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

Whew! We had a great vacation, but time to get back in the routine! Here's some ideas for this week:

Monday-

Chicken Tortilla Soup--Super easy, used leftover grilled chicken, and cooked in the crockpot

There are tons of recipes for this out there...try one!

Tuesday-

Sausage Skillet Pasta--Another easy, one pan Italian dish

Wednesday-

Crockpot Beans

Thursday-

Leftovers Night

Friday-

Homemade Pizza

Saturday-?Suprise!

Sunday- 

Church Spaghetti Dinner--No cooking for me!

Yummy Monday

This week I've planned to have some "cook once and eat twice" meals and a little something sweet.

Monday- Beans in the crockpot, green beans, cornbread casserole, fried potatoes--Cornbread Casserole is a staple for me...cornbread mix prepared, cooked ground hamburger, corn, cheese, and rotel if you want a little kick...then bake according to mix temp until set.
Tuesday- Roast in the crockpot with potatoes and carrots-- I like to use Lipton Onion mix to season it
Wednesday- BBQ sandwiches (made with leftover roast)
Thursday & Friday- Leftovers or Chicken Lasagna from the freezer

Nothing like some beans in the crockpot

Cornbread casserole

I love The Pioneer Woman and her cookbook is fabulous!! I've tried several recipes and today, decided to try the mocha brownies and OH MY GOODNESS!!! These are cake-like brownies and they are super yummy...the frosting is a MUST!

Pioneer Woman's Mocha Brownies...YUMMMMM...MUST have MILK!

Since we plan to go camping again, I won't have a post for next week, but I plan to post some camping food pics and ideas, so stay tuned!!

Monday Meals

So, this week, I will have a couple things on the menu from last week since we ate leftovers an extra night and had change of plans for Friday night foosball bonanza....my dear husband bought a foosball table from his cousin and I must admit, it's pretty fun to play! Anyway, back to the subject...here is my menu for the week. I am also going to challenge myself to take a cooler with me with sandwiches for lunch when we are out and about so we don't have to eat out (and we can enjoy the nice weather at a park). I am also including links to recipes that I make that I found online.

Monday-Chicken Pot Pie
Tuesday-Cheesy Chicken Simmer
Wednesday-Spaghetti, salad

Thursday-Lemon Pepper Chicken, veggies, baked potatoes (EASY...and can be done in crockpot!)- All you need is lemon pepper, butter, chicken breasts, lemons (optional)....place chicken in pan or crockpot, put butter on top (add water too if you do in crock), sprinkle lemon pepper on top, slice lemons and place on top, cover with foil if you do in oven, and cook til done!

Friday/ Saturday/ Sunday- Leftovers or a stand-by meal...birthday party and family gathering to attend! 

My First Post & Monday Meal Stuff

Happy Monday!!
This is my very FIRST post on my new blog!! My plan is to post meal plan/recipes/cooking stuff on Mondays, arts and crafts projects on Tuesdays, and home and garden type stuff on Thursdays.

First, I want to share a little about how my brain operates....I am a list maker....I MUST make lists to survive!! Well, not really, but almost.

Now that you know that, here is a LIST of a few quick things to help you plan. They also help you save some cash...trust me, I used to just go to the grocery store and just get what looked good and wondered why my food budget was so huge.

1. I like to meal plan for a week at a time and make a shopping list accordingly.

2. I also categorize my shopping list to go with where I shop so that I don't skip over anything when shopping.

3. Don't forget to take your list!! AND your coupons!

4. Unless you are into spending hours couponing (which is great if you are!), only use coupons on stuff you have on your list

5. Use your calculator- compare sizes and prices per unit

6. I love to go to Aldi to get all my staples, some produce, and frozen food first and then get the rest at a        larger grocery store....this saves me way MORE than coupons ever have, but I do still use them some.

7. I have recently been through Financial Peace University (Dave Ramsey) and using cash really helps me stay on budget. I keep my food money in a zippered pencil bag with my coupons and a ledger sheet and it helps me to not buy those impulse items because I want to hold onto that cash.

8. I always try to add an extra meal in that is fast so that I have a fast meal on hand if something comes up and I have a change in my meal plan. 

9. It helps when you plan meals that you can prepare ahead, for example, you can cook extra hamburger meat or chicken for the next night when you do one night's dinner. That way, the next meal is faster to put together.

10. Make a plan that works for your family's schedule.

Here's my meal plan for this week:

Monday- Chicken & Dumplings , mixed veggies, rolls

Tuesday- Spaghetti, salad, garlic bread

Wednesday- Leftover night

Thursday- Swiss Steak, potatoes, green beans

Friday- Chicken Pot Pie

Saturday-  Out to eat/ stand-by meal/ or leftovers

Sunday- Lemon Pepper Chicken, rice, veggies