Meal Plan Monday: January 18th - 24th

Dang January has been cray cray crazy!  We celebrated hubby's birthday on Friday and a Patriots win on Saturday.  Too much fun over here.  It was over way to fast.  But this coming weekend promises to be just as fun unless it snows.  Or should that say because it's going to snow?  I guess that is like a glass half full/half empty thing.  Are you team Yay Snow or team Boo Snow or somewhere in between?

Monday: Chili
Recipe from Ortega

Tuesday: Baked Chicken Fajitas
Recipe from budgetbytes.com

Wednesday: Cheddar Baked Potato Soup with Broccoli and crusty bread
Recipe from From Forks to Fitness

Thursday: Ravioli with Sage Butter Sauce
Recipe from Food Network

Friday: Panera Bread
Competition season is beginning.  First dress rehearsal!

Saturday: State Dinner at Church
I am representing Virginia with Ham Biscuits and Brunswick Stew.  Hubby is representing Connecticut with his famous clam chowdah.

Sunday: Cheesy Party Burgers and Buffalo Cauliflower Bites
Burger Recipe from Kevin and Amanda.com
Cauliflower Bites from Fixate

Meal Plan Monday: September 28th - October 4th

We are heading into another crazy week at our house.  There were moments while I was planning that I just stared at the day saying. "I'm don't even know."  Our biggest dinner goal is to try to eat together but there are going to be nights this week where that isn't going to happen.  Thankfully that is not the norm.  This week I am relying on pre-made meals and leftovers to carry us through.

Monday: Leftovers
Minestrone soup or chili from the weekend.

Tuesday: Taco Tuesday

Wednesday: Red Beans and Rice
Recipe from Cooking Light
This recipe idea was inspired by Dave Ramsey who says while saving money to live off of rice and beans.

Thursday: Chicken Stuffed Bell Peppers
Recipe from the Fixate cookbook
I have a wedding rehearsal this night so I will be making the filling for this on Wednesday.

Friday: Leftovers
Red Beans and Rice or Stuffed Peppers

Saturday: Creamy Chicken and Noodles
Recipe from The Going Jane blog
This recipe calls for cans of cream of chicken soup.  I'm going to clean in up with this recipe from Center Cut Cook.
This recipe is so good.  It reminds me of my Nana and Aunt's Chicken and Dumplings.

Sunday: Chilaquiles
Recipe from Cooking Light
I have been wanting to make this for so long.  This nacho like meal seems like a great football meal to me.  I'm all about the crock-pot on Sunday's so Sunday dinner is ready soon after we get home from church.

Meal Plan Monday: September 21st - September 27th

Oh momma is it a crazy week.  Lots of out of the norm meetings and events but I think we are ready.  I took page out of Hello Fresh's book and prepped and labeled this week's dinners per meal.  Hopefully this helps bring dinner together even faster. Has anyone tried a meal delivery service like Hello Fresh?

Monday: Chicken Cobb Salads
This is a tradition version mixed with the Healthified version in the Fixate cookbook.  Here is how I make this for the kids.  For some reason they love entree salads but fight me on eating a side salad with dinner.  Everything is prepped and ready to go for at work/before meetings.

Tuesday: Dinner at the County Fair
We usually go for the pulled pork.  What is you favorite thing to eat that the fair?

Wednesday: Crock Pot Chicken Burrito Bowls
Recipe from Two Healthy Kitchens
It's good to have a hubby that gets to telework. He can help with dinner! ;)

Thursday:  Chicken Piccata with Asparagus 
Recipe from The Beachbody Blog
Thursday have become interesting since my oldest eats at the dance studio.  My youngest wants what her sister is having so my husband and I have a night where we can cook some the foods they don't like. We have not had this in a long time because my youngest does not like anything lemon or lime.  It's one of my top favorites.  I am leaving out the artichokes for my husband.

Friday:  Spaghetti with Meat Sauce
Nothing special here.  Spaghetti with a "clean" jar of sauce with cooked ground meat added.  You can use a low fat ground beef or ground turkey.

Saturday: Dinner Out!
This momma has asked for a night out of the kitchen.  No cooking or cleaning dishes.  (We switch off.  If one cooks the other cleans.)
I am making Minestrone soup out of the Fixate cookbook for lunch.

Sunday: Chili with Cauliflower Breadsticks
I'm not sure which chili I want to make.  My normal chili or the Fixate chili.  Or a chili from the new Cooking Light magazine.  All I know is that it is time.  I hope it doesn't turn out to be 90 degrees that day.
Breadsticks recipe from Autumn Calabrese
People rave about these breadsticks so I think it is about time I give them a try.

Let's Cook Meal Plan: February 23 - February 28

You know I was all kinds of excited when I saw that Cooking Light magazine had named the latest issue the Family Dinner Issue.  First Lady, Michelle Obama, and her Let's Move program were featured in the magazine.  Cooking Light has partnered with Let's Move! and created Let's Cook!  They claim that the recipes are more practical for busy families, low in cost and take less than 30 minutes.  Right up my alley.  Challenge Accepted, Cooking Light!

What we are having for dinner this week:

Sunday: Cook's Test Recipe - Seared Flank Steak with Mustard and Chive Butter, Roasted New Potatoes and Asparagus

You will definitely want to be on the look out for this steak recipe.  It blew away our expectations.

Quick Side Dish Recipes:

Roasted New Potatoes Recipe - I put the potatoes in a 9x9 dish.  Covered them with a package of onion soup mix and some EVOO.  Microwaved them for 10 minutes and finished them in the oven at 450 degrees for another 15 - 20 minutes.  Until a knife could go in easily.

Roasted Asparagus - Sprinkle with salt and EVOO and put next to potatoes in the oven until done to your liking.

Monday: School Fundraiser at Panera Bread
As a reference for the Let's Cook meals, priced this meal on the Panera website to be around $25 for the four of us.  The girls had soup in a bread bowl and hubby and I had You pick 2 meals.

Tuesday: Let's Cook! Chicken, Broccoli and Brown Rice Casserole

Picture from My Recipes

I priced this around $12.
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Wednesday: Let's Cook! Two Bean Vegetarian Chili

I price this around $5.  What?! $1.25 a person.  Put away the ramen.
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Thursday: Let's Cook! Parmesan Chicken Breast Tenders

I cheated on this one.  I had everything on hand expect the parmesan cheese.  Total cost for me = $2.50
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Friday: Let's Cook! One-Pot Pasta with Spinach & Tomatoes

I actually came in a few dollars under the magazine on this one.
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Saturday: Dinner at American Girl to celebrate my youngest birthday.


Cooking Light is not compensating me for this post.  Check back in to see what we thought.

Meal Plan: November 30 - December 6

The holiday's are officially upon us.  They are for us at least.  We put our Christmas tree up yesterday.  We always have picky's (appetizers) for dinner while putting up our tree.

Here is what we are having for dinner:

Exported from Mealboard

Sunday - Chili con Carne
Recipe from Ortega

Monday - Chicken and Asparagus Penne

Asparagus, Penne, Olive Oil, Chicken Breasts and Parmesan

Recipe from Goodness Gracious

Tuesday - Cheeseburgers and Homemade Chips

Homemade Chip Recipe from Momables

Wednesday - Crockpot Baked Potatoes, Leftover Chili and Salad

Baked Potato recipe from Skip to My Lou

Thursday - Baked Chicken Fajitas

Recipe from budgetbytes.com

Friday - Parent's Night Out with the Church

Packed dinners for the girls.

Saturday - The girls are dancing at Nutcracker Parties for their dance studio.  I have no idea how this day is going to pan out so, I have no dinner plan.  

Meal Plan: October 5 - October 12

This is going to be a short meal plan week as we are wrapping up our busy fall with our nieces wedding on Friday.  We are so excited this weekend is here.  We have been looking forward to celebrating at the wedding for quite some time. 

Sunday - Two Bean Chili con Carne
It has definitely felt like chili weather this weekend.  Nothing is better for football day in fall then a bowl full of chili. 
This is the base recipe that I started making 12 years ago.  But you know how people are with their chili recipes.  It's in the vault.  I will tell you that I mix my beans instead of using one kind.

Monday - Baked Chicken Fajitas
Recipe from budgetbytes. com



Tuesday - Cheeseburgers
My daughter has wanted a cheeseburger for a couple weeks now so I plan to oblige. 

Wednesday - Baked Potatoes with Left Over Chili.

Thursday - Dinner with Friends

Friday - Wedding!!

Saturday - Dinner with Friends

50 States; 50 Meals: Ohio

What we had for dinner:

Cincinnati Chili
This chili stands out for its use of seasonings such as cinnamon, cloves, allspice or chocolate.  It can ordered in the following way:

• Bowl: chili in a bowl


• Two-way: chili and spaghetti


• Three-way: chili, spaghetti, and cheese


• Four-way: chili, spaghetti, cheese, and onions


• Five-way: chili, spaghetti, cheese, onions, and beans

The four way chili was surprisingly good.  My favorite part of this chili is the amount of cheddar cheese that gets added to the top and it was great over spaghetti.
This recipe, from Food Network, makes the five-way chili.



Buckeyes
These treat is named after the nut from the Buckeye Tree.  Peanut butter balls dipped into chocolate.  Need I say more.