Menu Plan May 30

MONDAY: Chicken Tacos

1/2 bag frozen grilled chicken breast strips

Large flour tortillas

shredded cheddar cheese

shredded lettuce

1 can black beans

1 tomato, diced

Chipotle style rice

Chipotle style rice

1 tbsp oil (canola/vegetable)
2 tsp fresh cilantro, chopped fine
1 fresh key lime (or ½ regular lime)
½ tsp salt (kosher or sea salt)
1 cup long grain white rice (or basmati, if you can bear the funky smell)
2 cups water

Sautee the rice in oil until almost translucent (as if you are making a risotto)....(I skipped this step)

Add water, bring to a boil.

As soon as the water begins to boil, turn the heat down low.

Simmer, covered for 15-20 minutes, or until all water is absorbed.

Turn off heat. DON'T PEEK. LEAVE IT COVERED for 30 minutes (this is the "steaming" part.... Chipotle steams rice every hour). This is what makes the rice fluffy. You won’t be happy with yourself if you don’t do this. Be patient. Good things come to those who wait. (I wasn't patient enough and only let it sit about 5-10 minutes)

Remove lid, let some of the steam out. It may be helpful to transfer rice into a mixing bowl for the next step.

Mix salt and juice of key lime together until salt is dissolved. (I also added a bit of lemon juice. I read on some other sites that they add a citrus juice of lemon and lime)

Pour it over rice, fluff with a fork.

Sprinkle in cilantro, and toss well to evenly coat with cilantro and lime mixture.

(Not exactly Chipotle flavor, but it was good enough for us!)

TUESDAY: Chicken Spaghetti

1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cheddar cheese soup
1/2 to 1 can chicken broth
1 can rotel
2 c. cubed cooked chicken
1 pkg. cooked spaghetti
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Combine all ingredients in a casserole dish. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

WEDNESDAY: Freezer Meal (this came from my Mother in Law...we LOVE it!!)

ITALIAN BEEF HOAGIES / FRENCH DIP

3-5 lbs. beef brisket or sirloin roast

1 pkg dry Zesty Italian Dressing

12 oz Beef Broth (could make beef bouillon cube)

1 jar Peperoncini (drained)

1 jar Italian mix Giardiniera (half drained), (has cauliflower in it)

Crock pot 12 or more hrs on low. (Mine got done ~ 10 hrs)

Save juice for dipping

I bought a brisket at Wal-mart and cut it in half for this recipe (also too big for a crock pot). I froze the other half .

Before adding the brisket to the crock pot, be sure to trim the fat off the bottom side. If you don’t get all the fat that’s ok.

THURSDAY: Leftovers

FRIDAY: Crock Pot Beef Brisket

1 cut beef brisket

1 3/4 cups BBQ sauce

2 teaspoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1 teaspoon seasoned salt

2 teaspoons pepper

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

2 teaspoons worchestershire sauce

Combine all ingredients in ziplock bag. Marinate 3-4 hours or overnight in refrigerator. Place in crock pot, cover and cook on low for 9-11 hours or high for 5-6 hours.

Cheesy Potatoes

1/2 cup melted butter or margarine, divided (I use about 1/4 cup if that)

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 cup chopped onions

1 (10 3/4 oz.) can cream of chicken soup

1 pt. sour cream (I use the low fat kind)

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 (2lb. bag) frozen souther style hash browns, thawed

2 cups crushed corn flakes

Mix 1/4 cup melted butter along with the rest of the ingredients except for the corn flakes. Place in a large greased baking dish. Mix the corn flakes and remaining melted butter together and sprinkle on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes.

SATURDAY: Frozen Pizza

SUNDAY: Leftovers

cloth diapers

I thought I would give cloth diapering a try. I thought about it briefly when Audrey was a baby, but quickly decided I was too overwhelmed with being a first time mom to worry about washing diapers. I have some friends who tell me it is the greatest thing and super easy but I am still not sure. I decided to buy two of them just to try it out. I didn't want to buy a whole set and have to be committed. I bought Fuzzibuns one size diapers. I liked the fact that these diapers can grow with them from birth to potty training. It seemed like a good investment. I have been using them just about everyday for the last week or so and do like them.

I think they are funny because they make her bottom look so huge!

I have lucked out and she has only peed in them...that is until today. Oh my goodness! I didn't quite know what to do.

They quickly got rinsed off and in the washing machine the went.

I don't know about the whole pooping thing...

Last day

Audrey's last day of school quickly came. I dropped her off at school that morning and ran a few errands. I found myself crying as I drove off....I did just have a baby 2 months ago...I think I was realizing how quickly she is growing up. It seems like I was just dropping her off for her first day of school a few weeks ago. I can't believe how quickly the last 4 years have gone by. This year Audrey had Ms. Leslie as her teacher. She is so sweet and loving. I couldn't have picked out a more perfect for teacher for Audrey to have.

Cubbies Awards

We celebrated the end of Cubbies at our church a few weeks ago. Audrey loved going to Cubbies each Sunday night. Jon and I were so impressed with how she was not only able to memorize her verses but how she was able to remember them over long periods of time.

She loved her teachers this year Ms. Swift and Mr. Rusty.

Audrey made lots of new friends in her class.

They had cake at the end of the night...Molly quickly took someones spot at the table so she could have cake too!

Next year Audrey and Molly will both be in Cubbies. We look forward to seeing what God will do in their lives as they grow older each year.

Menu Plan May 16

MONDAY:
Chicken and Rice
2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 cans cream of celery soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
sprinkle of paprika

Place cans of soup in crock pot along with the Parmesan cheese. Mix together. Place chicken breasts on top and sprinkle with paprika. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Make rice according to directions in separate pot. Before serving shred chicken and mix cooked rice together.

TUESDAY:
Sweet and Sour Meatloaf
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 cup dry bread crumbs
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 egg
1 tsp. instant minced onions
1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce (divided)
1 Tbsp. Worcester sauce
Sneak this in:
green pepper, carrot, and sometimes a little onion or zucchini...place all these in a small food processor and chop/grind it into little pieces. Add as much or as little as you like...you really can't taste it and it makes it more moist. I usually add about 3/4 cup of the mixture. Whatever is left, I put in the freezer to use for another time.
TOPPING:
Reserved tomato sauce
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
3Tbsp. vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. prepared mustard

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together all ingredients except for the topping. Form into a loaf in a 9x5x3 pan. Bake for 60 minutes. Bring topping to a boil-pour over meatloaf and bake an additional 15 minutes more. Cool 15 minutes before slicing.

WEDNESDAY:
Spaghetti
1 jar traditional spaghetti sauce
1 zuchinni
1/2 green pepper
1/2 tomato
1 onion
1/2 package whole wheat pasta

Chop all vegetables and place in a large pot along with the spaghetti sauce. Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer for about 20-25 minutes or until vegetables are soft.

I like to serve this with french bread that I drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and spread out fresh pressed garlic. Bake it on 350 degrees for about 10-15 minutes.

THURSDAY:
Leftovers

FRIDAY:
Mac and Cheese

SATURDAY:
Dinner at a neighbor's birthday

SUNDAY:
Stir Fry
I like this meal because it is simple and fast. I usually always have the ingredients for this one.
1 bag frozen stir fry vegetables (I prefer the great value brand deluxe broccoli)
a few tablespoons Kinkomann stir fry sauce
half of a bag of frozen, cooked chicken breast strips ( I like the Tyson brand)
Rice
Frozen egg rolls

In a hot skillet, pour in stir fry sauce and frozen vegetables. Cook until slightly tender. (I like to cover mine to almost steam them a bit to make it more tender). Add chicken and cook about 2-3 minutes. Stir frequently. Cook rice as package states. Warm up egg rolls.