Happy St. Patrick’s Day! I hope those of you who celebrate had a wonderful day. We enjoyed a little family reunion away from home and had a great meal of corned beef, cabbage and roasted potatoes. I made mint chocolate chip cookies which came out awesome. The traditional Irish soda bread I made was also delicious, once we found it still at home after our trip!  Time for this week’s meal plan, which will feature another Irish dinner.

Monday March 18 Meal Plan

On the menu this week…

Sunday~ Family St. Patrick’s Day Dinner

Monday~ Adobo Chicken (last Wildtree freezer meal), green salad and rice

Tuesday~ Corned Beef, cabbage, boiled potatoes and onions. And more bread.

Wednesday~ I’ll be packing for Blissdom! Easy dinner of homemade chicken nuggets and sweet potato fries.

Thursday ~ CORN (Clean Out Refrigerator Night)  I really do get a kick out of how many people first think we eat that much corn!

Friday~ Pizza night!

Saturday~ Dinner out for dad and the kids with friends.

 

For more inspiration, see my past menus here, or the Pinterest board here, or OrgJunkie for a link-up of meal plans.

Finally, a beautiful Sunday to start the week. I hope that means winter’s grasp on us is loosening a bit. After getting another foot of snow  last week, I’m so ready for spring.

I am currently reading the Weelicious: 140 Fast, Fresh, and Easy Recipes cookbook, courtesy of our local library. Anyone else get cookbooks out of the library? It’s a great way to test drive some new ones to see if they work well with your style of cooking.  I know I have a good one if I add a ton of post it notes while reading, or I try to renew it. My friend Christy has a good rule: If you try to renew it at least three times, then it’s probably worth investing in.

Here is the menu for the week ahead…

Monday Meal Plan March

Sunday~ Turkey Sausage and Spinach Lasagna. This was a hearty Sunday dinner, although not a favorite with the kids. I would make it again and just save some sausage crumbles and raw spinach for the kid’s dinner next time.

Monday~ BBQ Chicken in the slow cooker. Make BBQ sandwiches with corn on the side.

Tuesday~ CORN (Clean Out Refrigerator Night)…Mom’s going out!

Wednesday~ It’s my birthday so I’m going with one of my favorites, Taco night! This will be a make your own creation with some rice and beans on the side. My in-laws arrive for a visit so it will be a festive night. Now…which cake to buy?

Thursday~ Turkey Pesto Meatballs from the Weelicious cookbook. I found some of our homemade basil pesto from the end of the summer tucked away in our deep freezer. I’m happy to use it up in this new recipe. Linguine on the side, plus a salad.

Friday~ Pizza night! I finally found a good pizza dough recipe for the break maker.

Italian Turkey Sausage and Spinach Lasagna

What’s on your menu plan this week?

For more inspiration, see my past menus here, or the Pinterest board here, or OrgJunkie for a link-up of meal plans.

Happy March everyone! In like a lion, out like a lamb. It’s snowing (again) and I’m so ready for spring. We started decorating for Easter and I’m looking forward to a fun-filled month with my birthday, a St. Patrick’s day gala event with friends, a trip to Blissdom in Texas, and ending with Easter. At church, it was mentioned that Lent means “springtime.” I’m holding onto this message as we get through the last tough month here in New England.

On to the meal plan. Some new recipes and some favorites. Lots of evening meetings this week so I’m trying to make sure dinner is easy, for whoever is preparing it.

Monday Meal Plan March 4 RandomRecyclingSunday~ Whole Chicken in the Pressure Cooker. It was delicious and my mom said it was the most dinner she has seen my kids eat in a while. The chicken stock is already brewing in the crock pot thanks to my husband’s help deboning the chicken and chopping the veggies up for the broth.

Monday~ Chicken Soup. Best way to use up all the leftovers. Homemade bread in the bread maker will start at nap time.

Tuesday~ Teriyaki Steak Tips, Roasted Asparagus and Potatoes.

Wednesday~ Maple glazed salmon, steamed green beans and rice.

Thursday~ CORN (Clean Out Refrigerator Night)

Friday~ Clams and Spaghetti with Slow Roasted Cherry Tomatoes. New recipe, going to look around this week to see who has little neck clams available.

What are you looking forward to in March?

For more inspiration, see past weeks menus here, or the Pinterest board here, or OrgJunkie for a link-up of meal plans.

 

Don’t miss this week’s ebook bundle of the week!

BundleoftheWeek.com, 5 eBooks for $7.40!

It’s Sunday and snowing yet again. Is it spring yet? With the chill still in the air, this week’s menu plan features lots of slow cooker recipes, soups and easy dinners. We are trying to incorporate some additional meatless meals and if you have a great recipe, please share.

Meal Plan Board Feb 2012

On the menu this week…

Sunday~ Italian Medallion Chicken with spaghetti and stir fry veggies on the side. This is one of Wildtree Freezer meals.

Monday~ Use the leftover chicken and make a caesar salad. If time allows, I think I’ll make the dressing from scratch using this recipe, except I’ll use anchovy paste instead of fillets.

Tuesday~ Sweet and Sour Meatballs in the slow cooker/Ninja. So nice to cook the meatballs in the Ninja and then dump all the rest in. Served on a skewer the kids should love this new recipe.

Wednesday~ I’m attempting a meatless chili…going to wing it using black and pinto beans, homemade salsa, corn and tomatoes frozen from the summer and some fresh peppers.

Thursday~ CORN {Clean Out Refrigerator Night}

Friday~ Chickpea Stew with Apricots (repeat meatless meal that I loved!) Great option during the Lenten season.

Saturday~ Pizza

Sunday~ Cabbage Rolls in the slow cooker

What are you making this week? For more inspiration, see past weeks menus here, or the Pinterest board here, or OrgJunkie for a link-up of meal plans.

BundleoftheWeek.com, 5 eBooks for $7.40!

I almost forgot it was Sunday night because of the nice long weekend. Another snow filled one here, complete with very cold noses and homemade hot cocoa. I made a loaf of oatmeal bread in the bread maker today and it was enjoyed as an afternoon snack, and at the neighbor’s for dinner.

This week is a short meal plan as we plan to visit friends in Vermont. I’m planning on making a batch of homemade granola to pack with us for the trip. This morning we made the Oatmeal Cookie Pancakes from the Joy the Baker cookbook and they were so good, I may make a dry mix of it to make again and share with friends. We topped them with some homemade applesauce that we made last fall…delicious. I find it’s helpful to take care of breakfast foods when you are a houseguest, especially when you are able to bring something special.

Random Recycling's monday meal plan board

Sunday~ It was going to be Walnut Crusted Salmon…last-minute switch and had Shepherd’s Pie with the neighbors. Perfect end to a snowy day.

Monday ~ Probably having the salmon for lunch, then Sloppy Joe’s for dinner. (Pioneer Woman’s recipe.) Plus I have a sample of Smith’s Farm Gourmet Macaroni and Cheese kit to test out. It’s a local dairy farm and there are two beautiful cheeses that I’m excited to mix up into yummy side dish.

Tuesday~ Our family favorite chicken nuggets and sweet potato fries on the side. We will need to finish up any leftovers in the fridge too.

Wednesday~ Off to vacation!!

 

Anyone else taking some vacation this week?  Do you tend to bring some of your own food or pick things up once you get to your destination?

All of the past meal plans can be viewed here. If you are looking for more ideas, you can visit OrgJunkie’s weekly meal plan post.

Raise your hand if you were digging out over the weekend?  I was (very) lucky to stay inside while my husband took on the lion’s share of dealing with the two feet of snow in our yard from blizzard Nemo. Instead I made cranberry white chocolate cookies and enjoyed many cups of tea. We didn’t lose power and enjoyed a last-minute pot luck dinner with neighbors on Saturday night.

This week we are still working on cleaning out the freezer and pantry. There are just two meals left from my Wildtree Freezer Tree meal workshop. I took notes and there will be a few that I will make again and keep on hand for future dinners.

February week 2 menu plan

Sunday~ Mozzarella Tomato Chicken and Pasta.

Monday~ CORN Lots of leftovers from Sunday, so we will reuse it again.

Tuesday~ Soy Citrus Scallops (kid friendly), sautéed snow peas and noodles.

Wednesday~ Apricot Porkchops. Recipe from Everyday Food Cookbook

Thursday~ Adobo Chicken, sweet potato fries. (Freezer meal) Happy Valentine’s Day!

Friday ~ Baked Haddock and spinach…or date night!  (Lent starts this week. I remembered the Friday rule, but not the Ash Wednesday rule. We will probably bump up the Haddock dinner to Wednesday night instead.)

What are you making this week? Get more inspiration from my Pinterest meal plan board or at OrgJunkie’s Meal Plan Monday. 

Happy February! I’m relieved this is a quiet week for us. After two birthdays, two cupcake parties at school, one Princess and Pirate party and a Superbowl, we are ready for a little detox. This week we are trying to clear out the freezer meals and start tackling the pantry stockpile. It’s always better to keep your dry goods cycling through and I realized we have a little corner that hasn’t gotten much love lately.

Monday Meal Plan February 4 2012 Random Recycling

Sunday~  Daddy made calzones for the big game. Delicious!

Monday~ Chicken Lime Fajitas. (Wildtree freezer meal) Brown rice on the side made in the pressure cooker.

Tuesday~ Minestrone Soup. Defrost homemade chicken broth the night before.

Wednesday~ Italian marinated flank steak (Wildtree freezer meal). Roasted green beans and leftover brown rice.

Thursday~ C.O.R.N. {Clean Out Refrigerator Night}

Friday~ Pizza night

For lunches, we have some deli meat to use up and black beans and rice.

Our little guy turned two today! He was a happy guy all day, until he had to go to bed and started tugging on his ear. Crossing my fingers it won’t be one of those weeks!

Collage of little guy over two years.

For more meal planning inspiration, check out all the past meal plans here, or check out OrgJunkie for other ideas.

 

 

It’s not just another Monday in our house. A little someone is turning 4 today! How did she get so grown up already?

Madison turn 4 collage

This week is happily filled with birthday parties, class cupcakes and her choice of pizza for dinner. Can’t argue with the birthday girl. For her class cupcakes, I made mini pumpkin muffins (nut-free) with cream cheese frosting. The birthday girl requested pink frosting so I used a recipe from Weelicious that colors the frosting with some beet puree. You can hardly taste the sneaky addition of a veggie in the fun frosting.

Monday Meal Plan Jan 28 Random Recycling

On our menu plan this week…

Sunday: Italian spaghetti, sautéed zucchini in garlic grape seed oil

Monday: Birthday pizza along with cake and ice cream

Tuesday: Sandwich and Soup night, this mommy is going out with friends.

Wednesday: Beef Stew (if timing is tight, I’ll make it in the pressure cooker)

Thursday: Slow Cooker Coconut Ginger Chicken and Vegetables. One of my all time favorites. It makes a lot so it’s great when you have company, or save half for leftovers.

Friday: Pizza night or CORN if we have too many leftovers by the end of the week.

  Congrats to Sandra L. for winning the Kids in the Kitchen Giveaway this weekend!! Happy cooking.

For more menu planning ideas, head over to OrgJunkie’s Meal Plan Monday post.

The cold is coming! Our menu plan calls for crock pot dinners, comfort food and yummy cookies. That’s what I like to eat when the temperature drops outside. I still have a bunch of freezer meals too that I’m trying to test out each week. Last week’s menu plan featured Honey Balsamic Drumsticks…they were so good my husband said I should write about it. That doesn’t often happen so I’ll share the recipe soon.

We are excited for the big Pats game tonight and looking forward to relaxing with friends while we watch the game. Have a great week!

Monday Meal Plan

Here is the menu for the week:

Sunday~ Meatballs cooked all day in the Ninja (stove top setting, then slow cooker). Recipe from the Not Your Mother’s Slow Cooker Cookbook. We also made Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Sea Salt cookies for dessert.

Monday~ Chipotle Lime Chicken (crock pot freezer meal from the Wildtree Freezer Meal Class), rice and avocado on the side.

Tuesday~ Grilled Swordfish, sautéed broccoli and barley on the side

Wednesday~ Chicken Curry (cleaning out the freezer!), brown rice on the side

Thursday~ CORN (Clean Out Refrigerator Night)

Friday~ Pizza (possible change if I can think of something better for the South Beach diet!)

 

For more meal planning inspiration, check out OrgJunkie.com

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One of the things I am most passionate about it is teaching my children how to cook. As soon as they are steady, they received their own kitchen step stool so they can work right at my side as we make breakfast, lunch and dinner. While they may not always “help” I know that keeping them in the kitchen with me has led to good eating habits and a curiosity about how to make, bake, and create things in the kitchen. As we hear the news about the increase in childhood obesity, my greatest wish is for kids to learn how to make healthy choices at a young age. Thankfully there are a number of great tools available to help those families looking to bring some excitement into their kitchen.

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I recently learned about Season’s Eatings, an online class developed by a local teacher, that helps bring simple, seasonal foods to the dinner table. Leah Cherry is a Rhode Island mom with a passion for food, nutrition, environmentalism and community. As an extension of her blog Skill It, Leah created Season’s Eatings to offer an easy way for families to get seasonal meal plans delivered to their inbox.  Each class includes the following:

  • 4 weeks of family friendly recipes delivered via email
  • Ideas and tips to customize each meal.
  • Activities like Chef’s Note, Table Setting Tips and more
  • Connection and community in a private Facebook group.

I totally agree with Leah’s sentiment that we have to make family dinnertime important. So many studies have shown an improvement in kid’s health and emotional well being when they are able to sit down as family every night. It may not be at 5:30 for every family, but I encourage you to make it work for your schedule.

Another favorite tool to get kids excited about cooking is having them help choose what to make. I make my meal plans every week and I often ask what the kids want. I often hear either “meatballs” or “chicken nuggets,” not exciting but I like giving them a chance for input. For older children, they have the chance to read through recipes and make suggestions. Chop Chop is the fun cooking magazine for families that can help inspire new things to make in the kitchen. I’ve met some of the editors and stylists from Chop Chop magazine and this group really gets it when it comes to making things appealing to kids.  Their simple suggestion of prepping as much as you can prior to having kids help was a big time saver when it came to cooking with my toddlers. If there are a lot of ingredients to measure, I can set some of them aside in bowls so the kids can be in charge of dumping them. My kids are still a little young for the magazine, but I love seeing older children flip through it and ask questions about the kids pictured in the articles cooking real food.

A few other fun accessories you can bring into your cooking routine to add some excitement is using lots of color, both in your food choices and dish ware. Silicone baking cups can be used to house a side dish or extra fruit and add color to a plate. Skewers are a new favorite in our house at both lunch and dinner. Create some silly faces with your food, there are lots of inspiring pictures to be found on Pinterest. Dipping sauces are also fun to offer with different meals; let your kids know there are other options besides ketchup and ranch dressing.

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I’m excited to share that two lucky readers will win a subscription to both Season’s Eatings online meal course starting February 4th and  Chop Chop magazine. (English or spanish editions available!) Please enter using the Rafflecopter below. Giveaway is open till midnight on January 25th. Winner will be notified via email and must be a US resident.

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