Weekly Menu for April 8th-April 14th

     I am a day late getting my menu posted.  I didn't post our menu last week but we didn't do too bad staying within the menu. This week I made our grocery list and menu.  Budget wise I went over which was a bummer.  I got some meat sales to stock up our freezer again.  Here are some pictures of the meals I made last week.  Pork Carnitas and BBQ Chicken with Macaroni and cheese and cole slaw.

                                    

     Yesterday and this morning I got in this cooking mood.  Yesterday I made blueberry pancakes for the freezer (Nathan loves blueberry pancakes).  I also made Mike some breakfast meals for work.  Made ham, cheese, and egg English muffin sandwiches and breakfast bowls that had eggs, O'Brien potatoes, spinach, and breakfast sausage.  This morning I made Banana Bread.  Then I made a mistake on a recipe.  I made what was suppose to be Orange Blueberry Muffin tops (https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/orange-blueberry-muffin-tops-3908750).  My mistake was I didn't read the recipe.  I didn't space them out the way I was supposed to.  I ended up taking them out of the oven and dumping it with the rest of the leftover batter into an 8x8 pan.  It came out like a cake (as you can see in the picture further down the page).  I drizzled the icing over it still.  It was a hit with my grandbabies, Felicity and Nathan.  Mike and I haven't tried it yet.  Sent some home with Felicity and Laurisah.  Here is the Breakfast bowl filling, Ham, Cheese, and egg English muffin sandwiches, Banana Bread and Orange blueberry "Cake"

                           

Now it's on to our weekly menu of the week.  It's a pretty simple menu for the week.  But using some yummy recipes.  

Monday:

I made Enchilada Casserole with salad.  Also made guacamole.  (https://www.sixsistersstuff.com/recipe/5-ingredient-ground-beef-enchilada-casserole/)  This was really good.  I also made homemade enchilada sauce because I didn't have any.  

Tuesday:

Fish, Quiona (that is if the quinoa gets here in time for supper if it doesn't then tater tots.) and green beans 

Wednesday:

Cheddar Chicken, Broccoli Risotto (will be made in my Quick cooker) and salad (https://www.pamperedchef.com/pws/sleclair/recipe/Main+Dishes/Gluten-Free/Quick+Cooker+Cheddar+Broccoli+Risotto+With+Chicken/1431996)

Thursday:

Hamburger and fries

Friday:

Leftovers (pizza)

Saturday:

Wings or Steak (potato something)

Sunday:

Laurisahs (Mississippi Roast, mashed potatoes, veggie, and dessert)

That is it for our menu this week.  Excited about next week.  We are leaving for Florida for almost two weeks.:)  Nice break.  I will be planning out our vacation menu.  I will still be cooking because it's cheaper.  I really don't mind cooking on vacation.  Have a fabulous week everyone. :)

Sharon :)

Weekly menu March 25th-March 31st

       Wow, we are in the last week of March.  It's starting to warm up here and the snow is melting.  Still not warm enough for me.:)   Most of last weeks menu went as planned.  Last Friday was a late night so we had Mcdonalds.  Not healthy at all.  Saturday we switch to having steak instead of chicken wings (didn't have any wings in the freezer) and Sunday we had hot dogs with tater tots ( needed something simple was in bed most of the day feeling sick).  I went $2 over grocery budget of $50 last week.  This week I am going to give myself between $30 and 40 for a budget.  I am only planning up until Thursday since we get paid on Friday(may go grocery shopping or go Saturday).  Here is the menu for this week.

Monday:
Steak fajitas
I will grill up the steak in our grill pan.  In a separate pan, I will saute the peppers and onions.  Once the steak is cooked I will slice it up and put it in with the vegetables.  I then will toss a couple of tablespoons of a homemade taco seasoning in it and season with salt and pepper.    We will use corn tortillas that I will warm up in the grill pan.

Tuesday:
Parmesan and garlic chicken in the air fryer with green beans
For the parmesan and garlic chicken, I take parmesan and garlic sauce that we get at Walmart and brush it over the chicken then put in the air fryer to cook. It comes really good.

Wednesday:
Spaghetti and meatballs in the Quick Cooker with salad
https://iwashyoudry.com/instant-pot-spaghetti-and-meatballs/

Thursday:
Shrimp Alfredo with Broccoli and Salad
https://breadboozebacon.com/easy-shrimp-alfredo/
will replace the half and half with heavy cream.    I will also use an Italian cheese blend when I make the alfredo.  Italian cheese has more of a flavor than just plain parmesan cheese.

Friday:
Leftovers

Saturday:
Chicken Wings, celery

Sunday:
Not sure

       I am really trying to eat healthy and low carb but it's difficult.  Doing the best I can especially when others in the family aren't.  I will leave you with some pictures of the meals that I made last week.:)

Frozen Strawberry Yogurt Bars made in the Snack Bar Maker

Lemon and Garlic Chicken with Greek Cucumber noodle salad

Strawberry Blondies using the brownie pan

Refried Beans tostadas

Have a great week everyone.:)

Sharon :)

     

Weekly Menu March 18th-March 24th

Last weeks menu did not go so well.  I struggled to keep with the menu.  But I keep reminding myself that I need to be flexible.  It's good to plan but also remember plans can change.  I shouldn't be so locked into something that things can't change.  Flexibility is a good thing.  This week I gave myself a budget of $50 for groceries.  I may go over just a tad but I am not too far off.  This week's menu consists of using what is in the freezer and pantry.  Here is this weeks menu plan.

Monday:

Lemon and Garlic chicken that was in the freezer

Greek Cucumber Noodle Salad (https://www.pamperedchef.com/pws/sleclair/recipe/Appetizers+%26+Snacks/Vegetarian/Greek+Cucumber+Noodle+Salad/1043363)

Tuesday:

Tostadas using refried beans and no meat (all the trimmings)

Wednesday:

Leftover Corned beef and veggies

Thursday:

Alfredo or Tuscan pasta from the freezer

Friday:

Hamburgers with sweet potato fries

Saturday:

Wings

Sunday:

Homemade pizza 

Most of this weeks menu is pretty easy.  Hopefully, I will stick to it.:)  Have a great week 

Sharon :)

Weekly Menu March 11th-March17th

We are into the second week of March already.  Time goes so fast.  Stuck to last weeks menu pretty well.  Did change somethings only because we made other plans.  This weeks menu will be healthier (hopefully) :).  Here's the simple menu.

Monday:
Italian chicken sheet pan supper (https://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/italian-chicken-sheet-pan-supper/) paring this with leftover salad. 

Tuesday:
Keto Beef Taquitos (https://www.officiallyglutenfree.com/2018/07/keto-beef-taquitos/) with salad

Wednesday: 
Chicken served with Greek Cucumber Salad (https://www.pamperedchef.com/recipe/Side+Dishes/Vegetarian/Greek+Cucumber+Noodle+Salad/1043363)

Thursday:
Hamburgers with sweet potato fries

Friday:
Grocery shopping probably pick something up at the store

Saturday:
Steak and salad

Sunday:
Corned beef, potatoes, cabbage and carrots (going in the crockpot)

Breakfast I don't really plan and lunch will be leftovers from the previous night's supper.  Well, I hope everyone has a great week.:)  Spring is just around the corner.:)
Sharon :)

Weekly Menu for March 4th-March 10th

   I went off the menu a lot last week but I was trying to eat through our pantry and freezer.  We were running out of things in the pantry.  We have plenty in the freezer for now.  I went grocery shopping this past Friday and went over my budget. I have been really trying to work on staying on budget but it's tough when you are limited to the stores you can grocery shop at.
   I have been really putting my food processor to use.  I love this little kitchen appliance.  I even used it to ground up chicken breast in it.  It works.  It's also cheaper than buying the already ground up chicken.  I used the ground chicken to make Asian Chicken wraps using a recipe from Noreen's Kitchen. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugdsH93pFhw the recipe link  is underneath the video.)

I plan on making trying to make hamburger using a roast.  Not sure how it will work but it will be worth the try and way cheaper too.  On to our menu for the week.  Remember sometimes this will change.  

Monday:

Zesty Queso Keto Chicken Soup ( at the moment this is in the Pampered Chef quick cooker.  Love this cooker.  I used this recipe https://heatherlikesfood.com/queso-keto-chicken-soup/.  I did double the recipe so that I can have lunches throughout the week.)

Tuesday:

Pioneer woman can cook Sour Cream bake (also making it keto for myself https://www.thisgalcooks.com/low-carb-sour-cream-beef-bake/) https://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/sour-cream-noodle-bake/

Wednesday:

Alfredo chicken bake from the freezer.  Having leftovers for myself keto friendly.:

Thursday:

Leftovers

Friday:

Hot Dogs and tater tots

Saturday:

Chicken Wings

celery

Sunday:

Pizza or leftovers

I typically do not eat breakfast but for Nathan, I have instant oatmeal packets, yogurt, and cereal.  For Mike, I am going to make him some keto type breakfasts.  Lunches are typically leftovers.  Have a great week everyone.:)  

Sharon :)

The Simple Woman Daybook

For Today

Looking out my window...   I see a wall of snow!!  I am so looking forward to seeing green.

I am thinking..... about our trip coming up in April.  So looking forward to going to Florida.  Wish it was now and get somewhere warm.:)

I am thankful.... that when I fail, I can get back up and start over.  

One of my favorite things...  is the Sound of Music.  This past Saturday our family was treated to the Broadway show of the Sound of Music.  

Here this lady helped in the show.  The person we got to take our picture was her Uncle.  He dragged her over and called her a star.  How sweet was that?  So much love.:) 

I am creating... some more cooking videos.  I need to plan out the days that I want to do recordings and plan out the content.  I need to stop fearing and just do it. 

I am wearing... a coral shirt with blue polka dots and blue pants with white socks.

I am reading (read) /watching (watched) / listening to

We have been watching Manifest.  It is a really interesting show about a plane that disappears for 5 years and all of a sudden it shows back up.  The people on the plane haven't changed but everyone else around them has aged or died.  I am still reading It's Not Suppose to be This Way.  by Lysa Terkeurst and reading a chapter of Proverbs a day.

I am hoping...that spring does come early.  We are literally surrounded by snowbanks.  Ours windows are almost completely covered.  

I am learning... to be content with what I have and being thankful for them.

In my kitchen... I took three chicken breast cut them up and ground them in the food processor.  It worked!!  Loving my food processor. 

Here's the menu for this week. 

Monday:

Zesty Queso Keto Chicken Soup

Tuesday:

Pioneer woman can cook Sour Cream bake (also making it keto for myself)

Wednesday:

Alfredo chicken bake from the freezer.  Having leftovers for myself keto friendly.:

Thursday:

Leftovers

Friday:

Hot Dogs and tarter tots

Saturday:

Chicken Wings

celery

Sunday:

Pizza or leftovers

In the school room... Nathan will be on Spring break in a couple of weeks but we probably will still do school because of vacation in April.  

In my garden... too cold and snowy.  

Board room...

Post Script...

Shared Quote...

A moment from my day... took time out and painted my fingernails.  I am out of practice of painting my fingernails.  Certainly, need to practice more.  Got more fingernail polish on sale from Walmart.  Love the color.  Its called Ginger Zinger by Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure.

Closing Notes...
Have a great week everyone.
Sharon :)

Weekly Menu plan Feb.25th-March 3rd.

We have been working on using what is in our pantry and freezer for this past week.  I am also working on through our freezer and pantry for this week too.   We haven't been eating healthy since last weekend because we were gone last weekend and I had planned on not going grocery shopping for this past week.  I am thinking of just picking back up with the healthy eating March 4th.  Part of this is because of how the paycheck lands.  Thursday we get paid so I do plan on doing a grocery list through Walmart and having Mike pick up.  Absolutely love the Wal Mart grocery pick up.  Where was this when our kiddos were little.  It would have been so helpful.  I keep a grocery list running on the Walmart grocery app.  and then pick a day and time for pickup.  It saves money too because you are not going to the grocery store hungry. :)  I will also be on the lookout for sales towards the end of this week.  Now onto our menu for this week.

Monday:
Making Korean Ground Beef and Rice Bowls (https://therecipecritic.com/korean-ground-beef-rice-bowls/)
Broccoli from the freezer
Tuesday:
Tuscan Pasta in the freezer

Wednesday:
Leftovers/

Thursday:
Hot dogs, chili sauce and tater tots

Friday:
Greek Pitas
Tomato and cucumber salad

Saturday:
Chicken Wings
celery

Sunday:
Pizza or leftovers

Yep, this weeks menu is very unhealthy but its mostly made up of what I have in the freezer or pantry.  Monday, March 4th we will be back to the grind.  I feel so much better when I eat healthier.
Have a great week everyone.:)
Sharon :)

The Simple Woman

Looking out my window: 

 Today is a beautiful sunny day.  Actually, it isn't really cold out.  It's a balmy 24 degrees out.  We still have tons of snow on the ground with another foot possible tomorrow into Wednesday.  I am so looking forward to our vacation in Florida.  

I am thinking: 

I need to have more gratitude in my life and less complaining.  My complaining will not get me anywhere but feeling nasty.

I am thankful: 

That we got to see Nathan wrestle on Saturday.  He did amazing and got first place in his weight class. We plan on going to see him at States this Saturday.  Looking forward to a weekend away. 

One of my favorite things: 

My family :)

I am creating: 

At the moment nothing.  At this point in my life,  I am just trying to figure out where I fit in.  What should I be doing?  It's so strange to have just one teenager at home when we had four children and now three are gone on their own.  I am trying to fill my life.  My son and grandbabies are certainly filling up my life.  My hubby and I are going out more than we ever have.  But we do enjoy just being home.  But you know how once a while you have to just get out.  

I am wearing:  

Purplish sweat pants with a pink shirt, and a mauve sweatshirt with slippers.  Can I just say that I love my slippers.  They are so warm and comfortable.  Josiah got them from LL Bean for Christmas.  

I am reading (read) /watching (watched) / listening to:  I am reading Tropical Punch Killer (Cupcakes in Paradise Book 12 ) by Summer Prescott on my kindle.  For my devotions, I am reading, of course, my Bible ( trying to remember (how sad)) and It's not supposed to be this way by Lysa TerKeurst.

I am hoping: 

I am hoping for an early spring.:)  

I am learning: 

To keep up with my planner.  I know I am not busy but the planner helps me with my cleaning schedule, appointments and other things that I may need to do.  This is what my planner looks like :

 So bright and Cheerful and reminds me I am beautiful in God's eyes.

 This lays out the month at a glance.  I fill in appointments or other things. 

I like this part because it breaks it up into weeks and you can fill in more detail for each day.  Here I put my morning routine, evening routines, supper menu and I also tell what might have happened each day.  Like storms or like Nathan getting first place.  Kind of using it as a journal.  

Got this planner from Hobby Lobby for like $ 3 on clearance.  I like to that it has stickers.  Love stickers LOL.  

In my kitchen:  

Here's my weekly menu.  I got from Monday to Sunday.  I use either Sunday or Monday to plan out my weekly menu.  I grocery shop once a week so I can get any sales.  

Monday:
Buffalo Chicken lettuce wraps ( this is from the freezer) I will chop of up some red onion, celery, tomato and cucumber for crunch.  I will be using romaine lettuce to wrap in. 

Tuesday:
Whole chicken with Normandy vegetables

Wednesday:
Crockpot Ham and green beans ( we are doing keto so I will take this and use chicken broth and make it more of a soup)

Thursday:
Chicken Cordon bleu (keto) with broccoli (this is so good and I think I have shared the recipe before but if I haven't here it is https://joyfilledeats.com/chicken-cordon-bleu-casserole/)
Going to use the leftover chicken from Tuesday and chicken that I already have cooked in the freezer.

Friday:
Keto version of the Pioneer woman  Sour cream bake with salad ( the original carb filled recipe is delicious hoping this one is too. https://www.thisgalcooks.com/low-carb-sour-cream-beef-bake/)

Saturday:
We will be in Lincoln so not sure what we will be eating. 

Sunday:
Buffalo wings in the air fryer ( we love our air fryer) with celery sticks

In the school room

Nathan has finished up Computer 1 and started Computer 2.  He isn't thrilled about it.  I don't think he likes how this program works.  We use Liberty Academy through Liberty University.  

In my garden

Nothing.  This is looking out our bedroom window to where our garden should be. :)

  

Board room:

https://www.pinterest.com/smjlfn/front-yard-gardens/  This is beautiful.  Haven't tried this but would be fun to try.  

Post Script:  This is a great site for those who want to save on groceries.  http://frugalfamilyfood.com/  They also have a youtube channel.  

Shared Quote
{share a favorite quote}

A moment from my day

Closing Notes: 

 This week I am going to try and not complain but focus on being thankful.  I have so much to be grateful for.  Look at Life as a Journey. Don't look back but look forward.  

Have fun Ya'll :)

Sharon :)

Menu for Feb.11th-16th

I am so glad that I have another week to plan for food.  Learning to be thankful even in the mundane things of life.  Last weeks menu had some changes in it.  Like I have said plan but also learn to be flexible because you never know what life can throw at you.  This week's menu is pretty simple. 
Saturday and Sunday we will be out of town. ( I have to put in here that my son went to Regionals last Saturday for wrestling and got first place in his weight class.  So impressed and proud of him.   Last year he got third in Regionals.  He has worked so hard.  So this Saturday is States which is about 2 and 1/2 hours away.  We are going to spend the night on Saturday and come back on Sunday.)

Monday:
Buffalo Chicken lettuce wraps ( this is from the freezer) I will chop of up some red onion, celery, tomato and cucumber for crunch.  I will be using romaine lettuce to wrap in. 

Tuesday:
Whole chicken with Normandy vegetables

Wednesday:
Crockpot Ham and green beans ( we are doing keto so I will take this and use chicken broth and make it more of a soup)

Thursday:
Chicken Cordon bleu (keto) with broccoli (this is so good and I think I have shared the recipe before but if I haven't here it is https://joyfilledeats.com/chicken-cordon-bleu-casserole/)
Going to use the leftover chicken from Tuesday and chicken that I already have cooked in the freezer.

Friday:
Keto version of the Pioneer woman  Sour cream bake with salad ( the original carb filled recipe is delicious hoping this one is too. https://www.thisgalcooks.com/low-carb-sour-cream-beef-bake/)

Saturday:
We will be in Lincoln so not sure what we will be eating. 

Sunday:
Buffalo wings in the air fryer ( we love our air fryer) with celery sticks

We rotate between steak and chicken wings every weekend.  And typically we have them on a Saturday but we won't be in town.  Also, I try to get steak when it is on sale.  Leftovers throughout the week we use for lunches so you won't see a leftover night unless we have a lot or I will freezer for a later meal.  I am learning to cook for three and sometimes four.  So hard.
Remember to look at life as a journey.

Sharon :)

Weekly Menu Plan Feb 4th-Feb.10th

Wow, it has been about a month of me not posting my menu for the week.  January 2nd we started keto and so far it hasn't been horrible.  We took this past weekend off because I knew I would go off plan since it was my birthday.  This week is going to be pretty simple.   I started following this blog (http://frugalfamilyfood.com/) and did an inventory of my pantry and freezer.  Now that I did the inventory I made a menu from what I have.  I will fill in where needed with a grocery list.  I do try to get sales when they happen.  Which is why I switched from shopping every two weeks to every week.  For example this past week we got 40 pounds of chicken quarters for $15.  Hannaford had whole chickens for .88 cents a couple of weeks ago.  So I got four of them.  What I save on grocery shopping I plan to put towards stocking my pantry and freezer.  I do have some Sams rewards that I plan to use to fill our freezer and pantry with.  Here is the menu for the week ( it really is kind of boring this week).

Monday- Nathan and I are having our leftover Olive Garden from yesterday and Mike is having leftover  Stuffed Chicken breast with salad from Saturday.  (Nathan and I will have the other leftovers for lunch tomorrow)

Tuesday-Broccoli soup from the freezer

Wednesday-Italian Sausage, peppers and onions with Zucchini Noodles I plan on the sausage and peppers with onions in the crockpot to cook all day.

Thursday- Cheeseburger pie ( Made from Trim Healthy Mama cookbook) from the freezer

Friday- Whole Chicken with mixed veggies

Saturday-Steak with loaded Broccoli

Sunday-Take leftover chicken from Friday and make chicken salad to have in lettuce wraps.  I will just take the chicken off the bones, add mayo, pickles and bacon bits.  Season with salt and pepper.

Next week hopefully I will have some better meals. :)  Sometimes I get in a slump of not wanting to plan anything or I get tired of the same thing all the time.  Also, I don't always stick to my menu.  Sometimes my hubby wants something different.  I am learning to be flexible. :)  I hope everyone has a great week.  Remember life is a journey so make it count. 

Sharon :)