Monday, February 11, 2019

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.  

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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 :)

Monday, February 4, 2019

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 :)




Monday, December 31, 2018

Menu for Dec.31-January 6th



Wow, where did the year go?  This is the last menu I will be posting for 2018.  Here is our menu for this week.  I don't post breakfast because I usually do not eat breakfast and for lunches, we usually eat leftovers from the night before.  I do have snacks planned for this week which I will post at the bottom of this weeks menu.  We are starting keto/Trim healthy mama ( I was doing this past summer and just went off but going back on this week.)

Monday:
Salmon and kale sheet pan  with multigrain brown rice
(https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/teriyaki-salmon-and-kale-sheet-pan-supper-4492476)

Tuesday:
Chicken leg sheet pan with broccoli and sweet potatoes
(https://www.thespruceeats.com/roasted-sheet-pan-chicken-4155633)
parmesan pastry pipes
(https://www.womansday.com/food-recipes/food-drinks/recipes/a12446/parmesan-pastry-pipes-recipe-wdy1213/)

Wednesday:
Baked Italian meatballs over keto friendly noodles
(https://www.ruled.me/baked-italian-meatballs/)
green beans

Thursday:
Keto Chicken Divan
(https://www.ruled.me/keto-chicken-divan/)

Friday:
Leftovers

Saturday:
Steak and cauliflower mash

Sunday:
Possible pizza made with fat head crust or crust made with cauliflower

Snacks:
Guacamole with cucumbers
almonds and walnut mix
mozzarella cheese sticks and pepperoni
olives

Hope everyone has a great week.:)  Remember tomorrow starts a whole new slate.  Looking forward to a better year.  Stay safe everyone and have fun!
Sharon :)


Monday, December 17, 2018

Menu for December 17th-23rd



Wow only a week away from Christmas.  Where does the time go? I did ok following last weeks menu.  Some days I did end up changing.  The new recipe that I tried from https://www.rachelcooks.com/2016/03/23/cornish-game-hen-recipe-sherry-orange-rosemary/  was really good.
  I never had cornish hens before.  They were super yummy and very moist.  It's perfect for small families.  I didn't get to the Chicken Au Champagne yet.  That will be on the menu for today.  Saturday we did wings and fries instead of the taco salad.  I also tried a few desserts.  Some were good and one recipe I had to throw away.  It was nasty.  Recipes do not always turn out as planned.  I may have to pick up a few items but the goal this week is not to do any shopping until this weekend for Christmas.  Here is the new menu for this week.


Monday:
Chicken au champagne (https://www.rachelcooks.com/2016/03/23/cornish-game-hen-recipe-sherry-orange-rosemary/)
Orzo pasta (https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/228131/parmesan-garlic-orzo/)
Vegetable of some sort

Tuesday:
Freezer meal or get something from the store. Nathan has an orthodontist appointment. We also plan on doing some shopping.  Has to be an easy meal.:)

Wednesday:
Spaghetti

Thursday:
Garlic Chicken
Rice
Corn

Friday:
Leftovers

Saturday:
Buffalo Chicken wraps
Fries

Sunday:
Leftovers or pizza

Challenge this week is to only get a few items and then shop this weekend for meals for next week.  I hope everyone has a great week.:)
Sharon :)




Monday, December 10, 2018

Menu for Dec.10th- Dec.16th

This past week I didn't go strictly by the menu as was planned.  I had things in the fridge that I needed to use up and Mike wanted different things then from what was planned.  You learn to be flexible not just in life but also when it comes to meal plans.  That's why its so important for me to have my freezer, pantry and refrigerator stocked so I can change if I need to.  When meal planning check and see what you have on hand.  Then you can make a grocery list to fill in where needed.  This week I am using mostly what I have in the freezer but I also plan on cooking some new recipes that I have found for a project I am working on.  Here is the menu for the week.  It may change throughout the week depending on how things go.

Monday:
Maybe a crockpot meal

Tuesday:
Cornish game hens (new recipe for the project)
Mashed potatoes (trying this recipe: https://www.rachelcooks.com/2017/11/21/brown-butter-slow-cooker-mashed-potatoes/)
Corn
https://www.rachelcooks.com/2016/03/23/cornish-game-hen-recipe-sherry-orange-rosemary/

Wednesday:
A chicken pasta dish from the freezer
Nathan has a wrestling meet that we plan on going to

Thursday:
Leftovers

Friday:
Chicken Au Champagne (new recipe for the project)
Brown Rice
Green Beans
https://cookingwithcurls.com/2014/06/09/chicken-au-champagne/

Saturday:
Taco Salad

Sunday:
Leftovers

Desserts:
Citrus Golden Ring Cake
No bake cookies
Eggnog Christmas cookies
Peppermint cookie sandwich

Have a great day everyone!



Tuesday, December 4, 2018

Menu for Dec.3- Dec.9th


Got a late start on my menu because I have some other things that I have been working on.:) Here is the menu for this week:

Monday:
Chicken Scampi (used rice instead of pasta) Mother-in-laws recipe

Tuesday:
Pioneer woman Sour Cream Egg Noodle bake  I had this in the freezer so it's an easy meal just to heat up.
https://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/sour-cream-noodle-bake/

Wednesday:
Chili over baked potatoes.  Using some chili that I made and put in the freezer

Thursday:
Leftovers

Friday:
Pizza

Saturday:
Leftovers/something simple

Sunday:
Chicken wings and fries

This is a very simple menu this week.  I may have my grandbabies for a few nights and I needed something quick and easy.:)  Hope everyone has a great week.:) Have fun ya'll!