Menu Plan Monday

Monday: Lemon Chicken Saute served over rice and Baked Asparagus w/Balsamic Butter Sauce

Lemon Chicken Saute
Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (this is what we need for our family, adjust accordingly for yours)
3 T all purpose flour
PAM no-stick cooking spray
1/3 cup butter or margarine (we use I Can't Believe It's Not Butter)
1/3 cup teriyaki sauce
3 T lemon juice
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp sugar

Roll chicken in flour to coat. Spray large skillet with Pam or other cooking spray. Add butter and melt over medium heat. Add chicken breast and saute till lightly browned on one side. Turn and brown on second side, 5-7 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove chicken and set aside. Stir teriyaki sauce, lemon juice, garlic and sugar into skillet. Return chicken to pan and simmer 3 minutes. Turn chicken over, and continue cooking until fork tender (2-3 minutes)

Serve over cooked rice.

Baked Asparagus w/ Balsamic Butter Sauce
Ingredients:
1 bunch fresh asparagus
cooking spray
salt and pepper to taste
2 T. butter (We use I Can't Believe It's Not Butter)
1 T. soy sauce
1 t. Balsamic vinegar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Snap ends off of washed asparagus and place on baking sheet. Coat with cooking spray and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 12 minutes or until tender. Melt the butter in a sauce pan or in the microwave. Stir in soy sauce and Balsamic vinegar. Pour over baked asparagus and serve.

TUESDAY: Steak Stroganoff

Ingredients:
2T flour
1/2 tsp Garlic powder
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1 3/4 lb. boneless round steak
2 cans 10 3/4 oz cream of mushroom soup (I use 98% FF)
2 c. water (or 1 can 100% FF beef broth for more flavor)
1 envelope beef stew mix
4 oz can mushrooms, sliced and drained
1/2 c. sour cream
1 T minced parsley

Combine flour, garlic powder, pepper, and paprika in slow cooker. Cut meat into 1 1/2 inch strips. Place in flour mixture and toss until meat is well coated. Add soup, water, and stew mix. Stir until well blended. Cover and cook on low 6-7 hours. Stir in mushrooms, sour cream, and parsley and then cook on high 10-15 minutes until heated through. Serve over egg noodles. (Depending on the consistency of the sauce, you may need to add cornstarch to thicken or add more water/broth to thin)

Wednesday: Cheesy Rigatoni Bake

Ingredients:
1 16 oz pkg rigatoni noodles
2 Tbsp butter or margarine (we use I Can't Believe It's Not Butter)
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 c. milk
1/4 c. water
4 eggs, beaten
2 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce
2 cups sherdded mozzarella cheese (we use fat free or reduced fat cheese)
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. In a saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour and salt until smooth. Gradually add milk and water. Bring to a boil, cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.

Drain pasta and place in a large bowl. Add beaten eggs. Spoon into a greased 9X13 pan. Top with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese. Spoon white sauce over top and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes.


(THE ABOVE RECIPES I GOT FROM Melissa's Bargain Blog

THURSDAY: Kielbasa and Veggies

FRIDAY: Slow Cooked Pork Chops

SATURDAY: Brown Rice and Lentil Casserole

SUNDAY: Tuna Noodle Casserole

Made this yesterday: Strawberry Cobbler

Going to try: Delicious Easy Cereal Bars

For more Menu's check out Organizing Junkie

It's A Boy! x 2

We found out today we are having another boy :)



....and we got a puppy! Meet Indy, after Indiana Jones.



Happy Monday everyone!

The Best Jack, Jack Can Be!

Things are busy here in our new home. I am almost half way through my pregnancy and we find out in less then a week what God will be blessing us with. I think we finally have the names picked out, Oliver Joseph for a boy and Grace Lee for a girl. I think Jack will really enjoy having someone so close in age to him. He will be 22 months when this baby is born.

There have been many concerns with Jack over the past 17 months of his life. The first year was very hard, to say the least, because of his gastroesophageal reflux. It was hard to take him places. It was hard to feel normal, when we had to accommodate such a difficult situation for him. He slowly got better over the first year, but I had some unsettling concerns. The type of concerns that you get when your a mother and something just is not quite right. He is now 17 months old and has not said a word yet. He does not babble. He does not respond to his name. Our pediatrician referred us to a very good center where the doctor could evaluate him and see if she feels there are any concerns. After seeing him and going over his history, the doctor feels he has "features" of autism. Although, they are not willing to make that diagnosis just yet. She wanted him to have an evaluation to see if he needs developmental therapy and to go dairy free. She also suggested giving him cod liver oil to help heal his stomach. So far dairy free has been going well and we have seen some improvements in his responding to us. It has been hard to change our menu, but only a little. Today, he had a developmental evaluation and our concerns were validated as far as speech and development, he is fine in some areas and very behind in others. I was happy that the ladies that came to evaluate him validated my concerns. I was surprised when they said that a lot of parents don't want to deal with the issues their child may have. My response to that was "I want Jack to be the best Jack, Jack can be"...whatever that might be. If he has autism, we will give him the best so he can be the best he can be with autism. If he has a speech problem, we will deal with helping him be the best he can be at speaking. With God all things are possible. God put Jack here with the issues Jack has, knowing we would be Jack's parents, placing him with us...that is an exciting thought that he felt we were capable to handle these things. I won't lie and say I have never been sorrowful. It was hard when I first acknowledged this over a year ago. It was also hard not to think I was nuts or just seeing things. I mean, who wants to think there is something wrong with their child. It has been a very hard 17 months and I am sure it will not get any easier after having another child, but I just keep trying to remember that God only gives you as much as you can handle...and I also think about the Duggar family and think...I gotta be nuts to complain...ha ha. It also helps to have a wonderful 18 year old who has such a servant heart and asks for nothing in return for helping out with her younger brother. What memories Jack will have of their relationship someday. I will be praying for God to light the way for us on treatments or diets or whatever will help Jack be the person God intended him to be.....if you would, I ask that you might too :)

Blessings,

Menu Plan

Monday: Anything goes...still had to shop :)
Tuesday: Ham and Beans
Wednesday: Baked Pasta E Fagioli
Thursday: Korean Roast Chicken Thighs
Friday: Minestrone Soup (a friend said this one is good, so we are trying it this week)
Saturday: Taco Baked Potatoes
Sunday: Chicken Fried Rice

Happy Thanksgiving

I thought I would take a little time out of the day to post the recipes I made on Thanksgiving. Thankfully, I did not cook and am very thankful for my aunt who opened her home up to family. I did, however, make some special things for my family for breakfast and made a pie.





For breakfast I made a Croissant Casserole and Quickie Cinnamon Rolls. I really would like to just make my own cinnamon rolls but knew I would probably not feel up to it, so this recipe was perfect. For the pie, I tried for the first time Jolean's Butterscotch Pie. I have to say that this pie is VERY good, but letting it sit out for a VERY long time is wise as putting it in the fridge makes the butterscotch pudding and meringue weep.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day.

Corn Fritters

2 cups fresh corn or canned corn (I used both creamed and kernal corn, adding probably more of the kernal than creamed)
2 eggs beaten
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 tsp baking powder
2 tablespoons cream
4 tablespoons butter, oil or margarine (I used my nonstick griddle and did not use any oil...it was better that way than using any oil)

1. Combine eggs, flour, baking powder, salt and pepper with the corn.
2 Mix thoroughly
3 Add cream to mixture
4 Melt fat in frying pan and drop corn mixture by spoonfuls (used a standard table spoon) into the hot fat (as I said before I did not use anything and just used by large rectangular griddle set at 375).
5 Brown on both sides.
6 Serve with syrup (I did not try this, I only sprinkled some with a little sugar and others I dipped in Franks Red Hot sauce)

2010 is going to be a SWEET year!

Well, its definitely official. A baby was seen on ultrasound today with a good heart beat. I am due June 27th, although I never seem to go to term. This falls around my oldest birthday and my anniversary. Everybody seem to think it will be a girl, although I would like another boy. I guess its been so long since I had a little girl that it freaks me out. My little girl is going to be 19 by the time this baby is born. Whatever it is, is what God wanted for this family and we will be happy with whatever we get....thankfully it is NOT twins...which my husband kept saying it would be.

We also have signed papers to finally purchase a house. It is a 1900 Victorian home and I LOVE IT. It suits me so well. I really can see my children running around that home and spending holidays in the dining room. We will find out if everything has gone through as planned in the next week or so...then it will be on to moving in...that's the part I don't look forward to is packing up our life here. I live in the home I grew up in...so it will be kinda sad to leave it behind. I am still looking forward to a change and a new life in new surroundings.



2010 is going to bring many changes, all for the better. Our family is expanding and so are our horizons....God blesses us beyond what we could ever expect or ask for.....I feel sometimes that I don't deserve what he plans for me and am in awe that he knows exactly what speaks to my heart. I am just wondering now..."Lord, where am I going to fit all these kids in my small car?"...ha ha. This too he shall figure out for me....I would LOVE a brand new FLEX....I don't really think that, that is in our budget though ;)

God Bless!!


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Baked Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

I found this recipe on Mrbreakfast.com. IT IS WONDERFUL!

(4 servings)

1 cup oats - old fashioned or quick
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 Tablespoon butter - softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon orange zest
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

For The Topping:
1/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
2 Tablespoons white sugar
2 Tablespoon softened butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Prepare 4 individual 1-cup ramekins by coating the inside generously with cooking spray.

Prepare the topping mixture by combining the three ingredients together in a small bowl. Set aside.

Mix all dry spices together in a small bowl.

Combine all other ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Mix well and slowly sprinkle in the spice mixture at the end so it's distributed evenly through the mix.

Divide the mixture among the four ramekins.

Bake for 10 minutes. Carefully sprinkle equal parts of the topping mixture over each serving. Bake for an additional 7 minutes.

Allow oatmeal to cool at least 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

To make this dish extra special, serve with a cool heaping Tablespoon of reduced-fat vanilla ice cream or whipping cream on top.

To see more great recipes visit Grocery Cart Challenge here


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Menu Plan Monday

Another Monday, another Menu Plan! Trying to plan more healthy meals as I cannot afford to gain to much weight during this pregnancy. Most of these are Weight Watcher friendly.

Monday: Family dinner out.

Tuesday: Cheesy Chicken Macaroni and Cheese

Wednesday: Crockpot Cabbage with Kielbasa

Thursday: Lentil and Brown Rice Casserole

Friday: Hash Brown Soup

Saturday: Smothered Chicken with Pierogies

Sunday: Savory Meatloaf, Egg Noodles and Veggie

For more Menu's check out Organizing Junkie

Window Stars

I found a new craft that I love. My husband and I sat one night last week and made these two. I want to make enough to fill the windows during the cold winter months. I did more fall colors for now, but eventually will probably do all the colors for the winter, to see some color when looking out the windows into the snow filled yard.



You can find the directions HERE