Menu Plan Monday

Last week's menu had a couple great new recipes in it. The White Chicken Chili and Nacho Casserole were both fantastic!! The Manicotti was good the first night, but didn't reheat very well. This week we tried to plan our menu around things that were on sale and did really well with our grocery budget. Here's what we have planned:

Monday - Quiche based on this recipe
Tuesday - Shrimp Scampi w/ veggies
Wednesday - Leftover Nacho Casserole
Thursday - Jumbalaya w/ corn muffins
Friday - Homemade Pizza
Saturday - Salmon w/ yukon gold potatoes and veggies
Sunday - We're taking Queso Dip to a Super Bowl Party.

For more ideas, visit the Organizing Junkie.

Week #1

So I had my first week of unemployement and abundant free time. I feel like I managed to stay fairly productive - and even took a shower every day!! Here's what I got done:

• Research and apply for every possible legitimate job opportunity. (The Obvious) I didn't find any new jobs to apply for, but I did have one interview and a proficiency test for another position.
• Have lunch with my friend Becky, without looking at the clock even once to see if I need to hurry back to work.
• Go to the chiropractor. My hips have been out of alignment for weeks, but I've been putting it off, knowing I'd have lots of free time coming up.
• Make bread. We've tried making bread twice this week with our bread machine, and it's turned out funky. We can't tell if it's because we're using the delay setting or if something's wrong with it. I made bread on the Express setting and it worked. I still have to test the regular setting.
• Find the ingredients for and make homemade laundry detergent. I've checked 3 stores and haven't been able to find Washing Soda yet, so I'm still on the hunt.
• Get a book from the library on the Bradley Birthing Method and other natural birthing techniques and start loading up on info. I also got a couple books on eating well during pregnancy - I'm hoping to find some inspiration in recipes and snack ideas.
• Perfect my Wii Bowling and attempt to get my first Turkey.
• Go through what has become the junk bedroom and figure out what we're keeping, what we can sell, give away or throw away. Then, organize the rest!!
• List a bunch of stuff on Craigslist.
• Finish and send out our holiday cards. Better late than never, right??
• Put away the remaining Christmas decorations. Sorry love!!
• Attempt to invent "the next big thing" so we never have to worry about money again.

I also did a bunch of laundry, kept up on the dishes and made dinner every night (things my wonderful hubby normally did the bulk of.) I spent a few hours hanging out with a friend's baby so she could get some errands run, had a nice long phone conversation with a few friends, deep cleaned our stove, brushed out the dogs and vacuumed the basement. On the less productive front, I also watched 4 episodes of "Private Practice" and read a couple novels. And unfortunately, I spent 2 days cleaning up after a sick dog (as much as it sucked, we were sort of glad he wasn't stuck in his cage all day.)


It looks like I have plenty of things left on the list that I didn't get to this week that should keep me busy next week. And I'm sure I'll find plenty of things to keep me busy that aren't on the list.

A Perfect Thursday

This is what a great Thursday night looks like - my fantastic cousin, Bethany, a couple of cuddling dogs and a new Grey's Anatomy. To make it even better, my wonderful hubby was nearby, we had a warm, toasty fire and the White Chicken Chili and bread I made for dinner turned out great.

Menu Plan Monday

We're trying out some new recipes this week, enjoying some leftovers and dinners with family and friends. To see what others are doing, head over to The Organizing Junkie.


Here's our plan for the week:

• Monday: 4-Cheese Spinach Manicotti
• Tuesday: White Bean Chili
• Wednesday: "The Grammie Meal" at my mom's (she was sick last week)
• Thursday: Leftover Burrito Casserole
• Friday: Dinner at a friends
• Saturday: Leftover Manicotti
• Sunday: Nacho Casserole
  

I'm excited to try the Nacho Casserole. It's vegetarian, healthy and cheap!! We're making an effort to use more lentils as a cheap protein source and this is our first try.

Nacho Casserole
3/4 cup dry lentils
3/4 cup dry brown rice
4 cups water
4 beef bouillon cubes (or chicken, vegetable)
4 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoons onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup sour cream ( I use fat free)
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 can sliced olives
Fresh diced tomatoes
diced onion (optional)
Corn chips

1. Dump first 8 ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil. Turn down to simmer and cook covered until rice is done., stirring every 5 minutes to keep it from sticking to the bottom.
2. Preheat oven to 350.
3. Spread mixture in the bottom of a 9 x 13.
4. Layer sour cream, cheese, olives, tomatoes and onions on top and bake for 20 minutes.
5. Serve with corn chips.

Free Time

I think most people find themselves saying, "I'd do _____ if I just had more free time." Well, Friday is my last day at Gateway, so I'll suddenly have a lot more free time. It's not exactly how I would have liked to get more free time, but I'm going to try to make the best of it. I've been coming up with a list of things I'm going to try to do next week - some more exciting than others - to keep myself busy, so it doesn't just turn into a big pity party for myself. Here's my list so far:

• Research and apply for every possible legitimate job opportunity. (The Obvious)
• Have lunch with my friend Becky, without looking at the clock even once to see if I need to hurry back to work.
• Go to the chiropractor. My hips have been out of alignment for weeks, but I've been putting it off, knowing I'd have lots of free time coming up.
• Make bread. We've tried making bread twice this week with our bread machine, and it's turned out funky. We can't tell if it's because we're using the delay setting or if something's wrong with it.
• Find the ingredients for and make homemade laundry detergent.
• Get a book from the library on the Bradley Birthing Method and other natural birthing techniques and start loading up on info.
• Perfect my Wii Bowling and attempt to get my first Turkey.
• Go through what has become the junk bedroom and figure out what we're keeping, what we can sell, give away or throw away. Then, organize the rest!!
• List a bunch of stuff on Craigslist.
• Finish and send out our holiday cards. Better late than never, right??
• Put away the remaining Christmas decorations. Sorry love!!
• Attempt to invent "the next big thing" so we never have to worry about money again.

If you're in the area and have some time to hang out, let me know!! I'd be more than happy to put off one of the more productive items on my list for some quality social time!!

Menu Plan Monday

It's Monday again. I know you're all sitting on the edge of your seats, waiting to find out what Aaron and I will be eating this week. Wait no longer!! And if you need more ideas, visit the Organizing Junkie. Monday - Frozen Lasagna (from the freezer - we skipped it last week)
Tuesday - Parmesan Crusted Flounder w/ brown rice and green beans (We got a great deal on the flounder and it was cheaper than ground beef!!)
Wednesday - Dinner at my mom's; "The Grammie Meal" - Fried Chicken, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy and Corn
Thursday - Corn and Bacon Chowder w/ homemade oatmeal bread (We're using homemade vegetable stock in place of the chicken broth.)
Friday - Pork Chops and Rice Bake w/ broccoli
Saturday - Dinner at a friends; we're taking dessert
Sunday - Creamy Burrito Casserole

Tagged by my husband

Rules: It's harder than it looks! Copy to your own note, erase my answers, enter yours, and tag 5 people. Use the first letter of your name to answer each of the following questions. They have to be real. . .nothing made up! If the person before you had the same first initial, you must use different answers. You cannot use any word twice and you can't use your name for the boy/girl name question.Have Fun!!

1. What is your name: Blakely
2. A four Letter Word: Ball
3. A boy's Name: Bill
4. A girl's Name: Bailey
5. An occupation: Baker
6. A color: Black
7. Something you wear: Bra
8. A food: Buckeyes
9. Something found in the bathroom: Bathtub
10. A place: Bolivia
11. A reason for being late: Bile
12. Something you shout: Bravo!!
13. A movie title: Blazing Saddles
14. Something you drink: Beverages!! (I know, this might be cheating...)
15. A musical group: B-52's
16. An animal: Bovine
17. A street name: Beach
18. A type of car: Bonneville
19. The title of a song: Baby It's Cold Outside

Menu Plan Monday

As part of our quest to save money, we want to become more diligent in planning our meals for the week. We used to do this all the time, but the craziness of moving, the laziness of summer and the unpredictability of pregnancy cravings, we got out of the habit. However, deciding ahead of time really helps us cut down on our grocery bills and lets of take advantage of sales and items we already have. (An added bonus - we end up going to the gym more, because we can plan quick, easy meals for those nights.) So...we're at it again!!

I'm going to try participating in "Menu Plan Monday" to hold myself accountable. You can find out what it's all about and get more ideas by going here.

This week's menu looks something like this:
Monday - Sirloin burgers with chips
Tuesday - Leftover Texas Cowboy Pie (recipe below) w/ mixed veggies and homemade bread
Wednesday - Parmesan Chicken w/ potatoes lyonaisse
Thursday - Lasagna (frozen leftover from the freezer) w/ corn and homemade bread
Friday - Going out w/ friends or attending a housewarming party
Saturday - Munchies (Bock Family Christmas at noon should keep us eating for a couple hours and fill us up!!)
Sunday - Tortellini in a cream sauce w/ veggies

Texas Cowboy Pie
Leftover Roast
2-4 T BBQ Sauce
3 Large Potatoes
Milk or Butter - whatever you use for mashed potatoes
Salt/Pepper to taste
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1. Boil potatoes and mash.
2. Shred leftover roast and mix with BBQ sauce.
3. Spread mashed potatoes in the bottom of an 8x8 baking dish. Next, layer on the saucy meat and finally, top with cheese.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, or until cheese begins to golden. Enjoy!!

(My favorite part about this meal is that it made enough for 2 meals for us, so we have leftovers of leftovers. I would assume if could be doubled for a larger family and made in a 9x13 dish. Definitely a good way to stretch out meat!!)