Menu plan for the week

A few great deals this week - remember you can price match at Wal-Mart, if I don't have the ad, just pull it up on your phone:

Warehouse Market 
Red Delicious Apples - $.49/lb

Aldi
Avocados - $.29
Strawberries - $1.29

Reasors
Oranges - .39/lb
Frozen Bird's eye steam fresh veggies - $.69
Surefine cereal $3/3
Bacon - $3.99/1.25lb

Sprouts
Blueberries 6oz - $1.25
Organic kale - $.88/ bunch
Green beans - .$98/lb
Mangos - $.48 each

Breakfasts
Oatmeal
Eggs with fruit
Yogurt with granola and fruit
Cereal
Egg Casserole
Smoothies

Lunches
Leftovers
Quesadillas with veggies
PB & J with veggies
Chicken salad

Meals
Lettuce Wraps
BBQ Ribs with Broccoli
Pizza & salad
Baked Chicken with Green Beans and Potatoes 
Zuppa Toscana Soup with salad and bread
Pesto Turkey Burgers & cucumbers/carrots
Quinoa and sweet potato enchilada casserole  with guacamole and fruit salad

Snacks
Chocolate PB Apples with Coconut and Almonds
Crockpot apple sauce
Homemade Granola bars
Popcorn

Menu Planning...

Menu planning has always been such a struggle for me, I'm not sure why. I'm not the most organized person in the world. I'm not good at checklists, organization or planning in general, so menu planning just doesn't come natural to me. I am really trying to grow in these weak areas and also trying to not let guilt weigh me down when I feel like I'm failing at everything... I'm trying to remember that my sweet little ones are only little for such a small portion of their lives and tomorrow is not guaranteed to any of us. I'm trying to remember that I'm not defined by how clean or cute my house is or what we eat. I pray that I can reflect Christ to these sweet little ones and not get bogged down and stressed out when things aren't perfect. I was reading a book by Sally Clarkson the other night and it was such good reminder to find contentment and be thankful in ALL circumstances and to seek the Lord and what He wants us to learn in each situation.

With that being said, I haven't posted my menu in a while, but I love being able to link to it from my phone. I'm much more likely to stick to a plan and not eat out or eat mac and cheese when I can just click a button :) It's amazing the difference that having a menu plan for the week helps everything go a little smoother...

Breakfasts:
Eggs and smoothies x 2
Breakfast Quinoa
Baked Oatmeal
Morning Glory Muffins
Bagels, fruit and yogurt

Lunches:
Ham and cheese Hot pockets with cauliflower
PB and J with carrot sticks and cucumbers
Leftovers

Suppers:
Italian Chicken over pasta with Broccoli
Cilantro Lime Chicken Tacos with salad
Hamburgers and potato Fries and salad
Honey Lime Chicken with Rice and stir-fried veggies
Enchiladas with Beans and Rice
Chicken and Rice Broccoli Casserole with salad and cucumbers

Menu

I've been struggling with menu planning lately... Hopefully I can get back in the habit of it! It really helps the week go so much better when I'm not stressing everyday what we're going to eat next. So, here it is, maybe it can help someone else who is struggling with the same thing!

Breakfasts:
Granola over yogurt
Scrambled Eggs and fruit
Oatmeal
Pancakes, eggs, bacon
Cereal



Lunch:
Brown rice ginger cakes
Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing
PB and J
Chicken Roll-ups
Fried Rice
Leftovers


Dinners:
Bourbon Crock Pot Chicken over brown rice
Pizza
Lentil Taco Salad
Crock Pot Fajitas
Pasta with white cheese sauce and veggies
Loaded Baked Potato Soup
Creamy southwestern Rice and cheese quesadillas
Crock Pot Pad Thai

Gluten Free Menu For the week

Breakfasts:
Oatmeal Pancakes with Peanut Butter
Eggs and Fruit
Baked Oatmeal
PB Banana Oat Breakfast cookies

Lunch:
Snacky Lunch (Cheese, fruit, veggies)
Rice and Beans
Peanut Butter Apple Sandwiches
Leftovers

Dinner:
Chicken and Rice Soup
Crockpot BBQ Chicken
Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas (LOVE these!)
Broccoli and Cheddar Quiche with a Brown Rice Crust
Lentil and Rice Tacos
Cauliflower Pizza

Menu (Gluten Free)

I haven't done a menu in a while and I'm really getting in a rut. We've had Landon gluten free for the last couple months since he was always complaining about tummy aches. He has really done great since we took him off of gluten! I'm so thankful to seem to have figured it out. Here is our menu, hopefully I can follow through with it - I'm thinking the baking day should help with that.

Breakfasts:
Banana Bread
Peanut Butter Banana Cookies
Pancakes - I absolutely love these pancakes for a gluten free option!
Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal
Eggs and smoothies

Lunches:
Quinoa Pizza Bites
Cucumber sandwiches and fruit
Rice and Beans with fruit and carrots
Apple peanut butter sandwiches
Leftovers

Dinner:
Ginger chicken stir fry lettuce wraps
Chili Maple Glazed Chicken with mashed potatoes and green beans
Sweet potato black bean enchiladas
Crock Pot Pad Thai Chicken over rice
Patty Melts with salad
Broccoli Bacon and cheese soup with salad and bread
Melt in your mouth chicken with steamed broccoli and roasted potatoes

Snacks:
Easy Snack Bites
Trail mix bars
Fruit/veggies
Smoothies

Baking day:
Gluten free Bread
Refried Beans
Pancakes
Easy Snack Bites
Trail mix bars
Quinoa Pizza Bites
Banana Bread
Peanut Butter Banana Cookies
Gluten free chocolate chip cookies

Menu

Breakfasts:
Crepes
Blender Pancakes
Baked Oatmeal
Yogurt Parfaits

Dinners:
Smoky Yukon Gold Chowder with bread and salad
Sesame Soba Noodles
Chicken Enchilada Pasta with chips and salsa
Spinach Rice Casserole with salad
Creamy Chicken Taquitos with black beans
Warm Barbecue Chicken Salad with Texas Toast

House stuff and Menu

This is not a very complete menu plan, but it will get us through the week. So excited to have new carpet in our living room! Poor Seth though is so allergic to new carpet... His throat swells and he gets a bad headache. So tonight we're sleeping with the windows open. Thankfully, it is a pretty nice night!

The new carpet motivated me to re-do (pretty much just painted it) an old trunk that I found at a garage sale over the summer for $3.00. I was pretty excited! I decided it works great as a TV stand in our new carpeted living room :) What do you think? Should I paint the whole thing white, should I rough it up with a little sandpaper?





Anyway, I better get to bed, it is getting late...

Here is our menu for the week:
Breakfasts
Granola Bars
Pumpkin Muffins with fruit
Whatever we find in the cupboards and freezer :)

Dinners:
Italian Cream Cheese Chicken over pasta
Whole Grain Chicken Soup with Rice

Chicken Lo Mein
Bean and Beef Burritos

Calzones

Menu and Update on Life

My hopes are my weekly menu posts will remind me that I still have a blog and to post more frequently on it... For now, I will just give an after midnight rambling, sort of update on our lives. The kiddos are growing so fast! Olivia is finally taking steps! I think the most she's taken is seven, but she still prefers to crawl. I think she just walks to get us excited :) Oh well, hopefully she will take off soon!

Landon's Thomas the train obsession is starting to diminish and the "tiny legos" are starting to take that place of love in his life. I don't know why this is a little sad for me. I knew this would happen, interests change, they grow, but I guess it just means that that part of his childhood is becoming history. Soon it will be, "remember when you loved Thomas the train?" and there will be more and more of those, "remember when"s. I just really want to treasure their childhood and not miss it being too focused on how shiny my floors are, or getting too caught up on whether or not I can walk through the living room, or re-do my fireplace :)

I loved Ann Voskamp's book, "One Thousand Blessings." It is such a good reminder to take notice of the tremendous blessings we have right in front of our noses. The car rides with lively voices, the smell of a candle, quite reading time with the older child while the other naps. We have so many sweet blessings around us if only we stop to take notice and remember to thank our Father for each one.

Ephesians 1:3

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ"

Breakfasts:
Baked Apple Oatmeal
Cinnamon Rolls
Cold Cereal with fruit
Smoothies and Toast
Yogurt Parfaits

Dinners:
R: Chicken Pot Pie
F: Pasta with White bean Sauce
S:Golden Veggie Fried Rice with stir fried vegetables
S: Easy Barbecue Chicken sandwiches
M: Chicken Parmesan Casserole with salad (didn't get to this last week)
T: Creamy Vegetable Chowder
W: Homemade Pizza with salad

Menu for the week

Wow, life has been just a bit crazy! In the midst of moving, house projects, going to Iowa, celebrating Thanksgiving, chasing after the kids (and their messes), and church activities, I need a little bit of structure in my life. So, here is my menu plan for the week. I usually like to do it on Mondays, but I thnk shopping is going to work out better to do on Thursdays. So, I'm going to try to start doing a Thursday-Wednesday menu. We will see how it goes :)

Thursday: Turkey (free from Seth's work - I need cook that thing!), Potatoes
Friday: Calzones with Salad
Saturday: Crispy Southwest Chicken wraps with Mexican rice
Sunday: Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches with Potato Salad
Monday: Chicken Parmesan Casserole Bread, Salad
Tuesday: Vegetable Chowder
Wednesday: Homemade Pizza with a salad

Menu and Easter Party Recap

We had a Neighborhood Easter Party this weekend. There were 18 kids that were able to come. We did the Resurrection Eggs for the Easter lesson. I thought this was a really neat way to tell the story of what the Lord Jesus did for us on the cross. I made my own based on this model. The kids really liked to look and touch each item from the eggs. Here are a few pictures from the party so you can see these sweet faces that I pray come to know our Lord as their Savior!

This is Katie - such a sweetie!

Sunday School Kids - Joy, Emily, Joey, and AJ

Dylan, Thomas, Edgar, Joe, Kyler, Omar, Nicholas, and Christian

Praising the Lord for what He has done for us as we remember His sacrifice on the cross, His victory over death, and the forgiveness that He offers to anyone who believes on Him.

...and here is my short menu for the week.

M: Cheesy ham and pasta bake
T: Italian Sausage Potato Roast
W: Chicken Enchiladas
R: Pasta with Spinach and Bacon
F-S: Kansas for the weekend!

Short Menu for the week

T: Chicken Capri Pasta (didn't get to this last week) with rolls
W: Lasagna with garlic bread and salad
R: Bierocks with salad
F-S: Volleyball Conference

Everyday Life and the Menu for the Week

A picture of our sweet Olivia at the park today - she loves the swing!

Also, a few funny things Landon said this week:

If you have never heard the Thomas the Train song, there is a line in there that says, "Percy, pulls the mail on time."

Landon had his Percy train with three baggage cars connected to him. He pointed to the baggage cars and said, "Mommy, are these mail-on-times?" :)

Then, we were driving and we drove by a guy with a beard who was walking on the sidewalk. This is how the conversation went:

Landon: "Look! I see Jesus!"
Me: "No, that's not Jesus, it's just a man. Jesus lives in heaven."
Landon: "Actually, it is pretty Jesus"
Me: "No, Jesus lives in heaven, that was just a guy with a beard."
Landon: "Did you see him mommy, did you see Jesus?!"

A few days late on this, but better late than never, right?

M: Calzone with Salad
T: Ham and Cabbage Potatoes
W: Chicken Capri Pasta
R: Veggie Stir Fry over rice
F: Lime Chicken soft tacos
S: Baked potatoes with all the fixin's
S: Thunder Game!

Menu

I didn't get to try all the smoothies that I wanted to because I got to the store and they were out of pineapples and the bananas were really green. The bananas didn't ripen until the end of the week! I did try a few though, so I will let you know what I thought of those.



Avocado Smoothie: Definitely can taste the avocado, a little bit of a weird combination of flavors. I will say that the texture was perfect! I may experiment with this base minus the avocado...

Orange Cream Smoothie - Yummy! This was really refreshing. I think the quality of this smoothie will definitely depend on the quality of your oranges - mine were really sweet and perfect, but that's not always the case with oranges...

Groovy Smoothie - Nothing extraordinary, refreshing and simple.

I am going to attempt to try the rest of the smoothies I didn't get to try this week since I was able to get pineapples this week and the bananas I got aren't quite as green as the others. I would also like to try this Strawberry Smoothie

M: Chicken Cheddar Pizza roll em' ups (Didn't get to this last week - This turned out very good, very kid friendly)
T: Southwestern Egg Rolls with Spanish rice
W: Grilled Hamburgers with grilled potatoes and onions
R: Tomato soup and grilled cheese
F: Homemade Pizza
S: Chicken Breasts with balsamic vinegar and garlic over pasta
S: Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

Menu Planning Monday

The kids and I just got back from a great trip to Florida with my family. We had a wonderful time and I hope to post pictures soon! We also stopped in Kansas over the weekend to meet our adorable new niece, Haven. She is such a doll!

I'm trying to get back into the swing of things after being gone for almost two weeks. So, here's a start - my menu for the week!

Breakfasts: Smoothie Week! - I'm going to try a new smoothie every day and see if i can find some keepers. Strawberries are in season now so there are some great sales on them! Aldi has some great deals on fruit this week here - Pineapples $.99, Oranges $1.49/4lbs, Strawberries $1.69, Apples $1.29/3lbs

M: Orange Pineapple Smoothie Recipe
T: Strawberry Wild Smoothie
W: Orange Cream Smoothie
R: Groovy Smoothie
F: Green Slime Smoothie
S: Tropical Smoothie
S: Avocado Smoothie

Dinners:
M:: Spaghetti - recovering from Florida trip, definitely cooking something easy tonight!
T: Quesadillas with Green Chicken Chili
W: Satay Chicken Stir-Fry with Snow Peas and Cilantro over rice
R: BBQ Chicken Sandwiches with a salad
F: Thunder Basketball Game
S: Chicken and Cheddar Pizza roll em’ ups with a salad
S: Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Menu

Well, just as the snow is beginning to melt, we are due for another big snow storm tonight! All this cold weather gets me in the mood for cooking. Here is my menu for the rest of the week:

T: Chili with cornbread
W: Chicken Parmesan over spaghetti
R: Toasted subs with homemade french bread and Creamy Carrot Soup
F: Turkey Enchiladas
S: Homemade Pizza with whole wheat crust
S: French Dip sandwiches

We've also been enjoying yummy warm rice pudding on these cold mornings.

Menu for the Week

M: Baked Spaghetti (didn't get to this last week)
T: Chicken Pot Pie
W: Potato Soup
R: Farmhouse Chicken
F: Chicken Fajitas
S: College and Career - Make your own pizza night with this crust
S: Oven Fried Fish

2 Week Menu

Breakfasts:
Mocha Frappuccino with Waffles
Baked Oatmeal
Cold Cereal
Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with caramel
Fruit Smoothies

Dinners:
T: Beef Tacos
W: Vegetable Calzones
R: Taco Grande Pizza
F: Chili with Cornbread
S: Cilantro Chicken over rice Iced Pumpkin Cookies for dessert
S: Barbecue Chicken Sandwiches with homemade buns

M: Chicken and Apple Curry over rice
T: Vegetarian Penne with Italian Cheese wedges
W: Chicken Lasagna
R: Thanksgiving! (still need to decide what I'm making...)
F: Ham & Cheese Sliders
S: Homemade Pizza
S: Lime Chicken soft tacos

Menu

M: Recuperating from vacation to Topeka (we had a great time!) - pick something up...

T: Pasta Primavera with garlic bread

W: Enchiladas with chips and salsa

Th: Chicken Lo Mein

F: Chicken Alfredo Pizza

S: Oven Fried Fish with tarter sauce

S: Chili with corn bread

These verses encouraged me today to look beyond the temporal to the eternal:

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Menu for the week and 1 Month old

Here is our menu for the week. It's been a few weeks since I've done this! It feels good to be getting back into the swing of things as Olivia gets a little more predictable.

M: Artichoke Spaghetti with Meatballs, Salad, and Garlic Bread
T: Broccoli, Rice, cheese, and Chicken casserole with salad
W: Chicken stir fry
R: BBQ Grilled Chicken, Corn, Salad
F: Homemade Pizza with salad
S: Chicken and Rice Soup with bread
S: Vegetable Beef Stew

Hopefully soon I can post about our vacation, but it's been hard to find the time! Olivia is now 1 month old. She has started smiling which is so much fun. She's sleeping pretty good, 3-4 hour stretches and gets up to eat and goes back to sleep. She likes to be held a lot which makes certain things difficult, but I don't mind. I got a Moby wrap and that really makes multitasking possible. Here's a picture of our little peanut...

38 weeks & the menu for the Week

Still no baby and not a whole lot of signs that she will come anytime soon. I will have an appointment on Wednesday and hope to be showing signs of progress. We have decided that if she doesn't come by August 12th (my due date) they will induce. The 12th is a Thursday and I figure if I haven't had her by then I would be afraid of going into labor that weekend and then I wouldn't be able to have a VBAC (hospital politics). I was two days early with Landon and I am really hoping that I will be a couple days early with this little girl so that I don't have to be induced. I am praying though for the Lord's perfect timing and direction through it all.

Question for you all: What were some of your favorite songs or Bible verses during labor?
One of the favorites I've found is Isaiah 26:3 – “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you: because he trusts in you.”

I would like to go without an epidural this time, but I'm not going to be completely disappointed if I have to have one. I have just been thinking that if I can draw my strength from the Lord and focus on Him, that He can help me through it. Any advise in this area? I remember feeling like it was never going to end and that I couldn't take another contraction. I let my mind focus on the pain last time. Anyway, just thought I'd try to get some advise from you all :)


Here is my menu for the week:

Breakfasts:
Blueberry Banana Bread (never got to this one last week)
Baked Oatmeal
Bagels with cream cheese and Smoothies
Lemon Poppyseed Pancakes

Suppers:
M: Chicken Burritos
T: Broccoli Chicken Divan - My sister-in-law will be having baby Aubrey!!!
W: Grilled steak and Zucchini
R: Eggplant Parmesan
F: Calzone
S: Lemon Honey Pasta
S: Jennie’s Heavenly Slow Cooker Chicken