Menu Plan Monday - May 16

Hard to believe May is already half over! We leave for our trip at the end of next week! So excited to get away! My meal plans for the next two weeks will be using a lot of things I keep on hand in my pantry and freezer. Too busy these days to do too much bargain hunting and I really don't want to leave my house full of food!

Monday - Pizza, Spinach Salad

Tuesday - Bruschetta Chicken & Pasta (using a Philly Cooking Creme that I got for super cheap awhile back)

Wednesday - Pulled Pork, Beans

Thursday - Pulled Pork Pizza on the Grill

Friday - Burgers, Onion Rings

Saturday - Hubby will be out with friends....I think I'll get takeout....

Sunday - Possibly having Couple's Group here?? I'll probably make Pizza Pinwheels (recipe tomorrow!) and Spinach Salad.

Check out more menu plan ideas over at I'm an Organizing Junkie!

Wordless Wednesday...on Thursday!

Didn't want to skip two weeks in a row, so here are some Wordless Wednesday pics on Thursday. Mother's Day edition!!

My kids both LOVE to run!

A certain little boy was extremely uncooperative when it came time for picture taking.

Love these little people!!

Check out more Wordless Wednesday pics over at 5 Minutes for Mom!

Tasty Tuesday - Cinnamon Loaf

I know I hinted that I would be posting a recipe today for stroganoff, but what I made yesterday just turned out okay...not worth posting, really. I made these mini loaves last night and they were so good I decided share them with you instead. :)

This recipe is adapted from another one in my family's favorite recipe cookbook that we put together a couple of years ago. I really am related to some good cooks.

Mini Cinnamon Loaves

1/2 cup margarine
2 eggs
1 cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup sour cream
1 3/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder

Cinnamon Sugar:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon


Cream together margarine and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla, mix well. Alternately beat in sour cream and sifted dry ingredients. Beat until fluffy. Divide 1/2 of the batter between three greased mini loaf pans. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar evenly between the three pans. Cover with the remaining batter. Swirl knife around through the batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Cool in pan for 5 minutes, and then remove to wire rack to cool completely.


I find that these loaves freeze really well. I wrap them in saran wrap and then in heavy aluminum foil. No freezer burn!

Check out more Tasty Tuesday recipes over at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam!

You can see all of my recipes here!

Menu Plan Monday - May 9

Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a nice Mother's Day! I had a really good day...we went out to breakfast and since it was such a beautiful day, we were able to spend a few hours walking around in the park taking pictures of the kiddos. I'll post some later this week! :)

Here's my plan for this week:

Monday - Beef Stroganoff w/ Macaroni & Mixed Vegetables (recipe hopefully coming tomorrow!)

Tuesday - Grilled Hot Dogs, Baked Beans (bumped from last week)

Wednesday - Chicken Stirfry & Brown Rice

Thursday - Tuna Macaroni & Cheese, Salad

Friday - Pizza (not sure what kind yet...)

Saturday - out

Sunday - Taco Salad

Check out more menu plan ideas over at I'm an Organizing Junkie!

What I'm Printing...

Here are a few high value and otherwise interesting coupons I'm printing this week:

$0.75 off Starbucks Ice Cream

$1 off Kraft Homestyle Macaroni & Cheese Dinner

$3.50 off Huggies Diapers

$1 off Maxwell House Coffee (on sale at Meijer for $2.50 this week)

$0.50 off Yoplait Kids Cup Yogurt (on sale at Meijer for $1.67 this week)

Be sure to check out my Coupon Database to help you search for more great coupons!

Tasty Tuesday - Sweet & Sour Meatballs

This is one of my all-time favorite recipes. My mom made it all the time when I was growing up. It is based off of a recipe from a Betty Crocker cookbook that she got as a wedding gift almost 30 years ago.

Sweet & Sour Meatballs

Meatballs:

1 lb. lean ground beef
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs (I make my own...it's SO easy!)
1/4 cup milk
2 tbsp. finely chopped onion
1 tsp. salt
1 egg

Combine ingredients in a large bowl.

Mix well with your hands.

Shape into 1-inch balls. (I like meatballs really small...I have a major aversion to raw ground beef, and I like to guarantee that my meatballs will be cooked all the way through!) Heat 1 tbsp. of oil in a large frying pan and cook meatballs until they are brown on all sides, approx. 15 minutes. While they are cooking, prepare the sauce.

Sweet & Sour Sauce:

1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1 large can pineapple chunks
1/3 cup white vinegar
1 tsp. soy sauce

Combine ingredients, stir and add in cooked meatballs.

Now if your house is anything like my house, the hour between 5 & 6 p.m. is when everything seems to fall apart. That is why when I make this recipe, I usually prepare it in the early afternoon and throw it in my slow cooker on high for 4 hours. If that doesn't work for you, you could put it in a casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees for an hour. I usually serve this with warm rice or egg noodles.

Check out more Tasty Tuesday recipes at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam.

Also, be sure to check out all of my Tasty Tuesday recipes here.

Menu Plan Monday - May 2

Happy Monday everyone! Hope you all had a fabulous weekend! My meal planning last week was basically a waste of time...I didn't feel well all week and ended up not really making anything that was planned. Oh well...I'll try again this week!

Monday - Tuna Patties (bumped from last week AND the week before), baked mac & cheese

Tuesday - Sweet & Sour Meatballs, Rice

Wednesday - Grilled BBQ Chicken Pizza

Thursday - Burritos

Friday - Hot Dogs, Baked Beans

Saturday - Something takeout

Sunday - Mother's Day...not cooking!!!

My main goal over the next couple of weeks is to find something that my son will eat for lunch on a regular basis. He is a terrible eater, and would live off of crackers, pretzels and yogurt if I would let him. I'm desperately trying to get him on some sort of eating schedule before my husband and I take our trip to Seattle, otherwise grandma is really going to have her hands full!!

Check out more menu planning ideas at I'm an Organizing Junkie!