Menu Plan Monday

Good morning! I took the day off from work, just needed a day to get some stuff done around the house as well as rest and re-group. I'm spending this morning with house chores and a few errands, then the afternoon is reserved for beauty appointments. *smile*

I'm participating with Orgjunkie.com this week, be sure to pop over to her site for more great menu ideas!

Meatless Monday:Baked Penne (substituting veggie crumbles for the beef)
Taco Tuesday: Burritos
Weight Watchin' Wednesday: Hungry Girl's Mac & Cheese
Thrifty Thursday: Spicy Black Beans & Rice
Fun Friday: Out to dinner for Bambi's Birthday!
Simple Saturday: Fish & "Chips" (Beren will be having the real (fried) deal)
Slow Mo Sunday: Slow Cooker Pot Roast (for the carnivores) Very Veggie Stew for the vegetarians (yes, I do have two crockpots..three, actually..*grin*

Have a wonderful day!

xoxoxox

Rapunzel~

Memorial Day Greetings

Is there anything better than waking up on a Monday morning and realizing that you don't have to go to work?! Ahh...so wonderful to sit here sipping coffee with nowhere to be, just catching up on my favorite blogs and planning the week ahead.

Beren and I are still in Ormond, plan to spend the day doing laundry, packing, and dog-sitting Lucy while Kali and J are in Disney World. I'm hoping to get in some exercise this evening, would love to take both doggies to the park if Beren will tag along 'cause I can't handle both of these monsters on my own!

In the meantime, here's my menu for the upcoming week:

Meatless (Memorial Day) Monday: Boca Burgers on light hamburger bun, Vegetarian Baked Beans, Steamed Veggies
Taco Tuesday: Cheesy Taco Supreme (recipe to come!)
Wok-y Wednesday: Thai-Style Shrimp (recipe to come!)
Thrifty Thursday: Sausage & Peppers Pizza (recipe to come!)
TGI Friday: Last Minute Chicken Fajitas (recipe to come!)
Social Saturday: Leftovers or out to eat
Slow Mo Sunday: Chili sin Carne with Cheesy Chili Breadsticks (recipes to come!)

Hope you're all having a lovely long weekend so far, Happy Memorial Day.

xoxoxoox
Rapunzel~

Monday Menu Planning

Whew..it's been a long time since I posted a menu plan, or seriously even made one! It's busy season at work, though, and I really need to be as organized as possible. Though I'm still eating primarily Jenny Cuisine, the rest of my family isn't. With busy work & school schedules, my girls don't eat home as often as I'd like but perhaps I can coax them into sitting around the table a couple of times this week.

Meatless Monday: Spicy Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup
Take-Out Tuesday: Pizza Night
Wok-y Wednesday: Shrimp Stir Fry
Thrifty Thursday: Pasta with "Secret" Sauce
Fishy Friday: Mahi with Kiwi Salsa
Social Saturday: Leftovers or out to eat
Slow Mo Sunday: Slow Cooker London Broil

Hope everyone's week is off to a great start so far!

xoxoxo

Monday Menu Planning - Not!

Ack, it's a crazy week as Beren and I are headed out of town Wednesday evening, up to the Ormond house for a nice long weekend. So, no real planning for me today, am going to use up what I have in this house and fill in the gaps with take-out pizza Tuesday.

I did, however, make a tasty dinner last night which I'll share with you. Baked Ziti or Penne is one of my staples, an easy dish which everyone enjoys. This time I also treated the family to Cannoli for dessert, yummy! I can't believe I've been paying big money for these at the Italian bakery all these years, they are so easy to make!




Classic Cannoli Filling

• 16 oz. Ricotta cheese
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup confectioner’s sugar (to taste)
• 1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Drain the ricotta cheese in cheesecloth for one hour. Using a stand mixer on lowest speed or by hand, beat the ricotta cheese for approximately one minute. Slowly add sugar and continue mixing. Mix in vanilla. Filling can be prepared up to 1-2 days ahead.

Use a pastry bag or a plastic storage bag with one corner snipped off to fill shells. Filling can be thickened, if desired, by beating in one Tbs. of cornstarch at a time until filling reaches desired consistency. Garnish with powdered sugar and/or cinnamon and mini-chocolate chips. Refrigerate filling at least one hour prior to filling shells. Fill Cannoli shells using either a pastry bag or spoon when ready to serve.

Variations / Garnishes

These are just some of the possibilities; mix and match these as you wish and don’t be afraid to experiment. Have fun, be creative, buon appetite!

• Powdered Sugar
• Chocolate sauce
• Strawberries
• Cherries
• Jimmies/sprinkles
• Shaved chocolate
• Powdered chocolate
• Strawberry sauce
• Caramel sauce
• Mini-chocolate chips
• Coconut
• Diced Candied Fruit
• Peanut butter sauce
• Mini-white chocolate chips
• Chopped nuts
• M & M’s


Enjoy!

Monday Menu Planning (a little late)

I need to start menu planning again, it works so well for me to have at least a week's worth of meals planned and shopped for. Monday was a bust, anyway; we ended up staying for dinner at our friend's so yesterday's soup will be enjoyed for lunch today! Gotta love the convenience of the crockpot!

The rest of the week looks as follows:

Take-Out Tuesday: No take-out today, instead we'll be having simple soup & sandwiches to save some dollars!
Weight Watchin' Wednesday: Slow Cooker Country Captain Chicken with Rice
Thrifty Thursday: Stewed Lentils and Tomatoes
Freezer Friday: The kids will have pizza, Beren and I will be sharing these yummy seafood meals we bought on sale: Artichoke Pesto Tilapia and Margaritaville Sunset Shrimp Scampi. Yummy!
Savory Saturday: Vegetarian Shepherds Pie
Slow Mo Sunday: Crock Pot Black Bean Chili

Monday Menu Planning

Meatless Monday ~ Sweet Potato Curry with Spinach and Chickpeas
Take-Out Tuesday ~ Pizza Night
Weight Watchin' Wednesday ~ White Bean Turkey Chili
Thrifty Thursday ~ Clean out Refrigerator Night (Leftovers) before heading out of town for the weekend so no cooking for me!

Have a great week!

Monday Menu Planning

Week 2 with Beren's girls, have actually had little issue with picky eating this past week. *smile* I think they're becoming accustomed to healthy sit-down family dinners instead of the "meals on the run" they seem to have at their Mom's house. Everyone does things differently, of course, but in our home mealtime is important and pleasurable!

Meatless Monday ~ Beren and I are both on vacation so we did some more grillin' by the pool - chicken, burgers, salad & baked potatoes
Tuesday ~ no take-out today, will be out sailing today so am putting potato soup in the crockpot, it'll be ready when we get home! Potato Soup (I'll be using leftover baked potatoes from Sunday's BBQ)
Weight Watchin' Wednesday ~ Hungry Girl's Hot Tamale Pie
Thrifty Thursday ~ Whole Wheat Pasta with Chickpeas and Lemon (can't get much cheaper than a nice bowl of pasta!)
Fishy Friday ~ Ack! Neither of them eat fish so it's going to be Clean Out Refrigerator Night, am sure there will be enough leftovers to go around
Social Saturday ~ the girls will be headed home today, Beren and I are planning to use a gift certificate we've been saving and go out to dinner
Sunday ~ Family BBQ with burgers & dogs, the usual fare

Monday Menu Planning

The next couple of weeks will be unusual here at the Castle as we have Beren's girls for two weeks solid! This will be the first time they've stayed with us for such an extended period of time and while I'm certainly looking forward to it, it does present a few challenges.

I've mentioned before that they are rather picky eaters and, unlike the rest of us, not fans of vegetables but also don't eat meat so cooking for them is a bit difficult! They eat lots of pasta at home so I'll be focusing on that and will sneak some veggies in where I can. *wink*

Meatless Monday ~ Cheryl's Spinach Cheesy Pasta
Take-Out Tuesday ~ Pizza Night
Weight Watchin' Wednesday ~ Shepherd's Pie (vegetarian)
Thrifty Thursday ~ I have all of these ingredients on hand making this Mexican Vegetarian Casserole a cheap and easy meal!
Fishy Friday ~ Ack! Neither of them eat fish so it's going to be Clean Out Refrigerator Night, am sure there will be enough leftovers to go around
Social Saturday ~ Family BBQ - burgers, veggie dogs, the usual fare
Slow Mo' Sunday ~ Crockpot Veggie Soup

Monday Menu Planning

We have a busy week and will be out & about quite a bit so the menu planning is a bit more difficult. I'm going to be relying on my freezer & pantry for most of our meals, nothing fancy!

Meatless Monday ~ Spaghetti Pie (from the freezer) for the kids, Beren and I will be eating in Palm Beach!
Take-Out Tuesday ~ Bambi's High School Graduation, eating out, location TBD.
Weight Watchin' Wednesday ~ Israeli Salad Pitas
Thrifty Thursday ~ Last Day of School for Kali, her first full year of teaching! Meeting them for pizza at Primanti Brothers where they have an awesome family special
Fishy Friday ~ Tuna Noodle Casserole (WW Style)
Social Saturday ~ We're meeting friends at the Art Undressed exhibit in Miami, will either eat something quick at home or grab something on the go
Slow Mo' Sunday ~ Whew..finally a day at home! We'll surely spend it poolside, weather permitting, so this Weight Watchers Slow Cooker lasagna will be a easy meal to throw together while we relax and recoup from the busy week!

Monday Menu Planning

In preparation for the long weekend, Beren and I did some mega-shopping at Costco on Saturday, stocked up on, among other things, huge baking potatoes, Progresso Light Soup, salad and bread for the rare occasions when I decide to indulge in the "white stuff." I love opening my pantry and freezer to find so many meal possibilities!

Meatless Monday ~ "Potato Night"- baked potatoes w/leftover chili, salad
Take-Out Tuesday ~ Pizza Night
Weight Watchin' Wednesday ~ Vegetarian Italian Pasta Skillet Dinner Recipe from Progresso® Light
Thrifty Thursday ~ Anything Soup and French bread
Fishy Friday ~ Marinated Salmon Filets
Social Saturday ~ Dinner Out
Slow Mo' Sunday ~ Santa Fe Chicken

Monday Menu Planning

I'm trying to get my life back on track, feel like I have really lost "control" over the past few months with Mom's illness, death, and the horrible aftermath. My family is still in shock, still mourning, but life does indeed go on despite ourselves. Slowly, surely I have been making small changes, getting back into a routine, finding some semblance of "normalcy." Since I am a kitchen witch after all, one of the best ways for me to be productive and comfort myself is to head to the hearth. It's here where I put aside everything else and just immerse myself in the taste, smell, texture, experience of cooking for my family. It brings me joy and pleasure and the knowledge that no matter what else is happening, we must eat. And so we gather at the table, sharing joy and sorrows, the ups and downs of our days. Such as it is now, the bitter and the sweetness, Life does indeed go on.

Meatless Monday ~ Clean Out Refrigerator Night (C*O*R*N)
Take-Out Tuesday ~ Pizza Night
Weight Watchin' Wednesday ~ Chicken Sybil
Thrifty Thursday ~ Shrimp Lo Mein
Fishy Friday ~ Easy Fish Tacos
Social Saturday ~ Dinner Out
Slow Mo' Sunday ~ Barbecue Chili

Monday Menu Planning

Well, the holidays are over, it's the New Year which means getting back on track in several areas including meal planning. I've requested that my kids and Beren give me a weekly update on their work schedules, outside activities, etc. so that I can plan more family meals together. I hope this works because, honestly, I was getting frustrated and annoyed after preparing big meals week after week only to have them come home and announce, "oh, gee, didn't know you cooked, I just ate Taco Bell." Grrr! I enjoy cooking for other people, sitting down and dining together whenever possible, so this just wasn't working for me. Also, if I know that Lily will be home a certain night I can serve vegetarian fare and serve the chicken for another day of the week! We'll see how the new regime goes.

Meatless Monday ~ Cannellini Parmesan Casserole
Take-Out Tuesday ~ Pizza Night
Weight Watchin' Wednesday ~ Hearty Lentil Stew
Thrifty Thursday ~ Clean Out Refrigerator Night
Fishy Friday ~ Baked white fish with Onions, Peppers, Olives, and Feta
Social Saturday ~ Dinner Out
Slow Mo' Sunday ~ Kathy's Delicious Slow Cooker Chicken

Monday Menu Planning

(1948) How to Use & Enjoy Your New Frigidaire Electric Range pg 31, originally uploaded by The Apron Queen.

Beren and I went to a wonderful new-to-us farmer's market yesterday, got some great bargains on fresh fruit, veggies, cheese and bread, all beautiful and super-fresh! I'm hoping to avoid a big shopping trip this week, trying to eat from the freezer and pantry once again.


Meatless Monday - Zucchini Casserole
Take-Out Tuesday - No take-out today, instead it'll be leftovers or soup & sandwiches
Weight Watchin' Wednesday - Pasta with Broccoli Rabe
Thrifty Thursday - Cheeseburger Macaroni
Fishy Friday - Stuffed Sole (love this stuff!) and Potatoes Au Gratin
Slow Mo' Saturday - Slow Cooker Shepherds Pie
Social Sunday - Steak and Twice Baked Ranch Potatoes

Monday Menu Planning

Since my freezer and pantry are well-stocked at the moment, I'll be cooking with that in mind this week, using up what I have. We had a great time on our little road trip but even mini-vacations do tend to strain the budget, don't they?

Monday ~ Potato-Leek Soup
Tuesday ~ Black Bean, Corn and Turkey Chili
Wednesday ~ Stuffed Sole with Scallops and Crab Meat
Thursday ~ Bacon-Wrapped Top Sirloin
Friday ~ Artichoke Tilapia & Fried Shrimp
Saturday ~ Chicken Breasts, Roasted Garlic with White Wine
Sunday ~ Baked Ziti (mozzarella, ricotta and pasta were on sale this week)

Monday Menu Planning

Meat Free Monday: Creamy Spinach Ricotta Pasta
Turkey Tuesday: Turkey Tetrazzini (We usually get take-out on this day but since it's the end of the month and the food budget is thin, I'm going to cook instead.)
Weight Watchin' Wednesday: Black Bean Brownies (who cares about dinner?!)
Thrifty Thursday: Stir-Fried Noodles with Chicken
Fishy Friday: Linguine & Clam Sauce (we never ended up eating it last week)
Slow-Mo Saturday: Chili Mac
Social Sunday: Leftovers

Monday Menu Planning

I recently received a free issue of Taste of Home's Simple & Delicious magazine. While I really enjoy all the Taste of Home publications, this particular issue was a bit too heavy on the meat for my mostly-vegetarian family. I did find a few gems, though, which I'll be focusing on this week. I've also included a recipe from Real Simple which looks especially tasty.

Meatless Monday - Skillet Mac and Cheese

Take-out Tuesday - Pizza or Leftovers

Weight Watchin' Wednesday - Anytime Turkey Chili

Thrifty Thursday - Tasty Hamburger Casserole

Fishy Friday - Garlicky Broiled Salmon and Tomatoes

Slow-Mo Saturday - Tomato Seafood Soup

Social Sunday: Hearty Penne Beef

Monday Menu Planning

Since I never finished posting recipes from this cookbook (where did the time go?), I'm focusing on it again this week as well as some old favorites.

Meatless Monday - We just enjoyed my own version of vegetarian chili that we didn't get around to last week

Take-out Tuesday: Pizza or Leftovers

Weight Watchin' Wednesday: Vegetable Soup

Thirsty Thursday: Malibu Breeze with TGI Fridays Buffalo Chicken Wings , & big green salad

Fishy Friday: Tuna Noodle Casserole

Slow-Mo Saturday: Vegetarian Enchilada Casserole

Social Sunday: Old-Fashioned Sunday Supper

Monday Menu Planning

I am focusing on recipes from Family Circle magazine this week, love that publication! The majority come from this past June's issue (yeah, I'm a bit behind on my reading), have also included some recipes from the advertisements. Since I'm on a different "eating plan" than my family, I'll be making revisions for myself where necessary (spaghetti squash or Shitaki noodles in place of pasta, for instance).

Meatless Monday - Campbell's Broccoli & Cheese Casserole (broccoli was on sale and I have an abundance of shredded cheese for some reason)
Take-out Tuesday - Pizza or Leftovers
Weight Watchin' Wednesday - Shrimp with Bean-Tomato Ragu
Thirsty Thursday - Frozen Mojitos & Filet with Mushroom Sauce (I'm going to really cheat here and use the two "steaks" I have in my freezer; the vegetarians will have chik patties instead)
Fishy Friday - Artichoke Pesto Tilapia, Shrimp Bruschetta
Slow-Mo Saturday - My own Vegetarian Crockpot Chili
Social Sunday - Labor Day BBQ including the usual burgers, hot dogs, Blue Cheese Potato Salad, Shrimp Deviled Eggs, and Strawberry Whipped Sensation

Monday Menu Planning

We have a few things still in our pantry that I'm working with this week but of course I still need fruit, veggies, etc. I'm certainly becoming an even more creative cook as a result of this budget crunch, LOL!



*Monday - Mexican Bean Pie
*Tuesday - Marinated Chicken Wings
*Wednesday - Zesty Sea Shells
*Thursday - Scalloped Chicken and Potatoes
*Friday - C*O*R*N
*Saturday - Crock Pot Black Bean Chili with corn bread
*Sunday - Grilled Burgers & Hot Dogs

Monday Menu Planning

I'm still working mainly from what I have on hand in pantry & freezer, it's amazing how much I had stocked away and how many meals I can make from it! This past Saturday night I made a big C*O*R*N dinner, served the family a smorgasbord of dishes from tacos to fried shrimp. They thought it was fun being able to create their own menu and it sure cleaned out the fridge!

So, here's my menu for the week, but I have to ask you guys - do you want me to still give the recipes day by day or are links here good enough for you? Or does it matter? *grin* Let me know, I can go either way!

Now, this week is a bit heavy on pasta, I know, but that's what I have an abundance of and everyone loves it anyway.

*Monday - Baked Spaghetti (I'll be using veggie crumbles instead of the beef)
Tuesday - Veggie Brown Rice Wraps
*Wednesday - Shortcut Minestrone
*Thursday - Shrimp Tetrazzini
*Friday - Soup & Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
*Saturday - Take-out Pizza or Dinner Out
*Sunday - Grilled burgers and hot dogs