Menu 10/12-10/18

Breakfast/Snacks/Dessert:
Pumpkin sheet cake with cream cheese icing
brownies
ham & cheese omelet roll
cappuccino muffins
granola bars
Amish baked oatmeal
pumpkin doggy treats (for those of the canine variety)

Lunch:
french dip sandwiches
make & freeze burritos
turkey chili (leftovers)
ribs, mac & cheese (leftovers)
homemade pepperoni pizza

Dinner:
beef skewers, spaghetti squash, roasted redskins
pork fried rice (with fresh ginger from the commissary!)
pot roast, homemade mac & cheese (crockpot)
chimichangas, spanish rice, refried beans
swiss steak, mashed potatoes, green bean packet (crockpot)
red beans & rice
steaks, twice baked sweet potatoes, corn

There's a lot of beef on my menu this week...we just found out we're getting discharged from the Navy so we have anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months to eat everything in our freezer or lose it. I was given a ton of beef so I am trying to use that as well as all the leftovers.

Menu 10/5-10/11

Mark is kinda sick so I made homemade chicken noodle soup for dinner with broth from some bones I had frozen, and drumsticks (frozen) from a chicken I had roasted. It was really good! Who knew drumsticks had so much meat on them.

Breakfast/Snacks:
cappuccino muffins
filled muffins
granola bars
popovers
bacon crescents

Lunch:
Philly cheesesteak sandwiches (made from one of the free roasts), cream cheese dip, carrots
pizza calzones
buffalo chicken pizza

Dinner:
delicious drumsticks, mashed potatoes, glazed carrots
BBQ beef (made from one of the free roasts), corn on the con, mashed potatoes (crockpot)
pork chops & potatoes, green beans
turkey chili, rolls
chicken stew, rolls
sliced beef (leftovers from philly cheesesteak sandwiches), spaghetti squash, gravy, salad
chicken helper (found in the cabinet. Who knew?), salad

I'm sure you've noticed that I don't add a lot of lunch and breakfast selections. Lunch, when I don't cook, is leftovers. I have a freezer full...I could not cook lunch for a month and Mark and I could eat solely from the freezer! We're trying to eat the leftovers to make room for leftover turkey from Thanksgiving (how many times can one person say "leftovers" in a paragraph?!).

Blondies

I originally called this recipe peanut butter brownies. My husband informed me that they're called blondies...who knew? Anyway, whatever you call them, they're soft, moist and just so delicious! I sprinkled peanut butter morsels on top before baking, just to be pretty.

1/2 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup margarine, softened
2/3 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C ). Grease a 8x8 inch baking pan. In a medium bowl, cream together peanut butter and margarine. Gradually blend in the brown sugar, white sugar, eggs, and vanilla; mix until fluffy. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; stir into the peanut butter mixture until well blended. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in preheated oven, or until the top springs back when touched. Cool, and cut into 16 squares.

Free food!

A dear friend's husband dropped some meat off at my house today. He left 5 beef roasts (one was pretty large...will make 2 smaller ones out of it), 2 pkgs beef tips and 2 prime rib steaks. I guess I'll be making those soon :). Obviously I'll make pot roast from the roasts...I'm not sure what else. Allrecipes.com, here I come!

Menu 9/28-10/4

I'm so glad it's fall! It's my favorite season. I love all the scents and foods...the smell of pumpkin bread (my mom is famous for this!) and apple pie just makes me wanna dance. Here's my menu plan for the next week. I have at least one friend who's going to use the same menu for her family. Let's see how it goes!

Breakfast:
Amish baked oatmeal (this is a staple now!)
cappucino muffins (didn't get around to them last week)
filled muffins
steak and eggs

Lunch:
Chicken alfredo pizza
spinach quiche
Corndog muffins
teriyaki
bacon cheeseburger calzones
BLCT's (bacon, lettuce, cheese and tomato sandwiches)

Dinner:
Steak fajitas (bought 2 large cheap steaks last week; made 4 smaller ones out of them. 2 are for steak and eggs, one is for this dinner and one is for backup in the freezer)
oven chicken chimichangas, refried beans, spanish rice
sloppy joes, coleslaw, fries
bean soup, cornbread, onions
mini meatloaves, asparagus, mashed potatoes
southwest chicken packets (broccoli and rice inside)
beef stew (contains red potatoes and carrots)

Snacks:
granola bars
french silk pie
chocolate peanut butter bars
buttermilk donuts

Spinach Quiche

When I was pregnant, Mark and I took a trip through Stonington Village. I remember the day; we had just found out that the baby was a girl. We found this cute little store while we were there. The owner and her late husband had opened the store when the kids left home and, even though he had passed on, the wife wanted to continue what her husband started. He made this incredible quiche that she continued making fresh daily. The other day I remembered tasting that light, fluffy, cheesy quiche and though, "Well, I'm sure I can figure it out!". Here's my crustless version of a spinach quiche:

4 eggs
3/4 c frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1/8 tsp each salt, pepper and garlic
1/4 c mozzarella cheese
1/2 c cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Beat eggs in a shallow pie pan. Mix in spices, spinach and mozzarella. Coat spinach evenly with egg mixture. Top with cheddar cheese. Place in oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until eggs have set.

Menu 9/21-9/27

Breakfast:
Pancakes
Amish-baked oatmeal
cappucino muffins
hearty breakfast

Lunch:
Spinach and cheese quiche
buffalo chicken pizza
minestrone soup
leftovers

Dinner:
Spaghetti and meatballs, green beans
red beans and rice, salad
pork fried rice, egg rolls
fried catfish, coleslaw, fries
roasted chicken (save leftovers for pizza), salad, roasted broccoli
steaks, baked potatoes, fresh sweet corn
beefy lentil veggie soup, buttery rolls

Snacks/Desserts:
Apple pie
pumpkin butter cake
cinnamon cookies

Good news! Only spent $48 this week :). Still over my budget but less than I thought it might be.

Amish Baked Oatmeal

1/4 cup butter
1 large egg
3/8 cup brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg or cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon milk
1 1/2 cups oatmeal (regular or quick)

Melt butter. Grease 1 1/2 quart baking dish and drop in eggs and beat well. Add brown sugar, baking powder, vanilla, nutmeg or cinnamon, and salt. Mix well, no lumps. Whisk in butter and both measures of milk, then add oats.Stir well, and refrigerate overnight.Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 35-45 min, or until set in the middle.Serve hot with warm milk poured over.

Menu 9/13-9/20

Breakfast:
Amish baked oatmeal
pumpkin muffins
strawberry oatmeal
big breakfast
Amish baked oatmeal
pumpkin muffins
cereal

Lunch:
homemade pizza
ham sandwiches, chips & carrots, dip
loaded baked potatoes
grilled cheese, tomato soup
goulash
potato soup
leftovers

Dinner:
stuffed peppers, salad
crockpot macaroni and cheese, brown sugar ham, roasted broccoli
tuna casserole (made by Mark!)
beef stew, rice
sloppy joes, fries
spaghetti carbonara, green beans
spaghetti, salad, fresh corn

Snacks:
brownies
pumpkin muffins
chips, carrots & dip

My goal is to spend around $30-$40 this trip. I usually spend about $50+ so we'll see how it goes. I'm using what I already have and go from there. I got a really good deal on ground beef last month so I still have about 2 1/2 lbs in the freezer. I'm buying a lot of little things, plus a small ham and cat food.

I'm making a lot of things homemade as usual, so stay tuned for more recipes as I make them.

Spinach Dip

8 oz spinach, thawed
8 oz cream cheese
4 oz mozzarella cheese
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp garlic

Mix all in a bowl. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes or until cheese is melty and bubble. You can also nuke this in the microwave for 3-5 minutes or until cheese is melty. Serve with crackers or carrots to dip.