Menu: April 1 - April 7

My good streak continues! I haven't been posting my menus every week, but I have been planning and using them. :)

Here's this week:

Thursday (Today): BBQ Chicken Pizza (from Pioneer Woman)

Friday: Chinese Haystacks (using a new recipe for the gravy that doesn't use condensed soup from Mel's Kitchen Cafe)

Saturday: Creamy One Pot Pasta (from Paula :) Thanks!)

Sunday: Easter Dinner with friends! Chicken Cordon Bleu (MKC) and Cauliflower Bake (MKC) are my contributions, plus this Banana Cream dessert. :)

Monday: Pasta with Chicken and Broccoli (from a website on frugality that I've been reading: Frugal Wife=Wealthy Life)

Tuesday: Crockpot Beef Stroganoff (also FW=WL)

Wednesday: leftovers!

Also on the docket for this week: Banana Bars with Whipped Cream Cream Cheese Frosting from MKC for Paul's work get together, and Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Rolls for Saturday morning General Conference. :)

Menu: March 20 - 25

Saturday: Pork Tenderloin w/ Cabbage & Apple Slaw

Sunday: Mom's House

Monday: Blackened Salmon w/ Broccoli & Raisins

Tuesday: Mediterranean Chickpea Patties

Wednesday: Spaghetti w/ Quick Meat Sauce

Thursday: Chicken w/ Brussel Sprouts

Finally! I think I'm starting to get things together...

Menu: February 18 - February 24

This menu was tough to put together for some reason. I have a few time constraints during the week, and I was just struggling to come up with ideas. I'm really excited about a few of these recipes, though!

Thursday: Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup (can you tell this is the biggest time constraint night? ;) )

Friday: Breakfast for Dinner (I'm thinking pancakes!)

Saturday: Roasted Eggplant and Tomato Pizza (Pioneer Woman)

Sunday: Chicken Spaghetti (Pioneer Woman)

Monday: Chicken Enchiladas (Annie's Eats)

Tuesday: Garlic Tuna Pasta with Asparagus (My Kitchen Cafe)

Wednesday: leftover night

Phew! I feel so accomplished! :)

Menu: February 15 - February 21

I have some meals I didn't make last week because, as always, things came up. So, there are some repeats. And, once again, I'm making a few kitchen cafe recipes. Hope you all have a wonderful week!

Monday: Italian Crescent Bake
Tuesday: Super Bean Burritos (My Kitchen Cafe)
Wednesday: Barbeque chicken with rice pilaf and peas
Thursday: Chicken Enchilada Pasta (MKC)
Friday: We may be on the road...
Saturday: Chicken Stir-Fry (Dine and Dish)
Sunday: Cream Cheese Chicken Soup (MKC)

Menu: February 11 - February 17

Here's this week's menu!

Thursday: Homemade Cheeseburgers and salad

Friday: Valentine's Day Surprise (Paul and I are pretending Friday is Valentine's day instead of Sunday. I have quite the menu planned, but you'll have to wait to see it because it's a surprise for Paul. :) )

Saturday: Chicken with Asparagus and Roasted Red Peppers (allrecipes.com) with rice

Sunday: Meatloaf, Potatoes Au Gratin, Carrots (we didn't end up having this last weekend...my parents surprised me by coming with Natalie, so our plans changed! :) )

Monday: Chipotle Chicken Enchiladas

Tuesday: Wild Rice Casserole

Wednesday: leftover night

I've got a few great recipes to post. I'll try to catch up over the next couple days!

Menu: February 8 - February 14

Though I dreaded coming up with a menu, I did it, and here it is...

Monday: Chicken and Dumplings
Tuesday: Quesadillas with leftover white chili
Wednesday: Pasta Primavera
Thursday: Broccoli Cheese Soup in bread bowls
Friday: Pizza
Saturday: Italian Crescent Bake
Saturday: Barbeque chicken, rice pilaf, peas
Sunday: Cream cheese chicken, green beans, maybe a fruit

I have some yummy recipes to post and hope to get them up in the next couple days!

Menu: Feb. 7 - Feb. 13

I have recipes to post, but I wanted to post my menu first before I forget! Last week was insane (I had to work late nights at school), but my husband is amazing and cooked most of our dinners this week! Gotta love him! I'm back to cooking this week and am SUPER excited. All but Monday's dinner come from the new March/April issue of CLean Eating Magazine!

Sunday: Dinner @ Mom's house (Super bowl pasta bar)

Monday: Spicy Leek & Sun-dried Tomato "Pasta" (Better Recipes)

Tuesday: Chicken a la King Wrap

Wednesday: Salmon & Vegetable Skewers

Thursday: Beef & Broccoli Orange Stir-Fry over Soba Noodles

Friday: Tuna Nicoise Stovetop Casserole

Saturday: Honey Mustard Chicken & Rice Pilaf

Menu: February 4 - February 10

For some reason I feel very accomplished and proud of this menu. :) Maybe it's because my sister, Natalie, is coming to town. Whatever it is, I'm way excited for these meals!

Thursday: Going out to eat with Natalie! (Pioneer Woman's Chocolate Sheet Cake for dessert)

Friday: Chicken Pot Pie (Pioneer Woman...recipe coming soon, I made this last night, but it made enough for two pies! Woo hoo!)

Saturday: Papa's Meatloaf, Potatoes Au Gratin (Pioneer Woman), Rolls, Carrots (we're having our typical Sunday dinner a day early since Natalie is leaving Sunday afternoon)

Sunday: Broccoli Cheese Soup

Monday: Spicy Mac and Cheese (Annie's Eats)

Tuesday: Meatball Soup

Wednesday: leftover night!

Menu: Jan. 30 - Feb. 5

Things have been going fairly well with sticking to our menus. So far we've lost almost 12 pounds each (woo-hoo) since Jan. 4th! We've also felt much more energetic and healthier. We've decided to do a detox at the beginning of each month, so our menu starting Monday is all vegetarian. I'm including some new ones I found! We're excited!

Saturday: Sweet Potato Beef Stir-fry (Clean Eating Mag)

Sunday: Dinner at Mom's

Monday: Veggie Jambalaya (Busy Cooks)

Tuesday: Stuffed Peppers (didn't get to them last week)

Wednesday: Black Bean Soup (Better Recipes)

Thursday: Curried "Chicken" and Spinach (Better Recipes)

Friday: Spicy Leek & Sun-dried Tomato "Pasta" (Better Recipes)

Menu: January 29 - February 3

My schedule for the last couple weeks has been different because Paul has gone out of town twice. I've still done pretty well for myself, though, and I've pretty much cleared the fridge of all previous leftovers. :)

Paul comes home tonight, so things can finally get back to normal! Woo hoo!

Here's the plan:

Friday: Creamy Italian Chicken

Saturday: Chicken and Wild Rice Soup (My Kitchen Cafe)

Sunday: Chicken Pot Pie (Pioneer Woman)

Monday: Tortellini Spinach Salad with Balsamic-Tomato Vinaigrette (My Kitchen Cafe)

Tuesday: Chicken and Broccoli

Wednesday: leftovers night!

It kinda turned into a Chicken week unintentionally. It's ok, though, because our grocery budget could use a light week. ;)

Menu: January 21 - January 29

It has been a year since I last posted a menu! I can't believe how long it has been. It's really quite silly because I have been writing weekly menus for most of this time, I just kept forgetting to post them. I really like reading what other people are making for the week and stealing ideas from them. So, basically, I'm going to attempt to be better at putting mine online.

Thursday: Chili with cornbread (I never get tired of this chili recipe!)
Friday: Chili mac and cheese (I just make a box of mac and mix leftover chili with it...it's seriously one of my favorite foods)
Saturday: Cream cheese chicken soup (My Kitchen Cafe)
Sunday: Dinner with Brian's family
Monday: Sweet and Sour Chicken (I love my recipe...but I'm trying a new recipe from My Kitchen Cafe for fun)
Tuesday: Burritos (grilled on our George Foreman)
Wednesday: Chicken a la King
Thursday: Meatballs with Cream Sauce (My Kitchen Cafe)

As you can see, I'm a little obsessed with my kitchen cafe right now. I just really like the recipes she posts. I haven't disliked a single thing I've tried from her website! I hope you all have a wonderful week!

Menu: Jan. 18 - Jan. 23

So, Eli and I are done with our Detox stage. We're moving on, sticking to our schedule of eating and staying vegetarian 3 nights a week. We're also limiting the amount of meat we're eating and the cuts of meat; we're sticking with very lean cuts. This week will be yummy!

Tuesday: Italian Spaghetti Squash

Wednesday: Chicken, Spinach & Ricotta Quesadillas (Clean Eating mag)

Thursday: Stuffed Peppers

Friday: Chicken & Pineapple w/ Sweet & Sour Sauce (Clean Eating mag)

Saturday: Blueberry Strudel (b) & Turkey Meatloaf w/ Turnip-Cauliflower Mash (CE mag - d)

Menu: January 14 - January 20

I've had a great week cooking-wise! I think it's partially due to the fact that Paul and I have made a New Year's resolution not to leave dirty dishes in the sink overnight. AND, Paul has renewed his offer to me to do dishes when I cook dinner! Good combination, right? :) It's been working well! I've had a clean kitchen to cook in every day for the last week. It is glorious.

Here's this week's menu!

Thursday: Leftover Night (Can you believe it? Paul hasn't been able to keep up with all the food I've been making. Even taking it to work hasn't been enough. We've got to empty out our fridge a bit. ;) )

Friday: Cowboy Calzone (Pioneer Woman)

Saturday: Creamy White Chili (My Kitchen Cafe)

Sunday: Grace's Fall-Off-the-Bone Ribs, Potatoes au Gratin (Pioneer Woman), rolls, and carrots

Monday: Broccoli Cheese Soup (My Kitchen Cafe) and rolls

Tuesday: Crispy Southwest Chicken Wraps (My Kitchen Cafe)

Wednesday: Paul's Pork and Beans with Rice

Menu: Jan. 10 - Jan. 13

I only have planned until Wednesday because we start "Phase II" of our eating healthy plan. I'm excited to try these recipes. Most of them are from the 3 Fat Chicks Forum.

Sunday: Minted Kiwi Salad & Corn and Black Bean Salad & Pizza

Monday: Breakfast Portabella & Broccoli Soup & Chili

Tuesday: Overnight Oats & Sweet Potato and Veggie Chili & Eggplant Parmesan

Wednesday: Banana Pancakes & Cabbage Rolls

Menu: Jan. 4 - Jan. 9 & Fat Smashing

Eli and I decided that this year we need to work on losing some weight and eating healthier (for a lot of good reasons). I'm not a big believer in "fad' diets because D & C says we should have a little of everything in moderation. When I was at my healthiest I was just eating a lot of fresh foods and not so much processed foods, all in good proportions.

I decided we needed to learn to control our eating habits and found a book called "The Fat Smash Diet." If you've ever seen Celebrity Fit Club, it's the "diet" that they use on the show. The first 9 days is all about cleansing your body of all the yuckies and building a good foundation, in other words, detox...lots of fruits and veggies and a minimal amount of grains and dairy, no pasta or meat. We'll start adding pastas and meats in moderation over the next few weeks.

After this first week, Eli and I have each lost 7 lbs. and we both are full of energy and feeling good. I've cooked a lot of lunches & dinners, so lots of vegetarian recipes! We can't wait for meat and pastas, but looking forward to a healthy amount. Good start to the new year!

Sunday: dinner at parent's

Monday: Green Bean Salad (FSD) & Squash Casserole (Clean Eating)

Tuesday: Veggie Soup (FSD) & Rice and Black Beans (All Recipes)

Wednesday: Salad w/ ranch and salsa & Italian Spaghetti Squash (All Recipes)

Thursday: Banana Bread smoothie & Mexican Bean and Corn Bowl (3 Fat Chicks)

Friday: stuffed peppers (All Recipes)

Saturday: Apple Bake & Chickpea burger w/ sweet potato fries & International Stew

FSD = Fat Smash Diet by Ian K. Smith

Clean Eating Magazine (one of my favorites!)

3 Fat Chicks Forum

Menu: January 7 - January 13

Paul got me TWO new, beautiful cookbooks for Christmas, and I can't wait to start using them! I've picked two recipes from each one for my menu this week. One is Pioneer Woman's cookbook (hooray!), and the other is Rachel Ray's Book of Ten (which has lists and lists of her top ten recipes in lots of different categories).

Here's this week's plan:

Thursday (today): Chicken a la King

Friday: Potato Soup

Saturday: Sweet and Spicy Pineapple Pork (Rachel Ray)

Sunday: Pot Roast (Pioneer Woman) and Mashed Potatoes

Monday: Lemon Chicken Linguine (My Kitchen Cafe)

Tuesday: Smoky Chipotle-Chicken Corn Chowder w/ Salsa Salad (Rachel Ray)

Wednesday: Enchiladas (Pioneer Woman)

Ooh! I'm excited!

Menu: November 22 - 28

I'm back! I've been out of the loop for awhile, but I'm FINALLY settling down into a routine...which means I can start planning menus again! This week's menu is an ode to food storage! We don't have much in our food storage, but I figured a lot of these meals can easily be made from lots of canned foods and other items around the house.

Sunday: Pot-luck Pasta

Monday: '50s - style Creamed Chicken

Tuesday: Mexi Can Pie

Wednesday: Bird on a Biscuit

Thursday: Thanksgiving in Scipio!

Friday: Bombay Chicken 'n' Rice

Saturday: Extremely Easy Chicken Pot Pie

Menu: November 17 - November 23

You won't believe it. I cooked ALL six meals that I planned last week! I must be entering the second trimester or something... ;)

Since last week went well, I'm going to try the same thing this week. Here are the six meals I have planned (sorry, they are all already posted here except one):

Menu

Lemon Chicken

Tomato and Pesto Pizza

Chicken Bell Pepper Chowder

Pork and Bean Chalupas (from The Frosted Cupcake)

Chicken Enchilada Soup

Chili and Cornbread

Here's to two good weeks in a row!

Menu: November 9 - November 15

Check it out! It's a menu!

As most of you know, I'm pregnant (woo hoo!), so my menu this week is a little different. I've been really (and I mean REALLY) bad about making dinners lately. I wonder why? ;) Anyway, fast food and other take out has gotten to be gross to me now, and I'm reaching the end of my first trimester. I'm hoping this combination will mean I'll be better about making dinner this week.

So, in order to help myself have a better chance of succeeding, I've come up with six meals that sound good to me right now--which is a miracle in and of itself--and I'll make whatever meal I want each day (and I even get a free day!). A couple of them are pretty ambitious recipes, so wish me luck! :)

This Week's Meals:

Hamburger Stroganoff

Aztec Chicken - from Favorite Family Recipes

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Hamburger Noodle Casserole

Cafe Rio Sweet Pork salads - from Favorite Family Recipes

Cream Cheese Chicken

Menu: May 3 - May 9

What's this? A menu!? Holy meatballs, Batman! (Sorry, I've got meatballs on the brain...stay tuned for a couple of great recipes on that front. ;) )

We haven't been planning menus lately because I went out of town and then Paul went out of town. We're back and settled back down into the swing of things. And I FINALLY planned a menu on Saturday.

Sunday: Swedish Meatballs (CFG)
Monday: Old South Hoppin' John (CFG - don't ask me why it's called that...)
Tuesday: Tacos
Wednesday: Chicken and Broccoli
Thursday: Meatball Minestrone (CFG)
Friday: Individual Chicken Cobblers (CFG)
Saturday: Good ol' Rice and Beans (CFG)

*CFG=Cheap. Fast. Good! We're trying a whole bunch of recipes from my new cookbook this week. And they really were cheap to shop for!M