Baked ravioli w/meat sauce....

One of our favorite quick & easy meals is posted on our recipe blog! Hope you enjoy it!


♥Julie♥

~Monday Meanderings~...

~Bible Study:

Rereading "So Long Insecurity, you've been a bad friend to us" by Beth Moore. I read it in less than 2 days!!!! So, I am going back and taking notes and just soaking it in for a while!

~Memory Verse: "Even when you are old, I will be the same. Even when your hair has turned gray, I will take care of you. I made you and will take care of you. I will carry you and save you." Isaiah 46:4 (NCV)

~Husband Encouragement:

*Make some favorite meals * Be patient. * Be kind.
*Be more frugal and wise with money management so that it will be easier on him and we can accomplish our goals a lot quicker! :)


~Train them up:

* Back to routine's (High 5's) and Circle time (school after breakfast). We got away from those last week and we REALLY need to reinforce these!

*Work on enforcing first time obedience this week (take the time to GENTLY correct disobedience) Use our "peace place".

~Must Do:

*Lay new flooring
*Finish planting garden
*finish flower beds
*Make list and purchase needed clothing for spring/summer

~Zone:

Master Bath
Laundry Room
(Flylady makes me so happy!!!)

~Personal Goals:

*Absolutely NO carbonated beverages!!!!!

* Walking with Leslie Sansone at least twice this week and/or the Shred.

* Computer time no more than 1 hr. total a day!!!!

*Household items that I MUST make this week: ( I will post recipes, later)

*Laundry Detergent

*Dishwasher Detergent

*Baby Wipes

*Fabric Softener

*Cleaners

~Menu: (I will try to post recipes, throughout the week.)

Monday: chicken taco soup, guacamole

Tuesday: Beans, pico de gallo, cornbread

Wednesday: Baked Ravioli, homemade bread, salad

Thursday: Breakfast burritos, fruit

Friday: Cheeseburgers, homemade french fries, salad, homemade ice cream


Fun things!!

*Lunch at the park!!

*Making some freezer jam w/the girls!

*Family coming to visit!

*Friday night family fun night!!! & Our Date night!!!


 Join us with your Monday Meanderings at Sarah's !!!

Cheap Family Meals...

I found this website this morning while menu planning and I just had to share it with y'all!! They have a few recipes I am going to try out this week. I'll bet you can find something you like! The crockpot section, in particular, I will be using this week!

Cheap Family Meals


♥Julie♥

~A more organized alternative to bookmarking!~

I recently stumbled upon a little thing called "Delicious" on someone's blog I was reading. It was a life changing revolution! No kidding! Instead of bookmarking a site of interest on my computer, I can bookmark something, tag it with the appropriate subjects (for example: a Charlotte Mason site would be tagged: homeschooling, CM, resources) and all of my bookmarks are kept on my Delicious page so I can access them with one easy click and they can be sorted according to subjects! Awesome for a busy homeschooling mama like myself! :)

I know it may sound confusing because I am not to good at explaining things so check it out for yourself and see how easy it is! Here's my Delicious page if you would like to see what I am currently perusing through! (Also, on my sidebar is the link to my Delicious page so you can click there at any time and read away to your heart's content!)

Enjoy!

♥Julie♥

~Menu Plan Monday~.....

                                                 photo credit: The Food Network


Supper menus:

Monday: Mexican mess w/rice (recipe below), salad

Tuesday: Chicken & wild rice, broccoli & cauliflower

Wednesday: Jambalaya, buttermilk cornbread

Thursday:  Breakfast burritos, fruit

Friday: chimichangas, rice and beans, guacamole

Saturday: Charlie's choice (my husband cooks or we cook together)

Sunday: Roast chicken, broccoli & cauliflower, twice baked potatoes, chocolate delight

Mexican Mess w/Rice

1 lb. ground beef, cooked and drained

1 med. onion, diced and cooked with beef

1 can Ro-tel tomatoes w/green chilis

1 small can tomato sauce

1/2 c. ketchup

2 cans hominy, drained

2 cans pinto beans

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. cayenne

1 tsp. Lawry's seasoned salt

1 T. cumin

In skillet, cook beef and onions, drain. Pour in crockpot. Add cumin, salt, pepper, chili powder (opt.) and stir. Add rotel, tomato sauce and hominy. Stir. Cook on low for approximately 4-6 hrs. Serve with hot rice or chips. Easy and good!




I made this week's menu plan following my new organized way to plan menus...I just follow this simple formula and plug in what is on the list for that day. It's hard to explain so I will post it and you can read about it, here!

Have a great week!

♥Julie♥

~My journey to a more organized life~..menu planning

 *I was driving myself crazy trying to plan a menu every week with so many options and forget it if I tried to plan 2 weeks worth of meals or a monthly meal plan! I was just overwhelmed! I found myself sitting with piles of cookbooks and my computer and a notebook and just having NO idea where to start! So, I came up with this easy method based on suggestions I found on the world wide web...:)

It's pretty self explanatory but if you need clarification on anything I have written or you just want to talk menu planning, let me know! I will be happy to give you what little (and that means VERY little) advice and suggestions I may have!

Here you go, my new improved self help plan!


Menu Planning:

Breakfast:

Monday: frozen pancakes, fruit

Tuesday: eggs (buritos or breakfast bowls)

Wednesday: oatmeal, fruit

Thursday: muffins(make enough to freeze for snacks)

Friday: pancakes (enough to freeze for Monday), fruit

Saturday: biscuits & gravy

Sunday: breakfast burritos or oatmeal & fruit


Lunch:

Monday: leftovers

Tuesday: leftovers or PB & Honey

Wednesday: salads or grilled cheese

Thursday: PB & honey, bananas

Friday: leftovers or mac & Cheese



Supper:

Monday: one-dish meal (pot roast, beef stew, chili, soup, etc.)

Tuesday: casserole (baked mac & Cheese, chk & rice, etc.)

Wednesday: crockpot meal

Thursday: Breakfast for supper (migas or burritos or biscuits/gravy, pancakes, etc.)

Friday: mexican or italian or chinese

Saturday: Charlie's choice

Sunday: crockpot or pot roast or roast chicken

♥Julie♥

~Menu Plan for week of February 22nd~...

breakfast:
~breakfast burritos
~strawberry cream cheese muffins
~whole wheat pancakes, fruit
~breakfast bowls
~oatmeal, fruit

lunch:
~pb&honey, whole wheat bread
~pizza pockets (low carb tortillas, spagh.sauce, meat, cheese)
~salads
~leftover pizza, fruit salad
~leftovers

snacks:
~Muffins
~homemade granola
~cheese sticks
~tortilla w/peanut butter & honey
~apples & peanut butter

supper:
~migas
~chili, cornsticks
~Pot roast, carrots, onions, mashed potatoes,
~Cowboy nachos w/leftover pot roast
~Italian chicken, brown rice, sweet potatoes
~homemade pizza, salad

♥Julie♥

supper tonight..crockpot chicken fajitas...yum!!

 Pico de gallo and guacamole recipe, here!!

2 pounds boneless chicken
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 red or green bell pepper, sliced
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
8 to 10 warm flour tortillas
1/2 cup  Cheddar cheese, grated
lettuce and tomato as desired

Cut chicken across the grain into 1/2 inch diagonal strips. Place in a crockpot. Top with onion, bell pepper and lime. In a small bowl, combine chili powder, cumin, salt and broth. Pour mixture over chicken. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours or until chicken is tender. Spoon several slices of chicken mixture with sauce into center of each warm tortilla. Fold over. Top with  sour cream, cheese, lettuce and tomatoes.

Optional: Add slices of lime along with bell peppers and onions. Remove lime before serving.

Monday Meanderings...

Memory Verse: I am working on the entire chapter of John 15. You are welcome to join me!

Bible Study: RENEW and John 15.

Zone: Kitchen clutter & deep cleaning & laundry room

Train them up: We had an EXCELLENT week last week!! Such beautiful weather and the kids were so well behaved and kind so all in all, it was a great week. This week, we are working on getting back in our routine of picking up after ourselves and putting up our laundry as soon as it's folded! It's the little things that make a home... :)

Husband Encouragement:

Work on "The Love Dare" again..
Write a long "steamy" sweet love letter
Get the house in order and keep it that way!!
Make Charlie a chocolate pie (I'll share the recipe later)


Must Do:

Pay Insurance
Work on budget (again)
Clean out car (as always!)
Keep laundry folded and put away
Cook every night
Take kids outside more every day & do school outside!!

Fun things:

~Charlie is off for a week (paid, yes!!) starting Friday...so this will be a short week for us and we are SO looking forward to that week with Daddy!!!!! We have a date night already planned and some time with family, lots of things that will be super exciting!! Can't wait and pray for NO sickness! =)

Menu:

*Monday:
breakfast: oatmeal cookie bars
lunch: egg salad, fruit
supper: Soft tacos, sliced apples

Tuesday:
breakfast: pancakes w/spiced apples
lunch: leftover tacos or taco salad
supper: Julie's spicy spaghetti, salad

Wednesday:
breakfast: breakfast burritos
lunch:PB&honey on sourdough bread,bananas
supper: Italian sandwiches, pickles,olives, peppers,fruit salad

Thursday:
breakfast: apple spice scones
lunch:crescent roll pizza, fruit
supper: chinese chicken fried rice

Friday:
breakfast: Holiday Gingerbread muffins
lunch: homemade mac & cheese,carrots
supper: Beef Fajitas, Homemade refried beans guacamole, salsa, chips,

Saturday:
breakfast: biscuits and gravy
lunch: nachos
supper: homemade pizza, salad

Sunday:
breakfast: pumpkin scones
lunch: Jambalaya, brown rice, cornbread
supper: leftovers

*I am using what's in the pantry this week and trying to get by with buying very little to NO groceries this week...we will see if I can do that or not!! (I've got more recipe links to put up; I'll try and be back later to do that!)

Have a great week and join us at Sarah's for more Monday Meanderings!

Menu Plan (revised)...

I hate it when I mess up my menu plan! It really stinks. But, I think this will turn out okay. I took a package of steak out of the freezer to thaw instead of a roast and didn't realize it until it was too late so we went ahead and had some ravioli I had in the freezer on Monday night(I will explain why in another post!). Tonight we are having the steaks and well, I didn't get to go to the grocery store until today, I had to shop without a list (I left mine at home) and well, here's the revised version! Just keeping it real, folks! :)

Monday: Cheese Ravioli w/spaghetti sauce, french bread & salad

Tuesday: Grilled steaks, baked potatoes and salad

Wednesday: Red Beans & Rice, salad

Thursday: Angel Chicken, brown rice, salad

Friday: Breakfast for supper or sandwiches

Saturday: Calzones, salad

Sunday: Sour cream & Bacon Chicken, stir fried broccoli, baked sweet potatoes w/cinnamon butter, apple dumplings

well, that's it!! Just keeping it real. It was a real circus around here on Monday and not much got accomplished! So, we are doing easy peasy this week!

~Julie~

menus this week....

Supper Menus:

*Chicken Enchiladas with sour cream & guacamole, Pinto Beans w/Bacon

*Bacon Cheeseburger quiche, salad,

*Chicken Tortilla soup (without tortillas or w/low carb), top with avocados & sour cream & cheese

*Hobo Dinners (hamburger patty seasoned with salt & pepper placed in a foil pocket with onions & zucchini & bell peppers & baked until meat & veg. are done), steamed broccoli & cauliflower

*Baked Catfish, asparagus, cauliflower

*Chicken Fajitas with no or a low carb tortilla, sour cream & guacamole

*Mexican Casserole w/pinto beans

*These are all low carb recipes & I can post them on my cooking blog or on here this week if you want me to. Just send me an email and let me know. If I have a request, I will post it. :)

Have a great week!

Julie

Menus.....

Supper menus for this week:

*Grilled Pork chops, mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli

*Italian sandwiches, pickles, olive salad

* spicy spaghetti, garlic bread, salad

*Baked Potatoes w/Hamburger gravy, broccoli (will post recipe later this evening)

*Chili, cornsticks

*Baked Herb chicken, sweet onion muffins, asparagus, cauliflower w/cheese sauce, sweet potato casserole (recipes later this week)

*Rotisserie chicken, salad, strawberries & cream

Breakfast menus for this week:

*cereal, bananas, milk

*breakfast from MeMe (ate on the road to the doctor)

*Pumpkin Cream Cheese muffins, milk

*Breakfast burritos, bananas

*Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies, milk

*Peanut Butter toast, bananas

*Breakfast burritos, fruit salad

Have a great week!!

Visit orgjunkie for more menu ideas!

7 Layer Mexican Dip........

*A BIG family favorite around my house & super easy!

2 cans re fried beans with green chilies

5 avocados, smashed

16 oz. sour cream

3 tomatoes, chopped

1 c. green onions, chopped

2 cans sliced ripe olives

6-8 oz. cheddar or Colby jack cheese, grated.

Layer ingredients in order given. Made a day ahead and serve with chips.

*I make this for supper when I know we are going to need a quick and easy meal the next day. I just throw this all together and the next evening it's ready!! Bring out the chips and EAT!! My family LOVES this meal! :)

*Sorry I don't have a picture; I am working on it! :)

Mexican Cornbread...

1 lb ground beef
1 large onion, diced
1 small can diced green chillis,drained
1/2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder

Cornbread Mixture:

1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1 can creamed corn
2-3 cups shredded colby/jack cheese

Directions
1Brown together the ground beef,seasonings, onion and chilis; drain well.

2In a bowl mix together the cornbread ingredients.

3Lightly spray a 13 x9 in baking dish with Pam.

4Pour 1/2 of the cornbread mixture into prepared dish.

5Top with the meat mixture then sprinkle on the cheese to cover.

6Pour the remaining cornbread mixture on top.

7Bake in a 350 degree preheated oven for 45 mins or until the top is lightly browned.

*This is so good as a complete meal! We fix it with beans & fried potatoes because that's how my hubby likes (LOVES) it! It's so good and really easy.

You can find this recipe and lots more of our family favorites here!

Have a blessed week!

Love,
Julie

supper menus.....

Monday- potato soup, buttermilk cornbread,sweet tea

Tuesday- hamburger steak with brown gravy &mushrooms, mashed potatoes, sauteed cabbage,sweet tea

Wednesday- poppyseed chicken, green beans, baked sweet potatoes w/cinnamon butter & brown sugar, sweet tea

Thursday-frito chili pie, sweet tea

Friday- chef salads, sweet tea

desserts: cowboy cookies & pumpkin gooey butter cake (taking some dessert to bible study)

*breakfasts and lunches are almost the same as last week. Finishing up frozen breakfast burritos & muffins and just the usual for lunch (leftovers, grilled cheese & pb&j)

Visit orgjunkie for more than 400 menu plans!!! :)

*If you have me on reader, I am so sorry for all of the edited posts!! It takes me a while to get this right!! :)

Supper Menus for December 22nd-26th....

Monday- chicken fajitas, beans & rice, sweet tea

Tuesday- Fettuccine alfredo with grilled chicken breast, salad, sweet tea

Wednesday- Christmas Eve (chicken & dressing, ham, sweet potatoes, candy, cookies, cake, pies at my Mom's & shrimp, baked potatoes, salad, desserts of all kinds at the other Mom's) Yum-o!!! :)

Thursday- Christmas day (probably New England Boiled Dinner (ham, carrots, onions & cabbage cooked in crockpot all morning & serve the gravy (juices) over mashed potatoes, crescent rolls fixed by Charlie, sweet tea & desserts)

Friday- Ravioli soup, french bread,salad, sweet tea

*Family favorites are:

Julie's Fettuccine alfredo

Chicken and Dressing

New England Boiled Dinner

Commodity Cheese Fudge

Basic Cookies

Old Timey Sugar Cookies

*Merry Christmas, Everyone!!!

Love,

Julie

Supper Menus for December 16th-19th..

Monday- crackers & soup; still sick

Tuesday- Baked potato bar (broccoli, bacon, cheese, sour cream) & salad

Wednesday- tortilla soup

Thursday- Baked Mac & Cheese, Broccoli & cauliflower

Friday- Roast in crockpot, mashed potatoes with roast gravy, green beans

*all meals served with sweet tea

*Roast recipe:

chuck or rump roast
worchestire sauce
seasoned salt & pepper
1 pkg. onion soup mix
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can milk
1 can water

Rub roast with salt and pepper. Poke holes in roast with fork. Place in hot oil in skillet or dutch oven. Brown lightly (sear) on both sides. Put in crockpot with 5 or 6 shakes of Worchestire sauce and onion soup mix. Add 1 can of cream of mushroom soup and 1 can of milk, 1 can water. Stir. Add more water if you feel necessary but not too much; it will be too thin for gravy. Cook on low all day or until done.

Menu Plan....

Supper:

Red Beans & Rice

Crockpot Potato Chowder (added 1stalk celery, diced, 1 tbsp. minced garlic, some black pepper & substituted cream of mushroom; YUM!!!)

Quick Lasagna(I am not a fan of H.H. however, because someone gave me 2 boxes I need to use them up; I'm not a cooking snob, I just don't care for it much, but it's really good in this recipe!), homemade bread & steamed squash with butter

Omelets w/onions,spinach, mushrooms, ham & cheese, homemade french bread

Homemade Pizza (didn't have last week)

Breakfast:

Amish oatmeal & fruit

Pumpkin muffins (I will post this recipe later with pictures; they are SO good!)

Blackberry Bread

Breakfast Burritos

Peanut Butter toast w/homemade bread, fruit

lunch:

leftovers
pb&j
grilled cheese
Ravioli with spaghetti sauce & cheese, bread
pig in the blanket, broccoli & cauliflower

*Have a wonderful week! =)

Julie

weekly menu

Monday- tacos, beans, tea

Tuesday- Spaghetti, Mozerella garlic bread, salad, tea

Wednesday- eat out or at church

Thursday- Crockpot BBQ chicken, Corn on the cob, salad, tea

Friday- Pinto Beans, Fried potatoes w/onion, buttermilk cornbread, sweet tea

*Desserts:

Pumpkin Drop Cookies
Pumpkin Bread (trying new recipe)

Menu Plan Wednesday?

First of all, I know this is Wednesday and I apologize!!! I have been slacking off on the menu planning lately and it is driving me insane so, today I made a menu plan and a grocery list and headed out! (Thanks a billion to my wonderful mother-in-law who watched Claire & Lily for me today and for all of that good watermelon!)

So, here's the plan!

Days are not in any particular order, I will just fix whatever sounds good that day! =)

*5 cheese ravioli with spaghetti sauce, Italian bread & salad

* Pigs in a blanket, corn on the cob, green beans

*Cheesy Crockpot Chicken(recipe below), Rice, Lima Beans, Corn on the cob

* Pepperoni Pizza Wraps, Salad

*Broccoli Rice Quiche, Salad

*Loaded Baked Potatoes, Salad

*Frozen Pizza(dr's appt.), Salad

Desserts: Strawberries, Watermelon, Cantaloupe, Grapes (a lot of fruit!) Banana Pudding & Blackberry Cheese Pie!!!

*Cheesy Creamy Crockpot Chicken

4 or 5 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 block cream cheese, cut into chunks

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 envelope Good Seasons Dry Italian seasoning mix

1 small can of sliced mushrooms,drained

Place chicken in crockpot. Combine cream cheese, soup and 1 can of milk. Stir in Italian seasoning. Pour over chicken. Add mushrooms. Cook on low for 6-8 hrs. (may be done before, just watch it)

Happy Eating!!! =)