Menu Plan Monday

The Oriental Chicken Wraps were good, but I have to say the sauce was very strong. With the teriyaki seasoned chicken it was too much. In the future I might try them again with a lighter teriyaki sauce. I loved the crunch of the noodles with the oranges though. Yumm!

Monday:
Dinner - Hot Dogs

Tuesday:
Breakfast - Cheese Toast
Lunch - Subway
Dinner - Enchiladas - recipe on sidebar

Wednesday:
Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - Spinach Wraps
Dinner - Pizza

Thursday:
Breakfast - Oatmeal
Lunch - Subway
Dinner - Pre-seasoned chicken with red potatoes and sugar snap peas

Friday:
Breakfast - Eggs and toast
Lunch - Tuna
Dinner - Out to Eat - we will be going to Fossil Rim

Saturday:
Breakfast - Biscuits
Lunch - BLTs
Dinner - Leftovers

Sunday:
Breakfast - Bacon and eggs
Lunch - Grilled Cheese
Dinner - Spaghetti

Menu Plan Monday

Last week was not one of my best. I forgot to put the meat in the crock pot for the beef sandwiches, I didn't make the the chicken for the 3rd week in row. Ugh! BUT, I did make the most delicious meatloaf. Yummy! We even had it for leftovers the next night. I have to share the recipe. I got it from my ex-step-mother-in-law. Got that? She is a wonderful cook. She had her family's recipe and she tweaked it to become her "Nowdays Meatloaf". I usually don't follow the recipe exactly. This time I did with only a few additions ( my additions are blue ).

Here is my Meatloaf Nowdays Recipe:

1 lb ground beef
1/2 can of tomato sauce (about 7 oz)
3/4 cup uncooked oats or 3/4 stack of crumbled saltines (I used oats this time)
1 egg
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1 T beef bullion
2 or 3 T Worcestershire sauce
2 or 3 T liquid smoke
1/2 cup sweet potato puree
1/2 cup butternut squash puree
1 T wheat germ
2 T flaxseed meal

Mix everything in a bowl with your hands. Press into a greased loaf pan or round pan.
Top with a mixture of:
1 cup ketchup
rest of tomato sauce
1/2 cup of brown sugar
2 T liquid smoke

Bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour Oh so yummy

Monday:
Breakfast - Cheese toast and smoothies
Lunch - Spinach wrap with tomato
Dinner - Barbecue Sandwiches (the meat is already in the crockpot, dang it!!)

Tuesday:
Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - Subway
Dinner - Lasagna

Wednesday:
Breakfast - Oatmeal
Lunch - Tuna Sandwich
Dinner - Pizza and salad

Thursday:
Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - Subway
Dinner - Oriental Chicken Wraps

Friday:
Breakfast - Cheese Toast
Lunch - Spinach Salad
Dinner - Take Out

Saturday:
Breakfast - Cinnamon Rolls
Lunch - BLTs
Dinner - Something without cheese since we are having our friends over who gave up cheese for Lent. :-0 !!

Sunday:
Breakfast - Bacon and eggs
Lunch - Rotisserie Chicken with pasta salad
Dinner - Leftover Buffet

Menu Plan Monday

The spaghetti pie from last week was interesting. It turned out to be regular old spaghetti being scooped out of a pie plate. It was good but not the crusty pie I expected. I might have to try it again another time. And I still didn't get to the teriyaki chicken. ::sigh::

Monday:

Breakfast - Cheese Toast - the girls love this
Lunch - Spinach wrap with tomatoes and chicken
Dinner - Italian Chicken, pasta, mixed veggies (Thank you Gary!)

Tuesday:
Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - Subway - I am totally mad that our Subway no longer carries spinach. Grrr!!
Dinner - Meatloaf , mashed potatoes, a veggie

Wednesday:
Breakfast - Banana Smoothie
Lunch - Tuna with crackers
Dinner - pizza, salad

Thursday:
Breakfast - Oatmeal
Lunch - Subway
Dinner - Barbecue Beef Sandwiches (my new one this week)
You just throw a chuck roast in the crockpot in the morning with a jar a barbecue sauce and let it cook all day. Then pull it apart with a fork for shredded beef.

Friday:
Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - Lean Cuisine
Dinner - Teriyaki Chicken - third times a charm, right??

Saturday:
Breakfast - Cinnamon Rolls
Lunch - Grilled Cheese sandwiches
Dinner - Eat out??

Sunday:
Breakfast - Omelet
Lunch - Nachos
Dinner - Leftover Buffet

Menu Plan Monday

Happy Monday everyone! As you can see I did figure out how to add a email subscription option right over there on my sidebar.

On to our menu - My new recipe did not work out last week. I did not have soy sauce when I went to make it. We always have this so I did not even think to look to see if we had enough. Blah! So I will try again this week.

Monday:
Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - Sandwich with spinach and tomato
Dinner - Spaghetti Pie - this is my new one for this week. I got it from The Deceptively Delicious cookbook.

* 3 oz whole wheat spaghetti or 1 cup leftover pasta
* 1/2 pound ground turkey
* 1/2 broccoli puree
* 1/2 cup spinach puree - this I added
* 2 tbsp grated Parmesan Cheese
* 1 egg white
* 2 cloves chopped garlic
* 2 cups bottled tomato sauce
* 1 cup of lowfat Cottage Cheese
* 1/4 cup carrot puree
* 1/2 tsp salt
*1/4 tsp pepper
* 1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Coat a 9 inch pie plate with non stick spray
Cook pasta according to directions cook till al dente
In a small bowl mix the ground turkey with broccoli , carrot and spinach purees, egg white,
Parmesan and garlic. Mix well and form into 1/2 inch balls.
In a large bowl, stir the cooked pasta, tomato sauce, cottage cheese, carrot puree, salt and pepper. Spoon the mixture into the pie plate. smooth top and scatter meatballs on top and sprinkle with mozzarella. Bake uncovered until the center is firm and the cheese is bubbly 25-30 minutes.

Tuesday:
Breakfast - Banana Smoothie
Lunch - Subway
Dinner - Teriyaki Chicken from last week

Wednesday:
Breakfast - Oatmeal
Lunch - Spinach salad
Dinner - Mexican Casserole

Thursday:
Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - Subway
Dinner - Roast with potatoes, carrots, and onions

Friday:
Breakfast - Oatmeal
Lunch - spinach and chicken wrap
Dinner - Frito Pie

Saturday:
Breakfast - Toast with eggs

Lunch - We are going to a b-day party where lunch will be served.
Dinner - We may attempt to eat out with the girls after the party.

Sunday:
Breakfast - Smoothies
Lunch and Dinner - Leftovers

Think Thin Thursday

I was going to put this up after I got my comments on my last post yesterday, but I only got 2. I am trying not to take it personally since you readers may just not be up for homemade gift making right now. No worries. I love the idea of something my hands have created going out to someone I care about. And 1 of my comments is from my friend right down the road! Hmmm...should you be scared Sarah? Yes, very :-)

So my goal was to lose 1 pound and (drum roll please...) I DID!! Which means I am the least amount of weight I have been since before I got pregnant!! Yay!! So happy!!

Weight lost so far: 7 pounds
Weight to lose to get to my goal: 13 pounds

I think I am finally in my groove. I am really watching what I eat and eating more fruit and veggies and drinking water. I put spinach on my sandwiches instead of lettuce. I have all spinach salads with tons of veggies and very little dressing.

Goal for next week: 2 pounds lost

I will be talking to those of you who wanted to do a weight loss blog.


P.S. Hopefully I will have time to post a brag about Friday post today :-)

Menu Plan Monday

Yeah, no menu last week but I had a chance to catch up on the recipes I missed. The Mushroom Chicken was good, but Zachary did not like it. ::sigh:: The problem is finding recipes that are tasty enough for us without having too much "spice" for Zachary. The Calzones were also great. We will def be having them again. I have got to go back through my posts and compile a list of favs. We keep finding recipes we like, but I have forgotten them.

Tuesday:
Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - Subway
Dinner - Sausage with mac and cheese and snow peas

Wednesday:
Breakfast - Smoothie
Lunch - Chicken Breast with salad
Dinner - Pizza

Thursday:
Breakfast - Bagel with peanut butter
Lunch - Subway
Dinner - Baked Teriyaki Chicken - my new one this week

Friday:

Breakfast - Oatmeal
Lunch - Tuna with whole grain crackers
Dinner - Spaghetti (Zach's fav)

Saturday:
Breakfast: Cherry Smoothies
Lunch: Heart shaped Sandwiches for v-day
Dinner: Leftovers from the week

Sunday:
Visiting day! We will spend the day with family so who knows what is on the menu.

I am trying to find how I can put an option on my sidebar for you to be able to subscribe to my new posts through your email. Anyone know how I can do this????

Think Thin Thursday,er Friday

I have so so many posts to catch up on. I have been in a slight bloggy funkaty, funk, funk, funk. But hopefully I am better.

I did not think I did well this week. I stayed away from cokes, but not sugar, so I did not lose any weight this week. I didn't gain any either so that is great. I also stayed away from the Wii which means I did not meet my goal. Oops.

Next week's goal: lose at least 1 pound.

Stay tuned for a huge update on the girls and some other posts as well.

Think Thin Thursday

I bet you thought I was hiding because I didn't do well this week. Well that is just wrong!! I did my body test every day this week and I watched my weight go up and down every day, but I was losing a little every time I went down.

I lost...drumroll please.....3 pounds!!!! I am so excited!! I am now at the weight I was before the holidays. If I lose 1 more pound then I will be the lowest I have been since before I got pregnant. ::Squeal!!::

Progress: -4 pounds
Pounds to go??: 14 for my short term goal.

Let me tell you what has helped this week:

1) Staying aware of my weight on a daily basis.
2) Cutting out Soft Drinks (sniff sniff).
3) Cutting down on the sugar in my coffee.
4) I planned out my lunches for the week. I am super aware of what I am eating every day.
5) I cooked a whole bunch of chicken breasts in Lite Italian Dressing and froze them. I can now grab one and have it in a salad, a wrap, on a sandwich, or by itself.
6) I like Ranch Dressing on everything; pizza, salad, wraps, hot pockets, sandwiches, mashed potatoes, you name it, I probably have put Ranch on it. So instead of dipping or drenching I use this:



Care to read that label? That is 15 calories for 10 sprays which is plenty to flavor a chicken wrap, a salad, a slice of pizza, anything I care to have it on. I really think that this one of my biggest pluses (or minus as the scale says, Haa Ha Hee Heh) for the week.

My goal this week is to do 15 minutes on the Wii Fit every day. I hula hooped a few times but I need to be more dedictaed on a daily basis.

Until next time, my friends.

Menu Plan Monday

Happy Monday everyone!!

The breakfast casserole was super tasty. I forgot to ask what they thought of it to "quote" them but I remember us all saying we liked it. I put salsa on mine, but they thought that was gross. Anyone else put salsa on their eggs or omelets or is that just me being weird??

As you can see below I am adding breakfast and lunch to my menu. I am really bad about eating lunch during the day. Then I am starving and just grabbing anything that is quick, and usually not healthy. Since I lost a whole huge pound last week, I am inspired to do better. I even got a Diet Pepsi today!! Huge for me. I am also adding the weekends. We sometimes are at a loss in the weekends because it is not "planned".

So here we go

Monday:
Breakfast: Cereal
Lunch: Pizza - with spinach salad
Dinner: Calzones - my new recipe to try for the week. I am going to try and sneak some spinach or sweet potato puree in the sauce. Shhh!!

Tuesday:
Breakfast: Oatmeal - Steel cut boiled in apple juice - Yummy!
Lunch: Chicken wrap with tomatoes
Dinner: Chicken and Rice with Mushrooms

Wednesday:
Breakfast: Breakfast Smoothie
Lunch: Tuna - I use a little mayo, grated green apple, dill, and Salad Supreme Seasonings.
Dinner: Tacos - I will sneak in another veggie in the taco meat here.

Thursday:
Breakfast: Yogurt and Granola
Lunch: Subway - turkey on wheat with veggies
Dinner: Taco Soup

Friday:
Breakfast: Oatmeal
Lunch: Chicken Breast with veggies
Dinner: Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Saturday:
Breakfast: Eggs with toast
Lunch: Sandwiches
Dinner: Out (??)

Sunday:
Breakfast: Donuts (??)
Lunch: Sausage, potatoes, rolls, broccoli
Dinner: Leftovers from the week

Have a great week!!

Think Thin Thursday: updated

Goal met!! I lost a pound. How in the world I did that with the week I had, I have no clue. I am not watching what I eat or how much and I am not exercising. Yeah, so I think my body is just desperate to give me something to look forward to. Aww, thanks.

Progress: -1 pound

Goal for the week: To take the Body Test every day on the Wii.
There is just something about seeing my little Mii person balloon up on the scale that does tend to motivate me. See, it starts off all skinny and crap then the numbers shoot up and the Mii gets bigger and bigger. So much fun, people! Oh yeah and according to it, I am obese. OUCH!! Oh yeah, that stings. But as my friend Scott said I just had two babies, so I am cutting myself a little slack.

Also, I plan out our menu every week and we are pretty good about sticking to it. I am also going to start planning my breakfast and lunch on a daily basis. I am awful about remembering to eat a good lunch then I am starving by the afternoon and tend to snack while making dinner.

Some of you asked about the multiples weight loss blog. I was invited to it by another MOM and it has since gone private, BUT if I get enough responses here I will look into starting one with us. Wanna?? Just leave me a little comment and let me know :-)

Edited to Add: This blog would be for all moms not just moms of multiples :-)

On a side note -
To all my lurkers, thanks so much to those of you who came out last week. I enjoyed going and reading your blogs and "meeting" new moms.

Menu Plan Monday

Ok, we tried out two new recipes last week. 1st, the Bacon Cheeseburger Chicken. From this point on this dish will be known as Teriyaki Ranch Chicken because it in no way reminded any of us of a cheeseburger. I doubled the sauce and used more chicken because I had a feeling we would need the leftovers.
Me: OMG!! Run, do not walk, and get these ingredients today! This is what is for dinner, people! It was so so very good. Gary and I fought over the leftovers and I won this time. Hee hee!
Gary: "It was wonderful...I can't believe you ate my leftovers." (Hee hee) He liked it so much that we are having it again tonight. Yep, it is just that good.
Zachary: "It was pretty good" complete with head tilt and nodding.

2nd was the Chicken Packets I followed the recipe this first time, but I will add more chicken next time because it was a little too cream cheesy. Well, I take that back. I actually did not put chives in and put Ranch in instead for a little flavor.
Me: LOVED them. I had these leftovers too. Yummy yummy! We will def be having this one again.
Gary: "They were pretty good"
Zachary: "They were ok." (not as great a response with this one.)

So here is this week:
Monday: Teriyaki Ranch Chicken, pasta, and sugar snap peas
Tuesday: Breakfast for Dinner - My new recipe for the week - Breakfast Casserole
We didn't get to have it last Friday. I sent Gary out for Sonic because the girls were super fussy and I had had a long day.
Wednesday: Pizza and salad
Thursday: Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and mixed veggies
Friday: Barbeque chicken over baked potatoes

Have a great one! I have a video of Olivia saying Mama that I will try and upload later today.

Think Thin Thursday

I SO did not want to post this today since I have gained about 4 pounds over the holidays. But it could be worse right? And I have to keep this up! It is one of my resolutions.

A fresh start today. From here on out I will post how many pounds lost or gained. I have joined a Moms of Multiples weight loss blog. So I am really hoping that will help me stay accountable.

That's it. Wish me luck this week.

Update: Yeah, I forgot my goal for this next week: To lose 1 pound. That's it!! Just 1.

Menu Plan Monday

Last week went as follows:
Monday: Sandwiches
Tuesday: Spring Creek Barbeque
Wednesday: Outback Steakhouse
Thursday: Panda Express
Friday: Chicken Sandwiches
Saturday: Chicken Sandwiches and Babe's Restaurant
Sunday: Frito Pie

Needless to say the whole idea of trying out all those new recipes went right out the window. We haven't eaten out this much in a very long time. Outback was yum yum good! I had a fillet and it was just the best ever! We actually took the girls and sat down and ate with them, a first for us. Any previous meals out have been buffet or super quick like Pei-Wei. They did pretty good. The worst is when they are constantly trying to grab anything and everything off our plates. And every time we drink out of a glass they want to too. They can officially sit in their highchairs with those padded seat covers. So we have opened a whole new door. Fun fun!!

So here's this week
Monday: Bacon Cheese Burger Chicken - a new one and looks super yummy
Tuesday: Spaghetti or Ravioli
Wednesday: Roast with veggies
Thursday: Chicken Packets - also a new one and I can't wait to try it
Friday: Breakfast for Dinner - Omelets or sausage biscuits

A few of you asked for my Monkey Bread Recipe so here it is:

Monkey Bread
4 packages of refrigerated biscuit dough (12 oz. each) I used regular biscuits or crescent rolls
1.5 cups sugar
3 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup margarine or butter
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional - I didn't use them, but I will next time)
1/2 cup raisins (optional - I didn't use them)

Place sugar and cinnamon into a large ziploc bag and shake well to combine. Cut the biscuits into quarters and place several at a time into the bag. Shake to coat with the cinnamon sugar. Lay coated pieces into a Bundt pan, interspersing nuts and raisins amongst the pieces. Melt the butter and brown sugar in a small pan and let boil one minute. Pour over the biscuit dough. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before turning out onto a plate. Serve warm - just pull the bread apart with your fingers and enjoy!!

The thing I forgot when I practiced making it the first time was that it rises. So only fill the pan about half way full. I use two small Bundt pans, but you could get away with using a loaf pan I think.

Have a great Monday!

Menu Plan Monday

Ummm...seriously?? It is Monday again?? No way! I feel like I just posted a menu plan Monday and here it is again. This season feels like it is flying by.

An update on the girlies:
We took them back to the dr (there is now a 3 pound difference in their weights (!)

Abby had a nasty virus. She just felt miserable. She is not one who needs to be held, but oh she needed us all day on Thursday and most of the day Friday just to hold her and cuddle her. She is better now and hopefully will stay that way for awhile.

Olivia is now on her third antibiotic, fourth if you count the shot. And I don't really think she is getting better. She is super fussy all day long. It reminds me of when she was teething or had colic so I know she is not feeling good. She is not sleeping well at night and we have no idea why. Is she cold, hot, hungry, lonely, uncomfortable, exhausted, needing her pacifier, jerking herself awake????? We don't know. If she goes 2 hours, we are counting our blessings, but sometimes it is every half hour she is up and crying. And lately around 3:00 a.m. or so, I fall asleep with her in the recliner just because I am so flippin' tired by that time that I just flat fall asleep holding her and her bottle. She used to sleep pretty well with me holding her, but even during this several hours in the recliner she is waking up every half hour or so. Plus, when she wakes up, she is screaming mad. She used to wake up and fuss fuss fuss for a little bit and I would go in and take care of her and she would go right back to sleep. Now it is like she is pissed about something and often wakes Abby up who is sleeping through the night most nights with only one wake up around 3:00 or so. So we don't know why all of a sudden about 6 weeks ago she quit sleeping through the night. And since she is "my" twin to get up with in the middle of the night, I am back to being tired all the time. Not fun, people, not fun at all.

Zachary is doing great! No sickness at all, just a super loose front tooth he is bound to loose any day now.

So here we go: Ok, I thought I would start giving you an opinion from everyone about our new recipes that we tried out this week. You can find them here.

First up, the steak with mushrooms, baked potatoes, and sugar snap peas:
Me: I am so so proud of myself. I cooked this whole meal ALL BY MYSELF! I even bought fresh mushrooms and cooked them to go on the steak. Here is the recipe I found and tweaked:
1 can of beef broth
1 tablespoon of Teriyaki Sauce (I actually had to go get the bottle because I couldn't spell it and spell check couldn't either, Sheesh!)
simmer for 15 mins
Add a tablespoon of red wine and about 1 2/3 cups of mushrooms
simmer 15 more mins on medium
Oh so good for my first time, I must say.
Gary: Great, especially the mushrooms
Zachary: Very good especially with mom's special sauce, he is the only one who had this sauce I always keep on hand, my barbecue sauce I make from scratch...sorry, it is a secret family recipe.

Sherry Chicken:
Me: This has a very distinct flavor. I thought it was very unusual and super yummy.
Gary: Very good, but he would prefer to have it over noodles instead of rice.
Zachary: He didn't like it. It had too much seasoning on it. :-)

Frito Pie Casserole
Me: Gary and I were pretty skeptical when it came to the enchilada sauce, but we were determined to try it...until I realized that I bought medium spiciness and not regular or mild. So not going to work for my sweet not spicy boy. So I used maybe a fourth of a cup and then a package of Taco Seasonings for flavor. It was ok. I would rather just have frito pie and get it over with. I might make this again and play around with the meat spices a little or just plain make it with chili. I also used a ton of cheese and we liked that.
Zachary: He liked this ok, which I am super surprised. I thought it would be too spicy for him.
Gary: Leave out the enchilada sauce, even the little bit that was in there.

Tortillini
Me: Great meal
Gary: Really good
Zachary: The best meal ever!! Seriously he would have italian food every single night if I cooked it for him. He has always loved it and this will be a favorite I can tell.

This week: That's the end of the recipes I have to try from the recipes exchange. I would LOVE to hear about your favorite recipe. Leave it in the comments or blog about it and let me know so I can make it. I know you all have some old stand-bys that your family loves. Share them with us!

Monday: Lasagna - gotta give Zach his fix
Tuesday: Smoked Sausage with my barbecue sauce, mashed potatoes, and green beans
Wednesday (Christmas Eve): Everyone is bringing their "specialty" to share at Christmas this year with Gary's family. So I am bringing White Chili. You can find the original recipe here and my thoughts and revisions here. Gary is making his famous chili dip. I will post the recipe next week.
Thursday (Christmas): My family is having Mexican Food for Christmas. I will take the enchiladas I made a few weeks ago. If I can get my act together I will also make the chocolate balls and pecan bark I posted about here. No promises though.
Friday: Leftovers or grilled cheese sandwhiches (something easy as we are winding down from everything).

No grocery savings this week because I have to go tomorrow to buy everything to cook with. ::sigh:: Not fun- the stores will be packed with idiots like me who waited until the last minute. I really and truly plan on posting a few more posts this week but dang if I might get too busy. Hmmm...I wonder why? If I don't get around to it...

Merry Christmas - I am so so thankful for all of you who bless me with your time week after week. Love you!!

Sara

Menu Plan Monday

Can I just say that I so missed the menu plan last week? We ended up eating out several times because of the lack of planning on my part. I am going to really try not to let another week slide.

So I begin with my last menu that you can find here.
~The Cheesy Crockpot Chicken was super bland. So I added some Monterrey Chicken Spice and it was just the thing to make it edible jazz it up.
~The Mexican Casserole was Oh Mah Gaw good. We all loved it. I ended up doubling it for our family because when I made it it just didn't look like it was enough for us. When I doubled it I added a can of plain diced tomatoes instead of Rotel because I didn't want it to be too spicy for Zach. Gary and I were fighting over the leftovers the next day (he won).

This week:
Monday: Pizza
Tuesday: Steak and Baked Potatoes
Wednesday: Sherry Chicken
Another I got from that great recipe exchange. I am looking forward to trying this one.
Sherry Chicken
2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 small sour cream (8 oz)
1 cup cooking sherry
salt/pepper to taste
paprika to garnish

In a mixing bowl combine cream of mushroom soup, sour cream, & cooking sherry. Use a whisk to mix it quickly. Add a dash of salt and pepper to the mixture as you whisk it.
In a medium sized casserole dish, cover the chicken breasts with mixture. Sprinkle with paprika.
Depending on the thickness of the breasts, bake at 400-415 for one hour.
Serve over a bed of rice.

Thursday: Frito Pie Casserole
I know the crowd from Cleburne is watching for this one so here it is. I got this from my friend Nikki. It is a new one for us and I agreed to be the guinea pig.
Here is the recipe as given to me by her:
1 lb of browned & drained hamburger
1 can enchilada sauce
1 can drained kidney or red beans
1 can Ro-Tel
about 4 cups sharp cheddar or colby jack (your choice) grated cheese
1 big, normal size bag of regular size Fritos

Brown & drain hamburger. Mix beef, enchilada sauce, drained Ro-tel and drained beans together. In a greased (I have always sprayed my pans and dishes, even if it says not to, my mother and Meme have drilled it into my head to ALWAYS GREASE IT UP) casserole dish.....put a layer of fritos (1/2 the bag) in the bottom. Place beef mixture on top, then half of cheese, rest of fritos, then top with remaining cheese. 350 degrees for, I dunno, 20-25 minutes......everything is cooked, your just heating it all through.
*Personally, on recipes like this, I would chop an onion and cook it with my hamburger, for some added flavor. This is just one of those casseroles you can easily play with and season any way you want*
This shows a bit of her great personality. Hey, speaking of great personalities, you should totally start your own blog! You would be hilarious! And as long as you didn't share many stories (ahem...as in none!) about me as a child, I would be your biggest fan!
Moving on...
Friday: Tortellini with marinara sauce

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Grocery Savings

I got some good deals in the past few weeks and want to share.

At CVS I spent $71.64, saved $54.98 plus I got $25 in CVS cash I can spend next time. That, my friends, is a total savings of 111%. I got batteries, Triaminic, and Gain. Whoo-hoo!

And you could also follow along and save this kind of money! If you are in the Metroplex you can go to Groceries Dirt Cheap. If not, you can go to The Grocery Game. And no, I do not get anything for pointing you their way. Also, this blog, Mommy Making Money on I mentioned a few weeks ago turned me toward a coupon for a Star Wars Lightsaber on Coupons.com that Zach had been saving up for. What an amazing true-to-his-life lesson on coupons and saving money. We have recently worked out a deal for him to earn extra money around the house. He had about $7 left to save before he had enough for the toy. With this $5 coupon and his money from the tooth fairy, he was able to get it. He proudly handed over that coupon at Toys R Us and was able to get his toy this week instead fo a few weeks from now. He finally "got" the value of those papers I have been carrying around at the grocery store. Thank you hands on life lessons!!

Did you try any of the recipes? Let me know what you think.

Sara

Menu Plan Monday

Let's get this party started!

Ok - We had the Hamburger stew and it was great. Again, Zachary liked it ok. He has been a little more finicky lately. Hmmm...Wonder what that's about? Anyhoo...
We did not get to the Cheesy Chicken Bake so that goes onto this week's menu. Thanksgiving was full of great food and great fun at our families' houses. I got all in the baking and cooking mood on Wednesday last week. I got some great recipes from the email exchange and made these:
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Chocolate Balls
1 chocolate cake mix
1 container of chocolate icing
1 and 1/2 packages of chocolate almond bark
1 package of white almond bark

Prepare and bake cake as directed on the box. Allow the cake to cool completely. Crumble the cake in a large mixing bowl and add 1 container of chocolate icing. Mix well and place bowl in the refrigerator for 1 hour. After chilling, form cake mixture into 1 or 2 inch balls and dip into melted chocolate bark. Place on wax paper and allow to harden or dry . After hardens, drizzle white almond bark over the top to decorate.
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Yumm.ee!! I got all kinds of pats on the backs from Gary's family over these. But it was super time consuming and I didn't even finish half of them before I through in the towel. I also used a yellow cake and I think if I make them again I will use a different flavor of cake and icing to change it up a bit.

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Pecan Bark
24 graham crackers – brake the long ones in half and count the half’s as one
1 cup of Chopped pecans
1 cup of butter – 2 sticks
1 cup of packed brown sugar

Heat oven to 350 degrees
Line a cookie sheet with foil. Arrange the graham crackers on top of foil. They all fit exactly to fill the whole pan. Sprinkle pecans over graham crackers evenly. Set aside
Melt butter and then add brown sugar. Bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute. Spread mixture over crackers evenly. Place in oven and bake for 10 minutes.
After baking, immediately put the pan in the freezer and leave for at least 1 hour. I left them in freezer over night, by mistake and it turned out alright
Remove from freezer and break into pieces. They do not need to be put back in the refrigerator. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Again - Yumm.eeee!! And super easy this time. Like so easy it was sad. Even I could do it, people!

Onto this week's menu, shall we?

Monday: Something easy since we will be taking pictures tomorrow.
Maybe pizza or leftover Hamburger Stew.

Tuesday: Cheesy Crockpot Chicken
from last week

Wednesday: Spaghetti or Lasagna

Thursday: Mexican Casserole
I got this one from Casee
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Mexican Casserole
1 bag Flour Tortillas (cut into squares)
1 can rotel (drained)
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 boiled chicken breasts (cubed)
1 bag of shredded cheese

Mix everything together- save some cheese for a topping on the casserole. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Put extra cheese on the top for the last few minutes of baking.
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Friday: Tacos

I really want to start making some meals ahead of time to freeze or at least making some of the meat portions ahead. We will see if or how that happens in the next few weeks.


No money savings this week because I did my big Thanksgiving shopping and spent quite a lot that was not on sale and without coupons so...no bragging about savings.

But I will give you a little tid bit to satisfy your craving. I found this blog - Mommy Making Money tonight and can't wait to go back to really dive into it. It has a ton of great savings tips and other fun things.

PLUS:
I know the twins are now 5 months old so get ready for some serious monthly pictures coming up soon along with holiday traditions, a photo tag, bragging, looking back, and maybe I will finally post about my shoes. Happy Monday everyone.

Sara

Menu Plan Monday

Ok here we go...
Since I went with old stand-bys last week there is really nothing major to note about them except the White Chili. Since I have been making this a long time, I have taken a few liberties with the recipe so I thought I would share them. First of all, I double the recipe for our family, except for a few things. I am not a chili kind of person so I only use half of what the original recipe calls for. I also do not double the red pepper. The added white corn was excellent! It will def be added every time now. I also added sour cream to mine for the first time and it really added a great flavor. There was about 4 servings left over to freeze. This freezes wonderfully! Gary and I absolutly love this recipe. Zachary? Not so much. He tried it then had a ham and cheese sandwich. He has had it before and liked it so we will have it agian.

Ok, so here is this week's menu.

Monday: Hamburger Stew
I got this recipe from a fellow teacher. It is super easy
2 lbs of hamburger meat browned with a little onion
3 cans of Minestrone Soup
2 cans of Ranch Style Beans
2 cans of Rotel - I drain these
1 can of Beef Broth
1 package of Taco Seasoning
Put it all in a pot and heat on the stove. Yummy and easy peasy

Tuesday: Cheesy Crockpot Chicken
This is my new one to try this week.

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 can cheddar cheese soup
1/4 tsp garlic powder
Cut chicken into bite size pieces and put into the bottom of the crockpot. Add the rest of the ingredients on top. Cook 8 hours on low. Serve over rice or noodles.

Wednesday:
I am not sure about this day. We will probably have leftovers or grilled cheese sandwiches.

Thursday: Turkey Day with Gary's family
Our part of the menu is Green Bean Casserole, Corn, and Sopapilla Cheesecake (Gary's specialty)
We increase the amount of cinnamon and mix the sugar and cinnamon together for it all. This is so so SO good. Everyone asks for this when Gary comes over.

Friday: Turkey Day with my family
Hmmm...I better see if I am supposed to bring anything this day!

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Grocery Savings

Yeah, nothing here this week yet. I didn't go last week, so I really have to go this week. I will be going tonight and I will update after I go.


I was a part of a recipe exchange over email so I got some good things to try for next week. Yay!

Happy Monday Everyone!

Sara

Think Thin Thursdays

Week One is over! Remember the part about needing to start small so I can feel successful? Yeah, not so much. I struggled with drinking water every day. Several days I would find myself guzzling before I went to bed. Not good for middle of the night potty breaks when I am feeding babies.

Week Two:
1. Set a new goal and blog about it.
2. Task of the Week:

Tell us one temptation that you were faced with this week.

How did you overcome it?

I was tempted to count tea as water. I mean, it has water in it right? I found that if I put the water in a bottle, I was more likely to drink it.

So my goal for Week 2 is to limit my Halloween candy intake to 2 pieces a day. FWI: I am up 2 pounds. Oy!!

Sara

Menu Plan Monday

Last week went great with my plan. We did not eat out until Sunday evening! This is huge for us. Making things ahead of time to pop in the oven was such a great plan. The only thing is finding the time to do it on the weekend.

Review of the menu:
Monday: Brown sugar chicken
Zachary loved it. Gary and I liked it ok. The chicken was super juicy and the outside had a great flavor. I doubled the recipe of sauce and maybe I shouldn't have because it was super watery to put over the rice. I will make it again and try for a thicker sauce.

Tuesday: Pizza Pasta Casserole
Ehh...not my favorite. Gary and Zachary liked it ok. I may have to tweak it because it was super super easy.

Wednesday: Chicken Enchiladas
One word - Yummy! Gary requested less chili next time and I may try sour cream inside.

We didn't get to the White Chili or the tacos again. We had leftovers which is great by me. I may have to start planning a night of leftovers.


So here we go for this week
I am going with old stand-bys this week because I am feeling a little like I shouldn't have had that burger yesterday. No, no, no it can't be the flu...please God...don't be the flu.

Monday: Pizza
Tuesday: Sloppy Joes
Wednesday: Tacos
Thursday: White Chili
Friday: Breakfast for Dinner - Omelets

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Grocery Savings

I haven't gone grocery shopping. I started pulling pictures out to scan for Facebook and it totally consumed my day yesterday, so I will go tonight hopefully. We also started turning the Dining Room into a playroom. And here's why...

Yes, this is our living room. ::sigh::

Sara

P.S.
I didn't realize how little I drink throughout the day until I forced myself to have a measly 2 glasses of water a day, never mind the other 6 my body needs to function properly.

Think Thin Thursdays

Ok...no more excuses. I am joining Bridgette over at The Not-So-Blog blog. She is hosting a weight loss challenge. Every week we blog about our goal for the week. Then if we actually meet the goal then we are entered into a prize drawing. How is that for motivation? We also have a task for the week. Click on the button above to see official rules and join in the fun!

My goal for the week:
Drink at least 2 glasses of water a day

I have to start out slow so I can feel successful. I can't very well start out by saying I will losing 5 pounds by next week or I will exercise every day or some crazy thing like that. I used to run 5 miles on my Elliptical, but I am a far cry from that goal.

Your task for this week is:

"Instead of giving myself reasons why I can't, I give myself reasons why I can."
~Author Unknown

What are your reasons??

1. Because I love myself enough to get myself back into shape.
2. Because I can flippin' walk to the kitchen and fill up a glass 2 times a day.
2. Because I want to look into the mirror and see the person I feel like inside.

Do you ever feel like you look a certain way, then see a picture of yourself and think
"Holy crap, do I really look like that all the time?" Kind of like the opposite of Anorexia? You feel smaller than you really are. This is how I feel. I think I am doing really good and I am feeling good about myself, then I catch myself in a store mirror or see myself in a picture and want to run and hide. I know, I know, it has only been 4 months. It took 9 months to put on so it will take time to come off. Yeah, yeah...I hear you. But the fact of the matter is I have lost all the weight I gained with the pregnancy and still I am a long way from where I want to be. I have to start somewhere.

My ultimate goal is to get back to the weight or size I was when Gary and I started dating.

This is not unrealistic. It is about 45 pounds. I know I will probably never again weigh 127 and be a size 6...

But that's ok. Since I had to go through a tragic divorce to get that way, I will skip it thank you very much. I need to find a picture of me at my lowest weight and post it just for the fun of it.
In the one above I was about 135 I think.

So who's with me??

Sara