menu plan monday week of 3/15

So, I realize I am a day late here. Believe it or not, I didn't even turn on the computer yesterday! BUT, I do have a menu planned out for the week and it is as follows:

M 3/15- out to dinner with sister to celebrate my birthday
T 3/16- Crock Pot Chinese Lemon Chicken (recipe I've been wanting to try for a long time!), rice & steamed broccoli/red peppers
W 3/17- Turkey Salisbury Steaks (this has been on the plan for a long time but was never made)
H 3/18- leftovers!
F 3/19- Seven Layer Salad
S 3/20- out to dinner with hubby (free Red Robin birthday burger!)

Rich blessings,

menu plan monday week of 3/8

Here's what's cooking this week:

M 3/8- Cheesy Cauliflower Soup (with chicken added)
T 3/9- Crock Pot Pork Chops & Beans, salad
W 3/10- Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, red cabbage
H 3/11- leftovers!
F 3/12- Pasta Salad with Grilled Chicken Chunks
S 3/13- Chinese Lemon Chicken, steamed broccoli, rice

Rich blessings,

menu plan monday week of 3/1

I am feeling the need to add a disclaimer to my menu plans! Not everything I include in my weekly meal plan I am actually making this week. About half of the meals come from my freezer, because I've duplicated recipes in previous weeks or made them during a cooking marathon. Having these ready-made meals makes it so easy to prepare a great meal for my family every night of the week. Also, it often allows extra time that I can spend making delicious sides, snacks or desserts!

For a recap from last week, the Rosemary Cheddar Rolls were amazing just the way they are! A batch made 15 dinner rolls, half of which I put in the freezer to save for another meal! See pictures below!

What we are eating this week...
M 3/1- Pulled Pork BBQ, baked beans, salad
T 3/2- Peach French Toast Bake, sausage patties
W 3/3- Steaks with Roasted Red Potato Salad
H 3/4- leftovers!
F 3/5- Cranberry Orange Pork Roast with sweet potato fries, salad
S 3/6- Turkey Salisbury Steaks, 3-Bean Salad

Extras:
Cranberry Banana Bread (will make this week)
Rosemary Cheddar Rolls (already made last week) pictured below

Rich blessings,

recipe: rosemary cheddar rolls

Decided I was hungry for something different to go with tonight's dinner of Chicken Noodle Soup. And since the soup was frozen and all I had to do was defrost, Junior and I are experimenting with a recipe we call Rosemary Cheddar Rolls.

1 cup milk [lactose-free for our fam]
1/4 cup plus 1 Tablespoon water
3 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese [we love cabots]
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon yeast

Add all of the ingredients to your bread machine in the order listed. Select the dough
setting. Once the machine stops, form into 18 dinner rolls and place on a greased baking
sheet. Let sit for 10 minutes, while oven is preheating to 400 degrees. Then bake in
preheated oven for about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and brush with olive oil, if
desired. Serve warm.

Now, like I said, we are just testing this recipe out today... so I'll be back with pictures and possibly a modified recipe! Stay tuned!

Rich blessings,

menu plan (a day late) week of 2/22

Shredded Pork Tacos were a big hit at our house. We used a 5 pound boneless pork shoulder, so needless to say we've been eating tacos-- or some variation-- a lot lately. There's still at least a pound of meat left, so I'll be freezing that today!

Onto a new week:

M 2/22- Shredded Salsa Pork Tacos
T 2/23- Mock Banzai Burgers with pierogies & salad
W 2/24- Chicken Noodle Soup with English Muffin Pizzas
H 2/25- leftovers!
F 2/26- Crockpot Sausage (made into sandwiches) & salad
S 2/27- leftover sausage served over gnocchi

Rich blessings,

recipe: granola nut clusters (nature valley knock-off)

Well, recently I had a coupon and purchased some of Nature Valley's Granola Nut Clusters. I don't know what I was thinking. Of course I loved them. Of course I consumed one whole bag in one day. Of course I will be tempted to purchase these yummy clusters at every.single.grocery.trip. So, I did a little Internet search to see if anyone had attempted a knock-off version and posted it online. Since I didn't have much luck and I am three-quarters of the way through my last bag... I gave it a shot. Besides having the oven a bit too hot, the recipe turned out great (the recipe below reflects a cooler oven temperature). What's better is, they are made with ingredients I almost always have on hand including good-for-you oats, wheat germ, nuts and honey.

Nutty Granola Clusters
Yields: a decent amount

3 Tablespoons margarine
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons creamy peanut butter

1 1/2 cups oats
1 cup pecan pieces
1 cup slivered almonds
1 cup crispy rice cereal
1/2 cup wheat germ or wheat bran

Preheat oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine the first 5 ingredients in a small saucepan. Melt, stirring frequently. Meanwhile combine the remaining 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Pour melted mixture over nut mixture and carefully stir. Plop clusters onto a large, greased baking sheet (you may even need two of them) using a 1/2 Tablespoon measuring spoon. You may need to press the clusters together a bit with your fingers as well. OR you could press the entire mixture into a 1/2 inch layer on a greased baking sheet (this will require that you push down the layer with a metal spatula half-way through baking time... you'll also need to carefully break apart granola when cooled). Regardless of method, bake for 20-25 minutes until golden.

My version pictured below:

Mine (pictured left) vs. Theirs (right)

Rich blessings,

menu plan monday week of 2/15

M 2/15- Veggie Quiche, Ham steak
T 2/16- Squash & Sausage Chili
W 2/17- Shredded Salsa Pork made into soft tacos
H 2/18- visiting friends, no cooking required
F 2/19- leftovers!
S 2/20- Broccoli Cheddar Soup, dinner rolls

Some extras I made last week included:
Whoopie Pies (Valentine's Day)
Devilish Raspberry Mocha Cake (DH's birthday) recipe soon to come!