chalky

Sunday, March 13, 2016

Meal Plan week of 3/14/16

Hi friends!
We are back from a fun weekend at my brother-in-law's family's ranch in central Texas.  It was a great trip - lots of relaxing and non-electronic entertainment.  Ruby and Holden loved the extra attention and seeing all the animals. :)  We are tired but refreshed!

Here's what's on the menu this week - it's another short week for us because we are headed to Beaver's Bend, Oklahoma with our small group from church!  We are "camping" and so excited!

Monday: Broccoli Chicken Casserole
My favorite from growing up - I always asked for this for my birthday dinner!  It's basically Poppyseed Chicken with a layer of broccoli on the bottom. Every time I make it, I have to text my mom for the recipe.  I should really write it down...

Tuesday: Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala
We have a playdate scheduled for this day, and that usually takes the wind right out of my sails (in a good way!) so I'm planning a crock pot meal!  I'll love coming home and having naptime to regroup so I'm a nice mommy instead of a grouch scrambling to get dinner ready.

Wednesday: leftovers (or pizza!)
We're going camping on Thursday and my packing list is a mile long.  I'll take the night off from cooking and we can eat what we have or order pizza if there isn't enough.  That way I'll be able to get a head start on loading up the car with all the odds and ends that traveling with a 2 year old and an infant require!

Thursday: Planning on Pioneer Woman's 7 can soup when we get to our "campgrounds"

I'm also making this Lucky Shamrock mix in honor of St. Patrick's Day on Thursday!  We'll be driving, but it looks like a fun roadtrip snack.

Hoping to make my favorite orange chocolate chip muffins and cookies to take with us, time permitting!  Have a great week - what's for dinner at your house?

Saturday, March 5, 2016

Meal Plan week of 3/7/16

Have you ever seen the show Cutthroat Kitchen on Food Network?  Basically the chefs have to complete their meal while being sabotaged by some other chef in the kitchen.  Some days, that's what I feel like while I'm trying to make dinner - Ruby is taking everything out of every cabinet, I'm tripping over it all, Charlie is licking the floor (he loves nonstick spray?? Whenever I spray it he completely licks the whole floor hoping for a taste- weird), and poor Holden is crying because he hates to be put down.  Whew.  It can get overwhelming quickly!

Having our dinner planned in advance and (hopefully) prepped during naptime takes a little of the stress off of me.  I'm still SO RELIEVED when Lane walks through the door and there is another set of hands there to help! Woohoo for Daddy!

This is a short week this week, because we are headed to my brother-in-law's family's ranch for a long weekend with them and my parents!  I'm going to try to make some special things to take with us, but I won't have regular dinners planned for Thursday - Sunday.

Monday: Santa Fe Chicken and Rice
This is a staple recipe for me.  I can have all the ingredients in the pantry/freezer, and don't have to make a special trip for any special ingredients! I like to always have something on hand so I'm not playing Chopped in my kitchen when it's dinner time.  Although that could be a fun challenge, if 5pm wasn't the worst time of day for a toddler and infant.

Tuesday: Bang Bang Chicken
This is one of our favorites!  It is pretty quick if you do the prep work and make the rice during naptime (I do).

Wednesday: Grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup
Nothing fancy! We will be packing up and cleaning up to get ready to be out of town, so I'll be putting my energy into that instead of dinner.

Here's what I'm hoping to make in advance to take with us:
Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Rolls
Mint Chocolate cookies (my sister is pregnant and I think she'll love these!)
Caramel Praline Sheet Cake because I want to try it but will need to share it!

That's it for this week! I'm finalizing my cart online and picking up the groceries tomorrow.  Hooray for vacation and a short week.