Meal Plan

It's been a long time since I've posted what we're eating around the Crouse House, but Brittany inspired me!

Monday: Chicken, broccoli, and cheese tortellini with alfredo sauce
Tuesday: Red beans and rice, cornbread
Wednesday: Pizza or chili
Thursday: Chili/Frito pie
Friday: Out of town
Saturday: Out of town
Sunday: Out of town

Menu Plan - Nov. 14

This will probably be the last week of actual cooking before I pack up the kitchen. I've been putting it off, but considering the move is in 2 weeks, I think I should get a move on things!

Monday: Chick-fil-A copycat Chicken Sandwiches
Tuesday: Broccoli Cheese Soup, grilled ham and cheeseWednesday: Church fellowship - taco salad
Thursday: Steak fingers & fries
Friday: Sloppy joes

Menu Plan - Nov. 7

Supper Plans for November 7-11

Monday: Cheeseburger Macaroni
Tuesday: Chicken fajitas, guacamole, chips
Wednesday: Chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, green beans
Thursday: Chicken Parmesan, sauteed veggies
Friday: Patty melts, seasoned fries, carrots

Recipe Recommendation:

Last week I tried this Crunchy Chicken with Pasta recipe.

[Picture Source]

Like usual, I didn't follow the recipe exactly. I didn't have Philadelphia Cooking Cream, but I did have cream cheese and a package of sun-dried tomato and herb seasoning. I coated my chicken pieces in a flour, Ritz crackers, spices, and butter mixture. Then I used the drippings from the pan and made a roux with flour and chicken broth. I added cream cheese, the seasoning packet, cream of mushroom soup, and more chicken broth to make the sauce creamy and the right consistency. I served it with rotini noodles covered with the cream sauce, topped with the crispy chicken, and sauteed veggies. It was quite scrumptious, if I do say so myself! Definitely a recipe I recommend!

One night this past week, I got up to take Grandma to the bathroom around 2:00 AM. Once I got her taken care of and settled back into bed, I had a little trouble falling back asleep. You know why? I couldn't shut my brain off. I was thinking of recipe ideas. I was planning out meals that we could have with using up ingredients we already on hand. I was also craving some kind of cream cheese/chili dip and wondering when I could make that.

Then my mind turned to our move to Florida. I got panicked wondering if there was going to be a Hobby Lobby and JoAnn Fabric close to our new house. I had to finally force myself to settle my brain and get some sleep! But, I did make a mental note to look up the nearest Hobby Lobby and Joann's in the morning. No worries...there are stores within 15 miles! Yippee!

Meal Planning Monday - Aug 22

Reviews:

I made this tilapia recipe a couple of weeks ago and it was really good! I'm not a huge fish person, but I like it occasionally. This recipe has a dill sauce that goes over the top of the fish. I wasn't sure how it would be with the spices of the fish, so I didn't serve it on top of the fish. I did add it on mine to see how it was and I was pleasantly surprised by the flavor combination! I will definitely be trying this recipe again!

This week:

Monday: Smothered chicken (search for "smothered chicken" at bottom of page), rice, broccoli

Tuesday: Roast, potatoes, carrots

Wednesday: Stuffed peppers, salad

Thursday: Skillet tacos

Friday: Grilled chicken, grilled potatoes, salad

Saturday: Chili dogs or turkey club

Sunday: church - taco salad, vegetable; supper - to be decided


Find more great menu ideas here!

Meal Planning Monday - Aug 8

Reviews:

Well, I didn't exactly follow our meal plan for last week. Not at all actually. I only made 2 of the meals I planned, and only 1 of those was on the right day. That's just how some weeks go!

Skillet chicken - - I still haven't found exactly where I got the recipe, but it's super easy. It was basically sauteeing vegetables (I used carrots, onion, green and red pepper), adding in chicken chunks and cooking until done, then dump in a can of crushed tomatoes and spices. I used garlic, basil, oregano, salt and pepper, but you could change the spices around to whatever flavors you would like.

We had a great time in the Metroplex for Chris' birthday and I ate one of the best meals of my life this weekend. But that will be another post.

This week's plan:

Monday: Crock-pot Lemon Chicken and noodles, carrots

Tuesday: Tilapia, rice, broccoli

Wednesday: Taco salad/tacos, guacamole

Thursday: Chicken tortellini, green beans

Friday: Spaghetti

Saturday: Brats, potatoes, vegetable

Sunday: Church - Chicken spaghetti, Oatmeal Butter Tart Squares; Supper - leftovers from church or burgers

***Check this page out for more meal ideas!***

Meal Planning Monday - Aug 1

Reviews:

Drunken Rosemary Chicken - - This was pretty good. It wasn't very bold in flavor, but that might be because I didn't measure my spices. I like a lot of flavor in my food, so I will probably add more spices next time I make it. I threw some frozen broccoli in at the same time I put the rice in, then let it cook on HIGH for about 25 minutes. One dish meal!

Creamy Bacon and Avocado Pasta Salad - - I really enjoyed this pasta salad. It was refreshing, different, and fairly easy to put together. If I make it again, I will probably add in some dry ranch mix.

Cake Batter Rice Crispy Treats - - First, let me say that I HATE making rice crispy treats. They're so hard to stir, they're sticky, and they often turn out hard. I was excited to make this recipe, because I love all things cake batter flavored! The recipe only calls for 1/4 cup of dry cake mix, but I added about 1/3 cup. Still, I couldn't taste the cake flavor. They still turned out pretty good and the sprinkles add a nice little crunch!

I did have one little incident while making the rice crispy treats:


This week's plan:

Monday: Skillet chicken (I have a recipe, but I can't figure out where I got it from to link it up.), carrots, salad

Tuesday: Tilapia, rice, broccoli

Wednesday: Smothered Chicken, egg noodles, green beans

Thursday: Chris' Birthday Supper!!!! - - Ribeyes, baked potatoes, salad

Friday: Out of town - - Ranger's game!

Saturday: Out of town to celebrate Chris' birthday - - Hurricane Harbor and Ranger's game!

Sunday: Not taking anything to church because we will be going there straight from Dallas; Supper - - Chicken tortellini

Find more menu ideas here!

Meal Planning Monday - July 25

It's been a while since I've posted about our menu for the week. You haven't missed much. Last week I did attempt to make a brisket for the first time. It turned out alright, but still needs some tweaking. It didn't taste nearly as good as my Dad's!

This week's menu:

Monday: Drunken Rosemary Chicken with rice

Tuesday: Grilled pork chops, grilled potatoes (sweet and regular), corn on the cob

Wednesday: Chicken Caesar Wraps and Creamy Bacon and Avocado Pasta Salad

Thursday: Chicken Fried Steak, mashed potatoes, green beans

Friday: Chris out of town - Leftovers

Saturday: Chris out of town - Leftovers/sandwiches/scrounge

Sunday: Church - Roasted potatoes, meat dish (to be decided), Cake Batter Rice Krispies

Just a side note...here is a collection of healthy(er) crock pot recipes someone put together. I've looked through it and found several really good recipes. Just thought I would share!

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

Menu Plan Monday - Jan. 24

Review from last week:

Well, so much for getting back to a planned menu this week! I followed the menu 3 out of the 7 days. I started the week out doing well, but the end of the week didn't go so well.

I did make the biscuits and they were pretty good. I think I rolled my dough out too thin, so they were kind of thin biscuits. I made a batch again Sunday night and put in the freezer for the week.

I didn't get around to making the Dairy Free Chocolate Chunk Cookies this week, but will for next Sunday. I have a little buddy at church who has severe food allergies. I feel bad that there isn't a lot of food he can eat, so I thought I would try making him some kind of dessert.

This week:

Monday: Green Enchilada Casserole, Mexican Beans

Tuesday: Breakfast Ring

Wednesday: Taco Soup

Thursday: Roast

Friday: Sweet and Sour Meatballs, Rice

Saturday: Chicken Fajita Pizza

Sunday: Church - Chick-Be-Quicks, Dairy Free Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Supper - Frito pie or hamburger pie

Hope you have a great week! See more menu plans here!

Menu Plan Monday - Jan. 17

No worries, we have eaten since November 8th! I've even managed to plan meals. I just haven't managed to post about my meal plan. Hopefully, I'll be back to my normal routine soon!

I don't have anything too exciting planned for this week. I am going to try a new recipe for biscuits for breakfast. This recipe says you can make a big batch and freeze them. That's my plan. I will pull a few out for breakfast every morning.

Monday: Taco skillet, guacamole

Tuesday: Fried chicken, potatoes, peas

Wednesday: Pork chops, cheesy potatoes

Thursday: Sweet and sour meatballs, rice

Friday: Burritos, corn casserole

Saturday: Soup and sandwiches

Sunday: Church - Green bean casserole, Dairy Free Chocolate Chunk Cookies

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

Menu Plan Monday - Nov. 1

Yay! It's November!!! I can't believe how fast October passed by, but I'm thankful to be in the season of thanksgiving.

Reviews from last week:

The meatball recipe I used was really good. As always, I changed it up a bit. I only made half the recipe. I also added jalapenos and onion. They turned out pretty good. I served them over rice with some white gravy. They would also be good in spaghetti sauce.

The Mexican Corn and Bean Chicken recipe was also good. Because I don't know how to follow a recipe, I ended up adding too much liquid (salsa and water), so it was kind of soupy. It turned out OK, because I made pinto beans to go with it. We ended up adding a big pot of beans to the chicken and had it as soup. With some crushed tortillas and shredded cheese....delicious!

The Italian Stuffed Shells were also very good. It was a bit labor-intensive, but good. I made one dish for supper that night and put a dish in the freezer. I loved the combination of the sausage and spinach together. I did add some cream cheese to the egg/cheese mixture to make it a little creamier.

This week:

It's "Scrounge Week," meaning I need to go grocery shopping. So in the meantime, we will scrounge up the remaining items in the pantry and freezer to make decent meals. Not my favorite thing to do, but we'll manage.

Monday: Chicken pot pie

Tuesday: Breakfast Ring (with bacon)

Wednesday: Good Earth Tuscan Chicken with Penne Pasta (I haven't tried to Good Earth brand of boxed meals before, but I got this one on sale. We don't do a lot of boxed meals, but I'm excited to try this!)

Thursday: Soup and sandwiches

Friday: Herbed Quinoa

Saturday: I'll have to figure this out after I (hopefully) go grocery shopping this week.

Sunday: Lunch at church - -Cheesy Chicken Lasagna

Menu Plan Monday - Oct. 25

Reviews from last week:

The pork chop recipe was delicious!!! They were very easy to put together and didn't take long to cook. I left the feta off of some and they still had a great flavor!

The Creamy Chicken Taquitos were also wonderful! They were pretty easy to put together and bake. I could have used a little more of a kick (possibly jalapeno), but still good flavor.

I didn't end up making the Italian Stuffed Shells, so they will go on the menu for this week.

I also made a pumpkin dessert for church on Sunday that was quite tasty! I wanted to make a pumpkin cheesecake, but didn't have all the ingredients. So, I threw something together with what I did have. Maybe I'll post the recipe later this week.

This week:

Monday: Meatballs, rice

Tuesday: Chicken fried steak, potatoes

Wednesday: Mexican Corn and Bean Chicken

Thursday: Leftovers

Friday: Italian Stuffed Shells

Saturday: I think we're going to a church meeting out of town

Sunday: Church out of town

Menu Plan Monday - Oct. 18

Reviews from last week:

The cheddar sausage balls were REALLY good! They were very easy to make and had a great flavor. I used Jimmy Dean's Sage flavored sausage in mine. They were good hot or cold the next day.

The pumpkin oatmeal was good, but needed more sugar! It worked out really well to make this, because I had pumpkin left over from making pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. These were really good too! I substituted applesauce for oil, so they were a little healthier. Even after the cookies and oatmeal, I still had a little pumpkin left. So, I made pumpkin pancakes. I just added a few tablespoons of pumpkin to my pancake mix.

The tuscan chicken and beans was OK. I thought it was supposed to be a soup, but it wasn't. I could have added more broth to make it a soup, but I decided to just make it like the recipe. I couldn't find sun-dried tomato flakes at the store, so I left those out. It was definitely missing some flavor! I roasted a tomato in the oven and put it over mine. That helped some, but it was still a little bland.

I also attempted to make an apple pie from scratch this weekend. It didn't turn out so great, but I'll try again another time!

I made this Rosemary, Cheddar and Garlic bread to go with the roast on Friday night. It was very easy and very good!

This week's menu:

Monday: Pork chops, black-eyed peas

Tuesday: Creamy chicken taquitos, quacamole

Wednesday: Italian Sausage Stuffed Shells, garlic bread

Thursday: Leftovers

Friday: Soup and sandwiches

Saturday: Haven't decided, but something easy!

Sunday: Lunch for church - White Chicken Chili

Find more menu plans and recipes here!

Menu Plan Monday - Sept. 13

Reviews from last week:

The jalapeno popper chicken was awesome! I've recently found the pleasure in jalapenos and have this strange desire to put them in everything. The jalapeno popper chicken was a good combination between spicy, creamy, and salty. Perfect!

The crockpot peppercorn steak was pretty good. I wouldn't say it was my favorite meal of the week, but it wasn't bad. I put red, yellow, orange, and green peppers in it and I think the peppers gave it too much of a sweet taste. There was a lot of the sauce part left, which I froze to use as a base for soup later.

The stuffed shells were very good. The recipe calls for a 9X13 pan. I made two 8x8 pans and froze one. It took me about 30 minutes to prepare and cost around $5.50. That's pretty good for two meals!

I didn't make the crockpot buffalo chicken lasagna last week, but I will try it soon!

I made tuna salad for lunch one day last week and made the most delicious tuna melt out of mine. I toasted tuna and shredded cheese on some bread, then added extra mayonnaise, salt and pepper. Topped with fresh spinach leaves and red onion. The tuna salad also had jalapeno in it. It was amazing!

Breakfast:
Granola and yogurt (Didn't make last week)
Eggs, fresh pears, toast
Bacon and fruit
Cereal and fruit
Toast and fruit

Lunch:
Leftovers
Chicken salad
Frozen pizza
Sandwiches

Supper:
Monday: BBQ Chicken Quarters, green beans, okra

Tuesday: Crescent Taco Bake

Wednesday: Fellowship supper at church - taking Buffalo Chicken Rice casserole (make Buffalo Chicken Dip and add to rice)

Thursday: Leftovers

Friday: Spaghetti

Saturday: Pork Spare Ribs, black-eyed peas

Sunday: Leftovers or Pizza

See more great menus and recipe ideas here.

Menu Plan Monday - Sept. 6

I tried several new recipes last week. Some we liked and some we didn't. I would highly recommend these breakfast cookies. I mean, who doesn't like eating cookies for breakfast? These were so yummy! I also made this baked oatmeal that was very tasty. I'm actually having some still this morning.

For suppers, I made ham kabobs and country ham and macaroni casserole one night. They were both very delicious.

One new recipe that we didn't care for was smashed potato cakes. I didn't like the flavor of the greek yogurt in the potatoes and making them cakes was one extra step that I didn't think was necessary.

I didn't get to make either of the quinoa recipes last week. The grocery store was sold out when I went shopping! I couldn't believe it! So, I'll try again another time and hopefully make it soon.

On to this week -

Breakfast Options:
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins and fruit
Eggs and toast
Cereal and fruit
Bacon and eggs
Oatmeal and fruit
Granola with yogurt (*I found out last week that Grandma does not like yogurt! So, I will be making this for myself!)

Lunch Options:
Leftovers
Tuna salad
Sandwiches
Frozen pizza

Supper:

Monday: Jalapeno Popper Chicken, black-eyed peas, cornbread

Tuesday: Crockpot Peppercorn Steak, corn

Wednesday: Brats, grilled potatoes, okra

Thursday: Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Lasagna, green beans

Friday: Chris is going to the football game, so Grandma and I will probably just do something easy.

Saturday: Dinner at church

Sunday: Stuffed shells, garlic cheddar biscuits, peas, lima beans

Go here for more menu ideas!

How I Plan a Menu

I'm a bit crazy about making lists. I make them all the time. It's just how my brain works. It helps me to be more organized and productive. I make lists of things to do, things to buy, things I want, things I don't like, and even lists of things to make lists about. It's an obsession.

For me, menu planning involves a lot of lists. It's a bit of a tedious task, but one I enjoy very much. Here's a little look into how I go about planning a menu and grocery shopping.

First, I make a list of all the meals that I want to make. I've been planning for a month at a time, but this month I decided to only do 2 weeks at a time. I make a list for breakfast, lunch, and supper, sides, and snacks. Some of these are new recipes and some are old tried-and-true recipes.


Once I have my list compiled of all the recipes I would like to use in the two weeks (or month), I start planning them out by day. Sometimes I use an actual calendar, but this time I just use a scratch piece of paper. I try to include a variety throughout the week: chicken, beef, pork, grilled food, etc. I also try to plan the meals so we don't have the same kind of meat two nights in a row. That doesn't always work, but I do my best.



Once I have the meals assigned to specific days, it's time to make a grocery list. I go through each meal, check the recipe (if I need one), and write down everything I'll need for that meal. I do this for each meal and just keep a running list. If something is a repeat, like cheese or meat, I make tally marks by the item on the list to indicate how much of it is needed. You can see this next to the cheddar cheese on my list.

Now, I could call it done at this point. However, if I did, I would be one disorganized, stressed, and chaotic woman at the grocery store. (Please be aware that this is usually the case regardless.) Once I have my master list of groceries needed, I start organizing it into categories. I created this handy-dandy shopping list that is broken down by aisles at the grocery store. This took a few weeks of going to HEB to get everything in the right category, but it makes life at the grocery store so much easier!

The final step is to go through my coupons and highlight the items on my list for which I have coupons. I have found that once I'm in the store and focused on trying to get everything, I usually forget that I have coupons. By highlighting the item, it causes me to pay extra care to actually use that coupon. I clip all my coupons to my list and as I put the item in my shopping cart, I put the coupon with my wallet.

And that, my friends, is how I menu plan and make a grocery list. Aren't you glad you know a little bit more about how crazy I am?

Menu Plan Monday: Aug. 30th

Last week I followed my menu pretty well. The only exception was Friday. Chris had to go out of town, so Grandma and I just had an easy supper of PB&J and soup.

With Grandma living with us again, I'm taking extra care to plan breakfast, lunch, and snacks in addition to supper. We have to be sure to keep Grandma eating several times a day to keep her weight up.

Breakfast (no particular order, I just pick something each day):
Cereal and fruit
Breakfast cookies and fruit
Eggs and bacon
Yogurt and fruit
Baked oatmeal and fruit
Bacon and toast

Lunch:
Leftovers
Quesadilla
Soup
Chicken salad
Sandwiches

Supper:
Monday: Tacos, refried beans, guacamole
Tuesday: Ham 2 ways (Ham Kabobs & Country Ham and Macaroni Casserole), green beans
Wednesday: Cheeseburger Turnovers, oven fries, peas, lima beans
Thursday: Chicken and veggie packets on the grill, grilled potatoes
Friday: Pork steaks or pork chops (depending on what is on sale at the grocery), quinoa risotto, broccoli
Saturday: Chicken pizza
Sunday: Crockpot peppercorn steak, smashed potatoes, corn

If you're interested, I'm planning a post for later this week on how I go about planning menus and organizing a grocery list.

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