Menu Plan Monday: The Week of the Crockpot!

Welcome to Menu Plan Monday, hosted by the Organizing Junkie!

It's been a rough couple of weeks and we've eaten more fast food than I care to admit. Two of these meals have been on my plan for the past two weeks - we just never got to them!

Today I cooked ahead so we won't have that problem! I made some breakfast sandwiches with Thomas' everything bagel thins, an egg, turkey sausage, and laughing cow light mozzarella, sun dried tomato and basil cheese (so amazing!). There are also a few boiled eggs in the fridge just in case. I cooked ahead chicken and ground beef so there should be no reason why I can't get dinner on the table quickly and easily this week!

SUNDAY: We had the Crockpot chicken and dumplings and they were really, really good! Two thumbs up!

MONDAY: Rachel Ray's Mac n Cheddar Cheese with Chicken and Broccoli with a green salad

TUESDAY: Unstuffed peppers in the Crockpot (recipe is close to what I am making - but I use tomato soup)

WEDNESDAY: I am finally making the White Chicken Chili in the Crockpot! This week for sure!

THURSDAY: Having dinner at my parents' house.

FRIDAY: Angel chicken in the Crockpot over angel hair pasta (*Note - only using 1/2 the butter and using Laughing Cow cheese instead of cream cheese)

SATURDAY: Dinner at parents' house again!

Have a wonderful week everyone!

Sherry

Plan Ahead Sunday and One Small Thing

I am linking up with LLRHomeschoolmom's meme "This Week's Goals".

I do an awful lot of planning on the weekends. I menu plan, lesson plan, cook ahead for the coming week, and try to pick out what I'll be wearing to work each day. If I don't, my busy week will overwhelm me and we will end up eating too much fast food and I may end up wearing a mismatched outfit. Ok - not really, but I do get very frustrated in the morning when I am trying to hurry and nothing I want to wear is clean or ironed or I can't find it. Yes, I'm THAT organized. LOL I also do manicures on all of us girls on Sundays too.

MENU PLAN:
Done! I will post it later tonight for Menu Plan Monday! We got all of the grocery shopping done and I should have every single ingredient I need to make yummy dinners for the week!

COOKING AHEAD:
I'm going to brown some ground beef to use to make unstuffed peppers one day in the Crock. Homemade chicken strips in the oven for the kids throughout the week for when they don't like what I cook (which is a LOT of the time for my two oldest kids). I'm going to make some egg salad and put together some 'healthified' breakfast sandwiches. That's about it.

LESSON PLANNING:
Done! I put my entire lesson plan in the free online Homeschool Tracker. It took a couple of hours to get everything in there, but now I have a printable plan for the week and also at the end of the week can print out reports.

OUTFITS:
I hope to put together three outfits for the coming work week. I work 1/2 day Monday and a full day Tues and Thursday. It's pretty business casual for me. I try to wear dress pants and a blouse most days. Today I want to actually put together jewelry and everything and see how that goes.


I've decided to try and change just one small thing every week to make my life better in some way. I have so many things I need to change that it is just exhausting to think about. But if I break it down into just a small change every week - it may not be so bad.

This week my one small thing will be to bring lunch with me to work every day - even my 1/2 day! I end up starving and going through fast food - which I certainly don't need!

So let me ask this - do you plan ahead, or are you a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants kinda gal? Do you have one small thing you'd like to change this week?

Enjoy the rest of this blessed Sunday and have a terrific week!

Sherry

A Day in the Life of Me!

Today is Friday - and I have all the windows open and the cool air feels wonderful!

I have the day planned as such:
7 - Take Jennah & friend to school
830 - Go back to bed for an hour!
930 - Up, dressed to shoes
945 - Drive out to work and see if there are checks to deposit - nada!
10 - Drive back home
1030 - Computer time
11 - Work doing transcription for ONE HOUR
12-2 - Homeschool with Em
2- Pick up Jennah & friend from school (another 30 minutes of HS in the car w/ Em)
3:15 - Finish up homeschool for the day
430 - Go to store and pick up fixin's for dinner (very unorganized this week!)
5:15 - Start dinner for family of 5 plus Jennah's friend who is staying the night
5:45 - Pick up Jake from football practice
6:15 - Dinner
6:45- Clean up kitchen
7 - Two hours of transcription work
9 - Computer time, t.v. time or movie time or book time :)
11 - BED!

In between everything I do five minute room rescues, clean hot spots, maybe a swish and swipe, 2 minute missions, etc. (If these don't sound familiar to you, check out the FlyLady!)

So what are your plans on this Friday?

Sherry

Kinda whiney post - but I meant well :)

My son had his first official football game today. He's almost 12 and in 7th grade. I forget what his position is called - I think he's an offensive lineman? Something like that. Anyway - he had to wear a shirt and tie to school today (first time in his life!) and I got to tie his tie this morning and it was just so cool. He's been waiting to play football for a few years now. He always played soccer but didn't really enjoy it. He LOVES football. He comes home from practice exhausted and soaking wet and downs an entire bottle of G2 (think diet Gatorade) in the car on the way home. I'm so happy he's found something he can BELONG to. A group to be a part of.

Anyway - his practices and games are one small part of what is making my life utterly CRAZY busy. A year ago I worked a 4-hour day and then came home and, well, didn't do much of anything to be honest. Now I get up and take my one daughter to grandma's, go to work for a full day, pick her up, come home and make dinner, pick up my son from practice, eat dinner, clean up the kitchen, homeschool my youngest in the evenings and then sometimes work another couple of hours at night. I generally find about 2 hours for myself after everyone is in bed at night (hence the blogging time right now!) But this keeps me up to the point where I am not getting enough sleep. Then there are my days "off" when I drive my oldest daughter and her friend to and from school and work my 2nd job at home.

I love everything I'm doing - but I'm so tired! LOL Some days are so packed there is no time to cook dinner. Just no time. I had "meet the teacher" nights two nights this week. I had a meeting with our work accountant on my day off. There is so much more I want to do - Em want to take a dance and art class - but I just don't know when. Church is Saturday night and I'd like to be in more activities - but how? There are teen nights my daughter wants to go to --

I figured it out - I need a clone. Yep. That's it. A clone mom. She can do ALL the driving! LOL

This is a season in my life and I am grateful for it. In too short a time my kids will be grown and I will be lonely. I'm feeling guilty for working so much yet it's a necessity financially.

Anyway - just thought I'd complain a little before bed. Makes the dreams that much more sweet! LOL!

Have a blessed week,

Sherry

Menu Plan Monday: Using my Crock!

I'm linking up with the Menu Plan Monday meme over at the Org Junkie's Blog!

I'm going to be carrying over a few meals from last week. We had dinner over my parents' house one night, and another night ran so late we ended up doing hot dogs and french fries!

BIG SUNDAY DINNER: Crock pot roast beef, potatoes, carrots, gravy, and croissant rolls with a green salad

Monday: Chicken with Broccoli - Rachael Ray's Recipe - over brown rice with salad

Tuesday: Long work day for me! Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplings. Side of green beans.

Wednesday: DS11's football game. Having dinner over my parents' house.

Thursday: Another long day for me. Crock pot White Chicken Chili.

Friday: Asian turkey burgers and oven fries

Saturday: We'll be having dinner with my parents once again.

Have a wonderful week,

Sherry

Menu Plan Monday - Back to School Edition

It's a new week and a new season. While fall isn't here yet, the back-to-school season is! This means changes and challenges and more busy times.

I'll be posting more Crockpot recipes now since I'll be getting home late a couple days per week. Plus my son doesn't get out of football practice until 545!

Monday - Labor Day
Breakfast - Breakfast burritos (I use turkey sausage)Lunch - "Sub" sandwiches
Dinner - Grilled burgers, spaghetti salad, banana pudding

Tuesday - 1st day of school, work day, football practice
Breakfast - Egg Beaters and cheese on everything bagel thin, yogurt
Lunch - Peppered ham sandwich on Flatout wrap, apple, 100 calorie pack :)
Dinner - Chicken and gravy over rice w/ salad (Crock pot)

Wednesday - School, Football scrimmage gameBreakfast - PB & J oatmeal
Lunch - Lean cuisine
Dinner - Roast, potatoes, carrots in Crock, green salad

Thursday - School, Work, Football practice
Breakfast - Breakfast burrito, yogurt
Lunch - Turkey and cheese sandwich, baked chips
Dinner - White chicken chili in the Crock



Friday - School, Football practice
Breakfast - Egg Beater "McMuffins" and yogurt
Lunch - Leftovers







Saturday


Breakfast - Toad n the hole, turkey sausage





















Lunch - Mac n cheese
Dinner - Chicken Biryani and green beans








This post is linked with Menu Plan Monday hosted by the Org Junkie!

Sherry