I found a new site that has really helped me plan my meals!  It's myfridgefood.com   It's fantastic!  You click on what you have on hand and it come up with tons of recipes made with things you already have!  Loving it!!  So I will be trying out 3 new recipies this week from this site.  I still have to go grocery shopping to pick up a few things but at least I won't be wasting by ignoring food that I already have!

Monday : Chicken Quesidillas.  Unfortunately, my Valentine won't be here so it's just me and Baby Girl for Valentine's Day dinner.
Tuesday: Quick Chicken Mex
Wednesday: Easy sandwiches (It'll be a late day for me!)
Thursday: Apple Glazed Pork Chops
Friday: left overs/ CORN
Saturday: Tropical Kielbasa in the Crockpot
Sunday:  My mother in law will be here.  I think we'll go out :)

Meal Plan Monday - on a budget!

This week I am having to clean out the fridge/freezer/pantry and eat what we have without going to the grocery store - or with getting only bare minimum.  

We have had a few unexpected expenses this week, as well as an added WHAMMY! of having to go without a paycheck due to Hubby's crazy military schedule (he wasn't at his civilian job because he was on military orders so no paycheck from there...but the military pay hasn't kicked in yet so no paycheck from either yet!  ARGHHHHH!!!)  Anyway, with all of this, it means that we have to tighten up until it all gets ironed out.

So...(running from the fridge to the pantry and back again to see/compare)...it looks like we will be dining on...

Sunday: Chicken Pot Pie (I bought the stuff to make this last week and never got around to it)
Monday: Left over CPP
Tuesday: Quesidilla (cheese, chicken, and green peppers), maybe a can of green beans too
Wednesday:  I have parent/teacher conferences at school so this one is up in the air - maybe just a bowl of cereal after all is done.
Thursday: Broccoli and Ham casserole

Friday: Frozen Chicken patties (maybe in a sandwich, or with some motz cheese and tomato sauce?) one of the many cans of veggies we have in the emergency store (this is an emergency, after all!)

Saturday: Frozen corn dogs for lunch, left over casserole for dinner.

Sunday: Cereal for lunch after church, frozen pizza and corn for dinner.

Which means that if all goes right, the only things I have to pick up at the grocery store is some milk and green peppers (for the quesidillas as well as the broccoli casserole)

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Menu Plan Monday

Well it's just me and Baby Girl again most of this week so the idea is...SIMPLE SIMPLE SIMPLE! I'm trying to clean out the fridge/pantry a bit so in looking at what I have in there, here is what I'm planning for the week:

Monday: Left over Pork Chops, corn

Tuesday: Pizza (Thin crust, lots of veggies)

Wednesday: Chicken Cordon Bleu (frozen)

Thursday: Fish Sticks (frozen) and Mac and Cheese

Friday: Broccoli Ham Casserol

Saturday: Lunch: Left over casserol;   Dinner: Hamburger Helper

Sunday:  Lunch: leftover casserol OR Hamburger Helper;   Dinner: Chicken Pot Pie

All of my recipes are HERE

But OrgJunkie has a lot too!!

If you plan your meals for the week on Monday...Hop over to OrgJunkie's site and add your link!

Monday Menu Planning

I haven't done a formal menu planning in a long time because Hubby usually does most of the cooking and/or things have been busy and we don't know what we are doing until we actually do it.  However, this week it will just be Baby Girl and I on our own, so it is up to me to get back into the kitchen!




Monday: Broccoli, Ham,and Cheese Casserole
Tuesday: Happy Birthday to Me!!  My friends are taking me out - Yum! :)
Wednesday: Salsa Chicken, Cucumber Salad
Thursday: Pita Pizzas, salad
Friday: Sweet and Spicy Sausage, veggie and ranch dip
Saturday: C.O.R.N*
Sunday: Probably grab something on the way home from the airport after picking Hubby up.

Way back when (When I actually kept up with my blog), I would reflect not only on my food choices but also my exercise for the past and upcoming weeks...so here goes:

Last week I didn't do much throughout the week with Thanksgiving and all -- plus I was tapering for a half marathon that was yesterday.  So I only did 2.5 miles midweek... then ran 13.1 on Sunday!

As for my workouts this coming week...I'm going to play it by ear.  I want to make sure my body has plenty of time to recoperate and heal from the half marathon yesterday.  I may do a few short, easy runs later in the week.  Once I feel back up to par, I want to start with my 100 pushups, 200 situps, and 200 squats programs again.  But that may have to wait unil next week!

*C.O.R.N. = Clean Out the Refridgerator Night

Menu Plan Monday

Check out Orgjunkie.com for more menus!

Last Week's Menu:

Meal 1: Breakfast for Dinner (eggs, turkey bacon, fruit salad) One of my favorite dinners is breakfast!  Hubby had an omlet and I opted for good ol' scrambled eggs.  This was Thursday

Meal 2: Parmesan Chicken with Garlic and Herbs, Veggie (whatever we have - peas, green beans, corn...) Right before I took these out of the oven on Friday, I laid a slice of provolone cheese over each and warmed up some maranara sauce to put over them.  We coupled the chicken with salads.  Yum! :)

Meal 3: Shrimp Kabobs on the grill (shrimp, red peppers, green peppers, zucchini, whatever we find to put on them), and grilled corn on the cob We had these on Tuesday and they were YUMMY!!  The Grill Master (AKA Hubby) outdid himself with this tasty - and healthy- meal!
Meal 4: Lemon Chicken on the grill, and Herb Roasted Veggies Never did the Lemon Chicken, but did do the Herb Roasted Veggies with the London Broil on Sunday.  Not bad!  I think I like the Roasted Broccoli better but these were pretty tasty too!
Meal 5: London Broil on the grill with a spinach salad  Hubby Grilled up the London Broil on Sunday after marinating it all night - Yummos!
Meal 6: Probably another CORN night on the weekend CORN night ended up being Monday and Wednesday. Monday to make room for the groceries we bought, and Wednesday to accomodate a crazy schedule.

**Added meal** Saturday night rather than grilling we stir fried some green, yellow, and red pepers with onions and sausage and whole wheat spaghetti noodles (It's what we had lol).  It turned out pretty good :)


This Week's Menu:
We are doing something a little different this week.  Instead of buying anything, we are going to try to use up whatever we have in the fridge/freezer/pantry and clean it out a little.  I've seen several frugal/cooking/etc blogs with an eat-from-what-you-have type of challenge so I thought I'd give it a shot this week. There are 2 main reasons for this.

1. We're trying to save money and would rather spend our grocery money on other things this week and...
2. We are running out of room to store things in the fridge/freezer/pantry so there MUST be too much stuff in there!

I know we have some frozen chicken, shrimp, and beef so that is on the menu.  We also have canned veggies galore (both in our pantry as well as in our survival/emergancy store that we need to rotate through).  There's pasta and rice in the pantry for sure and even though we are trying to watch carbs, we still use some of these.  There's also about 4 boxes of Hamburger Helper to choose from as well. I have some left over fruit and veggies from this past week's grocery shopping that will be used first so that we don't have to throw anything out.  The only thing I can foresee us needing to get at the grocery store this week is maybe some more fresh veggies and fruit - but then again we may be able to work it with just what we have canned and frozen. I just bought milk (skim and almond) a few days ago so we should be good there.

•  Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole
• Maybe even Parmesan Chicken with Garlic and Herbs again as it is really yummy! 
• I know there is some frozen Tempura Shrimp so we may have to do an Asian night and break out the chopsticks we have left over from Japan.
• Hamburger Helper one night
• We have Spaghetti that I can make also
• Other than that it may be just simply grilling/baking the meat (Chicken and/or shrimp) and adding a veggie.
• Saturday: Definately eating out this night.  My baby step-brother is having his Eagle Ceremony for Boy Scouts!  YAY  Proud of him!  That makes My Grandpa (my mom's dad), my biological dad, my uncles (My mom's brothers), my brothers (two of them), and my cousin Josh all Eagle Scouts. It's become a family tradition :)

Somewhere around here I have a cookbook called "A Man, A Can, and A Plan" that has recipes with simple ingredients such as "a can of this" or "a bottle of that" that can usually be found in every house.  I may have a look in there and see what I come up with once I figure out what is lurking in the back of the freezer/pantry (If it's lurking in the back of the fridge then it probably isn't fit for ANY kind of recipe other than a science experiment - and I still have a few weeks before school starts back up!)

My other baby brother (The other Eagle Scout) is coming to stay with us one night this week, so that night we may go out to dinner - or Bubby may want to stay in, who knows with a 19 year old Navy kid!  He's going to spend a few days with us, a few days with our sister in Orlando, a while with mom, then a few days with his dad.  He only has 2 weeks leave so he has to split his time wisely!  Glad he's coming to stay with us a while -- I've missed him now that he's all grown up and on the other side of the country!  He's coming back to see Carl recieve his Eagle, and to present it to him :) (Yes, I just got goosebumps thinking about it...so proud!!)

I'm also stocked up on healthy snacks.  Fruit of course, but also cereal bars, Sugar Free Jello, Real Fruit Bites from Dole, apple sauce, and I think there are some Craisins in there somewhere too.

Feeding Four is giving away cool fruit pouches from Peter Rabbit Organics that would make great snacks!  You should check them out.

My "normal" recipes are found HERE
And OrgJunkie always has some great menu ideas on Mondays!

What's on your menu for the week?

Menu Planning Monday

Last Week's Menu/Results:

Monday: My Favorite Meatloaf, green beans  Made the meatloaf (used Italian spice mix instead of garlic powder because I didn't have any.  Yes, I know, everyone is shocked that I altered a recipe and it turned out OK but it really did!) but instead of green beans, I made Roasted Broccoli. It was very yummy but I think I used too much broccoli without increasing the other ingredients.  I also forgot to add the parm. cheese.  However, it was still yummy and definitely going to be made again!

Tuesday: Cheesy Crock Pot Chicken, green beans Turned out very yummy!  Hubby thought the cheese sauce would be good with the broccoli from the day before so he threw some leftover broccoli on it as well.  Definitely Yum!  The soups in the sauce made this full of sodium but knowing that I really watched what I ate the rest of the day in order to be able to "afford" it.
Wednesday: CORN/fend for yourself Hubby was off doin' his thang so I had some left over chicken and a yogurt.
Thursday: Broccoli, Ham, and Cheese casserole I forgot to get some of what I needed for the casserole so we zoomed ahead and made the hamburgers with a salad instead.
Friday: Breakfast for dinner - omelets, English muffins, turkey bacon Hubby wanted to grill Pork Chops instead so we had lemon pepper pork chops and mixed veggies. 
Saturday: Zesty BBQ Chicken sandwiches, baked beans I made the Broccoli, Ham, and Cheese Casserole - Yummy!  I was even able to pull some of it out for Baby Girl and she ate with us :)
Sunday: Hamburgers, Cucumber salad  Made the Zesty BBQ Chicken sandwiches in the crock pot.  YUMMY!  We decided that the chicken would also be good over mashed potatoes...maybe we'll try that next time :)

This week's menu plan:
After a disappointing weigh-in on Friday, Hubby talked me into trying to cut some carbs. I'm usually against no/low carb diets (for myself - I've seen other people have success but it isn't typically something I want to do for ME.  I want to change my lifestyle and no/low carbs isn't a way that I could live so I don't want to do it now.  However....) We looked at some of the reports that I can run with my food diary and noticed that I'm still eating like I am in serious training for a marathon - almost always 50% or more of my cals are from carbs.  Great when you are running 50+ miles a week...not so great when you are lucky to get in 8 miles a week!  We decided that for this week we are going to cut back on carbs then slowly increase them back up a bit to a reasonable amount.  I LOVE bread and pasta so this is going to be interesting...

I also decided that since there isn't anything special planned for this week that I'm not going to worry so much about what day we eat what - other than Wednesday in which schedules are all crazy.  That is a dedicated CORN* night!

Meal 1: Breakfast for Dinner (eggs, turkey bacon, fruit salad) I LOVE breakfast for dinner and since we didn't get to have it this past week... I WANT IT!  haha
Meal 2: Parmesan Chicken with Garlic and Herbs, Veggie (whatever we have - peas, green beans, corn...)
Meal 3: Shrimp Kabobs on the grill (shrimp, red peppers, green peppers, zucchini, whatever we find to put on them), and grilled corn on the cob
Meal 4: Lemon Chicken on the grill, and Herb Roasted Veggies
Meal 5: London Broil on the grill with a spinach salad
Meal 6: Probably another CORN night on the weekend

As you can see, Hubby will be doing a lot of grilling - this was his idea!  LOL  Fine by me!  Let the Grillmaster take over :)

I've also picked up some stuff for Lunches:
Yogurt Chicken Salad  I can make wraps or just put it over lettuce
Deli Creations Cracker Combinations (Oscar Meyer)
Fruit Salad
Spinach Salad
May even make a shake once or twice (yogurt, milk, fruit.... whatever I have to throw in the blender)

And some snacks:
Fresh fruit (apples, strawberries, grapes, watermelons)
Dried fruit (Craisins, pineapple, mango)
Crackers, banana peppers, and cheese (Sounds like a strange combo but...YUMMM)
Celery (with low-fat ranch dressing or peanut butter)
Greek Yogurt (Fage)

*CORN= Clean Out the Refrigerator Night
**All of my "usual" recipes (and a few that I haven't tried but want to) can be found HERE.
***Check out orgjunkie.comhttp://orgjunkie.com/2010/07/menu-plan-monday-july-19th.html for even more ideas!!

Smile!

My post-run breakfast made me smile today :)

Whole wheat English muffin, blackberry jam, and a bananna :)

Monday Meal Plan

Well, my menu plan for last week pretty much went by the wayside.

Here was the plan....

Monday - I'm going to put my hubby to work and make him grill something yummy- his choice! Maybe I'll make some Roasted Broccoli or Herb Roasted Vegetables to go with whatever he makes. Rain made this idea fall to the side.  Instead we just ate some Tuna Salad sandwiches.
Tuesday - Spaghetti, garlic bread, salad We did manage to have this on the correct night. 
Wednesday -My favorite meatloaf, shells and cheese, leftover roasted broccoli (if there is any!) Hubby had to go to work early so it was just going to be me, and I ate some leftovers that were in the fridge.  A bit of a CORN night.
Thursday - Rehearsal Dinner for a wedding that my husband is in. The groom's parents had lasagna, salad, breadsticks...and quatro leche cake...FOUR milks...YUMMO
Friday - Wedding Day! Reception will be our dinner! Mmmmm  Herb Roasted Chicken, Veggies, Mashed Potatos, and White Chocolate Mousse Wedding Cake.
Saturday - Cheesy Crock pot Chicken, green beans Got home later than we planned...Driving all day to get home, too sleepy to cook!
Sunday - Hubby treated me to my favorite -- OLIVE GARDEN!!  :)

Perhaps we'll do better this week! I shouldn't have to do much grocery shopping as I have most of what I planned for last week!

Monday: My Favorite Meatloaf, green beans
Tuesday:  Cheesy Crock Pot Chicken, green beans
Wednesday: CORN/fend for yourself
Thursday: Broccoli, Ham, and Cheese casserole
Friday: Breakfast for dinner - omlets, english muffins, turkey bacon
Saturday: Zesty BBQ Chicken sandwiches, baked beans
Sunday: Hamburgers, Cucumber salad

Menu Planning Monday

Lets see how close I can get to following my plan this week....

Monday - I'm going to put my hubby to work and make him grill something yummy- his choice!  Maybe I'll make some Roasted Broccoli or Herb Roasted Vegetables to go with whatever he makes.

Tuesday - Spaghetti, garlic bread, salad

Wednesday -My favorite meatloaf, shells and cheese, leftover roasted broccoli (if there is any!)

Thursday - Rehearsal Dinner for a wedding that my husband is in.

Friday - Wedding Day!  Reception will be our dinner!

Saturday - Cheesy Crock pot Chicken, green beans

Sunday - CORN*

Lunches are usually me on my own so, for the exception of Thursday and Friday which will probably be lunch out at a restaurant since we will be at a hotel, I will probably grab leftovers, a sandwich, or something light like a salad. 

Also...Did you notice the Dailymile.com widget on the left hand side yet?  You can see my latest workout and stats :)  COOL!!

OrgJunkie has more recipes/menus to look at, and all of my recipes are always found HERE


*Clean Out the Refrigerator Night

Monday Menu Planning

I haven't done this in a while, so I'll see how it works....

I can't even remember the last time I cooked to be honest. Lately, my wonderful hubby has put his grill to good use, as well as his wallet and taken me out to eat. However, I think it is time I get back in there and try again. So here we go...

Monday: Happy Labor Day! Hubby is going to grill (again)...and I still need to go grocery shopping!

Tuesday: Tater Tot casserole

Wednesday: Pizza Pinwheels (probably with turkey pepperoni and various veggies)

Thursday: CORN (Clean Out the Refrigerator Night) - I have a Dr.'s appointment which always runs late so this night will be up in the air! Probably left over casserole from Tuesday and/or something frozen that hubby can grill on his day off :)

Friday: Quick and Easy Ranch Chicken, not sure what veggie to go with it yet but probably either corn or green beans - my favorites. This is a new recipe for me. The girls at work are giving me a shower after school so I hope this really is quick and easy! It looks like it is.

Saturday: Childbirth Class from 9:30am to 5:30 pm- Dinner out afterwards or something easy like sandwiches or leftover casserole (if there's any left!)

Sunday: Baby Shower/BBQ at my friend Alexis's house! I'm sure there will be lots of goodies left over!


Since I have to go grocery shopping... let's see what I'll need:
Tater Tot Casserole - I already have green beans so I'll just need tater tots, hamburger meat, and onions
Pizza Pinwheels - I have tomato sauce and I thought I had pizza crust but it looks expired, so I'll need Pillsbury thin crust pizza dough, turkey pepperoni, green peppers, and motz cheese (I'll use some of the left over onions from the TT casserole too)
Ranch Chicken - I already have seasoned salt, breadcrumbs, and parm cheese, so I'll just need 6 skinless chicken thighs, a new bottle of Ranch dressing (I have some but I don't think it's enough - and I'll need some later anyway), and cornmeal.

Go check out what Org Junkie and her followers are having this week!