Menu Planning Monday No. 4

This week's menu was purposely VERY easy, and includes a few repeats. What's the reason?? Well, I'm so glad you asked. :)

I started a new job today - I left my job of almost ELEVEN years last week and started a new adventure today. And today could not have gone any better, seriously! The traffic in was perfect (no issues!), I was welcomed very warmly, I got FLOWERS from one of the partners, I got to sit in on some calls and meetings and didn't feel completely lost (hopefully that means I pick up on the new stuff even quicker than I thought!!) and the drive home was great too! I didn't get lost once :) and made it there and home much faster than I had anticipated.

All that said, I'm completely exhausted today. There was a lot of listening and trying to absorb going on ALL day, and I guess it caught up with me pretty quick! I'm glad I planned some easy meals for this week! So, let's get to it...


Breakfasts:
Mike: Bacon-Crusted Quiche (new recipe!)
Lynne: Chia Pudding and/or coffee (lots of coffee!)
Kids: Cereal/Waffles & Fruit/Yogurt

Lunches:
Mike: Bacon-Crusted Quiche (new recipe!), cheese sticks, parmesan-roasted green bean & mini caprese salads
Lynne: no idea! playing it by ear every day! :)
Kids: lunchables/burritos/sandwiches, applesauce/gogurt, cinnabon cookies, chips & drink

Dinners:
Monday: Eat Out (husband and the big kids go to BSF so he takes them to dinner; Zoe and I grab dinner on our own) We are eating out, but no BSF tonight so McDonad's it is!
Tuesday: Fiesta Salad, Corn, Yogurt/Fruit
Wednesday: Mexican Chicken Chopped Salad, Yogurt/Fruitt
Thursday: Slow-Cooked Garlic & Ranch Pork , Roasted Green Beans, Yogurt/Fruit
Friday: Breakfast for Dinner!

What's for dinner at your house this week?

Breakfast Casserole

One of the recipes I made for Rylie's birthday dinner (breakfast for dinner, at home, remember?) was Breakfast Casserole.

I love this recipe because it's...(guess!?!?) VERSATILE! And easy. And yummy.

Just about everyone you meet has a version of this recipe - some use hash browns on the bottom, some use crescent rolls, some add veggies, some serve with salsa...you really can't mess this recipe up folks!

My favorite version of this recipe is the one my mom taught me...I LOVE it...I don't remember how often she made it for me growing up, but enough to make it taste like a memory every time I eat it!

Like I said, this recipe is very easy to mix up and experiment with - I've made it with bacon instead of sausage, bacon in addition to sausage (duh!), with hashbrowns as the base, crescent rolls, even corn tortillas (for my sweet husband, who just isn't a huge bread fan). The tried and true version, and my personal favorite is listed below.

Tell me...do you have a favorite version of this recipe? What does your family like?

8 slices of bread (I use wheat)
1 package (12 oz) reduced-fat pork sausage
1 dozen eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 bag shredded cheddar cheese (7-8 oz)
salt/pepper to taste

1. Arrange bread slices in a 9x13 pan coated with cooking spray (you may have to break up a couple of slices in half to make them fit).
2. Cook sausage over medium-high heat, crumbling the sausage as you go.
3. When sausage is completely browned, transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel to drain fat.
4. In a large mixing bowl, combine eggs, milk, salt and pepper; mix well to combine.
5. Spread sausage over bread evenly.
6. Sprinkle all of the cheese over the sausage evenly.
7. Pour egg mixture over the cheese, making sure to cover the entire pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, if desired.
8. Cover casserole with foil and place in the fridge overnight (or for at least 3-4 hours) to allow bread to soak up the eggs.
9. In the morning (or after the 3-4 hours) take casserole out and leave on counter for about 20 minutes (this is just so that you don't put a cold pan into a hot oven. Preheat over to 350.
10. Bake casserole for 45-60 minutes, or until eggs are completely cooked and the edges are golden brown.

Menu Planning Monday No.3 (errrr...Tuesday)

This week, I didn't even plan the menu for this week until Monday. It was a CRAZY weekend (to say the least). The Ladybug turned SEVEN on Saturday, and I'm the crazy lady who decided to have a sleepover at my house with a total of eight girls (two came but didn't spend the night, and two were my own). Then, just a little downtime on Saturday afternoon before the whole family came over for dinner (breakfast for dinner!) to celebrate with her.

The party was a success and there were fewer meltdowns than I had anticipated... :)

So, on to this week's menu. There is one item that was a repeat from last week, because we didn't make it. The rest are new items (check back for links to each recipe!).

Hope you all have a great week!


Breakfasts:
Mike: No-Carb Breakfast Lasagna
Lynne: Chia Pudding
Kids: Cereal/Waffles & Fruit/Yogurt

Lunches:
Mike: grown-up lunchables, cheese sticks, parmesan-roasted green bean
Lynne: Freezer Meal & Fruit
Kids: lunchables or breakfast burritos, crockpot apple pie, grapes, chips & drink

Dinners:
Monday: Eat Out (husband and the big kids go to BSF so he takes them to dinner; Zoe and I grab dinner on our own)
Tuesday: Tacos, Corn, Yogurt/Fruit
Wednesday: Slow-Cooker Cowboy Chicken, Brown Rice, Yogurt/Fruitt
Thursday: Crockpot Beef & Noodles, Roasted Green Beans, Yogurt/Fruit
Friday: Pizza Quesadillas, Roasted Parmesan Green Beans, Yogurt/Fruit

What're you having for dinner this week??

Menu Planning Monday No.2

This week, I went a little easy on myself. :)

I planned breakfasts, lunches and dinners for everyone, but I purposely chose some easy dinner recipes that didn't require much (if any) prep...hope you enjoy!

(PS - don't forget to check back to this page often to see updated links to recipes that might not be posted just yet!)

Breakfasts:
Mike: No-Carb Breakfast Lasagna
Lynne: Chia Pudding
Kids: Pancake Squares & Fruit/Yogurt

Lunches:
Mike: grown-up lunchables, mixed nuts, hard-boiled egg, cheese stick & fruit
Lynne: Pasta Fagioli & Fruit
Kids: lunchables or breakfast burritos, crockpot apple pie, grapes, chips & drink

Dinners:
Monday: Eat Out (husband and the big kids go to BSF so he takes them to dinner; Zoe and I grab dinner on our own)
Tuesday: Fiesta Salad, Corn, Yogurt/Fruit
Wednesday: Crockpot BBQ Chicken, Roasted Green Beans, Yogurt/Fruit
Thursday: Crockpot Beef & Noodles, Roasted Green Beans, Yogurt/Fruit
Friday: Rylie's Birthday Sleepover - a couple moms may hang out, so in addition to chicken nuggets + snacks for the kids, I'm making mini cheesecakes, avocado greek yogurt dip & chips, caramel apple dip & apples/cinnamon pita chips


On Saturday, my ladybug turns SEVEN! I can't believe she's that old already!! We asked her where she wanted to go for dinner - told her she could pick just about anywhere. So, she chose to stay at home and asked me to cook breakfast for dinner! :) Her daddy was so proud...that little girl could eat breakfast for breakfast, breakfast for lunch and breakfast for dinner and never get sick of it!

Come back next week to see recipes posted from her birthday breakfast/dinner - right now, I'm thinking we'll have:

Breakfast Casserole - lots of people have different versions of this recipe. The one I grew up with is my mom's and I love it!

Pancake Casserole - I made this one this week for the kids (see above!) and it turned out great - it's basically a giant pancake...what's not to love?

Cinnamon Rolls - I love making tiny cinnamon rolls - they are SUPER cute and don't require much effort. BIG wow factor in my opinion!

Fruit Salad - YUM!

Menu Planning Monday No.1 - How I Do It

During the week, I don't have time or energy to think about what to make for dinner...nor do I have the energy to think about breakfast or lunch for the next day for any of us! A long time ago, I started planning each week (Monday - Friday, with weekends usually eating leftovers or eating out) over the weekend, and then spending much of my afternoon on Sunday cooking, or prepping our meals. This has been a LIFE SAVER on so many occasions - I've gotten pretty efficient at it too!

I created an excel spreadsheet that has spots for each meal, each person, each day. As I plan meals, I list the grocery items I need underneath the list. Then, before I go to the store each weekend, I print the list and scan through my freezer/pantry to figure out what I already have and mark that off the list (I used to just not put it on the list, thinking "oh I've got some of that" until I started running out...so now it's a good way for me to check the supply of some staples, and if it's running low, it stays on the list!)

I try to make sure I'm always trying out new recipes, but rotating some of our favorites too...I've started picking the same types of food for specific days, which makes my planning so much easier and faster.

Here's this week's menu - I'll get to posting all of these recipes as soon as I can!

Have a great week!

Breakfasts:
Mike: No-Carb Breakfast Lasagna
Lynne: Chia Pudding
Kids: Pancake Squares & Fruit

Lunches:
Mike: grown-up lunchables, mixed nuts, hard-boiled egg, grapes & cheese sticks
Lynne: Pasta Fagioli & Fruit
Kids: Pizza Puffs/Muffins, fruit, homemade fruit roll-ups

Dinners:
Monday: Beef Enchiladas, Corn, Fruit & Yogurt
Tuesday: Shredded Chicken with Spicy Peanut Sauce, Rice, Fruit & Yogurt
Wednesday: Oven-Toasted Ravioli, Green Beans, Fruit & Yogurt
Thursday: Crockpot BBQ Chicken, Corn, Fruit & Yogurt
Friday: Shish-Kebabs, Roasted Green Beans, Fruit Salad

I've already had to modify this a little bit, because we had a busy weekend and I didn't get to cook some of the stuff on the list. So, you may see some repeats for next week. :)