MENU IN REVIEW - March 4 -10

Mon.
Sloppy (Chicken) Joe's
Tues.
Tony took care of it
Wed.
Tony's up again
Thurs.
Papa Murphy's Pizza
Fri.
Dinner out
Sat.
Ham & Potato Soup
Sun.
Ham with Mashed Potatoes, and Stuffing 

MENU IN REVIEW - Nov. 19 - Nov. 25

Mon. 
Papa Murphy's Pizza 
Tues. 
Pork Sirloin Chops, Roasted Potatoes & Cole Slaw 
Wed.
Homemade Pizza 
Thurs.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!! Turkey, Mashed Potatoes & Gravy, Stuffing, Sweet Potatoes, Green Beans, Rolls.....then we'll have dessert with extended family! 
Fri.
Out to Someburro's with Austin 
Sat.
Leftovers!!! 
Sun.
Mamita's bringing cheese, crackers and salami

Lots of fun with family and great food this week!

MENU IN REVIEW Nov. 5 - Nov. 11

Mon. 
Grilled Chicken, Mashed Potatoes & Cooked Carrots 
Tues. 
Nachos or Leftover Soup 
Wed.
Stuffed Peppers and Broccoli 
Thurs.
Bacon & Jalapeno Popper Grilled Cheese Sandwiches with Sweet Potato Fries 
Fri.
Fall Festival tonight and then we went to Sweet Tomatoes with family! 
Sat.
Everyone made what they wanted....nachos, stuffing, eggs. 
Sun.
Waffles & Turkey Bacon

My two favorites of the week:

Stuffed Peppers & Bacon & Jalapeno Popper Grilled Cheese

SO GOOD!!!!

MENU IN REVIEW - Oct. 29 - Nov. 4

Mon. 
Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup, Lemony Asparagus, Brussel Sprouts, Sourdough Toast 
Tues. 
Mama was gone, boys on their own, dad threw money at the situation.....problem solved. 
Wed.
Cheesy Potato Soup & Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup, Bread, Pumpernickel Pretzels, Oyster Crackers, & Pepitas.....and LOTS & LOTS of Candy! 
Thurs.
Sweet & Sour Spareribs & Rice 
Fri.
(is it bad that I can't remember what I had?!?) 
Sat.
Pizza with friends 
Sun.
Waffles, Eggs & Turkey Bacon

MENU IN REVIEW - Oct. 22 - Oct. 28

Mon. 
Pasta, Roasted Veggies, & Zuppa Toscana Soup 
Tues. 
Thai Peanut Noodle Salad 
Wed.
Leftovers! 
Thurs.
Polish Sausage, Fries and Lemony Asparagus 
Fri.
Spaghetti Bake 
Sat.
Trunk or Treat Party at Church (we're making pumpkin bars and homemade rootbeer) 
Sun.
Leftover Spaghetti Bake

MENU IN REVIEW - Oct. 15 - Oct. 21

Mon. 
Asher's birthday meal! Panda Express 
Tues. 
Leftovers from Chuck E. Cheese's (man, I will be so happy to have the structure of school again....for all of
us!) 
Wed.
Pork Carnitas Tacos 
Thurs.
Teriyaki Chicken & Homemade Take-Out Noodles 
Fri. 
Foil Dinners 
Sat.
Pizza 
Sun.
My mom provided dinner...LOVE!

Kids are back in school, routines are established, cooking is happening!  The Pork Carnitas were sooooooo yummy.  Still can't believe I made them.  I'm going to make them in two weeks again.  Teriyaki Chicken was a hit and gone too quick.  I didn't get to enjoy the foil dinners, but the boys did while they were camping.  They really loved them!  I think we'll have to make foil dinners on the grill (or oven) at home.  And finally, Asher was ordained a teacher today and my mom spoiled us with Mexican food. 

MENU IN REVIEW - Oct. 8 - Oct. 14

Mon. 
Simple Spaghetti with Garlic Bread 
Tues. 
Cheese Crisps 
Wed.
Take out (it's fall break!) 
Thurs.
Take out (fall break....still) 
Fri. 
Pizza 
Sat.
We ate apples and buttermilk syrup today....heaven! 
Sun.
Family get together to celebrate Asher's birthday - Hot Dogs, Hamburgers, Crinkle Cut Fries, & Steamed Broccoli

Boy....this was not a very budget minded week!  It's a good thing we could add to the budget during fall break.  School starts back on Wednesday, we'll be back to a good schedule this week.

DAY 15 - PLANNING YOUR MENU

(pork roast and roasted potatoes)

I've already talked about my theme nights and given lots of recipes.  Today it's all about finalizing your menu for the week.  Here are some guidelines I use:
Look to the grocery ads.  For example, 10 lb. bag of potatoes for $0.99, guess what will be on our menu!  Recently there was a sale on different cuts of meat for $1.99/lb and I stocked up - as much as I can.
What does your week look like?  Busy week ahead, you probably need to use the crock pot more, have much simpler meals like sandwiches or cook during the day and reheat at dinner time.  Another solution would be to cook a lot on one day and have foods ready to go in the fridge.  For example, cook up a lot of chicken or ground beef, then package in the fridge and put dinner together quickly through the week with the pre-cooked ingredient.
The weather or the seasons.  A cold, rainy day = Grilled Cheese and Soup.  Hot summer day = A Salad and lots of cold Watermelon.  Fall = Pumpkin anything!  Just as we generally make turkey on Thanksgiving, we generally have favorite meals/foods to go with the weather/seasons.  Embrace the weather, embrace the holidays and embrace what's growing in each season!
Cravings or family's requests.   This is easy enough.  Hopefully, the craving/request is something you can afford that week. 
Try a new recipe.  Sometimes I just look at the week ahead and don't feel inspired.  Finding a new recipe to try out is just what I need.  The best part is when it's successful.  I even have a board labeled Pinterest Success.  It holds all the recipes I've tried and were a success for our family.  I mean, who couldn't use another recipe in their repertoire.  Don't know where to find a new recipe....go here for some inspiration.
Remember - Flexibility!  The best plans get interrupted by many things - sickness, car troubles, school projects, losing track of time while visiting with friends, etc.  The way to not stress when these things happen, having at least one good back-up plan.  My go-to-last-minute meal is Breakfast for Dinner. (or as it was called on Scrubs - Brinner!)  It's easy, it's quick and inexpensive.  We generally make waffles or pancakes and eggs, occasionally turkey bacon.  Of course, you could opt for just eggs and toast.  Another quick, easy and inexpensive meal is spaghetti - a package of noodles and a bottle of sauce.  Simple, simple, simple.  If you have the time/money, add a loaf of bread and a small salad. 

(Chocolate Chip Pancakes)
My 31 days started here

Fellow 31 dayers here

MENU IN REVIEW - Oct. 1 to Oct. 7

Mon. 
Waffles & Eggs 
Tues. 
Mexican Fiesta 
Wed.
Roasted Whole Chicken, Mashed Potatoes & Green Beans 
Thurs.
Potato Soup - made with homemade stock
Fri. 
Pizza 
Sat.
Dinner out! 
Sun.
Salad potluck with extended family, then Homemade Doughnuts

MENU IN REVIEW - Sept. 24 to Sept. 30

Mon. 
Mexican Fiesta! 
Tues. 
Homemade Macaroni & Cheese, Soft Pretzel Bites 
Wed.
Hot Dogs and Potato Salad 
Thurs.
Trying a recipe for Bajio's Green Chili Chicken Salad 
Fri. 
Leftovers...the fridge was full of them! 
Sat.
Subway...thanks, Tony! 
Sun.
Grilled Chicken, Mashed Potatoes & Gravy, Green Beans
(homemade pizza for lunch)

I love when leftovers unexpectedly save me money!

MENU IN REVIEW - Sept. 17 thru Sept. 23

Mon.
Spaghetti & Garlic Bread, Papa Murphy's Cinnamon Wheel for dessert 
Tues. 
Cheesy Eggs, Zucchini and Chocolate Milk (flying by the seat of my pants.......and loving every minute of it!) 
Wed.
Spicy Cashew Chicken with Rice and Green Beans 
Thurs.
Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup & Homemade French Bread 
Fri. 
Maybe dinner out? I've been needing a date night! 
Sat.
Dinner out again...score! This doesn't come out of my budget
(Moving this to next week - copycat recipe for Bajio's Green Chili Chicken Salad) 
Sun.
Spaghetti Bake

Look for my Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup & Spicy Cashew Chicken recipes this week.

MENU IN REVIEW - Sept. 9 thru Sept. 16

I wanted to post my weekly menus on Monday, but then life happens.  Inevitably, there's some juggling in our week and meals get rearranged, ditched, or reinvented.  Since I wanted my weekly menus documented (for my future reference) I settled for posting the previous week's menu on Sunday.  

Mon.
Spaghetti 
Tues. 
Black Bean Soup, Nachos 
Wed.
Tony and the boys were busy with an Eagle Project. They grabbed In-n-Out on the way home. I came home and roasted some sweet pepper and an onion, then scrambled 2 eggs for my dinner. (just keeping it real) 
Thurs.
BEAST - so delish!  It never disappoints!!
Fri. 
Tailgating at Colton's Homecoming Game! 
Sat. 
Picnic Dinner between Kyler's football games
NOTE:  Just wanted to add that Asher was at a friend's home Saturday evening and they fed him dinner.  His favorite dinner....STEAK!!!  Thanks to Cindy for feeding him and making his wildest dreams come true. Gratitude, it's the best!
Sun.
Waffles (don't they sound heavenly....and easy!)

Now I need to get busy with the first draft of next's weeks menu!