Menu plan Monday

We have to eat, and I have to plan. Here it is!

Monday CranberryPotRoast

Tuesday MontereyChicken

Wednesday church

Thursday ChiliCheeseDog

Friday - Family night.

Saturday - AppleCiderPulledPorkSandwich

For more great plans check out orgjunkie.com

Menu Plan Monday

It's Christmas time! Last week we baked and baked and baked some more. We made snowball cookies, chocolate chip pretzel cookies, hot cocoa cookies, and chocolate chip oatmeal cookies and they were all wonderful. My husband brought them into a lot of the folks that he works with, and we were able to bring them to our neighbors as well. This week we'll make a few batches of cinnamon rolls (some for us, some as Christmas gifts) and maybe do one more round of sweet stuff. We don't actually have a ton of time at home this week, so I don't have to prepare a bunch of meals, but I have food that we'll need. We do have to prepare for lunch this week, so I have to keep that in mind. Monday - family gathering and birthday party Tuesday - family night out Wednesday - shrimp and grits, rolls, salad Thursday- roast, rice, green beans, rolls Friday - more family Saturday- spaghetti, garlic bread machine rolls, green salad Sunday - Christmas! I think we'll be eating with family. For more great menu plans check out orgjunkie

Booking it!

I just haven't been doing a great job about posting my reading for booking it this year, and part of that is because my computer hasn't been working quite right, but most of it is because I have been lazy.  This month I read a lot, and found most of it enjoyable.  I came home from the library with a stack of books and I have been working my way through them one book at at time.  I  had chance to review two books for Waterbrook Press and one audio book for oasis and the review for those are linked in their titles below.

The Christmas Singing by Cindy Woodsmall

Ashes, Ashes

The Harvest of Grace by Cindy Woodsmall

I also read these books by Thomas Kinkaide and Katherine Spencer

The Wedding Promise - The wonderful story of a young couple going through the wonder and hurt of building a life together, woven together with the story of the woman that runs the inn they want to be married at.

A Christmas to Remember - Jump in between a present day Christmas season and a 1950s romance @ Christmas - It gave a lot of depth to the Lillian Warwick character if you have read any of the Cape Light Books

A Christmas Visitor- Kinkaide and Spencer are masters at various story lines being woven into one book, and I think this is my favorite one of the series.  All story lines were equally interesting to me and it felt as though I were just talking to neighbors to hear what was going on in each story.  It didn't feel jumpy to me, I thoroughly enjoyed each line. 

I am Currently reading A Christmas Angel and am loving it. 

Obviously I needed some Christmas reading this month:)  I enjoy reading Christmas centered stories and it helps me get in the mood for the season. 

Check out what everyone else is reading @ LifeAsMom.com

Another Amish Adventure - The Harvest of Grace

This month I recieved my second Cindy Woodsmall book, The Harvest of Grace.  I loved it.  It was a wonderful story of Failure and then Redemption.  The book focused primarily on the farm of Michael and Dora Blank and all that occured there, but wove in stories of several different couples and relationships throughout.  It not only was a story of flawed people that got together after allowing forgiveness in, but it was also a story of how a daughter forgave an absent father after years of hurt and anger. 
The Amish way is different then how I live my life (obviously, I am going to guess that they don't blog!) but sometimes when you see an idea from another's eyes it brings new meaning or perspective to your own life.  I felt that way as I read this book. 

Thanks to WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for providing a free copy of this book for me to review. My Opinions are my own.

Audio Book Review - Ashes Ashes

 A while ago I was given a copy of an audio book to review for Oasis.  The book was Ashes, Ashes.  The idea was an interesting one to me, horrible, awful things happen to the world and most of the human population is wiped out. How do the ones that are left survive.  While I enjoyed the book on some level I found it to be slow at the beginning, and then as soon as it really got started I could pretty much predict the end. The caveat here is that the book was written for teenagers, maybe they wouldn't have found it to be as predictable as I did.  The book was an interesting concept for sure and written about a scenario that I hadn't thought much about.  What would we do if there was a major pandemic?  Would we as a society handle things the way that they did in the book?  Would I try to survive on my own, or would I look for a group of people to share the burden with?  The book does give food for thought.  If you enjoy asking yourself questions like that, and end of the world dramas this may be the book for you. 

The audio was well put together, I liked the narrator and it moved along at a reasonable pace and was pleaslant to listen to. The breaks for the CDs were at chapter breaks and were at good points in the book which made it easy to  listen through breaks.  The music that signaled the switch always  surprised me, but I  don't think that's because it  was a poor music choice, I think I was already jumpy because of the subject matter. I think that it was a well designed audio file with a book that I found somewhat predictable, but still interesting.

Thanks to Oasis for providing me with a review copy.  My thoughts and opinions are my own. 

Amish Romance at Christmas time

I love a good Amish story.  I don't know why, but the culture, the tradition, and the lifestyle all fascinate me.  Cindy Woodsmall does a great job with the Amish stories, and from what I understand of the culture I think she writes it fairly accurately.  This story is called The Christmas Singing.  It follows characters that Woodsmall created a long time ago, but you don't need to know any background to enjoy the story.  It is a story of broken hearts, lies, and the mending of broken lives.  I really enjoyed my venture back into amish country. 

If you want to check out the first chapter of this book, look here.
If you prefer to watch a short video you can check it out here.
Thanks to WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for providing a free copy of this book for me to review. My Opinions are my own.

Menu Plan Monday October 24th.

Monday - Lasagna, Salad, Butterhorns
Tuesday - Chicken Tacos
Wednesday - Church
Thursday - Sloppy Joes
Friday - Family Night
Saturday - Chicken Alfredo, Salad, Butterhorns

For more great menu ideas check out orgjunkie.com

Kitchen Extras - Mini Freezer cook

Yesterday I tried (tried being the operative word) to get a little bit ahead of the game.  The plan was to get a lot of things done, but very little actually got done.  By the time I got going I only had time to get 1 lasagna, a batch of butterhorns, and attempt some cocoa cookies.

The lasagna went great - but I only had the stuff to make one and we promptly ate that for dinner :)

I made a batch of butterhorns - we ate 8 of the 32 for dinner.

Then I made cookies, I made a double batch, but I forgot to add the double batch of flour - made for some tortilla style cookies :)  My daughter thought that she was waking up from her nap to brownies.  They tasted ok, but next time I'll make sure I have the flour.  :)

Blogging for Books ~ The Corruptible by Mark Mynheir

I love a good detective story, but I often have a hard time finding  a good story that I feel is both "lifelike" but still clean.  Obviously if you need a detective then something unseemly must have happened, but I want to read and solve the crime, but not be covered in the detail of the crime or being overcome by curse words.  The Corruptible had this for me.  Their was an interesting crime that took brains to figure out, but I wasn't dragged down by language or sordid detail.  This is a "Ray Quinn Mystery"  and I thought Ray was an enjoyable character.
I enjoyed working at the office of Ray Quinn and seeing his colleagues in action. As a private investigator that had retired from the police department he got to work the case with all the help the police department could give him, but with out all the red tape they have to go through.  I really also enjoyed getting to know his associate Crevis.  Crevis seemed to be a man that was loyal to a fault, and I loved it.  Loyalty is an amazing motivator. 
This book was a great read.  I really enjoyed it. 

Thanks to WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for providing a free copy of this book for me to review. My Opinions are my own

Menu Plan Monday

Welcome to a new week!

Last week I didn't do anything I planned to do - I accidentally linked the green bean and beef recipe to the hawaiian chicken recipe and then couldn't find it, so we had Stack ups (Taco ingredients stacked up on Fritos). Wednesday night we didn't make it to church and had sloppy joes out of the freezer. Thursday night I had planned on that Hawaiian chicken, but the hawaiian marinade that they sold at my store made me do a double take - The first ingredient was High Fructose Corn Syrup. The Very First Ingredient!!! Needless to say we changed that night too - We had a sandwich bar night - everyone got the toppings they wanted - it worked out great. Then Saturday we were invited to a friend's home, and we brought the lettuce for Tacos.

So - a new plan for a new week :)

Monday - Spaghetti and Garlic Cheese Biscuits

Tuesday - Baked Chicken, Corn, salad

Wednesday - Church

Thursday - blanco chili

Friday - Family night

Saturday - Chicken Parmesan and Green Beans


For more great menu plan ideas check out http://www.orgjunkie.com

Menu Plan Monday

I have been a slacker for the last few weeks, I have totally missed posting my menu plans and even have avoided some of the more fun posts like Kitchen Extras, Freezer cooking, or even any of my reading posts - I read a lot of great stuff, but I'm so far behind in that (my real life took over - and it's all good) that I will just have to start over again with what I am reading now. :) This week we have a great plan - Sunday - Chicken Tortilla Soup (neighbor's providing) and grilled cheese Monday - Steak (again my neighbor is cooking - she likes to cook, and I like to eat!) I'll bring a salad - a good spring mix with some pecans and cheese in it. Yum! Tuesday - Ground Beef Green Bean Skillet Wednesday - Church Thursday - Hawaiian Crockpot Chicken Friday - Family Night Saturday - Poppy Seed Chicken For more great menu ideas check you http://orgjunkie.com. have a great week guys, and here's to a great week.

I have great neighbors, and this week I shouldn't have to cook a whole lot thanks to them.

Monday - Roast (made by my neighbors), yeast rolls (made by me)

Tuesday - Tacos

Wednesday - Church

Thursday - Neighbors are taking us out

Friday - Family night - We can have something at home, but we will most likely go out.

Saturday - Crockpot Chicken of some form.

Sunday - Grilling out

We'll do leftovers, hotdogs, and sandwhiches for lunch, and then breakfasts will be cereal, oatmeal, or pancakes.

Menu plan

This week, I will have a menu plan! And, as a bonus, I will post it in a timely fashion.

Monday - popcorn chicken, rice, peas
Tuesday - alfredo chicken- I'll do a bit of a cheat on the sauce and use cream cheese
Wednesday - church
Thursday - tacos
Friday - family night
Saturday - baked chicken and couscous
Sunday - spaghetti

For more great ideas check out orgjunkie.com

Menu Plan Monday August 22

I had a great week last week, and only ended up cooking once. My mom was here for a few days and she took care of a couple of meals, and my in laws took care of a couple as well. This week I will probably not cook a lot this week either.

Monday - Chicken Casserole - My Neighbor is actually making dinner and we are bringing it to another friend. I am mainly the transportation :) She is also making a key lime pie and I'm making brown rice.

Tuesday - It's one of my nephew's birthdays, so hopefully we'll see him.

Wednesday - Church

Thursday - Haburger Casserole, salad

Friday - Family Night

Saturday - Chicken something, any one have any ideas?

Sunday - a big pot of spaghetti, garlic bread, more salad :) Any strays are welcome for dinner :)

for more great menu plans check out http://www.orgjunkie.com

Booking it August

This month I read a lot of books, but I haven't been keeping track of all of them (and I wish I had done a better job, because some of them had great points and I totally don't remember the name of the books).

My Favorite book this month was Fiddler's Green by A.S. Peterson. This was the sequel to Fiddler's Gun, and it was really good. I actually think it was better than Fiddler's Gun. I liked the way the ends were tied up and I liked to how Fin Button was transformed from orphan girl to Full Grown Woman. This story follows a crew that have turned pirate through a series of bad turns and are given the option of pardons from the American government if they will just complete a seeming impossible task all the way at the other end of the world. It is an amazing story of daring, friendship, courage and more.

I also read a series of Kathy Herman books called the Seaport Suspense novels. They were all good, although not phenomenal. I was a little annoyed with the second book of the series - it seems like this author uses stories where the married couple isn't one hundred percent honest with each other and lets things get out of control - even when nothing has really happened other than lack of communication - a lot. I am finding that I get annoyed with that story line very quickly and tend to spend most of the book being frustrated by that. I think I will check out another one of her lines of novels, because she does have interesting twists in her book, but I will put it down if it goes back to that story line again.

I also read a book about the lunch system in the US that was really good (and I can't remember the name of it). It was interesting to know how school lunches started and what they have done over the years. The really interesting part to me was what some school districts and schools are doing now to make it better. Some of the districts in NY use all local food, there were schools that grew there own food at the school, and schools that are trying to shake up there old routines.

I'm going to be reading a lot this next month, maybe I should start writing them down :)

Menu Plan Monday - and Crockpot Week 3 :)

Last week I pretty much didn't do anything that I planned on doing, but it turned out ok.  One Caveat - I totally didn't get to my crockpot meal last week so my crockpot focus is already been messed up.  Oh well, I'll try again this week. 

I did make some great finds last weeks - I finally got around to making these "fancy brownies".  They were time and labor intensive, but they were really good.  I also have been searching for great cheddar biscuits (think Red Lobster) and I haven't liked any that I have tried, but this week I think I finally found them!  The thing that was different was these was you cooked the biscuits, pulled out the biscuits and poured your garlic butter over them and then put them back in cooked them some more, and then added butter again as you pulled them out. 

This week I am going to try and stick to a plan :)

Monday - Birthday Party for SIL
Tuesday - BBQ Chicken (Crockpot from last week)
Wednesday - Dinner with Friends
Thursday - Apple Sauce Chicken (Crockpot from last week)
Friday - Family Night
Saturday - spaghetti and garlic cheddar biscuits
Sunday - hamburgers

For more great menu plan ideas orgjunkie.com

Menu plan

I am linking up to
http://www.orgjunkie.com
So glad that my neighbors are feeding me tomorrow, because I am burnt out. None of my family members enjoyed dinner tonight, and that is making it difficult to get motivation to plan. I did do a couple of fun things this week. I made pumpkin muffins and I made some Graham crackers and both turned out really well, so I did have some positive reinforcement.
Here is the plan for this week.
Breakfast -
Pumpkin muffins
Cereal
Cinnamon rolls

Lunch -
Leftovers
Hotdogs

Dinners-
Neighbors
Tacos
Church
Barbecue chicken - this is my crockpot meal for the week
Family night
Spaghetti
Battered chicken sandwich

10 weeks of crockpots

So I have been reading a few crockpot websites and I decided to try a mini experiment of my own. For the next 10 weeks I am going to use my crockpot at least once a week. Nothing like the 365 crockpot websites, but enough that I can experiment a bit with mine and maybe make better use of it in the future.

Week 1- cranberry pot roast

Menu Plan Monday - July 25th

We have been cleaning out the pantry and freezer and this week is going to be the tough week. I went to the store and picked up a few gallons of milk (my family goes through a lot of milk!), flour, oil, and some taco shells. This week we have a lot of chicken left and not a lot of anything else - and to top it off, that's not hubs favorite meal. So - creativity is what is called for.

Sunday - Chicken Rice Casserole - basically I take whatever leftover rice, chicken and soups I have and chuck it all in a pan and cook :) yum!
Monday - Family night
Tuesday - Roast, sweet potatoes, and veggies (I dug it out of the freezer, yay for not chicken).
Wednesday - Church
Thursday - Friends - probably spaghetti
Friday - Family
Saturday - Chicken Mac Bake - Chicken, pasta, cheese - need I say more.

We will survive!
For more great menu plans check http://www.orgjunkie.com

Blogging for Books - Love Food & Live Well by Chantel Hobbs

This week I received Love Food & Live Well from Waterbrook Press. I choose to review this book because I would like to lose a few pounds and I thought I might get a bit of a jump start with the help from the book. Chantel's story is motivating. She has lost 200 pounds and kept it off for ten years all while managing to be a wife, mother, and author. I loved hearing her story and a the few personal stories in the book, but if you are looking for a meal plan and scripted exercise then this is not the book for you. Well over the first half of the book was about getting your head and heart right and then the last 3 or 4 chapters had a few recipes, an interval training plan, and a strength training plan.

The book serves a purpose, but I found it to be more motivational than helpful for planning for weight loss. While I did find useful information, I felt like I there was more reading about general information than setting out my personal weight loss plan.

If you need a broad, informational startup for weightloss then this is the book for you. Complete with motivational stories. If you are looking for a scripted plan, you will find yourself disappointed.

You can read more about Chantel Hobbs and her books at her website http://www.chantelhobbs.com/

Thanks to WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for providing a free copy of this book for me to review. My Opinions are my own

Menu Plan Monday - 7/11

We are back from all of our galavanting about the country and we are ready to get back into the swing of things.  I am still trying to cook from our pantry and freezer, but I am missing a lot of things that I will need to finish meals and definitely need to buy some produce, because I have been doing better about using fresh produce I have less stocked up in the pantry and freezer than I have in years past.

Breakfasts this week:
Peanut Butter Oatmeal
Cheerios and Milk
Blueberry Muffins (from the freezer)

Lunch:
Grilled Cheese
Tuna sandwhich
Apples and Peanut Butter
Peanut Butter sandwhiches
and if I get around to making Carrot Bread - then we'll have that as well

Dinner:
Monday - Tacos
Tuesday - Salisbury Steak over noodles served with Green Beans and a salad
Wednesday - Church
Thursday - Battered Chicken Sandwhiches - We never got to these last week
Friday - Family Night
Saturday- Sloppy Joes
Sunday - Italian Mac and Cheese

For More great ideas check out http://www.orgjunkie.com

*** For whatever reason my blog isn't letting me comment, but we love the peanut butter oatmeal and actually bake up big batches and freeze it - we prefer to eat it frozen. We are also excited about trying out the Salisbury Steak***

Princess Birthday!

My little girl had a birthday this last week, and a request for a princess cake :)

Pantry Challenge :)

I decided I was going to join up with the pantry challenge as soon as I heard about it, but then Publix had there gas card deal.  (If you buy $25 worth of groceries you get 10 off of $50 of gas.)  I of course "had" to go and buy.  Of course I bought staples (which in our house includes milk (a lot of it), flour, and chocolate chips and then bought 4 cases of sprite because it was on sale buy 2 get 2 and although it takes us awhile to go through that much soda it won't go bad anytime soon and it got me to my goal of $25.) 

We did manage to eat a ham that I had stockpiled since easter (and it was good).  I tried made some good use of beef that we bought earlier this month (spaghetti, tacos, and we have sloppy joes planned). 

Menu Plan Monday

The 4th is this week, my daughters birthday, and a family reunion, and on top of that both my daughter and I are sick!  Should be fun :)

Sunday - Chicken/Salsa, rice, cheese, and cookies!
Monday - 4th of July - We'll probably grill out with the family.
Tuesday - Chicken Sandwhich.
Wednesday - Church
Thursday - Sloppy Joes
Friday - Birthday Party!
Saturday - Family Reunion

I'm hoping to also get a few other things done this week.

When I cook the sloppy joes I want to make a few batches so we have them later.
-Hamburger Buns
- Cinnamon Rolls This is my favorite recipe, I just make them up and freeze them.  The night before we'll eat them I pull out as many as I'll need and leave them out on the counter overnight to rise. 

Convenience and yumminess!!

- Banana Bread

For more great menu plans check out http://orgjunkie.com

Summertime Pantry Challenge

There is a great pantry challenge going on at Good Cheap Eats and I've decided my family should participate.  We have a lot of food in our freezer right now  (including 10 lbs of ground beef) and we need to eat that up.  I have also been wanting to put aside more into our savings acct, so I hope I can just add the majority of my grocery money for the next few weeks straight into the savings acct. My hope and plan is to clean out the pantry, refrigerator, and freezer and make sure we don't let things go to waste.  I also want to do a freezer cooking day soon, so I need to make sure that the freezer has room for my favorite meals.  I'll try to post weekly about how it is going.  :)

Another Dragon Tale - Blogging for Books

A Review of The Dragons of Chiril by Donita K. Paul (previously printed as The Vanishing Sculptor)

I have been participating in a program that allows me to preview and review books and I have really enjoyed it.  Through Blogging For Books I have been introduced to the author Donita K. Paul.  I love to read, and will read almost anything, but do not typically choose fantasy books.  Donita K. Paul may have changed my mind.

I really enjoyed The Dragons of Chiril.  It is the first in a series about the land of Chiril and it's introduction to the Creator - Wulder.  It is filled with stories of people all of different races and temperments and their introduction to the idea of a God that created them and loves them.  If you read the Dragon Keeper Chronicles it has a couple of my favorite characters from there (Wizard Fenworth and the librarian Librettowit) that have travelled away from Amara and are helping to solve a dramatic problem in Chiril.

The story revolves around a young lady who has had to take over care for her family's estate (with help from a trusted friend) because her mother is a bit out of it, and her father hasn't been seen in years.  To help provide for her family she has begun to sell her artist father's artwork one piece at a time.  She soon finds out that her father has not been seen because he is stuck and she can help save him, but to do so she has to hunt down 3 specific pieces of his artwork. 

The story is full of twists and turns and is perfect for the fantasy lover at your house.  Did I mention it even has dragons? I have really enjoyed getting to know this author and hope you do too.

Thanks to WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for providing a free copy of this book for me to review. My Opinions are my own.

Menu for a New Week - 6/19

We had a great week of vacation last week (and thus no great plan to write home about), and enjoyed father's day yesterday.   Here is our plan for this week .

Sunday - Spaghetti, garlic toast, and I bought my husband's favorite pie (pecan) at the store as a nice treat for him. 
Monday - Batter-Dipped Chicken Sandwhiches
Tuesday - Better than Olive Garden Alfredo
Wednesday - Church
Thursday - Sloppy Joes
Friday - Family Night
Saturday - Baked Chicken

For more great menus check out www.orgjunkie.com

Menu Plan

We have a new week and here we go with a new plan :)

Sunday - Our friends had us over for dinner and it was wonderful!
Monday - Sloppy Joes , salad, and Cookies :)
Tuesday - I got a free Philly cooking cream a few weeks ago, and I am going to try it this week in a quick pasta dinner - I'll cook up some pasta, chicken, and stir fry veggies and mix it all with the cream and milk.  I'll let you know how it goes.
Wednesday - Church
Thursday - Cranberry Pot Roast, rice, green beans, butterhorns
Friday - Family Night -
Saturday - Spaghetti

For more great menu plans check out http://orgjunkie.com

Menu Plan - May 16

MENU PLAN!!

It is time for a new week and a new plan for our food.  Let's see if we can stick to it this week. 

Monday - We never got around to the chicken and mushroom from a few weeks ago, but I'm going to try again - Chicken and mushrooms, peas, rice

Tuesday - MIL Birthday!  I just have to bring the beans :)

Wednesday - Church

Thursday - Dinner with friends

Friday -  Family Night

Saturday - Tacos

Sunday - Pizza!

For more Great menu plans check out http://orgjunkie.com

Menu Plan Monday

It's time to try again! This week we have to get back on the eat at home band wagon.  Last week we did something we never, ever do.  We ate out twice, and even ordered pizza one time after that...talk about an expensive week!  That's ok though, we needed a break.  For everything there is a season, right?  We are also having some work done on the house and have two guys coming to present bids this week, on those nights I'm going to need something that can be taking care of itself while they are there, because I'm just not going to feel like doing anything when they're done (that's what happened last week).  So, here's the plan...

Monday - Easy Lasagna - I have a simple lasagna in the freezer, so I'll make it tonight with some bread and green beans.
Tuesday - Hawaiian Chicken (crockpot) - I'm not sure what to serve with this yet....any ideas?
Wednesday - Church
Thursday - Lemon Pepper Chicken
Friday - Family Night
Saturday - Chicken Tenderloins w/ mushrooms, rice, peas
Sunday - Spaghetti
For more great plans check out Orgjunkie.com

Blogging for Books - INDIVISIBLE by Kristin Heitzman

This month I read Indivisible by Kristen Heitzman for "Blogging for Books."  I had heard of Heitzman before, but had never read anything by her. I think after this I will have to try some more out.  The books centers around a small colorado town and the characters who live there.  It is a suspense or thriller type of novel that all starts with finding two racoons that have been sewn together.  Who would do such a thing, and will they escalate to crimes that will involve humans?  Police Chief Jonah Westfall is on the job, but he is also trying to rid himself of his own demons.  Each character was multi-dimensional and interesting (although some  you just want to smack over the head and tell them to get a life and talk to the others).  Beyond the search for the culprit of the crime the author takes the time to introduce you to several characters and what is going on in their lives.  There is of course a good romance (or two) involved, but also the story of community and loyalty.  I really enjoyed it. 
You can read the first chapter for free and find the book here or here.
You can follow Kristin Heitzman online at http://www.KristinHeitzman.net
Thanks to WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for providing a free copy of this book for me to review. My Opinions are my own.

Booking it!

This month the "assigned reading" was Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day.  I liked it, but didn't love it.  I tried a few types of bread, and they were good, but not great.  It also was a little frustrating to have to start bread the day before I needed it, and still have to remember to get it out in time to rest and cook.  I think I prefer my bread machine.  It still takes me near 3 hrs, but I think I am just comfortable with that time frame at this point. :)

I read Dragons of the Valley by Donita K. Paul for blogging for books and loved it.  You can check out my review by clicking on that link.

I also got to read the The Divvies Bakery Cookbook it's an allergen free cookbook.  My daughter has a friend who is severly allergic to Eggs, Milk, and Nuts and so I've been more interested in finding ways to cook without those things.  I loved the book.  It was well written, and the stuff tastes good!  If you have an allergy sufferer in your circle, this is worth the money! 

I have a couple of books that I have started this month, but haven't had a chance to finish yet, but I've had a lot more time to read this month.  Hopefully next month I'll have a lot to share.

Menu Plan 11-11

It's a new week!   Our grocery budget is beyond tight this week.  - We'll have to do with what is in the fridge/freezer/pantry.  I did stop by the store and get 2 gallons of milk (we only have 2 milk drinkers here, but they cruise through milk!) one pack of chicken breasts (on sale for $1.99 - if I had more money I would have bought more) and shrimp (shrimp has been requested a lot lately, and if I am going to get the rest of this food into my family I am going have to make some sacrifices - the shrimp was on sale also - and I can make the 2lb bag into 4 meals.).

BREAKFASTS -
Oatmeal - We use the giant canister and add powderd milk, cinnamon, brownsugar and sometimes fruit :)
Baked Oatmeal
Granola

LUNCH -
Leftovers
PB&J (or PB & Honey)
Carrots
Apples

DINNER -
Sunday - Easy Lasagna this is actually not the recipe that I made last night, but really close.  I mixed my noodles, cream cheese, sour cream and beef together.  I did a sauce layer and a noodle layer repeated until my dish was full then topped with mozerella baked at 350 covered 45 minutes and then uncovered for another 10 minutes - it also froze really well. 

Monday - Shrimp Alfredo

Tuesday -  Popcorn Chicken, veggies, bread

Wednesday - Church

Thursday - Family Night

Friday - Spaghetti (or possibly Tacos)

Saturday - Shrimp and Grits - maybe - I have been craving this meal, but it isn't my husband's favorite, if I have to switch things around I will.

For more great ideas check out orgjunkie.com

Menu Plan

It's again that time of the week.  Time to take stock of what we have at home, and what we need from the store.  Time to plan for another week of cooking. 

For Breakfast:
Baked Oatmeal
Granola
Oatmeal

Lunch:
Leftovers
Sandwhiches - Dad is home this week, so I actually bought lunch meat. :)
Peanut Butter and Apples

Dinner Plan
Sunday - Hamburgers - After my hobo dinners last week my husband decided if that was what we were having he'd rather have it on a bun, and once he started thinking about burgers he was not to be dissuaded, so burgers it was.  We just broiled our burgers with a bit of montreal seasoning and season salt.  I went to the farmers market last week, so we had tomatoes that actually tasted like tomatoes, lettuce and all the fixings. Yum!

Monday - Shrimp Alfredo and peas

Tuesday - Spaghetti

Wednesday - Church

Thursday - SeaWorld

Friday - Family Night

Saturday - Easy Lasagna Casserole - This isn't exactly how I make mine (mine also has sour cream) but it is close enough that you can get the idea.  :)

For more great menu ideas check out http://orgjunkie.com. 

Blogging for books - Dragons of the Valley by Donita K. Paul

Donita K. Paul is quickly becoming a favorite author of mine.  I had never heard of Paul before I started Blogging for Books, but I have loved every minute getting to know her.  Dragons of the Valley was great, I wish I had realized when I started reading that it was part of a series, because I had a hard time getting into at first (I had a lot of characters to keep straight in my head). 

This is a story has everything fantasy lovers will enjoy.  Princess, prince, reluctant hero, not to mention wizards, dragons and even Kimen (these guys are cool!).  The land of Chiril is on the brink of war and this band of heroes has to keep a treasure safe and learn how to defend themselves.  I love the way spiritual truths are interwoven in the story.  Like CS Lewis used the land of Narnia and Aslan to teach spiritual truths Paul uses Chiril and Wulder to do the same. 

Once I figured out the characters I really enjoyed the book.  If you are interested in purchasing the book you can find it here or here.

Thanks to WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for providing a free copy of this book for me to review. My Opinions are my own.

Menu Plan!

Are you guys ready for a new week?  We are.  Our life is still a little insane, but we will persevere :)

Monday - Hobo Dinners!  - I've seen these a few places lately, and I am going to do a slightly different version myself, but I am excited.  Our plan is to "clean out the fridge" with ours.  They should be great.

Tuesday - Birthday Dinner - Cooking out!

Wednesday - Church

Thursday - Spaghetti, butterhorns, greenbeans

Friday - Family Night

Saturday - baked chicken, bread machine rolls, sugar snap peas

Ugh - The Drugstore game at Walgreens

I had a rough time today at Walgreens.  It seems like everytime I try to "get the deals" at walgreens I have a problem.  Today was one of those days, and even though I had an understanding cashier I ended up causing a lot of people to wait (I was the only one in the store when I started, and there were five waiting when I was done...I kept apologizing, but I felt awful!)  I did manage to make it out for a little over $20 with swim diapers, floss, pads, emergen - c, and a pack of silly bands.  :) Meanwhile...I don't think I'll be going back to Walgreens anytime soon.  (Nor do I think they want me back :( )

Menu Plan Monday

I've found that planning a basic menu tends to save me at the grocery store.  We generally have granola, oatmeal, or baked oatmeal for breakfast and leftovers or something with peanut butter for lunch.

Dinner requires a bit more variation, but it is still simple.

Sunday - Sloppy Joes
Monday - Cranberry Pot Roast, rice, Mashed potatoes, green beans, butterhorns
Tuesday - Beef Burgundy, salad
Wednesday - church
Thursday- Chicken Pot Pie or Chicken Tetrazzini
Friday - Family Night
Saturday - Spaghetti

For more great menu plans check out http://orgjunkie.com/

CVS - The Drugstore Game

I haven't been playing the drugstore game like I have in the past, but this week I decided to get back to it.  It was a decent week to try it again.  I am a complete and total toilet paper snob, so I do try to look for deals on Charmin, but am completely willing to pay full price when necessary.  This week they had a proctor and Gamble deal that included charmin - I got 3 of those packs for $30 (not a phenomenal price) but did get back $10 ecbs.  Then I bought hand soap and Tena pads (I have an older friend that will be thankful to get them) and used the $10 ecbs and a $2.50 coupon from the pads and $.35 for the soap.  I ended up paying a little over $3 for that and got back $3 from the soap and $9.99 from the pads.  Then I bought from their baby deal $20 on pampers (have a baby shower to go to next week) and $5 for 2 packs of wipes.  I had a coupon for the pampers -$2 and then the ecbs $3 and $9.99.  So I paid about $10 for all of that and got $10 ecbs for next week.  So in all I spent $43 (a lot for one week) but I got a lot that I needed.  We'll see how next week goes.

Kitchen Extras!

I had a chance to get some baking done this afternoon, and I took advantage of it.  I often use powdered milk for baking, and generally make up a quart at a time, the only problem is it goes bad within a few days, so you need to use it quickly.  Today I made up a batch of Peanut Butter Oatmeal, Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies, and a batch of White Bread.  We also tried the Chicken Fried Rice tonight and it seemed to be a hit.  The only problem I ran into was that I used a rotisserie chicken from a few nights ago and my husband did not like the way it was seasoned, so...we'll do it again, but not with that chicken :)

Menu Plan

So, like always I didn't stick to last weeks plan, so you may see some repeats.  No one's perfect, right ??

Sunday - Spaghetti, butterhorns, green beans
Monday - Chicken Fried Rice (Here is our review)
Tuesday - Dinner with Friends
Wednesday - Church
Thursday - Chicken Pot Pie
Friday - Family Night
Saturday - Homemade Pizza (Dough from FishMama's Recipe and I wanted to try out this white pizza that I saw recently, but honestly will probably just do Pepperoni for DH and brocolli and olives for DD and I.
 By the way you should check out that article that is linked to the white pizza.  I am really wanting to try to do dinner the way she did soon, but I am still cleaning out a few things from my freezer.  Soon though....you can look for it.

We also will try to get a few kitchen extras done this week so that we have them later.

For More Great Menu Plans Check Out http://orgjunkie.com/

Recipe Review - Cranberry Pot Roast - 5 Stars!!

We loved the Cranberry Pot Roast from our freezer day! Last night I served it to both my immediate and a good portion of my extended family and it was wonderful.  It was sweet, and good, and did I say wonderful.  It was a simple recipe 4 ingredients and I just stuck in the crockpot all day long.  We served it with both mashed potatoes and rice (since I really, really, don't like potatoes) and both ways were a resounding hit.    As much as we liked it, I totally forgot to take pictures because it was inhaled before we could do anything about it. :)

Project Simplify - Wardrobe

Simple Mom is hosting project simplify this month to help get our spring clean on and this weeks project is wardrobe.  I'll admit I was a little disappointed that this was the task this week, becuase I felt like I already had a handle on mine, but I am one to stick to a plan.  Yesterday I dumped all my clean laundry, my dresser drawers, and my one little stack of shorts from by my bed all in a pile and got started.  I totally forgot to take pictures.  I was completely set on getting the job done, and just got sidetracked. 

I found out that I had more in there than I thought I did I was able to get rid of a box full of clothing that was outdated, too small, or just old.  Miracle of miracles, my dresser is the right size again!  I have plenty of room in there for everything that I wear.  That stack of shorts by my bed made a move back into the dresser.  Yay for spring cleaning!  I'll put my after pictures up later, for now,  you should go get started on your project. It feels great!

While Technically this is not a BEFORE Pic - It is all the stuff I cleaned out of my drawers and closet :)

After

My side of the closet - After - I did remove that random hanger after the pic :)

Menu Plan

Welcome to a new week!
Monday - Chicken pot pie
Tuesday - Dinner w/ friends
Wednesday - church
Thursday - Chicken Alfredo - I have been making my own alfredo (because it's yummy!) but this week I have a jarred sauce.  If you want to make your own I recommend this recipe. 
Friday - Family night
Saturday- cranberry pot roast  (we never got to it last week)
Sunday - sloppy joes

So that's it this week.  Hope you all have a nice week!
Check out more great plans at orgjunkie.com

A favorite easy meal.

Do you have a favorite meal that you pull out for nights you are on your own?

Most nights my husband can be home for dinner, but occasionally, for whatever reason my daughter and I eat on our own.  On those nights she and I tend to stick to a vegetarian fare, mostly because we never get to eat that kind of stuff when Daddy's around.  Our favorite is ravioli or tortellini.  We serve it differently everytime because there are a ton of combinations that you can have and still have it be wonderful.  It can be served with a tomato sauce, an alfredo, a pumpkin cream sauce, or even with crazy bits and pieces from the refrigerator, or freezer.  Last night we just had plain cheese ravioli covered with broccoli and pecans, and it was delicious.  What's your favorite "easy" meal?

Freezer Cooking for March

I have been missing my freezer cooking, money has been super tight, so I didn't feel like I could buy any meat ahead of time, so I have been delaying my cooking, but this week I'm back.  I'm going to get a lot of baking done and a few easy meals in the freezer for later. 

Sloppy Joes x 6 - 6 lbs ground beef, Tomato soup, mustard, brown sugar.

Cranberry Roast x 2 I'm checking this one out if we love it we can stock up on cranberries or cranberry sauce later. 

Chicken Pot Pie - I'll make two up the night I have it for dinner.

Carrot Bread x 4  - This is from Frozen Assets it's a simple mix and match recipe. 

Baked Oatmeal with Peanutbutter and Chocolate Chips - My Cooking buddy does not like this, so this one is just for me and my sweet toddler:)

Cinnamon Rolls x 2 - YUM!

Butterhorns x 2 - These are great with dinner.

Menu plan!

I think this is the last week of CRAZINESS, well at least the last of it from my husband's job. Hopefully next few weeks will be calmer.  We'll try to stick to our menu plan this week :)

Sunday - Spaghetti and Crescent Rolls - This is our go to meal for easy prep. :)
Monday - Pork Sandwhiches -  A few weeks ago Lloyds was on sale B1G1 so I tried it out, but I have to say, I'll be glad to have it gone. :)
Tuesday - Ravioli
Wednesday - Church
Thursday - Chicken Pot Pie - the Rotissere Chicken's are on sale at publix this week, so we'll eat off of it a few times, one night it will be a pot pie, chicken, mixed veggies, cream of chicken, and grands on top.
Friday - Family Night
Saturday - Cranberry Roast, mashed potatoes, green beans, salad

For more menu plans check out http://orgjunkie.com/

menu plan monday

We have a lot going on this week, so I won't have to do a lot of cooking.  I do need to use some chicken quarters, and I have a lb of ground beef to use. 

Monday - I saw a crock pot recipe for chicken today, and I think I'll try it out if I make it to the store to get a lemon :)

Tuesday - Tacos

Wednesday - Church

Thursday - Simple Supper - Just us girls, so we usually have a meatless meal when Daddy's not around.  We will probably have a simple pasta meal, pasta, broccoli, maybe alfredo.

Friday - Birthday Party!  Happy B-day to my BIL

Saturday - PIZZA!

For more great plans check out http://orgjunkie.com/

menu plan monday

We actually stuck to the plan last week!  yay for us!  I also managed to blow my grocery budget between the superbowl and a baby shower I helped with, so eating what we have this week :)

Sunday - Pork Sandwiches and cut fruit
Monday - Lasagna and green beans
Tuesday - Fried Chicken
Wednesday - church
Thursday - Chicken Pot Pie
Friday - family night
Saturday - ravioli and broccoli

Easy week for the "chef" :)  For more great plans check out http://www.orgjunkie.com/

Blogging for Books - God Gave Us the World

 God Gave Us the World by Lisa Tawn Bergren; illustrated by Laura J. Bryant

I recieved  God Gave Us the World by Lisa Tawn Bergren; illustrated by Laura J. Bryant as part of the Blogging for Books program yesterday.  My Daughter loves it (She's two).  I love that it shows God's creativity in a way she can understand.  The book is written about a polar bear family where "Little Cub" is learning about God's creativity by learning about how different bears live.  A bears around the world exhibit ends up being a great jumping off point for questions and answers.  My kid loves the pictures of different types of bears and loved following "Little Cub."  If you have a bear lover in the family, it is a great way to introduce them to God's creativity.  You can get the book here or here.

Thanks to WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for providing a free copy of this book for me to review. My Opinions are my own

Bookin' it - February

It's time to report again.  I hated book reports in school, but now I know they keep me on track. :)  I'm linking up my report to http://www.lifeasmom.com/

This month I read The Happiness Project (assigned), Desiring God Meditations of a Christian Hedonist by John Piper (this is from my blogging for books projects) and then The Inn at Angel Island by Thomas Kinkaide and Katherine Spencer (for fun). I also got to read a kid's book for my blogging for books called God Loves Me More Than That by Dandi Daley Mackall. 

The Happiness Project was a lot of fun for me.  I didn't know whether or not I would enjoy it when I started it, but I loved the way she wrote.  Gretchen is a woman I would love to meet. :)  She got me on an anti clutter kick, and made me think about the way I treat other people, and also why we treat them that way.  If you want an uplifting non fiction book this is the one for you. 

Desiring God was a lot more difficult for me, but I think that reading it in conjunction with the Happiness Project was "God Ordained"  Piper's writing gave me a Christian framework for what Rubin had to say in the Happiness Project.  You can read more about what I thought about Desiring God here.

The Inn at Angel Island was wonderful!  I didn't know Kinkaide wrote books until my brother gave me some of his books.  I thought the writing was good, the story amusing, while still thoughtful and overall well thought out. 

Finally God Loves Me More Than That, was amazing.  My Daughter loved it.  You can read more about that one here.

Menu!

I love my Menu Plans - I almost never stick to them 100% but it gives me something to aspire too. :) It also gives me a plan for the week, so I don't have to worry about feeding my family take out.  One of the meals I planned for the week will surely work.  The last two weeks have been refreshing and tiring, wonderful and horrible, amazing realization of God's amazing plans, and an understanding that I will never understand his "big" plan while I am on earth.  I welcomed a neice to the world and was able to celebrate a life well lived with another.  We lost a great friend here, but I'm sure he is impressing the other saints with his mississippi humor.  He had been fighting cancer for a long time we know now he had been healed. 

Because of all of the chaos of the last few weeks we have a pretty similar menu.  Maybe this week we can eat a few of these meals :)

Sunday - Superbowl party - we're eating pizza and chips and normal superbowl fare.

Monday - Crispy Oven Roast Chicken (I have some extra chicken quarters hanging around and I'm pretty sure I can adapt this recipe to that) corn, salad, bread machine rolls

Tuesday - Cheesy Broccoli, rice, and chicken (Dinner in one dish, yes! As a bonus we can use any excess chicken from Monday in the casserole.)

Wednesday - Church
Thursday - Popcorn Chicken, Green Beans, Salad, Whole Wheat Butter Biscuits (The biscuits are new for us, but I'm excited to try them).

Friday - Hanging out with Friends!
Saturday - Baby Shower and Dinner

I'm linking up to orgjunkie.com - check it out!

God Loves Me More Than That - Book Review

I got my new book from Waterbrook this week and it was a children's book. God Loves Me More Than That by Dandi Daley Mackall and Illustrated by David Hohn. My Daughter and I (2.5 yrs) both loved it. She loved the pictures (especially one that had the ABC's in it) and I loved the sing-songy way the wording flowed. We read it over and over the day we got it, and she wants it to be read to her again and again. It gives great metaphors for how much God loves you. You can get the book from here.

Thanks to WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for providing a free copy of this book for me to review. My Opinions are my own.

No Menu Plan

Sorry Guys, there is no way I'm menu planning this week. I was awakened Saturday to the news that a good friend had passed away. I've spent the entire week up visiting with his family (my best friends). So, I'll get on the band wagon again next week. :)

Menu Plan Monday

Yet again, the plan is thwarted, but this one was for a great reason.  I am an Aunt again!  I left town rather unexpectedly because of that, so we will do a few repeats from last week and then get on with the plan. 

For Breakfasts we'll have
Baked Oatmeal (Peanut Butter, Chocolate)
Oatmeal
Cheerios
Rasin Bran

Sunday - Sloppy Joes and whatever veggies I can convince the family to eat on the side.

Monday - Popcorn Chicken, Green Beans, Salad, Whole Wheat Butter Biscuits (The biscuits are new for us, but I'm excited to try them).

Tuesday  - Crispy Oven Roast Chicken (I have some extra chicken quarters hanging around and I'm pretty sure I can adapt this recipe to that) corn, salad, bread machine rolls

Wednesday - Church

Thursday - Cheesy Broccoli, rice, and chicken (Dinner in one dish, yes! As a bonus we can use any excess chicken from Tuesday in the casserole.)

Friday - Family night

Saturday - Tacos or Hamburgers - Something really simple!

Book Review - Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist by John Piper

John Piper’s book can be summed up in one sentence. You should strive to find joy and happiness in God. I loved the point of the book. I loved that he went a little bit more in depth when looking at stories where people were suffering to show that ultimately they were striving to find happiness and that God not only honors that, but desires that too. Psalms 37:4 says “Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” For me that was the whole crux of the matter.
With all of that being said, I did not love this book. I did love the idea of the book, but I found it to be too long and in depth to hold my attention for long. I didn’t need all the extras, and even found it to be tiresome to come upon the defense of the term Christian Hedonism again and again. I did not need the term defended, I don’t love the term, but understood Piper’s reference the first time he explained it. I think it would be a great study resource, but for me there was too much minutia to dig through. I would recommend the book to people who love to study and cross reference, but if you are looking for light reading this is not the book for you.

You can find this book here or here

Thanks to WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for providing a free copy of this book for me to review. My Opinions are my own.

Kitchen extras!

This week I want to get in some extra stuff in the kitchen to make life a little bit nicer.

I'll be making two "cookies in a jar" recipes - I'll get them posted soon. It's great for when you want cookies fast, all the measuring is done, just add the wet ingredients when you're ready to bake them.

I need to do another round of Peanut Butter Chocolate Oatmeal - That is my Toddler's favorite breakfast food (although for some reason she calls them muffins).

Cinnamon Rolls! - We are out of Cinnamon rolls in our freezer, and they are a great "special treat" for us.

I'd also love to find a great "main dish" recipe to add to my freezer this week, but I haven't found one yet that meets with what I have on hand, and that I think every one at this house will eat. So I'm still looking. If you have a favorite let me know maybe I'll try it out. :)

Menu Plan

We have been sick off and on for the last week and a half or so, so I missed my posting deadline again. The good news is that I did actually plan a menu on Sunday and it is hanging in the kitchen, so my family is still eating :).

Our breakfasts this week will be finishing off our last batch of carrot bread, raisin bran, cheerios and oatmeal.

For lunches I just serve leftovers or "snacky lunches" (fruit or veggies and spread or cheese) for myself and my toddler and my husband is on his own at work.

And here is the dinner plan -

Sunday we had spaghetti. It's a quick and easy meal, and you can spread it to fit any number of people, so when my brother in law and sister in law stopped by it was easy to add more spaghetti to the pot and they even brought some garlic bread.

Monday - Penne Rustica - This is one of my all time favorites, and I found one in my freezer from november, so it looked like a good time to use it. :) We served it with green beans and garlic bread.

Tuesday - Sloppy Joes - I'll make a big batch for dinner tonight and freeze the left overs for later. I bought hamburger buns yesterday, but my toddler and I needed a project this morning, so I made rolls in the breadmachine also. (Ok, my recipe was slightly different but same idea, I did use half unbleached flour and half whole wheat flour)

Wednesday - Church night

Thursday - Chicken Pot Pie - Leftover chicken and cream of chicken soup, all the extra veggies I can find stick it in the oven until bubbling and then just top with grands a cook another 20 minutes or so.

Friday - Family Night

Saturday - I had planned on trying a new recipe this weekend, but the budget didn't allow, so Osso Busco Beef is going to have to wait. We will either have chicken jambalaya or tacos.

I also plan on doing a few kitchen extras this week.

Bookin' It!

It is the time of year to share reading plans and goals. I love to read, and I am just giving myself a little bit of structure to keep myself on track. This year I'll be participating in the "Assigned reading" from Life as Mom (at least most months) and I'm hoping to have at least two other books to comment on each month. I also joined Blogging for books and will be reviewing books for them as well that I will be adding to my write ups. Since the last booking it in December I have actually done a lot of reading.

I read Two Tickets to the Christmas Ball by Donita K. Paul and loved it. You can read my review here. It was a quick, fun read.

Fiddler's Gun by A.S. Peterson - This was a great book and Fiddler's Green just came out. I am looking forward to getting a hold of it. It is a historical fiction book and I loved that it focused on a strong female lead. I am already looking forward to how Fin Button will change and grow in the next book. It is written during the civil war and includes ship life and even pirates. Check it out!.

The Last Mango in Texas by Ray Blackston - I love Ray Blackston. I found him by accident because his books were next to Terry Blackstock at my library. He is funny! I really enjoyed Flabbergasted and went and tracked down the other books he had written outside of that series. This one is all about boy meets girl and boy pursues girl. I love how the book follows the lead and what he is thinking.

I've already started reading 3 books for next month I'll be reading The Happiness Project (assigned), Desiring God Meditations of a Christian Hedonist by John Piper (this is from my blogging for books projects) and then The Inn at Angel Island by Thomas Kinkaide and Katherine Spencer (for fun). Can't wait to see how it goes. :)

Menu Plan Monday

Welcome Back!!

It is a new week and time for a new plan. I need to be a little tight with budget this week, so I'm going to try and eat from the stockpile, but I also found a great new shrimp recipe I'd love to try, so if shrimp is reasonable when I go to the store this week I'll try it out too.

Monday - Lasagna, salad, rolls. I'm going to do 2 at the same time so I can stick one in my freezer for later. I'm sticking with my standby recipe, but I saw this cool recipe for a zucchini lasagna that you may want to try. :)

Tuesday - Chicken Pot Pie- chicken, cream of chicken soup, and veggies all warmed up in the oven, and then put refrigerator biscuits on top and cook for another 20 minutes or so at 350 degrees.

Wednesday - Church

Thursday - Tacos w/ lettuce, corn, and beans on the side, or in your taco.

Friday - Tortellini in a pumpkin cream sauce

Saturday - Family night

Sunday - shrimp (Maybe?) I think I will do grits if I get to make shrimp. Got to love shrimp and grits!! If I can't buy any shrimp or decide to just keep eating from my freezer I'll be doing Chicken Parmesan.

I am also going to be making carrot bread at the request of my toddler, and maybe some other baked goods. We'll have baked oatmeal, oatmeal, and of course cheerios for breakfast this week, and leftovers for lunch.

PS Last sunday we tried this macaroni, cheese, and chicken bake and it was great. It'll go on the family favorite list :)