Last week we decided to go camping Monday morning. There is a post coming about that soon, something always seems to happen when we go camping...this one was eventful and cold. So, here is what we ate:
Monday- Sloppy joes
Tuesday- Hibachi style steak, zucchini and rice
Wednesday Italian Sausage, potatoes and peppers (This was a new one, I will make it again)
Thursday Leftovers
Friday Sandwiches ( I worked)
Saturday Leftovers or clam chowder (I worked again)
Sunday Baked Ziti
I was planning to be out of town for family dinner so we cancelled but, I wound up coming home on Saturday night so I called everyone and uncancelled. Since I wouldn't have time to go to the store I just looked through my pantry to see what I have on hand to throw together. I decided on Baked Ziti, a family favorite. I didn't have any ground beef or Italian sausage so I pulled out a pound of pork sausage from the pig that we butchered. I have used it before in this recipe and it was very good. While I was browning the sausage I called my husband over to ask him if he thought the meat had an off smell to it. I thought it did, but we decided that it was just the pork itself and we were just used to the smell of beef. So, I was satisfied and went on cooking.
When It was all done I pulled it out of the oven and it looked so good with the cheese starting to brown on top. I dished it up with a side of buttered bread and took a bite. It was horrible! The pork gave it a greasy "off" taste. I couldn't even swallow the bite I took. So, we had carrot cake for dinner. That was good and we could all stomach it! I don't know what the problem was with the sausage. I hope it was just with that package because I have several more of it. We didn't even feed it to our dogs we just tossed it in the trash.
It's been a while since I have had a dinner fail like this!
Monday, November 23, 2015
Friday, November 20, 2015
What We Ate....Brisket Edition
I think I’ve mentioned in a recent post that since we have been home from our trip, I have been trying not to go to the grocery store and just use what we have on hand in our pantry and freezer. I have not meal planned and gone on a big shopping trip but, I have gone to the store several times to pick up some necessities like bread and milk and then some extra things that we wanted for a movie night and maybe a few impulse buys like pumpkin spice bagels. They are so tasty. Then we decided to go camping so that did require a shopping trip with a list. More on that later.
So, What have we been eating? Every Sunday my family has “family dinner.” My mom, brother and sister and their families come over and we eat and play cards (well the moms do). Last Sunday my mom made Beef Stew, it’s my grandma’s recipe and it’s one of the bests out there. I made some Roads Rolls, my new fave, to dip in the juice. So good! We ate that for two nights and then I had it for a few lunches as well. On Tuesday we went to Tucson to visit some of the best people in the world and they fed us and sent us home with a half of a smoked brisket. They smoked it themselves with a killer dry rub and it has the best bark on it! So we ate that for dinner for three nights. I know, but its that good. I made different sides to go with it like, mashed potatoes, rice and vegetables. Saturday night we had frozen ravioli, that was an impulse buy, it was by the Roads Rolls in the freezer section and it just sounded good, and easy. We all need some easy, right? Then it was Sunday again....More on that later
Sunday- Beef stew and rolls
Monday-Beef stew and rolls
Tuesday-Brisket and broccoli salad (the one with grapes, bacon and bow tie pasta)
Wed- Brisket on tortillas
Thursday-Brisket with mashed potatoes and corn
Friday- Brisket with rice and green beans
Saturday- Cheese ravioli and bread
Breakfasts were Chorizo (Mexican style) and eggs, oatmeal or bagels.
Lunches were beef stew, PB&J or brisket
So, What have we been eating? Every Sunday my family has “family dinner.” My mom, brother and sister and their families come over and we eat and play cards (well the moms do). Last Sunday my mom made Beef Stew, it’s my grandma’s recipe and it’s one of the bests out there. I made some Roads Rolls, my new fave, to dip in the juice. So good! We ate that for two nights and then I had it for a few lunches as well. On Tuesday we went to Tucson to visit some of the best people in the world and they fed us and sent us home with a half of a smoked brisket. They smoked it themselves with a killer dry rub and it has the best bark on it! So we ate that for dinner for three nights. I know, but its that good. I made different sides to go with it like, mashed potatoes, rice and vegetables. Saturday night we had frozen ravioli, that was an impulse buy, it was by the Roads Rolls in the freezer section and it just sounded good, and easy. We all need some easy, right? Then it was Sunday again....More on that later
Sunday- Beef stew and rolls
Monday-Beef stew and rolls
Tuesday-Brisket and broccoli salad (the one with grapes, bacon and bow tie pasta)
Wed- Brisket on tortillas
Thursday-Brisket with mashed potatoes and corn
Friday- Brisket with rice and green beans
Saturday- Cheese ravioli and bread
Breakfasts were Chorizo (Mexican style) and eggs, oatmeal or bagels.
Lunches were beef stew, PB&J or brisket
Wednesday, November 18, 2015
Salem to Boston
This was the last real footage I got of our trip. I didn't want to make my family uncomfortable by filming them so I just enjoyed seeing family I haven't seen in a decade and enjoy the few hours I had with my grandson.
Boston. Oh how I loved Boston. I would never want to live there because there are just too many people and cars and people. But there is something about the energy of the place. It's a history thing like Washington I think. Our country is what it is because of a handful of very brave men who stood up for what they believed in and weren't afraid of starting some trouble. And I got to sit in a building were some of their meetings took place. Very cool. And I love, love, love the architecture and the tall buildings.
Parking was a huge issue for us though. Dave was too tall for most underground parking garages. At one point we had a very angry and rude garage attendant yelling at us in a very thick accent. And street parking was mostly two hour parking and we needed longer than that. We always found something eventually but it was a challenge.
We walked the Freedom Trail. It was very cool. Toured Paul Revere's home, the Granary Cemetery where 3 of the signers of the Declaration are buried and saw places like the Old South Meeting House and Faneuil Hall. The history of our country is amazing and I wish more people had the chance to walk the places these people walked and sit where they sat and learn what they did. I think things in our nation would be a bit different if they did.
Boston. Oh how I loved Boston. I would never want to live there because there are just too many people and cars and people. But there is something about the energy of the place. It's a history thing like Washington I think. Our country is what it is because of a handful of very brave men who stood up for what they believed in and weren't afraid of starting some trouble. And I got to sit in a building were some of their meetings took place. Very cool. And I love, love, love the architecture and the tall buildings.
Parking was a huge issue for us though. Dave was too tall for most underground parking garages. At one point we had a very angry and rude garage attendant yelling at us in a very thick accent. And street parking was mostly two hour parking and we needed longer than that. We always found something eventually but it was a challenge.
We walked the Freedom Trail. It was very cool. Toured Paul Revere's home, the Granary Cemetery where 3 of the signers of the Declaration are buried and saw places like the Old South Meeting House and Faneuil Hall. The history of our country is amazing and I wish more people had the chance to walk the places these people walked and sit where they sat and learn what they did. I think things in our nation would be a bit different if they did.
Monday, November 16, 2015
DC to Salem
We took an epic road trip, dubbed the "OCD Road Trip," from New Mexico to Boston, MA. We met up with my husbands mom and niece and hit the road.
On this leg of the trip we traveled from Washington DC to Salem. It was a long day and I was very happy to arrive at our overpriced hotel that night. We had a super hard time finding a place to eat. Not knowing the area, it being night time and dealing with not straight forward highway systems made it difficult. After about an hour of wrong turns and searching for a place that was still serving we ended up at a Sonic a block away from our hotel. We did get to see some nice residential areas though.
Salem was a neat place. I really enjoyed it. When I was in high school I did my Junior research paper on the Salem Witch Hunt. My paper was over a week late and I still got an A- on it. I was super proud of that paper. I wish I had it. We did not get to go to the Witch Museum, that was a bummer. Sam went back in 2001 and he said it wasn't great but I still would have like to have seen it. My daughters were so excited to go to it though and disappointed that we missed it. This was Halloween town to them. The place was decked out for the season. But what they didn't understand was what kind of witches it was about. They were thinking green face, hairy mole type witch. They couldn't get it. I found an age appropriate book for them on the subject that I may read to them, I need to read it first though.
We went on a cruise of the Wharf, it was a lighthouse and foliage cruise. That was awesome and right up my mother in law's alley. This trip was all about seeing the changing of the leaves and they were beautiful! Stunning. So far being on that water has been my favorite part of the trip. There was even brief talk of selling it all and buying a houseboat. Like I said, it was brief.
Enjoy!
On this leg of the trip we traveled from Washington DC to Salem. It was a long day and I was very happy to arrive at our overpriced hotel that night. We had a super hard time finding a place to eat. Not knowing the area, it being night time and dealing with not straight forward highway systems made it difficult. After about an hour of wrong turns and searching for a place that was still serving we ended up at a Sonic a block away from our hotel. We did get to see some nice residential areas though.
Salem was a neat place. I really enjoyed it. When I was in high school I did my Junior research paper on the Salem Witch Hunt. My paper was over a week late and I still got an A- on it. I was super proud of that paper. I wish I had it. We did not get to go to the Witch Museum, that was a bummer. Sam went back in 2001 and he said it wasn't great but I still would have like to have seen it. My daughters were so excited to go to it though and disappointed that we missed it. This was Halloween town to them. The place was decked out for the season. But what they didn't understand was what kind of witches it was about. They were thinking green face, hairy mole type witch. They couldn't get it. I found an age appropriate book for them on the subject that I may read to them, I need to read it first though.
We went on a cruise of the Wharf, it was a lighthouse and foliage cruise. That was awesome and right up my mother in law's alley. This trip was all about seeing the changing of the leaves and they were beautiful! Stunning. So far being on that water has been my favorite part of the trip. There was even brief talk of selling it all and buying a houseboat. Like I said, it was brief.
Enjoy!
Friday, November 13, 2015
Washington DC
This was the day I was waiting for. I absolutely love Washington DC. This was my second trip there. Sam had a detail for work there in 2004 and I was able to travel with him. He worked most of the time we were there but I was able to tour around a bit with his mom and step dad who came to see the presentation Sam was making. We drove around Georgetown and walked the National Mall and went to the National Museum of American History. The power I felt in that city was pretty amazing. You felt it. It's a feeling that is hard to describe, I was in awe. This time was a little different, I didn't feel the same feeling of power and awe. A lot could be said here, but I won't go there. Just know that I am a patriot and I love my country.
It was still a great trip and although my girls were more interested in the squirrels on the grass, I am glad we had the opportunity to take them and hope to be able to take them again when they are older. I'd love to see if that first time feeling returns.
During the trip from Knoxville to DC we drove through New Jersey, my home state and stopped in the town my dad lives in. I haven't seen my dad in 10 years, I was hoping he would just happen to be at the WAWA where we were fueling up, but no luck. Good thing is we are going to stop in NJ for a few days on our return and I will get to see him. That's the day I am really waiting for!
It was still a great trip and although my girls were more interested in the squirrels on the grass, I am glad we had the opportunity to take them and hope to be able to take them again when they are older. I'd love to see if that first time feeling returns.
During the trip from Knoxville to DC we drove through New Jersey, my home state and stopped in the town my dad lives in. I haven't seen my dad in 10 years, I was hoping he would just happen to be at the WAWA where we were fueling up, but no luck. Good thing is we are going to stop in NJ for a few days on our return and I will get to see him. That's the day I am really waiting for!
Wednesday, November 11, 2015
Arkansas to Tenessee
Next we traveled from Little Rock to Knoxville. We made stops in Memphis and Nashville.
I can't remember much of any great excitement on this leg of the trip, except for maybe the clowns that was pretty exciting...or scary depending on who you asked. It was Sam's birthday, that was pretty exciting. We also walked Beale Street. I had to stop into one of the stores and buy a t-shirt, it was so hot there. We were expecting cooler weather so we packed cooler weather clothes. That day I was wearing a long sleeve t-shirt and a flannel. Wrong choice. We went to the Antique Archaeology store, that was pretty cool, we we able to see some of the things that they picked. So, I guess it was kind of exciting. Enjoy.
I can't remember much of any great excitement on this leg of the trip, except for maybe the clowns that was pretty exciting...or scary depending on who you asked. It was Sam's birthday, that was pretty exciting. We also walked Beale Street. I had to stop into one of the stores and buy a t-shirt, it was so hot there. We were expecting cooler weather so we packed cooler weather clothes. That day I was wearing a long sleeve t-shirt and a flannel. Wrong choice. We went to the Antique Archaeology store, that was pretty cool, we we able to see some of the things that they picked. So, I guess it was kind of exciting. Enjoy.
Monday, November 9, 2015
Brownwood to Arkansas
The next leg of the trip which was to Little Rock, Arkansas. You will be able to tell in the video that I am NOT a morning person. I wish I was, I have tried to be, but it didn't work out. I am a night person for sure. You will also learn that I like my coffee. A LOT. Sam's mother on the other hand IS a morning person and we were on her schedule so we were in the car driving, yes DRIVING at 7 am. It was not fun. My normal morning routine is get up, head straight to the coffee pot, make coffee, turn on the news while waiting for coffee, hoping no one in my family talks to me until after I hear the delightful beep signaling the end of the brew and I see the bottom of my first cup. And hear the daily weather.
Disclaimer: I love my family. A LOT. More than coffee even, but, I love them a lot more after I have a cup. You will hear my poem on the matter several times during the series.....
Anyway, I got over it, but after we parted ways we had a little bit more relaxed mornings and it was amazing.
We made a stop in Dallas and went to Dealey Plaza on our way. It was there that I made the crock pot meal. This was the last one for the trip. On day one it was the last. Sad really. I wanted to do more but we had really long days and the last thing we wanted to do at the end of an 8-10 hour day of driving is to find a grocery store in a strange area. It really was more trouble than I had imagined.
Disclaimer: I love my family. A LOT. More than coffee even, but, I love them a lot more after I have a cup. You will hear my poem on the matter several times during the series.....
Anyway, I got over it, but after we parted ways we had a little bit more relaxed mornings and it was amazing.
We made a stop in Dallas and went to Dealey Plaza on our way. It was there that I made the crock pot meal. This was the last one for the trip. On day one it was the last. Sad really. I wanted to do more but we had really long days and the last thing we wanted to do at the end of an 8-10 hour day of driving is to find a grocery store in a strange area. It really was more trouble than I had imagined.
Friday, November 6, 2015
Menu Plan?
I don't have a monthly or a weekly menu plan! Since we just got back from an awfully expensive trip I am trying to hold out going to the store as long as I can. We got home October 24th, so it will be two weeks tomorrow. I have gone to the store twice to get some basics, milk, bread, eggs and fruit. I went today to get snacks for movie night and eggs and a few other household items like a furnace filter only to come home and find out we had 28 eggs outside in the coop! The chickens have either been laying double time or our daughter has been forgetting to get them. I will let you guess which. We were able to bless someone with two dozen eggs so it worked out wonderfully.
What have we been eating you ask?
Salisbury steaks, mashed potatoes and corn
Pizza-- twice
A ham steak and scalloped potato casserole-twice
Ranch chicken thighs with roasted potatoes and green beans (a new favorite!)
Spaghetti with meat sauce
Easy Red Enchiladas with beef and topped with an egg (YUM)
White turkey chili-twice
Rump Roast, mashed potatoes and green beans-twice
Sandwiches
Broccoli Soup
Breakfasts have been:
Instant Oatmeal
Chorizo and eggs
Pancakes
Lunches have been:
Left overs
Spam Sandwiches (Sam's favorite)
PB&J's
Pizza
I am using a lot of my pantry items and stuff form my freezer. I think I am going to see how long I can go before doing a big shopping trip....just for fun. Of course not sacrificing nutrition. I have a ton of pork left from when we butchered our pig, but I have to say I am not a fan of fresh ham steaks and I have a lot of them and fresh bacon and ham roasts. I don't know what to do with them, maybe smoke them??
What have we been eating you ask?
Salisbury steaks, mashed potatoes and corn
Pizza-- twice
A ham steak and scalloped potato casserole-twice
Ranch chicken thighs with roasted potatoes and green beans (a new favorite!)
Spaghetti with meat sauce
Easy Red Enchiladas with beef and topped with an egg (YUM)
White turkey chili-twice
Rump Roast, mashed potatoes and green beans-twice
Sandwiches
Broccoli Soup
Breakfasts have been:
Instant Oatmeal
Chorizo and eggs
Pancakes
Lunches have been:
Left overs
Spam Sandwiches (Sam's favorite)
PB&J's
Pizza
I am using a lot of my pantry items and stuff form my freezer. I think I am going to see how long I can go before doing a big shopping trip....just for fun. Of course not sacrificing nutrition. I have a ton of pork left from when we butchered our pig, but I have to say I am not a fan of fresh ham steaks and I have a lot of them and fresh bacon and ham roasts. I don't know what to do with them, maybe smoke them??
Thursday, November 5, 2015
Off to Brownwood!!!!
The day had finally arrived! We had this trip planned for a year and the day to leave was here! We were planning to be gone for a month or maybe more. I had arranged my work schedule in a way that I didn't have to be back to work until November 14th. We left on October 8th so we had lots of time to do and see whatever we wanted. We have never been able to take a trip anything like this. I think our longest vacation ever was 11 days and that was our wedding, almost 15 years ago. And I wouldn't even call it a vacation. It was mostly wedding prep, we didn't even go on a honeymoon. The runner up vacation was a trip to San Antonio, we were there for 5 days I think but we had 6 kids, 4 of them foster children. I think I can say we have never had a real vacation, but we have gone places.
The girls were so excited to go. Rhileigh, who is my child that is not a morning person sprung out of bed that morning! It was great to see them so excited. The really cool part about this trip is that we just got finished studying the Mid-Atlantic states and they had a poster board project they had to do. The project required them to plan an imaginary trip to the Mid-Atlantic states, map out three places they would like to visit, find pictures online of the places and describe what they would see and do at each location. They didn't have to imagine it, they got to actually go to the places! It was perfect and accidental, really. We bought them each a camera to document the trip and take pictures of whatever they wanted to. They took a lot of pictures of squirrels. A little side story for you: We were in Washington D.C. surrounded by all things that make up Washington D.C., incredible buildings, history, it really is an amazing place to visit. As we were walking down the street there was a family stopped on the sidewalk and as we walked closer we saw that their kid was feeding two squirrels and they were really, really close to the boy feeding them. Half and arm's length I'd say. The girls could hardly stand it they were so excited by this! We watched for a while and then thanked the family for making not only our kid's day but their whole trip! Anyway, back to the school project. Poor Harper left her camera in a Cab in D.C. But, we took enough pictures for her to choose from.
We had a bit of crock pot drama......
The girls were so excited to go. Rhileigh, who is my child that is not a morning person sprung out of bed that morning! It was great to see them so excited. The really cool part about this trip is that we just got finished studying the Mid-Atlantic states and they had a poster board project they had to do. The project required them to plan an imaginary trip to the Mid-Atlantic states, map out three places they would like to visit, find pictures online of the places and describe what they would see and do at each location. They didn't have to imagine it, they got to actually go to the places! It was perfect and accidental, really. We bought them each a camera to document the trip and take pictures of whatever they wanted to. They took a lot of pictures of squirrels. A little side story for you: We were in Washington D.C. surrounded by all things that make up Washington D.C., incredible buildings, history, it really is an amazing place to visit. As we were walking down the street there was a family stopped on the sidewalk and as we walked closer we saw that their kid was feeding two squirrels and they were really, really close to the boy feeding them. Half and arm's length I'd say. The girls could hardly stand it they were so excited by this! We watched for a while and then thanked the family for making not only our kid's day but their whole trip! Anyway, back to the school project. Poor Harper left her camera in a Cab in D.C. But, we took enough pictures for her to choose from.
We had a bit of crock pot drama......
Tuesday, November 3, 2015
I'm Back!!
Back to the Blog and back to real life. We took an epic road trip, that was dubbed the "OCD Road Trip," traveling from New Mexico to Boston! My husband's mom wanted to see the changing of the leaves, it was a bucket list kinda of thing for her. So, we left on October 8th, headed for Texas to meet up with Sam's mom and niece then we started out on our trip. The original plan was to go to Maine but, somehow that changed to Salem, MA. We made stops in Little Rock, Memphis, Nashville, Washington D.C., and Salem of course. Once our time with his mom and niece was up we continued on with our little family. We went to Boston, back to Washington for another day then to New Jersey to visit my family I haven't seen in a decade, then we headed to Mississippi to visit our daughter, her boyfriend and our grandson. We had planned on making two more stops in Texas before heading home but the hurricane (Patricia?) cut our plans short. We were on the road for 17 days and honestly I was ready to come home anyway so it worked out!
I vlogged the whole thing and will be sharing it with you! This first video is us prepping to leave. I had the great idea (I am saying "great idea" in a mix of, it really was a good idea and sarcasm) of cooking food in a crock pot along the way to save money and to be able to eat healthier on our trip. I told my husband my idea and he loved the idea and put a two battery system and inverter on Dav (said, Dave, he is our van) so we could do it. I have to say it wasn't my idea, I saw it on Pinterest, it really is a good idea, it was just harder to pull off than I thought. I got some other good ideas on Pinterest too, you'll have to watch to find out what they are.....
I vlogged the whole thing and will be sharing it with you! This first video is us prepping to leave. I had the great idea (I am saying "great idea" in a mix of, it really was a good idea and sarcasm) of cooking food in a crock pot along the way to save money and to be able to eat healthier on our trip. I told my husband my idea and he loved the idea and put a two battery system and inverter on Dav (said, Dave, he is our van) so we could do it. I have to say it wasn't my idea, I saw it on Pinterest, it really is a good idea, it was just harder to pull off than I thought. I got some other good ideas on Pinterest too, you'll have to watch to find out what they are.....
Tuesday, September 8, 2015
Menu Plan Monthly!
It's SEPTEMBER! Fall is in the air...Kinda. I have been waking up to 70* temps outside and that is very nice. I can't wait for it to cool off more so I can wear my robe again in the mornings and light a fire in the fireplace.
For this month I went ahead and planned a monthly menu and did my grocery shopping all at once. I got lots of questions from the check out clerk. Do you have a large family? Do you live way out of town? Is it like a vacation when you go home? WHAT? A vacation? Don't I wish. Such a strange question. She was really nice just couldn't wrap her mind around why I would shop once for the month. I planned out 20 meals and there will be 4 family dinners, throw in a few leftover nights and quick meals that I have on hand we should be good for the month other than maybe stopping for milk and some fruit. So, here is the big plan:
- BBQ Chicken in the oven, mashed potatoes and veggies
- Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, corn and green beans
- Chicken pot pie with rice
- Pork steaks w/ scalloped potatoes and a veg
- Crock pot chicken teriyaki with rice
- Green Chile Stew
- Lentil Tacos
- Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas
- Italian Wedding Soup
- Swiss Steak
- Homemade Pizza
- Fish tacos (Mahi-Mahi)
- Israeli Cous-Cous Mac & Cheese & Pork Chops
- Garlic Herb Roasted Chicken, Mashed Potatoes and veg
- Chicken & dumplings (using leftover chicken)
- Cheeseburger Soup
- Salisbury Steak (in the crock pot--this is a new recipe)
- Eggplant Parm w/ Pasta and Salad
Did you notice the green chile stew and the enchiladas? It is green chile time here in New Mexico. The smell of the roasting chile is almost intoxicating. We will be eating lots of Quesadillas for lunch and putting chile in anything else we can think of. Anyway, some of the meals are carryovers from last month that I never made, like the poor fish tacos, they are so good I don't know why I haven't made them yet. It's not like they are a lot of work or anything. We have decided to start doing family dinners on Sunday nights from now on, it will probably be more like early afternoon since its a school night and all. We plan those meals weekly so I will be going back to the store for meals, if I need to. I am going to try to do some grocery haul videos to post as I go.
I am going to try to do better with making breakfasts for the family and not buying so much cereal. I made some granola and the family LOVED it so that will be on our breakfast menu often, along with yogurt, fruit, pancakes, waffles and eggs in various ways.
I hope your September is getting off to a great start!
Jen
Monday, August 31, 2015
Homeschool, Food and Other Stuff
We started our homeschool year on August 3rd, so we are almost a month in. I am loving this year. This is my second year homeschooling the twins and they are in the third grade. They aren't loving it so much yet because it is a little more challenging than second grade. This year they have a lot more memorization type work and they have a lot of writing to do. Compositions and book reports. They are not liking that.One of them is more hesitant than the other to write when she has to make up a story on her own. I just encourage her the best I can and she has been doing pretty well with it and each time she writes a story she is so proud of herself for doing it and that is so good to see. And they are not a fans of learning cursive. I try to talk it up and show them how pretty cursive writing can be, but its yet to change their minds. I haven't decided how hard I am going to push it. I think they need to learn it but, we'll see it's too early to give up on it yet anyway.
I homeschooled our son Nick from fifth grade until he graduated, with the exception of the eight grade, and I have never been this excited to teach before. I am not sure what the change is. I'm 12 years older than when I first started, could that be it? I don't know, I am just glad I am excited about it. It makes the days a lot better.
So, I didn't do a great job keeping you posted on my menu plan for August. August was another month that I just blinked and it was gone. Just like that! Homeschool took up most of my time and I had several out of town appointments, you know how it goes.
Here is a list of a few things I made:
Chorizo and Potato burritos (Mexican style chorizo)
Homemade Spaghetti Sause (My Grandma's recipe) A huge pot. Froze a bunch of it.
Spaghetti and Rotini with the sauce.
Pazole with pork (One of my favorite meals eva)
A big pot of Chili Mac ( a new Pintrest recipe) It was a hit, it made so much it almost lasted too long. I froze the rest.
And my husband was out of town for a week and I don't know about you but when the husband isn't home I do as little cooking as possible! While he was gone we ate one of those Viola frozen dinner meals, Beef Lo Mien one. The girls loved it, me not so much. I didn't like the texture of the meat. Anyway, I made another chinese frozen meal, cause I like Chinese food, the girls opted for PB&j's which was fine with me. We even had macaroni and cheese and hot dogs for dinner one night.
I joked with Rab that I was going to be as lazy as possible while he is gone. I really was planning on weeding the front yard because it was horribly grown over with weeds from all the rain. The morning he left I went to turn on our evaporative cooler and it just made a noise and would not turn on. It was 105* that day. My wonderful brother and stepdad came over and fixed it for me. Then I was doing some cleaning and had my phone on the back of the recliner and when I was done cleaning I sat in said recliner and reclined. Yes, I did. I seriously cracked my phone. Long story short and 3 long trips to Walmart I have a brand spanking new phone that took no less than 12 hours to get working. It was a mess. Then the cooler wouldn't turn on again. My poor brother had to come over every day and get it going for me. Some other random chaotic stuff happened that I won't bore you with but I will say that I will never say I plan to be as lazy as I can when my husband goes out of town, again. Seriously, things are so much better when he is home. And when he got home he weeded the front yard because I never got around to it.
Jen
I homeschooled our son Nick from fifth grade until he graduated, with the exception of the eight grade, and I have never been this excited to teach before. I am not sure what the change is. I'm 12 years older than when I first started, could that be it? I don't know, I am just glad I am excited about it. It makes the days a lot better.
So, I didn't do a great job keeping you posted on my menu plan for August. August was another month that I just blinked and it was gone. Just like that! Homeschool took up most of my time and I had several out of town appointments, you know how it goes.
Here is a list of a few things I made:
Chorizo and Potato burritos (Mexican style chorizo)
Homemade Spaghetti Sause (My Grandma's recipe) A huge pot. Froze a bunch of it.
Spaghetti and Rotini with the sauce.
Pazole with pork (One of my favorite meals eva)
A big pot of Chili Mac ( a new Pintrest recipe) It was a hit, it made so much it almost lasted too long. I froze the rest.
And my husband was out of town for a week and I don't know about you but when the husband isn't home I do as little cooking as possible! While he was gone we ate one of those Viola frozen dinner meals, Beef Lo Mien one. The girls loved it, me not so much. I didn't like the texture of the meat. Anyway, I made another chinese frozen meal, cause I like Chinese food, the girls opted for PB&j's which was fine with me. We even had macaroni and cheese and hot dogs for dinner one night.
I joked with Rab that I was going to be as lazy as possible while he is gone. I really was planning on weeding the front yard because it was horribly grown over with weeds from all the rain. The morning he left I went to turn on our evaporative cooler and it just made a noise and would not turn on. It was 105* that day. My wonderful brother and stepdad came over and fixed it for me. Then I was doing some cleaning and had my phone on the back of the recliner and when I was done cleaning I sat in said recliner and reclined. Yes, I did. I seriously cracked my phone. Long story short and 3 long trips to Walmart I have a brand spanking new phone that took no less than 12 hours to get working. It was a mess. Then the cooler wouldn't turn on again. My poor brother had to come over every day and get it going for me. Some other random chaotic stuff happened that I won't bore you with but I will say that I will never say I plan to be as lazy as I can when my husband goes out of town, again. Seriously, things are so much better when he is home. And when he got home he weeded the front yard because I never got around to it.
Jen
Sunday, August 30, 2015
A Weekend Getaway!
We used to try to get away once a year, usually around our anniversary. We would go to a quaint little cabin in the forrest. Really cute, rustic cabins and when we were talking about where to go we immediately thought of those cabins. Then played with the idea of going to Bisbee, Arizona. Then I remembered the Georgetown Cabins. And we settled on that. It was a pretty quick decision. Bisbee would have been nice too, but we haven't gotten away together for a long time and the idea of just us and a cabin sounded really nice.
Since we have never been to these cabins before we didn't really know what to expect. They are on private property in the Gila National Forrest. When we were trying to find them we weren't really sure we were going the right way. We decided we would travel another mile and if we didn't find it we would turn around, thinking maybe we missed a turn or something. Then there was a turn in the road and we look up and there they were! I cannot explain how gorgeous it was and the picture really doesn't do it justice at all. But it was a gorgeous site! It's like a little village in the middle of the forrest! There are six cabins total, the one we stayed in was the one at the top right.
Here are some closer shots of it.
It was way better than what we expected. It really was nice! They have a full kitchen, it didn't have an oven but the grill could be used as one, there were plates, glasses and even foil in the kitchen drawers. There was a lovely little porch area with a grill and table. They also have a solar heated soaking tub that has dead see salts in it. Amazing! Another plus to these cabins was the free wifi and directv. They even had a dvd collection and books to read. The owners did a great job with these cabins! They thought of the little details that really make your stay nice. Oh and there was a sitting area with a gas fire pit outside and this was our view.
We had a great time just hanging out together. We went on a little outing, we talked, cooked together, watched movies and played cards. Canasta.
We had to bring all our own food. For lunch one day we had canned Hormel Tamales. Classy, I know. Rab used to eat them when he was a bachelor and was craving them. It's been 15 years since he has had them and will probably be another 15 till he has them again, they were that good.
It was a great getaway, we loved every minute of it! But it was nice to come home to the kids, the dogs, the cat, the goats, and the chickens. Work...ah not so much.
Jen
Thursday, August 6, 2015
Cinnamon-Raisin Graham Bread
I get on these kicks where I want to make everything homemade, EVERYTHING. About a year ago I was on one of these said kicks and I ordered Graham flour and square cookie cutters to make homemade graham crackers. Why not, right? I had good intentions but we all know what they say about those. Anyway, needless to say I have never made the graham crackers. The reality of things are at the time I was homeschooling my kids and working two part time jobs and I did sleep sometimes. So the dreams of making homemade graham crackers and goldfish were just that, dreams.
Anyway, today I was staring into my pantry to find something to make and I saw the Graham flour and decided to make the recipe on the back of the bag. It just passed the sell by date so I have to use it up....I have 3 bags of it. I have raisin bread on my grocery list so I am thinking that this Cinnamon-Raisin Graham Bread will fix my craving. Raisin bread reminds me of my Granny. The first time I ever had it was during one of the summers spent with her down the shore. I miss those carefree summer days that seemed to last forever, the suntans, beach hair, hanging out with the Jersey family, getting into trouble with my favorite cousin, but most of all hanging with Granny. She was a sweet but tough lady that is very missed. So, about twice a year I get a craving for some raisin bread toast and it has to be the raisin bread in the red bag.
This recipe was pretty easy to make and it smelled amazing even before it was being baked, there is just something about the smell of warm molasses.
In a small saucepan combine, 1 c. milk
Add mixture to flour. Mix for 3 minutes. Stir in 3 c. Graham Flour and 1 c. Raisins, mix to combine.
Then change to a dough hook and knead for 5 minutes.
Put in a greased bowl, cover and let rise for one hour in a warm place.
Separate dough into two
pieces, form each into
a ball and let rest for 10 minutes. Prepare two pie pans and add balls of dough to each pan and press down to form a 6 inch diameter. Let rise another 30 minutes. Then bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes.
Anyway, today I was staring into my pantry to find something to make and I saw the Graham flour and decided to make the recipe on the back of the bag. It just passed the sell by date so I have to use it up....I have 3 bags of it. I have raisin bread on my grocery list so I am thinking that this Cinnamon-Raisin Graham Bread will fix my craving. Raisin bread reminds me of my Granny. The first time I ever had it was during one of the summers spent with her down the shore. I miss those carefree summer days that seemed to last forever, the suntans, beach hair, hanging out with the Jersey family, getting into trouble with my favorite cousin, but most of all hanging with Granny. She was a sweet but tough lady that is very missed. So, about twice a year I get a craving for some raisin bread toast and it has to be the raisin bread in the red bag.
This recipe was pretty easy to make and it smelled amazing even before it was being baked, there is just something about the smell of warm molasses.
In mixer bowl simply mix:
2-21/2 cups of unbleached white flour
1 package Active Dry yeast
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 ts. ground ginger
3/4 c. water
1/4 c. molasses
1/2 c. salt
3 Tbsp. butter
Heat and stir until warm, around 115*F
Put in a greased bowl, cover and let rise for one hour in a warm place.
Separate dough into two
pieces, form each into
a ball and let rest for 10 minutes. Prepare two pie pans and add balls of dough to each pan and press down to form a 6 inch diameter. Let rise another 30 minutes. Then bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes.
Then enjoy with lots of butter!
Oh! And today the girls made a bunch of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the freezer. A whole loafs worth. They were so happy and probably a bit surprised that I let them do it all by themselves, but I did. I saw this idea on Jamerrill Stewart's vlog. It's just like uncrustables with the crust. These will be great for quick lunches.
Jen
Tuesday, August 4, 2015
White Sands National Monument
In July we took a trip to White Sands National Monument. It is part of a 275 square miles field of white sand dunes composed of gypsum crystals. It is the largest gypsum dune field in the world, smack dab in the middle of the desert and it is absolutely beautiful! We have gone several times and spent the day sledding down the dunes but this time we got to spend the night! It was a campout! It was a whole process to be able to camp there. You have to be part of an organization, they don't just let families camp there. This was a work trip for me. I work with the New Mexico FIESTA Project as a Family Contact. As a Family Contact I provide training and support groups for foster and adoptive parents, and we do family activities too. Creating community for families formed through adoption, like mine.
We had a blast! Several families from the different areas we serve came and we chatted while the kids wore themselves out sliding down the dunes over and over and over again. They didn't even want to stop for S'mores... S'MORES people! They were just having too much fun! When it got too dark to sled anymore we all went to our respective campsites and called it a night. Well, there was quite the lightning storm going on so my husband and I took a blanket up to the top of the dune and watched the lightning. It was nice. The girls ended up coming up there too for a little bit. I could of slept up there if I wasn't so scared of scorpions. So, we went to our tent.
Then the storm got closer. And closer. And closer. Our tent was blowing over, the wind was not letting up. There we were at 1 AM taking down our tent, hoping not to wake the baby in the camp next to us. So, with the girls moved to the van and the tent down. And down for good because the poles snapped. We tried to get comfortable in the van. We made it in just before the rain came. After it stopped Rab slept outside the van door on my cot. I slept or tried to sleep in a very tight space on the floor of the van, I quickly gave up on that and moved to the passenger seat. The dark haired child slept under one of the back seats while the blonde one got one of the whole seats to herself to sleep on. She was unmovable. When we woke up at the crack of dawn she said, "That was a very restful sleep." Say what?? She was the only one.
We had pop tarts for breakfast, visited with the other families and headed out around 9 AM. We stopped at BK for an early lunch and came home and had a very lazy day!
As I am writing this it dawned on me that every single time we have gone camping it has rained. And I'm not talking a slight drizzle, there has been times where it has been hail and a torrential downpour!
Saturday, August 1, 2015
Menu Plan Confessional
I only made 6 things on my menu plan for July. I know. I made the black beans, Glug, Coconut Lime Chicken, Chick Pea Curry, Meatloaf and baked Ziti. July kinda turned in to a crazy month. A good one but crazy.
It started off with some great friends visiting. They brought us a smoked brisket that was absolutely amazing. Then a camping trip with our son and his girlfriend and the amazing brisket. The twin's birthday. Then our daughter, her boyfreind and grandson visited. Mix in a little work, a few days out of town and another camping trip. I have been to the store and Little Caesar's way more than I'd like to admit.
August is going to be another month that may be a little crazy and unpredictable so I am going to plan by the week this month. That means at least 4 trips to the store...UGH. Such is life.
For the first week in August I am going to carry over some meals that I planned in July. So this week I will make:
Smoked sausage and potato hash
Sesame Chicken (one of my favorite recipes eva)
Lentil tacos
BBQ Pork Chops and Rice Pilaf
Fish tacos
We'll see how it goes. I'll keep you posted.
Jen
It started off with some great friends visiting. They brought us a smoked brisket that was absolutely amazing. Then a camping trip with our son and his girlfriend and the amazing brisket. The twin's birthday. Then our daughter, her boyfreind and grandson visited. Mix in a little work, a few days out of town and another camping trip. I have been to the store and Little Caesar's way more than I'd like to admit.
August is going to be another month that may be a little crazy and unpredictable so I am going to plan by the week this month. That means at least 4 trips to the store...UGH. Such is life.
For the first week in August I am going to carry over some meals that I planned in July. So this week I will make:
Smoked sausage and potato hash
Sesame Chicken (one of my favorite recipes eva)
Lentil tacos
BBQ Pork Chops and Rice Pilaf
Fish tacos
We'll see how it goes. I'll keep you posted.
Jen
Sunday, July 19, 2015
Carnival Party!
I love to plan a party. And this one was fun to plan. There are so many great ideas on Pintrest and I used them!
My girls turned eight this month! Which is really hard to believe, they were just four like yesterday! I gave them some ideas for birthday parties, Frozen, Dr. Seuss or a carnival party. I was hoping for the carnival party or Dr. Seuss, oh the places I could go with that...but they decided they wanted a carnival party. So the planning began.
I planned six games. There was the balloon burst, ring toss, lollipop pull, spray away, ping pong toss and knock down the cans game. I also had two quart size mason jars that had jelly beans and gum balls in them and everyone got to guess how many and the winner got the jar of goodies. I put clown noses in a clear glass vase, like a hurricane, and taped a clown what is different game to it and they all got to wear clown noses, that was cute. The kids were really having a great time. I ordered tickets to hand out as they played the games to get their "prizes." The prizes were dollar store items in little zip lock bags. I took a box that I had and put the wrong side of wrapping paper around the box, it was Christmas paper if you were wondering why I used it wrong sided. Then I took clothes pins and a dab of gorilla glue and attached them to the box and hung the prizes from them. You can kinda see it in the photo below between the garage doors. Those are the birthday girls in the photo.
I did a photo booth with all kinds of different props. My favorite prop was the strong man dumb bell. Which unfortunately one side was popped by my blonde haired child at her first attempt to play balloon burst. My fault for having it so close. She still got tickets. To make the dumb bell I took an empty wrapping paper roll and two balloons, taped the balloons to the wrapping paper roll and spray painted it black. Cute huh?
There was also a concession stand, with bags of popcorn, whole pickles, cracker jacks, animal crackers and cotton candy. The kids got to "spend" their tickets on whatever they wanted.
The photo above was the center piece for the girls table. The wind kept blowing and knocking down the cracker jack boxes. Speaking of wind, everyone was having a great time and the winds started to really blow and then the rain came. It's monsoon season here in New Mexico and I thought it would be a great idea to have an outside party.....We were doing photo booth pictures and the wind started getting bad, as you can see..My poor photo booth. It got way worse but I won't post those pictures.
We had to pack it up and head inside in a hurry. I think I was more bummed than the kids because I had so much work put into it. This mama was tired!!! But they are so worth the work! We did get this shot of our family before the wind got bad.
The girls really are twins. They just look nothing alike! I love when people ask me questions like whats the age difference between them? And I get to say 2 minutes and then get a puzzled look form them. We started attending a new church so I have been getting those questions a lot lately.
We went inside and had corn dogs and little bags of chips. Then it was cake time and then they opened presents. I did cupcakes just because its easier to serve that way. I didn't serve ice cream this time and since it got moved inside I am kinda glad I didn't, last year I did and I portioned it out in muffin wrappers the night before and covered them with plastic wrap so when it was time for cake and ice cream you just put it on the plate with the cupcake and voila. So easy.
Even though our carnival party got rained out it was still a good time. One of the girls told me this was the best day of their life. Love that.
Jen
My girls turned eight this month! Which is really hard to believe, they were just four like yesterday! I gave them some ideas for birthday parties, Frozen, Dr. Seuss or a carnival party. I was hoping for the carnival party or Dr. Seuss, oh the places I could go with that...but they decided they wanted a carnival party. So the planning began.
I planned six games. There was the balloon burst, ring toss, lollipop pull, spray away, ping pong toss and knock down the cans game. I also had two quart size mason jars that had jelly beans and gum balls in them and everyone got to guess how many and the winner got the jar of goodies. I put clown noses in a clear glass vase, like a hurricane, and taped a clown what is different game to it and they all got to wear clown noses, that was cute. The kids were really having a great time. I ordered tickets to hand out as they played the games to get their "prizes." The prizes were dollar store items in little zip lock bags. I took a box that I had and put the wrong side of wrapping paper around the box, it was Christmas paper if you were wondering why I used it wrong sided. Then I took clothes pins and a dab of gorilla glue and attached them to the box and hung the prizes from them. You can kinda see it in the photo below between the garage doors. Those are the birthday girls in the photo. |
| balloon burst |
There was also a concession stand, with bags of popcorn, whole pickles, cracker jacks, animal crackers and cotton candy. The kids got to "spend" their tickets on whatever they wanted.
The photo above was the center piece for the girls table. The wind kept blowing and knocking down the cracker jack boxes. Speaking of wind, everyone was having a great time and the winds started to really blow and then the rain came. It's monsoon season here in New Mexico and I thought it would be a great idea to have an outside party.....We were doing photo booth pictures and the wind started getting bad, as you can see..My poor photo booth. It got way worse but I won't post those pictures.
We went inside and had corn dogs and little bags of chips. Then it was cake time and then they opened presents. I did cupcakes just because its easier to serve that way. I didn't serve ice cream this time and since it got moved inside I am kinda glad I didn't, last year I did and I portioned it out in muffin wrappers the night before and covered them with plastic wrap so when it was time for cake and ice cream you just put it on the plate with the cupcake and voila. So easy.
Jen
Saturday, July 11, 2015
Camping Part 1
Sleeping in a tent on the hard ground with pine cones making lasting indentions
on my back is not my idea of a good time. Don't get me wrong I love to
camp, I just like to be comfortable while doing it. Really comfortable.
And port a potties are not my friend.
This was our the first time taking the motor home on a trip. We went to our spot in the Gila Wilderness. It was Rab, the twins, my son Nick and his girlfriend and me. We loaded up supplies and the ATV and dirt bike and hit the road.
We had a great time. Roasted GIANT marshmallows over the fire and made s'mores. You can't camp without s'mores. It got a bit messy.
We Went on ATV rides. There are a thousand trails out there to ride and we rode about 237 of them. It was a blast. Except the time we went up the mountain and it got a bit rocky, it got so rocky we didn't want to go back the way we came. Nick wanted to make his own trail and I said no way, man. We ended up making our way down the mountain ok but had to ride on the main road to get back to camp. It was an adventure. I had the dark haired child with me and she is one that if you ask her what's wrong she says, "I don't even know" so I asked her if she was worried and she said, "yes," flat out yes. She was scared we were gonna be lost forever. Once we got back to camp she told the story over and over to her sister. It was like a fishing story without any fish, she stretched the truth a little bit. It was pretty funny to hear.
Jen
This was our the first time taking the motor home on a trip. We went to our spot in the Gila Wilderness. It was Rab, the twins, my son Nick and his girlfriend and me. We loaded up supplies and the ATV and dirt bike and hit the road.
We had a great time. Roasted GIANT marshmallows over the fire and made s'mores. You can't camp without s'mores. It got a bit messy.
We Went on ATV rides. There are a thousand trails out there to ride and we rode about 237 of them. It was a blast. Except the time we went up the mountain and it got a bit rocky, it got so rocky we didn't want to go back the way we came. Nick wanted to make his own trail and I said no way, man. We ended up making our way down the mountain ok but had to ride on the main road to get back to camp. It was an adventure. I had the dark haired child with me and she is one that if you ask her what's wrong she says, "I don't even know" so I asked her if she was worried and she said, "yes," flat out yes. She was scared we were gonna be lost forever. Once we got back to camp she told the story over and over to her sister. It was like a fishing story without any fish, she stretched the truth a little bit. It was pretty funny to hear.
Jen
Camping Part 2
It
was hot in the forest. I have to admit that we spent a lot of the time
in the motor home. If we weren't out riding, walking the dogs or tossing
the ball around, we were in the air conditioned motor home. I have to
say it was nice to have the option! We played games and talked.
Some good friends of ours live close to where we were so they came and spent the afternoon with us. Got us to venture outside where the sun and fresh air was. So there we were sitting outside under the canopy visiting and it started pouring down rain and hailing. It was insane! Back inside we went. It rained for a long time. The wind caught our canopy and chairs and blew them all around. We still had a nice visit, just inside with the ac. No complaints here;)
Here is a shot of our dark haired girl. Think she was tired?
They had such a blast running up and down hills, playing "hide & sneek" and looking for pine cones.
We wonder why we don't do this more often.
Jen
Some good friends of ours live close to where we were so they came and spent the afternoon with us. Got us to venture outside where the sun and fresh air was. So there we were sitting outside under the canopy visiting and it started pouring down rain and hailing. It was insane! Back inside we went. It rained for a long time. The wind caught our canopy and chairs and blew them all around. We still had a nice visit, just inside with the ac. No complaints here;)
Here is a shot of our dark haired girl. Think she was tired?
They had such a blast running up and down hills, playing "hide & sneek" and looking for pine cones.
We wonder why we don't do this more often.
Jen
Sunday, July 5, 2015
Fourth of July
This was an unusual Fourth of July for our family. We usually host a BBQ and have friends and family over. This year is was just my little family of four. Everyone was busy or just wanted to be home. I can understand that, I felt that way myself for some reason. It was different but nice.
We still bbq'd. We had pork chops, roasted baby bell peppers and red onions, grilled jalapenos and macaroni salad. We still did our annual reading of the Declaration of Independence, our family tradition. Then we sat outside to watch the firework show. The town fireworks are done from the fairgrounds, we have a pretty good view from our house so we watch from here and avoid the traffic. Then we did some of our own. We got done doing our fireworks just as it started to rain. And boy did it rain! Our neighbor said we got an inch, which is awesome! It always seems to rain on July 4th here, it's the beginning of Monsoon season.At least we got to enjoy the show first. Here are a few shots of our nigh.
I hope you had a wonderful and safe Holiday.
Jen
We still bbq'd. We had pork chops, roasted baby bell peppers and red onions, grilled jalapenos and macaroni salad. We still did our annual reading of the Declaration of Independence, our family tradition. Then we sat outside to watch the firework show. The town fireworks are done from the fairgrounds, we have a pretty good view from our house so we watch from here and avoid the traffic. Then we did some of our own. We got done doing our fireworks just as it started to rain. And boy did it rain! Our neighbor said we got an inch, which is awesome! It always seems to rain on July 4th here, it's the beginning of Monsoon season.At least we got to enjoy the show first. Here are a few shots of our nigh.
 |
| Sparkler art! |
 |
| Roman Candles |
 |
| More Roman Candles, my favorite. |
 |
| The Red, White and Blue. The symbol of our freedom that we are so blessed to have. |
Jen
Wednesday, July 1, 2015
Menu Plan Monthly
Why monthly? Because going to the grocery store exhausts me! Really, it does. It's the finding a parking spot, walking 3 miles to get in the door, wrangling two 7 year olds, the people, the lack of cashiers, the walking, oh, and the people. Then you have to come home and lug all the groceries in, put them away and then it's almost always dinner time so I make pb&j's and call it a day. It's exhausting. So I only do it once a month with the occasional stop to get some lettuce and almond milk or the 5 other things I forgot to get when I did my monthly shopping.
We don't have too many options for grocery stores in my little town. Just two. One is more expensive but locally owned and the other store is a store that will go unnamed but you know it. Oh yes, you do. The locally owned store has great sales that I do shop when I am feeling particularly inspired to save money but the other store has everything you need, its one stop shopping. When you don't like shopping that's a great thing. It's kinda worth putting up with all the people and the walking.
And I only have to menu plan once a month. I'm a foodie and love to cook so that part isn't the selling part for me because it kinda feels like it stifles my creative cooking juices. If I really want to try something new I will get it when I stop for bananas halfway through the month or start next months list early, like I did for this month.
This is the big plan for July:
Israeli Cous-cous & cheese w/ pork chops and a veg
Meatloaf (w/ hamberger and pork sausage) mashed potatoes & gravy, corn and green beans.
Sesame Chicken (my favorite!)
Lentil tacos (this is a new one for me)
Black beans ( I use the pioneer women's recipe- tweaked a little)
Black bean and brown rice burgers (these are surprisingly good)
Glug (our version of spaghetti carbonara- A family favorite)
Chick Pea Curry (new recipe) & rice
BBQ Pork Chops, rice pilaf (my Mema's recipe)
Crock pot Chalupas (new recipe)
Farmer's Pork Chops w/ Salad
Steak Sandwiches
Pork Ribs (done on the BBQ) corn on the cob and salad
Pork Steak w/ au gratin potatoes and salad
Mahi Mahi Fish Tacos (done on the grill) (these are the best tacos) w/ mexican street corn
I like to have some meals prepped and in the freezer for those busy days:
Baked Ziti
Shepard's Pie (A family Favorite)
Chicken Teriyaki (ready for the crock pot)
That's only 19 meals and there are 31 days in July, I know. My family, my mom, brother and sister and their families all get together once a week for family dinner. I love that we do this, its really special time. We eat,the cousins play,the women play canasta while the men go on "man walks." We decide on a weekly basis what we are going to make and who brings what, and trust me I try not to have to go to the store!!!! Then there are leftover days, at least once per week so that brings me to 27 meals. Our son is coming to stay with us for a few days while he is on vacation from work, so I let him pick the meals he wants me to make and he hasn't told me yet...AND our daughter and her boyfriend and my grandson Fionn are coming to visit all the way from Mississippi this month. SO EXCITED and I will let her pick her meals too. Guess I will be going to the store a few times this month, but they are worth it!
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