Meal Plan Monday (11/18)

I have again planned four meals for this week, none for any particular night. Here they are:

Rachael Ray's New England crabby melts with alexia sweet potato fries

Veggie calzones 

Rachael Ray's spicy chicken, sausage and bean pot with French bread (made with turkey sausage)

Slow cooker ratatouille (from my freezer)-- recipe coming soon

For breakfast:

Monday:

Oatmeal with raisins and walnuts

Tuesday:

Blueberry banana wraps

Wednesday:

Cinnamon raisin bagel with peanut butter

Thursday:

Everything bagel thin with laughing cow cheese and egg

Friday:

Banana oatmeal waffles

Saturday:

Out for breakfast

Sunday:

Bacon and eggs

Here's what I had for lunch today:

Quick and easy southwest stuffed sweet potato:

1 sweet potato washed, dried and pierced a few times

1 can black beans rinsed and drained, 1/4 cup needed for recipe (refrigerate the rest)

1 chipotle pepper in adobo

Shredded cheese, if desired

Microwave the sweet potato for about 3 minutes on each side (1500 watt microwave).

Drain and rinse the beans while the potato cooks.

Once the potato is done, cut it in half lengthwise, but not all the way through. 

Grab your kitchen shears, and chop the pepper right into the sweet potato. 

Sprinkle on about 1/4 cup of cheese.

Put the beans on top, and mix it all into the flesh of the sweet potato. 

Yummy! (as my kids would say)

Meal Plan Monday (11/11)

We've got a busy week with doctor visits, our usual Bible study, and my monthly moms meeting at church on Friday. We're also going to try to fit in Gatlinburg's annual chili cook-off for the first time with our kids on Wednesday evening. I have Christmas choir practice Saturday morning and a Sunday School get-together in the evening. Busy, busy, busy! Plus, I'm singing a solo in both morning services this coming Sunday.

Again this week, I am not planning dinners on specific nights. I went to the store and got everything that I need for four meals. Here they are:

Baked fish and sautéed veggies (red potatoes, green beans, mushrooms, and onions)

Slow cooker cheesy chicken and broccoli over brown rice----> recipe coming soon

Warm steak and potato salad (from Melissa D'Arabian)

Rachael Ray's New England Crabby Melts with sweet potato fries

Chicken and Wild Rice Slow-Cooker Soup

42 oz. chicken broth
2 cups water
1 lb. cooked, chicken breasts and/or thighs, cubed or shredded
2 cups water
1 package long grain and wild rice with seasonings
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup (approximate) chopped onion (optional)
1 tsp. dried parsley
salt & pepper to taste

Put all ingredients into the slow cooker and mix well. Cook on high for 4-6 hours, or on low for 8-10 hours. Serve with hot bread of your choice. Oh, so good!

Meal Plan Monday (11/4)

This is always a very busy time of year for our family for several reasons. October & November fly by, and contrary to most families' schedules, December slows down a bit for us. Since we are kinda crazy right now, I am realizing that I am not always making my meals on the originally-planned night. So, this week, I am planning four meals, but not on any certain night. Here are the four dinners that I bought for at the grocery store this morning:

1. Chicken and wild rice slow-cooker soup (in the slow-cooker right now)

2. Baked salmon with Rachael Ray's hearty winter vegetable pilaf

3. Spinach quiche

4. Chili

This is our breakfast plan:

Monday:
Waffles topped with yogurt and berries

Tuesday:
Everything bagel thins topped with Laughing Cow cheese and egg

Wednesday: (This is always a quick-breakfast day because we leave the house early for Bible Study. Sometimes the kids have to eat in the car.)
Banana Bread

Thursday:
Waffles and/or Pumpkin Granola on vanilla Greek yogurt

Friday:
Banana Bread (if there's any left!) ;)

Saturday:
Everything bagel thins with Laughing Cow cheese and egg and turkey bacon

Sunday:
Pumpkin Granola on vanilla Greek yogurt

Meal Plan Monday (on Thursday)

I have been wanting to post my meal plan for this week since Monday, but just never quite had the chance. Here's what we've had so far, and what we will have for the remainder of the week:

Monday:

Cinnamon Raisin Flax Bread with peanut butter

Turkey Burritos Verde

Tuesday:

Don't remember

Chicken- kale gumbo from my friend, Sara

Wednesday: (Rush's birthday)

Waffles (per Rush's request) with peanut butter

Out for pizza (Rush's choice) :)

Thursday:

Kashi Cinnamon Harvest Cereal (You must try it!)

Leftover gumbo/ fall festival food at church

Friday:

Oatmeal with blackberries and walnuts

Salmon with sautéed asparagus, potatoes, mushrooms, and onions

Saturday: 

Blueberry banana wraps (recipe coming)

Rachael Ray's buffalo chicken chili mac (as we cheer on the  vols!)

Sunday:

Yogurt & granola

Leftovers

By the way... did you check out my clam chowder recipe yet?

A Thankful Heart

I LOVE Thanksgiving! It's so wonderful to reflect on all that God has granted us. I am most thankful for His forgiveness. I have recently been reminded of the amazing gift of God's adoption of me as His daughter. My heart is just bubbling over with joy over this concept of which I was already aware, but I have a new appreciation for!

Speaking of adopting, please visit my dear friend, Brittany's blog to see their adoption story. Soon, she and her husband will become parents, and I know that they will be amazing, fun, and Godly parents to the child that is chosen by God for them.

Speaking of being Godly parents, I love any excuse to do a daily Bible activity with my kids. (I love it even more when someone else comes up with the idea and lays it our for me.) This time, though, I created my own. It's a 28-day devotional-type activity that can be done by one person or a huge family. You simply read the verse together, discuss what it means to each person in an age-appropriate manner, and then write what you are most thankful for that day. You may want to relate whatever you are thankful for to the verse for that day, but of course, that is not necessarily the way the Holy Spirit works.

  (All verses are NLT unless otherwise noted.)

We will also be doing a thankful tree, which we did last year. It is just another great reminder of the bounty of God's blessings in our lives!

 

I am looking forward to reading these verses and making our tree with my kids through the next month. Let me know in the comments if you would like a copy for your family.

Happy Thanksgiving season!

Mmm mmm Clam Chowder

This has been a staple in our home every fall and winter since we were married. My mother-in-law made this for Ben a lot before he left home, and she gave me the recipe. I love pulling out the hand-written recipe card. It makes it even more special.

 

In case you want to copy & paste the recipe, here you go:

 

2 stalks of celery, chopped

2 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp flour

28 oz. chicken broth

approx. 4 cups diced potatoes ( or 1 package refrigerated diced potatoes and onions)

2 cups milk

1 cup half and half

4 slices bacon crisp-cooked and crumbled (optional)

2 small cans each tiny shrimp, clams, crab meat, all drained and rinsed

1 cup carrots, chopped (optional)

salt & pepper to taste

 

Start by sautéing the chopped celery in 2 Tbsp of melted butter in a large soup pot. 

Cook the celery for about 5 minutes, then sprinkle on the 2 Tbsp flour and stir. 

Once combined, continue stirring and pour in the 28 oz. of chicken broth (I prefer low-sodium). Turn up the heat, and bring to a boil. 

Toss in the diced potatoes and carrots and return to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until veggies are soft to your liking (I soften ours quite a bit for my kiddos).

Slightly mash the potatoes with a wooden spoon (or the amazing Pampered Chef Mix n Chop) to thicken the chowder. (Sorry, no picture of this step!)

Stir in the milk, half & half, bacon (if using), and the rinsed and drained cans of seafood. 

Season with salt and pepper to your taste.

Serve with grilled cheese sandwiches or warm crusty bread, and enjoy! You'll have enough leftovers for another cold fall night!

 

Note: This is a great recipe to double and freeze for later. ;)