Chicken Bake Samm

I am a day behind on my blogging and when I mentioned this to my boyfriend he had no sympathy for me. Am I addicted? According to my girlfriends the answer is yes. Regardless, it is fun. So here is dinner from yesterday:

Check back for the recipes for the chicken and asparagus...

Can I get a doctor's note?

The girls and I took advantage of the beautiful Kansas weather to go for a walk with friends today. On the walk I kept thinking about how I might not have followed through with the idea to get out if I had not invited a friend to join me. How is it that having a friend to talk to makes exercise bearable? I had to load the girls, stroller, water, diapers (big girl panties), and snacks into the car and take a short drive and it was somehow worth it. At the end of the walk my friend and I even started talking about inviting/finding other mommies to walk with us on a more regular basis.

This is an activity that ranks up with cleaning the house or going grocery shopping. I do it but it is not my favorite part of the job. Can I get an exemption? Maybe the doctor can say I have a bone in my back and cannot exercise. Or as Audrey likes to say, "mom, your bone is tired?" Yes, honey, and I would rather be lazy. However, I want to be around to see my grandchildren so we pack up the car and head to the gym more day than not. And we will take advantage of nice Kansas weather and go for walks with our friends. Look for me pushing a stroller with two young girls in it up a hill near you. Honk and wave if you like, we will wave back.

March 29 - April 4

So I am late getting my menu out. I have most of it put together but I have still yet to make my to-do or groceries lists. Best not to procrastinate for these reasons and just get it published.

Monday

• Breakfast - Cereal
• Lunch - Quiche
• Dinner - Seder meal with relatives
• Snack - PB&J (Audrey asked for it)

Tuesday

• Breakfast - Pink Pancakes
• Lunch -PB&J
• Dinner - Chicken Baked Samm
• Snack - Bunny Graham crackers and fruit

Wednesday

• Breakfast - Oatmeal/Yogurt
• Lunch - Cheese Sandwiches & fruit
• Dinner - Meatballs, pasta, peas, coleslaw
• Snack - granola bars

Thursday

• Breakfast - Toast Sandwiches
• Lunch - Chicken fingers
• Dinner - Tomato Lentil Soup, fruit salad
• Snack - cheese & fruit

Friday

• Breakfast - Eggs
• Lunch - Quesadillas
• Dinner - Turkey, broccoli, potatoes
• Snack - Carrots & peanut butter

Saturday

• Breakfast - Oatmeal/Yogurt
• Lunch - crudite, fruit, cheese
• Dinner - Spaghetti with meat sauce
• Snack - Applesauce

Sunday

• Breakfast - Smoothie
• Lunch - Turkey Sandwiches
• Dinner - Easter Meal (I am not cooking!)
• Snack - Eggs, of course

Check back as I update this to reflect changes in this holiday week menu. My in-laws or parents may take over cooking duties or take us out to dinner one or more nights not already marked. Changes will be reflected in the daily posts. 

Lasagna was a hit

The lasagna turned out well. No complaints. No rave reviews either. Joshua was very helpful in saying what he liked and some things that might make it taste better next time. I was happy to have used 3 jars of tomato sauce that had been in my garage on a shelf for several months. All of the other items were purchased for this meal. Except for a can of pears that took the place of our usual strawberries in the family salad. I liked the salad. Audrey liked the pears. And the birthday cake (thanks Leah and Rhonda!) Here is a picture of Audrey's plate:

Change of Plan

I forgot to post last night that lasagna was moved to dinner tonight. Joshua had to be in Wichita tonight so we moved our birthday meal out to last night. After much contemplation I selected Ten as my birthday dinner and was not disappointed. If you go on a night when they have something with sweet potatoes, order it.

Another day, two more items down

Another not so great day at Chez Audrey. I really should call it something else but we did buy the house because I was pregnant with her and we needed more room. It has been her house ever since. poor Maurene. Back to the point; Audrey did not nap today. When I asked for help making the salad at dinner she refused and decided instead to move all of the Tupperware to the bottom of her sister's excersaucer. I was able to make dinner but it was not great. I am, however, feeling pretty good about slowly emptying out the stockpile of items taking up space in the pantry and freezer.
When we get low enough Joshua and I have decided to start making better choices about how we spend our food budget. First, we are going to purchase a half share at Mellowfields Urban Farm here in beautiful Lawrence, Kansas. Second, we will buy what we can from The Farmer's Market and The Merc (our local Co-Op.) And last, we will purchase from companies we know to have ethical business practices. We are prepared to spend a little more and know that our dollars are speaking for us.

The wagon left us at the station

There are days when everyone naps, we have no meltdowns, and the kitchen is clean. Then there are days like today. When we have those days I make pancakes. Today we used the recipe from Deceptively Delicious for Pink Pancakes. Audrey loved them. She had seconds. Daddy knew what was in them and elected to have leftover lasagna. I thought they tasted fine. We had them with butter and powdered sugar.

No leftovers

Tonight I made a family favorite: Tuna Noodle Casserole (called Tuna Hotdish in Joshua's family) and there are no leftovers. Usually a recipe makes four to six servings so we always have extra. I guess the family liked it.

Audrey enjoyed her eggs for breakfast and even tried a pea at dinner. We had to substitute granola bars for cheese at snack time because daddy ate all the cheese last night. Another good day. On a  more somber note: Joshua sent me an article on middle age women and obesity. I think he is trying to be funny about my birthday. I have been going to the gym a little recently but I do not get in an hour every day. Might have to add to that so I do not become one of those overweight middle aged women.
P.S. After all my planning and two trips to the store I still forgot to pick up cream of mushroom soup for tonight's dinner.

Happiness is a good meal

Week one is off to a good start. After I commented that the pizza was very good Audrey said, "Because I made it." She is two and has a wonderful sense of self worth. I have purchased (almost) everything we need for our meals this week plus diapers, dishwasher soap, and toilet paper and am just a little over my $40 plan (I used coupons, thanks Jenn!) The only remaining tasks are to clean and organize the fridge so that leftovers are easily viewable and fresh vegetables are prepped. One problem with all of the this cooking is that now I have a lot of dishes to load in the dishwasher. But I am fat and happy. Here is a picture of Audrey's meal:

Tomorrow the challenge begins

I went shopping for most of the items and spent less than $20. Tomorrow I will hit Dillons and pick up the rest. I expect to stay under $40 for the week. Tonight I need to read through the recipe for Mexican Pizza and pull out the chicken to thaw for later in the week.

March 22nd - 27th

My first week. I am looking forward to it. If this goes well there may be a side effect of better organization. Already my week is better laid out then it normally is. I still need to clean the refrigerator and pull a few items out of the freezer but it looks promising. I found all of  my recipes this week at Allrecipes.com.
Monday

• Breakfast - Yogurt (Audrey) and Oatmeal (me)
• Lunch - Quiche (we are having a playdate)
• Dinner - Mexican Pizza/salad/grapes
• Snacks - cereal bars

Tuesday

• Breakfast - Eggs
• Lunch - PB&J
• Dinner - Tuna Noodle Casserole/peas/apples
• Snacks - raisins and cheese

Wednesday

• Breakfast - cereal
• Lunch - Quesadillas
• Dinner - Baked Chicken/Kidney Bean Coleslaw/Diced Potatoes/Pineapples
• Snacks - carrots and peanut butter

Thursday

• Breakfast - French Toast
• Lunch - cottage cheese and fruit
• Dinner -Slow Cooker Turkey Breast/stuffing/sweet potatoes/mandarin oranges
• Snacks - cheese and crackers

Friday

• Breakfast - Yogurt (Audrey) and Oatmeal (me)
• Lunch - cheese sandwiches
• Dinner - Lasagna/salad/bread/pears
• Snacks - granola bars

Saturday

• Breakfast - Pancakes
• Lunch - Mac -n- Cheese
• Dinner - off (my birthday)
• Snacks - hummus and tortillas

Sunday

• Breakfast - cereal
• Lunch -PB&J
• Dinner - Oven Fried Chicken/candied carrots/peas/grapes
• Snacks - bananas

The weekly planner I am using has a place for notes and this is where I have listed what tasks I need to complete for the meals this week. This includes items like thaw chicken and turkey and shred cabbage. There is also the usual grocery list.  Here is what I need to purchase this week:

• baby carrots
• tomato
• egg noodles
• potato chips
• apples
• sweet potatoes
• lettuce
• onion soup mix
• cheese
• lemon
• grapes

Wish me luck! I am open to ideas and encouragement so please leave me comments.I forgot to add that I am participating in a linkup with this meal plan. Check out Super Jenn to see the challenge.

Almost ready

I started working on my weekly planner last night while watching a show with Joshua. With a weekly meal planner in front of me and the Internet at my fingertips I was able to make short work of the task. There are still a few more things to be worked out but I should have mt plan ready to publish tomorrow. If I put it out there for my friends and family to see then maybe I will stick to it better. I left one day open for dinner with family or leftovers and it may not end up being the day I have it listed. Wish me luck and help hold me accountable.

New challenge to begin Monday

We are still out of town and I will need a few days to take inventory. Mainly of the freezer as it is a chest style; deep, dark, and full. I know we have a small turkey breast in there. In the pantry are several cans of tuna and beans, and some dried beans. Also a flat each of diced tomatoes and tomato sauce. This should be fun. Joshua has asked me to stock items for him to take to lunch so I will need to make room for those items in the pantry. This is a great time to begin this challenge. We are also attempting to put a little money in savings while still paying off a little debt. As soon as I can get some ideas and see what I need to purchase I will create a budget for each week and see if we can stick to it. I love Super Jenn for her weekly meal plans and will make something very similar.

A challenge

So I gave up my own blog in order to create one for Audrey. While surfing around for ideas I found a mom who had a pantry challenge to reduce her food budget. I need a pantry and freezer challenge to clean out the stockpile of items I have found on sale. I believe I can do this in 2 months. The reason for the extended time is that I have a large freezer, a picky family, and I am not a very good cook. This last item is a real sticking point. In order to help me I am going to use a website called Allrecipes.com (thanks Sarah!) If there are any other sites like this I could use to search for individual items, please let know in the comments.