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Serve It Up Sunday: Unusual weather we're havin', ain't it?

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Yes, I do so love the cowardly lion from the Wizard of Oz.  But, I love this almost 70 degree weather we're expected to be blessed with at least one day this week even MORE!!  God is finally listening to me!!  I SO loathe the winter, cold, and snow.  I am so very grateful for the mild winter we've had this season.  I do know that the worst is probably yet to come since February (although it's my birthday month) is usually quite a depressing sight -- weatherwise, at least.  But maybe, just maybe we can make it 29 days with no snow.  Hmm....that'd be awesome!

You know what else is awesome?  Meal planning when the weather is mild outside!! There are so many more options!  How's the weather in your neck of the woods?  Here's what we're feasting on to celebrate this week:

 Monday: Burgers grilled out, seasoned fries, deviled eggs.

Tuesday:  Slow-cooked pot roast with potatoes and veggies, rolls

Wednesday:  My oven baked chicken, rice, cheddar baked biscuits. (Bumped from last week since we went out for dinner instead).

Thursday:  Tacos, Spanish rice.

Friday:  Pizza or out.

Saturday: Out.

Sunday - Headed to a Superbowl party with friends (probably).

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Serve It Up Sunday: It will be a "trying" week.

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I'm sure I've made it painfully obvious up to this point that I am *not* a fan of cooking.  I cook because my family (i.e., the kids) have to eat.  Let's face it - the hubs and I could get take out or swing through the drive-thru at Taco Bell if it were just us two.  Kinda like in the olden days--before we had kids.  But seeing as how we actually relish family dinnertime, meals must be planned, groceries must be bought, and dinner must be made. 

So, you may find it quite surprising that this week I will be trying {drumroll} not one.....but TWO new recipes.  Both of them will be simply tweaks to current recipes in my repertoire, but I am nervous nonetheless.  I guess it's a good thing there are several backup plans (i.e., fast food joints) just around the corner.

Here goes nuthin'!

 Monday: Happy Chinese New Year!  2012 is the Year of the Dragon!  I'll be making some chicken lo mein and picking up a few takeout crab rangoons from a local Chinese restaurant! 

Tuesday:  Baked spaghetti, garlic bread.

Wednesday:  Ground turkey and beef meatloaf {this is one of the new recipes I am giving a go!}, rice, steamed broccoli.  I should mention that it was actually on last week's menu but was bumped and we made something else instead.

Thursday:  Slow cooker barbecue country style pork ribs  {this is the second of the new recipes I am trying this week. Hoping to share the yumminess with you soon!}, baked potato, veggies.

Friday:  My oven baked chicken, rice, cheddar baked biscuits

Saturday: We've been invited over for a casual dinner at a friend's house.  Looking forward to heading there right after a basketball game!

Sunday - Out.

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Serve It Up Sunday: Got the meat!

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I've worked long and hard to try and build up a frozen inventory of meats and I'm proud to say I will not be buying any meat this week for any of our meals.  Hooray!  It's so nice to be able to look in the freezer, see what I have, and then build meals around that.  I even have some extra country style pork ribs in there that we won't get to use this week so I've already got a menu idea for NEXT week to use those!

Since the kids are out of school on Monday this week, a few of my friends and I are taking our kids to open play gym late afternoon and then heading out for an early dinner for a fun Monday night kids eat free at a local restaurant.  Fun!  Then afterwards, I'm excited to be heading to a friend's house for our weekly Bachelor watching party.  Always a blast!  So here's what we're eating this week:

Monday: Kids eat FREE after a local open gym playdate with friends!  Love it when I don't have to cook!

Tuesday: Beef tostadas and cheese quesadillas, Spanish rice.  {Never got to make this last week, so I bumped it.}

Wednesday:  Chicken fettucine alfredo, salad.

Thursday:  Turkey + beef meatloaf, rice, steamed broccoli.

Friday:  French dip sandwiches, chips, deviled eggs.

Saturday: Pizza or out.

Sunday - Out.

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Serve It Up Sunday: Welcome 2012!

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Happy New Year, everyone!  It's been an wonderfully enjoyable holiday season for my family and me.  We celebrated Christmas with my mom and stepdad who made the trek from Texas all the way to Kansas City to spend some time with us.  We enjoyed making tamales, playing Scrabble, watching movies, and so many other fun family traditions.  To ring in the new year the hubs and I enjoyed time home with our kids while we ate appetizers, watched movies and just hung out.  The kids were especially excited about the festive hats and noisemakers I bought for them (dollar store!) to celebrate ringing in the new year!

So along with all this festivity, our weekly menu plan has been somewhat interrupted the past couple of weeks.  While I can't say I'm excited to be back into a routine and back to cooking, I realize that whether I like it or not, it's back to work.  The kids don't go back to school until Wednesday so we do have a few more days of downtime and fun with them.  For now, here's how our weekly menu plan is shaping up.

Monday: Beef stroganoff. (my kids are BEYOND excited)

Tuesday: Crock pot Italian Sausage + Spinach Bowtie Pasta, bread.

Wednesday: Panko crusted chicken breasts, rice, cheddar biscuits.

Thursday: Crock pot Chinese Pork Ribs, steamed rice, steamed broccoli.

Friday: Ground beef Nachos, guacamole.

Saturday: Pizza

Sunday - Out.

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Serve It Up Sunday: Merry Christmas!

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To say our weekly menu planning is taking a backseat this week would be an understatement.  I've got family coming on Tuesday and then I'm hosting a tamalada (that's a tamale making party, for those of you non-Latinas! ) on Wednesday!  Making tamales is a just about yearly tradition my mom has been carrying on for some time now and I am thrilled we are doing it again this year!  I've got a few friends lined up to come and hang with us to help crank out the dozens of homemade tamales.  I'm salivating just typing this out!

My kids are out of school Wednesday early afternoon so I've got a semi-plan of what we're eating for dinner this week.  I'm sure it'll all get rearranged and messed up, but I don't care -- it's CHRISTMAS!!

Monday:  Oven baked chicken, rice

Tuesday: Baked spaghetti

Wednesday:  Probably appetizers and carryout pizza.  This is the night that we're doing the tamalada so we'll just eat whatever we can get our hands on while we work!

Thursday: What else?? TAMALES!!

Friday:  Possibly meatloaf and mashed potatoes.  Or, go out for dinner!

Saturday:  Our traditional Christmas Eve fare consists of appetizers and desserts.  Food a-plenty!

Sunday - Merry Christmas!  Probably doing an herb-crusted salmon (which we've done before for Christmas and has gone over very well) and a meat of some sort plus sides.  Mom and I will decide when she comes in a few days.  Of course, the hubs will also have some input.  Happy holidays to all of you!!

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Serve It Up Sunday: Full swing

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Seriously?  The middle of December already???  I haven't even had time to slow down and enjoy this season yet.  I've got at least 14 different to-do lists right now and with all of the holiday prep and planning in store, I've just got this overwhelmed feeling again.  I know we're in full swing for this holiday season but I am just wishing that I could tack on a few extra minutes to my day. 

I will be hosting Christmas again so I've got a laundry list of things I need to figure out and get done around the house these next couple of weeks.  Plus, I still have a few little gifts I need to pick up and then I'd like to ideally have all my gifts wrapped before my family even comes in town, which will be around the 20th of the month. 

AND, my two oldest boys have both started basketball practice so we're in full swing with that sport as well.  As always, my dinner menu is simple, quick, easy and kid-friendly.  So without further ado . . .

Monday:  Lasagne, garlic & herb bread.

Tuesday: Pulled BBQ pork sandwiches, chips, deviled eggs.

Wednesday:  My award-winning (ahem) Cozi Classic Chicken, homemade mac 'n cheese, peas.

Thursday: Hubs and kids will either eat take-out or pizza since I am hosting a fun holiday event this evening and will have PLENTY of food (and drink!) on hand.

Friday:  Spinach pizza rolls, hot wings.

Saturday:  Chili dogs (for hubs and I), hot dogs, chips, salad.

Sunday - Out. I've earned it!

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Serve It Up Sunday: Thanksgiving week

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Are we seriously upon the Thanksgiving holiday already? Thanksgiving is one of those holidays, honestly, that I could do without. Not because I'm not thankful, but because it involves a lot of cooking and we all know how I feel about that. I'm also not too big on it because we tend to spend it without any extended family and I miss my family, quite frankly.

About the only thing I DO enjoy about Thanksgiving is Black Friday. I am SO looking forward to staying up late and hitting the stores at midnight (Target, Macy's, others) and all on my own! I'm also excited the kids get a few days off and will be home for family time. We already have our Christmas decor up so I am hoping that we'll be doing some other fun stuff while they're on their Thanksgiving break.

So, here's hoping to get through Thanksgiving quickly and painlessly and on to the official holiday season of Christmas & New Years!

Monday: Baked spaghetti, italian loaf bread, salads.

Tuesday: Out.

Wednesday: Tacos and homemade Spanish rice.

Thursday: Thanksgiving feast!

Friday: Out to dinner with the hubs!

Saturday: Football food (hot wings, pizza rolls, chips + queso, desserts)!

Sunday: Hopefully eating at the in-laws tonight!

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Serve It Up Sunday: I cook out of necessity

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So, anyone who knows me well knows that I don't hate cooking.  I detest it.  I cook only out of necessity because, well, my family needs to eat.  But, I think cooking is the single most waste of time that occurs during our time on earth.  I hate those moments when I'm in the kitchen preparing a meal when I could instead be using that time to play with my kids or run around with them and not have a care in the world!  I've always said that if I could, I'd hire a personal chef before a housecleaner.  I'm fine with cleaning my house.  Besides, I'm not sure I could be satisified if anyone else did the job.  But food?  As long as it's edible, I'm game! 

But alas, my family must eat and I am the one who prepares the meals (most of the time),  so here's what's on tap around these parts this week:

Monday:   Crock pot lemon pepper chicken, rice, steamed veggies.

Tuesday:  Out.  My oldest has his end-of-season football pizza party!

Wednesday: Tex-Mex beef and bean casserole. 

Thursday:  Baked ziti.

Friday:  Out!  Heading out with friends!

Saturday:  Eating at my in-laws.

Sunday:  Out or eating at the in-laws again! (yay, me! no cooking!)

Serve It Up Sunday: Busy week

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Well, the good news (sorta) is that the kids are finally done with fall sports.  This means more time during the week for meal prep and not such a rushed dinnertime.  The bad news is that it's starting to get cold 'round here and there are very few things I hate more than the cold!  I don't feel like cooking when I'm cold.  I can't move when I'm cold.  My brain doesn't function when I'm cold.  Not sure how anyone can actually like the cold!  But, my family's gotta eat so I am still stuck menu planning.

The kids have recitals this weekend and I've got some family coming into town so our week is pretty much planned out but we're leaving the weekends open to play it by ear.

So here's what's on tap around these parts this week:

Monday:   Baked spaghetti casserole, Texas Toast, salad. (a family fave!)

Tuesday:  Apple butter pork chops, rice, veggies.

Wednesday: Dijon chicken breasts, rice, honey glazed carrots.  

Thursday:  Tostadas, Spanish rice, guacamole.

Friday:  Out!

Saturday:  Family in town - probably out or we'll decide the day of.

Sunday - Family in town - probably out or we'll decide the day of.

 

Serve It Up Sunday: Classics + faves

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This week we head back into the routine of school and - oh yeah, there's Halloween - I'm looking forward to showing my crock pot love and to making some warm and comfy foods.

While I am totally fine with the soccer season being over for the kids, I'm a little sad about our football season coming to an end.  My 5 year-old has one more flag football game left and My 2nd grader just had his last tackle game this weekend.  I am, however, looking forward to having more time left to prepare for dinner during the week. 

So here's what's on tap around these parts this week:

Monday:   Pick up pizza or go out before trick-or-treating...an annual tradition!

Tuesday:  Crock pot ravioli casserole, salad, bread.

Wednesday: Mexican chicken casserole, homemade guacamole.

Thursday:  Cornmeal crusted tilapia with salsa, Spanish rice, beans. This was originally on the menu last week, but we ended up doing something else for dinner that night.

Friday:  Out!

Saturday:  Homemade pizza rolls.

Sunday - Pulled pork sandwiches in the slow cooker.