::Dinner Plans #26::

Another week, another meal plan. I really do find a large amount of joy in coming up with a meal plan and doing the planning/shopping/preparing/cooking. The part I don't like? The cleaning! The cleaning is the worst part. I should be honest, though. I only have to do the cleaning up from dinner on the few nights that my husband isn't home. Like I said, though, that doesn't happen all to often.

Monday: Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Stew. I realized that, during my pregnancy, I made quite the stock pile of freezer meals. This is one that we eat pretty often--it looks kinda gross, but it tastes good and the kids love it!
Tuesday: Instant Pot Deconstructed Egg Rolls. My mother-in-law made this a few weeks ago, and we loved them. Even my picky five-year-old gobbled them up.
Wednesday: Lasagna! It's another one of those freezer meals. Unfortunately for our meals, the weather has turned and we have a lot of "winter" meals left to eat. I will gladly deal with "winter" meals in the nice weather...as long as the nice weather stays! We definitely put in our time this year--snowiest April on record for Minnesota!
Thursday: Summer Vegetable & Chicken Soup. I haven't tried this one yet; hopefully everyone likes it!
Friday: Homemade Pizza. If the weather cooperates, we will have grill pizza and eat outside. My kids love to eat outside. It isn't my favorite thing, but I do it anyway.
Saturday: Grilled Kebabs & Vegetables.

::Dinner Plans #25::

I've started to do my meal planning and grocery shopping on Mondays (well, sometimes the shopping doesn't happen until Tuesday) and it has been wonderful. The grocery stores are far less crowded--I used to tackle Costco and Aldi on Saturdays. Yikes. That's all I'll say about that.

Here are our plans for the week:

Monday: Sheet Pan Cashew Chicken OH EM GEE. We had this a couple of weeks ago, and it was delicious. I almost followed the recipe to a T, though I left out the sugar. While I had to pick around a few things for the picky kid (the big one doesn't care for peppers), this recipe was a hit and will definitely be added to the rotation.

Tuesday: Instant Pot Roast. I use this recipe because I don't really care for the recipes that use onion soup mix (I did leave out the A1 steak sauce). Don't get me wrong. I love the onion soup mix in sour cream as a chip dip. It just isn't my favorite for a roast!

Wednesday: Shrimp Alfredo -- easy peasy, from a jar. Simple, oh so simple. We cook shrimp, cook noodles, throw a jar of alfredo sauce over to top. When I'm super organized, I have a salad all set to go. But that doesn't always happen.

Thursday: Sheet Pan Fajitas. Apparently I'm on a sheet pan fix. They're so easy. Easy clean-up, low prep (usually), and fairly quick cooking times. I've found myself figuring out which recipes I can prep ahead of time to make the preparations go even faster when I'm back to work (man, that's going to come far to soon!). I'll be making instant pot rice as a side.

Friday: Beef Lo Mein. I just realized that I've provided a link for almost all of the meals. Yikes. I'm not doing super fancy recipes all the time. Most of these aren't so fancy-I am just still in the recipe following stage. I promise. Most of them are easy recipes.

Saturday: Chicken Noodle Soup & Grilled Cheese Sandwiches. Another super-simple go-to meal we have every couple of weeks. Especially in the winter. And for some reason, winter hung around for a long time this year.

I intentionally leave Sunday open, as we usually end up at a family dinner at least once each week.

::Dinner Plans #24::

I am going in a new direction this week: budget friendly. Well, it's more of a pantry clean out. We have a freezer in our basement that is beyond full, a pantry that is bursting at the seems, and a regular freezer that has not an inch of space left. My plan is to use what we currently have for as long as possible - and to see how long I can go without spending copious amounts of cash money.

Sunday - Shepherd's Pie: a repeat from last week, I know, but we didn't get to it.

Monday - Leftover chili: it's been taking up space in my freezer for a few months.

Tuesday - Stir Fry: this has also been taking up space in the freezer for a few months.

Wednesday - Family Dinner

Thursday - Pan-fried Venison Steak and Steamed Veggies

Friday - Spaghetti: I have 2 quarts of frozen marinara sauce in the freezer, too.

Saturday - Tater-Tot Hot Dish: another recently made meal. We typically have the ingredients for this on hand all of the time.

In looking at my current pantry, I think my bill for dinner ingredients will be about $3. Of course, I will need to purchase some fresh fruit for snacks in the upcoming week, but I think this might be the cheapest week (grocery-wise) of my life.

What are your go-to budget friendly meals?

How about your go-to pantry clean out meals?

...I'm always looking for new recipes!

::Dinner Plans #23::

Oh, goodness did the holidays treat you as well as they treated me? I can tell by the more snugly fitting clothes. Oof. The chocolate. The cookies. The drinks. The pure yumminess that comes with family events.

And now, now we are back. It's time to get back on track. Back to healthy (well, healthier) foods.

Sunday: Chicken Pot Pie
Monday: Chicken Fried Rice
Tuesday: Lasagna Soup
Wednesday: Family Dinner
Thursday: Shepherd's Pie
Friday: Venison Tacos
Saturday: Italian Meatball Sandwiches

::Dinner Plans #22::

Whoops, it's Thursday. I normally post my dinner plans on Sunday - my shopping and prepping day.

It's amazing how busy the days and weeks before Christmas get! Better late than never, right?

Sunday: Rotisserie Chicken & Roasted Broccoli, Cauliflower, and Brussels Sprouts
Monday: Spaghetti
Tuesday: Tater-Tot Hot Dish
Wednesday: Homemade Pizzas
Thursday: Chicken Enchiladas
Friday: Pesto Chicken with Mushrooms
Saturday: Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls

Now that it's Thursday, I can tell you that the Tater Tot Hot Dish & Homemade Pizzas were a huge hit! We make our pizza dough in the bread maker, and it is so delicious! I break the dough up into smaller chunks so everyone can top their pizzas. Kid was super excited about "popper-oni." I always top mine with grilled chicken, mushrooms, broccoli, and spinach. The husband goes for an "everything" pizza, without fail.

Eventually, I will write a post about how I prep for my week of meals. For now, I will leave you with this tip: group similar recipes together. Enchiladas, pesto chicken & mushrooms, and unstuffed cabbage rolls all call for rice. So, I am making a triple batch of rice tonight in order to cut the prep time for tomorrow and Saturday. I did the same thing on Monday: both recipes called for ground beef. I browned it all at once, then split it into 2 different portions. One went into the spaghetti sauce, and the other portion went into the fridge for tater tot hot dish.

What tips do you have for meal planning and prep?

::Dinner Plans #21::

It's been awhile since I have posted any sort of meal plan or menu. Life has just been a little bit too crazy. So crazy, our two year old was our alarm clock this morning. Whoops! I must have turned the alarm off without realizing it, and then slept for another hour. Thank goodness the little Kid woke up and started yelling, "MOM!"

I've been a little bit disorganized, and that has transferred into my meal planning and cooking as well. There have been too many nights where a frozen pizza or fish sticks have been thrown on the table. So here I am. Holding myself accountable by posting a meal plan on the ol' blog.

And then I realized that I need to update the image. Hello, old Dinner Plans image!

Sunday: Chicken & Roasted Veggies
Monday: Chicken Fried Rice
Tuesday: Cashew Chicken
Wednesday: Family Dinner
Thursday: Italian Zucchini Boats
Friday: Taco Salad
Saturday: Wild Rice Soup

::Dinner Plans #20::

Wow, has it been awhile! I'm so happy to be back and writing again. Writing is a stress reliever for me...I always feel so much more relaxed after completing a post or writing in my journal.

Last week was a busy one, with my last day of school in the middle. This year, the last day of school is one I will never forget...

At 2:45am, I woke up to my phone ringing vibrating off the table. My 32 week pregnant-with-twins sister had called. Her husband was out of town for work, her two children fast asleep in their beds. And I missed the call. I had to try her 10 times before she answered, and all she could ask was if I would call Mom.

Can you guess where this story is going?

And isn't it amazing how, at 32 years old, moms are still the ones we call when something isn't right?

My sister had woken up around 1:45, needing to use the bathroom. She did, then let her 2 dogs out, then started the dryer, since the washing machine had completed its cycle. At 2:15, she felt like she had to poop. So she did, but her stomach was still hurting. She started making phone calls to my parents -- they don't have a phone in their room, and my dad's cell phone was on silent. Unfortunately, my mom isn't so reliable with her cell phone. She never knows where it is.

When I finally got a hold of Sister, she had made herself a warm bath and continued to tell me she felt like she had to poop.

"Get off the phone. I'm calling an ambulance," I said as I buckled Kid into his car seat and started the car. In my mind, I knew those babes were coming. And I wasn't about to deliver twins. Nor was my husband, who was in his car just seconds behind me.

I arrived at their house first and got in through the front door (luckily, she had unlocked it). The EMTs arrived shortly thereafter and got her into the ambulance. Scott (the first EMT) mentioned that the contractions were about 5 minutes apart.

I buckled into the front seat of the ambulance. Hubs stayed at Sister's house with Kid, and our niece and nephew. As Sister was loaded into the ambulance, contractions were about a minute apart (talk about a fast labor!).

Twelve minutes after leaving my sister's house via ambulance, Baby A was born at 3 pounds 9 ounces. Baby B made her arrival 18 minutes later feet first, at the hospital. She weighed in at 4 pounds 2 ounces.

My parents made it to the hospital before Baby B was born. The three of us were able to watch Baby B be born -- what a cool experience. I called my brother in law as soon as Baby A was born. I imagine that he threw his things together as fast as possible, found a taxi, and got to the airport in no time. He got to the hospital by 10:30am.

By 5am, I needed to get home... there was a last day of school to be had! I got in the shower, got ready, and headed to work. Arriving at 6:45. It was the earliest I had been there all year. And it was the last day of school.

Needless to say (even though, after I say it right now, I will have said it twice), I will never forget this year's last day of school!

And now, it's Father's Day. My husband is celebrating his 2nd Father's Day. My dad, his 33rd (today is also my sister's birthday). My brother-in-law is celebrating his 4th Father's Day, this time as a father of 4.

But now, the meal plan...

Sunday: Dinner at Ike's for my sister's birthday. It was delicious!

Monday: Chicken Noodle Soup. It's supposed to be rainy and slightly chilly this whole week. Chicken noodle soup seems fitting.

Tuesday: Pot Roast with mushrooms and carrots, and "faux-tatoes" on the side. I'll make a baked potato for my husband though. He doesn't care for the cauliflower puree. I, for one, think it's delicious. And so does Kid. But Kid will eat anything.

Wednesday: Venison stir-fry. Nothing really exciting about that!

Thursday: Beer-butt Chicken on the grill. This is a summertime tradition, and I love it. It makes such deliciously moist chicken!

Friday: Steaks & grilled vegetables. I'm thinking carrots and zucchini. I know the hubs would like a nice salad with this meal.

Saturday: Creamy Chicken Spaghetti Casserole. The Hubs loves a good casserole. I'd be a mean wife if I didn't indulge him from time to time. I've never tried this one, but everything I've tried of PW's has been absolutely delightful. And, have you watched her show?

::Dinner Plans #19::

Oh me, oh my. Last week was a bit of disaster without a meal plan. Work has been rather busy, since it's the end of the school year, and I've felt a bit frazzled. This week, I decided that a meal plan was necessary, just to keep a bit of my sanity!

As you can probably tell from my absence on the ol' blog, we have been busy! It has definitely been a good busy, though. We have had a lot of family time, including an engagement party, a birthday party, and evening bonfires. When Kid was a new baby, I joined a Mama group at Amma Parenting Center in Edina. One of the best things I did for myself. TOday, after not seeing the moms and babes in the group, we got together to celebrate everyone's first birthday. My little man is the oldest, but everyone was born within 8 weeks of each other. With summer (almost) here, I hope to be better at keeping in contact and meeting up with everyone to give Kid a few more opportunities to play with kids his age since he won't be at daycare.

The weekend has come to an end, and Kid is finally in bed. His sleep has been off lately - I blame the molars he's working on (his gums are bruised!).

Sunday: Today, we were so unbelievably healthy. We had popcorn for dinner. Kid had leftover homemade chicken noodle soup, peas, and sweet potatoes. He's the lucky one.

Monday: Kebabs ... with beef, zucchini, and mushrooms. I'm excited for our first kebabs of the season!

Tuesday: Cashew Chicken. I'm thinking of grilling, though. It is spring, after all, and I need to make up for the time the grill sat unused.

Wednesday: Roasted Chicken with Garlic and Onions. I won't eat the onions, but I love the flavor they add to the chicken.

Thursday: BBQ Chicken, with homemade BBQ sauce. There's a lot of chicken on the menu this week. We have quite a bit of chicken in the freezer that needs to get used.

Friday: Fancy Steak & Eggs, except I plan to use venison steaks. Again, it's what we have in the freezer. And, I just really like venison.

Saturday: Make Your Own Hobo Dinners. I love hobo dinners. They're so easy, and you can put just about anything into the packet. Now, we will just have to decide if we want to cook them in the oven, or build a bonfire and bury them in the coals.

::Dinner Plans #18::

I didn't go grocery shopping last weekend, and because of that I have spent so much money.

As I've mentioned before, I shop at Aldi. Because of this, I save a ton of money every week. Unfortunately, there is not an Aldi close to my house. It's not a place I can just "swing by." If there is a week that I didn't my weekend Aldi trip didn't happen, I often stop at Target.

Target, the wonderful money-sucking store just down the street.

Seriously, can you leave Target empty-handed? Do you ever leave with only the items you went in for? I always seem to find something that I don't need.

I'm planning ahead this week. I wrote out my list Friday night (I know, my life is so awesome!). I even checked it twice, and made sure to look in the pantry so I didn't double up on items.

And, I am so excited to tell you that I am 100% prepared for all of the meals on my menu this week!

Sunday: We have our annual Syttende Mai celebration at my grandma's house and will be having dinner with everyone there.

Monday: Taco Casserole. The hubs has been requesting this meal for awhile now. I wish there was a way to make it paleo and still have him like it. Hmm...my wheels are turning, and I may be experimenting in the near future.

Tuesday: Working late, again. It's the last Tuesday that I need to be working late, so that is kind of nice. Kid will have dinner with my parents again.

Wednesday: Seared chicken thighs, cauliflower puree, and roasted carrots. Oh, roasted carrots. I'm so excited!

Thursday: Garlic Pepper Venison. We haven't had venison in quite a while, so this will definitely be a treat.

Friday: Beef, Mushroom, & Broccoli Slaw Lettuce Cups. These are SO good. So good I capitalized the whole word (all of its 2 letters. That's right).

Saturday: Creamy Chicken Mushroom & Roasted Cauliflower Soup. This is another one of those meals that is just plain delicious. And filling. And, it has mushrooms. I love mushrooms. Did I mention that it is delicious?

::Dinner Plans #17::

Hi, and happy Monday!

How was everyone's Mother's Day? I had a fabulous day yesterday. We spent Saturday evening and Sunday morning up north with my husband's family. Hubs' sister and brother-in-law live in the small town of Mora, MN. We were able to see there house and hang out on their 7 acres of woods. And, upon our return home, we scoured our bodies, Kid's body, and the dog's body for ticks. I. Hate. Ticks. They scare the crud out of me.

We spent a couple hours at home, and then went to my sister's house for a gathering with my family. It was so delightful. They just moved into a new home, so it was fun to see the changes they've made to the home, and hear what my niece had to say about it: "Do you remember my room? It's mine because it's pink, and I love it. Do you want to play Frozen?" She'll be four in July, and is already planning her Frozen party.

But the best part of the weekend? My husband and I took a personal day from work today. And sent Kid to daycare for a couple of hours. It was so nice to hang out at home and get things done without the baby at our feet. Unfortunately, he came home from daycare rather cranky. He signed for milk, but was not a fan of the sippy cup. I'm not sure when we're supposed to get rid of the bottle. We haven't yet. He gets a bottle of milk in the AM, and then one before bed. He continued to sign for milk, so we gave him his bottle early. But, get this. We normally start the bedtime routine at 7:30 and he's asleep by 8.

He's been asleep since 6pm. Tired boy.

I'm a little concerned about the rest of the night, though.

Sunday: pizza with my family. Oh, it was so wonderful.

Monday: we're finally getting around to making a whole chicken in the dutch oven. I used this recipe (it's currently cooking) for the chicken, and sauteed some mushrooms and zucchini on the side.

Tuesday: dinner is usually on our own on Tuesdays. Hubs has a coaching job on Tuesday nights, and I supervise soccer fields. Kid hangs out with my parents.

Wednesday: grilled chili-lime steak. Maybe some peppers on the side, and some marinated vegetables.

Thursday: some form of meatloaf. I haven't decided yet. But I'm planning on making it up. And I'm planning on using my Dutch oven (although, since it is enameled, I think it is technically a French oven). 

Friday: burgers and grilled veggies.

Saturday: my nephew turns one! We will be at his birthday party for dinner.

Okay, I stopped in the middle of this post to finish making dinner, and to enjoy it with my husband. Kid has still been asleep the entire time (I'm kind of shocked!).

::Dinner Plans #16::

This weekend got a way from me, fast! I cannot believe that it is already nap time on Sunday morning. Kid has been sleeping for an hour and a half, and I have been running around like crazy cleaning the house, folding laundry, getting in a shower, and just relaxing!

I love Sunday.

I don't love that I have 7 posts in my draft folder that need my attention. I need to start scheduling some time each week, away from work and away from home, to blog. I really want to share these posts with you, but I don't want to publish them until they are at their finest.

We had a great weekend. Our local shopping center hosted it's free (yay!) Big Vehicle Day yesterday, and Kid was in heaven! A post on that (full of pictures!) is in the works.

But on to the dinner plans. Last week was a huge success! I loved the sesame beef and broccoli. And the chicken verde lettuce wraps were phenomenal. We had enough leftovers for a couple of days worth of lunch.

Sunday: Today is my grandpa's 85th birthday, so we will be having dinner over there. I'm bringing zuchinni and carrots to grill.

Monday: Chicken Soup. There will be noodles on the side for the hubs, but I plan to add in a lot of vegetables so as to not need noodles.

Tuesday: Take-out. The hubs and I both work late on Tuesdays, and Kid stays with my parents. We'll each grab our own take out. Hubs will probably head for McDonald's. I'll aim for something a little healthier, but it's hard with take out!

Wednesday: Dutch Oven Roasted Chicken. I found a great recipe for chicken from the Pioneer Woman, so I suppose I'll follow that. The best thing about cooking a whole chicken, though, is that you can add whatever seasonings you'd like! We'll have mashed cauliflower on the side, along with a fresh salad or some steamed vegetables.

Thursday: Dinner with the in-laws. Who knows what we will have!?

Friday: Burgers topped with mushrooms and spinach - maybe even some slices of avocado?

Saturday: Pheasant Tortilla Soup. We have some birds to eat, and we're still looking for our go-to pheasant soup recipe.

::Dinner Plans #15::

I’m feeling a bit more energized when it comes to meal planning. Which is good, because things were getting boring around here. Steam this veggie, pan fry that piece of meat.

Now that the weather is finally starting to turn toward spring, the grill has been dusted off and needs to be used more and more (and more, and more!). I’ve been spending quite a bit of time looking for new recipes, and a few make-ahead meals for those busy nights.

This week won’t be too busy, as far as after school plans go, so I wasn’t too concerned with the make-ahead meals this time around. Plus, I just don’t know if I’m organized enough to have all of the ingredients ready. I’m kind of thinking about trying a few make-ahead recipes during the first few weeks of the summer. Hopefully then, I can be organized enough to get some meals in the freezer for the fall. Big plans, I know.

Let’s cut to the chase. Here’s the meal plan, chock full of new-to-me recipes.

Sunday: Birthday Dinner at my grandma’s house. Can’t wait to see all the relatives again. It has been a long time since seeing everyone!

Monday: Breakfast Bowls (for dinner, I know). I plan to add some egg, because it really isn’t breakfast without eggs. Mondays are perfect for breakfast dinner because breakfast can be such a quick thing to cook. And Mondays are always tough.

Tuesday: Crock Pot Chicken Verde Lettuce Wraps (tacos, if you’re the hubs). Looks delicious. Yummy chicken. Thick slices of avocado. Cannot wait.

Wednesday: Green Bean Casserole. I’m really excited to try the paleo version of this comfort food. It is definitely one of my favorite Thanksgiving dishes, so hopefully it is delicious!

Thursday: Sesame Beef and Broccoli.

Friday: Date Night!

Saturday: Seared Chicken Thighs with Mushrooms & Onions. I can’t do a new recipe every night! That would make the week way more stressful than necessary.

There you have it. A meal plan I’m actually excited about. It has been awhile since I’ve been excited about cooking/meal planning/grocery shopping. Okay. That’s a lie. I always get excited about grocery shopping, so I can search for deals and more deals.

Linking up with Jessica Lynn Writes for This Week’s Eats.

::Dinner Plans #14::

Oh goodness gracious. I've done it again.

Forgotten to make plans. It's amazing how quickly the week goes, and the weekend flies by even faster! There has been so much going on these days - a lot of family gatherings with the Easter holiday.

I'm still feeling as though I'm in a rut as far as food goes. I make these fabulous plans for paleo meals, and then i fall off the paleo wagon. Paleo doesn't work how it is supposed to if you indulge in ice cream after dinner, and have a completely non-paleo breakfast and/or lunch. I'm thinking I need to plan out breakfasts and dinners as well. Does anyone else find paleo a bit difficult to follow in the extremely busy times?

Sunday: Easter dinner ... ham, asparagus, carrots, potatoes... Twice. That's right. We had Easter dinner two times. Once with my family. Once with the hubby's family.

Monday: Whole Roasted Chicken with "Faux-tatoes" and Broccoli. Mmm. It was delicious. This is probably one of my all time favorite meals. And, it is so deliciously easy!

Tuesday: Dinner on the run ... hubby will be out Tuesday night. Kiddo and I will be hanging out with Mootzie and Pa (my parents).

Wednesday: Chili-Lime Flank Steak and a nice salad. My husband gets sick of vegetables. Especially cooked vegetables. He's just not a fan. The other night, he came up to me and said, "You know, sometimes I just like a nice salad." Don't be surprised to see the "nice salad" pop up on the menu more and more frequently (especially since it's getting warmer out!).

Thursday: Damn Fine Chicken, from NomNomPaleo. Super easy go-to meal. I always have the ingredients for this meal around.

Friday: Grilled Venison Steaks with grilled asparagus. My local grocery store was selling asparagus for a dollar a pound. A dollar! I bought 2 pounds. I love asparagus. I wish we had the space to grow it.

Saturday: Date Night!, and I couldn't be more excited!

::Dinner Plans #13::

Surprise, I'm running late again.

It's Monday night. Almost 9pm. I normally have dinner plans up on Sunday morning. I haven't even looked at the pictures from Kid's birthday party. I haven't even taken his 1 year pictures. Whoops.

But, here I am. Back at it, planning away. Getting ready to get those meals on the table.

My sister called me this weekend. She wanted a grocery shopping buddy. She is attempting to shop at my grocery store (Aldi - woo hoo!) for the first time. Oh, how I love my grocery store. And introducing my sister to the savings has been so fun! There was no way I was going to turn her down. We packed up the kiddos and headed out.

The only problem? I didn't have a shopping list. I had to fly by the seat of my pants. Which makes cooking a little more difficult (at least for me!).

Sunday: Little brother's birthday dinner (rescheduled from last week - he had just gotten home from India last week and was far too tired!).

Monday: Hamburger steaks with a mushroom sage sauce and sweet peas. This was the "fly by the seat of my pants" meal. I got home and realized that I had to babysit (and feed) my 2 year old nephew.

Tuesday: Happy Hour (and appetizers) at my aunt and uncles house. My dad's brother and his wife are in town this week, so we are gathering to see them.

Wednesday: Pepper and steak hash with scrambled eggs. This has become a go-to meal for our family - so easy, and always delicious. And, we always have eggs and peppers on hand.

Thursday: Crispy Italian Chicken Thighs. Trying something new this week. Kind of excited, but still deciding upon side dishes. Any ideas?

Friday: Tilapia lettuce wraps (aka. fish tacos with a lettuce leaf instead of a tortilla).

Saturday: Pheasant soup. We don't have a recipe for this. The hubs is going to search for some. Or, I'm going to make one up as we go (which is always a little nerve-wracking).

Ahh, I'm excited to finally go link up with Jessica Lynn Writes!

::Dinner Plans #12::

Were you afraid that I was skipping out on my ::Dinner Plans:: this week? Because right now, it's 9:01pm and I haven't posted my weekly meal plan. And I haven't been over to This Week's Eats yet, either.

But fear not! The plans are in the works.

I messed up a little bit last week. I had Kid's birthday party on the plans for Saturday.

His birthday party was not on Saturday. It was today.

We had crock pot chicken tacos, and crock pot shredded beef tacos. We also had crock pot refried beans. I don't eat refried beans, though. It was funny to see three crock pots across the counter, though! The tacos were delicious, though, and it was interesting to see how many folks went without a tortilla (a few of my friends, and most of my family, have started looking into the paleo "diet.")

But, oh man. Was the party fun! I didn't take as many pictures as I had hoped, but I will post what I have soon. I will also be working on Kid's monthly update, as he is now a big ONE YEAR OLD!

(the capital letters mean I'm yelling with excitement, and a little sadness...my baby is already getting so big!)

I can't handle it.

I'll plan my menu instead. That way I won't think about how big he's getting. And how, before I know it, I'll be planning a birthday party for a two year old.

Sunday: Tacos - if you're like me, you'll go sans tortilla.

Monday: Chicken, Mushroom & Green Bean Stir Fry (with homemade stir-fry sauce) served over broccoli slaw, and possibly eaten with chopsticks.

Tuesday: my little brother's birthday dinner

Wednesday: Roasted chicken & asparagus. I love asparagus. So much.

Thursday: Paleo Pot Roast

Friday: Fish tacos with tilapia. I'm going to try these tortillas, or just use a nice leaf of lettuce. Depends on if my mom has the coconut and tapioca flours. Is it bad that I sometimes use my mom as my paleo grocery store?

Saturday: Maple Chicken Thighs. Hopefully with our homemade, straight from our backyard (and my parents') maple syrup. We're boiling right now. And it looks like we may have at least a gallon of syrup. Which means we collected almost 40 gallons of sap.

What your your dinner plans for the week?

Check out the fabulous meal plans of those linked up at Jessica Lynn Writes.

P.S. It's now 10:55pm. I had to pause the blogging to help with the syruping. We just canned two and a half gallons of syrup. This year was, by far, our most productive year!

::Dinner Plans 11::

I'm finding myself at a bit of a loss this week. I feel as though this is becoming a pattern for me. One week, I am very excited about meal planning. The next week, I'm at a complete loss. I have no motivation to look for a new recipe or two. I have no desire to think about what I want to cook from memory (it is pretty cool that I have a few go-to dishes that I just know).

Maybe it's the super random weather we've had. On Friday, it rained AND snowed. Really!?

Okay, I guess it's not all that unusual. I do live in Minnesota, after all.

Maybe it's because I feel like I repeat myself over and over again. Chicken. Beef. Venison. Beef. Chicken. Venison. Chicken. Chicken. Pork. Seafood.

Or, maybe. Maybe I'm just in a mood.

Alright, kiddo, buck up. Everyone is there sometimes. It's life. It happens.

Chin up, butter cup and plan your meals.

Okay! Here we go!

(sometimes and "Okay, here we go!" is all I need)

Sunday: Baked Chicken with Mushrooms & Onions

Monday: Garlic Pepper Venison Steaks with Sauteed Vegetables

Tuesday: Salad Bar

Wednesday: Grilled Paninis

Thursday: Chicken Soup

Friday: Scrambled Eggs with Sweet Potato Hash

Saturday: Kid's Birthday Party! Crock Pot Chicken Tacos

See, that wasn't so bad now, was it?

I hope y'all have a wonderful week. I've finally made it to spring break, so this one will definitely be great!

::Dinner Plans #10::

10 weeks of dinner plans! Woot!

That's pretty exciting. It's been fun to plan menus each week (okay, I've missed quite a few weeks since I began). Just recently I took some time to look back at previous plans, and to see what kind of habits I have in so far as cooking.

Biggest pattern I found:

I love venison.

(but that is no surprise)

Plain and simple, it is delicious. It is; however, an acquired taste. Not everyone enjoys venison.

I guess that's just the nature of the beast.

This week, I am going to try my hardest to go all (but not super strict) paleo. I've been feeling rather cruddy lately and feel that this "clean up" may help.

Sunday: Doro Wot

Monday: Sloppy Joes
Tuesday: Seared Chicken Thighs

Wednesday: Bacon Wrapped Venison Roast

Thursday: Emergency Protein / Garbage Stir Fry

Friday: Spinach Squash Salmon

Saturday: Broccoli Soup

::Dinner Plans #9::

My friends. This is normal one of the posts that I have planned out a few days in advance and is scheduled to publish right away in the morning.

Except today.

It is currently 9:37 PM. I haven't even begun to think about my meal plan for the week, and Sunday is usually the first day of the plan.

You're right. It's one of those weekends. One of those crazy-busy ones, where we've spent almost no time at home. We had breakfast with my parents and sister (and her family). We had dinner with Hubs' parents. We went to church and had brunch with the hubby's sister and her family. Although it was busy, it was a delightful weekend. And Kid had so much cousin time!

And now, I am assessing the contents of my fridge for the dinner plans...

Sunday: Qdoba burritos - buy one get one free!

Monday: Corned Beef & Cabbage (St. Patrick's Day!)

Tuesday: Dinner with Mootzie & Pa

Wednesday: Italian Meatloaf

Thursday: White Wine Chicken Thighs

Friday: Herb Crusted Salmon

Saturday: Steak & Sweet Pepper Hash with Eggs

::Dinner Plans #8::

Saturday was a big day.

A big day indeed: thirty years ago, my parents raced to the hospital and met me en route.

How does that work? you think...

I was born in a car. At the end of a tunnel, at 3:30 in the morning in the middle of your typical Minnesota snow storm. Talk about a surprise!

So, I turned thirty. We celebrated like we were in our early twenties: dinner out, then live music. It was a delight, and I couldn't thank my family more.

I've been working on my meal plan, and am feeling like I need a break from all the "new" recipes. I love cooking, and experimenting in the kitchen. But, I'm just in a rut. Maybe because we still have a million inches of snow on the ground. Or the fact that March is typically the snowiest month of the year. Who knows. So my plan this week is full of old faithfuls.

Sunday: Basil Peppered Chicken and Roasted Vegetables

Monday: Dinner @ Mootzie and Pa's

Tuesday: Garlic Pepper Venison Steaks

Wednesday: Spaghetti and Meatballs (cheat night!)

Thursday: Chicken Stir Fry over "Rice"

Friday: Venison Breakfast Burgers

Saturday: Pad Thai

::Dinner Plans #7::

Day One. Doing well.

Granted, I've only eaten breakfast (we have breakfast early around these parts), but it was good. Eggs, bacon, a little coconut water. Delicious.

We also have some exercise planned for this afternoon: skiing and skijoring. I think our dog is quite excited for the exercise, too. He's been cooped up far too long. Poor pup has an ear infection, too. He now runs to his kennel when we grab a paper towel (which we've been using to apply his ear med). It's so sad!

Sunday: Cilantro Shrimp Tacos

Monday: Hot Pepper Stir Fry

Tuesday: White Wine Chicken Thighs

Wednesday: Garlic Basil Venison Burgers

Thursday: Cumin Spiced Pork Tenderloin

Friday: Damn Fine Chicken

Saturday: Beef Stew

Have a good week, everyone!