Menu Plan - Week of June 6

Is it that time again, already?? I vowed to do better this summer staying on a plan and have failed woefully. Try, and try again, right?

We have a fun week planned here. I am praying that the Lord gives us the motivation and momentum to tackle all the opportunities presented in the next 7 days. I find it so easy to open up my planner and write down commitments without consulting Him first. I am being convicted daily by the words of King Solomon "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails." Proverbs 19:21.

And yet, here I am - making another plan! This time revolving around food. We have to eat though. And I am happier and more confident knowing we have options close at hand without running to the grocery every day for some obscure, one time use ingredient.

Weeknight Dinners:

• Grilled salmon, green salad, and pasta with homemade pesto sauce
  
• Teriyaki chicken and pineapple in the slow cooker with rice and broccoli
• Italian sausage with peppers and onions on hoagie rolls
• Pizza with green salad or Chinese take out
  
• C.O.R.N. (clean out refrigerator night)

Snacks, Breakfast:

• Chewy Granola Bars
• Lemon Cake (my mom's recipe and a summertime favorite in our home)
• Whole Wheat Cinnamon Waffles (double batch and flash freeze - so yummy!)
  

Have a blessed week in your homes!!!

Menu Plan - Week of May 22

It's the last week of preschool for us and the first week with DH working his new job from our home every day. So, I am working harder to restock the freezer and pantry with quick, healthy, yummy meals and snacks. Since all 3 of us will be home now, it's essential to plan ahead to avoid the 12:00 rush for fast food and the even more costly 5:30 take out orders. We will be heading to the pool nearly every day starting next week and I am on the lookout for nutritious meal options that can be easily packed into a cooler.

Weeknight Dinners:

• Baked Chicken Fingers (double batch), Baked Meyer Lemon Fries, and coleslaw
• Grilled BBQ Chicken, pasta salad, grilled asparagus or corn
• Cheeseburgers, baked beans, and tater tots
• Pizza night with green salad
• Margarita marinated grilled steak with homemade guacamole, Mango Pico de Gallo, and tortilla chips
  

Lunches:

• My two biggest time savers when it comes to lunch are to prepare a batch of basic pasta salad and a huge green salad early in the week. Then, I can use leftover meat and add a yogurt to have a complete lunch in less than 5 minutes.
• Baked Chicken Fingers over green salad with homemade croutons
• BBQ Chicken over pasta salad
• Quesadillas using leftover grilled steak
• Steak sandwiches with horseradish cream and chips

Snacks:

• Chewy Granola Bars
• Strawberry Freezer Pops
  

Menu Plan - Week of May 15

We just returned from a week in the desert Southwest. It was a great vacation and I am inspired to try out some regional flavors this coming week. Our Spring season is winding down rapidly as preschool is ending, vacations are beginning, and the Southeastern US heat is in full force. Now is the time for simple, flavorful meals that require little to no stove-top time. Have a wonderful week in your home and head over to see Laura for more menu plans each week!

Weeknight Dinners:

• Grilled chicken with chipotle BBQ sauce, pasta salad, grilled corn with chipotle butter
• Grilled Fish Tacos with Cilantro-Lime Viniagrette
• Salad with chipotle grilled chicken (cook extra on grill), homemade tortilla strips, black beans, cheese, tomatoes, and the remainder of the Cilantro-Lime Viniagrette
• Egg rolls with coleslaw

Baking:

• Chewy Granola Bars
  

Menu Plan - Week of May 2

What an amazing, and emotional, 2 weeks in our home. My sweet friend went home to be with Jesus, Spring arrived in full force, and our first extended travel of 2010 is just around the corner. God has been so present, so REAL, so forceful in our lives over the past 2 weeks. I would love to share with you every provision, every blessing, every fresh wind of the Holy Spirit we have felt. It's been simply amazing! We have been simply doing enough to keep our bellies from rumbling. The pantry is nearly bare, the freezers are almost empty, and I surely don't want to get on the scale. Back to the routine this week! One week of normal (whatever that is) and then 2 weeks of travel. I'm going to try something new this year and actually post our menus while we are traveling too. We'll see how it goes!

Weeknight Dinners:

• Grilled Pork Chops with Mango Pico de Gallo, homemade corn chips, and some veggie (maybe asparagus if it's on sale)
• Beer Battered Fish, Garlic Fries, and coleslaw (one of my FAVORITE meals ever!)
• Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta, green salad
• Pizza Night with green salad or cut veggies & ranch dressing

DH starts a new job this week, little man and I leave Friday for a week, and it's supposed to be in the upper-80's every day. So ... no baking, no freezer cooking, just dinner and scrambling for breakfast and lunch.

Have a great week! Look for God in the little things and you will find that He's doing big things in your life!

Taking a Break

I will be back next week. My sweet friend who had been struggling with cancer for several months went home to be with Jesus on Sunday night. I am taking a little break to grieve, minister to her family, and spend time with my sweet family. I have loads of things to catch up next week, one of the first will be responding to Holly's nomination for a blog award. Thank you Holly!

See you all next week!

Finer Things Friday - Skipping in the Streets

I LOVE springtime! After being hunkered down inside for what felt like the worst-winter-ever in the south, we have been celebrating mild temperatures, low humidity, and sunshine. One of my favorite parts about spring and summer is the assortment of festivals and fun days in our downtown area. We live in the state capital and every weekend from April to November offers something fun, and usually free! Last Saturday, we went to a BBQ and Bluegrass festival hosted by one of the downtown restaurants. We had an amazing lunch, saw some great friends, and were very pleased with how much little man enjoyed the day. My favorite part? Watching DH and little man skipping through the downtown streets. Spending time together is definitely a Finer Thing! Head over to Amy's Finer Things to see what other bloggers are celebrating this week.


And I have to share this too - last night while the boys were outside cooking dinner, little man came running into the house with a HUGE smile on his face. He pulled the most beautiful rose from behind his back and said "God made this just for you mommy." So sweet!!

Menu Plan - Week of April 12

The weather has been beautiful here in the South and we have been enjoying grilling, playing, and relaxing outdoors. My oomph with menu planning wanes during these months - somehow it seems silly to document that dinner most nights is "something on the grill." But, that's usually what we eat! I am going to be cleaning out the final items in our freezer stockpile over the next 2 weeks to make room for the bounty of fresh strawberries available at local farms. I love to go and get buckets full, wash them, and flash freeze them. I am also looking forward to making our first trip of the season to the farmer's market. Here's the plan for our week ...

Weeknight Dinners:

• * Chicken Parmesan with green salad
• * Scalloped Potatoes and Ham with corn or broccoli
• Grilled chicken, pasta salad, Buttery Bread Sticks
• Pizza with green salad

Breakfast, Baking, Snacks:

• Yeast Doughnuts
  
• Granola Bars