead of time.  I can do prep work throughout the day while the kids are in school.  I can breathe.  Have I convinced you yet?

That is not to say that my dinner plans are set in stone.  I get thrown curve balls that upset even the best laid plans.  Big curve balls!  But that just means that dinner is set for tomorrow.  I also have time to cajole even the biggest naysayer that eggplant is good for them (maybe).  Ready to try it?  More on this later.

On to this week:

Monday:  Quesadilla Casserole
               A McCormick spice package that has the recipe and spices pre-measured. My children love all Mexican!  This is an easy recipe and is much loved.

Tuesday:  Spiced Chicken with Maple Butter Glaze and roasted asparagus
               More recipes from my favorite cookbook The Six O'Clock Scramble.  Yum!

Wednesday:  Manhattan Clam Chowder with soup crackers
               My children love clams.  Conor thinks that he likes clam chowder.  The rest are not big soup fans, though.  I hope to convert them.

Thursday:  Bacon and Cheese Stuffed Potatoes and Roast Chicken
               I will get the roast chicken already cooked from the store.  You can't beat that!  You had me at bacon and cheese for the potatoes.

Friday:  Christmas Pasta
               This is a Rachael Ray recipe from her 365:  No Repeats cookbook.  It has become a tradition of ours to have it on Christmas Eve.  Loved by all!

Saturday:  Boneless Rib-eye Roast with asparagus and cheesy potatoes
               I had to take out a second mortgage on the house for the meat, but it is so worth it.  Everyone loves the potatoes.  I will have a Red Velvet Cake for our special Christmas dessert.

Sunday:  Cleaning out the fridge of all the wonderful left-overs!

Enjoy!  Happy Holidays!!

I am participating in Menu Plan Monday over at http://www.orgjunkie.com/!