Home Sweet Home Team

This week has been so very busy, and my two youngest children were sick pretty much all week.  Spring is in the air but were starting to feel some major cabin fever coming on just because of sickness. I've definitely been feeling that way and am looking forward to getting out of the house more often now that it is warming up (as long as everyone stays healthy), In the meal plan department I feel like I basically stayed on track. This is a good thing.  Meal Plan Monday : Goulash Tuesday: Pancakes, eggs, and breakfast hash with sausage Wednesday: Pizza  Thursday: Sandwiches Friday: Leftovers or soup Saturday: Chicken and Rice Stir Fry Leftover items in fridge that need to be used up: rice, and potatoes  --------- Actual Meal Plan On  Monday, I made a big batch of goulash. Both regular and white. For white goulash leave out the tomatoes. I served it with corn and homemade bread. Goulash 1 pound ground beef 1 small ...

Original Meal Plan Monday- Roast Chicken and Vegetables Tuesday-   Spaghetti and meatballs and salad Wednesday-   Chicken quesadillas and corn Thursday-   Sandwiches (made to order) Friday-   Goulash Saturday-  Pizza  ------------ Adjusted Meal Plan Monday- Roast Chicken and Vegetables Tuesday-   Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti Bake Wednesday-   Chicken fajitas with rice and corn Thursday-   Lasagna ( freezer meal) Friday-   Sandwiches (made to order) Saturday-  Spaghetti and Meatball Bake  ( freezer   meal)  The purpose of a meal plan is to give you something to aim for, but sometimes life happens  so even the best intentions may not happen.  On Monday , this week I started with the roast chicken, which turned out wonderfully.  This was the first time I made this recipe.  I’m not sure why I’ve never made it before.  I guess I’ve always been intimi...

Snacks ***(Includes 3 children/  plus mom’s vote) Likes Dislikes 3 0 Tuesday: Banana bread 3 1 Wednesday: Popcorn 1 3 Thursday: “Pantry Trail Mix" (a mixture of oat cereals, peanuts, walnuts, chocolate candies, and dried fruit) 2 2 Friday: Jell-O and fruit The fan favorite of the week was the banana bread.   The least favorite snack of the week was the “pantry trail mix” because it was mostly cheerios, and needed some more variety. If I were to make it again I would add some pretzels, goldfish crackers, and possibly raisins or dried cranberries. The kids preferred the Jell-O without the bananas. ---------------------------- Dinner Menu (Includes 3 older children, Mom and Dad) Likes Dislikes 4 1 Tuesday: Lasagna and salad (my picky eater liked this- who knew?) 5 0 Wednesday: Slow...

It's four o'clock and time to make dinner. At my house this is also the time when my two year old gets up from his nap, and my oldest gets home from school. It can become rather stressful with a hungry child repeatedly asking for a cookie, a toddler trying to help himself to snack (or having a meltdown), and perhaps  a crying baby.  Cue the music to "Jaws", because this has been the theme at my house recently.  Does this scene sound familiar to anyone else?  I have had some success with meal planning and freezer cooking in the past when my two oldest children were younger.  However, this was when I only had to think of my husband and myself while the child or children ate baby food. A few years, and two more children later this has proved to be difficult to return to. I have at least one child whom is a picky eater which tends to cause me to stare blankly into my pantry when it is time to make dinner.  Today I was prepared. At 4 pm I was read...