Spring Break Meals

I have actually been planning my meals over the last few weeks, but I forgot to put them on the blog! Have you discovered ziplist.com yet? It has really helped me to plan ahead and make my grocery list to go with my meal plan. In busy times like this last week, it has really been a life-saver!

I ventured out to Patak's yesterday to get some bacon but as with every trip there, I knew I wouldn't be coming home with only bacon. I ended up getting ground beef, ground pork, Italian Sausage, deli turkey, Muenster cheese AND bacon. (All for less than $25, btw). Since they butcher everything on site, I feel really good about the quality of what I am getting. But let me tell you something - the bacon is worth the trip by itself. This shopping trip inspired my menu for the week - usually it is the other way around.

There are two meals which appear here without any corresponding recipe link. Basically, this is because DH makes them himself with no recipe. The "Runzas" are nostalgic tributes to a restaurant chain in Nebraska (where DH lived as a teen). They are pretty darn tasty and a little bit decadent so we don't have them all that often. And the chili is a catch as catch can kind of recipe in which we use stuff in the cabinets/fridge. Works really well but the recipe changes almost every time.


Saturday:
Runzas

Sunday:
Mexican Slow Cooked Pork Carnitas

Monday:
Rigatoni with Creamy Sausage Sauce

Tuesday:
Chili

Wednesday:
Honey Roasted Butternut Squash and Spinach Salad
and Roasted Chicken

Thursday:
Vietnamese Flank Steak

Post Recital Post

Sunday:
Doubles
Marinated Beef
Broccoli Rabe

Monday:
Cuban Style Pork and Sweet Potato Slow Cooker Stew
Corn Bread

Tuesday:
Chicken with Artichoke Hearts
Roasted Cauliflower

Wednesday:
Alton Brown's Stove Top Mac & Cheese

Thursday: (Valentine's Day Italian Feast)
Spaghetti & Meatballs
Antipasti
Bread

Friday:
Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Skinny Blue Cheese Dressing

Back to life, Back to reality

Oh, and also this is the week of my RunDisney half marathon!

So this week is getting back to school for me, getting back to school for my kids and getting ready to go run a half marathon!

Sunday:
Crispy Southwest Chicken Wraps
Avocado

Monday:

Cuban Pork & Sweet Potato Stew
Crunchy Bakery Bread


Wednesday:
Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Thursday:

Lasagna with Homemade Tomato Sauce
Salad

It's beginning to look a lot like....

Time to make the holiday meals.... :)

Friday:
Broccoli Soup
Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Saturday:
Skirt Steak with Roasted Root Vegetables
French Onion Soup Casserole

Sunday lunch:
Slow Cooker Honey Baked Ham
Alton Brown's Mac & Cheese
Green Beans
Biscuits

Christmas Eve:
Lucky for us, we get to have dinner out at a dear friend's house!

Christmas Day:
Well, since Paul is in charge of the dinner every year, I will let him take care of the planning of it! :)

Wednesday:
Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Thursday:
Butternut Pasta with Spicy Sausage

Getting Ready for Christmas!

Now that I have successfully made it through juries and finals and grading and posting grades, I get to enjoy Christmas holiday break.... start planning my next semester while the kids are still in school and THEN enjoy Christmas. Since it is getting colder, we are enjoying soup and chili more. Soup twice this week. I am listing the meals but not the days we will eat them since I am not really sure how that is all going to play out yet.

Broccoli Cheese and Potato Soup
We had this a coupple of weeks ago and it was truly scrumptious. The texture is thick which makes it feel hearty. I don't always like soups that are watery so this was perfect for me. We usually eat this with Grilled Cheese Sandwiches but I think we will do something else this time. Salads would normally be my go to choice, but it is too cold for me to enjoy a salad.

Crispy Southwest Chicken Wraps
This is a new one for us. Looks tasty though.

Chicken Enchiladas
This is an old standby for us. For once, I am going to try to make it the night before since it is always so much better the next day. Wish me luck.

Pasta with Butternut Squash, Spicy Sausage and Sage
I have had a similar recipe without the meat and really enjoyed the way the squash makes you think it is a creamy cheese sauce but is really a veggie! I think adding the sausage should be a nice wintry treat. I have two sweet italian sausage links left from the last time I bought them so I think I might use half and half so it won't be too spicy. You can always add spiciness IN but it isn't so easy to take out!

That's all I have so far. That should get me through the next week with parties and all in between. The parents are coming next Thursday so I have to re-tool the menu for their visit anyway.

Enjoy your week!

Finals week

Usually when you read someone is experiencing finals week, they are TAKING the finals. In my case, I am writing and grading the finals. Takes just as much if not more time. So with that in mind, easy dinners....

Saturday night:
Black Beans and Rice

Paul makes this REALLY well. We happened to have some Country Ham bits on hand and they sure did add a lot to the dish.

Sunday:
Broccoli Cheese Potato Soup
Tillamook Grilled Cheese Sandwiches on Sour Dough Bread

Monday:
Chicken Soft Tacos
Salad

We cooked the Chicken in the Crock pot yesterday so it will be shredded and ready to put into the tacos.


Tuesday:
Spaghetti with Daddy's Homemade Tomato Sauce


Thursday:
Asian Flank Skewers with Stir Fry Vegetables
Rice

Friday:
Crock Pot Turkey White Bean Pumpkin Chili

This is really good and the pureed pumpkin adds a really nice earthiness to it wihtout making it taste too sweet or pumpkin-y at all.

Pre-Thanksgiving

So, it is a really busy week getting ready for Thanksgiving while both DH and I attend important conferences in ATL this week. This makes planning meals ahead of time with the time constraints in mind that much more important. I am attempting to plan (and stick to the plan) for every meal until Thanksgiving

Sunday:
Asian Flank Skewers

Monday:
Crock Pot Turkey Three Bean Chili

Tuesday:
Arroz con Pollo

Wednesday:
Out for birthday dinner!

Thursday:


Friday:
Dinner plans out

Saturday:
Daddy's Spaghetti

Sunday:
Rigatoni with Creamy Sausage Sauce

Monday:
Satay Chicken


Tuesday:
Lemon Garlic Chicken

Wednesday:
Leftovers and/or sandwiches

Thursday:
Thanksgiving!