Menu Plan Monday~ 11/12/12

This week is a busy week for me. My oldest is turning 7 on Friday (where did the time go?!?!) and that means a lot of baking. I started baking my kids' cakes (as opposed to getting store bought) for Noah's 1st birthday and got hooked on it! I have fun planning their cakes (and the girls' school treats) and have been getting better each time. I've also made my brother and sister-in-law's baby shower cake (probably my best work so far) and some cakes for work and holidays. I actually find it relaxing and gets out some creative energy. I started a Cake/Baking board on Pinterest and have a crazy amount of ideas pinned on there. I let the girls go through and pick what type of cake/treats they wanted and make it my own from there. Hannah requested The Lorax. I'll post some of my cakes at the end of the week once I have Hannah's to add!

I'll be busy making cupcakes for her to take to school on Thursday (they have a minimum day on Friday) and her cake for at home on her birthday. I tried to make the menu easier this week plus things that can be in one dish or the crockpot. Baking makes enough dirty dishes as it is!

 

Sunday 11/11: Crockpot Salisbury Steak, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans (My husband loves this meal! I made it with Ground Turkey this time and he liked it better then the beef. That's great because I don't usually buy beef and always have the turkey on hand from Costco trips.)

Monday 11/12: Ham, Stuffing, Broccoli (From last week.)

Tuesday 11/13: Eggs, Pancakes, Bacon (From last week.)

Wednesday 11/14: Chicken Rollups, Corn

Thursday 11/15: Crockpot Chicken Parmesan, Pasta

Friday 11/16: Lemon Butter Tilapia, Rice, Fruit, Mixed Veg, Cake (Hannah's Choice)

Saturday 11/17: Takeout

Head to OrgJunkie for more menus! And check back in a few days to see examples of my cakes!

Wordless Wednesday~ Crazy Kiddos!

July 2011 :)

Menu Plan Monday~ 11/5/12

I made another Pinterest recipe last night and it was a big hit! I love being able to see a picture of a recipe. It's much easier to find new ones to try that way instead of just skimming through the titles of recipes like other recipe websites! Next week will need to be easier dinners because I'll be baking for Hannah's birthday! :) I'll post pictures of her Lorax cake and cupcakes when they're done.

I always type of my menu plan/grocery list. I like being able to go back to old ones and see what we haven't had in a while. And it makes it easier to shop with a neat, easy to read (and organized by section of the store!) list. I recently realized that I could put links to the recipe I'm using in the word document. That makes it so much easier to find the recipe during the week! I just open the file and click. :) Plus I can just copy and paste it for MPM!

 

Sunday 11/4: Stovetop Mac & Cheese, Salad, Rolls (For the recipe, I only used 1 tsp of mustard. I wanted to make sure it wasn't overly strong for the kids. It was perfect! Use more if you like mustard!)

Monday 11/5: Crockpot Cheesy Chicken and Rice, Salad

Tuesday 11/6: Eggs, Pancakes, Bacon

Wednesday 11/7: Ham, Stuffing, Broccoli

Thursday 11/8: Crockpot Salisbury Steak, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans

Friday 11/9: Out to Dinner!

Head to OrgJunkie for more weekly menus!

Halloween Year By Year...

Lately I've been realizing just how quickly my kids are growing up. We've had our last baby and he's already almost 2 months old. My oldest will be 7 in two weeks. I can't believe how fast time has gone.

Having babies is definitely bittersweet experience. It's so easy to get wrapped up in our busy lives and miss truly enjoying the fleeting moments we have with our children. I've never been great at documenting their childhoods (I think I've only written a handful of things in the older 3's baby books...and haven't even opened Nix's.) and I'm recognizing now that I should really take more pictures and write down things they do. Time goes so quickly and it's so hard to remember the little moments. In fact, I decided to show how our family has changed since our first Halloween with Hannah in 2006...and can't find a picture I can see perfectly in my mind (of Pumpkin Hannah in my mom's kitchen cabinet!) on any of our computers! I will have to update this post with that picture when I can find it!

Here are our Halloweens, year by year:

2007

 Hannah~ 23 months, Avery~1 month

 

2008

Hannah~ Almost 3, Avery~ 1



 

2009

Hannah~ Almost 4, Avery~ 2

 

2010

Hannah~Almost 5, Avery~ 3, Noah~ 4 months

 

2011

Hannah~ Almost 6, Avery~4, Noah~ 1

 

 

2012

Hannah~ Almost 7, Avery~ 5, Noah~ 2, Phoenix~ 1.5 months

 

Love my babies!



Menu Plan Monday~ 10/29/12

I'm trying to cook as much as I can in the next few months. I go back to work mid-December and since I work the evening shift, I only get to make dinner 2 days a week. Menu planning is going to get harder since both Jason and I will be working. We'll have a sitter 2-3 days a week in the afternoons and she will need to make dinner. I have no idea what to plan on those nights! Any ideas or tips would be great!

I'm back on Weight Watchers now but not being very successful. I'm not very focused on it. I need to set up some kind of game plan though! My sister is getting married in Hawaii in May and I want to be able to look as good (or even better) than at my own wedding! Just a bit over 6 months. Eek! This week I didn't even look at what points I'd be using. Next week, I'll try to plan better for me.

Sunday 10/28: Crockpot Potato Chowder, Biscuits

Monday 10/29: Honey Sauced Chicken, Rice, Broccoli

Tuesday 10/30: Million Dollar Spaghetti, Salad

Wednesday 10/31: Takeout Pizza, Halloween Candy!

Thursday 11/1: Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole, Corn

Friday 11/2: Leftovers!

Head over to OrgJunkie for more menu plans!

Menu Plan Monday~ 10/22/12

I'll admit it...I'm a Pinterest addict. At the moment, I have over 2500 pins. We've found some great recipes on there lately and many have been keepers for us. My grocery trips have been a bit random lately instead of the same day every week. On occasion (ok like every week lately!) I don't have something planned for dinner and can't get to the store. I have been able to search on Pinterest for recipes with things I have on hand. And I adjust a lot of the recipes to add spices etc. It's so helpful! Here are some of our favorites (some the girls have picked themselves):

Crockpot Cheesy Chicken and Rice
Shepherd's Pie
Forgotten Chicken
Creamy White Chicken Lasagna
Ritz Cracker Chicken

Feel free to Follow Me on Pinterest to see my obsession. :)

We're eating quick, cheap meals for the beginning of this week. My paycheck is late so we're making due until one of us gets paid this week. Yay for late maternity leave pay...Thank you State of California! :(

Monday 10/22: Mummy Dogs, Mac and Cheese
Tuesday 10/23: Unsloppy Joes (minus the cheese and using my own sauce...not canned), Mini Pizzas (for the kids), Green Beans
Wednesday 10/24: Tilapia, Rice, Broccoli
Thursday 10/25: Baked Potato Bar (Chili, Cheese, Sour Cream, Broccoli etc)
Friday 10/26: Crockpot Potato Chowder, Homemade Sourdough Bread
Saturday 10/27: Movie Night (Tinker Bell: Secret of the Wings)! Snowman Pizza, Veggies/Dip, Marshmallow Caramel Popcorn

Visit OrgJunkie for more weekly menus!

Party of 6!

September 11th was an amazing day for us this year. We became a family of 6! Our 2nd baby boy was born at 10:00am, about 10 minutes after we arrived to the hospital! I almost got my wish of a home birth. :)

Phoenix Orion

9/11/12 10:00AM

8lbs, 20.5 inches

My 4 Kiddos!

(Hannah~ 6, Avery~ 4, Noah~ 2, Phoenix~ 1 day)

 

 

 

We didn't plan on having a 4th baby just yet but I am SO happy God decided it was time. :) He's our last baby (though I have second thoughts about that sometimes...) so I'm trying to enjoy every second with him! We are very blessed to have 4 healthy, happy kiddos!