Sunday, April 27, 2014

Menu Plan - April 28th to May 16th

I'm sitting here working on my menu plan, and I don't know what it is, but I'm drawing a bit of a blank.

Used to be that I could just sit down, pull out a blank sheet of paper and the meals would just flow onto the page, but lately it's not working that way, it's quite frustrating actually.

I want to be able to share new recipes with you all, so I'm always on the look out for a new one to try, but there are days where I just want good ol tried and true recipes that I've been making for....well...for my whole life.

Anyway, here are the plans for the next two weeks, I may change one or two things around, but for the most part, this is what I'm sticking to. Oh and I'm totally going back to planning breakfast and lunch as well, it definitely makes things easier around here.

Breakfast will always include coffee for me, the kids will drink juice or milk.  Lunch will be either leftovers or something easy like sandwiches.


Monday 28th
Breakfast:   Coffee, Juice, Toasted English Muffin with butter and Apricot Preserves
Lunch:   Grilled Cheese and Ham Sandwiches
Dinner:   Crockpot Pork Meatballs (new recipe)

Tuesday 29th
Breakfast: Coffee, Chocolate Milk, Oatmeal
Lunch: Totino's Pizza
Dinner: Chicken and Chourico Rice (using leftover roast chicken)

Wednesday 30th
Breakfast: Coffee, Milk or Juice, Cinnamon Toast
Lunch: Tuna Salad
Dinner: Homemade Cheesy Garlic Pizza

Thursday 1st
Breakfast: Coffee, Juice, Buttermilk Waffles
Lunch: Corndogs
Dinner:  Sausages, Mustard Mashed Potatoes and Onion Gravy (new recipe)


Friday 2nd
Breakfast: Coffee, Scrambled Eggs, Toast
Lunch: Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches
Dinner:  Crockpot Chicken Lickin' (new recipe)

Saturday 3rd
Breakfast: Coffee, Yogurt and Fruit
Lunch: Leftovers
Dinner:  Fish and Chips

Sunday 4th
Breakfast:  Biscuits and Gravy
Lunch: Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Dinner:  Crockpot Macaroni and Beef (new recipe)

Monday 5th
Breakfast: Coffee, Pancakes, OJ
Lunch: Ramen Noodles
Dinner:  Chicken in Beer and Garlic Sauce, Garlic and Lemon Spaghetti

Tuesday 6th
Breakfast: Coffee,Toast
Lunch:  Mac and Cheese
Dinner: Slow Cooker Cheeseburger Meatball Sandwiches (new)

Wednesday 7th
Breakfast:  Coffee, Juice, Cereal
Lunch: Chicken Soup
Dinner:  Ranch Breaded Pork Chops, Potato Casserole

Thursday 8th
Breakfast: Coffee, English Muffins
Lunch:  Hot Pockets, Fruit
Dinner:  Handmade Ricotta Cavatelli

Friday 9th
Breakfast: Coffee, Waffles
Lunch: Chili Cheese Fries
Dinner: Grilled Steak, Homemade Fries, Salad

Saturday 10th
Breakfast:  Coffee, Milk, Scrambled Eggs, Toast
Lunch:  Pizza
Dinner: Parmesan Crusted Tilapia, Broccoli

Sunday 11th
Breakfast: Coffee, Juice, Banana nut Muffins
Lunch: Cheese Quesadillas
Dinner: Orange Chicken and Steamed Rice

Monday 12th
Breakfast: Coffee, Milk, French Toast Sticks
Lunch: Ramen Noodles
Dinner: Maple Sausage Spaghetti

Tuesday 13th
Breakfast: Coffee,Toast
Lunch:  Mac and Cheese
Dinner: Spicy Chicken Sandwiches, Crispy Fries

Wednesday 14th
Breakfast:  Coffee, Juice, Cereal
Lunch: Clam Chowder
Dinner:  Baked Penne with Meat Sauce

Thursday 15th
Breakfast: Coffee, Milk, Muffins
Lunch:  Egg, Tomato and Scallion Sandwiches
Dinner:  Handmade Ricotta Cavatelli

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Think Spring with Lucky Leaf - Review and GIVEAWAY!

Lavender Fields Bouquet

It's Spring folks....it's finally Spring and we are so ready to celebrate it.  What better way to do that than to team up with Lucky Leaf and their delicious pie fillings, and FTD flower arrangements.

I was sent a package with some delicious pie fillings and some recipe cards to try out.  The one that my family immediately requested, was the Blueberry Snack Bars.  Oh my goodness, they are to die for.

Blueberry Snack Bars

Even though the recipe asks for Blueberry, I am going to make them again but this time using different pie fillings such as Strawberry, Cherry, Peach and Apple.  Yum!

A few days before I received my package, I was gifted with a beautiful flower arrangement from FTD

The Lavender Fields Mixed Flower Bouquet is the perfect Spring Bouquet to gift to a loved one or friend.

Lavender Fields Bouquet

Just gorgeous!!!

So on to the Snack Bars, and let me show you real quick just how easy they are to make. Delicious doesn't even begin to describe, let me just say that my niece and nephew couldn't keep their hands off them and devoured 4 in one sitting. Yes, it's THAT good.

Blueberry Snack Bars
Blueberry Snack Bars


18-ounce package yellow cake mix
1/2 cup butter, melted
3 eggs
8-oz package cream cheese
2 &1/2 cups confectioners sugar
21-ounce can Lucky Leaf Premium Blueberry Pie Filling
3/4 cup flaked coconut
3/4 cup walnuts, chopped


Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large mixing bowl, blend cake mix, butter and 1 egg. Pat mixture into buttered 10x15 inch jelly roll pan.

Beat cream until fluffy; blend in 2 eggs and sugar. Pour over cake mixture.

Spoon Lucky Leaf Premium Blueberry Pie Filling on top. Sprinkle with coconut and nuts. Bake for 45 minutes until lightly browned. Cool; cut into bars.

Blueberry Snack Bars

You definitely have to make these, they are the perfect get together treat.

If you want to gift someone special, their very own gorgeous flower arrangement, FTD is making that possible when you use this link to receive 10% off select Spring Arrangements.

And as for Lucky Leaf, the ever so generous Pie Filling Masters are giving away a gift package with recipe cards and your very own Lucky Leaf Pie Filling to help with your Spring baking.

All you need to do is leave a comment below and please make sure that there is an email where I can reach you if you are picked as the winner.

That's it.  Good Luck!!

Contest is open to all US Residents.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Mango Banana Green Smoothie

I've mentioned Skinny Taste here on my blog, quite a few times.  I love her recipes, they are healthy, they are low calorie and they are delicious.

I've always believed that you don't need to eat flavorless, bland, yucky foods to still enjoy healthy, and Gina over at Skinny Taste is living proof of it.

If you've never heard of her blog or visited, you don't know what you're missing, go check it out.

I haven't been feeling very well, I can tell that I'm seriously lacking vegetables and fruit, and clean eating, and mostly water.  I've kind of let myself go in that sense, and even though I still enjoy delicious meals, I feel that when I drink just water and up my veggie and fruit intake, my body feels so much healthier.

With that in mind, the past two days I have drank just water flavored with lemon, or orange and grapes.  Love it.  I've also started having a green smoothie at day, either for breakfast or lunch, so I've gathered all my green smoothie recipes and am going to try a few.  The first one on the list was this Mango Banana Green Smoothie from Skinny Taste.

Mango Banana Green Smoothie

I didn't add the Hemp seeds, not because I didn't want to, but I am having a hard time finding them in my little town, but it's still delicious without them.

Give it a try...and by the way, my children love these smoothies too which is a huge plus for me, it means I'm giving them yummy healthy good stuff, and in this day an age where our lives are surrounded by processed food, it's a good thing.

Mango Banana Green Smoothie
Mango Banana Superfood Green Smoothie

Servings: 2 • Size: 16 oz smoothie • Old Points: 3 • Weight Watcher Points+: 4 pt
Calories: 173.5 • Fat: 6 g • Carb: 27 g • Fiber: 4.5 g • Protein: 5 g • Sugar: 15.5 g
Sodium: 171 mg • Cholest: 0 mg

Ingredients:

1 frozen banana
1 packed cup baby spinach
2/3 cup fresh mango, diced
2 tbsp raw hemp seeds, shelled
1 3/4 cups unsweetened almond milk
1 cup ice
sweetener, to taste (I used a few drops of Nu-Naturals liquid stevia)


Directions:

Combine all the ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth, adjust sweetener to your taste.