Lunch and Dinner Menu Plan

Dinner for this week comes with help from the Everyday Food website.

Monday: Chicken pot pie
Tuesday: Tortilla soup
Wednesday: Shepherd's pie
Thursday: Veggie chili and corn bread
Friday: Sesame noodles


Also, I am now in charge of making Alex's lunch every day (otherwise he spends an arm and a leg at school), so here is his lunch menu:

Monday: Tuna sandwich
Tuesday: Left over pot pie
Wednesday: roast beef sandwich
Thursday: Left over shepherd's pie
Friday: Left over chili

Back to School Meals

Okay, so school starts again this week, which means I'll have more time to plan meals but less time to cook them. So I'm coming back full force this week. Hopefully.

Dinner menu (in no particular order):

Open-faced tuna melts and blt sandwiches. On some good crusty, toasted bread.

Steak and eggs w/grits. We bought a value pack of steak and it's waiting in our freezer. I'll scramble the eggs for the kids, but Alex and I like our eggs sunny side up on top of the meat. With swizzle sauce, of course.

Skewered orange-glazed chicken and rice. I found a recipe that used orange marmalade so I'm going to give it a try. I'll skewer some chicken tenders and baste them with the marmalade under the broiler. It only takes a few minutes to cook. Fast and easy.

Bean and cheese burrito. But I have to get it as close to Taco Bell as I can, otherwise Christopher won't eat it.

This week I also want to:

Make my own pre-made pancake mix. I got the idea from Everyday Food. That will make breakfast quicker and easier.

Make a fondant cake. I've never really been into cake decorating, but it looks simple and fun.

Try perfecting my hummus again. It's hit or miss for me. But my whole family loves hummus, even my picky eater! So I've got to figure it out!

Small Mommy: Next Week's Dinner Menu

Okay, so here's a list of dinners for this week, in no particular order (I just know that I have the ingredients!):

chicken and white bean chili
chicken and rice soup
mac and cheese w/broccoli
spaghetti and garlic bread
loaded baked potato soup
quesadillas

sides:

cornbread
salad
smoothies
jello

desserts:

key lime pie!
snickerdoodles

Southern Food and Key Lime Pie

Yes, I've been slacking on my menu planning this summer also. But-I have been spending less on food. I've been trying to use more food storage and recipes that are cheaper to make. Though I've been taking advantage of the $7 meal deal at Albertson's, which includes one rotisserie chicken, a side of slaw or macaroni salad, 4 hawaiian rolls and a 2 liter of soda. I also like the $5 Friday deals at Von's. Sometimes it's pizza, other times rotisserie chicken or sub sandwiches.

This week we are eating leftovers from our Southern supper. That includes collard greens and chicken and dumplings. I usually use Paula Deen's recipes for Southern cooking.

I also thought I'd post the ridiculously easy recipe I use for key lime pie. It's so tasty and I feel guilty taking any credit for it. It's only 4 ingredients total. The recipe can be found on the back of Nellie & Joe's Famouse Key West Lime Juice bottle.

Nellie & Joe's Key Lime Pie

one 9" graham cracker pie shell (or you could make your own-I never do!)
one 14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk
3 egg yolks (no whites)
1/2 cup Nellie & Joe's Key West Lime Juice

Combine milk, egg yolks and juice until smooth. Pour into pie filling. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, until pie is set.

Let stand for 10 minutes before refrigerating.

Serve with whipped cream or not!

So easy. So good.

Summer Hiatus

Confession #1: I haven't menu planned consistently, if at all, in practical months;

Confession #2: I am blissfully unapologetic for it.

Somehow we've all managed to eat and most of the time the baby gets pretty healthy fare. Yes, we've begged several of our more extravagant and healthier meals off the in-laws, but hey, it's summer. I'm on vacation, damn it :) Plus, it's hot. And I'm tired. And NOTHING sounds good to me in the summer but hamburgers, fruit, salads, ice cream, ice cream, ice cream, strawberry lemonade, and sometimes pizza. So that's what we eat. Every day (slight exaggeration, but only slight.) Or cereal.

Alas, summer is almost over and fall is drawing near. Then I crave soups. And it's icky-ish outside, so I never want to leave my house...and my kitchen becomes vastly more appealing. And I cook. I have accumulated some pretty tasty looking recipes I'm dying to try....at least someday (i.e. not tomorrow, or the day after, or likely even the day after that, if you get my gist).

I'll be back when school is back in session. No, no, I don't go to school, nor do I have a child in one, but it seems like a reasonable marker for putting on my big girl pants, growing up, and eating (and spending, and cooking) more responsibly.