MPM

It’s Monday again! It arrives way too fast for me some times! Due to a recent birthday and shopping yesterday, money is going to be tight this week. I’ll need to use what I have on hand, but again lots of running around means I don‘t really know what I actually have on hand! Until I can inventory (Tuesday), here a list of meals I’m sure I can pull off.

~Breakfasts~ ham & cheese corn muffins, crock pot oatmeal, birds in a nest, blueberry pancakes, toast with peanut butter, oj and milk

~Dinners~ pizza wraps, Ramen, salad, sandwiches*, sliced apples, fruit smoothies

~Suppers~

lasagna, salad, fruit cocktail

bacon, eggs, toast, sliced apples

tortellini/spinach soup, garlic bread

roast beef & pepper jack melts, salad

Hopefully I can come up with a few more options, but I know we have plenty. I just have to ‘make do’ and not run to the store. What are you cooking this week? See more menu plans at Orgjunkie.com

 *Lots of sandwiches because both dh & I picked up bread, 2 loaves each!

MPM

Welcome to another week of menu planning! The format I used last week didn’t quite work out for me. Several meals were switched around for various reasons which made me feel like a fraud. From now on I am just going to post in categories.

Also, last week I linked a recipe for Beef & Barley soup, but it‘s not the one I use. It’s from All You magazine but I could not find it online. I was just too lazy to type it out. Today, I feel like typing it out. Lucky you. And because my world would crash around my ankles if I followed a recipe exactly as listed, my notes are in parentheses….as if you couldn’t figure that out.

Beef and Barley (or rice) Soup

Prep: 5 minutes    Cook: 7 hours     Serves: 8     Cost per Serving: @$2.23

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 onions, diced
• 10 oz white button mushrooms, sliced
• 2 lb lean beef stew meat, cut into ½ inch pieces
• 6 cups canned low sodium beef broth (I use water & bouillon granules)
• 2 carrots, chopped (I use baby carrots)
• 1 28 oz can diced tomatoes (I use crushed because I have a child who hates tomato chunks!)
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce (I double this amount)
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• ½ tsp garlic powder (I use 1 tsp…why even bother with a ½ tsp ?)
• 2/3 cup pearl barley (or brown rice. Also, I use a whole cup.)
• salt and pepper to taste

Warm 1 Tbsp vegetable oil in a large skillet over med-high heat. Add onions and mushrooms. Cook until the mushrooms have released their water. About 7 minutes. Scrape the vegetables into your crock pot.

Add the other Tbsp of vegetable oil into the skillet and add beef. Cook, stirring about 5 minutes. When all beef is browned, scrape it into your crock pot.

Pour @ a cup of broth into the skillet to scrape any browned bits and pour into the crock pot as well. Add carrots, tomatoes, seasonings and barley to slow cooker. Cover with remaining broth. Stir, cover and cook on low until meat is tender. 6 to 7 hours.

Per Serving: 448 calories, 28 g fat, 82 mg cholesterol, 4 g fiber, 26 g protein, 24 g carb, 899 mg sodium.

This is a tasty, filling soup that also freezes well.

On to this week…

~breakfasts~ cereal with fruit (2x), muffins of some sort, oatmeal (2x), pancakes, Breakfast Bake

~dinners~ sandwiches (cold x1, grilled x1), soup from the freezer, ‘snack trays’, hot dogs & mac & cheese, leftovers

 ~suppers~

ham with red-eye gravy, eggs, toast

lasagna from the freezer, salad

chicken enchilada casserole (roll over from last week), Spanish rice

pasta with grilled chicken breasts and broccoli, applesauce

pulled pork sandwiches, Cole slaw

homemade pizza, salad

As a treat, I’d also love to make these:

Belinda’s No-Fuss Peanut Butter Bars (also from All You magazine)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup peanut butter, preferably chunky
• 1 large egg
• 1 (12 oz.) bag semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix sugar, peanut butter and egg together in a bowl. Spoon mixture into an ungreased 8-by-8-inch pan. Press mixture until it is even.  Bake until gloss has left top of cookies, about 10 minutes. Turn off oven.  Sprinkle chocolate on top; return to oven (it will still be warm) for a few minutes.  Remove from oven, spread melted chocolate, let cool and cut into bars.

You know, because we need to test them before I can add them to my ‘Christmas Baking’ list. What are you planning this week? MPM is hosted by orgjunkie.com. 

First Time

I’ve never posted anything like this on my blog. Usually, I find them a little silly, but fun. This one is different. 

****************************************************************************************************************

This is the kind of email where you can let it go. This is your opportunity to say what you really want to say without facing any consequences. The only rule for this is that you must be completely honest when answering these questions. Ready, set, go:

I am: still a bit nervous.

I dream: that someday I will achieve my goals.

I think: way too much about everything.

I know: I have it in me.

I want: spiritual awakening/revival for our nation.

I have: too much going on.

I wish: I were not so emotional.

I hate: not knowing.

I miss: the way it used to be and at the same time look forward to the changes life brings.

I fear: missing His direction.

I feel: exasperated.

I hear: my children.

I smell: Neroli Jasmin body wash from the Body Shop!

I crave: more hours in my days.

I search: for answers.

I wonder: if I will ever have the answers!

I regret: too much, but praise God I’m forgiven.

I love: My Saviour, my precious family, my dear friends, and my church!

I ache: for those that have rejected salvation.

I care: for the hurting and lost.

I always: pray while I’m cleaning. J

I am not: what I think I should be.

I believe: God is the answer.

I dance: when I‘m happy.

I sing: even though I know I probably shouldn’t.

I cry: when I am happy, angry, sad, hurt, excited. Yeah, pretty much all the time.

I don’t always: extend grace.

I fight: with myself over the big issues.

I write: in my journal a lot. Not enough on my blog.

I win: rarely.

I lose: my cool when I feel disrespected.

I never: go to bed angry.

I listen: to my husband. He’s a wise and godly man.

I can usually be found: at the intersection of ‘crazy’ and ‘barely pulling it off‘.

I am scared: of nothing! God is so much bigger than anything I can think to write here.

I need: spend more time just being still before God and to take more time for myself.

I am happy: with the life I’ve been given.

I desire: to be the wife/mother/teacher/daughter/friend/whatever else God intends me to be.

I hope: to raise godly adults.

I have to: move on now.

I tag: Noone, but feel free to use it if you like. I didn’t create it.

Stuff I Want To Make

But never will… because I’m lazy busy, that’s why! 

My daughter would absolutely love these fingerless gloves! Punky or preppy, either way they are too cute!

The tutorial is at The Purl Bee. Too bad I cannot knit or crochet.

I know my relatives would go crazy over these Family Tree Cards at marthastewart.com.

This is one project that I just may be able to pull off! It would make a great Christmas gift, no?

Speaking of Christmas, this Pepperberry wreath is classy and simple. Also via Martha.

There is a huge blank wall in my living room that I think I want to fill with something like this:

 My fabric would be a little more traditional, but I do love the orange print she used! The tutorial is here, but the creator has her own site here. She makes some really cute things!

How adorable are these little felt pumpkins? Immensely adorable, I say!You can buy them here,  along with a host of other creative items. 

I’ll wrap it up for now. I’m feeling guilty for being so lazy busy.

Is there anything you are making or would like to eventually make?

Skool

A few weeks ago I received an email about homeschooling. Basically asking why we choose to home school and how we do it. Since then I’ve started writing this post no less than 4 times. However, I’ve deleted every.single.one. It’s a complex issue for me. I have a love/hate relationship with homeschooling really. The time homeschooling allows me to spend with my children is priceless. It is for a season that our children are at home and I want to cherish every minute with them. Do I actually cherish every minute? Not always. None of us are perfect. We have really ugly moments where I want to load them up and enroll them in the local public school…..and they want to go! However, we always get past it. Overall, my kids love it and neither really wants to attend a ‘regular’ school.

My husband and I have chosen to homeschool for moral and religious reasons. That said, we are not a radical family. My children are somewhat normal, active members of society.  You probably would not be able to pick my kids out of a crowd as home schoolers unless you talked with them. They blend well and ’socialization’ is not a problem. Btw, that ’socialization’ issue is old. Please look up the definition of the word. Thankyouverymuch.

Instead of discussing more our why’s, I’ll just tell you what a normal day looks like in our home school.

7-730 kids do chores (personal responsibilities, we call them) / mom makes breakfast

730-8 kids eat / mom reads devotion

8-9 dd corrects any work that needs it, Bible / ds math / mom eats, cleans kitchen, starts laundry

9-10 dd math / ds history / mom helps dd with math

10-1030 kids break & snack / mom exercises

1030-1100 dd finishes math / ds completes any unfishned work (or reads) / mom exercises or does laundry

11-12 dd history / ds spelling or penmanship / mom with ds

12-1 lunch & read aloud or free reading time for kids / mom eats, cleans, reads/blogs

1-2 dd language arts / ds reading / mom with dd

2-3 dd science / ds language arts / mom assorted chores

3-4 dd Spanish / ds Scout book & projects / mom assorted chores

4-5 kids personal responsibilities / mom dinner prep

5-6 kids free time / mom dinner or chores

6-7 dinner as a family

7-8 kids free time / mom clean up

8-9 kids free or reading time in bedrooms

9-7 lights out!

This is our guidline. It’s rare that we follow it exactly, real life just doesn’t work that way! However, I must say that having the schedule has helped us all tremendously!  We are more focused and have much more free time.

In addition to the basics, we are also involved in a local homeschooling co-op. Some of the classes they’ve taken over the years include drama, band, guitar, Musikgarten, Cub Scouts, home economics, science labs, Spanish, and soccer. My daughter volunteers at church occasionally and is active in choir and youth. My son is a homebody and prefers not to be involved in as many activities. We certainly don’t mind that! 

While I support and encourage homeschooling, I also realize it is not for every family. If you have more questions, I will be happy to reply to your emails!

November 4th

Remember these posters?

 

 

I do. There was one hanging in my uncle’s old room when I was a child. It had ‘I want you!’ wrItten in bold red lettering across the bottom.  I remember it vividly because it scared me terribly and I chose the couch over his bed because of that poster! Originally, I think it was an Army recruiting poster, but I could be wrong. Anywho… Today is Election Day. Have you rocked your vote? Uncle Sam want you to!

One Day At A Time

Originally, I had planned for this to be an all encompassing blog. Not just menu plans. Not that you could tell! So in an effort to create a habit, this week I’ll be posting everyday. That’s 7 posts folks.

Yesterday was a busy day for me. My children had co-op and Scouts which took up the whole afternoon. Of course, there were errands to run beforehand. When we returned, it was time to prepare dinner. To say that very little book work was completed would be an understatement. But that’s ok, we will fit it in another day. This is the love part of the love/hate relationship I have with home schooling.  (By the way, spell check doesn’t like ‘homschooling’ and I cannot stand hitting publish on a post with little red squiggles. Just so you know. )

Also, we carved pumpkins. What’s that you say? Halloween has past? Yes, it has, but carving pumpkins is not just for Halloween. It’s a FALL tradition. Yeah, that’s what my kids said too. We were planning to carve on Friday (Halloween) but we were distracted. My in-laws came over for the night and we played games instead. The night got away from us before the carving got underway. Saturday was busy with an unplanned home improvement project which was long overdue.

      

Don’t you just love how the previous owners painted only the perimeter of the ceiling? It’s lovely, no? From what I’ve heard and read, painting the ceiling is no fun at all. One day, when we can afford it, we will rip out the carpet and replace it with hardwood. Between the ripping and replacing we intend to paint the ceiling.

What was I saying? Oh, yeah…busy day, in-laws visiting, home improvement, late pumpkin carving…

 We let them do all the drawing and carving this year.

My son and ‘George’. Do you name your pumpkins?

  Teenaged girls carve pumpkins too. Albeit with attitude.

Redistribution

From Cagle Cartoons

 

MPM

There was no menu plan last week and we ate junk (convenience foods & sandwiches) most of the week! I guess that old saying is true “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”

New week, new plan, new attitude. Right? Well, that’s what I keep telling myself anyway! New format too:

~Monday~

breakfast: Honey Nut Cheerios, 2% milk, bananas

lunch: peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, red grapes

snack: sliced apples, peanut butter or yogurt for dipping

supper: beef & barley soup, homemade bread

 

~Tuesday~

breakfast: eggs in a nest, red grapes

lunch: Ramen noodles with diced ham (kids), salad (me), sliced apples

snack: ginger snaps with milk

supper: spaghetti squash, turkey meatballs, garlic bread, + popcorn & cherry limeades while watching the election results!

 

~Wednesday~

breakfast: overnight crock pot oatmeal, oj

lunch: grilled roast beef & provolone sandwiches, tomato soup

snack: banana bread, milk

supper: chicken spagetti, salad, banana bread

 

~Thursday~ *We may be meeting friends for the day, but I’m planning something just in case!

breakfast: Honey Nut Cheerios, 2% milk, bananas

lunch: chicken salad sandwiches, chips, baby carrots

snack: spicy popcorn, Sprite

supper: salmon, steamed veggies, rolls

 

~Friday~

breakfast: ham & cheese corn muffins, applesauce

lunch: homemade corn dogs & mac & cheese

snack: pepper jack cheese & pretzels

supper: crockpot chicken & rice (it’s so easy there is no recipe!), green beans, fruit

 

~Saturday~

breakfast: pancakes with blueberry topping & whipped cream, bacon

lunch: mixed greens with beans & cornbread (girls), pb&j sandwiches with chips (boys)

snack: banana cream pie yogurt, graham crackers

supper: I’m holding out for pizza! There’s a new place in town that I’m eager to try.

 

~Sunday~

breakfast: pumpkin cream cheese muffins, oj

lunch: chicken enchilada casserole, Spanish rice, salad

snack: popcorn, Sprite

supper: leftovers or make-your-own

Now, folks, that is a lot of cooking and baking for me. We’ll see how it goes.

You can see lots of other menus at Menu Plan Monday hosted be Organizing Junkie.