Week 37 Menu (December 27-January 2)

There won't be as many meals on this week's menu as we had some switcheroos from last week and we will were/will be going to a few places during this week.

• Chicken Tenders, mashed potatoes, and a side salad
• Venison Steak in the Crock pot, Baked Sweet Potatoes, and a Veggie
• Homemade Pizza - Chicken BBQ
• Peppery Beef Sandwiches (used the leftover venison steaks)

Sickies

Well, this week has been off to a rough start. I was pretty tuckered out from the weekend and we had some good friends over Sunday afternoon, so I visited and took a nap instead of cleaning, cooking, Christmas baking, etc. But I woke up feeling pretty good about my day, then it all started. Our almost-3-yr-old son, R, threw up 3 times, and our 19 month old daughter, E, had diarrhea. I know, such pleasant topics to bring up on a food blog;) Anyway, it was a good thing that pancakes and eggs were on the menu! It made for a quick and fairly neutral meal. Kiddos have been doing better since naptime, here's hoping tomorrow finds us all healthy and me getting a lot done!!

Week 36 Menu (December 20-26)

I am really looking forward to this week. Not only is it Christmas, but it will be the first week of break for the hubby (after his last final on Monday)!! It will be a busy week at our house - starting the remodeling process on our living/dining room (widening a doorway, replacing the old shag carpet with hardwood laminate, removing paneling, and painting, finishing up Christmas gifts, and then celebrating 3 Christmases (hubby's family on Christmas Eve, just the 5 of us on Christmas day, and then off to my family's the day after Christmas).

• Chicken Parmesan over Fettuccine with Baked Sweet Potatoes
• Homemade Pizza - sausage, mushroom, and black olive
• Pancakes & Scrambled Eggs
• Chicken Alfredo with French Bread and California Medley Veggies
• Black Pepper-Pomegranate Molasses Glazed Turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and corn
  

Kidercise (Exercising with your Munchkins)

Finding time to exercise as a mom of 3 under 3, seamstress, insurance agent, and wife can be tough. Getting your kiddos to take their naps and go to bed at night can also be difficult. Trying to get time outdoors with 3 little ones can be difficult when a) they have colds, b)the temps are 20 degrees or below, or c)there is over a foot of snow on the ground. With this in mind, I have started doing 15-30 minutes of "kidercise" a day. I try to plan it either an hour before or an hour after lunch.

Kidercise: the use of your kid(s) as weight and/or exercising alongside your child(ren)

Here are a few "kidercises" that I/we do:

1. walk/jog around the house (going in and out of different rooms, around or under stationary objects i.e. tables, sometimes we do this by playing follow the leader)
2. lifting the kiddos instead of weights (arms, legs, etc.)
3. stretching alongside the munchkins (mine just love reaching toward the ceiling or floor, and touching toes while sitting on the floor)
4. leg lifts (we all lay on the floor and do them, my two preschools have fun saying "up" and "down" and my baby thinks that it is funny to watch)

Christmas Party Menu (December 19)

We are hosting the Christmas Party for the college/career's group at our church on Saturday, and decided to do a really nice sit-down dinner. Our college/career's group has been such a blessing and asset to our church that we wanted to do something extraordinary to thank them. One note, I am listing the appetizers and beverages that I would have used for the party, but we are having those who are coming bring either a beverage or an appetizer.

Salad

1. Green Salad
2. Fruit Salad

Main Entrée

1. Sweet & Spicy Roast Pork Loin
2. Beef Tenderloin with Parmesan Ranch Cream Sauce
3. Chicken Parmesan

Veggies and Sides

1. Roast Baby Reds or Fettuccine
2. Corn or California Medley
3. French Bread

Desserts

1. Cheesecake with choice of caramel, cherry, or blueberry topping
2. Brownie "Snowmen" Sandwiches with fudge sauce

Beverages

1. Cranberry Punch
2. Coffee
3. Milk
4. Ice Water

Appetizers

1. Mini Quiche (Ham & Mushroom or Spinach)
2. Relish Tray with Ranch Dip

(This is still a bit tentative as I have not finalized it with the hubby yet.)

Cranberry Punch

6 cups fresh or frozen cranberries (roughly 2 pounds)
6 quarts (24 cups) water
9 whole cloves
¾ cup Red Hot candies
1 ½ cups orange juice
6 tablespoons lemon juice
2 cups sugar

1. In a large kettle, combine cranberries and 9 cups water. Bring to a boil; simmer 5 minutes until skins pop. Remove from heat, cool slightly, and strain cooked juice through a fine sieve or cheese cloth, squeezing gently.
2. To strained juice, add remaining water, sugar, red hot candies, and cloves. Bring to boil (long enough to melt candies). Add orange and lemon juices.
3. Serve piping hot or chilled.

Ice Cream Sandwich (with Brownies)

I am always looking for new twists on old favorites. I'm a big fan of ice cream sandwiches, cakes, etc. and the other day (while browsing through one of my Taste of Home cookbooks) I saw a recipe for ice cream sandwiches that used brownies instead of cookies. I am determined to try this, maybe even for our Christmas party this year. Here are some links to the different sandwich creations that were listed:

• Brownie Recipe for the Sandwiches
• Candy Bar Ice Cream Sandwiches
• Banana Split Ice Cream Sandwiches
• Double Peanut Butter Ice Cream Sandwiches
• S-more Ice Cream Sandwiches
• Caramel Coffee Ice Cream Sandwiches
• Raspberry Orange Ice Cream Sandwiches

Some of the recipes call for using Magic Shell, which you can make very easily.

Week 35 Menu (December 13-19)

I have a lot of Christmas sewing to do yet, as well as two Christmas parties this weekend. So I am trying to stick with quick and easy recipes that I can use for leftovers.

• Rotisserie Chicken, Broccoli, and Onion Rice (I do add some minced garlic to the onions, some herbs to the broth - parsley, basil, pinch of salt - and 1 Tbsp butter)
• White Chicken Chili with fresh bread.
• Fiesta Chicken Casserole
• Peppery Beef Sandwiches, this is one of my new favorite crockpot recipes. It has lots of flavor. I am going to do one substitution, I'm going to use venison roast instead of a chuck roast.
• Roast Pork Loin, mashed potatoes, and corn
• The first Christmas party we just have to bring a gift.
• The second Christmas party we are hosting and I am still working on the menu. I have the desserts figured out, but with only one oven/stove top it's been a little difficult coming up with the main dishes and sides.

Week 33 & 34 Menus (November 29-December 12)

I have been working at potty training my almost 3 year old son very diligently over the last few weeks and last week did not go so well, which is why I didn't get a menu posted. I'm including it below just for reference purposes.

Week 33

• Steak Quesadillas (leftover steak, green peppers, and onions sliced thin+ 1 packet Fajita seasoning + 1/4 c. water + 16 oz. pre-shredded 4 Cheese Mexican blend +16 burrito-size tortillas) with sour cream and salsa
• Pizza
• Parmesan Ranch Baked Chicken with a Parmesan Ranch Sauce, Baked Sweet Potatoes, Broccoli, and Crescent Rolls
• Roast Pork Loin, mashed potatoes, and corn.
• Homemade 5 Cheese Mac'n'Cheese and hot dogs
• Spaghetti and French Bread

Week 34

• Easy Slow Cooker Ham, Cheesy Garlic Herb Mashed Potatoes, Stuffing, and Corn (also, we had Baby Dedication at our church for #3 and I was asked to make an appetizer or sandwiches, I chose the appetizer and made mini quiches)
• Au Gratin Potatoes - the hubby made a twist
• Breakfast Pizza
• Ham Broccoli Braid (I am reading through the reviews and making a few changes based on them.)
• Hamburger Helper (I know, I know, me using a box mix, unheard of! but we were snowed in, 12"-14" of snow, and had temps as low as 10 degrees, which means that I did not get my weekly grocery shopping done and had to use what I had in my house. I had gotten the Hamburger Helper for $ .50 a box shortly before #3 was born so I would have some easy stuff to make while learning how to coordinate 2 toddlers and a newborn.)
• Still working on the rest of the menu...

Pizza Dough

Here is my recipe for homemade pizza dough, it is one that I found and then made changes to:

3 cups AP flour

1 1/4 cups warm water

1 package active yeast (or 2 1/4 teaspoons)

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons oil

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a 2 cup measuring cup, combine water and yeast. Let rest 10 minutes.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt. Add yeast/water mix and oil. Stir until combined, then knead till an elastic ball forms. Spray your work bowl with a bit of non-stick, roll the dough around in the bowl till coated, then let it rest for 10 minutes (during this time I work on my toppings).
4. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 16" circle. Top with sauce, cheese, and desired toppings. Bake for 25-30 minutes in preheated oven.

Makes 1 - 16" hand-tossed crust cut into 16 slices/squares (68 calories per slice of just dough) or 2 - 14" thin crusts 12 slices/squares (45 calorie's per slice of just dough).