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31 August 2009

Meal Plan Monday - August 31, 2009

Meal Plan Monday

Sorry I'm running a little late! It's been a long weekend out of town, on the road, etc. after the whole family being sick all week. My house looks like a tornado went through... AND I started my new term of college Wednesday.

I didn't get to make a few things I wanted last week we were so blah so I'm making my Spanish Rice Casserole this week and I'll move some others to next week.

I'm going to start just listing my Meals because I never seem to cook them on the planned day LOL!

This week we're having:
  • Spanish Rice Casserole (MOM's New Recipe!)
  • Loaded Mashed Tater Dinner (MOM's new Recipe!)
  • Ham & Cheese stuff & puff (New Recipe!)
  • Confetti Salad
  • Fish Fry
Hopefully I can get my house ordered and back on track with the blog this week!

24 August 2009

Meal Plan Monday - August 24, 2009

Meal Plan Monday

Make it Better Monday
(comfort food)
Meatloaf & Mashed Potatoes

Roastable Tuesday
(something that can go in the oven)
Unstuffed Bellpeppers
Going to alter another MPMer's Recipe :)
daily blog will explain why ;)

What is it? Wednesday

(something we've never eaten before)
Pasta Meatball Soup
got this from a MPMers blog... but I can't remember who :(

Traditional Tuesday
(classics & casseroles)
We're having a family night out this week!
CHINESE

FFF-Friday

(fast, fun, or freezer foods)
Spanish Cheesy Rice Casserole

Scrappy Saturday

(leftover buffet)

Brunchy Sunday
(family brunch and light evening snacks)
Hamburger Potato Casserole
another MPMers recipe lol!!

21 August 2009

Chili-Mac

Switching things up because:
  1. I keep forgetting to defrost the chicken and
  2. I have a serious pain in my shin I can;t explain and I can't stand in from the stove cooking.
Last night hubby took us out to dinner with some cash he made selling an old car in the yard to a friend's teenage son, so that was one meal out the window. It was very nice to go out as a family and have dinner. Local place, great food, decent price, and paper tablecloths you can write on! What more can a family with kids ask for.

Tonight is Chili and Nacaroni I made a whie back.. I'll have chili, kids will probably have mac, and dad.. yep.. chili-mac!


This week's Meal Plan




This week's Meal Plan

20 August 2009

Mom's Diner Corn Chowder



After tons of searching I couldn't find one chowder recipe I liked so I got a list of some basic ingredients and created my own. It was absolutely amazing and looked like a bowl of confetti!

Corn chowder is a dish you can make vegitarian if you wish, see alternate instructions below if you prefer a vegetarian meal.

feel free to put little hands to work stirring, grating, and pouring on this one. Both of mu girls (11 & 3) helped with this one which made eating it that much more rewarding for all of us!

Be sure to teach any children you'll have in the kitchen what they need to know about safety before asking them to help.
  • 1/2 lb bacon chopped small
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 cup seasoning blend
  • 2 medium coarse shredded carrots
  • 3-4 sprigs thyme
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 3 c 2% milk
  • 2 c chicken stock
  • 2lb bag frozen corn kernels
  • 3 medium shredded potatoes
  • 1/2 t dry parsley or 2T fresh chopped
  • salt, pepper, Tony's to taste
  • 1 T cornstarch + 1 T water (slurry)

Directions:
  1. Render down the bacon until crispy and set aside on napkins to drain.
  2. Remove bacon drippings from pan, reserving 1 T of the "grease".
  3. Add butter, seasoning blend, and carrots, sauteing until vegetables are tender 5-7 minutes.
  4. Add thyme sprigs, bay leaves, milk, and stock.
  5. Watching carefully, bring just to a boil then turn heat down low enough to maintain a slow simmer for 15 minutes, stirring frequently.
  6. Add potatoes, parsley, and seasonings.
  7. Stir in slurry and allow to simmer another 5 minutes to thicken slightly.
  8. If too thick you can add water, too thin add another slurry repeating 5 minute simmer if you do so.
  9. Add corn and crisped bacon then simmer another 10 minutes.
  10. Serves well with garlic bread, croutons, or crackers.
For a vegitarian version skip the bacon, use 1T butter in place of the bacon renderings, and vegetable stock instead of chicken stock.



17 August 2009

Easy Sheperd's Pie

This one was so easy all I did was chop the meat and make some mashed potatoes, Halie made the pie "filling" herself. She also typed her recipe :)

  • 1/2 c seasoning blend
  • 1/2-3/4 lb. beef ground or diced round
  • 2 c cool mashed potatoes
  • 4 oz cream cheese
  • 1 c shredded cheese
  • 2 cloves pressed garlic
  • 4 c mixed veggies, thawed
  • 1 c gravy (or sm. roux)
  1. saute meat and seasoning blend until meat is brown
  2. mix potatoes and both cheeses. set aside
  3. stir gravy and veggies into meat. warm through
  4. pour into baking dish
  5. cover with potatoes
  6. bake for 20 min
  7. Enjoy!!!

typed by: Halie




This week's Meal Plan

Gramma Ellen's Pudding Stuff

From Friday's "Guess What?"

It took him about 2 seconds to guess! LOL! It was his grandmother's pudding stuff... very close to banana pudding, as far as layers and cookies, and it is even what we usually call it... and she says they have added bananas befores... but there is nothing banana in the actual recipe LOL! Instant Lemon & Vanilla puddings are the stars with some yummy add ins taht make it so smooth... and RICH!! The family recipe is made in a huge stainless steal bowl because they had to have enough so grandpa could get some after the kids were all through :)

I quartered the recipe I think - so he could have some of his favorite without complaining about his belt :)


1 box instant vanilla pudding
1 box instant lemon pudding
4 cups milk (to prepare pudding)
8 oz cream cheese
1 c (about) sweetened whipped cream (ie cool whip)
1 box nilla wafers

Directions:
  • Make puddings (in separate containers) and refrigerate about 1 hour.
  • Layer bottom of 9x9 baking pan (or equivalent pretty serving dish) with nilla wafers.
  • In medium bowl soften cream cheese to room temperature until you can mash/whip with a whisk.
  • Add vanilla pudding to whipped cream and whisk together until you have no lumps.
  • Pour into dish over wafers.
  • Stand nilla wafers along edges and push into pudding so they stand up to edge dish.
  • Crush the rest of the nilla wafers and layer 1/2 on top of the vanilla pudding.
  • Mix whipped cream into lemon pudding and layer over crushed nilla wafers.
  • Top with remaining crushed wafers.
  • Refrigerate at least 1 hour or until served.
  • Store in fridge (if it lasts that long). Cover with wrap when storing. It will pick up odd flavors if not.

Meal Plan Monday August 17, 2009

Meal Plan Monday
Check out the MPM ar Orgjunkie.com
Laura has an enchilada casserole this week - it will make my MPM soon :)

The planning breakfast & lunch thing didn't work so well. With a 3 yr old all I can do is offer some suggestions and let her pick something to eat. She did just LOVE the breakfast muffins!


Monday
Shepherds Pie

Tuesday
Corn Chowder

Wednesday
Baked Chicken

Thursday
Meatloaf w/mashed taters

Freezer Friday
ChiliMac

Saturday
Leftovers

Sunday
Pannekoeken
(German Pancakes)


Last week's Meal Plan

14 August 2009

Guess What?




I just told my honey if he can guess what this is he can have some when he gets home :)


13 August 2009

Miserly Meal #7- Country Captain

Moving the meal plan around a little. It has been raining and muggy/humid as all get out here and the hogie roals I bought for the meatball subs got moldy. I hate Louisiana.

So rather than just make a spaghetti with the meatballs, I'm moving on to the counntry Captain over pasta. This miserly meal is not courtesy of Jonni McCoy, though we have has lots of fun with her book!

Country captain is touted as a southern dish and served over rice, thick with vegetables and sauce. Born and raised in southern Louisiana (any farther south and I'd get very wet! SPLASH!!! -- in the gulf...) I had never heard of it, until I got my premiere copy of Food Network Magazine. It was #30 in a pull out flyer called "50 Recipes for Marinara Sauce" Very simple, and I have expanded on it just a bit. We've tried several recipes from the flyer and it is definitly worth keeping a few $1 cans of sauce in your pantry.

The noticeable changes were that after the first time pulling all the meat off the bone for the kids at the dinner table - I swore to only use boneless skinless chicken. If I have breasts and thighs I use a little of both, if I'm buying specifically for the dish, I buy whatever is on sale. The second big change is that we have enough rice dishes... we use pasta!!

This was the very first dish that ever brought that little jar of curry powder into my kitchen, and I am thankful for it. It has opened up so many doors to new exciting dishes & flavors!

This runs about $4 plus pantry items and gives us two full meals with lunch for hubby. So about 40¢ per serving!!!! I have also frozen half in the past and it comes out great.

Country Captain
  • 1 lb pasta (have fun with shapes! The girls want shells today!)
  • (OR rice if you prefer to serve it over rice)
  • 1-2 T oil (olive is nice)
  • 1 lb boneless skinless chicken cut into bitesized pieces.
  • curry powder to taste
  • Tony's or season salt to taste
  • Salt & pepper
  • 1 c seasoning blend or chopped onions
  • 1 jar fav pasta sauce
Directions:
  1. Prepare pasts as directed on box, draining it just shy of al dente so it doesn't overcook in the sauce later, OR cook rice and leave it set to warm.
  2. Season chicken lightly with curry and Tony's. Leave S&P for later. You can always add more of everything. These are strong spices and you can't take it away once added.
  3. Warm oil in a deep pot or skillet and saute chicken and seasoning blend until the chicken is lightly browned.
  4. Add pasta sauce and simmer gently until chicken is cooked through then taste for seasoning.
  5. Toss in pasta or serve over rice.

12 August 2009

Miserly Meal #6- Enchilitos

Another of Jonni's meals today, Enchilito, and this one really was a budget saver because I had refried beans & homemade cheese sauce in the freezer from last week.

I turned a bottle of ketchup from the pantry to into a bottle of taco sauce a few days ago (because I knew this recipe was coming up and I didn't have any....) I made a mess of the kitchen but it turned out ok, though a little thicker & sweeter than you'd think of a taco sauce... I think next time I'll try tomato sauce or canned tomato juice. I'll update you on that one when I get it right.

About 12¢ ber Enchilito or 48¢ per serving using my frozen things!! Just about $1 per serving using all store bought... still a HUGE bargain!

We went the microwave route and it was great.



Photobucket
Enchilito
  • 1 lbs ground meat ( I used taco flavored turkey burger)
  • 1/4 c flour
  • 1 t chili powder
  • 1/3 c diced onion
  • 4 cloves of pressed garlic
  • 1/2 t salt
  • 1/2 c water
  • 16 oz refried beans
  • 16 eight inch flour tortillas
  • 1 1/2 c taco sauce
  • 1 1/2 c grated cheese

Directions:
  1. Brown ground meat and drain.
  2. Add next five ingredients, and mix well.
  3. Add water and simmer 8-10 minutes until creamy.
  4. Warm beans.
  5. Put 3 T beans and 3 T beef on a tortilla and roll up.
  6. Arrange folded side down cover with sauce and cheese Microwave or bake until cheese is melted.

11 August 2009

Halie's Broccoli Soup

This meal is more prep than cooking.

As a matter of fact you NEVER want this to come up more than a very light simmer. A boil runs the risk of separating your dairy products into a gritty mess. I cool it on medium at the beginning and on the lowest setting after adding the veggies.

I use a process I call "micro-steam" for my veggies. After chopping/dicing/etc I put them in a bowl (separately) with a few tablespoons of water and seal tightly with plastic wrap. Microwave 5-7 minutes until tender, sometimes potatoes take a little longer. The important part is that you will not be boiling the soup, so the vegetables must be cooked before adding.

You'll notice that every thing is finely chopped, diced, and processed... that is because that is the way Halie likes it :)

  • 1/3 cup oil
  • 1/3 c flour
  • 1/2 c seasoning blend, ran through food processor
  • 1 1/2 c half & half
  • 4-6 cups 2% milk (depending on thick you want it)
  • 24 oz broccoli florets thawed & finely chopped
  • 2-3 cups potatoes diced small
  • 2 cups shredded cheese (whatever you like)
  • Seasonings to taste: salt, pepper, Tony's
Directions:
  1. Create a light blond roux with the oil and flour.
  2. Warm the cream & milk slightly then add to the roux to create your sauce base.
  3. Saute seasoning blend in a small pot if you prefer, or add to broccoli in next step.
  4. Micro-steam the broccoli until tender, leave water if only a tablespoon or so, and add to pot.
  5. Separately micro-steam the potatoes until tender, drain any water, and add to the pot.
  6. Season to taste.
  7. Allow this to set over low heat for 30 minutes to an hour on your lowest setting so the flavors will blend.
  8. If it is too thick, add a bit of water (1/4 c at a time)
  9. Add cheese and stir gently until melted, this will thicken the sauce again.
  10. Check again for seasonings, add if needed.
  11. Allow to set another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure cheese is melted in and blended well.
  12. Serve with grilled chicken, alongside crackers, or bacon sprinkled over the top.

Breakfast Muffins

I found this recipe in a book read about basic household tasks, it said something like at a minimum one should know how to cook a few basic meals. Now while I can cook more than a few basic meals, I did try these muffins as an evening snack....they were such a hit I wound up making 2 batches that evening!

Each batch makes a dozen so feel free to double up! The first batch I used Special K with strawberries, and since that night I've used oatmeal, Special K with chocolate, and Special K Cinnamon Pecan. I'm sure you could use any of your favorite cereals and have this come out GREAT! Try 2 separate batches with different flavors for a yummy mix!

Tonight I'll be making Strawberry Special K again and a batch of oatmeal. I want enough for 2 days and for hubby to take to work to share :)

Breakfast Muffins
  • 1 c flour
  • 1 c instant oatmeal (try flavored!!)
  • 1/4 sugar
  • 2 t baking powder
  • 1/2 t salt
  • 1 c milk
  • 1/4 c oil
  • 1 egg
Variation/Substitute:
  • 3/4 cup crushed cereal for the oatmeal
  • Up the flour to 1 1/2 c.
Directions:
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Mix all together until just combined.
  3. Fill greased muffin tin wells 2/3 full.
  4. Bake for 20 minutes. They are not sugar filled so they may not brown. Do "toothpick test" or go by times.
  5. Allow to cool slightly before popping out the pan.

10 August 2009

Miserly Meal #5

I cannot get my husband to eat anything "lasagna", but he'll eat pasta, meat, & cheese dishes, lol! I really thing it has something to do with teh wide noodles. I make "Mexi-sanga" with tortillas all the time and he eats it. We had dinner at his sister's and she used the wide lasagna noodles and he ate it (because he will eat anything) but he didn't "care for it". So - back to Miserly Meals this week - I turned Jonni's White Lasagne into a White Faux-sagna using rotini noodles. and mixing the non-sauce ingredients together before layering it.

The first thing my 11 yr old noticed that got us both giggling was that it's more of a yellow and green faux-sagna because of all the broccoli, spinach, and my colby jack obession! But we did sneak a bit and we lovedthe taste. I can't belive that just a few months ago she would cry about eating if she knew spinach was in a dish and now she's begging for bites before it's even done!

Using leftovers (chicken/broccoli) saves a ton, but we bought everything so it was a whopping (not!) 75¢ per serving, lol! and that was doubling to put one in the freezer as well :)

White Faux-sagna
  • 1 c cooked diced or shredded chicken
  • 1 c frozen broccoli thawed to warm and chopped small
  • 1 c frozen spinach thawed and drained
  • 1/2 lbs noodles cooked and drained
Sauce
  • 1/4 c oil
  • 1/4 c flour
  • 2 c milk
  • 1 t Italian seasoning
  • 1 t garlic powder
  • 1 t onion powder
  • 1/2 t salt and pepper
  • 2 c grated cheese (still loving colby jack here!)

Directions:
  1. Cook noodles according to directions on package and drain.
  2. Make roux by warming flour and oil in a skillet until thickened but not browned.
  3. Add all remaining sauce ingredients.
  4. Simmer stirring constantly until it thickens.
  5. Set aside.
  6. Combine meat, broccoli, and spinach with drained noodles.
  7. Layer sauce, pasta mixture, and cheese (two layers) in 8x8 pan.
  8. Bake uncovered at 350 for 20 minutes.
Option 2:
At step # 6/7 Toss it all together and pour into pan.
Continue to step #8

Meal Plan Monday - August 10, 2009


remember he links to orgjunkies mpm

I'm trying it the way the others do for a week.... Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Kid Snack.

Don't expect much for breakfast or lunch, LOL! It's usually just me and Kaelyn. Weekends are a late brunch as it is the only breakfast we all get together...after we sleep in :) and we usually skip and lunch and eat again for dinner.

Anything in italics you can get a printable recipe or expect a recipe to be linked ASAP;
All dinners will be photographed (if we remember lol) and critiqued on the blog :)

Monday
Scrambled eggs, Turkey/cheese sandwiches and apples, White faux-sagne, Watermelon


Tuesday

Cinnamon & brown sugar oatmeal, Hot dogs, Broccoli Soup, Kids finishing off the watermelon/Mom & Dad snacking on tomorrow's breakfast :)

Wednesday
Breakfast Muffins, Bologna roll-ups w/ fruit snacks, Enchilito, Apple


Thursday
Leftover Muffins, Cheese quesadillas, Meatball Subs (i'll have to create this recipe as I make it, too LOL), Fruit snacks

Friday

Cinnamon & Sugar Oatmeal, Turkey slices and apples, Country Captain over pasta, Jello

Saturday

Eggs, hashbrowns, bacon, toast, Boston Chicken, cheese sticks

Sunday

Waffles, Taco Salad, Sliced Tomatoes & Carrot Sticks (yes, they LOVE this!)



Don't forget to click the Smiley Dude for other great Meal Plans!
Check out last week's dinner menu for other miserly mom ideas!
Last Week's Meal Plan Monday


06 August 2009

Miserly Meal #4 Orange Curry

This has a lot of pantry items, all I bought was a bag of steamed veggies and pork.
Jonni uses this as a way to use left over meat so that will save you even more! Just create the sauce first and toss the meat in with the vegetables to heat and toss with the sauce.
I wanted to try it now (we LOVE curry dishes!) so I spent the extra to get meat.

PICTURES COMING SOON!

Update after eating:
I'm going to change it a little if we do it again. The OJ concentrate is really strong and there is a full tablespoon of curry which overwhelmed the kids quite a bit.
Next time I'll:
make the OJ first and use 1/2 cup of that
start with 1 TEASPOON of curry instead of a tablespoon like the recipe calls for.

Orange Curry
  • 1 T oil
  • 1/2 c minced onion (I'm using seasoning blend)
  • 1 lb diced or sliced fresh meat (Try thin sliced or cubed pork or beef, or poultry cutlets!)
  • 2 cloves pressed garlic
  • 1/2 c frozen OJ concentrate (update: very strong USE 1/2 c REGULAR OJ)
  • 1/3 c water
  • 1 T of curry powder (update: too strong flavored for kids USE 1 TEASPOON)
  • 1 t salt
  • 1 T cornstarch
  • 1 T water
  • 1 c steamable vegetables
Directions:
  1. Prepare rice to have 2-3 cups cooked rice.
  2. Heat skillet over medium heat and saute onions and meat in the oil.
  3. Add garlic and saute another 3-4 minutes.
  4. Add OJ, water, curry and salt.
  5. Warm in skillet over medium heat until simmering.
  6. Combine corn starch and 1 T water (a slurry).
  7. Whisk slurry into sauce in skillet.
  8. Simmer until thickened 2-3 minutes.
  9. Steam vegetables in the microwave.
  10. Toss with sauce serve over rice.

05 August 2009

Miserly Meal #3 Popover Pizza

I mixed up the menu a bit because I was baby sitting 2 extra kids over night.. boys.. not my strong suit! LOL

This one was fun with the kids, but not something I'll do often. It was easy but my pans are a mess! Next time I may try crust first pre-baked for 10 minutes, then layer toppings and finish baking. I'll let you know how it comes out.

Kids + Pizza = GONE..... I didn't get pictures! LOL! When baked the crust looked wavy and one of the boys remarked it looked like mountains, but after cooling and flipping over it made a thin pizza on a biscuit like crust. Really to thin to pick up so we used forks.

Popover Pizza

Favorite Pizza Toppings (we used):
  • pepperoni
  • spaghetti sauce
  • shredded cheeze
Crust:
  • 2 egg whites
  • half a c milk
  • half a c flour
  • 1/4 t salt

Directions:
  1. Layer topping ingredients in a well oiled/sprayed 8x8 pan.
  2. Mix well to combine all crust ingredients (It will be thin).
  3. Pour over toppings.
  4. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes or until golden brown (my crust never browned).
  5. Cool 5 minutes and slide a knife around the edges of the crust then POPOVER on a dish.
  6. Slice and serve.

04 August 2009

Miserly Meal #2 Chicken Florentine

Another Miserly Meal from Jonni McCoy's book!

As usual I traded in the tuna for canned chicken because of a family allergy but many canned meats trade out that way. For a tasty splurge you can try crab, canned salmon, or any other favorite canned flaky meat you prefer. You can also forgo the baking and just let the heat of the pasta melt the cheese for a warm rather than baked dish.

Chicken Florentine

Serves 6 at about 87¢ per serving
Use canned tuna (the original recipe) and save 20¢ per serving!

Ingredients:
Photobucket
  1. 8 oz egg noodles
  2. 16 oz frozen spinach, thawed & drained
  3. 6 oz canned chicken, drained
  4. 2 cups grated cheese (called for cheddar, I used colby jack) plus,
  5. handful of cheese or Parmesan for the top.
  6. 1 t onion powder
  7. 1 t garlic powder
  8. 1/2 t pepper
  9. 1/4 t celery seed
  10. 1/4 t salt


Directions:
  1. Boil the noodles according to the package and drain.
  2. Add the remainder of the ingredients to the noodles and mix well.
  3. Pour contents into an ungreased 9x13 pan.
  4. Top with a sprinkle of shredded cheese or Parmesan
  5. If you do not want edges to crisp cover with foil.
  6. Bake at 325° for 10-15 minutes until the cheese melts and center is warm.


Enjoy!

03 August 2009

Miserly Meals #1 Broccoli Beef

I found a book at the library titled "Miserly Meals" by Jonni McCoy. Published in 2002 the meal prices aren't really that far pff from what she spent when writing the book. Out of 12 meals for this weeks menu, 8 are featured in her book. I hope to have fun with this, they ALL look tasty!

Mostly I have found that the savings come in with pantry items. When writing my shopping list I found that most of the recipes I wrote down main ingredients (meats) and things I run out of because we eat it so much (cheese, onions, etc) the rest were things I keep in my pantry (rice, spices, flour, etc). This is the easiest and best way to stretch your food dollar. CREATE MEALS FROM WHAT YOU ALREADY HAVE ON HAND.

Occasionally I splurged (my favorite mai fun noodles instead of rice for the broccoli beef, fresh pork for the orange curry rather than leftovers, etc) but it was still a great shopping trip. About $100 for 12 dinners, kid snacks, lunch stuffs, and critter veggies...hey the guinea pigs need yummies too!

So here is the first recipe I'll be making with/from/by Jonni...

Broccoli Beef with Maifun Noodles

Caught some thin cut eye of round on sale for $3.61 for a little over a pound... the recipe calls for only 1/2 lb!

Mai fun noodles are Japanese rice noodles. They are easily found in most stores today.. I shop at Wal-Mart! Mine were about $1.15... Just check the Asian foods aisle. I find these fun and a way to have my rice and pasta too!

Cost per serving: about 60¢ with mai fun or 45¢ with rice from the pantry. Since I got a good deal on the beef, I'm doubling the dish (not noodles) to freeze for a quick meal later. The basic 4 serving recipe follows.

Broccoli Beef

Ingredients (and my helper!):
Photobucket
  • 1/4 c low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1 T. peanut butter (whatever is your fav)
  • 1/4 t. tabasco
  • 1/2 c warm water
  • 1 T cornstarch
  • 2 tsp vinegar (I'm using rice wine vinegar from my pantry)
  • 1/4 t. pepper
  • 1/8 t. powdered ginger (it's strong so use carefully)
  • 1/2 t. garlic powder
  • 1/2 t. onion powder OR 1 c. thin-sliced onion
  • tiny pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
  • 2 T oil
  • 1/2 lb beef diced, cubed, or sliced thin
  • 2 cups broccoli florets
  • One package Mai fun noodles or 2 cups COOKED rice

Directions
  1. In a small bowl combine the soy sauce, peanut butter, tabasco, water, cornstarch, vinegar, pepper, ginger, garlic, powder, onion powder and cayenne pepper (if using either).
  2. Mix well and set aside.
  3. Prepare mai fun according to package directions before beginning stirfry.
  4. In a large skillet or wok, heat the oil over medium high heat.
  5. Add the beef (and onion if using fresh) and cook stirring constantly for 2-3 minutes.
  6. Add the broccoli and stir for another 2-3 minutes.
  7. Scrape all ingredients to the edge of the skillet or wok.
  8. Add the sauce and stir as it thickens.
  9. Stir all together to warm through.
  10. Once thickened remove from heat.
  11. Serve immediately over Mai fun or rice.
Photobucket

02 August 2009

Meal Plan Monday - August 3

Laura at I’m an Organizing Junkie started a blog "series" called Menu Plan Monday.

Since I menu plan I have decided to join the club of meal planners and share my menu on a weekly basis. Starting soon I hope to be able to offer a shopping list with my meal plan as well. Also, most of the ladies do all 3 meals of the week. Right now I'm only doing

So from now on, Mondays will bring you this cute guy (or a friend of his)

Photobucket

and he'll have a link back to Laura's weekly Meal plan (so click him!)and mine will be under him.

Mom's Diner Dinner
Miserly Meal Plan
August 3, 2009


Monday - Broccoli Beef
Tuesday - Chicken Florentine
Wednesday - Popover Pizza
Thursday - Orange Curry Pork

(edited wednesday to make a meal for extra kids i was babysitting)




Short week because I'll be out Friday-Sunday on my last mini-vacation of the summer!

All of these are from the Miserly Meals cookbook by Jonni McCoy (See tomorrow's blog for details). There will be more Miserly Meals next week. As always,I will link the recipes to my list as I create them.

01 August 2009

Difficult decisions...

I am seriously contemplating hanging up my TTC stockings and walking away with my 2 beautiful blessings and my 2 angels.

I know. Take a deep breath. The realization hit me like a ton of bricks.. and I brought it up on the road and thought my husband was going to wreck. I asked him on a scale of 1 to 10 how bad he wanted another. He sighed and said, "I don't think you're gonna like my answer." When I replied "Try me," I think he swerved.

He doesn't think we need more. Hasn't from the beginning. He knows how deeply I want to try again and was going along. Not that he wouldn't love another, just that he doesn't want me to go through it again. Two losses that deeply cratered my heart bookend a pregnancy that was horrid and a delivery that nearly killed me. Yes, my princess was worth it, but can I handle it again?

I have this whole deck stacked against me.

Past unexplained miscarriage.
Past tubal pregnancy.
One tube.
Scarring in my uterus.
Thyroid issues.
Over 30.

Do I want another? YES.
Do I want to try just one more time for my prince? YES.
Can I handle the strain of secondary infertility again? Maybe.
Can I handle the pain of another loss? No.
Am I willing to take the risk? I don't know.

You see first I have to deal with the infertility and GET pregnant. Then I have to deal with the other issues to STAY pregnant. I don't know if I can go through that again.

And then my girls... Amazing. Growing and beautiful. Pain in my and I love them to the end of the universe. Halie is blossoming into the young woman she doesn't want to be lol.. and Kaelyn is getting so independent and learning so much. They are both so free spirited.

And they are both reaching an age that I can step back and have time for myself.

I know that sounds selfish, but I gave birth at 19. I'm 31 now. I am in college and about to start a legal career. Am I being selfish to myself by wanting another child at whatever cost? Or selfish to my family by not taking the opportunity to flourish in my career and create a better life for them? For us? Is it smart or selfish to step back and think about us being a 4 person (plus fur) family?

I wanted to call my insurance about my hysterectomy (that was suggested a while back from the scarring and pain) but he said this was a fast turn around and he doesn't want me to regret it. So for now I am indefinitely on the pill until we think this through more.

On my way out the door.. I have pregnant friends to shop for


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