Woops! It looks like I missed a couple of weeks there. Life got crazy with the start of football practices and all of the work that we've been doing around the house and I totally forgot to sit down and get the weekly post done! I did have menu plans though and I have to say that it's been wonderful knowing just what's for dinner each night and yet still being flexible enough to move things around when we need to. Of course, Ben doesn't agree to the moving things around. He loves routines, schedules and knowing exactly what's going on. Hopefully, he likes this week's menu!

Monday - Pizza
Tuesday - Chili
Wednesday - Cheeseburgers
Thursday - Chicken and Dumplings
Friday - Shepherd's Pie
Saturday - Out
Sunday - Lasagna



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More eating from the cupboard this week as we work our way through some financially tight times. It may not be the healthiest but we all have full bellies and we're making room for better things.

Saturday - French Toast
Sunday - Chicken Bites
Monday - Tacos
Tuesday - Fish Filets
Wednesday - Pasta
Thursday - Burgers
Friday - Mac 'n Cheese w/ Tuna






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Grocery money is a little bit tight this week, so I decided it'd be a perfect time to clear out the freezer and cupboards. I warn you that there's not a healthy thing on this menu this week, but it's going to feed us and make room at the same time! Hopefully next week we'll be back to something a bit healthier.

Monday: Pasta
Tuesday: Fish Filets
Wednesday: Burgers
Thursday:  Mac 'n Cheese with Shrimp
Friday:  Chicken Bites




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I'm so excited about menu planning and cooking again. It feels wonderful to be more like the me that I know I can be. Thank god for the medication that is helping me do this. I never thought that I would be one to want medication, but I always said if you need it, then you need it and once I got past my fears, I realized that I needed it. Enough about that though...on to the menu!

Monday: BBQ Chicken w/ corn on the cob
Tuesday: Brat Burgers
Wednesday: Shrimp Scampi
Thursday: Shepherd's Pie
Friday: Stromboli




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I am loving meal planning again. It's amazing what happens when you take little baby steps to getting better. Suddenly things that I had lost enjoyment in seem fresh and new and wonderful again. The boys are getting interested in what we're having and I'm even thinking about each week taking each one of them into the kitchen to help make dinner one night each. For this week, we have:

Saturday: Beef Stroganoff
Sunday: Steak w/ Asparagus & Smashed Garlic Potatoes (Mom's night w/o the boys)
Monday:  Ham & Eggs
Tuesday: Cod w/ Parsley Sauce
Wednesday: Sheperd's Pie
Thursday: Mac n Cheese w/ Shrimp (Ben request)
Friday:  --- Surprise ---






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It's been a really long time since I actually cooked. I'll confess that I've been living off of Weight Watchers frozen meals for months now. One of the baby steps to getting better though is to start to take better control of my diet. It's better for me and it's better for the boys. We're not making anything super complicated so even on the tough days, it's not too bad and I always feel a little bit better for the accomplishment. So, without further ado...here is our meal plan for this week:

Saturday: Brat burgers, pasta salad and corn on the cob
Sunday: Roast w/ carrots & potatoes
Monday: Pizza (frozen -- freezer clean out)
Tuesday: Lasagna (frozen -- freezer clean out)
Wednesday: Taco Chicken
Thursday: Beef Stew (from scratch using leftover roast from Sunday)
Friday: Tacos





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I hereby announce that I will not be menu planning this week. I actually did manage to cook twice last week. Neither time was it something on my menu. The big part of this was because I came down with a stomach bug that held on most of the week. Cooking a meal for just me wasn't happening, I'm afraid. This week has the feel of chaos already so I'm just going to wing it. I promise I'm not giving up on this forever, just for this week. Next week, Justin will be in town so there will be more winging it as we try to get things done, enjoy our time together and just be a together couple. I do love the together times.

So, for now, sit back, relax and wait for my next post regarding non meal planning topics. ;)



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Wow, it's Monday again. I don't even know where the last week went. It seems I was just sitting down to add this part back into my routine and suddenly..wooosh! The entire week is gone. Well, I have some bad news to report. While I made up that delicious menu, I didn't cook a single thing off of it. Not one thing. I have perfectly reasonable reasons excuses why that is. Let's see...
Monday - No milk
Tuesday - Didn't feel good
Wednesday - Went out for Roger's birthday
Thursday - ???
Friday - Picked up pizza for Roger's actual birthday
Saturday - Kids pushed some buttons and we were busy..before I knew it, it was late & Justin saved my butt by ordering dinner
Sunday - Wasn't feeling super hot so just had some fruit & a sandwich for dinner.

Nice job, huh? Geez. I guess the fact that I made the menu plan is a step in the right direction but I think I need to make a firmer step. Maybe this week I'll manage to cook 2 of the 7 means, huh? Life is slowly coming back together and I have to remind myself that slower is better right now. If I keep it slow, I keep it manageable while I build new routines and habits. Now, since I did nothing off of last week's menu...here it is again! I am making a few changes since I won't have the boys this weekend and we don't have a birthday to celebrate.

Monday - Mac n Cheese (with tuna/peas)
Tuesday - Salt n Pepper Pork Chops w/ salad
Wednesday - White Cheddar Chicken Pasta
Thursday - Easy Peasy Calzones
Friday - Grilled Ham & Cheese
Saturday - Pizza
Sunday - Baked BBQ Chicken w/ Salad & Garlic Smashed Potatoes




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Welcome to a new week! It's Monday and that means adding something new to my weekly schedule. This week, I'm adding back in meal planning. Without it, we spend too much having pizza delivered. Now, don't get me wrong, I could order out every single night, but if we want to get anywhere financially or health wise, it's time for me to get my tuckus back into the kitchen. I actually really like to cook and if I keep doing my Tuesday challenges, my kitchen will get back into the order it needs to be in for me to not trip over things while I try to do it!

Monday - Mac n Cheese (possibly adding in tuna/peas)
Tuesday - Salt n Pepper Pork Chops with salad
Wednesday - White Cheddar Chicken Pasta
Thursday -  Easy Peasy Calzones
Friday - Out for Roger's birthday
Saturday - Lasagna
Sunday - Baked BBQ Chicken w/ Salad & Garlic Smashed Potatoes

So there we go...one menu and wow it sounds yummy. I just hope that I can go to the next step and actually cook this delicious food. I guess you'll find out next week. ;)



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It's Monday and after looking at this week's weather, I can say that Autumn is certainly on the way. It's looking like a rainy, chilly week and honestly, I'm thrilled! I love this time of year. I love pulling out the crock pot recipes and making chili.  I know I could do that year round but something just always makes me wait until Autumn. This year isn't any different.

Sadly, the boys are back at their dad's and until I move into town, I'm on my own during the week. I'm trying to remind myself that it doesn't mean I can't eat good food too but it sure is harder to cook for one than it is for 3 or 4. Am I the only one who has noticed that?

Anyway, my menu for this week is going to include something a little special. My birthday is next week and Roger was really upset when he heard no one was going to be celebrating it. So, I've decided to have a little mini celebration this weekend for the three of us. Nothing extravagant, but something special for us.

Monday - Breakfast for dinner
Tuesday - Steak w/ veggies
Wednesday - Pesto Chicken
Thursday -  Pasta
Friday - Pizza
Saturday - Chili (w/ brownies & icecream for dessert for my birthday)
Sunday - Steak (I bought 2 and need to use them both up!)

Looks yummy! Now, I just need to stick with it!

Ugh! It's hot here again! We had such a gorgeous week of weather and then it had to get blazing hot again! Yuck, yuck, yuck! My brain feels like it's melting so my menu is going to be less than creative or inspiring this week. It's going to be all about using up things and trying to keep the house cool over the next couple of days.

So, here we go:
Monday- Pizza (take out..see? That keeps the house cool..hehe)
Tuesday- French Toast w/ Sausage
Wednesday- Mac n Cheese w/ hamburger
Thursday- Pasta w/ shrimp
Friday- Pesto Chicken Pockets
Saturday- Cheeseburgers w/ homemade fries
Sunday- Blueberry Pancakes

So, there we go. One easy peasy menu. Starting next week, it's going to be so different since I'll be cooking for just myself again. That's always such a huge transition for me.

Whew! Happy holy hot Monday, world! We made it all the way into August and last night (technically tonight since I haven't been to bed yet), I gave it and put the window unit into my bedroom window. Last summer, I put it on the landing and while it was semi-effective, it took nearly a week to cool down our bedrooms. So, it's now in my bedroom window and the boys are camping out on my bedroom floor. I offered them my bed (it's important to me that they get enough sleep), but they said no, then I would be hot. So, they talked about it and decided to camp out on my floor so that I could still have my bed. I have such great kids!

Since the temperatures are supposed to be anywhere from 85-90 all week long, we're cooking/cheating in ways that are going to keep the house as cool as possible. I'm looking forward to Autumn when things cool down and I can really get into the kitchen and start cooking and baking again. I'm continuing on my goals of making changes in my life and that's part of it.

Monday - Leftover Pasta
Tuesday - Sandwiches
Wednesday - Family Picnic
Thursday - Pasta
Friday - Taco Chicken Packets
Saturday - homemade pizza
Sunday - Lasagna

Simple and hopefully very tasty. If the heat is too much for any of the oven cooked foods, I'll switch it to something in the crockpot. I love how easy that is.

Monday, Monday...Menu Planning Day. I finally have my boys back and I'm so happy for that. They spent an extra 5 days with their dad so that they could also visit with their grandparents. I'm so glad that they got that time with them. Sadly, neither Peter or I make sure that the boys get enough time with our families. I know that we have good reasons for that, but it does make me a little sad.

So, they're back and we've already gotten to work on our end of summer project. The boys and I talked and we want to get our house in really good shape to start the school year. This means more cleaning, more purging and just plain more work. We work when we can and relax when we can't. The can't is mostly due to the horrible heat. It's after 10pm here and the downstairs is registering in at 88 degrees. The humidity is way up, as well, which affects my lungs. However, we got the landing already whipped into shape and I'm proud of us. We got rid of 3 boxes while we were working up there. Yes, there are still boxes in the house. That's part of our goal. We want the rest of them gone.

Okie...Menu:

Monday -  Cheeseburgers
Tuesday - Cereal (oy the heat...)
Wednesday - Pancakes
Thursday - Mac n Cheese
Friday - Pizza
Saturday - Chicken
Sunday - Pasta

There we go. Of course, depending on how bad the heat gets in the house, this may be tweaked.

Welcome back to the blog, folks. I'm so sorry for skipping out on you over the past couple of weeks. Camping didn't go as well as I'd expected and on top of the emotional turmoil, I came back with a very, very bad sunburn. I couldn't move because of pain for a few days and then I've been dealing with the other physical side effects. Emotionally, I'm still a bit of a wreck but I'm holding out hope that the relationships can and will be repaired soon.

Now, let's get to the menu for this week. The boys are with their dad until Thursday so it's going to be really simple cooking. So, let's see what we've got:

Monday - n/a
Tuesday - Pasta
Wednesday - Rice
Thursday - Ravioli
Friday - Pizza
Saturday - Lasagna
Sunday - Cheeseburgers

Seems simple? Well, it is. I'll toss some veggies with things and it will all be yum yum yummy!

Welcome to another Menu Plan Monday. This week is our Grilling/Camping edition since that's where I'm going to be for the rest of this week and part of next week. Instead of leaving y'all with nothing to read, I'm going to post one of our recipes each day. These will be the actual recipes that we'll be using at camp and I hope that everyone enjoys them as much as I hope we're going to be enjoying them.

So, let's start with the menu:

Thursday- BBQ Chicken & Salad
Friday- Turkey, Potatoes, Stuffing & Grilled Carrots
Saturday- Burgers & Corn on the Cob with Basil-Parmesan Butter
Sunday- Pork Chops, Baked Beans & Baked Apples

Also on the menu: S'mores, Campfire Banana Splits and of course, Hot Dogs!

The week after the week of insanity is here. It doesn't even feel as if last week was the one spent running around crazy. Time is blurring for me. I'm so frantically trying to get everything around so I can go camping with everyone next week. The one bonus of frantic is that I tend to get slightly more organized, so here is this week's menu:

Monday - Pancakes
Tuesday - French Toast
Wednesday - Eggs & Toast
Thursday - Omelettes
Friday - Lasagna
Saturday - Sandwiches
Sunday - Mac n Cheese w/ Hamburger

Ok, I know it's Tuesday but yesterday was just insane. I had to be out the door just after 11 to pick up the boys and to take them to Film Camp at the school. Then, I grabbed some lunch and went to the library with the intent on making this post, but that didn't happen because the library's wifi was being just plain awful. Then, I had to pick up the boys and do a quick run to Walmart before meeting Peter and Donna at the movies to see Toy Story 3. Then, it was off to home where I got the boys tucked into bed and collapsed on the couch, totally exhausted. I'm not sure why I'm so tired these days. If it doesn't improve, I may actually go and see a doctor about it.

Anyway, how about a meal plan?

Monday - n/a
Tuesday - Mac n Cheese w/ Hamburger
Wednesday - Spaghetti
Thursday - Tacos
Friday - Lasagna
Saturday - Fish Sticks & French Fries
Sunday - Family Reunion (not sure if we'll be able to afford the gas money to go)

Ta da! One menu that now I have to turn into a shopping list.

Wow, life sure got crazy in a hurry. I just realized that I will be gone all next week, taking the boys to their film camp. I'm thrilled that they get to go, but ugh! I have to drive back and forth 5 days next week and then find something to do for the 4 hours that they're there. I'm going to do the grocery shopping one of those days and maybe volunteer for a couple of the others. The Habitat ReStore always needs volunteers and I can just drop in. They won't care.

It's actually late on Sunday night, but I have my menu planned and what may be a crazy day for tomorrow, so I'm going to post this now before life gets in the way and I go and forget.

Woo! Monday again and it's a holiday! Happy Memorial Day everyone! The boys and I don't have any big plans for today. I'm doing my radio show and late on tonight we're going to cook up some brats on the Foreman. I'd love to say on the grill, but we don't have one and I can't afford to get one. It's on my wishlist for sure.