Menu Monday

 

Welcome to Menu Monday.  Do you have your meals all planned on out this week?  

I get a jump start and plan my menus on Saturday when I write my Happy Homemaker in Texas post for Sandra's blog party. 

So here's my plans for the week. 

I am sure a few will change.  It always happens!  

I am always ready for a chance to let someone to else cook! 

Monday 

Bratwurst/Kielbasa, Cabbage and Potatoes

Tuesday 

Shrimp Tacos and Guacamole

Wednesday 

Oven Baked Flounder, Green Beans, Baked Potatoes

Thursday

Split Pea Soup, BLT's 

Friday 

Surprise me I am out of ideas

I might have Cubed Steak in freezer for Chick Fry. Yum.

I am totally open to anything the Cowboy suggests.  Especially if I don't have to cook.  And clean up. 

For lunches this week 

I want to make a Tuna casserole

The Cowboy will have sandwiches. We went to store that has his Lebanon Bologna

I want to make some soup.  Beef Vegetable or maybe Chicken and Rice.

Chef Salad.  Need to boil some Eggs. Maybe Devil some for dinner one night.  Hmm which night?

Maybe they will be a snack.  I love Deviled Eggs.  Do you?

Hope your week is

Sparkly

Menu Monday-Freezer Meals and Ideas For Helping People In Need

Good Morning and Welcome to the blog.  Today before I share 
this weeks menu idea . . . 
. . . because I am not really sure what I'll pull off this week. 

I've mentioned a few times recently that we've been going to a food pantry.  

I am not sure your experience or your thoughts about pantries and people that go to them.  

I have been on both sides.  I have served many, many hours at our local food pantry.  I would like to share that experience with you. 

Right now with everything that is going on many more people are needing help.  

Maybe you need some help

Please ask you can call 211 and they will direct you to pantries in your area.  .  

Or maybe you could help someone else by making a donation.   I was reading a post just this morning about cleaning out your food pantry to re-organize.  Maybe you've been doing a bit of clean up and organizing.   Did you think to donate unwanted food?  

As I think about all the times my Cowboy and I worked at the food pantry I could write days and days of experiences.  I could write post after post filled with photo's.  

Here are a few . . .

 For a few years the Cowboy and I worked at a boys prison.  

These photo's are bitter sweet for me.  The Cowboy is healthy. 

The young man in this photo is grown.  He is married and has children.  Working at the food pantry changed lives.  

When someone receives food it changes lives. 

I know.

This is what food distribution looked like back in the day.  My hair wasn't gray.    God placed it on my heart to do something for the neighborhood I grew up in.  

The church that I grew up in had a gym.  It was the perfect location for an event to benefit the neighborhood.  

Boxes and boxes of food were given to the families that came. This is only a few of the volunteers there were over 100 through the day.  

We could not do this today. 

We could not gather and share the Gospel 

and 

Provide food at the same time.  

This is what it looks like today

This is real.  This is what it is like when I go to a local church 

to get food.  I am in a small town in the middle of DFW.  There

are usually only 12 or so cars in front of me when I pull in.  

Before I leave there are that many or more in line behind me. 

It is not easy getting in line and asking for food

But I do.

And so I 'get it'

I have been on both sides.  And so I wanted to share with you 

that this is 'real'.  There are people who need our help.

You can help.

Back in the day I would have urged you to join us on a Friday

to pack boxes at the Food Bank.  

Things have changed.  It's not as easy to find a place to volunteer. But it is worthy trying.  There are lots of pantries through out the city.  

The first week after school closed when I went to the church there were a dozen teenagers hauling boxes and loading cars.  It was a Blessing for me to see this kids serving God.  It brought back some wonderful memories for me.  

Maybe your like me and taking this 'down time' to clean and organize the house.  And just maybe your pantry needs cleaning out.   Or maybe you have a few extra bucks and you can buy 

a few extra things to share. 

It is easy to find a pantry to donate to. 

You can call 211 and tell them you are looking for somewhere to donate food.  

It's simple and means so much 

And wow.  This was a very long post.

Are you still interested in my plans for the Rustic Dinner plate?

In the freezer we still have . . . 

Pork Loin

We found Chuck Roast on sale a couple weeks.  We still have one in the freezer

Ground Beef

Chicken Breasts

We have some Fish Sticks that we can have for lunch one day

On the pantry shelf we have . . . 

Dried Beans I am thinking Pinto's again since they were so good last week.  I only cooked part of a small bag in case the were a bust again.

Tuna Fish

Boxes of Mac/Cheese

Box of Scalloped Potato's

Rice

And so now I need to get creative and figure out how to put meals together with all that.  

Here are my plans . . . 

Monday Oven Baked Chicken Breasts 
I have a box of Lipton Onion Soup mix I think it will make a good casserole to serve over Rice and with Green Beans

Tuesday Pinto Beans, Corn Bread 
I'll be going to the pantry and I usually get some fresh veggies so I'll add something green and maybe Fried Potatoes.  I still have some Russets

Wednesday from the Ground Beef.  Hmm.  I am just not coming up with anything.  This is where I get stuck.  I bet you can guess 
what I am thinking . . . 

Taco's 

Spaghetti

Meat Loaf

Yep.  Same 'ole.  Same 'ole.  Although the Meat Loaf doesn't get on the menu regularly.  The Cowboy requested to have it 4 times a year.  LOL.  I think I have 2 more chances left.  

Thursday Mexican Style Pot Roast Spanish Rice, served  with leftover Beans.  I'll probably go ahead and cook Potato's and Carrots with it so I'll have a freezer meal.

Friday  I have some frozen Ravioli  so maybe I could cook it with the Ground Beef.  

I am not sure how or Breakfasts and Lunch will go this week. 

The Cowboy has been getting up by 7 and eating fruit so he hasn't really been hungry till almost 11.  So I'll be playing it by ear.  

We will all be surprised. 

Come back for Foodie Friday to find out what is

On The Rustic Dinner Plate

Thanks for stopping in. 

I hope you have a Blessed and Yummy week.

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Menu Monday-Dinner Plans For The Week-Thoughts On Menu Planning

Good Morning and Welcome

I changed things up a bit for this weeks plans.  I normally write my menu and include it in my Happy Homemaker post and then write a post here with more detail and thoughts. 

But

As I wrote and thought about making good things to eat I kept writing the same thing down.  It seemed everything I wrote I felt like I had just written it down and served it. 

Do you ever feel like that?

Same O Same O

Well this week I was determined to go the extra mile and plan new and different meals. 

And so here is what I came up with  . . .

Monday (s) are a good day for me to serve left overs from weekend meals.  I cook more time consuming meals on the weekends. But everything seemed to slow down and I had lots of yard work to do so no leftovers . . . 

Well I do have a Roast in the freezer I will be making 

Summer Garden Hash

Inspired by a recipe I found in my search for new recipes and new ideas . . . 

I found the recipe over here I enjoyed finding a new blog.  Miz Helen has lots of great recipe ideas.  I'll be visiting her regularly for inspiration. 

Tuesday

I have been wanting to make a Cajun or Creole What's the difference? Do you know? style Jambalaya.  I looked for recipes and found a few.  Still kind of pondering which one to try. 

Do you have a Jambalaya recipe? 

Ali at Givemesomeoven shared a recipe (it is here) that looks good and simple.  My goal is to use the Shrimp, Sausage and Chicken that I have in the freezer.  And find a new way to cook all 3.  I do the same recipes over and over. 

But

I do really, really love homemade Chicken Tenders and so they are on my menu for Wednesday.  I guess one 'Old Stand By' is o.k.

What do you think?

Wednesday

With my Chicken Tenders I'll make Mashed Potato's with Cream Gravy gotta make Gravy if you fry chicken.  Right?  And I'll cook up some Corn on The Cob if it's ready from the garden if not a Corn Casserole or Mexican Street Corn sounds good. 

Thursday

I've been wanting to make White Chicken Chili. There are so many recipes out there.  I am attracted to the photo's.  Some photo's just make you want to try it.  

I will admit it is the Avocado that gets me.  But not sure I want a recipe that calls for corn so I am still looking 

Do you have a good White Chicken Chili recipe?

When I find the right recipe I'll serve with some yummy Corn Bread and a Mixed Green Salad. 

Friday

Pulled Pork over Irish Nacho's and Salad . . . That's a new one!

Sound good?

And for Dessert

Lazy Girl Peach Pie . . . I should call mine Tired Girl Peach Pie

Recipe found in this book 

I'm a fan of Laura Childs she has several great Cozy Series and they have recipes!  

And I have one my idea for dessert.  This one I saw on FaceBook. 

I think it just might be the recipe my mother used.  I am itchin' 

to try it and see.  I'll leave out the nuts on half cuz I don't do nuts.

I think it's coming together to be a Yummy week!  I hope you enjoyed looking over my menu plans.  Please share your ideas!

Come back by on Friday for Foodie Friday where I'll share all the Rustic Plates from the week and a recipe!  

Have A Yummy Week

I'll be linking my posts this week at these parties.

Menu Monday

Welcome back to Menu Monday the day I share my meal plans fr the week.  And, recap last weeks meals.

Before we get into food I wanted to share the view from

my chair . . .

i just learned to video and I am not sure if it actually works so here's a still . . .

I happened to look up and see this dog in the chair.  Normally she is not in the chair.  This  is Domino it's normally Lola.  The chair was not in the normal spot because it sits in front of the closet and I was digging in it the other day; so the chair was closer to the window.  

She loves looking out the window.

I love my dogs. 

Do you have a dog that warms your heart?

Let's talk Menus!

Many of you know that my husband is ill.  He is on a restricted diet.  

It is a huge challenge to get him to eat what is on his diet.

And actually there are days that it is hard to get him to eat anything.

I have been 'winging it' alot and cooking without using a menu plan.

No menu.  No plan is not how I roll and so they whole task of making meals has become a chore for me.

Over here you'll find last weeks menu.  I was delighted that I had a plan and I kept up with what I planned to cook.  It was easy to look on my phone every day and prepare the planned meals.

So I thought

Guess what

Of the 15 meals I planned I succeeded in preparing and serving 1 Breakfast, 0 Lunches and 2 Dinners.

When I look back and look at these records I am dejected.  

But I carry on

It is now a quest

I relize now though I need to ad another element to the equation.  It is not about plans and prep. and serving for now.  It is about praying for my husband.  It is about praying he will have an appetite to eat and that he will be interested in the food that I prepare.

And so here are my plans for the week

Breakfast

I went to the grocery store on Saturday to get the things I need to offer for breakfast Eggs, Breakfast meat and fruit. I am prepared to make Eggs any way he chooses to go with whatever meat he is craving. 

Lunch

Really I have no plans.  I have Tuna and canned Chicken I can prepare salad.  The Cowboy likes Sausages and Kielbasa so they are always in the fridge and freezer.  Even though they are not on his diet.

For lunches I will offer and encourage and pray and then move onto Dinner plans.  He always seems to eat Dinner so that is not much of a challenge.

Dinner

Monday-Pan Seared Pork Cutlets and Stuffing, Fresh Greens

Tuesday- Leftover Lasagne from Sunday, Caesar Salad and Garlic Bread

Wednesday- Rib Eye, Onion Rings, Zuchinni/Pasta Salad

Thursday- Seafood Boil/Bowl and a cup of Gumbo

Friday- I had thought about making S.O.S. and when I mentioned it I didn't get a positive response so I guess we will be 'Wing It' .

So there are my plans for the week.  I am 'Jazzed to have a new week and a new chance provide some good food!

Do you plan Menu's?

Is it a challenge?

Leave a comment I would love visit your blog!

Have a Great Week

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