Menu: July 30-September 2

It's been just another crazy week, especially for not having anything really on the calendar. I guess better late than never. :o)
Here I go, another attempt at a monthly menu. I'm trying to save as much moola this month as possible since we will be remodeling our bathroom, which I'm very excited about. I'm trying to plan simple, healthy, and inexpensive meals so this should be interesting... I'm going to be following a new format this time around, each week will feature different types of food i.e. Tex-Mex, Salad (lettuce or pasta), "Italian", Comfort Food, and Soup or Sandwich. We usually have one leftovers night and one out-to-eat night.

July 30-August 5

• Tex-Mex - Tacos with black beans and rice
• Salad - Grilled chicken salad bar and fruit salad
• Out-to-Eat Night
• Soup or Sandwich - Ham and cheese wraps with fruit salad and chips
• "Comfort food" - Pizza, side salad, fresh fruit and carrot sticks (we had bbq chicken stuffed crust and philly cheesesteak stuffed crust pizzas)
• "Italian" - Tortellini with pesto, chicken, and veggies
• Leftovers

August 6-12

• "Italian" - Bowties with creamy pesto and chicken, carrots, green beans, and french bread 
• Soup or Sandwich - Sloppy Joes, potato wedges, and fresh fruit (got to get as much in while it's in season) 
• Tex-Mex - Beef and bean chimichangas (we top our chimis with shredded lettuce and all the usual taco ingredients - guacamole, olives, salsa, sour cream, etc.)
• Salad - Taco Salad with homemade taco bowls
• Out-to-Eat Night - planning a double date with some friends
• "Comfort food" - Red beans and rice
• Leftovers

August 13-19

• "Comfort food" - Crockpot Italian Chicken, side salad, and fresh bread
• Salad - Grilled chicken salad bar and fruit salad
• Tex-Mex - Tacos
• Out-to-Eat Night
• Soup or Sandwich - Sub sandwiches and fresh fruit
• We've got a family reunion today, which should be lots of fun.
• "Italian" - Spaghetti, side salad, mixed veggies, and French bread

August 20-26

• Leftovers - We have a calendar planning meeting at church.
• "Italian" - Homemade Pizza
• Tex-Mex - Chicken Fajitas and Mexican rice
• Salad - Taco Salad
• "Comfort food" - Steak, baked sweet and regular potatoes, grilled veggies, and rolls
• Out-to-Eat Night - We've got a college/careers' activity.
• Soup or Sandwich - Pulled pork and slaw

August 27-September 2

• Tex-Mex - Cowboy Skillet (at the request of Jared)
• "Comfort food" - Chicken pot pie (making up a double batch and then freezing one pie for next month)
• Soup or Sandwich - Chicken enchilada soup
• Out-to-Eat Night - I'll be heading to a birthday party with the kids while Jared is at the wedding rehearsal.
• Leftovers  - We have a wedding tonight and Jared is officiating so the kiddos will  most likely be having leftovers with the sitter.
• Salad - Simple Italian Pasta Salad (rotini, grilled chicken, olives, cherry tomatoes, peppers, onions, homemade garlic herb dressing, etc.)
• "Italian" - Calzones and a side salad

Your turn: Do you have a usual pattern for you weekly/monthly menus?
As of late, I have had quite a bit of "menu" writer's block. Let me know if you have any recipes that might help. :o)

Temperance: Eating for Weight Control (Updated 8/2/12)

Update (8/2/12): On July 28, I ran my first 5k. I finished in 35:18 and really enjoyed doing it. Jared ran with me and only beat me by 1 second. I felt really good afterward like I could run another mile or two, which was very exciting for me considering the first time I ran for 3.1 miles I thought that I was going to die!

Unfortunately, my weight is up a bit (201.8) but I have been far busier than I should be over the last few weeks. I need to slow down some and focus more on doing what needs to be done.

Here are some pictures from our 5k.

Before the race

about 15 minutes after the race

I look just a bit different than I did at my heaviest.

Update from 7/6/12

Original Post 7/22/11

Menu: July 23-29

So, we've been experiencing internet issues ever since getting back from vacation, which is why this post is  so incredibly late. We had a service tech out this afternoon and he got things back up and running. :o)
Just a heads up, I am going to attempt a month of menus for August, but in the mean time here is this week's menu.

• Grilled chicken salad bar and fresh bread (Jared's request)
• Pretzel-coated walleye, roasted baby red potatoes, mixed veggies, garlic herb parmesan French bread, and dark chocolate cream cheese brownies - we had my FIL over for a birthday dinner.
• Spaghetti, mixed veggies, side salad, and fresh bread (Miss E's request was for "you know, the noodles that you swirl around your fork")
• Grilled ham and cheese sandwiches, and tomato soup (Mr. R's request)
• Tacos (pretty much everyone's favorite)

Honey Oat Bread

We love breads! I'm sure this comes as no surprise considering that there is some form of bread on the  menu at least once or twice a week. So I've been experimenting on different kinds of yeast breads over the last couple of months and this is one of my favorites.

• 2 cups warm water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 tablespoon instant yeast
• 1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 4 cups all purpose flour

Directions
This is where I deviate from most bread recipes. With there being a time factor in my house, I use my bread machine to do all the mixing and the first rising. So...

1. In the bottom of your bread pan, combine water, oil, honey, and yeast. Top with flour and oat, then add salt. Set your bread machine for dough and press 'Start'.
2. Allow the dough to go through the first rise and deflate cycle. Then empty dough out onto a floured surface, knead, and divide into two equal pieces forming into loaves.
3. Place the loaves into two lightly greased 9x5 inch loaf pans. Cover the loaves with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes. 
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bake in preheated oven for 30-40 minutes, or until bottoms of the loaves sound hollow when tapped. Remove from pans, brush with butter or coconut oil, and allow to cool on a wire rack.

Menu: July 2-15

My littlest, Miss S, turns the big "1" today, but we aren't celebrating till Tuesday. It's also America's birthday so we will be celebrating 2 days in a row. :o) I've decided to do a 2-week menu as things are going to be a bit hectic with several fittings and 3 wedding pickups in these next 2 weeks.

Week 1 (July 2-8)

• Penne rosa with chicken sausage, baby carrots, side salad, and dinner rolls
• Grilled cheese sandwiches with variety of "extras" (pepperoni, ham, bacon, tomato slices, etc.), potato wedges, baked sweet potatoes, fruit & jello salad, and birthday cake ala mode
• Independence Day - Burgers, fruit salad, and corn on the cob
• Layered Torellini Pesto Chicken Salad
• Subs and fresh fruit

Week 1 (July 9-15) - only 4 meals this week as it's just me and the kids most of the week so we'll be doing leftovers more often.

• Pasta Primavera, side salad, and French bread 
• Grilled chicken bruschetta over pasta with steamed broccoli
• Pepperoni pizza rolls, salad, and fresh fruit
• Spiedini Hoagies with Caprese Relish (this is at the request of Jared), veggie tray, and  squash chips

I won't be planning a menu next week as I will be taking a menu-planning vacation to spend some time with my family, which is much needed after the craziness of the last few weeks. For some ideas, you can always check out the master list. 

Your turn: What are some quick, simple summer recipes that your family enjoys during these hot summer days?

Menu: June 25-July 1

I've decided that life is just gonna be busy for a little while (at least till wedding season is over). Thus meals need to be simple, which Jared prefers.

• Tacos with black beans and rice
• Forgotten Chicken and mixed veggies
• Freezer ham sammies, fresh fruit, and veggie tray
• Italian Chicken (this is a crockpot meal - chicken breasts, potatoes, and carrots all cooked together)
• Grilled Chicken Pizza with pesto sauce and a side salad - We're canoeing with our college/careers group today so I wanted something simple that can be prepped ahead of time.

I'm working on a 2 week menu for July 2-15 as I have 3 weddings going out during that time. I will try to get it posted in the next couple of days. 

I've started updating the master list if you need some more ideas for your menu.

Your turn: What are some simple summer "go-to" recipes that your family enjoys?

Dinner at 8pm (June)

I happened to see this idea on a blog a few months ago (here's the original idea) and decided to try it. I knew Jared and I really needed a "date" Thursday night but had no luck finding sitter on the spur of the moment so I decided to try it. I will admit that it was a bit of a struggle trying to get me kids to go to bed early but I think better planning on my part would have helped with that. It ended up being a really nice evening for us to sit and an enjoy an elegant dinner and a movie.



Here is what we had for dinner (I did make a changes to all of the recipes and I'm hoping to get them posted on here soon but the original links will have to suffice for now):

Candlelight provided by some tapered candles, coffee beans, and champagne flutes.

Appetizer - Honey Oat Bread with black pepper & herb olive oil for dipping

Main entree - Sweet'n'Spicy Garlic Chicken

Vegetables - Braised Zucchini with Red Pepper and Onion, and Steamed broccoli and cauliflower

Dessert - Salted Caramel Chocolate Cake and coffee (I baked my cakes in the oven instead of the microwave)

Monster Spinach Smoothie

I discovered a delicious smoothie recipe. It's only 342 calories for roughly 26oz. It is really good after a morning run and loaded with nutrients. :o)

Monster Purple Spinach Smoothie

• 1 handful Baby Spinach (about 1 cup) 
• 1/2 cup Crushed Pineapple or Chunks 
• 1 medium banana (7"-8") 
• 1/2 cup lowfat yogurt (I used lowfat vanilla but am going to try Greek when I can get it on sale) 
• 1/2 cup water 
• 1/2 cup strawberries, halved 
• 1/2 cup fresh blueberries 

Puree in a blend and enjoy!

I found the original recipe Pinterest (shown below). It didn't call for the berries but I add them because they're in season and supposed to be a great boost for runners. 

Green Spinach Smoothie

• 2 handful Baby Spinach (about 2 cup) 
• 1 cup Crushed Pineapple or Chunks 
• 2 medium bananas (7"-8") 
• 1 cup lowfat yogurt 
• 1 cup water 

Menu: June 18-24

Things are finally just a bit slower. No weddings going out, no catering, just a couple of fittings and generally "wife & mother" stuff. I am looking forward to it and hoping to get some sewing (for myself and the kids) finished. Being Sundays are busy, we are doing Father's Day grilling tonight.

• Steaks and hot dogs, grilled potatoes, grilled veggies, a salad and some dinner rolls
• Red beans & rice
• Homemade Mac'n'Cheese and steamed veggies
• Fajitas, black beans and brown rice, and fruit salad
• Pierogies Marinara and steamed California medley veggies (yes, I got the pierogies for super cheap using coupons)

Btw, I did finish a t-shirt upcycle sewing project for myself on Saturday. I plan to post pictures and a tutorial as soon as I get a chance.

Temperance: Eating for Weight Control (Updated 7/6/12)

Update (7/6/12):

I really struggled the 3rd week in June and was back up to 202.1, but I have not gone over 205 for a full 3 weeks so I think it is safe to say that I am below that mark. I have been a lot better about getting my exercise in and staying under my daily calorie goal over the last week and a half or so. I weighed myself this morning and am at 200.0 lbs even. I am so close to being out of the 200's... I NEED to stay focused and be more disciplined... Only another 40 pounds or so to go till my goal weight and 9 months to lose it.

Update (6/15/12):

Today I had "sticker shock" of sorts. I weighed myself (as I do most mornings) and had to weigh myself 5 more times AND have Jared look at the scale. I was in complete disbelief, it said "201.3"! I would have jumped and shouted but the kids were still sleeping. I am down a total of 50.9 lbs and only about a pound and a half away from weighing less than 200 (I weight that I have not seen since May of 2003). I am finally wearing a Misses 18 (from a 24W). In fact, I tried on a dress that I designed while in college and it was actually a bit big on me. Here's a picture of me wearing the dress originally and then again a couple of weeks ago.