So March is supposed to come in like a lion, but looking at the forecast for this week, I think we are in for lambish weather instead! Yeah, because I am sick of winter! We have a pretty standard week – lots of after-school activities – and I know that planning my menu for the week ahead of time is guaranteed to save me money, make my family healthier and lower the stress level in the house.

I am currently doing a review of the Palm Pre Plus for Verizon and am totally loving it (go read my post about the “Mom Palm” and you’ll understand why!). Well, I found a free app for the phone that anyone who does menu planning (or maybe this would be the motivation you need to start) should have – its called “What’s For Dinner?” The app lets you search for recipes online (from a huge group of sites), import your own recipes, and even create your own. You can even create the shopping list of ingredients for the meal you want to make. That’s what I call productivity. I can do my menu planning easily from anywhere and access the recipes on my phone in the kitchen.

So, what’s for dinner this week?

• Monday – Cashew Chicken in the Slow Cooker from the Better Homes and Gardens Slow Cooker recipe collection. Will serve with rice and mandarin oranges.
• Tuesday – Sloppy Joes, baked potatoes and mixed veggies
• Wednesday – German Potato Soup from the Better Homes and Gardens Slow Cooker recipe collection, too. Will serve with a tossed salad.
• Thursday – Lasagna and salad
• Friday – Quiche. I’m not sure what  kind yet, but I am in the mood for quiche this week.

Need more inspiration? Check out my Menu Plan Monday archives or head over to Laura’s at Organizing Junkie for links to hundreds of menus this week.

Don’t forget to submit your family oriented blog posts to our blog carnival called the “All Things Family” blog carnival - enter your submissions by 5 pm today to be included in this week’s edition.

So we got slammed with snow this weekend and spent plenty of together time over the past few days. I’m pretty convinced the kids will not have school most of the week as the roads are still bad, people are without power and the schools are pretty low on the priority list in our area.

We did a good grocery shopping late last week with a rough menu in mind. Now that I have had a chance to really assess what we have, I have the menu for the week ready:

• Monday – Meatloaf, mashed potatoes and gravy with broccoli
• Tuesday – Broccoli and cheese quiche with apple turnovers for dessert
• Wednesday – Steak and cheese subs and a tossed salad
• Thursday – Kielbasa, sauerkraut, green beans and fries for the kids
• Friday – Baked macaroni and cheese with veggies and dip

I spent the day cooking football and hockey watching food for the family. Between the meatballs, the pepperoni bread (I’ll post this recipe with photos later), and nachos, I think we have some good leftovers for lunch this week, too.

Need more inspiration? Check out my Menu Plan Monday archives or head over to Laura’s at Organizing Junkie for links to hundreds of menus this week.

Don’t forget to submit your family oriented blog posts to our blog carnival called the “All Things Family” blog carnival - enter your submissions by 5 pm today to be included in this week’s edition.

It was another busy weekend for us but I still took the time to plan my menu for the week. My goal this week is to use up as much as I can that we already have and not do a major grocery shopping trip.

• Monday - Spaghetti and meatballs with a tossed salad
• Tuesday – Sloppy Joe’s, baked fries, raw carrots/celery with dip
• Wednesday – Shredded chicken tacos, beans and rice
• Thursday – Turkey and Cheese rollups on a tortilla and vegetable soup
• Friday – Pizza and salad

Need more inspiration?Feel free to check out my Menu Plan Monday archives or head over to Laura’s at Organizing Junkie for links to hundreds of menus this week.

And tomorrow we are kicking off a brand new blog carnival called the “All Things Family” blog carnival - enter your submissions by 5 pm today to be included in this week’s edition.

Happy Monday! I’m back after a few crazy weeks that included Thanksgiving and me being out of town for week, we are ready for a return to a saner schedule. One of the best ways to simplify busy schedules is through planning – especially your menu. This week I have done a regular menu plan, but I am seriously considering going back to an old planning method of mine that makes it super easy for me to plan for the month, not repeat menus and it saves so much $$$! More on that in an upcoming post.

Now to this week’s menu:

• Monday – Slow cooker shredded chicken tacos
• Tuesday – Stuffed shells with marinara sauce, garlic bread and salad
• Wednesday – Crazy sports night – most likely subs
• Thursday – Sloppy joes, baked fries, peas and homemade applesauce
• Friday – Make your own pizza bar using Boboli pizza shells (personal size), tossed salad

Need more inspiration?Feel free to check out my Menu Plan Monday archives or head over to Laura’s at Organizing Junkie for links to hundreds of menus this week.

I am so glad we took yesterday to just stay home and recharge, because this week looks to be pretty busy. In addition to our normal crazy week, we also have to factor in that two of the kids are swimming in a swim meet this weekend and my oldest is getting braces on Thursday. I’ll have to print out the 30 Foods Your Orthodontist Hates list as a refresher ahead of time and adjust our menus accordingly until he gets used to them.

• Monday – Leftover Chinese food from Sunday
• Tuesday – School Spirit Night at Foster’s Grille
• Wednesday – Broccoli Cheddar Quiche and tossed salad
• Thursday – Potato Soup with turkey and cheese wraps
• Friday -  Pancakes, mixed fruit, and sausage for dinner.

I also have to make 2 lbs. of pasta salad for the swim meet concessions. Anyone have a good recipe for large batch pasta salad?

What’s on your menu this week? If you need ideas, feel free to check out my Menu Plan Monday archives or head over to Laura’s at Organizing Junkie for links to hundreds of menus this week.

If  I have said it once, I have said it a million times – life around here goes so much smoother when I plan and post the menu for the week on Sunday!! I haven’t posted it in a while and it has not been a good scene. With so many icky germs going around, proper nutrition for the kids really goes a long way – add that to the long list of reasons why menu planning is so important for your family.

I have checked the pantry and freezer and have made it my goal to make meals from what we have rather than going shopping again without a plan.Taking a look at what you already have, writing it all down and then planning can save tremendous amounts of time and money. If I have to go to the store at all this week, it will be with a very short list.

• Sunday – Steak, baked potato and roasted asparagus. May add mini apple turnovers and ice cream for dessert.
• Monday – Lasagna and tossed salad
• Tuesday – Angel Chicken and green peas
• Wednesday – Crazy sports schedule night – Subway or Panda Express (depending on the child – they end up eating at different times)
• Thursday – Chili in the slow cooker and corn bread muffins, plus tossed salad
• Friday – Build your own Quesadilla night
• Saturday – Leftover buffet!

What’s on your menu this week? If you need ideas, feel free to check out my Menu Plan Monday archives or head over to Laura’s at Organizing Junkie for links to hundreds of menus this week.

It occurred to me that I have not posted my Menu Plan for a few weeks and while I had it scratched out on a piece of paper, it just isn’t as good as getting online. We are back into our normal schedule with afterschool activities for one of the kids every day of the week. While that sounds crazy, it really isn’t too bad and each of the kids have plenty of time to get their homework done.

On the menu this week:

• Sunday – we made steak fajitas tonight with refried beans and rice. So yummy and the left overs will be put to good use – as in my lunch.
• Monday – I am in the mood for Vegetable soup so I will make a huge pot of my favorite vegetable soup for dinner with some good bread. Again, I can then have soup all week for lunch and may freeze some of it, too.
• Tuesday – Chicken patty sandwiches, sweet potato fries, veggies & dip
• Wednesday – Crazy overlapping sports night – healthy fast food like Subway or Baja Fresh
• Thursday – Meatballs with brown gravy over egg noodles and a tossed salad
• Friday – Build your own pizza & salad night

What’s on your menu this week? If you need ideas, feel free to check out my Menu Plan Monday archives or head over to Laura’s at Organizing Junkie for links to hundreds of menus this week.

• Monday – it’s Labor Day and that means no sports practices today. I am in the mood for burgers on the grill, some corn on the cob and roasted potatoes.
• Tuesday – Chicken Lo-Mein – this recipe looks easy enough to put together after we get back from swim practice – especially if I do the prep ahead of time.
• Wednesday – this is our challenge day! Practice schedules overlap like crazy so the best solution is for me to pick up subs or something similar while shuttling between venues.
• Thursday – Slow Cooker Fajitas -  I teach on Thursday evenings, but none of the kids have practice. This is usually a crock-pot kind of night so I can pack a hot meal for the girls (who usually come with me) and my son and husband can serve themselves when they are ready.
• Friday – DIY night! The crazy overlapping practice schedule strikes again. My daughter will most likely eat leftovers from the fajitas (her favorite) while my son & youngest daughter have requested Cheeseburger Macaroni – which they will eat after their practices.

What’s on your menu this week? If you need ideas, feel free to check out my Menu Plan Monday archives or head over to Laura’s at Organizing Junkie for links to hundreds of menus this week.

ALSO

Got daughters? Daughters who love dolls? You have to come visit my Doll Diaries site and enter to win THE cutest doll carrier/purse ever by myWallaby.

Have a great week!

School started last week and we made it through without too much drama. This week we will add a new twist – the full sports schedule gets added in this week which means I have to make sure I am totally prepared. By having a menu plan in place, not only do I remove some of the week night crazies, I make sure my very active kids are getting the quality nutrition they need.

On the menu this week:

• Monday – Stir Fry – Steak, Chicken, Veggies and Rice
• Tuesday – Creamy Chicken Pot Pie and Salad
• Wednesday -Spaghetti and Meatballs
• Thursday – Chicken Caesar Wraps and Fruit Kabobs
• Friday – Pizza to wrap up another busy week

What’s on your menu this week? If you need ideas, feel free to check out my Menu Plan Monday archives or head over to Laura’s at Organizing Junkie for links to hundreds of menus this week.

ALSO

Got daughters? Daughters who love dolls? You have to come visit my Doll Diaries site and enter to win THE cutest doll carrier/purse ever by myWallaby.

Have a great week!

I know that technically it is not Monday yet, but seeing as the kids go back to school tomorrow (…pumps fist, YES!..) I know I won’t have time to post this until much later tomorrow if I don’t do it now. If there is any single piece of advice I can give you, it is PLAN YOUR MENUS during the school year. Your family will thank you. You will save money on groceries, impulse trips to fast food/take out, your family will eat healthier, and as a result they will be healthier.

We are a busy, busy sports family. I coach gymnastics 2 evenings a week, my son and youngest daughter swim 3 nights a week and my middle daughter is at gymnastics 3 nights a week. It’s a little crazy, but we make it work. It helps that I work from home during the day and can have things organized ahead of time – menu planning is one of those things that really helps.

This week looks like:

• Monday - Saturday night Chinese take out leftovers with additional mixed veggies added to the fried rice.
• Tuesday – Sausage on the grill, sweet potato fries, green beans and baked apples for dessert.
• Wednesday - Kids cook night! We have no after school activities so they have decided to try making a Taco Pizza from the Kraft Food site.
• Thursday - Homemade turkey and cheese subs, fresh veggies with dip, fruit skewers
• Friday – Baked rigatoni, garlic bread and salad

What’s on your menu this week? If you need ideas, feel free to check out my Menu Plan Monday archives or head over to Laura’s at Organizing Junkie for links to hundreds of menus this week.