Menu Plan Monday

10 Jan posted by

It’s a new year and it’s time for me to get back in the swing of things with menu planning.  November and December were eating out disasters.  I hardly cooked at all and it was totally evident in our bottom line (in every way imaginable)!

Last week, I didn’t post a menu plan, but I did a much better job of cooking at home and as a result, we had some pretty tasty dinners! It also helped that I sat down at the end of last month and made a list of 20 tasty dinners that we could eat this month. This week I’ll be using a few more of the yummy meals from the list!

Sunday – Turkey, Stuffing, and Applesauce

Monday – BBQ Chicken Nachos {Recipe and Giveaway coming later this week}

Tuesday – Italian Chicken, Rice, and Mixed Veggies

Wednesday – Chicken Stir Fry

Thursday – Spaghetti with Salad

Friday – Fend For Yourself/Leftovers Night

Saturday – HOMECOMING! (We’ll probably either go out or fix sandwiches before the game)  My daughter is on the homecoming court, so I’m sure we’ll be doing lots of primping and then we’ll be at the school for most of the evening!

That’s what’s cooking at our house this week!  For some great menu planning ideas or to see what everyone else has cooking, visit Menu Plan Monday!

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Kick Off Your Year Right: 6 Months of Menu Planning for Only $16

1 Jan posted by

It’s the first day of the New Year and if you’ve resolved to eat healthier, eat out less, or spend less money this year, menu planning can help you accomplish these goals.  I spent some time yesterday making a menu plan for the month of January.  At our house, we save a ton of money and eat much better if we have a plan!

If you like the idea of menu planning, but don’t want to be bothered with all the details or don’t know where to start, here’s an awesome deal for you.  You can get 6 months of menu planning for only $16.  You can choose from kid-friendly, crock pot, budget friendly, lower calorie, quick,  and more.  Once you choose the meals, it gives you a grocery list.  You can also scale the menu plan according to family size.

Since my hubby and I have been looking for some new recipes and since I’ve always done my own menu planning, I’m curious to see how using a menu planning service works.  I’m going to try this out.

If you want to check out their menu planning service and snag this deal, click here!

Have you heard of Eversave?  They feature 50% – 90%  off on restaurants,  spas, local activities and online deals.  It’s free to join and first time buyers get a $2 credit to use towards their first purchase.

Click here to get your $2 Eversave credit.

Like this deal? Sign up for my free daily email, subscribe to my RSS feed, or like me on Facebook to have the deals come to you!

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Lawry’s What’s Your Flavor Prize Pack {Giveaway} & Menu Plan Monday

25 Oct posted by
After an absolutely amazing time at the Relevant Conference (thanks to my wonderful sponsor Terralina), it is time to get back into the swing of things at home.  Since today is Menu Plan Monday, I thought I’d share some new products from Lawry’s that make dinner easier AND I’ll kick off a Lawry’s What’s Your Flavor Prize Pack Giveaway.
Last week, my family enjoyed eating Tuscan Sun Dried Tomato Chicken over rice.  We used Lawry’s Tuscan Sun Dried Tomato Marinade and our dinner was quick, easy and delicious!  They make a variety of new mixes and marinades that will satisfy your tastebuds, no matter what the flavor!
Speaking of flavor, did you know that your flavor preference may reveal more about you than you think?  A recent nationwide poll looked at preferences for tart, spicy, sweet, and savory flavors and found that your choice can reveal some interesting aspects of your personality.
Here’s what they discovered:
  • Joyous Joiners – Tart Flavors
    If you are one for tart flavors, you tend to be extremely happy overall, particularly with your family, finances, work/life balance and even your health. As a Joyous Joiners you are an extrovert who loves to entertain at home, find it very important to join in social events in your community and are active on the greatest number of social networking sites.
  • Self-Assured Adventurers – Spicy Flavors If your preference is for spicy flavors, consider yourself a confident, adventurous individual with a passion for travel and cooking. You are the biggest risk taker and although impulsive, you are not reckless – as a Self-Assured Adventurer you also tend to be resourceful, analytical, and most able to “look at the big picture.”
  • The Sweet Lifers – Sweet Flavors
    As a Sweet Lifer, home and family are close to your heart. You are the kindest and most loyal, although you probably wouldn’t admit that as you are also the most modest. As an individual that prefers sweeter flavors (honey and fruit-infused), you are influenced by your parents, enjoy family entertainment, and consider yourself spiritual.
  • The Conventionalists – Savory Flavors
    Your passion for savory flavors shows you have an enthusiasm for politics, enjoy camping and hiking and love outdoor barbeques and American cuisine. Along with the other Conventionalists, you tend to be more introverted than the rest of the groups and often describe yourself as a homebody.
Lawry’s has something for you no matter what your flavor is, including two new marinades and four new Seasoning Mix packets that help create simple meals with an abundance of flavor.
And since we’re talking about simple meals, I thought I’d share our menu plan for the week.  After all, it is Menu Plan Monday.
Monday- Sweet & Sour BBQ Chicken and Rice (Made with Lawry’s Szechuan Sweet & Sour BBQ Marinade)
Tuesday – Broccoli Chicken Braid
Wednesday – Sandwiches
Thursday- Spaghetti with Meat Sauce
Friday – Mexican Chicken Skillet
Saturday – Youth Retreat

Want to Win Your Very Own Lawry’s What’s Your Flavor Prize Pack?

One lucky reader is going to win a prize pack which includes the following:

  • A marinating dish
  • A set of skewers
  • Lawry’s two new marinades
  • A sample of each of the four new Seasoning Mixes
  • A bottle of Lawry’s Seasoned Salt

Ways to Enter:

You can enter to win by doing one or more of the following.  Just make sure to leave a separate comment for each!

  • Tell me what your flavor preference is (tart, spicy, sweet or savory) and what you think it says about your personality

The Fine Print: If you already subscribe, like, or follow me, that counts as well!  Please leave a separate comment for each entry. Comments that just say “I want to win” or “Thanks for the giveaway” will be disqualified! This contest will end on Thursday, November 11th at 9 pm Eastern Time. This giveaway is limited to US residents only  18 years old and above.

Disclosure: Lawry’s provided me with the above gift pack in conjunction with My Blog Spark.  All opinions expressed were my own!  No other compensation was received.

This post was linked to Menu Plan Monday.


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Menu Plan Monday

11 Oct posted by

It’s another crazy week at our house.  My daughter A has a Sectionals soccer game tonight.  My daughter K has a tournament game tomorrow.  And both games are right smack dab in the middle of our regular dinner time.

Our high school boys soccer team is heading to Regionals on Wednesday and it’s in Amish country so we’re heading to Essenhaus for dinner before the game that night.  My hubs and kids would much rather eat yummy Amish cooking anyway!

In the midst of all the craziness, here’s what we’re planning at our house this week.

Monday – Crunchy Fish Tacos {These were a huge hit last week and were so easy}

Tuesday – Lawry’s Szechuan Sweet & Sour BBQ Chicken and Rice {Stay tuned for a great Lawry’s giveaway later this week}

Wednesday – Dinner at Essenhaus! {So yummy!}

Thursday – Creamed Chicken & Biscuits

Friday – Pizza

Saturday – Leftover Extravaganza

That’s what’s cooking at our house this week. You can find lots of great menu plans and menu planning ideas over at Menu Plan Monday!

Also, make sure to check out my Trifle Recipe Cards giveaway.  Fabulous personalized recipe cards definitely help make menu planning more enjoyable!

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Menu Plan Monday – October 4

4 Oct posted by

I just finished a wonderful weekend with my mom in New Hampshire.  It was her birthday weekend and we managed to jam a month’s worth of activity into 4 short days. {Happy birthday Mom!} As I write this,  I’m on a flight on my way back home.  I know what was in our fridge and freezer when I left town, but am not sure what (if anything) is still there.  With that in mind, this week’s menu is full of easy-peasy meals that can be made using minimal ingredients.  (Ok…so most of my weekly menus include easy-peasy recipes that use a minimal amount of ingredients).

Since Monday is National Taco Day, I thought we’d kick off our week with a little fiesta!  I’ll be making my very own creative fish tacos.  I’ll let you know how it turns out!

Monday -Fish Tacos {Recipe and Giveaway coming later this week}

Tuesday – Italian Chicken and Brown rice with Broccoli

Wednesday – Sandwiches (This is youth group night and the kids go straight from sports practices to church)

Thursday – Tomato Basil Bisque with Honey Wheat Bread

Friday – Mexican Chicken Skillet

Saturday – Leftover buffet

Sunday – Dinner with my parents

That’s our meal plan for the week!  To see what everyone else has cookin’ this week and for menu planning ideas, check out Menu Plan Monday.

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Menu Plan Monday – Fair Week

27 Sep posted by

I can’t believe it’s Monday already…and it’s not just any Monday.  Today is the first day of the fair.  In our town, we have two major traditions…the ACD Festival and the fall fair.  During both of these times, people flock to our little town.  The center of town is closed off and traffic is re-routed by our house.  It’s crazy, it’s busy and it’s fun!

During this week, our girls take every opportunity they can to make it down to the fair where you’ll find every imaginable fair food.  Add a few soccer games, a big bug project, a youth outreach project, a youth retreat, and my mom’s birthday and you’ll find that we’re not going to be home much which means there won’t be a whole lot of cooking going on at our house this week.

These are the 2 meals I have planned for this week.  I’m not sure if I’ll end up making both of them, but this is the plan for the time being.

  • Creamed Chicken and biscuit
  • Creamy Tomato Bisque with Homemade bread or rolls

Nothing too fancy at our house, just some yummy cozy comfort food to help offset the chilly weather!

That’s what’s cooking at our house this week!  You can find lots of great menu plans and menu planning ideas over at Menu Plan Monday!

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Menu Plan Monday

13 Sep posted by

Last week was much better as far as meal planning went although we still went out a couple times.  I definitely feel a lot less stress when we have our menu planned out for the week.

Monday – Creamed Chicken & Biscuits (I made this for the first time last week and it was absolutely delicous! Everyone in our family loved it which was nothing short of miraculous.  I’ll post the recipe soon.)

Tuesday – Baked Spaghetti Casserole (Another crowd pleaser at our house.  I’ll post this recipe in the near future as well.)

Wednesday – Sandwiches (The girls both have soccer practice after school and don’t get a chance to come home before church.)

Thursday – BBQ Chicken Sliders and Pasta Salad

Friday – Chicken and  Broccoli Braid

Saturday – Leftover night

That’s what’s cooking at our house this week. You can find lots of great menu plans and menu planning ideas over at Menu Plan Monday!

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Menu Plan Monday

6 Sep posted by

Over the last week, I’ve spent a lot of time going through our cookbooks looking for new and interesting recipes.  I tend to get in a cooking rut and we eat a lot of the same things each week which can be quite boring.  I’m also going to try to start doing a lot of my cooking prep for the week over the weekend so each meal is easier to handle.

Monday – Creamed Chicken and Biscuits

Tuesday – Baked Spaghetti Casserole

Wednesday – BBQ Chicken Sliders and Pasta Salad

Thursday –  Pepperoni and Cheese Calzone

Friday –  Breakfast for dinner

Saturday – Leftover Buffet

That’s what’s cooking at our house this week. You can find lots of great menu plans and menu planning ideas over at Menu Plan Monday!

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Menu Plan Monday

30 Aug posted by

It’s another crazy week here, so you’ll have to excuse the “not so healthy” menu planning this week.  Please don’t frown on my lack of domestic skills!

Monday – Papa John’s $6 Pizza Special

Tuesday – Crockpot Chicken with noodles and broccolli

Wednesday – Hot Dogs and Mac & Cheese

Thursday – Spaghetti with Meat Sauce and Tossed Salad

Friday – Mexican Chicken Skillet (I’m really looking forward to trying this new recipe!)

Saturday – Leftover Buffet

That’s what’s cooking at our house this week. You can find lots of great menu plans and menu planning ideas over at Menu Plan Monday!

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Menu Plan Monday

23 Aug posted by

I just wanted to say thank you for all the helpful suggestions last week.  I was at a total loss last week as to what to make with us running in so many different directions. This week I feel like I have a somewhat decent plan.  We’re still doing tons of running around, but at least we won’t be running through the drive-through.

Monday – Crockpot bbq chicken sandwiches and sweet potato fries

Tuesday – Lasagna and tossed salad

Wednesday – Tacos

Thursday – Teriyaki chicken, brown rice, and spinach

Friday – Homemade pizza

Saturday – Leftover Buffet

That’s what’s cooking at our house this week.  You can find lots of great menu plans and menu planning ideas over at Menu Plan Monday!

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Help! It’s Menu Plan Monday & I Have No Plan

16 Aug posted by

We’re starting back to school this week and sports are in full swing for my girls.   Our schedule is insane and we have something going on every single night this week during the dinner hour.   As I sat down to make this week’s menu plan, I realized that there are quite a few nights that I will have to go directly from work to one of the girl’s games and we probably won’t be home before 8 or 8:30.  I really don’t want to eat out, so I need your help coming up with foods that we can pack to take to a game.  I’d prefer things that don’t have to be eaten warm.   I know that there are lots of you out there that will have great ideas!  My kids and hubby thank you in advance!

If you’re looking for ideas, head on over to Menu Plan Monday!

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Menu Plan Monday

25 Jul posted by

The last few months have been utterly chaotic at our house.  Between Fort Wayne’s Smallest Winner, softball, and summer basketball, I’ve really struggled with meal planning.  Unfortunately, as a result, we’ve spent a lot more money on food than we normally would and our meals haven’t been very impressive. I’ve decided that I need to get back into meal planning before the kids start school and things get even crazier.  So this is what I came up with for the week.  It’s not very impressive, but I don’t feel like doing a whole lot of shopping this week and these can be made with things we have on hand!

  • Monday – Beef Burritos
  • Tuesday – Italian Chicken, Brown Rice, & Spinach
  • Wednesday – CEDAR POINT!!!
  • Thursday – BBQ Pork Sandwiches, Corn, & Watermelon
  • Friday – Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Meat Sauce & Broccoli
  • Saturday – Leftovers

That’s what’s cooking at our house this week.  You can find lots of great menu plans and menu planning ideas over at Menu Plan Monday!

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Menu Plan Monday

22 Mar posted by

This will be another crazy busy week at our house.  The girls are on spring break.  We have a few extra things going on at work this week. AND we have company coming this weekend (which I’m super excited about!).  In order to keep the chaos to a minimum, this will be a fairly simple week at our house.

Monday – Chicken Fajitas

Tuesday -  Baked Ziti with salad and homemade bread

Wednesday -Macaroni & Cheese with Hot Dogs

Thursday – Crockpot chicken and rice

Friday -  Steak, Corn, and homemade rolls

Saturday – Chicken Ranch Pizza (We’re going to make Easter Egg shaped individual pizzas and use the toppings to decorate them.   This should be a fun and tasty dinner!)

For more menu planning inspiration or just to see what everyone else has cooking this week, head on over to Menu Plan Monday at I’m An Organizing Junkie.

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Menu Plan Monday

28 Feb posted by

This might be the shortest Menu Plan Monday ever…since we’ll only be in town 2 nights. I’m leaving at before 4 am on Wednesday and the kids will be with their grandparents being spoiled rotten the rest of the week while Fred and I celebrate our anniversary!

Monday – Fajita style pot roast with onions, green peppers, and fajita seasoning

Tuesday – Baked Ziti leftovers

If you want to see what everyone else has cooking this week, head on over to I’m An Organizing Junkie for Menu Plan Monday.

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Menu Plan Monday

22 Feb posted by

I can’t believe that it’s almost the end of February and this is my first “Menu Plan Monday” post of the year.  Shame on me!  This year has been full of busyness and craziness…I’ve actually had over 3 weeks worth of nights where I’ve stayed somewhere other than home! But…those are just excuses.  During the other 3+ weeks where I have been at home, I haven’t done a great job of planning meals and eating at home.  So I’ve decided to get back to menu planning.  It’s amazing to me how expensive eating out is…and most of the time, it’s not as good as a home cooked meal! I could go on and on about the benefits of menu planning (and I’m sure that I will at some point), but I’m sure you’d much rather read about what we’re eating at our house this week!

Monday -  Italian Chicken and rice

Tuesday – Pot roast and veggies

Wednesday – Sandwiches or leftovers

Thursday – Baked Ziti (I’ll post this recipe soon…it’s so yummy)

Friday – Homemade Pizza

Saturday – FFY

Sunday – Dinner out after church

If you want to see what everyone else has cooking this week, head on over to I’m An Organizing Junkie for Menu Plan Monday.

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Menu Plan Monday

7 Dec posted by


This is a short week of menu planning for me. My husband is out of town for most of the week so I’ll keep those days simple and then I’m heading to Indy to meet him on Friday and we’ll be there all day Saturday. The kids will be with my mom and dad, so I don’t have to plan any weekend meals.

Monday – Italian chicken and mashed potatoes

Tuesday – Spaghetti with meat sauce and salad

Wednesday – Breakfast for dinner

Thursday – Pizza

If you want to know what everyone else has cooking this week, head on over to I’m An Organizing Junkie for Menu Plan Monday.

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