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