Winter Menu Planning 2015

Ugh!  For goodness sakes, it feels like I was just sitting here struggling through this yesterday.  Actually, it doesn't, but I do remember it well.  Why do I struggle so?  Probably because my husband loves a good meal right when he walks in the door.  Poor guy, he drives two hours a day, and he's HANGRY when he gets home.  (Hungry-angry if you've never heard that one before.  :)  Satan loves it when I don't have dinner ready because it causes strife in our household.  All the more reason to get this done!
We're going back to basics this new year.  Seriously cutting out the processed food in hopes of lowering hubby's blood pressure a bit.  We've already done a lot of that, but now that he's fully on board it's full steam ahead which means I should be back in the kitchen a lot more. 
I have set the timer for 20 minutes to get this planning done, so let's go!




Week 1
Sunday: Chicken bake strips - bread crumb and seasoned - double meat for leftovers
              Make veggie tray for week, rice- plain or seasoned by me!
              Steamed veggies, salad, homemade rolls? - Get back to 5 minute bread dough!
Monday: Green Spaghetti, salad, rolls, smoothies
Tuesday: Tacos without the shell, guacamole!, refrides, Spanish rice from scratch
Wednesday: Leftovers?/ Date Night
Thursday: Chicken Stir Fry using leftover chicken, rice, froz. stir fry veggies
Friday: Shredded Beef, potatoes, onions, etc.  homemade rolls  Lots of leftovers for the weekend!!
             FYI- Make sure you don't cook the plastic they put on the bottom of the roast!  :$






Week 2
Sunday: Chicken bake strips- bread crumb and seasoned - double meat for leftovers
              Make veggie tray for week, rice- plain or seasoned by me!
              Steamed veggies, salad, homemade rolls? - Get back to 5 minute bread dough!
Monday: Chicken Pot Pie with leftover chicken and lots of yummy veggies.
               Homemade Chicken Broth
               Homemade rolls--just use this dough
Tuesday: Ground Beef Asian Stir Fry- onion, peppers, broccoli and whatever else you want.  Throw
                in some teriyaki, soy sauce, worcestershire, garlic, ginger...
                rice
Wednesday: Leftovers/ date night?
Thursday: SW Chicken Salad/Sandwich?
Friday: Shredded Beef, potatoes, onions, etc.  homemade rolls  Lots of leftovers for the weekend!!
             FYI- Make sure you don't cook the plastic they put on the bottom of the roast!  :$


OK!  The timer is beeping...actually I reset it for 10 more minutes.  I usually plan for 4 weeks, but I figure this is a good start.  We'll see how it goes.  Hubby usually has some ideas too anyway.


Dear Lord,
PLEASE give me the wisdom to cook things my husband likes that will make our bodies strong and ready for Your service.  May dinner be nourishing, delicious and ready on time!!  In Jesus' Name I pray--Amen

Baby Step: Keep the Table Clean!

I have been pondering what is truly important in life.  I am tired of stinking thinking...worrying what I look like, what others think of me, getting overwhelmed by all the little things that need to be done.  I know someone who fighting just to be alive one more day.  She is still preparing to go to work when school begins, and desires to see her first grandchild be born and her youngest son graduate high school.  Life is truly this fragile, but we all to often forget.  With this reminder, my musings now are often about "What is truly important?".
I was recently reminded of a quote that goes something like this, "We are not raising children, but adults."  Which begs the question, what kind of adults are we raising our kids to be?  The habits I help my kids form now, are the habits they will take with them into adulthood.  Therefore, keeping the house clean, and teaching them to be responsible stewards of their belongings is truly important.  Plus, as a bonus, by taking care of things as we go, and not letting them pile up, we should have more time to enjoy life.
I have decided we need a baby step: KEEP THE TABLE CLEAN.  Baby steps are like battles in the war.  My war is against people who don't clean up their messes when they are done.  I am SO tired of seeing dishes in our living room.  Not to mention that tv is not truly important.  Guess what?  We are going to start eating at the table.  What a unique idea.  Our table is over 100 years old.  It stretches out to seat over 12 people, and I love to think of the families that have sat around this table in the past.  I want our family to be a part of that history.
School is starting for us next week, and I have been plagued with a sadness as I realize how little time I have left with my children living at home.  My daughter is entering seventh grade.  I just want to grab her and spend every moment I have with her.  My son is going into fourth grade.  I love the stories and conversations that come about while we are eating together around the table.  I think a question I have been pondering may have just been answered.  Maybe now is not the time to be thinking of opening an ETSY shop.  Maybe now is the time to be focused on my family and what they love to do.  For when they are gone, I will have plenty of time to pursue my dreams.  Hmmm.
Dear Lord,
Please open my eyes to what is truly important, and to Your will.  May I have no regrets.  In Jesus Name I pray--Amen. 

Hot Spot

What on earth is a hot spot? Right now, in AZ, you'd probably name any one of the many wildfires burning, and that would be true answer. But, in your house, a hot spot is any spot where junk piles up. I have four major hot spots: the counter right next to my refrigerator, my stairs, the bench at the top of my stairs, and my entry way. If I take time each day to clear these off, my house is looking pretty good. If I don't, watch out! My day timer/calendar gets so covered it's useless, my stairs - which are visible from the main rooms of my house - make everything look cluttered, and my entry way looks like a shoe store. Really, it doesn't take long IF you clear them every day!!! So get started now! What are the hot spots in your house? Grab the kiddos and clear them out. Then just sit and enjoy how nice it looks. :)

Good Morning Summer! Hello Routines

Good morning Summer!

It's been a while since my last post. I just didn't have time with work and family. Now that summer is here, maybe I will have some more free time. Just a blurb about one of my favorite things: my ipod touch. Now, I try not to get too attached to material possessions, but my ipod touch houses two great things: my Daily Audio Bible podcast and my Home Routines app. Neither of these things I NEED, but I certainly enjoy them, and my hubby really enjoys it when I use my Home Routines app.
This app lets you input your routines and check them off as you go. You can do this at home with a chart and such, but it is so nice not to have to deal with that. I got my ipod touch as a gift, and the Home Routines app was $2.99. Definitely worth it. Each time you check off ann item, you get a star. We joke about how many stars I get in a day. So, this morning with no school we are back to our full routines. Even the kids get into it, helping to get all of our stars. They know they don't get free time until our morning stars are done. :)

Our morning routine:
computer
dressed
breakfast
laundry
dishwasher/dishes
counters/table
calendar/hotspot
sweep floor
dinner
chickens/garden
vacuum
zone
one weekly task

This is all based on the flylady...www.flylady.com I've adapted her philosophy to my life. The Home Routines app is also based on her philosophy. You should be able to click on the title of this post and go to her website. Be careful! It can be overwhelming. Our job is to figure out how it fits into our lives. You don't have to do everything! I like to get up early so I can listen to the DAB podcast while I bust some of these out. More on what some of these things mean, like hotspot, next time. Good luck, and happy summer!

Weekly Plan/Template

I think I have finally figured out what I want to do each week, and how long each thing takes. So, today I wrote out a generic template. Hope it works out! I figured out how long each thing takes, and the best time to do it according to my schedule. I plan on posting this on my 'fridge for easy reference. That way, when I get home from school, I can just have a look to see what I should be doing. No thinking involved...I like it. :) Automatic pilot is my friend!

Coming soon: No Knead whole wheat bread. YUM and easy!


Food Strategy

Saturday: PM Soak / Sprout beans

Sunday: PM soak oats

Monday: AM Cook beans
PM Wheat berries into jars/water
Hummus/honey almonds/granola

Tuesday: AM rinse wheat berries
PM rinse wheat berries

Wednesday: AM dehydrate grain

Thursday:PM Soak nuts
Bake; snacks; etc.

Friday: AM/Lunch dehydrate nuts

Template Week 3

I love having a template. Last week, I looked at our leftovers and picked a template that went with them. No thinking needed. :) So, I decided to post my Week 3 template. I don't know if you noticed, but I schedule the most complicated things for the beginning of the week. This is when I have the most energy. :) I have learned that at the end of the week, it just needs to be simple.

Week 3
TO DO:

Sunday: defrost ckn
Monday: AM beans in crock pot PM make crust for pot pie keep in fridge

TUES: AM soak quinoa and rice

WEDNESDAY:

THURS: PM wheat berries in jars OR PM soak nuts or beans

FRIDAY: AM water in to jars of wheat berries


MENU

Sunday: BBQ

Monday: Breadcrumb chicken; broccoli; pinto beans; salad

Tu: cashew chicken with quinoa; rice; bread;

W: chicken pot pie; sprouted flour; bread

Th: Mexican chicken salad vitamix guac p. 104, vm cal. Salsa p. 106; chips

Fr: Burgers

Sunday, Sunday / Week 2 Template

Aahh. Sunday night. Lunches are made, mostly for the entire week. Snack baggies filled with baby carrots rest in the fridge. Healthy cheese puffs are snuggled in the cabinet. A contented sigh escapes my lips as I know this will make lunch making so much easier. What's even better? My daughter took care of all of it. We actually spent time together in the kitchen. Her taking care of lunches, and me getting ready for dinner.
Want to know how else I am spoiled? My hubby loves to BBQ on Sunday nights. This weekend he BBQ'd on Saturday night as well. So, he cut up all the extra steak and we are ready for a TUES night stir fry. Nice. I have four weeks of meal plans so all I had to do was find the one that had steak stir fry and I was set. I know exactly what we're having for dinner this week. It's beautiful. After 16 years, I am finally learning how to be an effective helpmeet. :)

Here's the Template for Week 2

Week 2

Sunday: BBQ steak
Defrost chicken
Soak / sprout beans
Night: Cut up leftover steak for Tuesday

Monday: Oven Baked Sesame Chicken (allrecipes.com)
Broccoli; make homemade tortilla chips for week
Morning: Garbanzo beans into crockpot or defrost beans that were cooked previously

Night: cut leftover chicken for WED
put quinoa and rice in bowls for soaking in AM

Tuesday: Sizzling Beef with Black Bean Sauce P. 69 Jaime Oliver
Soaked rice; soaked quinoa; garlic green beans
MORNING: soak quinoa; soak rice
Night:

Wednesday: Chicken Quesdillas with leftover chicken
vitamix guac p. 104, vm cal. Salsa p. 106
homemade chips
broccoli or peppers

Thursday: Penne pasta with cheese and ground turkey/buffalo
Bread; green beans; salad
NIGHT: wheat berries into jars OR soak nuts


Friday:
AM: water into jars OR sprout nuts

SAT: AM dehydrate!
soak beans: pinto, black, garbanzo

Home Routines

Sigh...I am super content. I am actually able to relax before bed. Love it!
Yesterday, my daughter and I revisited our home routines. The kids and I have a routine for the morning, afterschool, 3:45pm, 4, 4:30, and before bed. This is all based on the flylady. www.flylady.com I discovered her a long time ago, and she has revolutionized my life. I tried to do everything she did, but finally realized I needed to adapt her philosophy to my life. This is the result.
Probably seems kindof silly to have so many routines for times that are so close together. But, I need this. An afternoon routine alone just doesn't cut it for me. We followed our routines today, thanks to the HomeRoutine app on my itouch, and earned all of our stars. With this app, you earn stars as you complete your tasks. I told my husband tonight, "We may make fun of my stars, but look at our house." He agrees. He loves a clean, restful house. Aahh.