Menu Plan for Week of April 26-May 2, 2020

Whew!  I am running behind again!  I got so busy this weekend, with a last minute call to make some more masks for friends of the family.  I was almost out of elastic, and looking online I could see there was none to be found close to me.  So I went to Wal Mart, and bought a bunch of large ponytail holder elastics.  Perfect!  It took me a couple times to get the measurements right, and then I sewed masks for the entire weekend.  So I've been busy!

I realized yesterday afternoon I hadn't menu planned for this week.  So late last night, I put together an easy plan for this week.  I based it on what I have in the freezer, because other than buying milk and a few other perishables, I don't need to go to the grocery store this week.

I am out of time to make a chart, so I am just going to list what we're having here.  Hope this is okay for this week!  So sorry!  I can't believe I'm running behind when there is so little to do each day!

Menu Plan for April 26-May 2, 2020:

Sunday:

Breakfast:  

Gluten Free Pancakes from Noshtastic

Bacon

 Orange Slices

Dinner:  

Sunday Supper Soup from Vintage Recipe Cards - I don't make meatballs, I just use ground beef and onion, and then toss in all the other ingredients and let it simmer

Crackers with slices of cheese

Oreo Krispies from Foodtastic Mom - these are NOT gluten free, but you could substitute gluten free chocolate sandwich cookies and it would be!  I just don't have any on hand!

Monday:

Breakfast:

Cereal

Toast

Banana

Dinner:

Baked Chicken Breast from Yellow Bliss Road - probably my favorite chicken of all!

Baked Potatoes

Green Beans

Tuesday:

Breakfast:

Scrambled Eggs

Toast 

Sausage Patties

Dinner:

Gluten Free Instant Pot Salisbury Steak with Gravy from Noshtastic

Mashed Potatoes

Corn

Wednesday:

Breakfast:

Fried Eggs

Sausage Links

English Muffins

Dinner:

Crockpot Pork Roast and Gravy from The Cozy Cook - I use gluten free cream of mushroom and cream of chicken soup, and gluten free brown gravy mix

Stick of Butter Rice from Thirty Handmade Days

Dinner Rolls

Thursday:

Breakfast:

Sausage Gravy over Toast

Banana

Dinner:

Chicken Bacon Alfredo Casserole from Whole Kitchen Sink - I use 2 jars of alfredo sauce from Aldi's, which is gluten free.

Broccoli - it's in the casserole

Toast

Friday:

Breakfast:

Toaster Waffles

Turkey Bacon

Apple Slices

Dinner:

Grilled Hamburgers

Corn on the Cob (from frozen)

Loaded Bacon Ranch Potato Salad from Mama Knows Gluten Free

Gluten Free Chocolate Brownies from Hersheys

Saturday:

Breakfast:

Sausage Patty and Egg on English Muffin

Banana

Dinner:

Grilled Hot Dogs and Italian Sausages

Baked Beans from Dinner Then Dessert

Chips

Pickles

Carrots with Ranch Dip

That should just about do it for this week!  Hope you all have a good one!

Weekly Menu Plan for April 19-25

Good Sunday morning!  It isn't raining yet here, but it is supposed to later.  The trees are all budded out, my flowering cherry tree is so pretty right now!  My daffodils are on done blooming, as well as my forsythia bush.  Next up should be the lilacs!  The bluebirds are busy in their birdhouse.  I just read somewhere that Mother's Day is a month away!  All these signs of hope and new life, that nature comes alive again after being dormant, is extra meaningful to me this year during our quarantine time.  Never stop being thankful and amazed at what God is doing!

We finished up the ham last week, woohoo!  It was tough going there at the end!  But we hung in there and didn't waste any of it.  We squeezed ham into most breakfasts, most lunches, and some dinners.  My husband reminded me last night that there is another ham in the freezer, and we had a good laugh.  Maybe in a month or two, but right now, um....no.

This week's menu has a little more variety!  And I am looking forward to that!  I am still using the same menu format, but I'm not really liking it too much.  It serves the purpose, I guess, but I still wish I had powerpoint on this computer!  I miss it!

Here is this week's menu.  Notes and recipe links are below.  Most of the recipes are adapted to make them gluten free, and if I do that I will put it in the notes below.

Notes:
Sunday:

Blueberry Pancakes are from Mama Knows Gluten Free - probably my most favorite gluten free blog ever!  Everything I have made has from her blog has been yummy!

Spaghetti and Meatballs - I use frozen meatballs from Sams Club that are gluten free.  I make gluten free spaghetti noodles for me, and regular pasta for everyone else.

Twinkie Tiramisu is from Just A Pinch - this is NOT gluten free, but my family loves all those twinkie desserts, and they also love tiramisu, so this one is for them!

Monday:

Easy Baked Pork Chops are from Yellow Bliss Road - easy and yummy!

Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes are from Spend With Pennies - I use gluten free mushroom soup from Walmart, the rest of the ingredients are all gluten free!

Tuesday:

Gluten Free French Toast is from The Savvy Saving Couple - I use whatever gluten free bread I have on hand, but I really like this with gluten free Texas toast from En-Er-G.

Gluten Free Orange Chicken is from Flippin Delicious - new recipe for me this week!

Egg Rolls - I buy frozen gluten free egg rolls from Fresh Thyme, and regular egg rolls from Sams Club

Wednesday:

Hash Brown Quiche is from Jamie Cooks It Up - yummy and a special treat for mid-week!

Slow Cooker Mississippi Pot Roast is from Yellow Bliss Road - we like the peppery taste of the meat, and it is so good served over mashed potatoes!

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Pie is from Maebells - another new recipe for me to try!

Thursday:

Gluten Free Potato Soup is from Maebells also - the cream cheese makes it nice and thick and rich

Friday:

I use frozen Jenni-O turkey burgers and frozen French fries - easy!

Saturday:

Southern Baked Beans are from Dinner Then Dessert - we all love these beans!  It makes a lot!

Strawberry Banana Salad is from Spend With Pennies - a nice, cool creamy salad that can also double as a dessert.

There you have it!  It's what we will be eating this week!  If you have any questions or comments, please leave them in the comment box below.  I hope you have a wonderful week, and that we can see the light at the end of this quarantine tunnel!

Weekly Menu Plan for Week of April 12-18, 2020

I hope you all had a blessed, Happy Easter today!  For us, it was a rather quiet day, and I scaled down what I made because it was just us!  Hopefully next year we will all be with our whole families again!

I have been very busy making masks and more masks this past week, and will keep making them this week.  I also sewed  very sweet Easter baskets for the granddaughters, and we dropped them off in their garage last night.  Two of the girls are teenagers, and the youngest is 9 years old.  I ordered a new set of cute summer pajamas for each one, and put them in the basket with some candy and some spending money.  Nothing too elaborate, but still a nice little treat for each one!

This week, we will be eating leftover ham in a variety of ways!  By the end of the week I will be about done with ham for awhile!  If there is any left, which I don't think there will be, I will freeze it.  But I think we will get it all used up!

Here is this week's menu plan.  Below it, I will list notes and recipe links.  I adapt most recipes to make them gluten free, as I am the only one in my family that has to eat gluten free meals.  And I don't like cooking 2 different meals!  So I do that as little as I possibly can.  Sometimes, my husband craves something that I can't eat, so I make it for him.  But most often, I adapt it to be gluten free.  If I change a recipe to make it gluten free, I will try and put it in the notes.

Recipe notes and links:

Sunday:

Arkansas Green Beans is from Food.com - we all love these green beans - the sauce is yummy, and the bacon adds such a great flavor!  Sometimes I make them with maple pork sausage, and it is good that way too!

Gluten Free Chocolate Cake is from What The Fork - this is a delicious chocolate cake, and it is really like a regular chocolate cake!  I use a cup of decaf coffee in it, and it is delicious!  I used Bob's Red Mill Cup for Cup gluten free flour.

Monday:

Carolina Gold BBQ Chicken is from Julia's Simply Southers - this is a new recipe for me to try, and it is a grilling out recipe.  I think I will have my husband do the grilling, since it will be chilly tomorrow!  Also note it needs marinating time.

Coleslaw is from Dinner Then Dessert - we like this version a lot!

Wednesday:

For the Ham and Broccoli in Cheese Sauce, I just dice some leftover ham, and make a package of frozen broccoli cute.  After I drain the broccoli,  I stir in a jar of Stadium Cheese Sauce, or any cheese sauce will do, and the diced ham.  Sometimes I add a little water or milk to the cheese sauce to make it a little soupier.  Heat it up, and serve over baked potatoes.

Thursday:

Chicken Tenders - I use Perdue gluten free chicken tenders from the freezer section.  I usually get them at Wal Mart.

Strawberry Shortcakes - these are NOT gluten free.  I buy the sponge cake shells, usually found right by the strawberries in the fresh produce section.  I buy a carton of strawberry glaze, and a couple quarts of strawberries.  Slice the strawberries, and stir them into the glaze.  Spoon it over the sponge cake shells, and top with a nice big squirt of whipped cream.  I use Redi Whip.  For me, I just put a bunch of strawberries and glaze in a bowl and squirt with whipped cream.  Yum!

Saturday:

Ham and Macaroni Salad (which is really called Show Off Salad) is from Taste of Home - I made this salad years ago, and we just love it.  I use gluten free elbow macaroni, which really soaks up the liquid from the salad faster than regular macaroni.  So you may need to add extra mayo the next day, I usually do!  It makes a TON of salad, though, so either cut back the amounts or be ready to share it with friends or family!  I plan on taking a big bowl to my daughter's house for them to eat.  It makes plenty to share!

 So there you have it!  Another menu plan to use up all that ham!  Hope you can find an idea or two here, anything that makes your life a little simpler!  If you have any questions, please drop me a line in the comment section!  Have a wonderful week!

Weekly Menu Plan for April 5-11, 2020

It's almost that time!  Easter is next Sunday!  Let's not allow our current circumstances to prevent us from celebrating the promise of Jesus Christ, and the new life we can all have in Him!  We can still attend online church services, and worship in our homes!  I will try and post my Easter menu earlier than next Sunday.  It will be a bit different, not quite as elaborate, because it's only the 3 of us - my husband, my son, and myself.  But I will still use the good dishes and make it fancy!

As I get used to blogging again, I will try to remember to take some pictures of good recipes I've made and share them.  I always forget to take pictures!  And this week, most of my week was spent making masks to donate.  This week I will do the same, and then hopefully I will get back to my more regular projects.  Like most sewists, I ran out of elastic for the masks.  I ordered some, but it is not scheduled to ship until the week of April 13th.  When I finish this next batch, that will be it until I get my elastic.

I tried to come up with a different way to post my menus besides Powerpoint, and although I still haven't found what I like, I found one that will do for the time being.  I will make it printable as soon as I figure that out!  But for now, the visual is here and the links are below the graphic.  I am making two desserts each week, one regular and one gluten free (so I can have some!)  I adapt a lot of recipes to make them gluten free, so I don't have to cook something separate for me.  If I do that, I will list it below and tell you how I do that!  I will link recipes to the site where I found the recipe, and let you know any changes I make.  Just look at the notes below!  A lot of my recipes in my meal plans are routine ones that I make all the time, and for those I don't include a link.  If you are curious about how I make them, or you need a recipe, just leave me a comment and I will provide one!

Here is my menu plan for this week:  (I don't know why Sunday's menu is all underlined)
Almost all recipes are gluten free!  Please look at the notes to see how I adapt to make them gluten free.

Recipe Links and Notes:

Sunday:

Lemon Chicken Piccata is from All Recipes - I don't dredge the chicken with the flour mixture, I just skip that step to make it gluten free.  If you don't have capers, you can just omit, but I had a jar so I used them.

Apple Crisp is from Betty Crocker - just a good classic, and my husband loves it served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream - this is NOT gluten free, but I have several recipes for gluten free apple crisp if you need one!

Monday:

French Toast Sticks - I give my husband frozen ones.  I make mine from a piece of gluten free bread, cut into strips, dipped in egg and milk, and fried.

Crockpot Pot Roast is from Yellow Bliss Road - very delicious and pure comfort food for us!  And easy!  It is gluten free!

Tuesday:

Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo is from Betty Crocker - this is a gluten free recipe.  I use gluten free fettucine or spaghetti.

Wednesday:

Tomato Soup - I buy gluten free tomato soup from WalMart.  Progresso also makes Gluten Free Tomato Basil Soup.

Grilled Cheese - I make mine with gluten free bread.  I like to use Canyon Bakehouse White Bread for my grilled cheese.

Gluten Free Chocolate Cake is from Hershey's - this is one of a few recipes I have, and I love them all!  This is a very easy recipe and turns out great every time.

Thursday:

Gluten Free Coffee Cake - I am making a box mix from Krusteaz for Cinnamon Coffee Cake.  It's very easy to make, and very good!

Oatmeal - I buy Gluten Free Instant Oatmeal

Meatloaf is from The Country Cook - I use 1 cup of gluten free bread crumbs in place of the 3 pieces of torn up bread

And that's it for this week!  If you have any questions or comments, please leave me a note in the Comments below.  Have a wonderful, blessed Passover week!