Little Turkey, and Menu Monday

We did it.  We survived Thanksgiving and all the festivities that come a long with it.  It was just my own little family for the big turkey day this year, so we kept things pretty simple.  After all, who wants to spend forever cooking in the kitchen for just 2 people??  (Okay, technically 3 people needed to eat…but I knew my little turkey would take about 2 bites of his dinner, so I didn’t really factor him into the food preparation equation).

So we just had the basics.  Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, rolls, carrots, and we tossed in a glass of sparkling grape juice just for fun.  And pumpkin pie for dessert.  LOTS of pumpkin pie.  We ate at 1:30, were finished by 1:40, had everything cleaned up by 2:00, and were all taking an afternoon nap by 2:30.  It was great!

 

This is my little Turkey at his Preschool “Thanksgiving Feast.”  One adult was invited to join them for their feast (snack time) last Tuesday.  I was the fortunate one to attend, and Miles was soooo excited.

We got to make our own turkeys out of a bagel and cream cheese, veggies, cracker and raisins.  The kids also worked very hard in class preparing a pumpkin pie pudding.  (And I was shocked that it was actually REALLY good!)

The Judesters was there too…but managed to sleep through the entire thing.  As usual.

I had a great weekend eating good food and enjoying time with my little family…but now it’s back to the real world!  (Which means planning weekly menus) 

 

So here’s mine for this week:

 

Turkey Pot Pie  (it’s my cheater chicken pot pie recipe…only I am using leftover turkey)

Breakfast for Dinner – there’s no “official” recipe.  I don’t know for sure what we’ll have, but probably french toast.  Or waffles.  Or bacon and eggs.  Or all of the above.

Clam Chowder & Bread Bowls – My friend Erin (from The Sisters Cafe) invited me to a luncheon last week to celebrate my birthday.  She served this clam chowder…and it was to DIE for.  I mean it.  And my friend Anona made these awesome bread bowls to go with them.  The combination was heavenly…(Thanks again to my amazing friends!!)

Southwestern Crockpot Chicken

 

Cafe Rio Sweet Pork, Cafe Rio Cilantro Lime Rice, & Cafe Rio Beans

     The recipe I use for my Cafe Rio “copycat” dinner is one I have sort of made-up from several different recipes.  I’ll post it soon…but it still needs to be typed up, and since it’s almost 2 am…I’m going to BED!

Happy Monday Everyone!

Menu Monday & organizing fool!

It’s true…

I have been an Organizing FOOL around these parts.  (These parts meaning my out of control home.)

And okay, it’s not really “out of control.”  But it could certainly use a little sprucing, if you know what I mean. 

 

(Please say you know what I mean???!!!)

 

I have been hard at work and am so excited to show you exactly how I transformed my catch-all, cluttered, make me want to tear my hair out, countertops, into a streamlined, organized, and fully functional space.

Here’s a sneak peak:

 

Ahhhhhh…I can just breathe easier now that it’s finished.  It was a lot more work, and took SOOOO much longer than I anticipated, but was TOTALLY worth it.  Who knew looking at a kitchen  countertop could make me feel all giddy inside??

There were lots of little projects that went into creating my new and improved, clutter-free counters, and I’ll post all about them this week.

 

But for now…enjoy my weekly menu!

Creamy Garlic Alfredo Penne, Parmesan Rolls, Olive Garden Salad

Baked Potato Soup & Lion House Rolls

Honey Lime Enchiladas, Cafe Rio Rice, & Cafe Rio Beans

Calzones

Crockpot Southwest Chicken

 

Happy Monday everyone!!

Menu Monday – simple meals (and a couple repeats)

Back today with my weekly menu.  And before you judge me on its lameness…just know we had a rough week around these parts.  With a husband and a little boy both getting the stomach flu, and a Mommy who was sick (not the flu…just felt like it), several of our meals were “postponed” to this week.

Links:  Spinach Quiche, Honey Lime Enchiladas, Rumbi Island Chicken

***It’s a busy week for us, so these meals are quick, easy, and crockpot friendly.  The Honey Lime Enchiladas are a freezer meal I made a few weeks ago.  SWEET!!!***

bonus for me:  I save $$$ on groceries

bonus for you:  well… there is no bonus.  You just get to see all my repeats.

Lame. 

But there is one thing that should make you happy.  Like, very very happy. 

I’m making spaghetti this week.  And OHHHHHH it is so good.

So good, in fact, that after I took my first trip as a teen to the Old Spaghetti Factory in Salt Lake City, I thought, “What’s the big deal???  My mom’s spaghetti is WAY better than this.”

Sorry OSF…But I still stand by that statement.

 

Behold…the oft requested Atkinson Family spaghetti sauce recipe.  You can thank me later.

Download HERE 

 

Happy Monday Everyone!!!

Menu Mania: Part 2

When it comes to creating a menu plan, there are a few things you should know.

First…I’m no expert! There’s really no right or wrong way to create one. The IMPORTANT thing though, is that you just DO IT! Not only will it save you from pulling your hair out when that 4:30 after school/dinner time witching hour rolls around, but it will save you lots of $$$ and hours of time in the kitchen. Hours that you COULD be spending on more important things…like oolgling your next craft inspiration on Pinterest! Or, you know…playing games with your Littles. Whatever……

(And speaking of littles…here are mine just before heading out the door Halloween eve. Oh, I DIE they are so cute! )

Wait…what was I talking about? Oh yeah, Menus. Continuing on…

So, let’s get down to it. Here is the play by play of my weekly menu planning process.

First, I check my husband’s work schedule. Nothing is worse than slaving away in the kitchen, ready to welcome my beloved home with a big hug and delicious dinner…only to find out (much too late) that he was on-call at the hospital and wouldn’t be home for dinner at all. I’ll be honest…if the hubs won’t be home to eat it…I usually won’t cook it. Instead, I usually plan a big dinner (as in, something that makes a LOT) the night BEFORE, so there will be leftovers Miles and I can eat when Mike is working.

Next, I look at the rest of our calendar. Are there any special occasions that might warrant a special meal? Are we having guests over for dinner sometime that week? Are we attending any functions where dinner will be provided, or do I need to plan for a potluck? If so, I make a note of it on my menu planner so I can keep it in mind as I select my meals.

The NEXT thing I check is the weather forecast. I know I know…it sounds a little strange. Now that it’s fall and winter is fast approaching, it’s not really an issue. (It’s always COLD!) But trust me when I say planning a week full of new recipes you want to try out on the Grill, only to have it be rainy and miserable the ENTIRE TIME, is a TOTAL BUMMER!! Lesson learned.

The LAST thing I check before starting my meal search is the weekly grocery sale circulars. Planning my menus around items that are on sale each week (or items I stocked up on previous weeks) has really saved our family mucho $$$. For instance, last week Haas avocados were advertized at their lowest price of the season. (I don’t usually buy them, because they are pretty spendy!) So for dinner I planned Chicken Tortilla Soup, Club Sandwiches, and Taco Salad…all meals that used avocadoes. Many of the other ingredients for the meals (like the chicken and beef, canned tomatoes, chicken stock, etc) were things I had stocked up on from a previous weeks sale and already had in the pantry. (Which REALLY helped my bottom line at the grocery store.)

Then all that money I saved gets put into a special account for me to spend on pedicures, and massages, and just pampering in general! (Okay, not really. But wouldn’t that be AWESOME!!!)

Whew! It sounds like a lot of work when it’s all written out like that. But really, its not. The whole process takes me maybe 15 minutes. Now that all our checking is out of the way, we are FINALLY ready to start picking out our meals.

Now THIS is the fun part!

There are so many AMAZING sources out there to go to for yummy meals for my family. Here are a few of my favorites:

(Click pictures to be taken to the website)

Those are my three go-to sites for great, yummy, tried and true recipes that never disappoint. But there are SO MANY MORE out there!!

So I peruse these fantastic sites looking for new recipes, or old stand-bys, or just anything that “calls out to me”, really. Then I hit up my cook books and my trusty Recipe binder. When I find something I like, I print it out (if I don’t already have it in my Recipe Binder), and write it on my menu plan. That’s it. Easy. More often than not it’s narrowing down the selection of yummy recipes I want to try that is the hardest.

And that’s it. Well, ALMOST. Here are just a few tips and tricks I’ve learned through the years…

(translation…Let me share all the ways I’ve messed it up…so you don’t have to!)

• Read through every recipe in its ENTIRETY at the beginning of the week to avoid “surprises” at dinner time. (Like the time I made the Chili’s Fajitas and discovered 30 minutes before dinner time I was supposed to marinate the meat overnight. Oops!!) Or today when I set out to make my Corn Chowder, and realized I forgot to take the bacon out of the freezer yesterday, and I forgot to start the rolls this afternoon. Ummm, can you say “Epic Fail??”


• Jot down any prep work you might need to do in advance, (like say…taking the bacon out of the freezer, or starting the rolls) right on the menu, so it won’t slip your mind. (This is a skill I’m still trying to master.)


• Spend the time to create a Recipe binder. (Or Recipe box, or recipe…whatever) Just devote the time to organizing and storing all your favorite recipes in one location. I promise, you won’t regret it.

So there you have it! My steps for creating a menu plan.

What about you? Do you have any meal planning tips and tricks? I’d love to know!!