Menu Plan: Jan. 14-Jan. 20

Last week's meals were all great except the Penne Pasta and Asparagus, which we used broccoli instead of asparagus. It was a bit dry and lacked flavor for our liking. We won't be making that again. The BBQ Chicken Pizza was delicious. We used our homemade crust instead of store bought and it worked out great. Here's this week's plan:

Bacon and Tomato Cups

Source: allrecipes.com via Jodie on Pinterest

Monday

• Broccoli and Cheese Stuffed Shells

Tuesday

• Slow-cooker Chicken and Dumplings

Wednesday 

• Bacon and Tomato Cups

Thursday

• Baked Honey Mustard Chicken

Friday

• Slow-Cooker Beef Stroganoff

Saturday

• Leftovers or Porcupine Meatballs 

Sunday

• Wilson family dinner TBD

Any recipes with eggs or egg-based ingredients will be substituted or left out.

Serving others, 2-year-old style

Here is what I used for the thank-you cards the boys
decorated. I put together the base of the ornament and they
added green and white ribbon to the red ornament and
colored on the white ornament that we signed their
names to. 

Here are the peppermint covered pretzels I made. I got the
idea from Blooming Designs. 

The final ornament that Calan made for the firefighters. 

Here is one of the firemen that
we met. We were there basically 2 seconds
and Calan is already running as fast as he
can to the fire trucks. 

As parents, Bob and I truly want Christmas to be different for our children. We love being able to give them things that they want or need, but we want them to see Christmas as a time where we help others, love family, and celebrate Christ.

We also know that doing those things can never start soon enough. 

Yes, as a 2-year-old, Calan does not understand the things we are doing or why we do them, but he won't know any different as he grows up. The things we are doing now before he gets it will just be the way we do things. 

We went shopping as a family for Children's Hospital's Snow Pile (basically toys bought for the parents of children in the hospital to pick from for all the members of their families since they won't have time to shop and be there for their child in the hospital). We also do several year-end givings to charities that are important to us. 

While those are wonderful things, they do little for a 2-year-old boy. He approved of the gifts we bought, but never saw or interacted with anyone. 

So, a friend and I decided to take some treats to our local fire station to say thank you to the men and women who work there. This station is probably a quarter mile from our houses. I did not expect the experience to be as wonderful as it was. 

I made a treat for them and Calan and his friend decorated thank you cards for them. And then we packed up and headed over to the station. 

Calan driving a fire truck with all the lights going. He sat there
for what felt like forever and then drove the ambulance for
what felt like forever. 

Basically, we got a one-on-one tour of everything! Calan could barely handle his excitement. He sat in the driver seat for what felt like forever. Every time I asked if he was ready to get down, he said, "No, mom, I driving." 

The men were so nice and wonderful to our little boys. It almost felt like our thank-yous weren't enough. 

I am so glad we did this. It showed Calan in a small way that giving to others really gives joy in return. 

I know as an adult when I am helping and serving someone else above myself, I feel happier, more content, and more peaceful than when I am just serving my own needs. 

This experience was definitely the
right way to go to get a 2-year-old started in a serving direction. 

Thank you Royal Oak Fire Station #3. Merry Christmas and God bless you. 

Refreshed, renewed, and still loving life!

What an amazing weekend! It was so amazing to get away. I had a great time with friends and really feel like I learned more about what God's vision for women can look like and be. And let me just tell you, His vision is very freeing!

But, like any great weekend, reality still exists and life does keep going on. So our week is going to be pretty tame since once again we have a busy weekend up ahead. I am going to really try this week to get a lot accomplished at home and try not to play too much like I did last week.

I, also, have decided to try and stock my freezer for the summer to make meal planning easier and giving myself more time to play with my two pretty amazing children. Through another blog (I can't remember which one), I found out that Money Saving Mom is doing a 4 week challenge to stock the freezer with breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. I am going to take on that challenge and start by doing the dinners this week, which will be my meal plan as well.

Menu

• Monday: BBQ meatballs with rice and a side of broccoli and a salad
• Tuesday: Lasagna casserole with a salad and TBD veggie
• Wednesday: Chicken and broccoli casserole
• Thursday: Leftovers
• Friday: Marinated chicken with English peas 
• Saturday: Leftovers or dinner out for Bob's birthday
• Sunday: Family dinner TBD

Events

• Monday: I have 2 doctor appointments in the morning and then I have to do laundry and cook doing nap time and then hopefully we will head down to our neighborhood park in the afternoon. 
• Tuesday: Play date with my wonderful and pretty amazing friend and her son in the morning and then cooking during nap time. My cleaning goal for Tuesday is dusting. I swear every room in my house needs a deep dusting, so that is my mission. In the evening after the kids go to bed, I am going deliver team member packets for this year's Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. 
• Wednesday: I think we are going to go to the Barnes & Noble story time in the morning and maybe have lunch in downtown Royal Oak. My cleaning goal for Wednesday is to vacuum the house. 
• Thursday: I want to head to Home Depot and grab several bags of mulch to lay in my flower beds, which will be my nap time mission if I get it. And then I will need to clean the bathroom at some point. Hopefully, we will get a night time walk in before bed. 
• Friday: I will need to run errands and get ready for Race Day on Saturday. It is going to be a day full of odds and ends to say the least. Busy, Busy, Busy.
• Saturday: RACE DAY and Bob's birthday celebration!!! 
• Sunday: Bob's actually birthday. Probably going to head to church in the morning and then have family dinner at our house in the evening. 

So that's our week. Could be pretty crazy, or it could be absolutely manageable. I think I just need to stay as far away from the computer as I can, so I can stay focused and organized. After this weekend life should slow down, just a little. We have a lot going on this summer. I just pray I can keep up!

Monday Game Plan: Routine and Girls Nights

I can already tell that this week is going to be pretty good. I feel like our life is settling back into a nice routine and when there is a nice routine, there is peace in our house.

Last week, I reworked our daily routine, which is working way better for our family and seems to reduce stress and TV time and increases productivity and peace. I feel good and effective, which makes for such a better household. 

Menu

• Monday: Shrimp Jambalaya
• Tuesday: Penne pasta
• Wednesday: Baked Disjon Salmon
• Thursday: Baked Spaghetti pizza
• Friday: Leftovers
• Saturday: Leftovers
• Sunday: TBD (Family Dinner)

Activities

• Monday: Chores and organization. Day at home.
• Tuesday: Doctor appointments for the kids in the morning. Maisie's 9 month checkup and ear infection checkups for both of them. Lunch with Bob afterward and I am heading out for dinner with Bob's aunts, sister, sister-in-law, and girl cousins. 
• Wednesday: Hanging out at home most of the day. Maybe some errands here and there. I'm meeting friends for dessert. 
• Thursday: Play date with a dear friend of mine and her son. Bob is having friends over for the Draft, so I will probably be cleaning in the afternoon.
• Friday: TBD
• Saturday: Possibly a mom-2-mom sale in the morning and maybe the farmers market before it closes at 1.
• Sunday: Church and family dinner

Have a good week everyone!

Reboot and Bring on the Crock-Pot

Today I woke up feeling more like myself than I have in weeks. I also went to bed last night at 8 p.m. rather than 11:30 p.m. Pretty sure that had something to do with it. I have dinner cooking, laundry running, dishes done, and both kids are napping. I'd say this week is starting off FANTASTIC. I'm just praying it stays that way!

It has not been easy planning meals this past week. Without the ability to taste anything, the idea of cooking has made me feel nauseous. We unfortunately ate out A LOT last week. I just didn't have the energy. It is kind of a vicious cycle because you want to eat well in order to feel well, but because you feel sick, nothing healthy sounds or tastes good.

So with the forced help of my wonderful husband, we did plan meals for the week. And to make it easy on me and with the least amount of effort, we planned only three Crock-Pot meals. Leftovers will fill in the end of the week. So here it is:

Menu
Monday: Slow-Cooker Chicken and Rice
Tuesday: Mile-high Enchilada Pie
Wednesday: Slow-Cooker Stuffed Peppers
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Leftovers
Saturday: TBD
Sunday: Easter (not sure yet what we are doing family-wise)

Events
Monday: Clean and organize and play outside
Tuesday: Royal Oak story time
Wednesday: Play date with Brandi
Thursday: Clean and organize
Friday: Bob has the day off not sure yet what we are going to do. We are kind of waiting to see what the weather will be like.
Saturday: Grocery shop and dye and decorate Easter eggs
Sunday: Special Easter breakfast than church and maybe brunch or dinner with family

Slow-cooker Stuffed Peppers

Recipe from Rival Crock-Pot Slow Cooker Recipes

Ingredients
1 package (7 oz) Spanish rice mix
1 lb ground beef
1/2 cup diced celery
1 egg
4 medium green peppers, halved lengthwise, corded, and seeded
1 can (28 oz) whole peeled tomatoes, undrained
1 can (10.75 oz) condensed tomato soup
1 cup water

Directions
Set aside seasoning packet from rice. Combine beef, rice mix, celery, onion, and egg in large boowl, Divide meat mixture evenly among pepper halves. Pour tomatoes with juice into slow cooker. Arrange filled peppers on top of tomatoes. Combine tomato soup, water, and rice mix seasoning in medium bowl. Pour over peppers. Cover; cook on LOW 8 to 10 hours.

Slow Cooker Chicken & Rice

Recipe from Rival Crock-Pot Slow-cook Recipes

Ingredients
3 cans (10.75 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
2 cups uncooked instant rice
1 cup water
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts or tenders
salt
pepper
paprika
1/2 cup diced celery

Directions
Combine soup, rice, and water in slow-cooker. Add chicken and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and paprika. Sprinkle celery over chicken. Cover. Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or HIGH for 3-4 hours.

Baked Apple & Cheddar Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Baked Apple & Cheddar Grilled Cheese Sandwich - Door to Door Organics

Sweeten up your grilled cheese! I made these today for lunch and they were sweet and delicious. I didn't have cheddar cheese and I used Colby Jack instead. Cheddar would make it better, but they were still good.

Ingredients
Apple - peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
Apricot preserve (optional)
Cheddar cheese
Butter
Bread

Directions
Bake apples @ 400 degrees to soften. About 5-8 minutes. Then thinly spread apricot spread on one side of a piece of bread and butter on the other. I would recommend only using apricot spread on one piece of bread. It was a bit too sweet on both. Compile sandwich and grill  on stove over medium heat.

We get a bitty box of organic produce (fruit and vegetables) delivered every week from Door-to-Door Organics during the fall and winter months. I love the service and it really widens our variety of fruits and vegetables. Plus, it is great for having a ton of organic options for baby food. 

Hello, food plan

This week I went a little nuts with my meal planning and planned everything: breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner. I was a little bored on Friday and feeling like I was in a bit of a food rut, so I decided to map everything out.

I will be the first to admit that my weekly meal plans are not the most healthy, but I try to be a little health conscious and work in variety.

During the winter months, we get organic produce delivered to our house. Each Friday, they send out a list of what we are getting the following Wednesday. To make my weekly meal plan, I took that list and what I already had and tried to use as many fruits and veggies as I could.

Blueberry and Mango muffins with coconut streusel

Menu
Monday

• Breakfast: Blueberry and Mango muffins with coconut streusel (So good!)
• Lunch: Grilled peanut butter and banana sandwiches
• Snack: Cheese stick and apple slices
• Dinner: Broccoli and Mac and Cheese with Bacon and Potato Nugget Topping (Really trying to get Calan to eat green veggies)

Tuesday

• Breakfast: Birdies in a Nest and orange slices (We called it eggs in a frame as kids. Just a fried egg cooked in the center of a piece of bread.)
• Lunch: Leftover Mac and Cheese
• Snack: Banana and animal crackers
• Dinner: Chicken Fajitas

Wednesday

• Breakfast: Blueberry and Mango muffins
• Lunch: Roasted butternut squash, animal crackers, and apple slices
• Snack: Orange slices and cheese stick
• Dinner: Ravioli

Thursday

• Breakfast: Yogurt and banana
• Lunch: Italian sausage tortellini soup
• Snack: Rice crackers and apple slices
• Dinner: Shrimp stir-fry

Friday

• Breakfast: Pear bread and mango
• Lunch: Butternut squash and grilled cheese
• Snack: Banana and yogurt
• Dinner: Leftovers

Saturday

• Breakfast: Eating out
• Lunch: Leftovers
• Snack: Rice crackers and yogurt
• Dinner: Either eating at our church swim event (that I thought was last week, but is this week) or at my mother-in-law's house.

As for our weekly plans, we do not have much going on. Today we went to our Royal Oak story time and Saturday we have a family swim event, but other than that it is pretty open. Looks like a good week to lay low and clean. Oh the fun stuff.

Have a good week everyone!

Winging it

So this week I am kind of winging it. Bob isn't sure what nights he will be home for dinner, and while I love my children, I hate cooking full dinners with all the dishes that go along with that for just us. Because of that, I am pretty sure, my meals will be pretty flexible this week. We also have some fun stuff going on that should keep us pretty active. Hopefully, I can keep their running noses at bay and keep them healthy long enough to enjoy this week.

Events
Monday: Play date with the Royal Oak Mom's Club to officially join. Do laundry and start cleaning for Wednesday.
Tuesday: Clean and prepare and finish craft for Wednesday
Wednesday: I am hosting a Toddler Busy Bag Swap. I'll share more about this on Thursday, but it should be a fun play date with several of my friends.
Thursday: We are going to Playaway to make up a class we missed last session. Because of Calan being sick and one day having a dead car battery, we just didn't make it to any this session.
Friday: CLEAN AND ORGANIZE. It is getting harder and harder to stay on top of everything.
Saturday: Normal Saturday morning with breakfast and farmer's market. And not much going on Saturday evening. I thought that we had a swimming event, but just realized that is next week. Oops.
Sunday: Church and then our church small group is meeting for our church-wide study on "The Hole in the Gospel." I am still reading the book, but so far, it really does challenge you to live differently and open-handed. Bob and I have decided to forgo family Sunday dinner while doing the four-week study. It was just a little much the last time. (We haven't told our family yet, so if you read this, sorry. It was just too stressful for us last time.)


Menu
Monday: Cheeseburgers, carrots, sweet potato fries
Tuesday: Lawry's Southwest Chicken Skillet
Wednesday: Leftovers

Thursday: Chicken pot pie

Friday: Quisadillas with salad and sauteed peppers

Saturday: Chicken stir-fry

Sunday: Leftovers

So that is our week. Luckily Calan is starting to sleep better at night and Maisie is just waking up once, so I am finally getting more rest to make it through these busy weeks.

Monday Game Plan (on Tuesday Sorry)

Well, as you might have noticed, it is getting a little crazy around here and I am finding less and less time to blog. The kids seem to be in a tag team match 24/7, which has kept me on my toes. This week is pretty busy, so hopefully I am able to keep up on the house and all the little things. My fingers are crossed.

Menu
Monday: Chicken Brushetta (we do this one a lot)
Tuesday: Chicken Fajittas
Wednesday: Sweet kielbasa and tri-pepper pesto pasta (sauteed peppers with bow-tie pasta mixed with a pre-made pesto sauce)
Thursday: Chicken with brocolli and carrots
Friday: Leftovers
Saturday: Leftovers/takeout
Sunday: Superbowl TBD

Events
Monday: We stayed home and I did laundry and cleaned. The fun stuff.
Tuesday: Southfield story time. (P.S. What a gorgeous library! The story time was not as structured as I would have liked, but the children's area is just simply AMAZING!)
Wednesday: Maisie's 6 month well visit and both kids get shots. Yeah me. Luckily Bob will be at the appointment to help out. I can't wait to see how big Maisie is. This last month, she has exploded!
Thursday: We have another day sticking close to home. I will probably clean as much as I can since our weekend is pretty busy.
Friday: Playdate with an old friend and Calan's first friend Emmy. Then girls night out hosted by my sister-in-law and her family at Sole Sisters in Royal Oak.
Saturday: Bob is going to a men's breakfast with our church. And then hoping to do something with the family like heading to the library or maybe the local mall that has a toddler kids area to play in.
Sunday: I have a friend's baby shower in the morning. (I think I might be on of the few people who actually enjoy's showers. Call me crazy.) and then Superbowl party. Though we have not RSVPed yet, we are probably going to Bob's aunt's for dinner and the game.


(Sorry for the delay, but I will post my Toddler Tuesday post later tonight. I will get back in the swing again. Promise.)

Toddler Tuesday: Fun with Kool-Aid

Flour, oil, salt, cream of tarter, and Kool-Aid

Just take these few ingredients and whip up some Kool-Aid fun with play-doh and finger paint.

Calan is once again not feeling well (I think this is going to be a long winter). However, I tried out a few fun Kool-Aid recipes I found online. I thought he might enjoy playing with Play-Doh and I thought I would try finger paint even though he hates things on his hands.

Calan liked playing with the Play-Doh up till the moment he realized he could throw it off the tray. 

And finger paint did not work for us. He hated it on his hands, and this is when he realized it got on his truck and he couldn't get it off. (Frugal tip: Use old t-shirts as smocks.) 

And, I was right. He liked playing with the Play-Doh for about 10 minutes and the finger paint was a complete flop. All I can do is keep trying different things with him and let him explore them for as long (or as little) as he wants.

Here is what I did:

• For finger paint, take 1 cup flour, 1 Kool-Aid packet, and 1/4 cup salt and mix it with 1 1/2 cups boiling water and 1 1/2 tablespoons (1 1/2 teaspoons equals 1/2 tablespoon)
• For Play-Doh, mix 1 1/4 cups flour, 1/4 cup salt, 1 Kool-Aid packet and 1 tablespoon cream of tarter with 1 cup boiling water and 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil. Mix with fork till cool and then mix with hands till well blended kneading and adding additional flour till no longer sticky.

Things that I learned from making it:

• Don't use wheat flour. It is all that I had and it obviously distorted the color. The Play-Doh was suppose to be blue, but looks green. I ended up adding green food coloring to both the play-Doh and finger paint to get richer colors.
• I ended up using a lot more flour in the play-Doh to make it not sticky, next time I might just start out using a 1/4 cup more flour.
• I added water to the finger paint till I got the consistency I wanted. Not sure if the wheat flour made it drier, but it was really gooey and sticky at first, I wanted a thinner consistency.
• I will probably split both in half, but still using whole packet of Kool-Aid per half. I think that it will make better colors and I don't need that much finger paint or Play-Doh in one color, which is what I have now.

Monday game plan: Keeping it easy

Last week went almost as planned. Some days were better than others.

I did end up rescheduling Calan's doctor appointment. I just did not want him to get shots when he was still a little sick.

 Friday was a good surprise. A friend had her baby and we were able to watch their 18-month-old for a little while so they could get to the hospital. Fun and exciting play date.

Saturday was just too gorgeous to clean inside, so we headed to the zoo. It was such a wonderful family day. I wouldn't change it for anything.

Sunday was not as much fun. I did go to my cousin's daughter's first birthday and that was nice, but when I got home, our 8-year-old dog seemed pretty sick, so we rushed her to the emergency vet to find out that she was basically dying from rat poison. I will blog more about this later, but it was scary and so glad that she is actually going to be OK and is probably heading home this afternoon.

Bob is going to be pretty busy this week at work, so dinners are going to be pretty easy and no fuss. So here is what this week should hopefully look like:

Main goal: To get the laundry organized and hand-washed items that I have been avoiding done

Menu

• Monday: Spaghetti and salad. (Tip: Use bulk Italian sausage in your spaghetti sauce instead of ground beef)
• Tuesday: Pizza night (making dinner for friends, so we will keep it easy around here)
• Wednesday:   Pasty (U.P. tradition)
• Thursday:   Chicken Tortilla soup (frozen leftovers from a few weeks ago)
• Friday: Baked chicken, carrots, and mashed cauliflower
• Saturday: Leftovers  
• Sunday: TBD (hosting our family Sunday dinner. Not sure yet.)

Events

• Monday: Grocery shopping and laundry (the fun stuff).
• Tuesday: Taking dinner to friends who just adopted a son Calan's age from China, as well as dropping some off to our friends who just had a baby on Friday. So many new little additions. Love it. 
• Wednesday: Calan's rescheduled doctor appointment. Cleaning some of the house.
• Thursday: Our Playaway class in the morning and a play date with friends in the afternoon
• Friday: Nothing planned so it will be a much needed day at home to organize and catch up on things. 
• Saturday: Farmer's market in the morning and not sure what we are going to do in the evening yet. 
• Sunday: Church and then prepare for Sunday dinner. 

Have a good week!

Monday Game Plan: Doctors and Organization

Well, last week didn't go exactly as planned. We went to my mother's, but Calan got sick, so we basically just hung out at home the 4 days we were there. We were suppose to come home Thursday evening, but decided to stay until Friday morning.

Calan went from having a stomach bug to a bad cold, which took up a lot of our time and attention. We still have to regroup from the holidays and take down our Christmas decorations. I felt sick yesterday, so didn't do much yesterday and Bob goes back to work tomorrow, so there is a lot to do today before he goes. And not to mention, our alma matter Michigan State University is playing in the Outback Bowl today, which means I lose Bob for most of the afternoon.

So here is the plan:
Menu

• Monday: Chicken pot pie 
• Tuesday: Pork chops with stuffed dumpling squash
• Wednesday: Chicken primivera
• Thursday: Taco salad
• Friday: Leftovers
• Saturday: Chilli with Beer bread (Tip: Add 3 tsp. of baking powder to 3 cups flour to make self-rising flour)
• Sunday: Family dinner (not sure if it is my turn to host or not, so I will figure that out at some point this week)

Events

• Monday: Organize and take down indoor Christmas decorations (too cold for outdoor)
• Tuesday: Library storytime and errands in the afternoon
• Wednesday: Calan's 18-month well visit. He is just getting over his cold, so I might reschedule
• Thursday: Maisie eye-doctor appointment. Bob is working from home and maybe taking Calan to Playaway class.
• Friday: Clean house
• Saturday: Tackle basement dumping ground 
• Sunday: My cousin's daughter's first-birthday party and Wilson family dinner

Every week I have high expectations, and every week, something doesn't get done. I guess it is just one day at a time and there is always tomorrow. 

Mulled Cranberry Tea

I know the holidays are over, but this is a great winter drink for any upcoming parties you might be hosting. I have made it several times this winter. I love it, but it is really sweet. I made it for a brunch this past November and everyone left with the recipe.
This recipe is from a Crock-pot.


Ingredients

2 bags tea

1 cup water, boiling

48 ounces cranberry juice

1/2 cup dried cranberries, optional

1/3 cup sugar

1 large lemon, cut into 1/4-inch slices

4 sticks cinnamon

6 whole cloves

Directions

Place 2 tea bags in slow-cooker. Pour boiling water over bags and let steep for 5 minutes. Remove bags. Combine ingredients in slow cooker and cook on low for 2-3 hours or high for 1-2. Remove cinnamon sticks, lemon slices, and cloves. Serve warm. Garnish with lemon slices or cinnamon sticks if desired. Serves 8. 

I have tried it with the dried cranberries and did not like it, so I will be leaving them out from now on. It is a very sweet tea, but so festive and fun. Enjoy!

Baked Muffin Eggs

Christmas Eve breakfast. Mom's Baked Egg Muffins, cinnamon roll, and oranges. 

One of my favorite things right now is eggs baked in a muffin tin. They are the perfect size for Calan and so easy to make. I tried these breakfast cupcakes awhile back and they were really good, but Mom's baked Egg Muffins are amazing. We had them about 2 weeks ago and I just had to make them again for Christmas Eve morning. 

Ingredients

• 6 slices bacon
• 1 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 6 slices bread, crusts removed
• 6 eggs
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 6 tablespoons heavy cream
• 6 tablespoons shredded Cheddar cheese, or as desired

Directions

1. Place the bacon in a large, deep skillet, and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain the bacon slices on a paper towel-lined plate; crumble and set aside.
2. Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease muffin cups.
3. Combine the melted butter and maple syrup in a small bowl. Flatten a piece of bread with a rolling pin. Brush the bread with the butter mixture. Line the muffin cup with the flattened bread. Repeat with the remaining bread slices. Bake in a preheated oven until the bread crisps, about 3 to 5 minutes.
4. Sprinkle crumbled bacon into the bottom of the toast cups. Crack an egg into each cup. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Top each egg with 1 tablespoon of heavy cream and 1 tablespoon cheese. Bake until the whites are just set, about 10 to 14 minutes or until the eggs are cooked to your taste.

Monday Game Plan: Holiday week is here

All Christmas shopping is done, all presents are wrapped, and now it is time to get all loose ends tied up before Sunday. Bob is on vacation this week and next. This week we are getting some loose end items taken care of and getting ourselves ready for the holidays.

Here is this weeks game plan:

Goal: To stay organized and not feel rushed through the holidays.

Menu

• Monday: Italian sausage with sauteed green peppers and onions over brown rice. 
• Tuesday: Baked chicken with butternut squash and sliced apples
• Wednesday: Chicken tortilla soup
• Thursday: Leftovers
• Friday: Chinese takeout after church
• Saturday: Christmas Eve
• Sunday: Christmas 

Events

• Monday: Wilson/Hewines' women cookie exchange. (I made Peanut Butter Oatmeal cookies. The easiest cookies to make and a family favorite.)
• Tuesday: Meeting Eleanor M., friends' daughter who is a week younger than Maisie. Also, my parents fly back from Boston and are spending the night.
• Wednesday: Search for Christmas outfits for myself and Bob. (Of course the kids are all set.)
• Thursday: Clean house and start packing for our trip to the UP (we leave Monday). 
• Friday: Visit with the Pisano/MacLachlan family. Christmas service at Kensington Church.
• Saturday: Christmas Eve. Morning exchange with Wilson siblings. Evening dinner at Bob's aunt's with all of my father-in-law's family.
• Sunday: Christmas. Brunch with my mother-in-law. Finish packing for UP. Dinner with my mother-in-law's family. 

Here's to a good and busy week! Merry Christmas. 

Easy make ahead dinners

Because dinner time is a little crazy around here with usually two kids awake at the same time and trying to cook, I have been looking for good recipes that can be either done quickly with little preparation or meals that I can prep early and just cook later. I thought I would share a few that we have loved from my allrecipes.com phone app.

• Chicken Zucchini Casserole

allrecipes.com

This recipe I doubled and made for our Sunday family dinner with Bob's family, which usually means about 10 to 12 adults. Everyone loved it. I read through the reviews and left the carrots out and only used half of the butter and mixed with water for the other half. We served it with a green bean and carrots side dish and my sister-in-laws corn bread. I hear my father-in-law went for thirds. I prepared it beforehand and just threw it in the oven an hour before we were going to eat.

• Fragrant Lemon Chicken

allrecipes.com

This recipe was so unbelievably easy, but once again, I read through the reviews and followed some of the suggestions like using chicken broth instead of water in the crock pot and I also cooked it for 45 minutes in the oven to brown up the skin. If you don't use the oven, the skin looks raw. It is probably fine to eat, but looks pretty gross. I started cooking this during Calan's first nap and then put it in the oven during his second nap. I reheated it for dinner. The leftovers were great for chicken sandwiches.

• The Best Meatloaf

allrecipes.com

This one, literally, Bob looks at me and said this is the "best meatloaf" he had ever had and he, to be honest, doesn't really like meatloaf. Using steak sauce really made a big difference. I put this together during Calan's second nap and just popped it in the oven before dinner. When I make it again, I probably will saute the green peppers and onions. They were a little too crisp when it was done cooking. 

I'm making pan-fried pork chops, carrots, and broccoli tonight for dinner. What are you making?