Menu September 9

Look at this! Two weeks in a row with a menu! Yeah, no recipe last week but this is a good start for getting back into this.
In my mind, the highlight from the week was Chicken Salad Sandwiches. The original plan was bunsteads but once I picked up some grapes on sale I decided to make these instead.

On the Menu...
Bruschetta Chicken Bake
Simple Sandwiches on this knock off Subway bread
Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Baked Beans
Hawaiian Tuna Sandwiches: We'll be eating these as a picnic at church between volleyball games and choir practice.
Chicken Cordon Bleu Pizza {new}
Brunch: Pancakes
Muffins: Chocolate Donut Holes {new}

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Menu September 2

Well, it's been a while! Since I last posted we sold our first house, packed up and moved 2 1/2 hours away for my husband's new job. We've been here just over two months now and while I wouldn't necessarily say life has settled down things are becoming somewhat more routine. One thing I haven't figured out 100% is how to get decent pictures at our rental home so that's still a work in progress.
Because of the move I didn't get to have a garden this year like we had planned. I did plant a few things in pots though so this year that's my "garden."

Anyway, after two months of no consistent menu planning I think it's time I get back into it so here goes...

On the Menu...
Grill for Labor Day: We had burgers, sweet corn and grilled green beans.
Lentil Sloppy Joes {Meatless}: Surprisingly something that goes over really well in our family.
Tacos: We'll use tomatoes from our garden and from members and lettuce from our garden.
Bunsteads: I'll use our favorite bread for these. {Also, first night of choir which my husband and I are co-directing this year.}
Alfredo Pizza
Brunch: Waffles
Muffins: TBD-anyone have any recommendations?

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Menu April 29

Ham Broccoli & Cheddar Roll: This was an unexpected huge hit! I thought it would be good but it was met with rave reviews, including my husband saying I should make more to keep in the freezer. Needless to say we will be enjoying this again. I think it was the ranch dressing that took it over the top.

I made homemade ricotta to go with Lasagna Soup. It was good and a fun experiment but we decided we like store bought cottage cheese with Lasagna Soup more.

Vodka Cream Pasta: We've gotten this recipe to a point where we really enjoy it. Two months removed from first tasting it at the restaurant who knows if it actually resembles their version but this is now our version and we like it. {Recipe coming soon}

 
On the Menu...
Soup-it's going to be an experiment of a combination of things such as leftover mexican rice {Meatless}
Grilled Teriyaki Chicken Pineapple Sandwiches in diced, combined form with Grandma's Potato Salad
Grown-Up Tater Tot Hotdish
Chicken Pot Pie
Chicken Fajita Pizza Brunch: French Toast
Muffins: Mix and Match Muffins with Cranberries & White Chocolate Chips {New}

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Menu April 15

Frozen Bean & Cheese Burritos with KFC's Coleslaw: I tried and failed to get a decent picture of each of these. The burrito filling was good and the bag of them in the freezer is going to be handy. However, I didn't care for the tortilla recipe and likely won't try it again. The coleslaw was okay but didn't quite satisfy what I was looking for.
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins: These were good, a basic peanut butter muffin with chocolate chips thrown in. I'm thinking of combining this recipe with another peanut butter muffin recipe we like to get the best of both.

On the Menu...
Lasagna Soup {I'm going to try making homemade ricotta} with Breadsticks with Garlic Butter
Ham Broccoli & Cheddar Roll {New}
Vodka Cream Chicken {Experiment, Take 2}
Snobby Joe's {New} {Meatless} 
Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza
Brunch: Pancakes
Muffins: Apple Cinnamon Muffins

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Menu April 8

Crescent Rolls: These were the bread I chose for our Easter dinner. While the size and looks of some of the rolls were questionable thanks to my learning curve the taste was spot on! The best part is I have a whole bag of them in the freezer still.

 

Corn & Bean Burgers: I've been making a very conscious effort to have at least one meatless meal each week. After a few trials I've gotten these burgers to be something we all like. {Recipe coming soon}

 

Spiced Cranberry Muffins: I found this recipe while flipping through my grandma's church cookbook. Since then we've enjoyed these a few times already. They're different than most muffins, resulting in a magnificent texture and deep flavor. {Recipe coming soon}

On the Menu...
Chicken & Noodle Soup {New}
Orange Chicken {Husband's request}
Frozen Bean & Cheese Burritos {Meatless}{New} with KFC's Coleslaw {New}
Ham & Peach Grilled Cheese Sandwiches 
Pepperoni Pizza
Brunch: Waffles
Muffins: Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins
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Menu March 25

Butterscotch Brownies: My sister was visiting for the weekend so of course, we did a little baking. We opened up my Betty Crocker Cookbook and picked these bars, mostly because they didn't require the use of the mixer. They turned out great and will definitely be made again! {Recipe coming soon}

Creamy Vodka Pasta: My husband and I went for a belated Valentines Dinner a couple weeks ago to a local restaurant. He ordered their Vodka Shrimp Pasta and we both agreed it was delicious {well, in my opinion, without the shrimp.} My first attempt at home was good but there's definitely room for improvement. I'm excited to try it again, hopefully soon.

On the Menu...
{With Holy Week and leftovers from our guests this weekend the menu is quite different this week but that keeps life interesting!}
Leftovers: French Toast, Chicken Pot Pie, Salty Dog {Pepperoni} Pizza, BBQ Chicken Pizza
Black Bean Quesadillas {I'm going to try making my own tortillas}
Split Pea Soup {Our Maundy Thursday tradition}
Fish Sticks and Potatoes{Our Good Friday tradition, modified for this non-fish eater}
Brunch: Banana Bread Pancakes
Muffins: Leftover Oatmeal Muffins
Easter: Ham, Potato Cakes, either Blender Rolls or Crescent Rolls, Fruit Salad {exact recipe TBD} and Special K Bars. {Obviously I still have some work to don on our Easter menu!}
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Menu March 11

Steal-Good Pumpkin Bread: These were good but honestly, we prefer our normal pumpkin muffin recipe.

Corn and Bean Burgers: These have been officially added to our rotation of meatless dishes. While we like to put a smear of BBQ sauce on them it's not really necessary as they're quite flavorful on their own.

On the Menu...
Tomato Basil Soup with Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Crepes with Ham, Cheese & Asparagus Filling   
Soup Supper at Church-we're taking bread
Chicken Avocado Enchiladas or Chicken & Avocado Enchiladas{different recipes both would be new}
Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza
Brunch: Egg Sandwiches on Bagels
Muffins: Banana Muffins
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Menu March 4

2 Ingredient Cookies: While they aren't my favorite thing ever because of the texture they are a good snack option for the kids. We added sunflower seeds, cranberries and chocolate chips to ours. When it came time to pick them out at snack time my 3 year old daughter was adamant about making sure hers had cranberries, with no concern about the chocolate chips. Not sure what's wrong with her!

Black Bean Quesadillas: I adapted the original recipe a bit, adding some brown rice and taco seasoning. They were a big hit and will definitely be added to our meal otpions.

Easy Homemade Biscuits: There is a reason I've been seeing these everywhere recently. They taste absolutely wonderful. They are soft on the inside but just slightly crispy on the outside, buttery, airy and delicious! My husband even asked if it would be a good thing to freeze in batches. I think he likes them!

On the Menu...
Baked Potato Soup
Cheesy Salsa Meatloaf {from the freezer} with Homemade Fries   
Soup Supper at Church
Corn & Bean Burgers
Sweet Hawaiian Pizza 
Brunch: French Toast
Muffins: Steal Good Pumpkin Bread {Muffins}
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Menu February 25

Brownie Goody Bars: While there was nothing wrong with these they weren't exactly as amazing as it seemed they should be. Our final verdict was perhaps the proportions were off. If the rice crispy layer weren't so thick maybe that would help the balance a bit.

Easy Morning Glory Muffins: I love these! They are nice and moist and full of lots of goodies. I changed the recipe a bit, adding applesauce and bananas. Both my husband and 3 year old questioned why there were carrots in them but ate them anyway.

Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Pancakes: Again, I made a couple slight changes but again, this was a hit. It was amazing how much the peanut butter came through, but without being too much. Next time we'll try them with some jelly.

On the Menu...
Chicken Pot Pie Soup
Three Cheese Pasta with Breadsticks with Garlic Butter   
Soup Supper at Church-I'm taking Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Bunsteads in pockets {trying a new form}
Sweet Hawaiian Pizza 
Brunch: Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookie Pancakes {New}
Muffins: Apple Cinnamon Streusel Muffins
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Menu February 18

Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken: I'm not entirely sure why this happened but this ended up being more of a soup than a serve over rice meal. When I realized that's what was happening I added the rice to the crockpot and served it in bowls. It was definitely a happy accident though because we loved it as a soup. We'll definitely try this again.

Pizza Hut Crust Recipe: We're not huge fans of deep dish pizza crust which is what this resembles. We are fans of the flavor of this crust though so we're going to try it again, but roll it out into bigger pizzas, more along the lines of how we usually make pizza.

Our Valentines meal was full of hearts: Warm Chicken and Cheese sandwiches, sweet potato with cinnamon and a dash of salt, strawberries and green beans.

 

Dessert was sugar cookies, some with sprinkles, some with glaze and some with both. The whole meal was a hit with everyone! 

On the Menu...
Chicken Noodle Soup with Baguette
Spaghetti Pie with Breadsticks with Garlic Butter   
Soup Supper at Church-I'm taking Brownie Goody Bars
Apple Chicken
Chicken Fajita Pizza trying Pizza Hut Crust Recipe again 
Brunch: either Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Pancakes or Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookie Pancakes
Muffins: Easy Morning Glory Muffins
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Menu February 11

I was looking for a new bread recipe to try last week and decided to try bagels. I used this Bagel recipe and topped some with cinnamon and sugar and some with onion flakes, garlic powder, salt and sesame seeds.

 

We used the savory topped ones for Egg, Bacon and Cheese Sandwiches and they were amazing! I have some ideas in mind to improve my technique next time and am looking forward to having these sandwiches again.

We've been eating Homemade Fries for a long time. Recently I've been trying to improve how I make them and think the result is wonderful. They're soft but still firm and the seasoning is flavorful but not overwhelming. Definitely a new family favorite! {Recipe coming soon}

On the Menu...
Lasagna Soup with Breadsticks with Garlic Butter  
Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken {New}
Soup Supper at Church
Warm Chicken & Cheese Sandwiches, cut in hearts; Sweet Potato Plants, cut in hearts; Sugar Cookies, cut in hearts
Pepperoni Pizza trying out Pizza Hut Crust Recipe {New} 
Brunch: Quiche
Muffins: Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins
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Menu January 28

You should try this Baguette recipe. I made it twice this week and plan on making it many more times. It takes under an hour to prepare and bake and tastes like bread you would you would buy from a bakery.

The kids and I have been doing snow and snowman activites this month. For snack this week we had snowmen inspired by this and for brunch we had snowman and snowflake pancakes. Our three year old daughter was absolutely tickled by both of them!

The highlight of the week was definitely this Cinnabon Popcorn. I didn't have the almond bark it called for to drizzle over but it was still wonderful without it. True to it's name it tastes like a cinnabon. You bite into it and taste the crunchy sugar, the spicy cinnamon and it combines to taste heavenly {in my husband's word.}

On the Menu...
Chicken Pot Pie Soup
Spicy Black Bean and Corn Burgers or Corn and Bean Burgers
Crepes
Sweet and Sour Chicken
BBQ Chicken Pizza or Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza
Brunch: Something eggy
Muffins: Cream Cheese Banana Bread

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Menu January 21

Tater Tot Hotdish: While the traditional version is wonderful I don't keep canned cream soup or tater tots on hand. However, we usually have potatoes and I have a new go-to recipe for homemade cream soup so we now enjoy what my husband calls Grown Up Green Bean Casserole.

Banana Bread Pancakes: I was running low on eggs so it was perfect week for these pancakes that don't require any eggs. The best part is we all love them so it worked out famously.

Cheddar Cheese Loaves: This bread was okay but probably not something I'll make again.

On the Menu...
Ground Beef Stroganoff Soup
Either Chicken and Broccoli Grilled Cheese or Broccoli Cheddar Chicken Braid {New}
Burgers and Fries
Black Bean and Rice Burritos
Chicken Fajita Pizza
Pumpkin Pancakes
Dessert: Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Muffins for Breakfast: Almond Cranberry Quick Bread {New}

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Menu January 14

Lesson learned this week: when baking muffins with your 3 year old and 1 year old double, even triple check your recipe. Otherwise, you'll likely forget to add the baking soda and end up with dense Easy Buttermilk Spice Muffins. The flavor was good so I'll make these again soon and make sure to add the baking soda!

Well, baking the pancakes in the oven didn't quite turn out. I am going to try it again with just a basic recipe instead of Apple Cinnamon Pancakes and hopefully that will help. I love the concept and hope to be able to utilize it.

The 8 Can Taco Soup ended up tasting quite similar to Chicken Tortilla Soup. It was a crazy night when I made it so I made more modifications than I had planned on. I'd like try this one again because it definitely has potential.

On the Menu...
Hopefully things will go a bit better this week...
Mom's Chili from the freezer
Easy Potato & Bacon Breakfast Casserole
Bunsteads
Tater Tot Hotdish 
Salty Dog/ Pepperoni Pizza
Pancakes maybe try the oven version again?

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Menu January 7

Snacks around here have needed some motivation so this week we're trying these Breakfast Cookies {but for snacks.} I forgot to add the mix-ins until the third batch so some have nothing in them and some have stuff on top instead. It works.

We used up all the oatmeal in the cookies so we're having Breakfast Rice until we get to the store for more oatmeal.

My husband has been on a Chex Mix kick, trying different varieties which we've all been enjoying. This one is BBQ.

On the Menu...
8 Can Taco Soup with modifications
Orange Chicken
Cheesy Salsa Meatloaf with Twice Baked Potatoes
Grilled Teriyaki Chicken Pineapple Sandwiches but not grilled and with pineapple tidbits instead of rings
Southwestern Grilled Pizza
Apple Cinnamon Pancakes using this method
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Menu December 31

I've been a little absent during December but we were busy with all the hustle and bustle of Christmas including lots of baking...
I made these Buckeye Brownies for an event at church and they were met with rave reviews. It's like a peanut butter ball on top of brownies so absolute deliciousness!

I ended up being able to make four different kinds of Christmas cookies this year: Hot Cocoa Cookies, Peanut Butter Balls, Peanut Blossoms and Soft Gingersnaps.

We also made this Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix to enjoy after we drove around looking at Christmas lights. I agree that it is the white chocolate chips that really put this over the top. I want to try substituting butterscotch chips for the white chocolate chips and see what that does.

And to offset all that sugar and sweetness I also made a few batches of muffins including these Pumpkin Cranberry ones.

On the Menu...
Snacky foods for New Years Eve
Toscana Soup
Stromboli
Out to Eat
Sweet Hawaiian Pizza
French Toast

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Menu December 3

Broccoli Cheddar Soup: We tried this a few times last year and after last week it's a guaranteed keeper. Everyone loved it and it makes a huge batch. {Recipe coming soon}

I started my Christmas baking last week with these Soft Gingersnap Cookies. Again, something we all loved!

On the Menu...
Toscana Soup
Mom's Sloppy Joes 
Advent Soup Supper at Church
Chicken Alfredo with Breadsticks with Garlic Butter
Chicken Fajita Pizza
French Toast
Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins
Christmas Baking: Peanut Blossom Cookies

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Menu November 26

I wasn't too adventurous in trying new meal recipes recently but we have tried quite a few desserts!
We had our kids' birthday party earlier this month so of course I made a cake. My decorating skills leave a lot of room for improvement but I like how it turned out.

 

After all, isn't the taste most important? I used this chocolate cake recipe and this vanilla cake recipe and topped it with vanilla frosting. Also, to do the decorating, I used this handy tip which was an absolute lifesaver when it came time to clean up.

Pretzel Cookies with Peanut Butter & Chocolate Chips: This pretzel dessert did not disappoint. I used butterscotch chips instead of peanut butter since that's what I had on hand. We took these to Thanksgiving and they were a big hit. Surprisingly even five days after baking the pretzels in the few remaining cookies aren't soft yet. These cookies might be a part of my Christmas baking.

On the Menu...

~Now that we're almost done with two months of planning a months worth of meals at a time I don't think it's the solution for me. It probably didn't help that I was also trying to rely mostly on the pantry but I really struggled this month {hence, the lack of posts}. I will be glad to get through this last week and try something new {or really, more likely my old method} come December.~

Broccoli Cheddar Soup with Easy Cheesy Biscuits
Ham & Apple Grilled Cheese Sandwiches 
Cream Cheese Pasta with Breadsticks with Garlic Butter
Mom's Sloppy Joes
BBQ Chicken Pizza
Waffles

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Menu November 5

Spaghetti Squash with Spaghetti Sauce: This was the first recipe we tried with spaghetti squash. My husband and I enjoyed it but the three year old? Not so much.

 

Chicken Bacon Alfredo Spaghetti Squash: We also tried the squash with this variation. We liked this even more {and our daughter a little bit}. This will likely be my go-to recipe for spaghetti squash.

Smudgies: These have become a popular snack around here with peanut butter, banana, chocolate. They're relatively easy to make and keep on hand. {Recipe coming soon}

On the Menu...

~Planning a month of meals at a time worked well in October so I'm trying it again for November. I'm also making an effort to use up things that have been sitting around for a while. It's not going to be the most exciting month but it will be nice to get rid of some stuff.~

Ground Beef Stroganoff Soup
Spaghetti Pie with Breadsticks with Garlic Butter
Corn Dog Muffins
Burgers and Baked Beans
Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza
Waffles

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