I'm back...ish

So here I am attempting to make another menu. Lets see what I can come up with. and yeah, just fyi- my oatmeal eating helped me loose a pound last week! :) and as for the school lunch- AWESOME FREE MEAL!!

monday
oatmeal eggs/ cereal
sandwiches
penne rustica, salad,  breadsticks

tuesday
oatmeal eggs/cereal
leftovers
stir fry

wednesday
oatmeal eggs/cereal
school lunch
enchiladas

thursday
oatmeal/cereal
school lunch
crunchy chicken fingers

friday
oatmeal/cereal
school lunch
pizza

saturday
pancakes
sandwiches
pulled sandwiches

Menu planning helps me

It helps me do lots of things!!
1. NOT GET HUGE AND FAT!
2. Keep the money for groceries under control
3. Keeps my man happy
4. Keeps the chillins happy
5. Helps my sanity

So WHY IN THE HECK have I not been doing it??? Because I have been L-A-Z-YYY!!!!! (or just really busy, and it has prevented me from sitting down for more than 10 minutes at a time....)

So, here is another weeks worth of menu

Monday
oatmeal
turkey avocado sandwiches
bbq chicken and grilled taters (not recommended!)

Tuesday
oatmeal
chicken quesadillas and carrots

Wednesday
oatmeal/cereal
PB&J with chips and drinks
hamburgers, hotdogs, homemade ice cream, and homemade root beer

Thursday
pancakes
pizza from a little place here. it is SOOOO YUMMMMMMY!!!
coconut chicken salad with warm honey mustard vinaigrette

Friday
oatmeal/cereal
turkey sandwiches
tinfoil dinners and mallows

and while I am leaving you all hanging with what in the world we well have for saturday and sunday, all i can say is that honestly, i just don't have time to finish it right now. but if i don't do it now, when will i??? Hmmmm.....

saturday
german pancakes
leftovers
figure something out

sunday
eggs and toast
roast and taters, jello, rolls, green beans

thats all folks, now we must run to the grocery store before the hubs get home.

What is my deal anyway???

So I am a liar! A big fat juicy one! I believe that I told you that I was going to get back to posting my menu's....I DID NOT DO IT! Not that I didn't sort of do menu's for my family, but, I was just to busy to get on here and post them for you (But of course not too busy for stupid facebook....which BTW, I Defriended a lot of peeps, just cause I was sick of hearing about people that could care less about me. And I accidentally hit it on a few, so sorry to the few, please not hard feelings!!) . This week one of my goals is to let you in on the menu....ha ha ha.

Monday
B: Oatmeal (Little man's request as I was just putting him to bed for the 19th time tonight!!)
L: French dip sandwiches out of elk roast (hubby's fav!)
D: Teriyaki chicken and ham fried rice (doesn't that just make you drool thinking about it!?!?!?)
Crap, I just remembered I have to work at 6 this night. This is what is on the menu, but it is apt to change!

Tuesday
B: Baked eggs (LOVE MY DEMARLE COOKWARE!! It has TOTALLY replaced all my pampered chef stoneware! Baked eggs don't even think about sticking to this stuff!!! YIKES!!!)
L: Turkey sandwiches
D: beef enchiladas. oh, so yummy!!!!

Wednesday
B: Oatmeal
L: turkey sandwiches again (heck, I bought the meat, it isn't gonna go bad! It's just gonna GO!)
D: Chicken salad (Like grilled chicken...no, leftover chicken from the night before!)

Thursday
B: Oatmeal
L: leftovers
D: Chicken strips and home fries (these things are so stinkin' easy! You cut up yer taters, put 'em in a ziplock, add a tablespoon of oil, some seasoning, and shaken 'em up....then bake 'em at 350 for 25-35 minutes!

Friday
B: Oatmeal
L: Leftovers
D: At grannies- sorry to my husband-he'll have to fen for himself!! :)

Saturday
B: Toast and cereal  GARAGE SALE!!!!
L: still GARAGE SALING it!!
D: leftovers

Sunday
B: Eggs and toast...or pancakes....or waffles?!?!?
L: turkey- IT IS TIME!! Time for what??? To get that stupid turkey OUT OF MY FREEZER!!!!!!!!!!!
D: leftovers or PB&J

Where have I been???

Well, I KNOW that all of my many followers are DYING to know where I have been. But please wait, I will tell you!! First and foremost- I had a Demarle party. Click on the word to see what this stuff is, or just wait, and you will see me talk about it! :)
We went on a short little family vacation. (yeah, when I say short and little it was one night long!)
I have painted my kitchen AND my bedroom.
I have become the aunt to TWO more adorable nephews, and I took the one that is 2.5 to my house for a couple few days (I live in the country now, let me talk like it!!)
The hubs and I have been to the temple a few times.
There was general conference.

This is the artwork I have in my house

And I have worked a few AWESOME night shifts. (Can I just tell you how much I HATE HATE HATE the computer system that our hospital has. One night they went down at 2 AM, and didn't come up until 8 AM. Um, my shift ended at 7ish, and so what did I get to do???? Go back to work later that day, and do a whole bunch of charting. IT SUCKED!!!!!!) But really, I had a good shift........Blah blah blah

So, speaking of the two toddlers, or preschoolers, or whatever I should call them. This is one of the few picts of my babies you will see. But seriously, how cute!! That would be my nephew in the bed, and my big boy on the floor. :)

And then on our little mini vacay, my little man really wanted to go to a temple, so we did. He needed to go to the bathroom, but of course all the doors where locked. That is when he says: "I wish Jesus' house had a potty!" Ha ha ha.

And what are these little beauties? Brownies....with cream cheese frosting. 

 Now, on to what the heck demarle is. AWESOME bakeware. really awesome!!! Don't believe me. Well, how bout you check out the fact that THIS bundt pan has NOT A DROP of pam, butter, flour, or any other greaser in it to make it come out. It just does it on its own.

 And just when you think that it may not work, yeah, look at how this comes out. I flipped it on the cooling rack, and it seriously FELL out of the pan. Yeah, it totally rocks. And if you think that it doesn't....well, your WRONG! It makes it pretty and shiny, and oohhh-la-la.

This is what happens when I turn my back. He attacks it!!

This is what the 'mold' looked like after I dumped the cake out!

So what else can these weird soft pans that are super flexible do? Well, if you like to brown A LOT of hamburger, or sausage, you can do that with it! How? you may ask.... well, you pop it in the microwave.   There is a lid that you can plop onto this little thing, and somehow, it magically browns it up. AWESOME!!!! So, what is next???

Yes, that is steam coming up! 

THIS is what is next! You bend this bad boy right in half, and dump the grease out. Please don't think about the fact that I am dumping grease down the drain. I usually put it in a can, or something, but I was tooooooooo excited to take this picture! :) 

 Now, if you want to know what the menu is- we will start mid week.

Wednesday
B: cereal
L: leftovers from yesterday
D: pizza pockets

Thursday
B: eggs
L: sandwiches and chips
D: enchilada pie

Friday
B: oatmeal and toast
L: leftovers again
D: french dip sandwiches with home fries

Saturday
B: pancakes with homemade syrup (I bought the maple flavoring at the store....I am SOOOO EXCITED!!!!!)
L: more leftovers
D: chicken nuggets and rice

Sunday (Happy Easter! He is RISEN!!)
B: crustless quiche
L: at the in-laws (I am planning on making these, and some jello, and probably these )
D: at work :(

So boys and girls, there you have it.
And I wondered where out toilet paper had disappeared to......I found it! Ha ha ha. I love my little man!! And please people, don't be jealous of my AWESOME tile floor. I know you want it. But in order for you to have this kind of tile, you are going to have to call 1971, and ask it to send it to you, because I don't know ANYWHERE where you can find this fantastic of tile!!! Have a good day!!

SeRiOuSlYYYYYYYY!!!!!

A little late, and a little crooked, but hey, you get the point!
I hope!!

I am so freaking sick of being freaking sick!!!! Let it end already!! I am so tired of it! GRRRRRRRRR!!
And while I'm on it, I am so sick of the stupid snow! At this moment my little man would say "Mom, we don't say stupid!" and so I would say I am so DARNED sick of the DANGED snow!!! :) Did I make a menu for this week?? No, I haven't yet. And am I watching one of my favorite shows BONES, yes, I am. That makes me happy! Will Booth and Bones just hook up already???? And while I am talking about shows, Biggest loser, I love it! I want to be a big loser! If I could loose another 15 pounds I would be SOOOOO where I need to be!!! Maybe I should stop eating like I do! :)
Speaking of loosing weight- I  just ran my first organized 5K. It was A LOT of fun! One of my dear friends (and cousins in laws) Annie did it with me. It was great! I am slower than frozen molasses, but you know what, I did it! And if you know me, you know that I was never one to run, but now, you just TRY and stop and me!!! :) I am proud of myself. Really, can I be? I am not one to talk myself up, but here I am doing it. I am so cool! :)
Also, my man is asleep in bed with my little man. Sooooo cute!! Do you remember the name of my blog.....there is randomness mentioned, and for a good cause! oh, and while I am sitting at the computer, I am burning 68 CD's (for my primary babies!)!!!
ANYWAY- I guess I will attempt to make a menu
So


MONDAY
B: cereal... I splurged and bought some honey bunches of oats cinnamon flavor.mmmm, mmmmm, mmmmmmmmmmm
L: we had PB&J's with chips
D: Little biscuits with hamburger in them with humus and carrots, and celery.

TUESDAY
B: oatmeal (I gotta get back to the grind stone!!)
L: Leftovers
D: Crockpot Roast, taters, and beans..... I have one in the fridge, which was really for Sunday, but I kinda slept through that whole thing. Thanks night shifts. I love you.... :)

WEDNESDAY
B: Oatmeal, and breastest (which is cereal in little man language)
L: somethings from the freezer
D: Mandarin chicken and rice- we didn't have it last week, and I want to use it! It is yummmmmy!

THURSDAY
B: Cereal
L: Eat Lunch at work with Daddy! (Cafereria food is good every now and again, RIGHT??)
D: Sesame Broccoflower Stir Fry with noodles

FRIDAY
B: Oatmeal
L: Chili dogs
D: Pizza (veggie style)

SATURDAY
B: Yummy pancakes (and they will be SOOOOOO yummy!)
L:  Leftovers
D: Burgers and home fries!

SUNDAY
B: cereal (I am done putting eggs, we never have time!)
L: Turkey, for reals!!
D: burritos or sandwiches, or something.....

Have a good week, and if you have something good, let me know your recipe! i really don't like to repeat dinners very often. and I am starting to run low on kid approved meals! :)

My Husband! And a menu.

My Hubby is the one in the black closest to the camera.

Sitting in the benches, awesome!!
Sorry 'bout the flash!

Last night my husband was asked to play in a hockey game. That would be the first one ever! He was excited, and I was too! It was so much fun to watch him on the ice! He looks so hott with all the pads on. Sidney Crosby, watch out! There is a new man in town! (and for all of you non hockyers, Crosby is like, the Michael Jordan of hockey! He is #87 on the pittsburg penguins, if you would like to google him!) Anyhow, my sweety made a goal! If your not a hockey person, you need to know, that hockey isn't one of those high scoring games! The highest score I think I've ever seen was like 8:5. So This was a BIG DEAL to me (and him too!)! Sorry for my excellent photo skilzzz, I had my little point and shoot, and the plexiglass, real great to take photos through!!


So, now on to what you may be looking at this blog for....the menu.

Monday
B: Blueberry Muffins (I know, I'm mixing it up a bit! We got blueberries in our basket this weekend, and  I am ADDICTED to my blueberry muffin recipe!)
L: Turkey sandwiches and chips and carrot sticks
D: Neighbor day- last week we had chicken noodle soup and rolls
FHE treat: Angel food cake- I'm gonna attempt a homemade cake....ha ha ha we'll see!!! :)

Tuesday
B: oatmeal or cereal (I am out of Life, and I refuse to buy it for more than $1 a box, so my little man has started eating oatmeal again!)
L: hopefully leftovers
D: Chicken and asparagus noodle mix stuff.... It is sooooo good!

Wednesday
B: oatmeal or cereal
L:  leftovers
D: Spaghetti Casserole with breadsticks, and salad

Thursday (IF I can think of something cool, I may switch up this whole thing, and so something GREEN! I mean, HELLO ST. PATRICKS DAY!!!)
B: Oatmeal or cereal
L: Sweet and Sour meatballs with green rice (I made some S&S sauce last summer, to take me through the winter months!! Yeah, I <3 canning!) I might try some broccoflower
D: Neighbor day again- last week we had Arctic Circle... it was a PARTY!!

Friday
B: Oatmeal or cereal
L: A delightful sandwich shop called Jimmy Johns...or Cafe Rio
D: Pizza.....NOT! I have a cousin gettin' hitched, and I am going to the PAR-TAY!!

Saturday
B: Pancakes, I am serious here! I missed them last saturday, I NEED my pancakes!
L: Turkey sandwiches, and
D: Hamburgers, big fat greasy ones with BACON, and grilled onions! And some home fries!

Sunday
B: Toast and Eggs
L: Turkey and taters, and rolls, and jello, and something reallllllly good,  like pie, or something
D: sandwiches

Now, last week, I caved, and this is what we had.
Honestly, I know it is CRAP, but I CAN'T NOT make it, and LOVE IT!
I do try to make it healthier, by adding
pureed cauliflower to it (thank you jessica seinfield!)
Do you have anything you know is crap, but love?

A few recipes...

Every Tuesday and Wednesday I make dinner for friends. Today one of them called me and asked me to give her a few recipes. Well, this is they... (oh, and yeah, they make me dinner on mondays, and thursdays...I am nice, but that is WAY nice, and I am not that! :) )


Beef Noodle Bowl
From Kraft Magazine
Takes about 30 minutes to make
serves around 4 adults
(Normally, I don't like their recipes, but this is good, in-fact, a family favorite!)

8 oz linguine
3 cups broccoli florets
3 medium carrots peeled and sliced
2 tsp veggie oil
1 pound sirloin steak cut into strips
1/2 cup italian dressing (it recommends kraft, but $$$$ ha ha, I use what I buy, which is the cheap stuff!)
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce (I use my yoshidas sauce- it is LOTS tastier than teriyaki! Buy it at sams!)
1 tsp ground ginger

-cook pasta as directed on package, adding broccoli and carrots to the cooking water for the last 2 mins.
-meanwhile heat oil in skillet add meat cook until browned on all sides. then stir in dressing teriyaki, ginger; cook until sauce thickens, stirring occasionally.
-Toss pasta and meat mixture in large serving bowl and EAT! (I really just mix in the pan, then I have less dishes, who isn't a fan of that...besides Martha Stewart! And if I had 'people' I probably wouldn't care either....)


Italian Meatball Subs
Um, this is a crockpot meal. It takes 4-8 hours. I did do it in the oven in like 2 hours, but not as tasty as in the good ol' CP!
serves 8 adults

Meatball ingredients
1 pound beef
1 cup italian breadcrumbs
1/2 cup FRESH parmesan cheese
1 tsp parsley
1 garlic clove
1/2 milk
1 egg

Mix all ingredients together, and make little meatballs. Put the meatballs somewhere...I put them on a cookie sheet, but don't worry, you don't pre cook them! Oh, and I use a cookie scooper for this step, but if you like to eyeball it, go for it. This is my least favorite part of making these! I hate touching raw meat! It makes me ill!

Sauce Ingredients (hold on to your pants, this is TOUGH!!)
1 can tomato sauce (I use the 14 oz can)
1 29 oz can of italian crushed tomatoes...or if you are a tomato putter upper, grab a quart of them! They taste WAY BETTER!!
1/2 cup FRESH parmesan cheese
2 envelopes spaghetti sauce seasoning

Mix these low sodium ingredients together, and then put a little in bottom of your CP...then layer a layer of meatballs, then some sauce, then some more meatballs.  Make sure sure sure to finish with sauce! My CP usually only has ONE layer of meatballs.
Plop the lid on, and let that bad boy to his work. 8 hours on low, 4 on high.
I hope that you are out of your house while these are cooking! They smell so good!


Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole
Takes like 30 minutes to prepare it
from Melskithchencafe.com

Serves 6 to 8

Topping:
4 slices white sandwich bread, torn into quarters (I used a long forgotten bread bowl tucked in the back of the freezer – thawed it in the microwave before using)
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:
3 pounds russet potatoes (about 4-5 medium), peeled and sliced 1/8-inch thick
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3 medium garlic cloves, finely minced
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup heavy cream or milk
6 ounces Swiss cheese, shredded, about 2 cups
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of excess fat and sliced thinly
9 ounces deli ham, chopped
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves

For the topping, process the bread and butter in a food processor until coarsely ground. Set aside.

For the filling, preheat the oven to 400 degrees, making sure the oven rack is in the middle. Place the potatoes, 6 cups water and 1 teaspoon salt in a large pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until the potatoes are partially cooked, about 2 minutes (don’t overcook because they will continue to cook in the oven!). Carefully drain potatoes, or remove them with a slotted spoon, and transfer them to a bowl. Set aside.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, thyme, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook until the onions are softened, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, stirring constantly, about 1 minute. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until golden, about 1 minute (this helps cook out the flour taste in the roux). Slowly whisk in the chicken broth and the cream or milk. Bring the mixture to a simmer, whisking often, until slightly thickened (if using milk instead of cream, you may have to cook longer for it to thicken up a bit). Off the heat, whisk in the Swiss cheese, Dijon, and cayenne pepper until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and set aside until ready to use.

Toss the potatoes with half of the sauce and spread into the bottom of a lightly greased 9X13-inch baking pan. Layer alternating pieces of the chicken and ham over the potatoes, overlapping as needed. This is not a scientific procedure, just make sure that the chicken is in a single layer (not on top of each other) so that it cooks thoroughly. Pour the remaining sauce evenly over the chicken and sprinkle with the bread crumb topping. Bake until the chicken is cooked through and the casserole is bubbling, 30 to 35 minutes (add about 5-7 additional minutes onto the baking time if baking it after it has chilled in the refrigerator for more than a couple of hours). Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

And there you have it!! Enjoy!