Menu Planning

Menu for the week of April 14, 2014

This week has seemed crazy busy which is why I am only now posting our meals for the week (on Thursday)!

The next 2 weeks are going to be even busier what with JJ & my 5 year Anniversary tomorrow, Kristin & Ray come in town, Aunt Laurel & Mikes Wedding Celebration, Easter, spending the night at the beach with Kristin & Ray, Patti's Dedication at the Girl Scout Camp, my 31st birthday and the next day is Steve's birthday. Like I said, CRAZY busy!

But, here are the meals that we have eaten this week. 

Via

Cheeseburger Casserole (Healthy)
Finally made this this week. It was good and the kids liked it. I am the only one in the family that likes pickles so I just topped mine with it once it was out of the pane.  I think that it tastes much better with the pickles on top but if you aren't a fan of pickles, it still tastes good. JJ went back for seconds so I think it was a winner. 

Grilled Pimento Cheese sandwiches and sweet potato Fries
I don't have any pictures of this because it is a basic dinner recipe but it was delicious. The kids weren't all that into the Pimento Cheese but they ate it and JJ & I loved it. I really like Alexis sweet potato fries. They crisp up nicely and have great flavor. 

Via

Chicken with Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
This was delicious and very easy! Made in under 25 minutes from start to finish! That is my kind of meal. Everyone ate it right up. It will probably become a staple!

Via

Chicken & Waffles

This one was just ok. It definitely would have been better if the chicken had been fried. It was edible and decent but not great. I probably won't make this again unless I have a real craving for it.

Menu Planning Monday... on a Tuesday

So this menu is a week late. Sorry. I just did not even think about putting it down last week. But now I am trying to get my act together so I want to make sure that we know what to make again. 

So, without further ado, here is what we ate last week (with our thoughts).

Meals for the week of March 31, 2014

Pork Chop Marsala with Cauliflower Mash (Healthy)

This is one of my favorite meals. The mushroom sauce really makes the pork chops delicious. If you know me but at all, you pretty much know that I will add mushrooms to any recipe if I can. 

I pair the pork chop with Cauliflower Mash Potatoes. I use half a head of cauliflower and boil with 1 baking potato. JJ does not like cauliflower so I can't do real cauliflower mash but A & I LOVE this and JJ tolerates it so I make it regularly whenever I feel like mashed pots would be a good side. 

Kicking BBQ Chicken Quesadilla Found in Cooking Light Magazine April 2014 (Healthy)
This was as good this week as it was last week. Last week I served it with a side of butternut squash but the kids didn't eat it. JJ had a genius idea this week. We mashed the butternut squash and put it in the quesadilla. The flavor went really well with the tangy barbecue sauce and the kids still gobbled it up. I always count it as a victory when H eats vegetables. 

Pear, Blue Cheese & Bacon Focaccia Pizza (Healthy)
This was just ok. It was kinda bland. I did not feel like my flavors melded well together. It didn't taste bad, just not fantastic like I know that it could. Neither JJ nor the kids would touch it so we ended up heating up from frozen pizzas that we have in case of times like these. 
I think that the pizza disappointed me so much because it takes about 2 hours (longer than I like to spend on dinner). 
Probably won't make this one again. 

Moms Spaghetti with Garlic Bread
This is always one of my favorites. It is easy to make and the kids love it. I make this early in the morning and by dinner time all the flavors have melded together perfectly. It really taste like childhood to me. Follow the link to my recipe. 
I served it with store bought garlc bread (Publix brand) which was perfect. 

I have to say that I consider if a pretty successful week when only 1 recipe isn't a hit. But now that I think about it, every recipe was a repeat but that one that no one liked.  Oh well. It was a good and healthy week. That is all I really care about when it comes to dinner. 

Menu Planning Monday... a day late

Per usual, this will be amended as the week goes on with my thoughts of what worked for the meals. 

Meals for the week of April 7, 2014

Via

Open Face italian Egg Sandwiches with sweet potato tater tots. (Healthy)

This was delicious. I made this on Monday (a day that is not a Fast day for JJ because I didn't know if he would like it or be filling enough for him). JJ & the kids got a sandwich without the lettuce and they loved it! It really was hit with JJ which surprised me the most of all. He ate it right up!

This was a nice, light meal so perfect for a summer evening. I will definitely make this again. 

Via

Via

Baked Mac n Cheese with roasted tomatoes (Healthy)
This was just ok. The Mac N Cheese didn't really have much flavor to me but everyone else ate it.
The roasted tomatoes were pretty good. I am definitely going to do this again. The kids didn't like it but JJ & I ate them up. 

Via

Cheeseburger Casserole (Healthy)
We didn't make this this week. I ended up having a girls night with Sarah & Mallory so we didn't eat it. Will make next week. 

Via

Baked Chicken Parm with a side of Green Beans
Always a winner and absolutely delicious.  Everyone gobbled it up and once again proclaimed it a staple in our menu planning! I really like how the chicken seems to be fried but isn't!