Weekly Menu Plan 4-21 to 4-27, 2024

 

How are you all doing this week?  I hope you had a great week last week, I know I am looking forward to the coming week!

The trees are all leafed out here, even though we had a touch of cold this weekend.  Nothing too severe, but I am ready for those 60's and 70's again.  Tennis is going great, so far my granddaughter is undefeated this season.  We still have many matches to go yet, so we'll see how the season plays out.  Regardless, I am so proud of her!  

As the weather warms up, I'm beginning to work more salads into our meal plan.  I can make them early in the day, which I like, and it's not so heavy at dinner time.  I've just had such a taste for salads lately!  I decided every other day is the goal for salads, although right now I think I could eat one for dinner every day.  

I'm also trying a gluten free pizza out this week that has a pizza crust made with canned chicken.  I know it sounds strange, but I keep reading all these rave reviews about them online.  Extra protein, no gluten, so what's not to love?  I'll see how that goes this week - I am looking forward to trying it!

I also have several easy desserts this week, and I'm trying to go a bit lighter there as well.  I like a little treat at the end of the day, but I'm fine with something light and not too heavy.  I keep several cartons of dairy free ice cream in my fridge, because I mostly go dairy free these days.  I do use lactose pills when I eat cheese, like on pizza, and they seem to work pretty well for me.  But if I make a dessert that has too much dairy in it, I'll just have a small dish of dairy free ice cream.  Breyers makes a wonderful gluten free dairy free Oatmilk ice cream that I love.  Vanilla and chocolate chip mint are both gluten and dairy free.  And yummy!

Here's my plan for the week.  Links and notes are below:

Monday:

Banana Baked Oatmeal

Taco Salad For A Large Crowd

Gluten Free Cornbread

Gluten Free Lemon Meringue Pie

Wednesday:

Devilled Egg Chef Salad

Thursday:

Yogurt Parfaits

Gluten Free Banana Bread

Sheet Pan Nachos

Easy Pineapple Dessert

Friday:

Chopped Salad With Pasta

Gluten Free Brownies

Saturday:

Gluten Free Cinnamon Coffee Cake

Gluten Free Pizza with Chicken Crust

And now off to another busy week!  I hope you all have a wonderful week, and many happy meals with family and friends!  Take care and see you next week!

Weekly Menu Plan Feb. 4-10, 2024

 

Yay!  Old Punxsutawney Phil came through!  And he nailed it - we've had lovely weather the past few days.  I almost didn't recognize the sun when it finally came out!  I hope you've had great weather too!

Meals this week are fairly easy.  I've got a few things going on most days, so I need meals that are easy to throw together and get on the table quickly.  We're also feeling the need to go lighter - it must be the nice weather!  Here's what I planned for the coming week:

Sunday:

Breakfast:  Make Ahead Breakfast Bowls (I prepped these Saturday afternoon, kept 2 in the fridge, and froze the rest for later this week and next week),  Grapes

Dinner:  Healthy Chicken Pot Pie Soup (it's in the crockpot now!), Dinner Rolls

Dessert:  Gluten Free Brownies (from mix) , Vanilla Ice Cream

Monday:

Breakfast:  Oatmeal, Greek Yogurt, Apple Slices

Dinner:  Hamburgers, French Fries, Corn

Dessert:  Leftovers from yesterday

Tuesday:

Breakfast:  Banana Baked Oatmeal (just making it in a 9X13 pan), Mixed Fruit Cup

Dinner:  Italian Sausage and Peppers, Gluten Free Macaroni and Cheese (boxed Kraft), Green Beans

Dessert:  Gluten Free Oatmeal Scotchies, Hot Chocolate

Wednesday:

Breakfast:  Fried Egg Sandwich with Turkey Bacon, Yogurt

Dinner:  Cashew Chicken, Rice, Egg Rolls

Dessert:  Leftover Cookies, Ice Cream

Thursday:

Breakfast:  Cold Cereal, String Cheese, Pears

Dinner:  Gluten Free Tuna Casserole, Tossed Salad

Dessert:  Gluten Free Chocolate Cream Pie

Friday:  (No cooking day for me!)

Breakfast:  One of the frozen breakfast bowls from Sunday

Dinner:  Leftovers - either Tuna Casserole or Cashew Chicken

Dessert:  Leftover pie from yesterday

Saturday:

Breakfast:  French Toast Casserole, Fried Apples

Dinner:  Spaghetti with Meat Sauce, Tossed Salad

Dessert:  Gluten Free Cannoli Pie

That should do it for another week!  Hopefully it will be another week of early spring weather!  Take care!

Weekly Menu Plan 10-1 to 10-6, 2023

 

Happy October!   It's hard to believe it's October already, especially since it's so hot outside here!  We have upper 80's until Wednesday, then it's supposed to rain and start to actually feel like fall.

I had a productive week last week, I hope you did too!  The highlight of my week was going up to see one of my granddaughters at her college.  I made her this little treat basket:

She's not a big candy eater, and doesn't care for chocolate (can you imagine??), so I didn't want to put a ton of chocolate in it.  So I bought a couple of her favorites - Werther's caramel apple soft caramels, and a bag of gummy bears.  I know she won't throw those away!  She needs a little something sweet now and then, don't you think?  She tries to eat pretty healthy most of the time, which she definitely didn't get from me!  I need to be more like her!

Then, I finished my Japanese Rice Bag, and I love how it turned out!  I used up leftover fabric from my table runner, and some other scraps.  It holds a ton of stuff!

I've already used it to carry my cross stitching supplies in, and I'm going to use it to hold snacks when we go on vacation.  I can fit all kinds of gluten free goodies in there!  It completely closes with the drawstring, and is really very sturdy.

Enough of that stuff, here is my menu plan for this week.  I have a bunch of stuff to do this week, so there's nothing too difficult.  Mostly I planned for quick and easy meals, or something I can make ahead.  As always, notes and recipe links are below.

Notes and Recipe Links:

Sunday:  

Gluten Free Banana Pancakes are from Meaningful Eats

Gluten Free Chicken Noodle Soup is from Gluten Free Palate - I always use rice noodles that I find in the Chinese food section of my grocery store

The Best Side Salad is from Fantabulosity - I plan on eating the salad leftovers for lunch a couple days, as it makes a lot.  Very delicious!

Chocolate Cake is from Glutenless Apron - this is a new-to-me recipe, can't wait to make it!

Monday:

Gluten Free Reuben Sandwich is from The Spruce Eats

Gluten Free Potato Salad is from One Lovely Life

Gluten Free Blueberry Pie is from Fearless Dining

Tuesday:

Gluten Free Chili is from Mama Knows Gluten Free

Gluten Free Cornbread is from All Recipes

Wednesday:

Gluten Free Sausage Gravy is from All Recipes - we like ours over gluten free toast rather than biscuits

Gluten Free Chili Dogs are from Spend With Pennies - I'm using leftover chili for these

Thursday:

Gluten Free Macaroni Salad is from Mary's Whole Life

Friday:

Gluten Free French Toast is from Gluten Free Palate

Gluten Free Oatmeal Scotchies are from Mile High Mitts

Saturday:

Gluten Free Kentucky Butter Cake is from Mama Knows Gluten Free

And that's it for this coming week!  

I hope you have a great week with your family, and lots of happy family meals!  Take care!

Weekly Menu Plan 4-16 to 4-22, 2023

 

I love spring, and all the flowers and warm temperatures!  But today, it is rainy and temps are dropping quickly.  I guess winter isn't wanting to leave just yet!  Yesterday it was 80 degrees, tonight we are looking at wet snowflakes falling!  In a few days, though, it will be back in the 70's until we get another system that tanks the temps.  Mother's Day is on the way, though, and that means there's usually no more frost until fall.  At least here in Indiana!

Last week, I ditched a menu plan in favor of taking it easy for a week.  I cooked so much for Easter, I was kind of tired of it.  We had a lot of leftovers, but not as many as I thought.  Family members took home some of them, and we ate a lot for dinner that day.  Most everything turned out great!  The pork loins were fabulous!  The only thing that didn't turn out was my gluten free carrot cake.  It was so wet, even after baking, and so sticky, that it just crumbled in a heap of wet cake.  I threw it out.  I don't know if it was my flour, or what.  So I made another carrot cake using regular flour, and that one was very good, according to everyone else.  I was a little bummed, because I love carrot cake, and I have never had one not turn out.  But I think I had enough to eat without it!  I usually use Bob's Red Mill gluten free flour, but this time I used Pamela's.  Since gluten free flours differ so greatly, I think that was my problem.  Back to Bob's Red Mill next time I make that cake!

Here is this week's menu plan.  I'm ready to start cooking again!  I've made tonight's dinner several times, and I love it.  So good!  I'm looking forward to a busy week ahead - I'm getting a new stove delivered on Wednesday, and can't wait!  I just hope the oven - which has an air fryer and convection oven which my current one does not - works well!  It will take some getting used to, I'm sure!

Notes are below.

Sunday:

Gluten Free Taco Spaghetti is from Good For You Gluten Free - I love this!  Easy, makes a big pot so we have lunch leftovers for a couple days, and it's delicious!

Monday:

Gluten Free Waffles are from Mama Knows Gluten Free - they're so good!

Gluten Free Chicken Pot Pie is from Mama Gourmand

Gluten Free Nutella Blondies is from Jackie Ourman - new recipe for me to try

Wednesday:

Maple Sausage Lentil Soup is from Haute Flavor - I love this soup!  It is so delicious.  I'm not usually a lentil fan, but I love them in this soup!

Crockpot Baked Apples are from Kleinworth - the first time I made these, I was so surprised at how delicious they are!

Thursday:

Gluten Free Peach Cobbler is from King Arthur Baking - another new dessert I'm trying this week

Friday:

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Muffins are from The Loopy Whisk - one of my favorite places for gluten free recipes

Saturday:

Gluten Free Cinnamon Crisp Coffee Cake is from King Arthur Baking

Cobb Salad is from Taste of Home - salads are starting to start really good, especially if the temps stay warm!

That's it for another week!  Have a blessed week, y'all, and enjoy meals with your family!

Weekly Menu Plan March 12-18, 2023

It's time for another week of menus!  These weeks are just flying by!  I can't keep up.

As we approach St. Patrick's Day this coming Friday, I was looking for some information about St. Patrick.  I'm neither Irish nor Catholic, and I realized I don't know much about him.  I found these words that are ascribed to him:

May the wisdom of God instruct us.

May the hand of God protect us.

May the Word of God direct us.

Wow!  That's really quite beautiful, isn't it?  I don't know if he actually said or wrote that or not, but I love it just the same!  I think I might cross stitch that one and hang it up in my house.

Here's my menu plan for the week.  I don't have much going on this week, at least not that I know of right now, so I'm planning on tackling some cooking and cleaning and becoming a domestic goddess this week.  :)  Notes for the links can be found below the menu plan.

Sunday:  Crockpot Swedish Meatballs are from Country Cook - tried and true

                Gluten Free Coconut Cake is from Chef Janet K

Monday:  Creamy Broccoli Cheddar Rice is from Maebells

Tuesday:  Gluten Free Banana Muffins are from Gluten Free Baking

                Gluten Free Key Lime Pie is from Meaningful Eats

Thursday:  Gluten Free Waffles are from Mama Knows Gluten Free - tried and true

                Gluten Free Crockpot Pork Chops are from Moms with Crock Pots

                Gluten Free Cherry Cobbler is from Dishing Delish

Friday - Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal is from Budget Bytes

                Gluten Free Turtle Cheesecake is from Wheat By The Wayside

That's it for this week!  Enjoy your week!

Weekly Menu Plan 1-22 to 1-28, 2023

 

Hello!  

I don't know about where you are, but here it snowed today just a little bit.  Enough to make you feel like staying home and getting all cozy under a blanket.  We are supposed to get some more this week, but how much remains to be seen.

Last week was much calmer than the previous two weeks.  But I am still behind in getting recipes posted.  As usual, I forget to take pictures of what I've made, and then I get frustrated with myself.  It's a new habit I have got to work into my routine.  But it will take awhile.  Old dog, new tricks.

Here is my menu plan for the week.  Nothing too complicated.  The Sheboygan burgers we are having tonight are very easy.  It's just a hamburger patty topped with bratwurst, sauerkraut, and swiss cheese.  I will try and remember to take a picture.  I am having mine without a bun, since I'm gluten free.  I can't imagine a gluten free bun holding up to that much stuff!  Usually they crumble.  So I'm just doing without.

If you click on the bottom menu, you should get an enlarged view that is easier to read.

That's it for the menu this week!  I hope you have a nice, cozy week and nothing too crazy weather-wise!   Take care!

Weekly Menu Plan 1-15 to 1-21, 2023

 

Here we go again!  For me, last week didn't go as planned.  Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday were all taken up by plumbers and baby-sitting.  Saturday was my anniversary, 45 years!, and we went to breakfast and then shopped for almost the entire day.  So cooking was not what I accomplished!  Most of the week was throwing something together quickly, like canned soup and a sandwich.  But that's how some weeks go, right?  I'm hoping everyone stays healthy now and this week is more routine.  I don't know how anyone who is retired says they are bored!  I don't have time to be bored!  I'm busier now than when I worked!

I hesitate to make my menu plan too difficult for this week.  I hate buying everything I need to follow it, and then wind up not using it.  I am really going to work on cleaning out my freezer this year.  I have no idea what's at the bottom!  It will be a surprise as I work my way down there.  But I have got to get that done this year.  I should look at it as a challenge, but I dread it.  I'll try to be more optimistic!

Before I share my menu plan, I want to share what I've been reading.  The first book I read this year was Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng. 

My opinion was that it was good, not great, but good.  The characters and some of the events in the story were underdeveloped to me, and some of it just seemed very stereotyped.  But, like I said, I thought it was okay.  I think I would have liked it more 40 or 50 years ago, when I was younger.  I would have been more impressed with it then.

But then I started this book:

I am halfway through this book, and I LOVE IT so far!  Each chapter has been so good, and the story just pulls me in.  If the second half is as good as the first half, we have a winner!  At least, in my opinion!

What are y'all reading?  I'd love to know!

Here is my menu plan for this week.  I hope I can stick to it this week!

I hope you all have a great week, and can find some ideas here!  I will try to share some recipes this week, I know I am far behind!  Take care and see you soon!

Weekly Menu Plan 1-1 to 1-7, 2023

 

It's the New Year!  So much to look forward to this coming year!  My hope is, rather than asking FOR blessings, that I can BE a blessing as much as possible, to others.  Focus outward, not inward.  That's my prayer for 2023.

I kind of fell off the menu bandwagon there at the end of 2022.  I just ran out of time and energy to get everything done.  I'm sure a lot of you felt the same way.  Good intentions, but not enough oomph to get it all done.

So I'm kind of winging it this year.  I changed the name of the blog to The Life Of Grammy, because I think the word 'spirited' sounded like I was either drinking or thinking I was mystical, neither of which is true.  Originally I meant it to reflect the fruits of the spirit, but somehow it wasn't working for me.  So I dropped it!

Then, in addition to that, I decided I don't want to spend as much time in the kitchen anymore.  I was struggling last year to keep up with my menu plans, and often I just didn't get 'er done.  I meant to, but my plans were a bit unrealistic for the time I have to spend making them.  I still go over to my daughter's house to stay with my granddaughter after school.  Now, she'll be 12 in a couple months, and doesn't really NEED me there.  But I just feel better going over there and having someone home with her.  The older two are away at college, and I hate her coming home to an empty house.  Also, my daughter is starting a new job that has about an hour commute both ways.  She won't get home until 6:00.  So I will be over there from 3:00 to 6:00 every day, and will start taking my granddaughter to all her evening practices and whatever else she has going on.  That should be my prep time starting dinner at home.  So what I do is, I prep everything in the morning or early afternoon so it's ready when I get home.  But if I have a doctor appt or meet a friend for breakfast or lunch, or have shopping to do, I usually don't have time to prep.  Then it's either go out or make a sandwich.  So I am making my menu plans a bit more flexible and not so time consuming.  

I am also including leftovers days.  Sometimes, when I stuck to my menu plan, we had so much food left at the end of the week it was crazy!  It was too much waste, and things are too expensive these days to pitch stuff because I made too much.  I am trying to be more economical, as well as spend less time in the kitchen so I have more time to sew and read.  So my plans will be much less intensive than before.  

The last change I plan on making is to share the recipes I use, instead of just providing links.  I often link to recipes, and then change ingredients or recipes at the last minute.  On top of that, sometimes I use the link to the recipe I posted, and it doesn't turn out or we don't like it after I make it!  So, my plan right now is to post the menu plan on Sunday, and then during the week post the recipes I used with any changes I made.  I will also be using my cookbooks more, and online recipes less.  That will give me more recipes to share, but less links for you to click.  If you don't want to wait for my recipes, just google the name of the recipe, and I'm sure you'll find a ton of links to choose from!

So let's see how this goes!  I'm sure I'll be changing things as the year progresses, making it work better for me and hopefully for you!

Here's the first week of the year's menu plan, and what I'll be making this week!  If you have any ideas or comments, please leave them below so I can incorporate what you like into my plans.

So there you go!  I hope the changes don't bother you too much!  As it is, I am feeling pretty comfortable with it!  

I hope you all have a wonderful week, full of good food and fellowship!  I'll be back tomorrow with a recipe for the soup!  See you then!

Weekly Menu Plan

 

Well, here we are again!  Back to the BUSY time of year!  It always seems to me that for most of the year, Christmas is way off in the future, then WHAM!  It's here!  And it seems to come faster and faster each year!  You would think that, by now, I would be more prepared, but no.  It always seems to surprise me!

This year, for me, December is full of meeting friends for breakfast and lunch, doctor appointments, school concerts and programs, shopping, wrapping, sewing, and baking.  I enjoy it all, but at the same time I am always glad when January comes and it's all over for another year.  But it's always fun at the same time!

This week, for meals, I relied solely on Taste of Home, my old go-to recipe site.  I subscribed to that magazine for years and years, and I have the entire collection.  I stopped my subscription a couple years ago because, mostly, I don't like the new magazine.  The old ones are my favorites!  But anymore, they include mostly recipes I would never make.  It's just not my kind of magazine anymore.  The old ones, though - that's a different story!  I use them all the time!  They are the best!  And the pages on the new magazine are like tissue paper.  I wish they made them like they used to!

So here's this week's plan.  It's pretty simple, because I've got lots of other things to do this month besides cook.  This week I am making some breads.  I can freeze them to give away later, but some of them I will give away this week.  I am seeing some friends I probably won't see again until after Christmas, so they will get their loaves early.  

Most of the recipes are easily adapted to gluten free, but if they're not, I have a ton of frozen gluten free meals I can use up.  For Christmas baking, I don't bake gluten free unless it's for my sister or something that I really want to eat.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  See you next week with another meal plan!

Weekly Menu Plan Nov 13-19, 2022

 

I wish it looked like this when I look out my window!  Instead I see snow and and the temps are barely in the 30's!  We definitely got a glimpse of winter this weekend!

I went Christmas shopping with my daughter yesterday, and it snowed the whole time we were out.  At least it put everyone in the Christmas spirit!  I can't believe a couple days ago we were out without coats, and it was actually warm!

Another week's meal plan is finished.  I am not hosting Thanksgiving, but I have several dishes I am taking over to my daughter's house.  But at least I don't have to do all that grocery shopping!  She is also hosting Christmas, so that really eases up my workload.  And I'm all for that!

Here is my menu plan for the week.  I don't have too much going on this week, so I hope to have time to stick to my plan.  

I hope you all have a great week before Thanksgiving!  I know everything seems to start getting rushed now, with the holidays fast approaching.  It's kind of nice to slow down and be able to appreciate everyone!  Blessings to you all!

Weekly Menu Plan Nov. 7-13, 2022

 

Hi there!

I hope you had a good week last week!  Mine was a bit crazy, and I got all off track with my menu plan.  

I had several days when I got called away from home for most of the day, which left me no time to prepare dinner or do any baking.  Sometimes that happens, right?  I am hoping this week slows down in that regard.  

Since I got behind on my menu plan, this week includes some of the same foods on last week's plan.  I have already grocery shopped, and I had everything I needed to make all the foods from last week's menu.  So I just slid the meals I hadn't made, over onto this menu plan.  I hope that makes sense!  

What I did get made from last week, were kind of so-so.  The Chicken Cordon Bleu was okay, but it definitely needed more seasoning.  I think that has happened to me before when I use recipes that have cream or heavy cream in them.  It was very bland, and no one really liked it very much.  It might have been my fault in how I prepared it.  But, I don't think I'll be trying that one again.

The gluten free orange chicken didn't turn out, either.  It looked like chicken in a dark brown really thick gravy.  It was very unappetizing looking, and none of us wanted to try it.  I made it yesterday, and then we went out and ate instead.  It might taste all right, but honestly it looks so unappealing I don't know if we'll eat it or not.  Again, it might have been something I did wrong while making it.  Sometimes things just don't come together as planned!  But we probably won't be trying this recipe again, either.  My husband asked me why I don't stick to the tried and true recipes!  And sometimes I do, but sometimes I like to try new things.  So this week, I am making more meals that aren't first time recipes.  Two fails in one week was enough for awhile!  Live and learn, right??

Here is this week's menu plan.  I cannot wait for the tomato soup and grilled cheese night!  Sometimes simple is just so comforting, and I'm really looking forward to it. 

This week is supposed to be in the 60's and 70's here all week, until Saturday.  Then the temps take a dive, and it will be highs in the 40's.  More like November!  Our town is having their Holiday Kick-Off sales at all the little shops downtown, so my daughter and I are heading down there to check it out next Saturday.  It's always fun to see all the Christmas decorations!  

Have a wonderful week!  I hope you can grab a couple ideas to use from this week's menu, and enjoy some meals with your family and/or friends!  Take care, and see you next week!

Weekly Menu Plan Oct. 30-Nov. 5, 2022

Happy Sunday!  It's hard to believe it's the last Sunday in October, isn't it?  I can't believe it turns into November in a couple days.  This year has rushed by!

So last week, I had a few disruptions in my days.  My daughter is having some remodeling work done in her house, so it turns out that on Wednesday and Thursday, I spent my entire day over at her house so someone could be there with the workers.  On Friday, my husband and I met some friends for lunch at Cheesecake Factory and spent most of the day out.  So my regular schedule took a hit.

I had planned on, and shopped for, all last week's meals and groceries.  But I think there are three days that I missed on my menu plan.  I just scrapped those recipes for now, and will get back to them in a week or two.

I had planned on reviewing all the meals I had made on Wednesday, and every Wednesday will be review day.  But I will have to try and start that this week, since last week got me all messed up.

Here is this week's menu plan:

About the only change I am making to the recipes with links is on Saturday.  I will use gluten free pasta in place of the regular pasta.  Everything else will be the same.

A few of the recipes this week are ones that are new to me, so I am really anxious to see how they turn out!  I have the chocolate cake from Sunday's menu in the oven as we speak, and it smells so good!  I can't wait to try it tonight!

I hope you find something you can use here, either a helpful link, a new recipe, or at least an idea of what to make for supper!  Have a wonderful week!

Weekly Menu Plan Week of Oct 23-29, 2022

 

Good morning!

I decided to post some menu plans again, as I am still writing them for myself.  I can't plan my grocery shopping any other way!

I am really looking forward to this week's meal plan!  It has some of my favorites!  

Be sure to check my other blog, What Happens At Grammy's..., for this week's recipes and other stuff!

Here is my menu plan for this week:

Here are my notes:

Sun - Maple Walnut Waffles are from Mr. Breakfast

         

         Chicken Florentine Skillet is from Low Carb Wow

Mon - Cabbage and Sausage is from Pioneer Woman

Tues - Gluten Free Beef and Broccoli is from Faithfully Gluten Free

Fri - Low Carb Peanut Butter Blizzard is from The Well-Planned Kitchen

      

          Fathead Pizza is from Noshtastic

        Orange Creamsicle Mousse is from The Heritage Cook

Sat - Gluten Free Pumpkin Coffee Cake is from Fearless Dining

        Autumn Squash Soup is from A Simple Palate

And there you have it!  The year is winding down to a close, but this is the first 2022 menu plan I have posted all year!  What can I say?  I'm a slowpoke!

I hope you enjoy it, and can find some yummy treats to eat this week.  I will be posting recipes and pictures on my other blog, What Happens At Grammy's.  Please stop by and visit often!

Have a great week!

Weekly Menu Plan August 29-Sept 4, 2021

 

Well, that was a quick month, wasn't it?  It seems like this summer has flown by, and even though it's 92 degrees today, I see on the long term forecast that the high in 2 weeks is predicted to be 66 degrees!  That's sweater weather for me!  Most definitely.

September looks to be extremely busy for me.  I have a couple short trips planned, a horse show that my granddaughter is in, several family birthdays, several long-awaited doctor appointments, a dentist appointment, and whatever else turns up!  I have a long list of things to sew, including a few bags for gifts.  I just finished a couple for my sister, and I can't wait to get started on some fall bags and table toppers.

This week's menu is pretty easy peasy.  Since I know I will be busy most of the month, I sketched out a month long plan of my easiest meals to prep.  You may notice that gluten free recipes are missing this week.  That's because I am on a restricted diet until the middle of September, so this menu is only for my husband and whoever else in the family wants some!  I usually take leftovers over to my daughter's house for their lunches.  I hope I get some baking time in September, because August has just been too hot to use the oven!

Here is my plan for the week.  I got lazy and didn't plan breakfast, I think I will just wing it this week.  But dinners are planned, I have my shopping done, so let's take a peek at what we're having:

Sunday:

Beef Stroganoff  

Buttered Noodles

Broccoli

Tossed Salad

Lemon Bars  

Monday:

Tomato Soup

Tuna Salad on Lettuce

Crackers

Carrot Raisin Salad 

Cantaloupe

Tuesday:

Turkey, Ham, and Swiss Sub Sandwiches

Lettuce, Tomatoes, Mayo

Sun Chips

Macaroni Salad 

Nectarines

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Wednesday:

Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza Casserole 

Tossed Salad

Watermelon

Thursday:

Spaghetti with Stamp of Approval Spaghetti Sauce

Garlic Bread

Green Beans

Rice Krispie Treats

Friday:

Teriyaki Chicken Rice Bowls

Egg Rolls

Biscuits

Mandarin Oranges

Saturday:

Scrambled Eggs with Cheese

Sausage and Gravy

Toast/Biscuits

Hash Brown Potatoes

Peach Cobbler Coffee Cake  

There you have it!  I'm sure my family will have a great week not having to eat everything gluten free!  They are all looking forward to it!  Have a wonderful week, and I hope you find an idea or two here to try out!  

Weekly Menu Plan for 8-22 to 8-28, 2021

 

I don't know about you, but where I am, it is HOT HOT HOT.  It is going to be hot (90's and above) all week long this week, so not much cooking is going on in my kitchen!  I just don't want to heat up the house. It is also extremely humid here.  So I jotted down a quick menu plan for the week, got my grocery shopping done yesterday, and I'm ready for a week spent inside in the air conditioning.

Here is my menu plan for this week:

Sunday:  

Breakfast:  Scrambled eggs, Bacon, Toast, Fresh pineapple

Dinner:  Gluten Free Chicken Alfredo, Broccoli, Vanilla Pudding

Monday:

Breakfast:  Cold cereal, Yogurt, Banana

Dinner:  Instant Pot Pork Chops and Potatoes, Green Beans, Orange Sherbet

Tuesday:

Breakfast:  Oatmeal, Sliced Apples, Toast

Dinner:  Low Country Boil, *SEE NOTE,    Ice cream

(we do this outside on the grill's side burner - we do not use the crabmeat, just shrimp and sausage for the meat)  (remember this is a PER PERSON recipe, so we quadruple it for the two of us so there are a few leftovers)

Wednesday:

Breakfast:  Egg Salad Sandwich, Sausage Links, Oranges

Dinner:  Steak Salad, Breadsticks, Orange Sherbet

(I prep the salad and dressing early in the morning, then toss the steaks on the grill at dinner time, and Voila!  dinner is served!)

Thursday:

Breakfast:  Cold Cereal, String Cheese, Banana

Dinner:  Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry, Rice, Egg Rolls, Ice Cream Cones

Friday:

Breakfast:  Fried Eggs, Bacon, Toast, Cherries

Dinner:  Show Off Salad, Toast, Cookies and Milk

(I use gluten free elbow macaroni in the salad)

Saturday:

Breakfast:  Sausage and Gravy over Toast, Sliced Apples and Grapes

Dinner:  Grilled Italian Sausages with Peppers and Onions, Chips, Leftover salad from Friday, Banana Splits

So that's it for the week!   Have a great one, and stay cool and healthy!  See you next week with another menu!

Menu Plan for Aug 15-21, 2021

Today's post is going to be short and sweet.

We have had a super busy week, and I am worn out.  I'm ready for a night of watching TV and then lights out.

Here is what we'll be having this week:

I hope you all have a good week, and you find a good meal plan or two here!  See you next week!

Weekly Menu Plan Updated

Let me try this again.  Okay, here it is.  I have no idea what the problem is, but I just kept playing with it until I got something reasonable.

Please see the post below for the full post for this week.  Thanks, and sorry this is in 2 parts!

Weekly Menu Plan for August 8-14, 2021

 

Isn't it just darn sad that kids are already back in school?  Here it is, 90 degrees outside and perfect swimming weather for the kids, and they sit in a classroom looking out at the bright sunshine.  One of our middle schools is right next to a water park!  The kids can see it right outside their windows!  How hard would that be to concentrate on school stuff??

Anyway, it is going to be hot, HOT, HOT this week, so I am planning to grill out a couple times.  I also am having salad for dinner twice, because it's the kind of heat that makes you not hungry.  I don't like anything heavy when it is hot outside.  The chicken salad on Wednesday uses leftover grilled chicken from Tuesday night, so if you want to try those recipes, make some extra grilled chicken on Tuesday.  That way you just have to prep the salad on Wednesday.  I will be using gluten free pasta in my salad.

Just for fun, and because I wanted to make my air conditioning work overtime, I baked three coffee cakes this afternoon to share with the families at the bus stop tomorrow morning.  There are so many parents and grandparents at the bus stop this year!  I told my granddaughter, who is in 5th grade, that this year I would be watching her from the window or the front step (her bus stop is right across the street from her house).  But when I saw all the parents and grandparents out there, I felt guilty!  So I dragged my sorry self across the street and joined them.  I might change my mind when the weather gets cold, though!

A funny story about the coffee cake.  Right before COVID hit last year, the grandparents of a family across the street from my daughter's house moved here from Alabama.  They moved here to help their daughter and son-in-law with their three little ones.  I baked them a coffee cake to welcome them right after they moved here.  Well, Thursday morning at the bus stop the grandparents were there to see their grandkids off on the first day of school.  Right after the bus pulled away, the grandfather came up to me and said, "Well, we've lived here over 15 months now, and we love it here.  We all made it through COVID and are glad things are getting back to normal.  But.....that coffee cake you made.  I've been thinking about it for 15 months, and want to know where and when I can have another one!  Just tell me the time and place, and I'll be there!"  

Well, that made me laugh and I was quite surprised!  Last year, I drove my granddaughter to and from school, so she didn't ride the bus.  I never saw those grandparents during the school year.  And here I find out the poor guy has been craving a coffee cake for a year and a half!  So that's why I made three coffee cakes today.  One whole cake for the grandparents, and I'm cutting up the rest to give to the other parents.  I guess I forget sometimes that a lot of people don't bake!  

Now on to this week's menu plan.  Here it is in all it's glory!  It's a pretty simple week, really.  I hope you find something you'd like to try!

Well, for some reason, Google is not allowing me to embed my slide here without it being HUGE and covering the whole thing.  So for right now, I am posting a picture of it, and then after I figure out what is going wrong, I will post the slide with the active links to the recipes.  Here is the picture:

The links will not be active on this, but I will try and figure out what is going wrong and will repost it with the active links.  Sorry about that!

Have a great week, and will post as soon as I can!