Getting Organized - Menu Planning

I have been working hard for awhile now to really improve our Menu Planning and come up with a system that works for our hectic schedule. I finally have come up with a system that is working for us so far, and am so excited to share it!

Step 1)     Get a super cute binder and stickers!

I put "Family Recipes" on the front... my 2 year old had to have some input and tried to remove the stickers as you can tell in some spots, so maybe in retrospect, stickers with toddlers around aren't a great idea. ;) But they look cute!

 On the side, I put "Meal Plan Book" for extra cuteness ;)

Step 2) Come up with a "plan" for each night of the week. This was the toughest, but honestly, I think will be the biggest time saver! I really thought about our schedule and what works for our family... 

This is how I figured a few of the evenings:

 "Crockpot" Meals on Sunday because we are at Church all morning but love to come home to a yummy dinner...

"Boys Cook" on Monday nights because those are my 'late' nights at work & I am purely exhausted when I walk in the door, so therefore I leave dinner up to Chad & Kent. 

And, "Surprise Pick!" on Saturdays, because that is usually the day something comes up and we eat out while running errands, or end up eating leftovers, etc. This way I won't plan a meal that won't get cooked.

Then, I labeled tabs with each category to make Meal Planning even easier...

 

 

Step 3) Organize recipes and file into each category. I also updated our Weekly Menu to include this week's plan for easy reference... and made cute labels for each category:

 

Here is an example of the recipes filed away in this binder.. I would say I get about 90% of them from food.com and the rest are from various blogs/websites/pinterest/etc.

 

Step 4) I put the week's menu on the fridge to remind myself and the hubby what our plan is! We hope this will save us $$ from eating out!

 

I am so excited about our new system! How do you Menu Plan??? :)

Corn Dog Muffins

This is my new FAVORITE hot dog recipe... such a great way to "health-ify" hot dogs in a way that kiddos love. :)

Corn Dog Muffins

INGREDIENTS:
4 light hot dogs, chopped up
1 box corn muffin mix
1 egg
3/4 cup skim milk
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS:

[1] Chop up hot dogs into bite size pieces.

[2] Mix all ingredients in a bowl.

[3] Using an ice cream scoop, scoop into a muffin tin sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.

[4] Bake at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes.

[5] Cool.

[6] Serve to hungry grown ups and kids! I served with mashed potatoes & baked beans.

[7] See happy faces! :)

Toddler Trail Mix

My little guy has been growing like a weed this summer, which means he is hungry ALL. THE. TIME. I have been on the hunt for toddler friendly recipes that he'll enjoy... and this one was a hit and he can eat it any time!

Toddler Trail Mix

INGREDIENTS:

1 package banana chips
1 package goldfish grahams
1/2 box honey nut cheerios (I used Central Market's organic kind)

DIRECTIONS:

Label a freezer bag with "Toddler Trail Mix".

Put all ingredients in bag. Shake well. Serve to hungry toddlers! :)

Fruit Pizza

I LOVE Summer! I LOVE fresh fruit, the bright colors, the yummy flavors... mmm! Today I made my own version of a classic :) FRUIT PIZZA! It came out not only as one of the prettiest things I've ever made, but also one of the yummiest.

INGREDIENTS:
1 roll reduced-fat crescent roll dough
1 container low-fat whipped cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla extract
about 2 tbsp sugar free banana pudding mix
assorted fresh fruit

DIRECTIONS:
[1] Roll out crescent roll dough onto a cookie sheet and press seams together to make a flat pizza crust. Bake at 375 for about 15 minutes.
[2] Cool for 15 minutes.
[3] Meanwhile, mix cream cheese with pudding mix and vanilla extract. Spread over crust.
[4] Top with fresh fruit! I used strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and mandarin oranges. YUM!
[5] Cut into squares and enjoy!

Creamy Chicken & Chile Casserole

This is a new favorite! It's the perfect blend of creamy to spicy to delicious! :) And it was SUPER easy! {Way easier then making enchiladas, which I love!}

Chicken & Chile Casserole

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups of cooked & cubed boneless skinless chicken
8 ounces cream cheese, I use low-fat
4-6 flour tortillas, depending on your pan size
1 can green chiles
1 can green enchilada sauce
1 bag shredded cheddar cheese, I use low-fat

DIRECTIONS:

[1] Mix together chicken, cream cheese, and green chiles.
[2] In a pan, layer: tortillas, spread the cream cheese mix over the tortillas, shredded cheese.
[3] Keep repeating layers. Top off the last layer of tortillas with the enchilada sauce and remaining cheese.
[4] Bake at 400 for 20 minutes. YUM!

Southwestern Salad

Something about the warmer weather here in Texas makes me crave salad. I am a little picky about my salad. It needs to have a TON of flavor right off the bat. And this one did. I served it was Pioneer Woman's Olive Cheese Bread and must say, this has become one of my favorite spring meals.

Southwestern Salad

* please forgive my elegant paper plate. it'd been a busy day! *

INGREDIENTS:
2 cooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts, chopped
1 bag frozen corn, cooked
2 1/2 tbsp taco seasoning
lettuce, amount & type to your liking
cheese, if desired [I didn't use any]
Salsa Ranch, amount to your liking
crushed tortilla chips, I used the "Hint of Lime" kind

DIRECTIONS:
[1] Mix chicken, corn, and taco seasoning well.
[2] On a plate, layer: lettuce, chicken mixture, cheese (if using), dressing, and tortilla chips. YUM!

Oh, Pioneer Woman...

... how I love thee. I had just really discovered her when her show launched on the Food Network.... and now I haven't missed an episode and own both of her cookbooks. ;) Today, we had salad for dinner, so I thought it would be a good night to try that Olive Bread from her first cookbook that looked SO amazing.

AND IT WAS. :)



Seriously, this bread is some of the best I have ever had. I was very good and only had one slice (the spoonfuls of the filling to make sure it was "right" don't count, do they???) but WOW. Try this. Amazing.

Note: I changed it up a little from the original. My ingredients/directions are for how I ran with it. Just FYI. ;)

Pioneer Woman's Olive Bread




INGREDIENTS:
French Bread
6 ounces pimento stuffed green olives
14.5 ounces black olives
1 stick butter, softened
1/2 cup Chipotle style mayo
8 ounces Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded

DIRECTIONS:
[1] Chop olives roughly to your liking.
[2] In a large bowl, mix olives, butter, mayo, and cheese.
[3] Cut slice of french bread in half down the middle. Spread mix over slices.
[4] Bake at 325 for 20 minutes.
[5] ENJOY.