Menu Monday- Quick and EASY

With the week ahead of me- Quick and EASY is something I need to chant over and over again. It may not be creative. It may not be repinned at all- but it'll keep my family fed and that's really the ultimate goal of making a Menu.

I plan to make a roast (since buying 1/4 beef we have a lot to pull from) with veggies cooked in the crock pot.

I hope that this will stretch to two meals, by making Beef Stroganoff with the leftover meat and serving it over pasta. Having 2 meals with 1 night of work is really how to get an easy meal.

I also plan to make Chicken stir fry. With a rice maker, the rice cooks itself, and by putting the chicken breasts in the crock pot with teriyaki sauce, it it a really easy meal. Just add frozen veggies and call it dinner.

I think we'll also do some tacos (either beef or chicken) and beans for another meal that is also a crown pleaser.

And the round it out- the ultimate of easy meals: Spaghetti. Add in some bread and a salad and it almost feels like you tried. Almost.

Like I said, nothing fancy or fantastic, but it will feed us and that's the goal ;)

Menu Monday: Where's the Beef?

Ever since moving to the Midwest, I've heard of buying a side of beef. I always thought it was a good idea, but never really had the connections to do so (or really, never really was adventurous enough to pursue it). So when a friend asked if we'd go in together on 1/2 beef, we were on board!

I think the waiting is the hardest part. That and paying for that much meat at once. We ended up paying a little over $4 a pound, which seems pricey for ground beef, but when I think of how many steaks (the entire top rack) and roasts/ribs we had out of it, I changed my mind.

Not only do I think it was a good price, we got to support a local farmer and know exactly where our food grew up, what it ate, and where it was processed. These are little steps we are making to living a more local lifestyle.

So, for Menu Monday, beef is on our menu (But not all week ;). 

I plan to celebrate with some Sirloin Steaks today, but the rest of the week will be more normal:

Chicken broccoli Alfredo 

Meatless Chili over baked potatoes

Roast with potatoes and carrots

Spaghetti

Homemade pizza

Roasted chicken with potatoes and carrots

What's on your menu for the week? 

Menu Monday: Post Easter Feast

I was so thankful to be picked for a Kroger BzzAgent Campaign just in time for the holiday and a great way to start the menu for the week!



 One of the bigger problems we've faced while renovating the house (and since I started working) was the family meal. We've been popping through drive-thrus and turning to not so healthy or yummy options too often.

This Kroger Bzzkit is all about bringing the family home for dinner. I got to get a lot of ingredients that would make a wonderful feast for my family:

Pictured:
A Kroger Moist & Tender Pork Tenderloin
Kroger Macaroni and Cheese
Kroger Crescent Rolls
Kroger Cake Mix
Kroger Frosting

I cooked the Moist & Tender Pork Tenderloin in the crockpot with garlic and other seasonings all day. The Macaroni and Cheese was so easy, just had to microwave it! The crescent rolls took little time to make, and I added some green beans and tomatoes to balance the meal out.

That was such a great family meal. We talked about our day (we had fun at an egg hunt AND flying kites in the park). I thought for sure my daughter would eat all of the roast, but she didn't ;)

I still have leftovers for BBQ pulled pork sandwiches. I also plan to use the cake mix to make a pinterest cookie recipe I found, but that won't be until later.

Kroger has many options that help you bring the meal to the table after a busy day and can be fast enough to work in between lessons, practice, or meetings. I love that this brand offers both quality, and keeps my food budget in check.

What meals are on your family table this week?




*Disclaimer: I am a BzzAgent and got to sample Kroger foods for free. All opinions expressed are my own.

Menu Monday: Back to Business.

I am so ready to be back to business!! This week I am stuck inside, but at least I am able to cook again! My kitchen isn't completely done, but here is a peak at the progress:

My Menu for the week is simple, but yummy.

Breakfasts:
Eggs and Ham
Pancakes
Cereal

Lunches:
Ham sandwiches
Salad
Quesadillas

Dinners:
Beef Stew
Homemade Pizza
Pork Loin
Hamburgers
Teriyaki Chicken
Potato Soup



What are you planning for the week?

Menu Monday: One more week.

Just a reminder that there will be just ONE more week without Menu Mondays :( Remodeling jobs take way more time than expected.

Menu Monday: Still Under Construction

I'm sorry for the lack of Menu Monday options lately! I was on a roll, but this kitchen business is making it hard to even cook a meal, let alone freezer cook!

I have been googling and am excited to start making a Menu again (and to use our new appliances- I'm counting down the days!). 

I've found a few sites that have One Pot Wonders (meals using one pan- my fave when I can't use the crock pot!):

Eating Well

Mr. Food

&

All You

Where do you go to get menu planning inspiration? 

Menu Monday: Under Construction

This is the part where I'd list all the amazing freezer meals I've planned for a the week and show pictures of all the prep.

Only...

This is what my kitchen looks like right now. We bought new appliances (refrigerator, stove, and microwave/vent) and decided that it wouldn't be right to spend so much money on new things and put them in our "work in progress" kitchen. So now we have less than 3 weeks to get this kitchen into shape.

At least that's our self-imposed deadline. We'll see if it happens :)

SO what I need from you are all the best meals that can be made with minimal dishes/prep. I have a lot of crock pot meals to use up, thankfully, so I plan to use those, but aside from that we've been turning to drive-thrus way to frequently right now. 

Menu Monday: More Crock Pot kits

I'm making my way through my freezer meals and am finding out that I am not a big fan of the casseroles. Aside from Lasagna, they turn out mushy and the flavor is off. I also found that the meatballs I made 2 weeks ago were not a hit. I like adding carrots for taco meat and sloppy joes, but it does change the flavor significantly for other dishes.

So this week I focused on more Crock Pot kits. Some changes from before:

• I peeled the veggies. Although the taste was fine last time, the peels got dark and looked unappealing.
• I did not add the broccoli and Alfredo sauce to the bag. It made it hard to fit in the crock pot once frozen, and the broccoli overcooked. So this time I'll add that a few minutes before serving. 
• I did not lay the bags completely flat. Sure it helps for storage, but adding a square shape to a round crock pot, then a lid, is annoying. 

I've even gotten my husband on board with the freezer cooking. He made a new set of meatballs, hamburgers, and lots of ground beef cooked for future meals. It was nice spending that time working side by side :)

Menu Monday: January Round Up + Bonus Freezer Recipe

This Menu Monday is kind of a January Round Up! I wasn't able to do much freezer cooking this week. I had Scouting events, Teacher conferences, Disney on Ice, etc.

BUT having so many stocked meals in my freezer meant that even though I was busy, we always had something ready to make.

A lot of the meals I tried this month were new for me, but all worked out really well!

Some favorites:

Broccoli Chicken Alfredo {This was so easy, but looks a little... strange when it's done. It tastes great, but if you have kids who don't like green food it may be one to avoid- or to try with Cauliflower instead!}

Sloppy Joes + Taco Meat {I had never added carrots to my ground beef to stretch it before, but was SO impressed by it. It didn't make it less meaty, just gave it a bit more sweetness and my kids and husband didn't complain once}

Lasagna {Leftover lasagna is the best ever, so freezer lasagna is like leftover lasagna ;) }

Some that may need work:

Enchiladas {I put way too many in one pan. I should have had 2 pans for this many. It took a long time to bake, and though it tasted good, it could have been better}

Mexican Lasagna {I thought the meat would go a lot further in this, but it didn't. It made a big pan, but not the 2 I planned on it making. I think I need to add beans or rice to stretch it further}


I DID get to do some freezer cooking this week. We had a 2 hour delay for freezing temps, but I didn't sleep in much. I surprised the kids with breakfast, and made these at the same time.

For this I used 12 eggs and 4 slices of ham. I beat the eggs and cubed the ham.

Preheat the oven to 350*
Line the muffin pan with liners (saves time in scrubbing the pan!)
Pour some of the egg into each liner.
Add cubed ham.

Bake for 15-20 minutes. Cool on a rack, then peel the liner off before putting in a freezer bag (to avoid the hassle of doing that later).

They heat in the microwave for 1-1.5 minutes.

I think next time I'll add milk to the eggs when beating them (or cheese) and fill the liners more than halfway (it's such a tiny little portion they way I made it, but great for a breakfast sandwich!).

Menu Monday: More with Freezer Cooking + Shopping Lists!

I've been on a real Freezer Cooking kick lately. Once I started, I couldn't go back to wondering what in the heck I was going to make for dinner after teaching all day and wanting to do anything BUT cook. I also was over spending money we really didn't have on fast food or easy foods just to get by. Freezer cooking has worked out so well for us, and the best thing is that I'm NOT following someone else's version by the book. I'm doing what works well for me and building up my freezer a few meals at a time.

I promised weeks before that I would include shopping lists for the meals I made for the freezer, so here are the lists for Menu Monday One and Menu Monday Two.

Onto Menu Monday Three (click that for the shopping list).

This week I bought a 10lb chub of Ground Beef. Thanks to the other meals, we hadn't had it a lot, so I took this chance to make up a lot of the meals that we liked but didn't have. Only rather than just make some for the week, I doubled each recipe and made enough to have it twice (with hopefully some leftovers for the Husband's lunches).

This week I stocked the freezer with 2 Meatloaves, 2 batches of Meatballs, 1 batch of Sloppy Joes (we ate the 2nd batch the night I did the cooking ;) ), and 3 batches of Taco Meat to go onto other meals (2 are going to a Mexican Lasagna I will make for the next round of Freezer Cooking).


Meatloaf
In a bowl add:
a little over 2lbs of ground beef
2 cups of shredded carrots
1 diced onion
2 eggs (beaten)
1 cup of water
2 cups of stuffing mix.
{These are estimated amounts, so you can add what you want and make it your own.}

Form into 2 loaves and put in freezer bags. To cook, preheat the oven to 350 and cook until done all the way through. This can vary depending on oven temp and whether it was defrosted before baking. Top with Barbecue sauce for the last 20 minutes or so.

Meatballs
Prepare the same way as the Meatloaf above, only shape into 1-2 inch balls. Place flat in a freezer bag until completely frozen (to keep them from sticking).

Sloppy Joes
Brown a little over 2lbs of ground beef with 1 diced onion and 2 cups of shredded carrots. Drain. Add a can of Sloppy Joe mix. Serve on buns (this made enough for my family to eat their fill and freeze enough for another meal).

Taco Meat
Brown a little over 2lbs of ground beef with 1 diced onion and 2 cups of shredded carrots (sensing a theme here?). Drain. Add enough taco seasoning (either premade or homemade) for 2 meals, adding water if needed.
{I will end up adding black beans and red beans to this, or possibly lentils}

Menu Monday: Freezer Food EDIT: Now with Shopping List!

Last week for Menu Monday I focused on freezing food for the Crock Pot. This time I'm freezing more oven-ready meals. I made fewer with the ingredients I had (I made 10 last week!), but I'm taking baby steps in having a freezer full of easy to make, and better for me meals.



This week I've made:

1. 1 Pan of Chicken Enchiladas
2. 1 Pan of Lasagna
3. 2 batches of  Pizza Dough
4. 1 Batch of Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Muffins- These did not last in the freezer.. because my kids/husband got to them!

1. The first step was to cook the rest of the chicken (that didn't get bagged for a crockpot meal). After I cooked it on low for a day, I shredded it and portioned it out for meals/lunches. About 4lbs of boneless, skinless chicken breast was used.

I used about 1lb for enchiladas. I mixed the rest of the can of rotel with the chicken, added taco seasoning, frozen corn, 1/2 cup of cheese and 1 cup of rice (precooked measurement). I rolled the mixture into tortillas and will top with a can of enchilada sauce and more cheese when I put it in the oven (I didn't want the tortillas to get too mushy).

I used another lb for chicken pot pie (not pictured). I made this the day I did my freezer cooking because it was easy and would bake while I worked on other meals (I have to do my freezer cooking in the evening/weekend since I'm at work during the day). This is an easy meal, I just mix the chicken with leftover or canned veggies and a can of cream of chicken soup. I added the broth from cooking the chicken and topped with a baking mix topping.

I froze another lb to use when needed.

The last lb I kept in the fridge and brought it for lunch as a salad topping. Salad, cooked chicken, and half an avocado made for a really great lunch!

2. This is a meatless lasagna. I cooked the pasta and sauce (I added a bag of shredded zucchini to the sauce), and mixed a cup of cottage cheese with one egg and basil/oregano. Then just layer the ingredients I did not bake this prior to putting it in the freezer!

3. & 4. I used Money Saving Mom's recipe for both of these. The muffins were such a hit that none made it to the freezer!

My freezer is getting full! It has been so worth the extra prep, because dinners have been easy, yummy, cheaper, and better for us!

If you wanted a shopping list- here it is!.

Menu Monday: Crock Pot Edition EDIT Now with shopping lists!

Welcome to the first Menu Monday post of the year! I could lie and say this will be a list of what we're going to eat the day we'll eat it, but that's not how it works at my house. I buy groceries every 2 weeks (that's our pay cycle and the fewer times we shop, the less I spend!) and usually shop at Aldi, though I'll hit up Kroger for meat. Once upon a time I went to many stores and coupon shopped and did amazingly well. I just feel like I lack the time to watch sales, shop multiple times, and energy to do it well. So this works for me. 

I shop, plan out 14 dinners, food for lunches, and food to grab on the go for breakfast. I plan to use my freezer more this year, since we have had too many convenience foods since I started working. I plan to do this in stages (there's no way I can cook for a month in a weekend), so this week was dedicated to Crock Pot cooking (well preparing for the crock pot).  

So basically I had to turn this (click here for the shopping list):

Into meals for my family.

I set up a work station and started chopping veggies. I cut up celery, carrots, sweet potatoes, onions (red and white) and white potatoes. I also had frozen broccoli and corn to add to the bags.

Then I filled the bags based on what meals I was making. Most got all the veggies, but some (like Chicken Broccoli Alfredo) didn't. 

Once I chose the veggies for each meal, I washed the cutting board and got out the one for meat. I cut up chicken breasts and added them to the bags of Alfredo, White Chili, Teriyaki, and Angel Hair Pasta. I washed the board and cut up a big roast for both roast beef and beef stew. I bagged pork chops and ribs, but I didn't add anything to them. Some add a barbecue mixture but I like to cook mine before adding sauce. I'm not a fan of a lot of sauce so I let my family add what they want after it's cooked. 

Most of these meals are complete enough to put in a crock pot and eat at the end of the day. Others have more steps, and I'll write them on the bag. The good thing to this is that it's more of a method than a recipe. If you don't like an ingredient, you don't have to add it. If you want to add something, you can. I fyou have seasonal produce to use, add it. Figure out what works for you!

The ten meals in my freezer now are:

• Chicken Alfredo (Chicken Breasts, Broccoli, and Alfredo sauce)
• White Chicken Chili (Chicken Breasts, sweet potatoes, carrots, celery, corn, onion, garlic, taco seasoning, half a can of rotel) I have to add Chicken Broth and beans (I cook dried beans and freeze so these are already in the freezer) when cooking. 
• Sweet Potato Chili (Sweet potatoes, carrots, corn, celery, onions, garlic) just add a can of diced tomatoes, beans, and water when cooking.
• Beef Stew (beef, carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, celery, onion). Just add water and seasonings when cooking.
• Roast Beef (beef roast, carrots, potatoes, onion, onion soup mix). Just add water and seasonings when cooking.
• Chicken Teriyaki  (Chicken, broccoli, carrots, celery, Teriyaki sauce, garlic) I just serve over rice. 
• Chicken Angel Hair (chicken, red onion). This one is less of a crockpot meal, but it was easy to cut up the chicken at the same time. This is made using angel hair pasta, Italian dressing, and grape tomatoes.
• Ribs. Just add BBQ and water when cooking. This usually has sides I make separately like baked beans and salad.
• Pork Chops. Again this is cooked on it's own. I can add BBQ or any seasonings depending on how I want to have it that week. I cook the sides separately as well. I like potatoes (mashed or fried) and veggies. 
• Veggie Soup. (All the veggies that were left). I add tomatoes, broth, and seasonings. I love to make a crusty bread to serve this with. It doesn't feel like it was what was left over :) 

I love knowing that I have dinner ready to throw in the crock pot for those busy days, and being able to control what goes in each meal.

You can follow me on Pinterest to see what recipes I've filed away for future Menu Mondays!