Menu Plan Monday

It's time for Menu Plan Monday again!  Join in the fun and link up at the Organizing Junkie!


MONDAY:   Kung Pao Chicken & Veggies with whole wheat penne

TUESDAY:  Chicken and shrimp jambalaya

WEDNESDAY:  Dinner with at my parents'

THURSDAY:  Beef & broccoli over brown rice

FRIDAY:  Fiber-One coated chicken legs, seasoned potato wedges, green beans or this Hungry Girl recipe on Pinterest

SATURDAY:  Dinner with my parents'

Plan-Ahead Sunday

I plan-ahead for the week every Sunday.  I am an infinite list maker and goal setter!  I can't help but sit down and get all the thoughts out of my head or else I will lose them forever!!

SUNDAY:  Doing some blogging/reading this morning, then heading to church at 11:30.  This afternoon will be all about laundry, housework, lesson-planning, and budgeting.  Also have transcription to do for work.

MONDAY: Staying in all day today :)  Homeschooling with Em and making some presidential notebooking pages going for a nature walk (ok, guess not staying in ALL day)  and making a new recipe for dinner - Kung Pao Chicken!  (See Menu Plan Monday or Cooking Thursday posts this week for recipe!!)  More transcription and a couple of hours of work from home.

TUESDAY:  Fat Tuesday!  No packis for us! Today is pay day (thank you God!) and I have some bills to pay and a few stores to go to.   Homeschooling with the daily routine plus some Mardi Gras fun!  Emily and I are going to see either The Muppets or Big Miracle (a late b-day movie).  Dinner, of course, will be chicken and shrimp jambalaya!!!  And more work-at-home stuff, of course! 



WEDNESDAY:  Wednesday is back to basics with homeschool.  The evening will be spent with the four of us at my parents' house with my sisters for dinner. 

THURSDAY:  Another nature walk today, work from home, homeschool, housework, and hopefully a date with my Sweetness :) 

FRIDAY:  Friday is the one day of the week I actually work from the office!  Emily will go with me where she has access to a computer and everything else she needs to do her school work.  Friday night is kids' night for dinner and I know it will be some type of chicken legs (Jennah's choice this week) -  recipe in MPM post!  We usually spend Friday nights goofing around, watching videos on the computer,  playing ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS, LIZARD, SPOCK (my son loves this).

And finally....

SATURDAY:  Which is family fun day.  It changes week to week - but we do spend the evening at my parents' house for dinner again! 

Cooking Thursday - Garlic Lime Chicken

It's Cooking Thursday at Diary of a SAHM.  Join in the fun and link up one of your favorite recipes!

The recipe that I am sharing today is one of my all-time favorites!  I've been making it for a few  years now and every time it turns out absolutely delicious.

The original recipe comes from the cookbook Saving Dinner by Leanne Ely. 

There are a lot of really good recipes in there, but I have to say that the garlic lime chicken is absolutely the best!  I have made it over rice several times, but this week I mixed it with some frozen green peas and whole wheat pasta. It was fantastic!

                                                                          (photo credit)

Here is the recipe from Leanne's website:

Garlic Lime Chicken

Garlic Lime Chicken
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon thyme
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons lime juice
1/3 cup low sodium chicken broth
In a small bowl, combine first 7 ingredients; sprinkle mixture on both sides of chicken breast halves.
In a skillet, heat butter and olive oil together over medium-high heat; saute chicken until golden brown, about 5 minutes on each side; remove from skillet and keep warm.
Add lime juice and chicken broth to the skillet, whisking up all of the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until sauce has reduced slightly. Return chicken to the skillet to thoroughly coat with the sauce; serve.
Per Serving: 343 Calories; 11g Fat; 55g Protein; 2g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 147mg Cholesterol; 612mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain (Starch); 7 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 Fruit; 1 1/2 Fat.
LC SERVING SUGGESTION: Steamed green beans and Cauli-rice (process cauliflower in a blender or food processor until it resembles grains of rice; steam “rice” until tender; drain; salt and pepper to taste and fluff with a fork).
SERVING SUGGESTION: Serve brown rice instead of Cauli-rice.
KOSHER: Use all oil instead of butter and oil.

This post is also linked up over at Permanent Posies Tuesday Tidbits!  and Ms. enplace's See Ya in the Gumbo!   and Miz Helen's Full Plate!

OH!!!!!  And a HUGE thank you to the Kitchen Witch!  I won a giveaway on her blog and I must say I am super stoked about it!!!!!   Thank you again! 

Have a blessed week!

Sherry

ps  Next week's recipe will be using the garlic lime chicken leftovers! 

The Alice in Wonderland Complex

Does it ever hit you that you have no idea who the heck you are?  It does me all the time.  I know that I am not the only one who has diverse interests and difficulty channeling them into a cohesive lifestyle - or am I??? 

I've struggled with this blogging thing for years now.  Every "improve your blog" article/post that I've read says to find your niche and go for it.  But I don't HAVE a single niche. 



I love to cook - but I don't want a cooking blog.  I am a Jesus girl - but I do not want a strictly Christian blog. 

I am a Mom, a homeschooler, an avid reader, a thrifter, a couponer, a life-long learner.   I am very in to plus size fashion, makeup, manicures, hair and fashion trends.  I love movies and music.  I am very family oriented & love my family and close friends.  I am out in the dating world and I am part of an interracial couple.  I work from home and own a small business.  I have a hard time keeping up with housework (think FlyLady).  I love photography.  I am living on a tiny, itty bitty budget.  I love Pinterest and Facebook.  I am trying to lose weight and become healthy.  (Spark People)

I am all of these things, yet none of them define me.  How do I work all of these things to my advantage and find bloggy friends?  All of the blogs I follow (over 100) fit in to one of the categories I've made to house them:

*Homeschool
*Media blogs
*Thrifters
*Fashion blogs
*Weight loss blogs
*Recipe blogs
*Inspiring Mom blogs

Mine could fit into every category. 

It's really quite funny as this post is a PERFECT representation of my life.  I have the most difficult time focusing and narrowing things down.  My life is this hodge-podge of things and my life is stretched between them. 

So after typing this and re-reading it, I guess I'm not all that different from most women out there.   We have a lot on our plates and a whole lot of hats to wear. 

I suppose what I need to do is make this blog for me - say what I feel like saying - and not worry about the rest. 

So blessings to all of you out there - no matter what category you might fit in :)

Sherry

Menu Plan Monday

I'm linked up with the Organizing Junkie for Menu Plan Monday!

I will only have about 20 bucks for groceries this week - so very slim pickins around here!  The good news is that when you know how to cook and have a few staples on hand, you can make it through those financially tough weeks.

MONDAY:  From the Saving Dinner Cookbook, Garlic Lime Chicken over rice with green beans

TUESDAY:  Lentils & Rice topped with a green salad

WEDNESDAY:  Dinner with my parents

THURSDAY:  White chicken chili with corn muffins  (will use leftover garlic/lime chicken)

FRIDAY:  Spaghetti with tomato sauce and garlic biscuits

SATURDAY:  We are celebrating my youngest daughter's 12th birthday with my parents.  She will get to choose what's for dinner! 

Cooking Thursday 2/8/2012

I'm linking this post up with Sandra @ Diary of a SAHM's Cooking Thursday! 

Every Saturday morning my eldest daughter, Sweetpea who is 15, and I try out a new recipe for brunch.  Once in awhile we will do dinner on Friday night instead, but so far Saturday mornings seem to work best for both of us.

Today we tried a Martha Stewart recipe.  While I am DEFINITELY not in Martha's league, I beg to excuse myself as I found this recipe via one of my favorite webistes, Pinterest.  If you have not yet tried Pinterest, you absolutely MUST.  It is addictive and fun!  And if you'd like, you can follow me HERE. 

Anyway - Sweetpea and I made these breakfast cups.  I will show you both Martha's and mine for comparison's sake - but I guarantee you - they tasted really good! 

These would be great to make ahead for quick breakfasts as they microwave well. 

Here is Martha's version:

And here is mine: (DON'T JUDGE!  LOL)

Here is the recipe from Martha's site:


Ingredients



3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted


8 slices white or whole-wheat sandwich bread


6 slices bacon


6 large eggs


Coarse salt and ground pepper


Directions


1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly butter 6 standard muffin cups. With a rolling pin, flatten bread slices slightly and, with a 4 1/4-inch cookie cutter, cut into 8 rounds. Cut each round in half, then press 2 halves into each muffin cup, overlapping slightly and making sure bread comes up to edge of cup. Use extra bread to patch any gaps. Brush bread with remaining butter.


2.In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium, until almost crisp, 4 minutes, flipping once. (It will continue to cook in the oven.) Lay 1 bacon slice in each bread cup and crack an egg over each. Season with salt and pepper. Bake until egg whites are just set, 20 to 25 minutes. Run a small knife around cups to loosen toasts. Serve immediately.


Cook's Note


Standard muffin pans come in 6- or 12-cup size; if baking 6 items in a 12-cup pan, leave empty space in between. Nonstick pans are nice but not essential. Beware of very thin pans, which often lead to burning. Place pans on a baking sheet to make them easier to get in and out of the oven.


Overall on a scale of 0-10, I would rate these an 8.  I will definitely make them again, maybe substituting breakfast sausage or ham for the bacon and adding some scallions to mine.

Have a blessed day!!

Sherry

A Little Bit of Everything

Bright sunny day here in the Detroit area!!  I know you can't see it, but this tree has buds all over it! 

Work has been a bit crazy this past week so I missed out on Happy Homemaker Monday and Menu Plan Monday :(   

I'm working with a very tight budget (again) this week so I came up with a more financially sound and (hopefully) healthier meal plan idea.  It's definitely not new, but it's one I haven't done before. 

MENU PLANNING

Mondays will be chicken or ground turkey
Tuesdays will be beans
Wednesday we eat at my parents'
Thursday will be whole grain pasta/veggies/meatless night
Friday is kids choice
Saturday is parents' again
Sunday is soup night

Protein will be coming from other sources than meat, mostly.  Kids' night is generally turkey burgers, turkey dogs, tacos,  homemade pizza, etc.

Breakfasts will be oatmeal w/ peanut butter & banana,  yogurt fruit & whole grain toast, breakfast hash (egg/turkey sausage/potatoes) or breakfast cups (eggs, toast, turkey bacon/sausage/ham in muffin tin)

Lunches will be leftovers, lentils and rice topped with salad (love this) grilled cheese for the kidlets, soup, or pretty much anything I can concoct from what we have on hand!! 

Snacks are microwave popcorn (6-pack of light & active at Aldi for 1.49) fruit, raw veggies, pretzels, boiled eggs

READING

I am almost done with the 3rd book in Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series, "Voyager".  If you like historical fiction, I cannot urge you enough to read these!!!  (*warning - there are some sexually explicit parts in the book - but they are between husband and wife) 

Not sure what I will read next as there are SO many wonderful books waiting for me on my Nook!!
FASHION

I read SO many fashion blogs!  I follow a bunch of plus-sized fashion blogs and just LOVE them so much!  As for my own "fashion......"  I have bunches of clothes hanging in my closet that I love but haven't had the courage to wear.  A lot of them are long skirts, a couple dresses, and a bunch of tops.  I also have a lot of things I could wear differently, but always wear things the same ol' way.  So this is something I'm going to work on as well!

I think that will about do it for the day.  There is always so much in my head that I want to say and then I sit here and can't think of a thing.  Bah!

Have a blessed day!

Sherry