Menu Plan Monday

Monday - Shrimp and Grits!  These were so great!!  I made the grits with half chicken broth and half milk and then put in a ton of cheese...yum!  I cooked some bacon and then cooked a bunch of green onions, garlic and shrimp with a little bit more milk.  It was SO GOOD! 

Tuesday - Baked Teryaki Chicken - dinner rolls - green beans

Wednesday - Church

Thursday - Cowboy dinner - So good - and as a bonus it is a one pot thing after you brown the ground beef.

Friday - Family night

Saturday - Unstuffed Shells

Sunday - baked chicken, veggies, rolls

For more great plans check out orgjunkie.com

A late plan

I just didn't get my ducks in a row this week, and I paid for it, so I decided better late than never. Sunday - grilled cheeseburger wraps. These were phenomenal! Monday - spaghetti Tuesday- chick fil a and we lucked out - it was free kids meal night :) Wednesday - baked chicken, rice, veggie Thursday - pot roast (I'm going to do a can of cream of mushroom and a packet of onion soup. Friday - Family night Saturday - visiting with cousins Next week I'm going to need a better plan, so maybe I'll start now:)

Booking It February 2012

I love Booking It - It reminds me to think about what I read in the last month, and this month I did a lot of reading, and I enjoyed it. I read for relaxation, I read for pleasure, I read for knowledge - all of it was enjoyable this month .  I'm not sure how I managed to pack so much into this month, but I know that there was more than once I stayed up past when I intended finishing a book. 

I read 3 different books as a part of the Blogging for Books program.

1. The Canary List by Sigmund Brouwer - Review
2. The Inconvenient Marriage of Charlotte Beck by Kathleen Y'Barbo - Review
3. The Sierra Jensen Collection Volume 1 by Robin Jones Gun - Review

I read a few books I had gotten free on the kindle this month (They aren't all free anymore, but some of them are).

1. Healthy Children's Lunches - I enjoyed the ideas in the book, but will caution the reader that it is written by an English author, and some things just don't "translate" exactly to US measurements or ingredients.
2. Organized Simplicity - I loved this book.  Sometimes I just need a little motivation.  It wasn't that there was a whole lot in this book that I didn't know how to do, but sometimes I just need someone to tell me what to do.  We are planning a garage sale in a week and Tsh was just what I needed to get me motivated to go through the house. 
3. Quick and Easy Family Dinners - This was not my favorite cookbook - in fact I will probably not try any of the recipes in it - it just didn't fit my family style.
4. Smart School Time Recipes - Healthy foods and snacks for your kids (or you).  I loved this - some of the recipes don't have things that I normally keep around the house, but if you are a dairy free house there are a lot of options for you here - It includes contributions from several authors with various backgrounds, but the main author is dairy free, and she includes suggestions to make any of the options dairy free.

Then I made a library trip and got some more books :)

1. The Money Saving Mom's Budget: Slash Your Spending, Pay Down Your Debt, Streamline Your Life, and Save Thousands a Year  - I love Crystal from Moneysavingmom.com and I was excited about reading the book.  She did a great job.  It was definitely a book that a beginner could start with - most of what she does or recommends I already do, or am trying to do, but I found it to encourage me to keep on.  I'm not going to save thousands more than I alreday do, but I may save a few more dollars this year :)
2. Grow Great Grub: Organic Food from Small Spaces - I loved this book.  It was a gardening for dummies kind of book, but specifically geared for small spaces and containers.  I know nothing, and try to increase the harvest a bit more every year and this was great - it filled in some blank spaces for me. 

I am pretty sure I read one more book, but I can't remember what it is, so either it didn't make a significant impression, or I only read these.  I hope you check some of them out. Check out more at Http://lifeasmom.com

Required Reading for Teenage Girls - and Their Parents

I love Robin Jones Gunn - I love the way she writes, I love her characters, I just love her.  This month I was given the opportunity to read an older series that she wrote.  It is coming out now in "volume version"  The Sierra Jensen Collection Vol. 1 is the first 3 books in the Sierra Jensen series.  Gunn allows her characters room to feel, make mistakes, and stand up for themselves and their God and I love that about her.  When her characters make decisions she makes sure that the readers understand where those decisions are coming from.  Sierra is a 16 year old girl that is ready to grow up, but is reminded again and again to enjoy the time she has as a teenager.  She goes through all of the typical teenage growing pains, and she survives and even thrives.  I love the author incorporates scripture and the joy of the Word in every book that she writes and that she writes about families and the joy and pain of being apart of one.  I think that both the Christy Miller Series and the Sierra Jensen Series should be required reading for teen girls, because it gives a lot of food for thought and it makes you think about the way you do things (especially where boys are concerned) and why you do them.  Moms gift these books to your daughters today! 
Thanks WaterbrookMultnomah for providing me with a copy to review. My opinions are my own.

Menu Plan Monday!

It is that time again.  Another plan to make...
I don't want to make another trip to the grocery store this week, I had to replace my oven unexpectedly (Flames are not a good sign - especially when your oven is over 20 years old).  I know that saving $50 on groceries will not replace my oven it does help give me a little bit of a cushion, so we'll eat what we have here.  :)

Sunday - Hotdogs (no oven, we needed a microwavable option).
Monday - Leftovers - we have a huge chunck of lasagna left and my one that won't eat leftovers won't be here, so leftovers it is.
Tuesday - Pot roast - My grandma gave me a recipe that was just a roast, a can of cream of mushroom, and an envelope of the onion soup - I know it's valentines day, but we have date night planned for Thursday, so I'll fancy it up a little bit with rolls and a dessert, but nothing crazy.
Wednesday - church
Thursday - DATE NIGHT - I have no idea what we'll eat, but hubs has it figured out I'm sure.
Friday - Family night
Saturday - Tacos

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