Hot July, and menu #3

Holy moly, it is hot.
Heat indexes are soaring into the 100s daily, with not much rain to cool things off.
So what's a body to do?
Lucky for us, Sonic had ice cream cones at half price this week...
so that was a nice treat.
Meanwhile, I've gotten some super-fun freebies during the last month.  My favorite is probably Tazo tea from Smiley360 - I got a coupon for a free box, and have been loving this to cool off on our hot days.


But as long as the air conditioning works, we will be fine.  We just don't do anything outside between 12-3p.m.  :)

As far as our menu, last week was all mixed up.
But everyone ate, and it's all good:
Monday~ chef salad for me, turkey sandwich with chips for ds.   
this became a fend-for-yourself sort of night...
Tuesday~ out to dinner with the girls :)  Ds & my dad will do something fun.
this actually happened!
Wednesday~ Broccoli Chicken Alfredo (with noodles for ds)
this turned into loaded baked potatoes - topped with some leftover chicken, cheese & broccoli
Thursday~ Leftover spaghetti (from dinner out last week) for ds and some other leftover concoction for me.  
first, there was no leftover spaghetti because ds is eating me out of house and home.  But we ended up meeting my mom, sis & her boys at chick-fil-a and mom bought dinner.
Friday~ Sloppy Joes -on bread for ds, on a sweet potato for me. 
this is where we had the broccoli chicken alfredo above.  Ds LOVED it and requested that it make a regular occurrence on the menu.
Saturday~ Frittata with ham, cheese, and broccoli (really more of an egg bake, but you get the idea).  I'll probably make hash browns for ds, and we'll have some fruit too.

Where we used to have leftovers to eat for lunch, they are vanishing.  My son is eating tremendous amounts of food!  So if I want leftovers, I'm going to have to double recipes and stash it.
Sunday~ chili in the crockpot
Monday~ salad, loaded baked potatoes (sweet potato for me)
Tuesday~ going to see The Minions, so we'll prob have dinner out with my mom, sis & boys after.
Wednesday~ leftover chili (I'm making a big batch!)
Thursday~ sloppy joes that never made it last week
Friday~ my mom is coming over to teach me how to make her famous potato salad, so I'm leaving things open.
Saturday~ HUBBY COMES HOME!!!!  Ham slices (from freezer), swiss beans, twice baked potatoes, salad.  And peach cobbler.

This week will be busy - ds is working with friends at VBS every day, and I'm expecting 25 pounds of peaches, so I'll be dealing with those (hence the peach cobbler for Hubs).  My man has been gone a month, so I am anxiously awaiting the weekend.

What's cookin' in your casa?  Share at Menu Plan Monday!

And now it's July... and our menu!

We stepped into July with a bang -
we had a great time celebrating with family from out of town and stayed busy from Thursday through Sunday.  We ate as a (huge extended) family for almost every meal, so I did very little cooking.  I made some cookie bars and a tomato salad, and that was it.  Which made it easy on my wallet! :)

So this week, there will be some carry-over from last week.  I'm diligently tracking my grocery spending... when I looked at what I've been spending the last three months, I was shocked at my totals, so I'm really hoping to get creative and bringing the budget under control.  I'm working through Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University and it is very eye-opening.

Here's our plan for this week:
Sunday~ dinner with the family and a visit to my brother's graveside.  This week marks two years since his unexpected death.
Monday~ chef salad for me, turkey sandwich with chips for ds.  Keepin' it simple.
Tuesday~ out to dinner with the girls :)  Ds & my dad will do something fun.
Wednesday~ Broccoli Chicken Alfredo (with noodles for ds)
Thursday~ Leftover spaghetti (from dinner out last week) for ds and some other leftover concoction for me.  Basically we're cleaning out the fridge!
Friday~ Sloppy Joes -on bread for ds, on a sweet potato for me.  I will modify this recipe a little (and not using frozen texas toast).
Saturday~ Frittata with ham, cheese, and broccoli (really more of an egg bake, but you get the idea).  I'll probably make hash browns for ds, and we'll have some fruit too.

Then it will be one week until Hubs is home.  WOO HOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lunches this week will be:

Leftovers

Salads

Pizza

Chicken Tenders 

and all the tomatoes we can tolerate.  They are coming in everywhere!

Share your menu marvels at Menu Plan Monday!

Pantry Challenge Menu #2 - finishing June and starting July

We just finished the first week of a Pantry Challenge.  We did pretty well, eating all our leftovers and not shopping.  It turned out slightly different than planned, but still good.

Mon- chili in the crockpot
Homemade macaroons for dessert. Yum!
Tues – Ds spent the night with a buddy so I was by myself in the house – and it was weird!!!! I was starving when I got home so I had chicken tenders.
Wed - picked up DS and after Bible Study… he had leftover pizza and I had a leftover chili.
Thurs - I went out with for a planned dinner with friends, and one of them bought everyone's meal, which was a sweet surprise! I made ds a pizza from the freezer before I left. And he ate it ALL.
Fri - Homemade burgers and fries (mine was bunless)


So here's our plan for this week:
Sunday~ 
Lunch: Sticky chicken in the crockpot, broccoli, twice baked potatoes, cucumbers & tomatoes
Dinner: Salad (for me), chicken tenders or leftover BBQ chicken (for ds)

Monday~
Lunch: Pizza for ds, salad for me
Dinner: Leftover BBQ chicken, leftover baked beans for ds, salad for me

Tuesday~
Lunch: Leftovers
Dinner: Tacos

Wednesday~
Leftovers for lunch & dinner

Thursday~
swimming at my parents' house for lunch, going to a ballgame with the family that evening

Friday~
family day and a fishing trip for all the boys :)

Saturday~
4th of JULY!  Happy Independence Day!
picnic lunch with the fam at the beach, and snack dinner at the fireworks that night

Our garden is bursting with tomatoes and green beans, so I am sharing those with family and including them everywhere I can.

What's on your menu?
Share at Menu Plan Monday.
And feel free to jump into the Pantry Challenge at Good Cheap Eats!

June Menu, and a sort of Pantry Challenge

Happy June!
It is H-O-T here, but I am not complaining as long as I can retreat to the air conditioning. :)
I've taken a look at our budget, and we need to tighten up a little, so we're beginning a small pantry challenge this week - just using what we have, and trying to do without if we run out, when possible.
I've inventoried our freezer, and I believe we can go to the the end of the month with no shopping trips, so that's my goal.
Here's the plan:
Sunday~ HAPPY FATHER'S DAY! My sweet hubby will be away from us doing graduate coursework, so we celebrated with my dad (and mom) with burgers, cucumber salad, corn on the cob, baked beans, and banana pudding at my parents' house, followed by a swim in the pool.  Not a bad deal at all!
Monday~
lunch: chicken tenders, salad (tons of lettuce, tomatoes from the garden)
dinner: chili
Tuesday~
lunch: frozen pizza, salad
dinner: chicken taco salad with tortilla chips
Wednesday~
lunch: turkey sandwich (ds), salad
dinner: leftovers (turn chili into nachos if desired)
Thursday~
lunch: chicken tenders, salad
dinner: dinner out with friends for me. Ds may be spending the night with friends.
Friday~
lunch: leftovers
dinner: hamburgers & fries
Saturday~
lunch: leftovers
dinner: sticky chicken, potatoes, broccoli or green beans, salad

I've tried to plan out lunch and dinner to save some coin.  All these recipes use what we already have on hand.  I will supplement with some baking and we should be in good shape!

I had a chat with ds#3 about summertime lunches, asking what he liked, explaining that we won't go out much in order to save money.  He gave me the teenage favorites of chicken tenders and pizza!  A few weeks ago, I received some coupons from BzzAgent to try Red Baron Brick Oven pizzas, and my son really liked them.  I purchased a couple since the initial trial, and he specifically requested those for the lunch rotation.  We have a winner!  You can see above that I have included them in our lunchtime specials! :)

Share your menu marvels at Menu Plan Monday!

Summer's here - woo hoo!!!!!!! It's a June Menu!

Happy Summertime!!!
We made it through the last weeks of school...
stressful and crazy busy....
happy and bittersweet...
And now people are clamoring for FOOD all the time around here! :)




So here's the plan:
Sunday~
Lunch: out
Dinner: Mexican beef in the crockpot, with rice, diced tomatoes from the garden, cheese, and whatever other toppings you'd like

Monday~
Lunch: a sandwich experiment with yuca rolls and assorted insides (ham, salami, cheese, chicken)
Dinner: Sticky Chicken in the crockpot with mashed potatoes, green beans and cucumbers from the garden, and these Paleo rolls

Tuesday~
Lunch: Chicken Bacon Ranch Salad from FishMama
Dinner: Burgers & Sausage on the grill, cucumber spears, fries

Wednesday~
Lunch: Nachos or leftover rice bowl ingredients from Sunday
Dinner: Chef salads

Thursday~
It's our 21st wedding anniversary, so I'm not planning anything for today!

Friday~
Lunch: BBQ chicken (using leftovers from Monday) or Sausage (from Tuesday) with fries
Dinner: Spaghetti (I'll have mine over zucchini) with tossed salad

Saturday~
not planning lunch... because it's summer and we can!
Dinner: Hawaiian chicken over rice with broccoli and salad

What about you?  What's cookin' in your casa?  Share at Menu Plan Monday!

The end of school has arrived. Whew!

At first, I thought it would never come.
Then, I needed more time.
Now, I'M READY.  This is the last week of school.
It is also my baby's last week in middle school.  That part makes it hard.  I can't believe it's time for high school.
But as a teacher, I'm ready for some down time.  Yes, yes, I am.

This week is going to emotional at times, and very busy.  And we need a menu plan!!!

Sunday~ out with friends
Monday~ MEMORIAL DAY.  Hawaiian chicken with rice and green beans from our garden on the menu.  My husband is a former Marine, and he has friends that were lost while in service.  He doesn't really like to do cookouts on this day, so we hung around at home.  (Plus the weather was gross.)
Tuesday~ Spaghetti.  I'll have mine over zucchini.  And I'm on the hunt for some kind of Paleo-friendly roll that I can make to appease my men.
Wednesday~ Leftovers, or frozen pizza.  There will be plenty to choose from.
Thursday~ It's Promotion Night for our eighth graders!  We will go out with family after the ceremony.
Friday~  WOO HOO - the last day of school!!!  We are going to watch my nephews' ballgames, so we'll get something out.
Saturday~ TBA... maybe something on the grill if the weather clears out.

Check out Menu Plan Monday for more ideas and inspiration.

May's Menu...and the end of middle school...

This is a bittersweet time - our youngest son is finishing his time in middle school.  With his older brothers, we were READY to get them out of middle school, but because Hubs & I have both been privileged to have our boy in our classes (a rarity, but we are the only ones who teach our subjects at our school) it's a little different.  This weekend, he had his last dance for middle school, and we chaperoned.  We got to see our students all dressed up, and it was more than a bit sad to see our boy SHAVE for the first time and get dressed for this dance.  No pics - he kept hiding - but the memories are precious.

As for our week, it will be a busy one!!
Sunday~ Hawaiian chicken with rice and broccoli (half a sweet potato instead of rice for me)
Monday~ Concert tonight.  I'll eat when I get home.  Something.  At some time.  Ds will be with me, helping set up.  The kids will have pizza beforehand.
Tuesday~ Concert #2.  Same.
Wednesday~ A night at home.  HoneyBaked Ham and Turkey.  Easy peasy.
Thursday~ Some sort of leftovers at the house and there are lots - ham/turkey, chicken, twice baked potatoes, lasagna.  Take your pick.
Friday~ I have a meeting about an hour away.  The boys will fend for themselves.  They'll come up with something.  I'll provide options... and they'll probably go out to eat.  :)
Saturday~ The day that my mom, sis, grandmother & I celebrate Mother's Day together.  We will probably eat lunch out, and return home just before dinner.

Our garden is coming along nicely - I picked these babies on Saturday!  There aren't enough to make anything yet, so I'll freeze them until more ripen... I see a blueberry cobbler in our future.

We also picked a handful of green beans, and one ripe cherry tomato.  So exciting!!

Share what's cookin' in your casa at Menu Plan Monday.