Menu Plan Dec 27 thru Jan 2 No Shopping Challenge

I hope everyone had a joyous Christmas. We enjoyed spending time with our family and eating way too much!
School is out until January 10, so I will be at home. I've decided to challenge myself to use only what I have on hand for meal planning for the next two weeks. I will need to pick up milk and eggs and I ran out of garlic powder during the holidays ,and while I could live without it, I'd rather not.
I did an inventory of my freezer and pantry and it appears I may have more stuff than the grocery store! In the pantry, I have lots of pasta, beans and rice and canned tomatoes. I also have a broad selection of Asian staples. I have a huge addiction to Pacific Ocean Asian Market in Denver, and usually spend a small fortune there every time I visit. The freezer is well stocked with chicken. I'm down to mostly roasts and round steaks left from my beef, and a few odd cuts of pork and pork sausage. I also have 1 turkey and assorted frozen vegetables. I have plenty of potatoes and onions, as well as some apples and squash. In the fridge, I have some root vegetables, celery, mushrooms, cabbage, assorted cheeses and plenty of condiments like mustard, ketchup, horseradish, salsa, etc.
Since the kids will be home all week, I have included breakfast, lunch and dinner in my meal plan this week. We will be butchering more chicken this week so I planned a couple of quick, but hardy breakfast and lunches. It looks like the weather will be quite cold on the days we will be out at the ranch.

Monday:
Bake French loaves
B - Fresh Fruit Salad (leftover from Christmas morning)
L - White Chicken Chili (from soup mix)
D - Chicken and Mushroom Lasagna with Garlic Toast

Tuesday:
B - Apple Cider Oatmeal
L - Chicken Salad Sandwiches
D - Stir Fried Pork with Napa Cabbage, Potsickers, and Rice (substituting pork ribs)

Wednesday:
Bake sandwich bread, make noodles
B - Biscuits and Gravy
L - Tuna Melts
D - Swiss Steak, Mashed Potatoes

Thursday:
Butchering Day
B - Rice Pudding
L- Turkey Noodle Soup (soup from freezer with homemade noodles added)
D- Macaroni and Cheese with Salmon Patties

Friday:
Butcher Day II
B - Eggs Poached in Milk on Toast
L - Leftover Mac-n-Cheese
D - Roast Chicken with Potatoes and Onions

Saturday:
B - Pancakes
L/D BBQ Pork Shoulder we will be taking to our oldest son's housewarming party

Sunday:
B - Eggs, Sausage, Fried Potatoes
L/D Football = Munchies All Day

How many meals could you cook before you needed to visit the grocery store?

Visit the organizing junkie for more MPM menus and recipes.

Finals Finally Over!

I have been super busy since Thanksgiving working on final projects, writing final papers and studying for final exams, and at last, it's over; for this semester at least. We did try to stay to a menu plan for the most part. Thanksgiving provided lots of great leftovers to work with. We enjoyed turkey noodle soup, hot turkey sandwiches and turkey ala king. We also cooked a prime rib roast that made several appearances in the menu.

When things are really busy, I fall back on items that are quick and use few ingredients. If the ingredients are not expensive that makes those recipes even better. Linguine with Clams is one of our family favorites.

I start by sauteing one or two shallots in olive oil. Next I add a dash of crushed red peppers and fresh ground pepper along with a can of chopped clams. Cook just long enough to heat the clams through. Toss with cooked linguine. If the sauce seems dry, you can add a little pasta water. Salad and garlic toast round out the meal

Lately, I've been putting together my list and menu with speed foremost in my mind rather than planning for frugality. As Christmas break approaches, I really need to take the time to do a complete freezer and pantry inventory and use more of the items I have on hand. I'll add that to my "to do" list.

Even though the week is halfway over I'm still posting this week's menu.

Monday: Baked Tortellini using leftover pasta sauce and Italian sausage

Tuesday: Turkey and Bacon Panini with Sweet Potato Fries

Wednesday: Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes, and Veggies.

Thursday: Mac-n-Cheese with Ham and Peas

Friday: Grilled Chicken, Rice Pilaf, and Salad

Saturday: Ham, Cheesy Potatoes

Sunday: Cajun Beans and Rice

Bolognese Sauce plus Menu November 15-21

We've had our first significant snow of the year, which always makes me want to cook hearty meals that heat the kitchen and make the whole house smell delicious. Bolognese sauce is one of my favorite "cook big and freeze" sauces to make. I always try to make big batches of soups and stews so I can freeze the leftovers for a last minute meal, but bolognese lends itself to so many meals;spaghetti; lasagna;baked pasta casseroles. The prep work is minimal. Most of the time involved is occasional stirring while the sauce simmers for several hours.

I use a Martha Stewart recipe that I have had great success with. I start with 2 slices of bacon in a large stockpot, I cook them on low to medium heat so they render their fat without getting to crispy.


When the bacon has rendered most of its fat, I add the vegetables: 1 whole onion diced, several carrots, 1 or 2 stalks of celery and 6 to 8 cloves of minced garlic. I take this opportunity to add extra vegetables because any meal my kids eat huge helpings of without picking out the vegies, I view as a tremendous accomplishment.

After the vegies have softened, about 8 minutes, add 2 pounds of ground meat. I typically use ground beef or 1 pound beef an done pound pork. Next add 2 cups of milk. I will admit that the first time I read this recipe I was skeptical. Ignore the texture and smell during this part of the process, it makes a huge difference in the end product. The recipe also calls for a pinch of nutmeg at this time as well. I admit, I use more than a pinch because I love the aromatic quality and the flavor no one can quite put their finger on when they eat the sauce.

After the milk reduces by about half, add 1 cup of dry white wine. Continue stirring occasionally, until the strong wine alcohol vapor cooks away. Add 2 cans of crushed tomatoes or 3 quarts of home canned tomatoes that have been pureed in the food processor. Salt and pepper lightly and let the sauce simmer for several hours stirring occasionally.

MS suggests adding water to keep the sauce thin, but I let it cook to a reasonably thick consistency that I prefer for lasagna (doesn't leave lots of moisture at the bottom of the pan) and when I reheat, I take the frozen sauce and add it directly to a sauce pan with some water in it to keep the frozen sauce from scorching.

The end result is a beautiful, flavorful, simple sauce. I try to keep the freezer well stocked throughout the winter. We often take it ice fishing since it's a wonderful, "stick to your ribs" meal. It's also a great quick meal when life gets crazy!

Our meal plan for this week is fairly easy. I forgot to pull my roast out Saturday, so it will make an appearance in the crockpot Monday. I bought all the vegetables for root vegetable stew, and then made regular stew for my son who just bought a house and his moving crew, so I'll try again this week.

Monday: Carne Guisada, Mexican Rice

Tuesday: Ham & Cheese Puff Tart

Wednesday: Chicken Fried Steak, Mashed Potatoes, Vegies

Thursday: Vegetable Stew with Gruyere Crostini
Friday: Linguine with Clam Sauce, Salad, Garlic Toast

Saturday: Pork Roast

Sunday: Not sure yet???

Don't forget to visit Laura at orgjunkie.com for more great ideas.

Pork Rib Ragu

This week I made a Pork Ragu. This recipe is a perfect example of one of my favorite cooking styles: Peasant Food! This style of cooking can be found in almost every cuisine and typically uses the cheapest cuts of meats or leftovers and abundant, inexpensive local ingredients. The list includes British Shepards' Pie, Welsh Rarebit, Japanese Ramen Bowls and French Fromage Fort. The Italians have elevated peasant fare to an art-form with slow cooked meat sauces.

I adapted a Martha Stewart Recipe and used all the leftover odds and ends in my freezer. I had a small package of pork spareribs and some neck bones. To make the recipe in the crockpot, I browned the ribs and set them aside. Then I sauteed the vegetables and reduced them with wine and stored the meat and vegetables separately in the fridge over night and put it all together in the crock pot in the morning. I covered the mixture with water, which was probably too much. My sauce was more broth-like than gravy, I would add less water next time.
Skimming fat from the broth.

Meat pulled from the bones, I also rescued the vegetables from the crockpot.

To finish the sauce, I sauteed more onions in butter and added a couple of tablespoons of flour as a thickener and added the broth.

I served the ragu over pasta. It would be good over potatoes, rice or polenta. This recipe would be easily adapted for beef ribs.

Menu November 8 thru 14

As always, things are busy, I did not post a menu plan last week, but did plan just the same. I made a batch of stew and froze half for a future meal. I also made a big batch of chicken burritos and individually wrapped each one for easy lunchs and dinners.

This week will probably not include must rest and relaxation, but plenty of good eats!

Monday: Shrimp and Corn Chowder, Cheese Quesadillas

Tuesday: Pork Ragu (adapted for the crock pot), Salad

Wednesday: Grilled Pork Chops, Sweet Potato Fries, Salad

Thursday: Clam Chowder (enough to freeze for another meal)

Friday: Deviled Chicken, Green Beans

Saturday: Pork Roast, Mashed Potatoes, Corn

Sunday: Birthday Party with Friends

For menu recipes and menus, visit the Organizing Junkie!

Menu October 25 - 31

Working and cooking a healthy meal everyday is tough when everyones schedules get ridiculous. Convenience foods are popular for the very fact that they are "convenient." Sometimes things change unexpectedly or you just forget to take anything out of the freezer. Planning for these emergencies is the key to overcoming these hurdles. When I make spaghetti sauce, stews or soups I always try to make enough that I can freeze a container for a future meal. Noodles are another staple that can easily be made ahead and frozen. With a few other staples (broth, vegetables and leftover meat) homemade noodles turn cleaning out the refrigerator into an excellent last minute meal.

My husband tried his hand at noodles for the first time

ready to roll into noodles

enough noodles for one batch of chicken noodle soup

We made noodles Sunday and enjoyed chicken noodle soup for dinner and filled the freezer with homemade noodles that will turn leftovers into "Why don't you make this more often?"

Menu plan 10-25 - 10-31

Monday:

Meatball Hero

Tuesday:

French Dip Sandwiches

Wednesday:

Fresh Elk Steak with Mushroom Gravy, Mashed Potatoes, Vegie

Thursday: I'm leaving town, so it's kids' and hubby choice.

Burgers and Mac-n-Cheese

Friday:

Pumpkin Carving with the Neighbors

Saturday:

Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup

Sunday:

Poulet Saute a la Herbs de Provence(from Mastering the Art of French Cooking,) Rice Pilaf, Green Beans

Don't forget to visit Laura for more Menu Planning Monday

Where does your food come from? plus Menu Plan October 18-24

It's very easy to go to the grocery store and pick neatly packaged food and never consider where it came from. Fruits and vegetables are often coated with pesticides. Perservatives are added to all kinds of prepared foods. Beef and chicken are raised in factory farms that are unhealthy for the animals being raised there, the workers caring for the animals, and the communities surrounding them. I have been fortunate enough to have friends who are generous enough to let me keep animals at their place and who are ambitious enough to take on the process of taking those animals from the pen to the plate.
We spent last weekend butchering, plucking and packaging chickens and turkeys. We will spend next weekend doing the same thing. I chose not to post any graphic pictures, but the work is dirty, and there is not an easy way to complete the process.
The payoff for the work is chicken that I know was raised outside of a cage, with no antibiotics or hormones. I was invested in the lives of these animals and equally invested in their death. My children helped and I hope they will appreciate the food on their plates more as a result of this intimate connection. Do you know where your food comes from?

Turkey and chickens roaming the barnyard.

Chicken round-up

Plucking by hand is by far the worst part of the process. We will fabricate a small mechanical

plucker for next weekend

The lighter half of this post contains this week's menu plan.

Monday: Dad's gone so it's kid's choice! Homemade Corndogs and French Fries

Tuesday: Chicken Fettucine Alfredo, Salad

Wednesday: Beer Can Chicken, Foil Packet Potatoes, Vegies

Thursday: Shredded Beef Tacos (with leftover roast from last weekend), Rice and Beans

Friday: Pork Chops with Jalapeno Jelly, Homemade Applesauce, leftover Fettucine and Sauce
Saturday: Beans and Hamhocks, Cornbread

Sunday: Chicken Noodle Soup (with leftover beercan chicken)

My Alfredo recipe is very simple. Saute shallots in butter, and cream. Remove from heat and stir in parmesan. Sometimes I saute cubes of chicken in the butter and build the sauce from their, but I want to save a little sauce for later in the week so I'm grilling the chicken and adding it at the end this time.

For more menus and planning ideas, visit The Organizing Junkie.

Menu plan Oct 11 thru Oct 17

My menu planning has continued, but my bloging has fallen by the wayside. This fall has been super busy with work and school. We have enjoyed a few weekend outings with the kids, and now have all of our summer gear put up and begin the wait for the lakes to freeze so we can start ice fishing (it's really a lot more fun than it sounds like.) The farmers markets have ended and my canning is pretty much complete, now I'll focus on making Christmas gifts, both food and crafts.

This week's menu will continue the push to empy the freezer so we can fill it with the chickens and turkeys we plan to butcher this weekend.

Monday: Mushroom Swiss Burgers, Chips
Tuesday: Rum Marinated Chicken, Sauteed Vegies, Sweet Potato Fries
Wednesday: Roasted Beef and Barley Soup
Thursday: Tamales, Mexican Rice
Friday: Roast Chicken with Onions and Potatoes
Saturday: Crock Pot Roast
Sunday: Breakfast for Dinner Eggs Scrambled with Ham and Cheese, Hashbrowns

Don't forget to visit Laura for more MPM!

menu 9-20 thru 9-27

School has started and my time has been very limited; my menu planning has stayed on track but my blogging has slowed down. We have been busy with family cookouts, friends birthdays, classes, and home canning.

I have put up tomatoes, jalapeno jelly and crab-apple jelly with fruits from my own tree. I love home preserving and look forward to the bounty of fall crops every year. My garden did not produce much of anything this year so I canned produce from the farmers market (and my apple tree.) I'm already looking forward to a much more productive garden next year.

Menu planning is more important than ever while I'm attending classes. I only have 1 class this week, but still menu plan to keep expenses under control.

Monday: Chinese pork wraps

Tuesday: Fish Sandwiches, Chips

Wednesday: Rosemary Beef Skewers, Rice Pilaf

Thursday: Seafood Bake

Friday: Mustard Chicken with Apples

Saturday: Shriner's Club Crab Dinner

Sunday: Roast with Potatoes and Carrots

Menu August 30 thru September 4

I begin college classes again this week, so I will be gone 3 nights a week. My oldest does a great job helping out in the kitchen. She often participates in planning the meals she will be preparing when I'm gone.

Monday: BLT & Chips

Tuesday: Oriental Pork Wraps

Wednesday: Steak, Green Beans, Baked Potato

Thursday: Roast Pork Sandwiches, Cheesy Noodles

Friday: Beer Braised Chicken

Saturday: Vegetable Beef Soup

Sunday Cookout with Friends: Salsa and Bean Dip with Chips, Pulled Pork Sandwiches, Smoked Chicken, Pasta Salad

Visit Laura for more Menus and Recipes

Healthy Lunches Part II

School has begun and I'm happy to report we're all packing healthy lunches (so far.) I purchased several bento boxes on e-bay. They are not big, so they are great for portion control.

Chicken Salad with Apples, Hard Boiled Egg, Pickles, Olives and Baby Corn

Smoked Salmon Spread, Vegies, Grapes, Blueberries, Wasabi-Soy Almonds, Crackers

This fun hamburger bento box caused my children to actually fight over who was going to pack a lunch. I would have bought them years ago if I had realized, it doesn't matter what you pack, just what you pack it in!

Cheese, Carrots with Ranch, Celery with Peanut Butter in the Hamburger Box. Crackers and a Cookie packed seperately

Breakfast in a box: Yogurt and Fresh Peaches

Hopefully this trend will continue. I would like to see the kids (and myself) pack healthy, tasty lunches most days of the week. So far so good.

The kids do not have access to a microwave. What kinds of cold lunches lunches do you pack?

Julia Child's Birthday and menu plans

August 15th is Julia Child's Birthday. I rarely have to look very hard for a reason to cook a themed menu, so I opened Mastering the Art of French Cooking, invited a friend, and we made a lovely summer dinner with Julia's wonderful recipes.

We roasted garlic and served it with brie and baguettes while we worked on dinner.

Our main course included Bifteck Hache A La Lyonnaise (Ground Beef with Onions and Herbs,) Puree De Pommes De Terre A L'ail (Garlic Mashed Potatoes,) Tomates A La Provencale (Tomatoes Stuffed with Bread Crumbs, Herbs and Garlic.)

For dessert we made a cold fruit compote, Peches Cardinal (Fresh Peaches with Raspberry Puree.)

Our dinner plan was guided mostly by a trip to the farmer's market, Saturday, where we found peaches and raspberries, garlic, tomatoes and artisan bread. The onions and some herbs came from my garden.

Menu plan August 16 - 22

School starts on Wednesday, so lunches will have to figure into our plans again. My daughter wants to pack some of the bento style lunches I took during summer school, it's easiest to pack those the night before. My son is a PB&J guy and he can fix those on his own before school, getting them into his backpack and out the door is usually the biggest stumbling block for him. I have good kitchen facilities at work and we often plan meals that 2 or 3 of us can enjoy together, but I'll be packing for the first couple of weeks until we get into a regular routine. My lunches will consist of leftovers and fresh fruits and vegies.

Monday: Ham and Cheese Spoon Bread (made with whole kernel corn meal we watched being ground at Spring Mill, pictured here), Tossed Salad

Tuesday: Deli Sandwiches, Chips, Carrot and Cucumber slices

Wednesday: Wednesday Night ant the Nic Picnic, BBQ Pork Sundae, Corn Bread

Thursday: Back to School Night, dinner TBD

Friday: Pan-fried Walleye, Coleslaw, Foil Packet Potatoes

Saturday: Chicken Kebabs, Salad,

Sunday: BBQ Pork Belly, Corn on the Cob, Beans

With school starting, MPM will most likely turn into menu planning Saturday so I can plan and go grocery shopping during the weekend, but I'll still post them here to share with Laura and everyone else who is a fan of the Organizing Junkie.

Menu July 26- Aug 2

This will be my last MPM post for a couple of weeks. We are driving cross-country for my husband's 50th birthday, which happens to be two days before his sister's 50th wedding anniversary. My kids haven't been back to see their aunts and uncles in about 5 years and will meet quite a few cousins for the first time.

My menu plan this week will focus on using up everything in my fridge. The ham from last week got pushed forward to Monday as a result of our unplanned asian dinner.

Monday: Ham, Scalloped Potatoes, Green Beans

Tuesday: Turkey Panini's with Sun-dried Tomatoes, Fruit Salad

Wednesday: Tamales, Red Rice

Thursday: Beef and Vegie Kebabs, Foil Packet Potatoes

Friday: Ham and Beans, Corn Bread

Saturday: Almond Stuffed Chicken, Noodles tossed with any leftover vegies

Sunday: Family Reunion for my side of family in Buffalo

Monday: Anything Still Left In Fridge

I do not love eating out while on the road. Fast food and truck stops = serious intestinal distress. I prefer to pack a cooler with sandwiches and snacks. I will compromise with my husband and eat one restaurant meal per day (breakfast is all my first choice.) We'll be driving thru Kansas City, so a great Bar-B-Q joint would not be out of the question.

Any leftover ham will become ham salad for the cooler. My daughter is an excellent baker, and will bake a batch of chocolate chip cookies to snack on. Fruits and vegies and granola bars will round out our food requirements for the drive there.

To further my goal of cleaning out the fridge, I whipped up a batch of my favorite cheese spread, Fromage Fort. It is a french recipe created specifically for using up odd pieces of cheese. (Many French recipes really are incredibly frugal.) I use a recipe (more of a guideline) from Jacques Pepin. Combine 1/2 pound of assorted cheese, one or two garlic cloves, and 1/4 cup of sherry or other flavorful liquid in the food processor and pulse it into submission. I usually go heavy on strong cheeses like gruyere or aged swiss, with a little parmesan (too much gives the spread a grainy texture.) I rarely salt the mixture, but that is personal taste. I always add a healthy dose of pepper, again, personal taste.

The spread is best on top of slices of crusty bread, melted under the broiler. I had leftover crabmeat this time so I processed it with everything else.

This spread can be tweeked to highlight whatever your favorite cheese happens to be. After our last trip east we brought home some wonderful Wisconsin aged cheddar and apple brandy from Huber Orchards. We served the hot toasts with slices of apple, amazing. The spread holds in the fridge for several weeks, depending on what cheese you used the flavor can get very strong the older it gets.

What's your favorite "clean out the refrigerator" recipe?

For more great menu ideas Visit Laura for more Menu Planning Monday.

Impromtu Chinese

Friend: I'm feeling kinda blue. I really need to get out of the house.

Me: I'm home all day. We should hang out.

Friend: Sounds great. We should make chinese.

Me: Awesome! See you at 3:00.

Seriously, that's how this plan started. We got together and looked through my pantry and fridge and decided to make Vietnamese Summer Rolls, Lo Mein, Pork Lettuce Wraps, Steamed Dumplings, and Rice. I do not recommend making this type of decision in the late afternoon. We made a quick trip to the grocery store, which turned into two grocery stores because we couldn't find refrigerated chinese noodles and really thin Ginger Snaps at the first store.

Now it's 5:30. We started the prep work for our summer rolls, which is pretty easy, you just have to cut all the vegies into tiny strips. We made vegetarian rolls with carrots, cucumber, avacado and basil (from the garden) and shrimp rolls with shrimp, carrot, chives (from the garden) and cilantro. It took a couple times but we got the hang of rolling them up neatly and only destroyed two sheets of rice paper in the process.

Now it's 6:45. We made spicy hoisin and soy and garlic dipping sauces for the rolls. We taste tested the rolls and sauces with one of the less attractive rolls, toasted our efforts with an adult beverage and moved onto steamed dumplings.

The recipe called for tofu, but neither one of us care for fermented soy products, so we substituted a small amount of the ground pork we had thawed out for the lettuce wraps. (That's right, at 4:00 pm I took items out of the freezer for this adventure) We began assembling the dumplings when I noticed that we would have lots of wrappers left over and since I had crabmeat on hand, we whipped up crab and cream cheese stuffing for fried wontons.

Steamed Dumplings

We continued to prep the vegies and sauces for the pork wraps and lo mein, and by 8:30 we had everything pretty much ready to cook. At this point, I looked around for my dear husband, who is the wok master and could not find him. After I tracked him down on a neighbor's porch we were ready to stir-fry.

Spicy Pork Lettuce Wraps

Fried Wontons with Crab and Cream Cheese

Chicken Lo Mein

To get authentic stir fry flavor, we hook up the burner from the turkey fryer, and heat the wok up to a ridiculous temperature and cook everything very quickly. This eliminates the greasy texture that homemade Lo Mein has when I try to do it in a regular skillet on a standard burner.
Meanwhile we turned on the steamer and fried the wontons. It was about this time that I realized, we forgot to cook rice. We figured nobody would miss it. We were ready to sit down on the patio and enjoy a lovely chinese dinner at 9:30.

Yup, that's my husband sneaking a taste out of the bowl, with his fingers, before everyone else sits down.

Summer Rolls that we almost left in the fridge at dinner time.

As soon as I knew we were fixing dinner I decided to start something for dessert. I had fresh, ripe peaches in the fridge and made a quick ice cream custard and infused it with some ginger. I added pureed peaches and let it sit for a few hours. I didn't want the ginger to be overwhelming, and didn't add a lot. When we tasted the finished product before we went to the store, we both agreed the ginger didn't really pop. We served the ice cream with a couple tasty, thin ginger snaps and the meal was complete!

We had a late dinner, but really enjoyed spending a day in the kitchen. We each found our niche in the kitchen. We laughed at our mistakes. At the end of the day we were tired, but happy and stuffed.

The lo mein and pork wraps were outstanding, the steamed dumplings tasted great, but the wrappers were mushy. Next time we'll use the same filling but turn them into pot-stickers. You heard right... at 11:00 we were planning the next big feast

menu July 19-25

MPM on Monday for a change!

This wee'ks menu is fairly simple. It's the last week of summer school, but I have taken on a tutoring job that requires quite a bit of extra time, so I'm trying to keep other chores easy.

Monday: Fresh walleye, hushpuppies, deviled eggs
Tuesday: BLT's, salad
Wednesday night at the Nic picnic dinner: Shrimp salad rolls, chips, homemade pudding
Thursday: Grilled chicken, baked beans
Friday: Pasta Carbonara, salad, garlic toast
Saturday: Sausage and potatoes in foil packets
Sunday: Ham, scalloped potatoes

The ham will make several appearances in the future as ham sadwiches for lunch, ham and bean soup, and ham salad for our upcoming cross-country road trip.

Fresh walleye is one of our favorite summer treats. We fix it very simply with a recipe we originally used camping. Dredge the fish in egg/milk wash and then in crushed saltines. Pan fry and serve. It's never greasy and 97% of the time we have everything on hand to make it, wether we're camping or at home.

For more recipes and menu ideas visit Laura at orgjunkie.com!

Menu July 12 - 18

With the holiday and continuing computer issues, I did not post a menu last week. I did stretch the meals I cooked as far as I could.
I grilled a whole, cut up chicken, saving the back and neck for stock. I picked the leftover chicken and served in on greens from the garden (yeah!) hardboiled eggs and homemade dressing. I roasted the back and neck, along with the bones I saved after pulling the meat, before putting them in the pot to simmer for stock. After I strained the broth and divided it into 2 cup portions for the freezer, I cleaned the rest of the chicken from the back, wings and any other bones that still had any meat on them. This meat was heated up with salsa and turned into chicken quesadillas.
I also cooked a roast in the crock pot for French dip sandwiches. We used all the stock left for jus to dip the sandwiches, so I pulled an oxtail from the freezer and simmered it to make a rich beef broth and added the leftover roast and various vegies I had in the fridge to make a big pot of vegetable beef soup. We had it for dinner and some of the leftovers for lunch. The rest I froze for an quick dinner option, probably when I have forgotten to pull anything from the freezer.

Menu July 12 -18
Monday: Fish and chips
Tuesday: Grilled pork chops, homemade apple sauce, garden salad
Wednesday: We're going to the rodeo, so we'll be eating Fair Food!
Thursday: Stuffed Peppers
Friday: Grilled chicken sandwiches, garden salad and fruit
Saturday: Braised beef ribs
Sunday: Dinner at Mom's.

Pictures and links wil return when I upgrade my computer. That has to happen before school starts again.

For more menus check out the Organizing Junkie.

MPM on Wednesday

This week's Menu was planned by Saturday, but not posted until today because I'm having computer issues. My focus for this week's menu was to plan a frugal menu which is ironic, since it looks like I need to start saving for a new computer.
I took inventory of what I had on had and planned my meals around that, instead of what was in the weekly sale ads. I also tried to incorporate ingredient that could be used in more than one recipe. If I were truly dedicated to a frugal menu I would bake bread, but it finally turned into summer and I can't bring myself to turn on the oven when it's over 90 degrees outside.

Breakfast this week will be the standards: cereal, oatmeal, fruit plus homemade yogurt and banana bread since I had bananas that didn't get used in a timely manner. Packed lunches for myself and John will consist of leftovers. On the days I'm working the kids can make sandwiches, soup, or mac n cheese.

Monday:
L: Picnic at the park with the kids egg salad sandwiches, chips and strawberry lemonade (from concentrate I canned during Christmas break)
D: Roast Pork Sandwiches, Tossed Salad
Tuesday:
D: Southwestern Cobb Salad (similar to regular Cobb salad, but with kidney beans, salsa and queso fresco)
Wednesday:
Country Style Ribs, Cole Slaw, Sweet Potatoes
Thursday:
Fettucine with Shrimp and Bacon, Tossed Salad
Friday:
L: Tuna Salad Sandwiches
D: Fish Tacos, Red Rice
Saturday:
L: Quesadillas
D: French Dip Sandwiches, Homemade French Fries

The ingredients I needed to purchase for this week's menu came to just under $40. I probably could have cut this a little bit more but for the sake of variety I chose to add sweet potatoes, and I large variety of fruit for breakfast and snacks.
Sorry I didn't post lots of links. Technology is not currently my friend!

Check out the Organizing junkie for more great menu ideas.

Healthy Lunches

Packing a lunch has never been my strongest suit.  I'm not a huge fan of sandwiches and leftovers get less appetizing the more often you eat them.  I'm working 3 days a week this summer and don't have much time for heating or assembling lunch.  Someone always makes a run to a fast food place, but I don't want to spend the money or consume the extra calories on food that is not nutritious or particularly tasty.

I invested in several Japanese style bento lunch boxes.  These boxes are compartmentalized.  One of the boxes has a freezer gel in the lid, so heat sensitive foods do not need refrigeration.  I pack lunch the night before and try to use things I have on hand.

Smoked salmon, hard-boiled egg, Laughing Cow cheese wedge, hummus, carrots, snap peas, pickles and olives.  I also packed a couple whole grain crackers.

Spinach, cherry tomatoes, leftover steak, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries.  I also packed a small container of vinaigrette.

Chicken and apple sausage, sharp cheddar, cauliflower snap peas, cherry tomatoes, strawberries and grapes.

It only takes a few minutes to put the meals together.  I usually pack them while putting dinners leftovers away, so I can incorporate the leftovers, without feeling like I'm eating the same meal the next day.  The variety also makes lunch more interesting and I seem to slow down and feel more satisfied, even though I'm not easting a huge meal.  

My daughter has watched me fix my lunches this week and has said she wants to pack the same kind of lunch for school in the fall.

Menu June 21 - 27

The weather has turned and is back to being beautiful.  The wind was horrible last week and did some damage to my garden.  I'm hoping I can replace several pepper, cucumber, and tomato plants.

I fell off the taking pictures wagon, but have lots of recipe links this week.

Monday: Pork Burgers, Corn on the Cob, Sweet Potato Fries

Tuesday: Rum Marinated Chicken, Noodles with Cheese Sauce

Wednesday: Steak, Baked Potato, Salad

Thursday: Cashew Chicken, Rice, Potstickers

Friday: Roast Pork Sandwichs, Foil Packet Potatoes, Vegies

Saturday: Omlettes, Hashbrowns

Sunday: Shrimp Salad Rolls, Fries, Coleslaw

Visit The Organizing Junkie for more menus and recipes.

Menu June 14-21

In Wyoming, if you don't like the weather, usually you just have to wait 15 minutes.  Last week it was 4 days of rain and cold.  My menu plan heavy on grilling, not to mention, lovely dinners on the patio, went out the window.  Cool weather makes me want to cook.  And that's what I did.  I made a big pot of red chili on Thursday night with apple and cheddar beer bread.  Friday I stuffed acorn squash with apples and chicken and apple sausage.  Saturday I made crepes, and remembered to take pictures!  Saturday I filled the crepes with leftover chicken, mushrooms, and a cream sauce.  Sunday morning I filled the crepes with maple flavored marscapone and topped them with strawberry sauce and fried apples (I bought a big bag of apples.)  Thank goodness the rain has stopped!  Diet, I've missed you.

Crepe in the pan

Crepe batter

BBQ spice rub, blended in the spice grinder

My DH had his heart set on smoking ribs Sunday, so I made BBQ rub and let him stand out in the rain and tend to his smoker.

This weeks menu is every bit as set in stone as last weeks and follows:

Monday:  Grilled Pork Chops, Steamed Cauliflower, Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes

Tuesday: Beer Can Chicken, Spinach Salad  (rubbed with BBQ spice above)

Wednesday: Spaghetti, Garlic Toast, Salad (sauce from the freezer)

Thursday: Fish and Chips, Coleslaw

Friday: Steak Salad, Dinner Rolls (leftover steak frozen from last week)

Saturday: House Warming Party for Friends

Sunday: Braised Beef Ribs, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans with Bacon

Need more ideas?  Visit Laura at organizing junkie for more MPM

Budget Gardening

I love to garden.  I also love free stuff.  This year my garden is full of free stuff.  One of the seventh grade classes where I work grew vegetable starts to give to the staff.  I received peppers and cherry tomatoes.  

My Mom called this weekend and her raspberry bushes had outgrown their space and were blocking the gate.  I dug up the offending canes (and weeded her flower garden.)  I also dug up some columbines that had volunteered outside of the bed and thinned her chives.

We've had some cool days since I transplanted the raspberries so I hope they'll take hold.  The chives and columbines already look like they are adjusting.

Woodrow loves to help in the garden.  Unfortunately, he is best at digging holes.

My columbines were already blooming.  Several of the transplants had buds, hopefully they will bloom this season, too

I ran out of room in the garden so the peppers found a home on the patio.

Transplanted raspberries

Big bucket o' raspberry, chive and columbine.

Menu June 7-13

School's out and we're busy swimming, gardening and enjoying the nice weather.  I've filled the fridge with fresh fruits and vegies for snacks and home baked muffins and scones for breakfast last week.  I've been getting up early and walking 3 or 4 miles before everyone else is up and going.  I fell out of the habit last fall, but remember that I felt better when I was walking and eating healthier.  Getting back into the habit has been pretty easy, but my body hasn't forgiven me for the long break.  It will be  few more days before the sore muscles go away.

The weather is beautiful so we will be grilling and eating on the patio almost every night.  Breakfast and lunch choices have not changed much this week.  Breakfast includes oatmeal, fresh fruit, and scrambled eggs.  Lunches will be leftovers and sandwiches.

Monday: Grilled Chicken with Maple and Mustard Glaze, Rice Pilaf, Green Beans

Tuesday: New England Seafood Bake, Cheddar Biscuits

Wednesday: Garlic and Mustard Marinated Steak, Hobo Potatoes, Sauteed Mixed Vegies

Thursday: Steak Salad, Beer Bread

Friday: Margarita Braised Chicken, Green Rice

Saturday: Pork Lettuce Wraps, Chicken Ponzu, Rice, Stir Fried Vegies

Sunday: Country Style Ribs, Cole Slaw, Deviled Eggs, Corn Bread

We grill a lot in the summer time and I love hobo packets.  Both the baked fish and hobo potatoes utilize this technique.  For the potatoes, I slice them thinly, sprinkle with salt and pepper and whatever herb I have on hand, usually rosemary or thyme, and drizzle with a little olive oil.  They cook on the grill with the main course and there's no dirty pan!  I never thought of putting fruit in a hobo packet, but saw a recipe last week for fruit desserts.  I adapted this recipe and used strawberries, black berries, and cherries, since that's what I had on had.  They were excellent and we will definitely make them again.

Don't forget to check out The Organizing Junkie's Meal Planning Monday for more ideas

Menu May 31 - June 7

School's finally out!  Last week was pretty busy with lots of end of the year activities.  My daughter, K,  has become quite the baker and she made no less than 3 cakes for our end-of-the picnic.  Hopefully she'll keep us in snacks this summer.

We visited a friend's ranch for branding Saturday.  My son, D, is not quite big enough to wrestle the calves, yet, but enjoyed watching the action from a safe distance.  The kids helped milk cows and collect eggs and later, enjoyed ice cream made from them. 

We stayed in town for the holiday weekend and spent time with lots of friends.  Now that things have settled down I'm looking forward to working in the garden and deep cleaning the house before summer school starts.  Since we'll be home for breakfast and lunch, I'm including those options with my menu.

Breakfast: Raspberry Scones, Apple Cider Steel Cut Oatmeal, Fruit and Yogurt, Blueberry Muffins

Lunch and Snacks: Chopped Salmon Salad, Cheese Crisps, Sandwiches, Apple Snack Cake, Strawberry and Mango Smoothies

Dinners

Monday: Barbecue Chicken, Potato Salad, Corn Pudding

Tuesday: Flank Steak with Shiitakes, Rice, Pot Stickers

Wednesday: Baked Mac & Cheese with Ham and Peas, Salad

Thursday: Jasmine Rice Stuffed Peppers, Salad (I didn't fix these last week)

Friday: Baja Fish Tacos, Beans and Rice

Saturday: Steak Kebabs with Soy-Ginger Glaze, Potatoes Grilled in Foil Packets, Salad

Sunday: Cheeseburgers, Pasta Salad, Strawberry Gelato

Visit Laura, the Organizing Junkie for more Menu Planning Monday

                  

Horseradish!

We have a small clump of horseradish in the garden.  We've tried processing it on several occasions, but had trouble getting the consistency just right, before the fumes chase you out of the house.  Thanks to Eugenia Bone, at Well Preserved, I finally got it right.

I honestly planned to photograph the whole process, but apparently a child felt they needed the camera more than I did, so that didn't work out for me.  I did, however end up with 3 half pint containers of fresh horseradish, with a minimal amount of discomfort.

I'm fixing pork chops for dinner and J always likes a dab of horseradish to go with them.  I'm also going to make a batch of deviled eggs with just a little mixed into them, as well.

As for the rest of the week, my schedule is packed with training and end of the school year events, so most meals need to be pretty easy.

Monday:  I won't be home for dinner so it's Hamburger Helper.  I think it's disgusting, but J and the kids love it.

Tuesday:  Flank Steak and Shitake Stir Fry with Jasmine Rice

Wednesday: Herb and Cheese Stuffed Chicken and Spinach Salad

Thursday:  Potato Soup

Friday:  Jasmine Rice Stuffed Peppers

Saturday: Beer Can Chicken

Sunday: Memorial Day Cookout

Check out Meal Planning Mondays at The Organizing Junkie For More Ideas

Menu Plan May 17-23

The hoop house is up and plants are growing.

The last two weeks of the school year are always busy, but hopefully we will be able to stick to our plan. As soon as school is out, I'm hoping to start watching what I'm eating better and lose some weight.

Monday: Leftovers

Tuesday: Spaghetti, salad, and garlic bread

Wednesday: Pork Chops, pasta salad

Thursday: Chicken Parmesan

Friday: Minestrone

Saturday BBQ with friends

Sunday: Too far in the future to decide

Meal Planning Wednesday?

Yesterday I completed my last final this semester. Between working on finals and chaperoning school trips, I got behind on everything! I did get my hoop house completed for the garden, but I'm still waiting out this cold spell before I put anything out. Currently, my kitchen is half food prep area and half greenhouse. Hopefully I'll be able to get everything out this weekend. I also hope to figure out getting pictures from the camera to the blog.

I mostly stuck to my plan for the last couple of weeks, but did give in to convenience and pick up pizza or take-out a couple of times.

Here's this week's menu.

Monday: Beef Stew and Biscuits

Tuesday: French Onion Soup I made beef stock this weekend and J brought home a giant bag of Vidalia onions from the Shriners

Wednesday: Chicken Pot Pie

Thursday: Apple Stuffed French Toast

Friday: Pork Chops, Rice Pilaf and Veg

Saturday: Minestrone (didn't get to it last week, still need to use the vegies)

Sunday: Potluck BBQ with friends

Rice pilaf is a stand by in my menu planning. I buy big bags o Jasmine Rice when I'm in Denver and everyone loves it. Here's my rice pilaf recipe. I adapted it from a Better Homes and Gardens recipe, but replaced bullion cubes and always use fragrant, jasmine rice instead of long grain white rice. It's a great way to use up extra vegetables.

Melt 2 TBS of butter in a medium saucepan. Add about 1 cup of any combination of diced vegetables. I usually use carrot, shallot or onion, celery, bell pepper, and mushrooms, depending on what I have in the fridge. I love garlic, so I add 1 or 2 cloves of diced garlic. Saute vegies until they start to soften. Add 3/4 cups rice to the pan and saute 1-2 minutes then add

1 1/2 cups chicken stock. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat 20- 30 minutes until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender. Sometimes I have to add extra broth if the liquid cooks away before the rice is tender. Fluff with a fork. I don't add salt to many things in the kitchen. If you prefer things a bit saltier, add salt with the broth.

Two weeks worth of menus

It's a double feature Meal Planning Monday.  I'll be busy next weekend so I planned two weeks worth of menus and will do all of my grocery shopping today and just pick up  few perishable items next week.

Sun 4-24

B Sour Cream Coffee Cake 

D Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes, Homemade Bread, Peas

Mon 

Bean and Cheese Enchiladas, Spanish Rice

Tue

Linguine with Clams, Salad, Bread

Wed

Country Style Ribs, Pasta Salad

Thur 

Orange Chicken with Scallions, Jasmine Rice, Potstickers

Fri & Sat

I'm chaperoning K's choir trip to Denver, so the boys are on their own.

Sun

Pork Burgers

Potato Salad

I'll also be making a pot of Minestrone for Monday night because I'll be going with my students to Cody and won't get back to 6:00 or later.

Mon 5-3

Minestrone

Tue

5 Spice Roast Chicken, Rice, Snow Peas with Almonds

Wed

J's choice, since he it his day off.

Thur

Penne and Tuna Salad

Fri

Fish and Chips

Sat 

Gratineed Chicken, Salad , Bread

Earth Day

While my environmental footstep is not the size of a small country, I'm sure there is more that I could do for the planet. Baby steps we've taken include recycling glass, plastic, aluminum, and plastic. I bring my own bags to the store, but mostly for selfish reasons; I hate pulling plastic bags out of my trees every spring.

We have a cow share and enjoy fresh, raw milk and cheese that has exactly 7 food miles. We also butchered our own steer in January, one of the calves from a milk cow heifer. We also bought a pig from the college and processed that ourselves. We've ordered 30 meat chicks and 5 turkey poults. We live in town so luckily, we're able to keep them at a friends place.

I'd love to have a super local Earth Day dinner, but by April everything I canned last fall is gone. We'll be having Spaghetti with Bolognese. I froze a big batch during Christmas break before we had the steer in the freezer, so it's made with plain old grocery store burger. Caesar Salad from a bag and French Bread. The local part of our meal will be fresh mozzarella toasted on the bread.

I'm hoping to get my hoop house completed for the garden this weekend. Hopefully I'll fresh salad fixings by Memorial Day.

I'd like to see a big improvement to my global efforts by next Earth Day!

Baby steps to a better life for my family one reusable grocery bag at a time

Who needs a New Years Resolution...I'm making a completely arbitrary middle of April goal to monitor the food my family eats, (at home, at least) lose a few pounds, and keep better control of my food budget.  

I'm a mom, I have a full time job, and I've gone back to college nearly full time.  My first baby step is to feed my family wholesome home-cooked meals.  I am a good cook and always prided myself on having healthy, sit-all-together-meals when I didn't work.  I continued as the kids got busier, and have tried very hard to keep this up after I started school again.

My first post will be a very late Meal Planning Monday.  I have been pretty consistent about meal planning for about a year.  When I get lazy and don't plan ahead, I spend more money, eat crap and feel more stress at dinner time.  The baby step in this process is keeping better track of my grocery budget.  

Monday

Beans and Leftover Ham

Cornbread (Jiffy I am embarrassed to admit)

Tuesday

Pulled Pork Sandwiches (leftover pork in freezer from Super Bowl)

Homemade bbq sauce

Betty Crocker Au Gratin Potatoes

Wednesday

Spaghetti (Frozen homemade sauce)

Salad

French Bread

Thursday

Bean and Cheese Burrito

Spanish Rice (Lipton)

Friday 

Orange Chicken with Scallions

Jasmine Rice

Potstickers (Frozen that we bought on last trip to Denver)

Saturday 

Didn't plan a meal for Sat because I thought I would go to the lake with Mom & Dad, but will most likely stay in town and do homework and garden prep

Sunday

Ditto. Will have to take a look through the freezer and find something. 

So by Wednesday, I can already tell you, we did not have Spaghetti on Wed.  My husband was home and he decided to cook so we had Filet Mignon (from the freezer, we butchered a steer in January and split it with my step-son) Crab and Mushroom Stuffed Shrimp, Baked Potatoes and Dinner Rolls.  He does not buy into the whole budget/wholesome idea yet.  We're going to skip burritos and replace with spaghetti, look for burritos next week.

So far grocery bill is a reasonable $31.00.  Sadly most of that was frozen breakfast items.  I'm not a morning person, but do make sure there is something available to eat before leaving the house.  I'm happy with a whole wheat bagel and cream cheese.  Hubby likes sausage biscuits, the kids like freezer waffles, toaster pancakes, etc.

Looking forward to improving my life (or failing on a global scale) with an audience.

Ginger