Baking Day - the "plan"

I am feeling the urge to have a baking day where I will precook and bake - duh! - several things to stock the freezer. This method of bulk cooking has been a wonderful thing for us. I will either get complete meals ready to do the majority of prep work so putting dinner together is a snap on busy days - or tired days. Here are some recipes I am considering for an upcoming day. I am hoping to fit in at least a half day session this week.

• Brown 10 lb ground beef with garlic and onions; portion into meal size bags and freeze
• Roast 10 lb split chicken with butter, salt, and pepper; shred and freeze in meal size portions
• I have about 5 lbs of baby peppers that MUST be dealt with before a good deal goes dreadfully wrong
• Oh, and some baby carrots too - probably should chop those up so as not to let another good deal get away from me
  

Breakfast and Snack Options:

• Pumpkin Apple Breakfast Bread
  
• Cranberry Oatmeal Muffins
• Buttery Trail Mix
• French Toast Sticks
• Peanut Butter Pancakes
  

30 Day Giving Challenge

I am sitting here on our back porch while little man and DH sleep and am overwhelmed by how good God has been to me. I have an a amazing husband, wonderful friends, a supportive family, and the sweetest little man a mom could pray for. I was catching up on some of my favorite recipe blogs and saw the 30-Day Giving Challenge at The Finer Things in Life. I am going to join in this, even though it is now day 8. I'll do 30 days from today! The general idea is that every day for the next 30 days, I will give something to someone. I write down each day in a journal what I have given and also record things that come our way. I think this will be a great way to stay focused on doing God's work during this time of year and staying out of focus on the advertisements, decorations, and "must haves" of the approaching Christmas season. Want to join in?

Menu Plan - Week of November 8

Sunday, November 8:

• Overnight French Toast Casserole and bacon
• Sandwiches, quesadillas, or leftovers for lunch
• Chicken Taco Soup with green chili cornbread

Weeknight Dinners:

• Creamy Corn Chowder with grilled cheese on homemade French Bread
• Spaghetti, green salad, and Garlic Knots
• Breakfast for dinner - maybe a frittata with French bread toast and homemade apple butter
• Chicken Stroganoff, egg noodles, green beans
• One night at mom and dad's house

Baking, Breakfast, Snacks:

• I made a double batch of Banana Muffins today, so we are set for the week on muffins
• Chewy Granola Bars

Need more inspiration? Go visit I'm an Organizing Junkie for over 300 menu plans each week!

Menu Plan - Week of November 2

I said to DH tonight over dinner ... "Sometime this week we need to talk about Christmas." YIKES!!! It's the first of November - this year has flown by for us (well, for me at least). We are finally having a consistent week of cooler weather here in the south also, so I will be pulling out some slow cooker and casserole meals. There is just something about a daytime high in the 50s that make the slow cooker very appealing! We are looking forward this week to an early Christmas present for ourselves - we're going to the Casting Crowns and Matt Redman concert - fun!!

Visit I'm An Organizing Junkie for over 200 menu plans each week!

Dinners:

• Taco Casserole (use chicken instead of ground beef), green salad
• *Toscano soup in slow cooker (see recipe below), French bread
  
• Aussie Chicken, yellow rice, and roasted butternut squash
• Homemade pizza with green salad

Baking, Breakfast, Snacks:

• Banana chocolate chip muffins
• Baked Cinnamon Chips
• Bacon cheddar biscuits for DH

Slow Cooker Toscano Soup
adapted from Fix-It and Forget-It 5-Ingredient Favorites

• 1 lb Italian sausage links (I use Johnsonville brand) - sweet or hot depending on your taste
• 4-15 oz cans Great Northern Beans, do not drain or rinse
• 1 large bunch of kale - remove tough stalks and tear into bite size pieces
• approx 6 cups chicken broth, or water with boullion or base
• pepper to taste - black or red flake are great
  

1. Slice sausage into disks approx 1/2 inch thick
2. Brown sausage in non stick skillet just to get a bit of color - they will finish cooking thoroughly in slow cooker
3. Place browned sausage, beans, broth, and prepared kale in a LARGE (5-6 quart) slow cooker
4. Cook 6-8 hours on low
5. Taste and add pepper if needed. It should not need salt with the chicken broth, but adjust the seasonings as needed.

November Menu Plan

As we approach the holiday season with its inherent over-indulgences, I am setting my mind to keeping things simple in our home. From food to gift ideas to how we choose to spend our time these next 2 months, we will be focusing on how we can serve our Lord and celebrate with our families.

Dinners:

• Taco Casserole (use chicken rather than ground beef), green salad
• Aussie Chicken, yellow rice, roasted butternut squash
• *Toscano Soup (recipe this week), French bread
• Homemade pizza and green salad (x2)
• Chicken Pot Pie (using puff pastry topping), green salad
• *Chicken Taco Soup
• Creamy Corn Chowder with grilled cheese on French bread
• Breakfast for dinner (x2)
• Spaghetti with homemade sauce, green salad, and Garlic Knots (x2)
• Meatloaf Cups, baked sweet potatoes
• *Chicken Stroganoff, egg noodles, green beans
• Sicilian Casserole, green salad
• *Sideline Sausage Soup, cornbread muffins
• Chicken a la king over puff pastry with broccoli
• Grilled steak and fries
  
• *Lasagna, Garlic Knots, and salad
• Beef tacos

* Denotes a slow cooker recipe

I do not have a detailed plan yet for baking and snacks - I will post those from week to week. Stay tuned!

Enjoy this month with your friends and families and "Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done." Psalm 105:1

Menu Plan - Week of October 26

Last week's menu plan didn't go quite like I had planned. When we returned from Florida, two of my cousins came into town to help my parents do some home renovations, so we spent 2 nights at mom and dad's for dinner. There are some carryover meals this week because of that. Also, I am trying hard to cut our spending as we approach the holidays so we can enjoy the season with friends and family without stressing about money. And, since I know what ingredients I have on hand, I'll be sticking with the plan this week - Lord willing!

Dinners:

• Beef roast in slow cooker with carrots and potatoes
  
• Honey Roasted Acorn Squash and Chicken (I'll use split chicken breasts rather than legs)
• Whole wheat pasta with Carbonara Sauce and salad
• Crock Pot Lasagna, Italian Cheese Bread, and salad

Baking, Lunch, and Breakfast:

• Pumpkin Soft Pretzels
• Apple Pancakes (triple batch to freeze)
• Stuffed Bread Sticks (little man can eat these for lunch)

Head over and visit Laura for hundreds more menu plans each week!

Menu Plan - week of October 18

Fall has arrived!!! We spent a week in the "Land of Mouse" in central FL and returned to find beautiful scenery with changing leaves, cooler temperatures, lower humidity, and we are thrilled! I went to the grocery and the warehouse club today and have already made apple muffins, French bread, and DH has a pot of beef stew bubbling on the stove. As for the rest of the week ...

Dinners:

• Crock Pot Lasagna, salad, and Italian Cheese Bread
• Pork chops, apples, and sweet potatoes in slow cooker
  
• Aussie Chicken and baked sweet potatoes
• Slow Cooker Chicken Stroganoff with rice and green beans
• Whole wheat pasta with Carbonara Sauce and salad

Snacks, Breakfast, Baking:

• Overnight French Toast Casserole and bacon (Sunday breakfast)
• Pumpkin Soft Pretzels
• Apple Pancakes (double or triple batch and freeze)
• Apple Chips