Menu Plan 12/28/09

Breakfasts:

Granola with Milk

English Muffins and Eggs

Orange Juice

Lunches:

PB&J Sandwiches

Chips & Salsa

Pears, Clementines

Dinners:

Monday - Leftover Soup

Tuesday - Crescent Turkey, Salad

Wednesday - Leftovers

Thursday - Spaghetti, Salad

Friday - Leftovers

Saturday - Dinner with Family

Sunday - Lazy Chile Rellenos??

Wishing You

....and yours a very

Menu Plan 12/21/09

Breakfasts:

Granola with Milk

Bananas

Bacon, Eggs, Toast (Christmas morning)

Lunches:

PB&J Sanwiches, Tortellini Soup, Homemade Macaroni & Cheese

Pears, Clementines

Dessert

Dinners:
Monday - Leftovers

Tuesday - Dinner with Family

Wednesday - Crockpot Baked Potato Soup (new recipe!)

Thursday - Leftovers

Friday - Homemade Pizza, Salad

Saturday - Chicken Chimichangas, Salad

Sunday - Vegetable Beef Soup, Cheese Toast

Dessert:

Cherry Cheesecake Pie (for Christmas)

What should I make to eat for dessert earlier in the week week?

Projects in the works:

Any guesses what they are and who they are for?

Crescent Chicken

I know they are processed and probably not good for you, but there is just nothing else like a crescent roll from a tube :) There are no imitations that turn out the same way!

We tried this Crescent Chicken casserole recipe recently. Yum.

Christmas Decor

Are you the vintage type...
The glittery glam type...
The woodsy wonderland type...
A modern minimalist...
The sentimental-hodgepodge-collected-over-the-years type...

What kind of holiday decor to you have up at your home?

Do you go all out, or have just a few select items displayed?

One room, or every room and surface?

Or absolutely none at all?

I try to vary it up a little each year, while still reusing our decorations. I don't go buy new stuff each year, and I don't put it all out each year. Not that we have a ton. I think it all fits in two boxes. We don't have a bunch of knicknacks or signs, that's not our style.

I like to keep things cohesive throughout the house. I tried to make a rule for myself this Christmas that the materials I could use were white candles, glass or white ceramic, pinecones, and red berries. That's the "theme" I set for myself. So pretty much all Christmas decor arrangements, aside from the tree, incude only those items. They were things I all ready had. Pretty ordinary, and not screaming "posh" or "country" in my mind. Items that tie in with the overall decor of our home.

Nothing overwhelming is how we like it. Clutter stresses me out. I guess my husband's neat habits have rubbed off on me.

I like to spread the Christmas spirit to the bedrooms. We put our stockings in the bedrooms this year since we can't hang them from the fireplace mantle (it is too low - I'm afraid a child might pull them down and get hurt). And of course there are a few kid-friendly items around for for my daughter, like a stuffed snowman and her wooden Advent calendar.

Announcement: Emily's Christmas shopping was finished as of last weekend! Woohoo! Good thing, too, because this was a busy week!

Costco

About $80 worth + tax. You maybe can't tell from the picture, but these are large containers.

We had store coupons for the chips, fruit snacks, peanut butter, and spaghetti sauce. That saved us about $10. I am not a huge fan of standard Skippy so it might get donated. The fish is new to us... I am just giving it a try because a friend recommended it.

I am liking the baby and Up & Up coupons that Target has been mailing out recently. I just got a booklet that has a $2 off Pampers Target store coupon. If I can use this with another manufacturer's coupon for $1.50, that means I can get Pampers for $5.49 this week at Target since they are on sale for $8.99. Hmm, we might be stopping for a package!

I am really not a couponer, but it seems that I've had diaper coupons lately that people have given me or I've gotten in the mail. They've really come in helpful in order to stock up on some disposables for when we are out of the house. Maybe once my oldest is potty trained, I will go back to using cloth when we are out and about, but for now, toting around cloth diapers for two kids when we go out is just a bit much.

December!

My apologies for the unplanned hiatus. If anyone even noticed. :) It has been a busy few weeks here and computer time has been at the bottom my list... I have a feeling it might remain like that over the next month or so. So please be patient if new postings are fewer than normal for the time being. Thanks. I hope you are enjoying this special season, too.



Here are our main dish dinner choices from the past week and for the next couple:
Baked Ziti
Beef Chimichangas
Pizza (with PW's pizza dough)
Lazy Chile Rellenos
Chicken Tamale Casserole (this is a new one for us!)
Pot Roast Italiano (new, too)
Shepherd’s Pie
Liza’s Chicken (made with turkey, to deliver)
Fish and cornbread
Turkey pot pie
BBQ Meatballs

Sides: peas, green beans, salad greens

Here are the grocery trips of late:
(So much for the pictures.)

Aldi – $35
Miscellaneous staple items
(Chocolate chips are currently $1.29, butter is $1.39!)

Whole Foods – $35
10 lb. Pears
5 lbs. Ground Beef
Badger balm
Italian dressing mix (I’m in a lazy mood, not up for making my own.)
Shampoo

Price Chopper – $10
7 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts

HyVee – $21
Black Friday deal w/ coupons:
5 packages Huggies diapers, some for gifts


Still need to head to Costco soon, too!

Today and tomorrow:
Roasting a turkey from my mother-in-law, catching up on laundry, and making lots of this.

Happy weekend, everyone!