Pack a Picnic

Since the weather is getting cooler and it's actually bearable to be outside, it seems fitting to talk about picnics. My kids love going to parks and love picnics. Some days, when we are running errands, we will get our favorite fast food meal and take it to the park if weather permits.

After taking a long road trip to Wyoming (from Oklahoma), I was eternally grateful to my dear Mamaw for teaching me how to pack a picnic cooler and supply box for a long trip so you can have a meal anywhere.

The trick is to make sure you have everything you need for a successful picnic within reach. I packed a small ice chest...not too small but not a big rectangular one either...a small one with a handle that you can easily take out of the car if you need to.

Next, you need a plastic storage box with a lid...depends on how much you are taking with you....we took a rather large one since we were gone for a week, but we didn't pack it too heavy.

Obviously, all your cold stuff will go in the cooler: drinks, lunch meat, cheese, mayo, fruit (if you like it cold), veggies, any dressings you want, etc.

Now, for your plastic box:
Snacks, bread, chips- don't forget to put bread on top!
Plates, cups, utensils (we used plastic and paper but you could do reusable, too)
A sharp knife- we had fruit and veggies that needed cutting
Sheet or table cloth- sheets take up less room and are great for tables or ground
Hand sanitizer and/or baby wipes for before and after!
Paper towels or napkins
When traveling with kiddos, I put in a couple of extra cups with lids, too!

What else would you take??

Cook Ahead Dinner

I know this whole "cooking ahead" idea is not a new one, but I 've never really jumped on the band wagon until now. Now, I don't care to cook and freeze a month of meals all at once...partly because I don't have that big of a chunk of time, and partly because I might want to change it up and not be so tied to what I've made. So, I decided to try this out. I made four days of meals (or parts of the meal) in one evening as I made dinner.

Here was my menu:
1. The night I cooked, I made homemade pizza
2. Beef Stroganoff- I made just the beef mixture and froze it so I could thaw and make noodles quickly
3. Soup- just some simple beef and veggie soup, all prepared, just need to add water and cook
4. Mini cornbread casseroles- cornbread mix prepared, cooked ground beef, cheese, corn- made these to go with my beans in the crockpot

I cooked all my hamburger at the same time and just put together some of the meals and voila, it was ready! I have found myself doing this a lot when I do a chicken in the crockpot, too. I plan my meals so I have the meat prepared and can add it to the recipe. It takes a little planning, but it can be done! It makes meal time much more streamlined which is especially helpful when you have little ones like I do, who aren't too patient for their dinner! 

Monday Meals

Here's my dinner menu for next week in case you need some ideas! Some of them are fairly healthy or low fat (in case you are like me and trying to shed a few extra pounds),  but a few things, you don't even want to know the nutrition info on, you just want to gobble them! Enjoy!

Monday-

Chicken Fajitas, Refried beans (I use fat free out of the can--I'm not that good!), tortilla chips

Tuesday-

Grilled (or skillet) Burgers, baked sweet potato wedges

Wednesday--Leftover day!

Thursday-

Minestrone Soup-there are a ton of recipes for soups...pick one!

Friday-

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole, green veggies

Saturday-

Date Night??

Sunday-

Chicken Fried Chicken, mashed potatoes, veggies- I use boneless skinless chicken breast cut a little thin and then prepare it like chicken fried steak

Then there's always the trusty stand-by meals in case there is change of plans or I am just in the mood for something else: 1. Beans & Cornbread and  2. Mini Pizzas (on English muffins)

Hearty Soup

Well, I'm just a day behind this week....it's one of those kind of weeks. So, for me, this is Monday...or Tuesday and Monday put together...or something like that. Anyway, you get the picture. My meal plan is getting a kink in it with hubby's work schedule and the fact that next week is Thanksgiving and I am in clean ot the pantry mode. So today, I want to share an easy, hearty, somewhat healthy, and way yummy soup with you that even my manly man who doesn't much care for soup, really likes and even requests. Enjoy!!

CHEESEBURGER SOUP

1 cup chopped onion, 1 cup chopped or shredded carrots

4 cups fine chopped potatoes, 1 cup chopped celery

1 lb lean ground beef, 4 cups chicken broth

1 tsp basil, 1 tsp parsley

1/2 cup flour, 1 cup milk, 8 oz. Velveeta

In your soup pot, sautee onions, celery, carrots in olive oil than add beef to cook til done. Than add basil and parsley, broth, and carrots. Cook til potatoes are tender (about 20 minutes). Separately, blend milk and flour, and add slowly to soup, stirring it in. Stir in Velveeta last until melted.

*Tips--I like to cut up my veggies and brown my meat ahead of time (I brown a couple pounds at a time and freeze it) so all I have to do is throw it together at dinner time.
*I most of the time, omit the flour and add more veggies than it says and it makes soup thicker and chunkier.
*I like the 2% Velveeta, but I don't recommend the light...not creamy!
*My husband does not like cooked carrots (unless he can't see them), so I chop them up really fine with my hand chopper (which also relieves stress, by the way) and he devours it! He has no idea there are that many carrots in it...good trick for kiddos too!
*If you do Weight Watchers, this is roughly 5-6 points per cup