Quick, before I get Sidetrack'd

Archive for posts tagged with ‘In the kitchen’

Menu Plan Monday ~ April 9-15

Thoughtfully penned on April 12th, 2010 and generally concerning In the kitchen, Menu Plan Monday

Yes, I do realize it is Tuesday (and that I’ve already posted today), but I’m backdating this post to Monday and posting my menu anyway. Look at me being the rebel. :-) Not only that, but I’m going to go back to last Thursday with my menus to get some recipes linked.

So, here’s what’s on the menu these days at chez sidetrack’d…

Thursday – Naan Bread Pizzas

Friday – California Pizza Kitchen pizza

Saturday – lunch: fend for yourselves / dinner: homemade pizza

Sunday – lunch: turkey sandwiches / dinner: fend for yourselves

Monday – mahi mahi skewers, spanish rice, guacamole

Tuesday – leftovers

Wednesday – salads with grilled chicken

Thursday – lasagna, breadsticks

And, yes, we really do like pizza that much!

Menu Plan Monday ~ April 2-8

Thoughtfully penned on April 4th, 2010 and generally concerning In the kitchen, Menu Plan Monday

I haven’t joined in Menu Plan Monday the last couple of weeks because, due to various and sundry things, our menu just kept rolling over and looked pretty much just like the last one I posted. Now we’re in a new month, and Matt and I have changed up our menu planning/shopping strategy a bit; this month we created a month long menu plan.

Our original goal was to do the majority of our shopping for the month this weekend, but since we didn’t start working on everything until Friday afternoon we weren’t able to quite get that accomplished. What we ended up doing was our usual weekly grocery trip plus a trip to Whole Foods to get our meat for the month. Hopefully, I can get everything organized and do our staple shopping for the month this coming weekend and then pick up milk and produce (and any items on special that we would like to have) once or twice a week for the remainder of the month.

This is our first experiment in monthly menu planning, so we’ll see how it goes.

All of that to say, this is what we’ll be eating this week…

Friday – toasted ravioli

Saturday – breakfast for dinner: bacon, eggs, and homemade biscuits

Sunday – lunch: pizza / dinner: Easter meal with friends

Monday – shrimp & grits

Tuesday – enchilada casserole, chips & guacamole

Wednesday – leftovers

Thursday – hamburgers on the grill, corn on the cob

For more menu plan and meal ideas visit Menu Plan Monday. As always, thanks, Laura for hosting!

Menu Plan Monday ~ March 12-18

Thoughtfully penned on March 14th, 2010 and generally concerning In the kitchen, Menu Plan Monday

I need to clean out the freezer to make space for more groceries. So, this week our menu consists largely of meals carried over from last week and meals that we have in our freezer.

Friday: pizza
Saturday: lunch: sandwiches / dinner: cheeseburger meatloaf, potatoes, peas
Sunday: lunch: fend / dinner: chicken & rice casserole (freezer), crescent rolls
Monday: leftovers
Tuesday: deconstructed broccoli & cheese stuffed chicken breasts, corn
Wednesday: tacos, guacamole, chips & salsa
Thursday: baked creamy mostacolli (freezer), vegetable

For more meal/menu ideas, visit orgjunkie.com.

Happy Monday!

Baking Bread

Thoughtfully penned on March 12th, 2010 and generally concerning In the kitchen

I remember several years ago, when Matt and I were making our wedding registries, telling my mother that I didn’t want a bread maker. I knew several people who owned or had owned one and never used it. I knew we would be limited for counter and cabinet space in our apartment, and I did not want an unused appliance cluttering up space that could be used for other things.

For several years we made bread by hand occasionally, but mainly relied on store bought bread for everyday use. Then, several months after Little was born, we decided we wanted to cut some of the HFCS and preservatives from our diet, and I began baking all of our sandwich bread.

Enter Boo and many months of sleepless nights, and we were back to buying bread at the grocery. And as much as we like Oroweat bread, paying $3.50 a loaf began to wear on the grocery budget.

So, for Christmas I asked my parents if they would buy me a bread maker. I love this appliance! We bake bread at least twice a week, and it is wonderful to have fresh bread available for toast, sandwiches, etc.

For the last couple of months we’ve been testing wheat bread recipes for the bread maker, and a couple of weeks ago I stumbled upon a winner. This recipe makes soft, fluffy, tasty bread that everyone in our family enjoys.

Wheat Bread for the Bread Machine
adapted from this recipe

* 1-1/2 cup warm water
* 2 tablespoons honey
* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 2-1/4 cups whole wheat flour
* 2 cups all purpose or bread flour
* 2 teaspoons salt
* 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
* 3 tablespoons nonfat dry milk
* 2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Place ingredients (except yeast) in bread maker pan in order listed. Make an indention in center of dry ingredients and spoon yeast into the indention. Set bread maker to 2 lb. loaf on whole wheat cycle.

Let the bread maker do it’s thing and then enjoy some warm, yummy homemade bread.

Menu Plan Monday ~ March 5-11

Thoughtfully penned on March 7th, 2010 and generally concerning In the kitchen, Menu Plan Monday

Welcome to a new week! It is starting to warm up a little in these parts, and I am so ready for Spring! Here’s the yummies we’ll be dining on this week…

Friday: pizza
Saturday: lunch: sandwiches, chips / dinner: creamy baked mostacolli, snap peas
Sunday: lunch: leftovers / dinner: fend for yourself
Monday: chicken and dumpling casserole, salad
Tuesday: leftover casserole
Wednesday: cheeseburger meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green peas
Thursday: deconstructed broccoli & cheese stuffed chicken breasts, corn

For more menu ideas visit Menu Plan Monday at orgjunkie.com.

Menu Plan Monday ~ February 26-March 5

Thoughtfully penned on March 1st, 2010 and generally concerning In the kitchen, Menu Plan Monday

I’m running late today, but I do have a menu to post. Here’s what we’re eating this week…

Friday – take out pizza

Saturday – lunch: eat out / dinner: meatball stew and grilled cheese

Sunday – lunch: eat out / dinner: fend for yourselves

Monday – leftover meatball stew, grilled cheese

Tuesday – chicken & broccoli macaroni, corn on the cob

Wednesday – tacos, guacamole, chips & salsa

Thursday – leftovers

We’re still carrying over the chicken & broccoli meal because we didn’t need it again last week. Our weekend involved more dining out/take out than we usually have due to my Mom visiting; we were out running around more than we usually do.

For more meal and menu ideas check out Menu Plan Monday at orgjunkie.com.

Happy Monday!

Menu Plan Monday – February 20-26

Thoughtfully penned on February 21st, 2010 and generally concerning In the kitchen, Menu Plan Monday

It’s Monday again, and I’ve got a plan for our menu. Last week we had a few more leftovers than I anticipated, so there are a couple of carry overs on our menu this week.

The creamy mexican casserole that we tried last week was very good. I used a pound of ground beef instead of the chicken called for in the recipe and it worked out well (although it would probably be just as good with only a half pound of beef). If you like things spicy you probably want to add some ground cayenne pepper in with the spices; Matt and I added hot salsa to our servings so that the casserole wouldn’t be too spicy for the kids. This would make a great potluck or party dish, too, since it can be eaten with tortilla chips.

Anyway, here’s what’s on our menu this week.

Saturday: lunch: rolled tacos / dinner: meatball subs, fries
Sunday: lunch: leftovers / dinner: chicken nugget casserole, noodles, corn
Monday: enchilada casserole, chips & guacamole, salsa
Tuesday: leftovers
Wednesday: chicken & broccoli macaroni, salad
Thursday: leftovers
Friday: pizza

I’ve been craving buffalo chicken dip for a few weeks now, so I might make a dish this week and throw it in there somewhere. And, of course, I’ll be making several loaves of bread (thanks to my handy, dandy bread machine) including a couple of new recipes (hopefully).

That’s my plan for the week. For more meal and menu plan ideas hop over to Menu Plan Monday at orgjunkie.com and see what everyone else is eating this week.

Happy Monday!

Menu Plan Monday – February 13-19

Thoughtfully penned on February 15th, 2010 and generally concerning In the kitchen, Menu Plan Monday

I’m running a little behind here, but better late than never. Right?

Here’s what we’re eating this week…

Saturday: lunch: fend / dinner: broccoli cheese soup, homemade bread

Sunday: lunch: rolled tacos / dinner: roast, potatoes, carrots

Monday: leftover roast

Tuesday: creamy mexican casserole (I’m using ground beef instead of chicken)

Wednesday: chicken & broccoli macaroni (carry over from last week)

Thursday: chicken nugget casserole, spaghetti noodles, corn on the cob

Friday: pizza

I have several new recipes on the menu this week, so hopefully it will be a tasty week around here. I did make the broccoli cheese soup Saturday night, and, although things got a bit stressful at the end when the soup was thickening and the baby was hungry, it was very tasty. The onion was a bit strong for my taste, so next time we’ll cut it drastically or leave it out all together.

For meal and menu plan inspiration visit Menu Plan Monday at orgjunkie.com.

Happy Monday!

Menu Plan Monday ~ February 6-12

Thoughtfully penned on February 8th, 2010 and generally concerning In the kitchen, Menu Plan Monday

It’s been almost a month since I’ve participated in Menu Plan Monday. For the first three weeks of baby girl’s life we were blessed by many friends who brought dinner to our family. Last week we were able to eat primarily from the stock of meals I had frozen prior to her birth. This week we will actually have to do some cooking, and I had to rejoin the ranks of menu planners.

So, here’s what we’re eating:

Saturday: lunch: leftover pizza from Friday night / dinner: kids – scrambled eggs & grapefruit sections, adults – fend for yourselves

Sunday: lunch: loaded baked potato soup, homemade bread / dinner: taquitos

Monday: leftover soup and bread

Tuesday: meatloaf, au gratin potatoes, green peas

Wednesday: chicken and broccoli macaroni, green salad

Thursday: french toast, strawberry smoothies

Friday: pizza

For more meal ideas and menu plans visit Menu Plan Monday at orgjunkie.com.

Have a great week!

Menu Plan Monday ~ December 21-27

Thoughtfully penned on December 21st, 2009 and generally concerning In the kitchen, Menu Plan Monday
christmas

It’s been a couple of weeks since I posted a menu plan (or much of anything for that matter), but here we go again…

Monday – Paula Deen’s chicken and rice casserole, rolls

Tuesday – casserole leftovers

Wednesday – chili, chips, and cheese

Thursday – pizza (our Christmas Eve tradition)

Friday – breakfast: cinnamon rolls / lunch: Christmas meal** / dinner (if necessary): meatball stew

Saturday – breakfast: breakfast casserole / lunch: Christmas leftovers / dinner: eat out or fend

Sunday – lunch: eat out / dinner: meatball subs, fries

**Christmas meal: ham, rolls, pineapple casserole, homemade mac & cheese, green bean casserole, knock-off cranberry bliss bars, Boston cream cake, apple orchard punch, tea

I’ll also be cooking/baking a couple batches of chex mix, a double batch of pumpkin scones, and cinnamon rolls this week. It’s going to be a busy week, but we’ll eat well! :-)

Hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!

For menu plans and meal ideas visit Menu Plan Monday at orgjunkie.com