I have a friend who I have been talking to about making weekly meal plans together in an effort to keep our families from eating out as often as we do. Time is our biggest reason for not getting dinner made for our families. We both work helping our husbands and don't end up doing things that we need to get done at home, such as planning and making quality meals. Our goal is to come up with simple ideas that can be made with relatively few ingredients and in a short amount of time. Here is our first week's menu:
Day 1 - Stromboli
Day 2 - Meatloaf
Day 3 - Chicken Enchiladas
Day 4 - Chicken & Dumplings
Day 5 - Herb Chicken with broccoli
The recipes and processes are simple and good.
STROMBOLI
ingredients:
Frozen bread loaves (they come 3 to a package, so we made two stromboli loaves and one loaf of bread)
pizza sauce
pepperoni, beef, salami, canadian bacon or whatever other meat you want
mozzarella cheese, pepper jack
greeen onions
process:
allow dough to rise according to package directions, roll out the dough and put in the ingredients you have chosen. It was my first time to make this and I could have put more meat in than I did. Don't skimp on the meats. Bake according to bread directions. It is delicious. If you don't want to put sauce in the bread, you may use it to dip the finished product.
MEATLOAF
ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
1 can stewed tomatoes
2 eggs
1 package crackers, crumbled
you can also add for flavor: garlic, tabasco, green peppers
process:
mix all ingredients and bake at 350 for about 40 minutes. This makes great sandwiches the next day.
CHICKEN ENCHILADAS
ingredients:
boneless chicken
cream of chicken soup
sour cream
green chilies
Mexican style shredded cheese
tortillas
process:
boil chicken and shredd. mix soup, sour cream and green chilies and add to the chicken. cover with shredded cheese. Bake at 350 until heated through. serve wrapped in warmed tortillas. can also be used as a dip for tortilla chips.
CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS
ingredients:
boneless chicken
white gravy (we used the white gravy packets)
buttermilk biscuits
process:
boil chicken and shredd (can be done the same time as the enchilada chicken!), mix with white gravy. cut biscuits into forths and add to chicken and gravy. Bake at 350 until biscuits are golden.
HERB CHICKEN WITH BROCCOLI
ingredients:
Boneless chicken breast
cream of chicken with herb soup
frozen broccoli
pasta of choice
process:
cook chicken on stovetop in tablespoon of oil. when chicken is white through, add soup and frozen broccoli. heat through.
serve over cooked pasta
Most of these meals provided leftovers for the next day's lunch. My family liked eating them and they are all simple to prepare. Hopefully this is something some of you can use! We will be working on another menu soon and I will try to post it when we do.
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
Sunday, May 29, 2005
Is It Next Week Already?
This week has flown by! This was the final week of the childcare center at our church. Our older son spent his last week playing with the kids he has become friends with over the past two years. It has been nice having a built in group of friends for him who were available at just about any time of the day. He is going to miss being able to go play with them on the playground behind our house and eating lunch with them once or twice a week. This week he went to the zoo with them, went to Pizza Hut and spent a day playing at the park. It was a good final week with these friends.
With Big Brother gone some this week I got to spend some good time with Sister Bear. We went shopping one morning with the Little One. It was a really good time together. She got to be the Big Kid and help me with the baby. It was fun to watch her try to quiet him if he was getting upset. She actually does a very good job. We stopped and got a hamburger and chicken nuggets for lunch and had a good time playing together at our table. She is getting so talkative and playful. This week she has let me put her hair up in pigtails for several days in a row! That is a major accopmlishment!
And my Little One is getting so big. He is so happy and just smiles all the time. It is rewarding to look into his face and see his smiles and listen to him talk to me. He is such a blessing!
This week our goal is to get some packing done. It looks like we may get to close early on the house, so we have some work to do over the next couple of weeks to get things done here!
With Big Brother gone some this week I got to spend some good time with Sister Bear. We went shopping one morning with the Little One. It was a really good time together. She got to be the Big Kid and help me with the baby. It was fun to watch her try to quiet him if he was getting upset. She actually does a very good job. We stopped and got a hamburger and chicken nuggets for lunch and had a good time playing together at our table. She is getting so talkative and playful. This week she has let me put her hair up in pigtails for several days in a row! That is a major accopmlishment!
And my Little One is getting so big. He is so happy and just smiles all the time. It is rewarding to look into his face and see his smiles and listen to him talk to me. He is such a blessing!
This week our goal is to get some packing done. It looks like we may get to close early on the house, so we have some work to do over the next couple of weeks to get things done here!
Monday, May 23, 2005
Sidewalk Chalk
We've had a busy week. It seems like there is always something to spend time on - church work or house work is always pressing. Tuesday morning the small group for moms that meets at our house was about serving our kids. Taking time to do what our children want to do is not easy, but it is important to spend time with them. They need to feel important and included in our life. I needed the reminder to take time for them. They love drawing with chalk on the front sidewalk and driveway, so we spent a morning working on some masterpieces. This is a favorite of mine. Big Brother and Sister Bear posing by their images.
Monday, May 16, 2005
Our New House
Well, here it is. We have a contract on the house we've been looking at. We are so excited and can't wait to close and get moved in. Our closing date is set for the end of June, so we have a little bit of time to get packed up here. It's a good thing, because we have accumulated a lot of stuff in a short two years! This house has so much character. It has beautiful woodwork and wood floors. There are four bedrooms on the top floor, a living room, family room, formal dining room, formal entry, and a large kitchen on the lower level. It is just a few blocks from a schoolyard playground, the local library and my parents house. We are still pretty shocked that it will actually be ours, but we feel very blessed. It will be a wonderful place to raise our children and make our home!
Monday, May 09, 2005
Just a Monday :0)
We went and looked at a house today. It's one we have looked at before and really like. It was built in 1912 and really has a lot of character. We are going to make an offer on it tomorrow. One good thing is that when you make an offer like we are making, it would be a miracle for them to take it. Now it may not sound like that is such a good deal, but I happen to know God doesn't leave a miracle unfinished. It's good to know that if we buy this home He will help us with all the details it will bring with it.
For Mother's Day yesterday we had a family day. We had gone out for dinner on Saturday night to avoid the Sunday afternoon holiday rush. The restaurant we went to had escargo, so of course we had to try some so Tony could add it to his "weird foods I have eaten" list. Tony fixed a great lunch on Sunday, with Big Brother's help, and after naps we all went on a bike ride. Big Brother has a new two-wheeler we picked up at a yard sale and loves every opportunity to practice riding. He did get a bit frustrated when turning corners - he hasn't learned how the brakes work and kept tipping over on the curves. He was quite persistent and kept getting back up though. Sister Bear and Little One rode in our bike trailer. We padded the seat and made a little spot for Little One and he fell right to sleep when the ride began. After the bike ride and getting Sister Bear in bed, Daddy and Big Brother had a little ice cream. Big Brother must have been tired, though, because he fell asleep while eating. After all the children were in bed Tony and I watched a big thunderstorm roll in and enjoyed the refreshing smell of the first big spring storm. There was a little hail mixed in, but not enough to damage anything. It's always so nice to hear the rain falling and experience the power of the lightening and thunder. I'd say it was a pretty good Mother's Day!
For Mother's Day yesterday we had a family day. We had gone out for dinner on Saturday night to avoid the Sunday afternoon holiday rush. The restaurant we went to had escargo, so of course we had to try some so Tony could add it to his "weird foods I have eaten" list. Tony fixed a great lunch on Sunday, with Big Brother's help, and after naps we all went on a bike ride. Big Brother has a new two-wheeler we picked up at a yard sale and loves every opportunity to practice riding. He did get a bit frustrated when turning corners - he hasn't learned how the brakes work and kept tipping over on the curves. He was quite persistent and kept getting back up though. Sister Bear and Little One rode in our bike trailer. We padded the seat and made a little spot for Little One and he fell right to sleep when the ride began. After the bike ride and getting Sister Bear in bed, Daddy and Big Brother had a little ice cream. Big Brother must have been tired, though, because he fell asleep while eating. After all the children were in bed Tony and I watched a big thunderstorm roll in and enjoyed the refreshing smell of the first big spring storm. There was a little hail mixed in, but not enough to damage anything. It's always so nice to hear the rain falling and experience the power of the lightening and thunder. I'd say it was a pretty good Mother's Day!
Thursday, May 05, 2005
Do Queens Sleep Alone? and A House Fit for a Queen
Some mornings I am awakened by my husband bending over to kiss me before he leaves for work. Others, the squirming baby beside me persuades me to leave my dreams behind and welcome the day with him. Today it was the voice of my three year old, ready to greet the new day with enthusiasm and renewed energy! He jumped up into the bed, letting me know it was daytime and that I and Little One needed to get up. His excitement traveled down the hallway and Sister Bear heard his cries and decided it was time to get up too. As soon as he heard her, Big Brother ran to her room to help her up and they both came back to share my bed space with me. Big Brother was declaring something about our whole family being in the bed together. It was a very exiting moment for him, he was jumping around like a wild man, randomly landing on legs and throwing pillows. Then my dear husband asked the question of the day, "Do queens sleep alone?" (Ours is a queen-sized bed, after all!) I had no response then, as I was still trying to get out of my morning fog, but I suspect that if they do they are missing out on quite a lot of early morning excitement!
Speaking of excitement, we are experiencing the ups and downs of searching for a new house. Right now we are living in the parsonage of our church, but we would like to find a place of our own where our family can grow and make memories. This morning we were supposed to go look at a place that we were beginning to feel hopeful about. But we received word last night that the house had sold. Then we learned that a house we have already looked at may be available to us at a reduced price. It is a beautiful home and we would love to have it, so we will return there next week for another look around. We'll see what happens, but as my three year old keeps reminding me, "God is building us a house!" I'm not sure which class at church he learned it from, but he knows that God has houses in heaven. His theology may be misapplied, but it is a good reminder that God does have a house for us and we can trust Him to bring us to it at the right time.
Speaking of excitement, we are experiencing the ups and downs of searching for a new house. Right now we are living in the parsonage of our church, but we would like to find a place of our own where our family can grow and make memories. This morning we were supposed to go look at a place that we were beginning to feel hopeful about. But we received word last night that the house had sold. Then we learned that a house we have already looked at may be available to us at a reduced price. It is a beautiful home and we would love to have it, so we will return there next week for another look around. We'll see what happens, but as my three year old keeps reminding me, "God is building us a house!" I'm not sure which class at church he learned it from, but he knows that God has houses in heaven. His theology may be misapplied, but it is a good reminder that God does have a house for us and we can trust Him to bring us to it at the right time.
Tuesday, May 03, 2005
Rainbows
Tonight we had a Mother's Day event with the children at our church. It coincided with the presentation of awards to those in our Missionettes and Rainbows programs. My older son is in Rainbows. It is the preschool aged class. He received awards for all his work this year and shared some of what he has learned. His class sang their Rainbows song. It says "I'm a Rainbow. A promise of God's care. I love to share His happiness with my friends everywhere." It's exciting that they are learning from such an early age that God loves them and He wants them to share that love with others. All the kids were very excited to receive their awards.
I think the night was special for the mothers as well. They had worked to create a special video for the kids, sharing why they love them so much. I enjoyed watching the kids faces as they heard their mothers speak words of life about them. I think those words will impact the kids in a great way. It's easy to forget how important praise is to our kids. Not only is it important to praise our kids, but it is important to praise them in front of others. One little boy just smiled and giggled as he listened to his mom say why he was so special to her. The girls' faces were beaming as they heard pride in their mom's voices. As much as the kids enjoyed the praise, though, I think it was almost as good for the mothers to hear themselves praising their children. In the hustle and bustle of life we tend to take our children for granted. It's nice to be able to be reminded of how important they are to us and to put into words how special God made them. I'm glad we had the opportunity to publicly praise them and to hear other's public praise. I think that reminder is the best Mother's Day gift for me!
I think the night was special for the mothers as well. They had worked to create a special video for the kids, sharing why they love them so much. I enjoyed watching the kids faces as they heard their mothers speak words of life about them. I think those words will impact the kids in a great way. It's easy to forget how important praise is to our kids. Not only is it important to praise our kids, but it is important to praise them in front of others. One little boy just smiled and giggled as he listened to his mom say why he was so special to her. The girls' faces were beaming as they heard pride in their mom's voices. As much as the kids enjoyed the praise, though, I think it was almost as good for the mothers to hear themselves praising their children. In the hustle and bustle of life we tend to take our children for granted. It's nice to be able to be reminded of how important they are to us and to put into words how special God made them. I'm glad we had the opportunity to publicly praise them and to hear other's public praise. I think that reminder is the best Mother's Day gift for me!
Sunday, May 01, 2005
Rain Showers
We had rain showers at our house tonight. My husband doesn't know it yet, but Big Brother and Sister Bear played in the rain. The grass didn't even get wet. Sister Bear pulled up the shower knob while the bathtub was filling with water. They were so excited about the water falling on them that I let go of that instinct that makes me cringe at every splash of water that goes beyond the boundries of the tub and just let them play. Big Brother was giggling and bouncing with delight. Sister Bear was laughing at his antics. They had fun playing in the rain and were quite disappointed when I had to turn off the water for fear of an overflow. Now they are in bed and I probably need to go clean up the floor in the bathroom. But I won't mind it so much tonight.
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