Monday Menu Plan: 12/3/2012

Things have gotten extremely busy with the holiday season already. So to compensate for that, I am going to keep my meals as simple as possible! I love this time of year, and don't want to spend more time cooking than I have too (unless it is yummy holiday goodies of course!). 

Here is what we will be eating this week:

Monday 3: Hawaiian Haystacks, served with rice. Toppings: diced green peppers, sliced olives, shredded cheese, peas, and pineapple chunks.

Tuesday 4: Taco Soup with tortilla chips

Wednesday 5: Pork Barbacoa served with rice and a green salad

Thursday 6: LEFTOVERS (Don't waste that food!)

Friday 7: Christmas Party (taking a salad)

Saturday 8: Homemade Pizza

Sunday 10: Beef Stew with Rolls

Other items to make or bake:

Black Beans (will freeze in portions to use as a side dish, and in soups, ect.)

Honey Oat Bread

What are you feeding your family this week?

(I would really LOVE to know!) 

Linked up here. Take a look for other menu planning ideas! 

You can also join me on Pinterest!

Monday Menu Plan: 11/26/2012

I missed a week! We were out of town for a good part of last week for Thanksgiving. I had a plan of very simple meals for the days we were home, and we stuck with the plan, but I never got around to posting it here. With the holidays it is sometimes chaotic, but I find it helps keep things a little less so if I continue on with my regular meal planning. So what will be on the menu this week?!

Monday 19: Taco Soup, topped with a little bit of shredded cheese, sour cream, and served with tortilla chips

Tuesday 20: LEFTOVERS (Don't waste that food!)

Wednesday 21: Orange Chicken (what my kids call it), served with rice and veggies

Thursday 22: Pulled Pork Sandwiches served with fresh veggies and fruit

Friday 23: Homemade pizza

Saturday 24: LEFTOVERS (Don't waste that food!)

Sunday 25: Beef Stew and Rolls

Other items to make or bake:

White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies (to give to some friends)

What are you feeding your family this week?

(I would really LOVE to know!) 

Linked up here. Take a look for other menu planning ideas! 

You can also join me on Pinterest!

Monday Menu Plan: 11/12/2012

I stuck to the plan last week... EVERY day. That feels really good! Oh the money we save when that happens. :) Less food waste, less eating out, and healthier meals. It is all around a good thing! I have been trying very hard lately to use our food, and have as little waste as possible. My husband has been helping out by taking leftovers from dinner to work most days. I know that is an obvious solution for so many of you, but we weren't doing that! I hate hate hate to throw away food. I may as well just flush our hard earned money down the toilet. Not anymore! We really are doing better, and I am learning to be more creative in using up food before it goes bad. 

Anyway...

on with the menu for this week!! :)

Monday 12: Hawaiian Haystacks with rice (pineapple chunks, peas, diced green peppers, shredded cheese, sliced grape tomatoes, sliced olives, and rice noodles will be our toppings)

Tuesday 13: Tacos (shredded lettuce, avocado, diced tomatoes, shredded cheese and sour cream for toppings)

Wednesday 14: French toast with sliced oranges

Thursday 15: Baked Tilapia fish with brown rice and steamed broccoli 

Friday 16: Homemade pizza

Saturday 17: LEFTOVERS (Don't waste that food!)

Sunday 18: Spaghetti, bread sticks, and a green salad

Other items to make or bake:
*Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

What are you feeding your family this week?

(I would really LOVE to know!) 

Linked up here. Take a look for other menu planning ideas! 

You can also join me on Pinterest!

Monday Menu Plan: 11/5/2012

We had a fun Halloween, but am I the only one glad to have it come and gone?! I know, I know... that probably means I am no fun, but I am okay with that. It seems that with school carnivals, and various different parties, Halloween dragged on and on this year. I am happy to move on past the costumes and candy!

This week we will be eating some very yummy, hearty, healthy comfort fall foods. I probably shouldn't love food as much as I do, but I have to admit it... dinner is hands down my most favorite part of the day. Not only because of the food, but also because it is sometimes the only time that all the members of the family are together in one place. We can talk about what is going on in each of our lives, find out how the kids are doing in school, ect. I cherish this time each and every day. 

Anyway, enough sappiness, right?! Let's talk about food!! This is what we will be eating this week....

Monday 5: Chili, biscuits, and a green salad

Tuesday 6: Navajo Tacos (using leftover chili from previous day) topped with lettuce, tomatoes, shredded cheese and sour cream

Wednesday 7: Sweet and Sour Meatballs (can't wait to try these, I think the kids are going to love them!), rice, and veggies

Thursday 8: German Pancakes, and sliced fruit

Friday 9: Homemade Pizza, and a green salad

Saturday 10: LEFTOVERS (Don't waste that food!)

Sunday 11: Lasagna Soup, Bread Sticks, and a green salad

What are you feeding your family this week?

(I would really LOVE to know!) 

Linked up here. Take a look for other menu planning ideas! 

You can also join me on Pinterest!

Monday Menu Plan: 10/29/2012

Another week has already come and gone. Is it just me, or does time seem to be speeding up?!?

With all the excitement this week brings for the kids because of HALLOWEEN, this mom just needs to Keep.It.Simple. That's my motto! So, here we go....

Monday 29: Beef Stew, Rolls, and a green salad

Tuesday 30: Waffles and Scrambled Eggs

Wednesday 31: HALLOWEEN dinner! Mummy Dogs, Pumpkin Veggie Tray, and Apple Snickers Salad, and Frankenstein pudding cups!

Thursday 1: Crock Pot Chicken Tacos, and a green salad

Friday 2: Homemade Pizza

Saturday 3: LEFTOVERS (Don't waste that food!)

Sunday 4: Spaghetti, Garlic Bread, and a green salad

What are you feeding your family this week?

(I would really LOVE to know!) 

Linked up here. Take a look for other menu planning ideas! 

You can also join me on Pinterest!

Monday Menu Plan: 10/22/2012

Last week I did very well at making meals from our pantry/freezer. We are lucky to have such a good stock pile. I only had to go to the store to buy a few fresh produce items and milk. I planned this next week's menu again from things we already have on hand. We could definitely benefit from having another week of very minimal grocery shopping! And as always, the meals I chose are quick and easy. I am sure I am not the only one out there that does not want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen every night!

Monday 22: Cheesy Chicken Skillet, Brown Rice (make extra for tomorrow nights dinner also), fruit

Tuesday 23: Sesame Chicken (super quick and easy to throw together, and a family favorite!), leftover rice from yesterday, and veggies

Wednesday 24: German pancakes

Thursday 25: Chicken Noodle Soup (in the crock pot), rolls (from the freezer), and a green salad

Friday 26: Homemade pizza, and a green salad

Saturday 27: LEFTOVERS (Don't waste that food!)

Sunday 28: Spaghetti, Breadsticks, and a green salad

Other items to make or bake:

*Either Carrot Cookies, or Carrot Cake

What are you feeding your family this week? 

Linked up here. Take a look for other menu planning ideas! 

You can also join me on Pinterest!

Cheesy Chicken Skillet

We have been pulling out our garden this week, and we picked everything we could. We were able to get several grape tomatoes, green peppers, carrots, onions, green tomatoes, green beans and spinach. I knew just the meal I wanted to make to use up some of the fresh produce from our personal garden. This meal is often requested from my husband, which says a lot about how delicious it is! If you want a quick, easy, and better yet healthy meal to feed your family, give this recipe a try!!

Cheesy Chicken Skillet:

1/2 cup zesty italian dressing (can use reduced fat)

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed

2 cups cooked brown rice

1-1/4 cups fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 green pepper, cut into strips

1-1/2 cups chopped tomatoes (our favorite is to use grape tomatoes cut in half)

1 cup cheddar cheese

1/2 cup sliced green onions (optional. I don't always have these on hand, and is still delicious without them)

Heat the dressing in a large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook for about 2 minutes.   Add peppers and broth. Bring to boil, and cover for 5-6 minutes, until chicken is cooked through, and peppers are not too crispy. Add cooked rice, tomatoes, cheese and onions. Stir until blended.

Monday Menu Plan: 10/15/2012

Once again, our menu this week will be everything I love about fall. Comfort foods at their finest. After trying several new recipes the last couple of weeks (with one or more child protesting each time), I decided to take a small break and make foods that I know we all enjoy. This is a very delicious, but family (kid) friendly weekly menu. As always I chose recipes that are also fairly easy and won't require a lot of time. Many of them can be prepared in the morning, which is when I have the most free time. I can then easily put the finishing touches on them in the evening and get them on the table. Happy eating, everyone!

I am currently going to go on a little journey.... a money saving journey. I don't know about you, but money is constantly tight in our home. My husband works hard to provide for our family, giving me the opportunity to be a stay-at-home mom and be with the kids (I love him for this). We have chosen to be a one-income family, but with that come some sacrifices. That being said, my husband was also laid off last year. Several months later he became employed once again, but we did take a pay cut with his new job. (Even with that, we feel this job is a great blessing to our family!) We can make it work, however, we have to be extremely careful with our money. Their are times that I get frustrated, because I wish there was more that I could do to make money, while also being a stay-at-home mom. I realized one day, that by watching how much we spend on food (since the cooking/grocery shopping tends to be my responsibility), I can help. I may not be making money, but I can definitely help stretch the money we have to go further, while keeping our bellies full (which tends to keep us happy!). Overall I feel like I do a pretty good job at this. That being said, I want to do even more to save. We have been fortunate to be able to create a good stockpile of food, and have a pretty stocked freezer (meat/cheese, ect.). My goal over the next month is to keep close track of what I spend (while using as much as I can straight from the pantry/freezer), and see how little I spend this month. Would you like to go on this journey with me? Is this something any of you would be interested in? I would love some feedback on this. I will be going on this journey either way, but if it would help someone out, I would gladly post about what I do, and what I learn about saving money on the way. Feel free to share your thoughts and feelings (or tips!) with me. 

Monday 15: LEFTOVERS (Don't waste that food!)

Tuesday 16: Italian Soup served in homemade Bread Bowls (going to make these ahead of time)

Wednesday 17: Chili Mac and Cheese, served with Apple Snickers Salad and dinner rolls

Thursday 18: Sloppy Joe Sandwiches, hamburger buns (if time allows), green salad, and sliced apples with caramel for dipping

Friday 19: Pizza Quesadillas

Saturday 20: LEFTOVERS (Don't waste that food!)

Sunday 21: Shake and Bake Chicken drumsticks (never made from last week), green salad/veggies, and cheesy potatoes.

Other items to make or bake:

*Healthy Breakfast Muffins: will probably double this recipe and freeze for quick breakfasts and snacks

*I still have a lot of zucchini I am trying to use up from our garden, and I had some very ripe bananas in the freezer, so I decided to whip up a couple loaves of banana zucchini bread last night. Delicious!! The only thing I will change next time is to add a little extra cinnamon. I like my cinnamon! :)

*Strawberry Milk

What are you feeding your family this week? 

Linked up here. Take a look for other menu planning ideas! 

You can also join me on Pinterest!

Italian Soup

This is a hearty and healthy soup recipe. And best of all... it is SO simple!! We don't have a lot of recipes that everyone in our house happily eats, but this is one of them. The kids will even ask for seconds. Really, in our home, that doesn't happen very often! (unless its dessert, but that's a whole different thing, right?) So if you need something quick to put together for dinner that is also sure to please, give this delicious soup a try!

Italian Soup:

1 lb. cooked beef

1 c. diced onion

1 c. chopped celery

1 c. sliced carrots

1 can red kidney beans

1 can tomato sauce

5 bullion cubes

2 t. minced garlic

1 T. parsley flakes

1 can tomatoes

2 c. water

1/2 t. pepper

1/2 t. oregano

1 t. salt

1/2 t. basil

1 can green beans

1/2 c. elbow macaroni

Add all ingredients except green beans and macaroni. Bring to boil. Lower heat. Cover and simmer 20 minutes. Add beans and macaroni, bring to boil and simmer until veggies are tender. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

OR

Put all ingredients in crock pot except macaroni and green beans. Cook until veggies are tender, about 4-6 hours. Cook macaroni following package directions. Add green beans to warm, and add macaroni just before serving. 

Apple Snickers Salad

I was asked to bring a salad to an upcoming family get together. The first thing that came to my mind is something I  have been recently craving, and screams fall to me. Apples are a great price right now, and you can score some good prices on candy as well with Halloween coming up. (I am also looking forward to the after Halloween candy sales where I can stock up on Snicker bars to make again later and with hardly any cost).

Apple Snickers Salad:

8 oz cream cheese, softened

2 small tubs Cool Whip

4 large apples diced

Chopped up Snickers candy (you won't need a lot. a little will go a long way!)

Whip together the cream cheese and the Cool Whip (use less or more Cool Whip according to your taste and/or size of crowd). Soak your diced apples in a little bit of lemon juice (keeps them from browning). You can keep the peel on the apple, it adds nice color to the salad. I like using two red and two green variety of apples, but use whatever you have on hand. Mix the apples and Snickers into the cream cheese mixture, and you are done!

I love this recipe because it is quick to throw together, and it can easily feed a large crowd.

Your guests will love it!

Enjoy!!

Monday Menu Plan: 10/8/2012

I am excited for this week's menu! We are trying out some more new recipes, but they all are quick and easy to throw together. I love feeding my family home cooked meals, but I don't always like to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. I would rather spend my time enjoying my family!

So, here's what we will be eating...

Monday 8: White Chicken Chili and dinner rolls

Tuesday 9: Lasagna (didn't get used last week), breadsticks, and green salad

Wednesday 10: Shake and Bake Chicken Drumsticks, with baked asparagus and canned peaches on the side

Thursday 11: LEFTOVERS (Don't waste that food!)

Friday 12: Homemade pizza

Saturday 13: Grilled Bean and Cheese Burritos, with carrot sticks

Sunday 14: Baked Chicken Fajitas, with rice

Other items to make or bake:

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cups

Breakfast Cookies I love making a big batch of these and keeping them in the freezer. They are great for a quick on the go breakfast, to throw into a school lunch for the kids, or a healthy snack.

What are you feeding your family this week? 

Linked up here. Take a look for other menu planning ideas! 

You can also join me on Pinterest!

Peach Crisp

This dessert is so easy to make, and you can substitute the peaches with peeled sliced apples for a delicious apple crisp. This is a family favorite, and perfect for fall!

Peach Crisp:

4 peaches (or apples) pealed and sliced, or (one 29 oz can of peaches, drained

2/3 to 3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cups oats (I always add a little extra)

1/3 cup butter or margarine

3/4 tsp cinnamon

3/4 tsp nutmeg (optional)

Grease a 9x9 pan, and arrange fruit in the bottom. Mix the remaining ingredients together. Sprinkle the mixture on top of the fruit. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes.

Serve warm. Extra delicious with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a healthy scoop of whipped cream. 

Monday Menu Plan: 10/1/2012

Happy October Everyone! For some reason it doesn't officially feel like fall until October. It's here! I put up our fall decorations over the weekend, and we enjoyed some time outside visiting a local farm with the kids. The weather is PERFECT right now. If only it would last! I am craving all things fall: anything apple or pumpkin, soups and hot chocolate. This is by far my most favorite time of the year!

This week my goal was to not have to go grocery shopping (other than a few fresh produce items), and to use up some food I have stored in the freezer. My reasons for doing this are simple. I have food in the freezer that needs to be used up (so they don't go to waste), and to stretch our grocery dollars for the month. The less I have to spend this month, the better. I still have enough food to do this again for another week or two. Here's to another week of easy but delicious homemade meals. 

Take time to sit down with your family and enjoy your meals together!

Monday 1: Roast, potatoes, and carrots in the crock pot, green salad, and rolls 

Tuesday 2: LEFTOVERS (Don't waste that food!)

Wednesday 3: Fluffy pancakes, breakfast sausage, scrambled eggs, and orange juice (we love having breakfast for dinner!)

Thursday 4:  Crock pot Chicken and Dumplings 

Friday 5: Homemade Pizza, served with a green salad

Saturday 6: LEFTOVERS (Don't waste that food!)

Sunday 7: Lasagna (from the freezer), garlic bread, and a green salad

Other items to make or bake: 

Pumpkin Pie Breakfast Oatmeal

applesauce
Instant Amish Bread

Strawberry Milk

What are you feeding your family this week? 

Linked up here. Take a look for other menu planning ideas! 

You can also join me on Pinterest!

Pasta Bake

A quick, delicious meal that can be thrown together in a matter of minutes. This also makes a great back-up meal... when you just don't feel like cooking, don't have time, ect. It just may save you from having to rush to the drive-thru. Your wallet will thank you! ;)

Pasta Bake:

1 lb pasta

1 15 oz can Diced Tomatoes

1 8 oz can Tomato Sauce

1 pkg spaghetti sauce mix

Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. While cooking, mix together tomatoes, tomato sauce, and seasoning mix. Add the cooked pasta to tomato mix, and place in a 9x13 baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil, and bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Remove foil and top with parmesan cheese. Bake an additional 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. (For added nutrition, you can add grated zucchini to the sauce as well! A great way to sneak in a vegetable that your kids may not otherwise eat).

Monday Menu Plan: 9/24/2012

Life will continue to be busy this next week (when won't it be though, right?!). The crock pot helped me so much last week that I think I will utilize it again this week. In fact, I think I am going to start using it at least once a week. Some weeks definitely more than that. It is so easy to put a crock pot meal together, and such a time saver! Love it. So on with the menu for this week!

Monday 24: LEFTOVERS (Don't waste that food!) We still have some food leftover in the fridge from last week, and since I don't want to flush our hard earned money down the toilet we will be starting out the week using it up!

Tuesday 25: Easy Crock pot Chicken Drumsticks, green salad and fruit.

Wednesday 26: Use leftover chicken to make a chicken pot pie.

Thursday 27: Pasta e Fagioli (I came across this recipe on pinterest, and it looks so yummy!), green salad,  and dinner rolls.

Friday 28: Crock Pot BBQ Chicken, veggies, rice

Saturday 29: LEFTOVERS (Don't waste that food!)

Sunday 30: Spaghetti, green salad, garlic bread and fruit cocktail

Other items to make or bake: 
Peach cobbler
Apple Pie Breakfast
Breakfast Burritos to freeze for quick/easy/healthy breakfasts
We have a lot of frozen strawberries in the freezer that need to be used, so I thought it would be fun for the kids to try some Strawberry Smoothies.

What are you feeding your family this week?

Linked up here. Take a look for other menu planning ideas!

You can also join me on Pinterest!

Chicken Pot Pie

This meal is so easy to throw together and uses ingredients most of us already keep on hand. It is also nice because it can easily be altered to taste, or by using up some leftovers. I don't have an exact recipe, but this is generally what I do:

Chicken Pot Pie:

Cooked chicken or turkey meat, cubed (I often use leftover meat from a previous meal)

1 can cream of chicken soup (can use homemade)

about 1/3 cup milk

1 16 oz bag frozen vegetables (I usually use a mix of peas/carrots/corn, but use whatever you have in the freezer, or what your family likes. You could also use fresh or canned veggies.)

seasonings to taste. salt, pepper, oregeno, ect.

pie crust (let's be honest, I head straight to the freezer aisle to get this, but you could also make your own)

Mix the chicken, soup, milk, veggies, and seasonings together in a large bowl. Pour into a 8 x 8 baking dish. Break a frozen  pie crust into pieces and place the pieces on top of the mixture until the top is pretty much covered. Then bake according to the pie crust directions. I think I do about 20-25 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Serve warm, and enjoy!

Instant Oatmeal

My kids have recently found that they love oatmeal, and they eat it most mornings for breakfast. To save money I make my own dry oatmeal mixes, then all we have to do is add water or milk when it comes time to eat. We were fresh out, so today I whipped up a large batch of cinnamon and sugar, and a cream variety. Making up a large batch a head of time will save you both time and money. That makes it worth it for me.

This is what I did:

Mix these ingredients together in a large bowl:

*2 cups powdered oats (just throw them into a blender until smooth. I have also made it without this, but the powder helps the oatmeal to thicken up a little bit when you make it)

8 cups quick cooking oats

1 1/2 Tbsp salt

If you want cinnamon add:

*2 Tbsp cinnamon

*1 C sugar

* 1/2 C dried apples (optional)

cream:

* 1/2 C sugar

*8 Tbs creamer (powdered coffee creamer)

Store in an air tight container.

To serve: Combine 1/4 cup of oatmeal mix to about 3/4 cup hot water (depending on how thick you like it). For the cream variety: serve with fresh/canned fruit of your choice (strawberries, peaches, blueberries, ect.)

{it doesn't get any easier than this} Banana Muffins

I had some over ripe bananas that I didn't want to go to waste. I wanted to use them, but didn't want to spend the time it takes to make banana bread. I came across a recipe online using only a few ingredients (which I happened to have on hand). It was the perfect solution! I was also craving something sweet, so I decided to throw a few chocolate chips into the mix also, and it was so yummy. If you need a quick treat, give the easy muffins a try.

Banana Muffins:

1 White or Yellow Cake Mix
3-4 Over-ripe bananas Mashed
2 eggs
1/2 c. chopped nuts (optional)

Combine everything in a bowl. Mix well. Pour into greased muffin tins and bake at 350F for 20-24 minutes, or until golden brown.

**I substituted the nuts for chocolate chips, and it made for a easy, sweet treat. Delicious!

My kids also loved them. I am sure I will be making these again!

Recipe Taken from: GroceryBudget101.com

Monday Menu Plan: 9/17/2012

It is finally starting to feel like fall. I'm not complaining one bit!!  I love being able to open the windows in the evening and feel a cool breeze through the house. I am done with the heat!

This is going to be a busy week at my house. I seem to have every evening scheduled with appointments or soccer, but that won't get in the way of my family being served a homemade, delicious meal. I will be taking full advantage of the crock pot this week.

Monday 17: Sweet Barbacoa Salad (like Cafe Rio)

Tuesday 18: Use left over meat, rice, and beans from Monday to make a burrito smothered with green enchilada sauce and topped with cheese, sour cream, lettuce and tomatoes.

Wednesday19: Chili, cornbread

Thursday 20: use leftover chili to make Navajo Tacos. (use rhodes roll dough, fry it, and top with chili, cheese, tomatoes and sour cream)

Friday 21: homemade pizza (using this dough recipe), green salad

Saturday 22: LEFTOVERS (Don't waste that food!)

Sunday 23: Brown Sugar Chicken... (I have been wanting to try this recipe for months!), served with rice and a side of veggies

Other items to make or bake: 

Large batch of pancake mix to freeze for easy breakfasts

Cinnamon crescent roll dessert

Large batch of dry Oatmeal for easy breakfasts

What are you feeding your family this week?

I am linking up here. Take a look for other menu planning ideas!

Pizza Crust

Here is a simple pizza dough recipe. And it tastes great!

1 c. warm water

½ t. garlic powder

1 T. sugar or honey

2 T. butter

1 T. yeast

1 t. Italian Seasoning

3 c. flour

Stir yeast into water, add sweetener and let stand 5 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients, and knead. (If making in a mixer, let it do the kneading for you!)  Cover the dough, and let rise. Roll out and top with toppings of choice. Bake at 450 for 10-15 minutes.

Chili

I love this recipe because it is so easy to make, and it is one that pleases the whole family. Can't complain about that! Throw it together early in the day, let it cook on low, and dinner is ready whenever you are ready to eat. It doesn't get any better than that!

Chili: 1 pound beef

1-2 medium onions, chopped

1/2 bell pepper, diced

1 can diced tomatoes

6 oz. can tomato paste

1 cup water

1 Beef Boullian cube

2 cloves garlic minced

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. oregano

1 Tbsp. Chili powder

4 16 oz. can beans (I like to use a mix of black and kidney beans. Use whatever your family likes!)

Brown the hamburger and onions, and drain. Put in slow cooker, adding all of the other ingredients. Cover and simmer 2-3 hours on low/med (or longer on low).

Pumpkin Chip Cookies

Last night we decided to make a treat together as a family. We wanted something yummy of course, but also something quick and simple to make. We decided to go with pumpkin cookies. We especially love this recipe because it only calls for 3 ingredients, and can be mixed together and baking within a few short minutes. This is not a new recipe, and many of you may have tried this before, but it has become a favorite in our home, and we try to keep the ingredients on hand so we can make it any time.

------------------------------

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 15 oz can pumpkin

1 spice cake mix

chocolate chips

Mix canned pumpkin and spice cake mix together well, then add the chocolate chips. Place heaping spoonfuls on a cookie sheet, and bake at 375 for about 9 minutes.

------------------------------

It's as easy as that!!

If you can't find the 15 oz cans of pumpkin I have also used the larger cans, and used 2 cake mixes to go with it (it is basically just doubling the recipe).

If you have never tried this recipe (or even if you have), you should make some this fall. I love pumpkin desserts in the fall, and you can't go wrong with this easy recipe!

Monday Meal Plan: 9/10/2012

The beginning of another week already. These days the weeks just seem to be flying by for me. School is back in full swing, and our older kids are both involved with soccer... which keep this momma busy.

Fall is my favorite time of year, and I love all the yummy food that goes along with it. I cannot wait to start making soups and stews and all things comfort food. I still have a lot of summer produce from the garden, and am featuring recipes this week that will help us take advantage of that! 

Next week though... it is time to enjoy fall food!

Monday 10: Baked Tilapia fish with Green Salad (using vegetables from our own garden!)

Tuesday 11: Crock Pot BBQ Chicken, served with steamed veggies from the garden

Wednesday 12: Garden Vegetable Stir-fry (we will be using peas, carrots, bell peppers, and zucchini), with rice.

Thursday 13: LEFTOVERS (Don't waste that food!)

Friday 14: Homemade pizza. We like using this crust for a quick, but yummy pizza dough (the "Fast and Easy Pizza Dough" found about halfway down the page).

Saturday 15: LEFTOVERS (Don't waste that food!)

Sunday 16: Spaghetti (using our homemade sauce), breadsticks, green salad, and fruit

What are you feeding your family this week?

Linking up HERE! Take a look!

Homemade Stir Fry Sauce

Mix before adding to pan: 

½ c. cold water
2 T. soy sauce
2 t. cornstarch
1 t. sugar
⅛ t. ground ginger
⅛ t. pepper

Cook sauce until bubbly and then coat stir fry veggies. Add meat of choice, and stir fry until warm and veggies are tender.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

I love Sundays. My hubby doesn't have to work Sundays, and so it is the one guaranteed day during the week that the whole family will be home together. Family time is important. Often times on Sundays I get the hankering for something sweet. I pull out the recipes and find something yummy to make, and I usually get plenty of help from the kids. Not everyone enjoys cooking with their kids (let's be honest, it makes the whole process longer and messier), but when I have the time I love to have the kids help out in the kitchen. Cooking is an important skill to learn! 

We still have a lot of zucchini growing in the garden, so we decided to put some of that fresh produce to good use by making a delicious treat. Maybe not the healthiest way to incorporate veggies into your families diet, but still better than no veggies at all, right?!

A few years back a friend of mine had made this cake, and I was lucky enough to try it. Oh my goodness! I couldn't believe it was a zucchini cake. It was so moist, and chocolaty, and YUMMY, and I had to have the recipe! Now each year as we get a pile of zucchinis from the garden I can't help but make this cake at least once. 

Chocolate Zucchini Cake:

1/2 cup shortening or butter

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup buttermilk (or add 1/2 tsp of lemon juice to milk and let sit for about 10 minutes to curdle)

2 cups packed grated zucchini

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp Cinnamon

1 1/2 cups flour

4 Tbsp Cocoa

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp cloves

dash of nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

topping:

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

In a medium bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients. Cream sugar, oil, and shortening together. Add the eggs and vanilla. Alternate adding the buttermilk and the dry ingredient mixture.

Pour into a greased and floured 9 x 13 size baking pan. 

Sprinkle topping mixture over the top.

Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Check with a toothpick to make sure the center is cooked through. If not, bake a few more minutes and check again. When cooked through, remove from oven and allow to cool. 

This is delicious served alone, or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Enjoy!