Menu Plan Monday: September 1, 2014

This is my first MPM post in months... I've been planning though! I have monthly menus dating back to February 2014 and my hope is to have the next four months planned by the end of October. I'm SO happy! No more dreading meal planning each week/month. I'm so close to have a full year of menus I can't wait!





Do I worry about boredom? NOPE. I've got theme nights and a plan to replace key meals each month to keep things 'interesting'. I can't begin to tell you how excited I am about this!

Without further blabbing, here it is. I've noted the month's themes too so you can see just how clever I am! My recipe for the Crunchy Chicken is at the bottom of the post.

Monday (Macaroni Monday's): Crunchy Chicken with garden potatoes, carrots & corn
Tuesday (Try It Tuesday's): Mexican Unstuffed Pepper Casserole
Wednesday (It looked Pinteresting): Chili's Monterey Chicken with rice
Thursday (Quick & Easy) Perogies and sausage
Friday (Finger Food Friday): Clubhouse sandwiches and Macaroni Salad
Saturday (Sandwich Saturday's): Smokies and leftover Macaroni Salad
Sunday (Simple Sunday's): Eggs and toast

Linking up to the Org Junkie's Menu Plan Monday! Have a great week - back to school plus we're heading out camping next weekend so it's going to be a wonderful week!

PS Here is the recipe for my crunchy chicken. I kind of created this and my first run was TOO salty so I expect I'll play with it and seriously reduce the amount of season salt!

Crunchy Chicken

3 or 4 chicken breasts

3 cups corn flake cereal
1 tsp season salt (originally, I used two)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp pepper

~place all in a large zippered bag. Roll and crush with a rolling pin.
~set aside

1/2 cup mayonaise
2 tbsp water
~place in a bowl and stir to combine
~set aside


1/2 to 3/4  Flour
sprinkle of: pepper, table salt, basil

~place flour and spices in a shallow plate and stir.
~set aside

1 egg
1 tsp water
~combine egg and water in a bow and beat to combine
~set aside

1. Wash & dry chicken.
2. Dip chicken piece in egg and water, then dredge in flour mixture.
3. Dip again in mayo mixture and dredge well in corn flake mixture.
4. Place on parchment paper and bake at 400F preheated oven for 35 minutes (or until cooked through).

52 Week Challenge: Week 25 - RVing made easier! The Power of a List

I know I said I wasn't going to post this week, however, it occurred to me on the drive home from my Mom's last weekend, that I needed to get my act together regarding our upcoming vacation. I have six days before we leave - and I work five of those days and I'm meeting with a client one night this week so that leaves me Sunday to get it together...

I like lists. I love making lists, I love following lists, I love striking things off my lists. I'm a list-o-holic and I get it from my Mother. She likes lists too. She is probably the only person I know who itemizes her dinner lists so she doesn't forget to serve anything. We were at her house today for a Father's Day barbecue. She had a list - and as she got everything out, she checked it off. It was awesome and just a little inspiring!

How do I prepare for this? I make lists. Lists for what clothing we need, toiletries, food, activities, regular gear, things we need to get, toys, books, crafts, staples. There are lots of lists to be made and a bit of shopping we need to do. I have to (well, I don't have to but I do) bake for the trip - cookies are a must, granola bars, snack mix, trail mix, dog treats...

I don't have a fancy template for my lists and they aren't necessary organized in any particular fashion but I know, without a doubt, that I couldn't plan a successful trip without a list. Even the trip to my Mother's, which I've made a 1000 times, is generally done with a list... Especially if it is an overnight trip! We dared the turn-around trip without a list... And guess what?

We forgot our fur-son's food!

So, how do you organize? Are you a list junkie like me? Do you wing it?

This week, I decided to ORGANIZE my lists - what a good idea, I say! I pack the same things all the time - so why not create a master set of lists to use to make my life easier...

This week, I'm going to share with you two of my lists. The first is an RV Checklist - we have a motorhome and although it is essentially a duplicate of my bricks & sticks kitchen, I feel more secure knowing that I've double checked all the essentials before I leave. I also know the other list I can't live without is my clothing/activities list.

I've created both in a handy-pdf for everyone to download an enjoy and use to make your next trip a little more organized! Please note, the preview looks a little weird, when you open it, it is better but I'll need to revise the font type.
RV Checklist_Basic Inventory



Of course, these aren't exhaustive lists and I've already thought of 4 other things to add to the RV list (walkie talkies, matches, barbecue lighter & tongs) but it's a start and oh-so-pretty!

Clothing Checklists

Do you have a list? Are you a list keeper? Do tell and share what works for you! I'm linking up this week to the Org Junkie's 52 Week of Organizing. Thanks for stopping by and come back soon!

The Cold, the continuous rain and baking with TroubleMaker

Maybe I'm crazy, maybe I'm hormonal... Maybe it's the seven straight days of rain or maybe it's that the world is out to get me but whatever it is, it has my patience at an all time low and my internal temperature gauge set to boil.

It could be that we leave in four days time and I'm no where near ready. The past couple of years has been like this when we leave for vacation. I don't remember what's in the motor home, what isn't, what needs to be and what I'll forget.

Did I mention the rain? We are considering trading in our RV for an ark. I just saw a family of ducks merrily float down our avenue with a raft in tow.

First, I'm hot - really hot - and cranky and my throat hurts and, well, I'm hormonal. But not sappy hormonal, raging hormonal which makes me feel even worse because generally, this doesn't go away until I blow a gasket and the vein in my neck bulges. I've tried placating myself with cookies but to no avail. I considered my favourite snack but I knew I'd eat my way through several bags and payday isn't until next Tuesday.

Where was I? Oh yes. Rain.

Our car flooded today. At least 3" of water in the passenger side foot well.

I'm sick. I have as sore throat. Last night, every time I swallowed in my sleep, it woke me up. The only respite was plugging TroubleMaker into the TV this morning and sleeping in my easy chair. My throat feels better now - it hurts but at least I can talk (but still not to my usual volumes, hence the MEME blog post). This afternoon, TroubleMaker and I made the shopping trip I was to make tonight.

Apparently rubber boots are at a premium right now. We have a pair but TroubleMaker flooded them on the weekend and we can't get the things to dry out. I wanted running shoes for him too. But I did not want black, branded with lit bottoms - so I was out of luck. I also wanted a "Chutes and ladders" board game but that wasn't to be had either. I bought socks, cute socks, so that did encourage me a little bit.

Then we came home and I decided we needed more baking. I like to take lots of fresh baking when we go camping. It's a thing I do... After consuming half the bag of Skor Toffee bits, I dumped the rest into the cookie dough... But not before TroubleMaker showered the kitchen in a brown sugary concoction. I just about came unglued (he did this with every batch of baking he and I did yesterday too). But I just smiled and ran for my Zantac. When that didn't work, I ate a half dozen of the Skor Cookies - I was able to rationalize that TroubleMaker mashed half of them while "helping" me get them off the cookie sheet.

Now as his sights are set on shooting candy sticks around the house, I'm just sitting here waiting for Calgon to take me away... In case it doesn't, please send my Sanity to:
Attn: TroubleMaker's Father
PO Box 123, Itseemedlikeagoodideaatthetime, AB
Canada T6E 1N4

52 Week Challenge: Week 24 - back into the trenches

Well, I am proud to report that this week, I made more progress in my office. And how apropos with Laura at the Org Junkie busting us this week with our unfinished tasks!

With the We-Design-Day project behind schedule, I had to get back into my office so we can move it out and and move my husband into my space and try to get the project back on track. I opened my office door and felt completely overwhelmed. Where would I start? Sure my white sheeting idea worked for Phase One, but now the area I'd tacked in Week 19 was done and the rest of the room was covered up...

Remember my before?



I was SO proud of what I accomplished.

Until I walked back in two weeks later.



I did what, where? I left the office, went and got a gummy dinosaur and then went back in. I still didn't know where to start but I thought "Ok, self... TroubleMaker is at the neighbours, husband is out with a friend... I should go have a shower and do my toenails. No one would blame me - taking a little 'me' time - sure, that's what I need... me time... Forget organizing, I need to recharge."

The thought was promptly followed with me getting to work (so world, please forgive my naked toes). I piled, I moved, I tossed in my boxes. I folded and sorted and cursed my love of fabric. I wished I wasn't messy and disorganized and I even wished for a bulldozer to mistakenly take down my house so I wouldn't have to deal with all the junk I have. No, not really the last one but I did mention to my husband that I was getting pretty close to being featured on "The Hoarders"... Additionally, if I had saved all the money I've spent on stuff I've never used, I'd have a lot of money... Wouldn't we all???

But I kept working and an hour later, I had a floor... Did you know that room had carpet? I'd almost forgotten!



The other thing I'd forgotten was that I've been down this road before... Can you see the three boxes stacked just behind the white table in that picture?? Do you want to know what is in them? Me too. I packed them up more than four years ago (it could even be five) in a previous (failed) attempt of cleaning up my space so I'd have more studio space to sew all the things for the baby we were going to have...

I feel a little more focused - getting through more in my space really helped me to feel like I'm in control and back on track. I also did a lot of reading last week and seeing that I'm not the only one struggling with these tasks did a lot to bolster my confidence!

I'll also be taking a blogging hiatus - we are leaving on our family vacation next Friday so I won't be able to post... If I get to a cafe, I'll post a few pictures but until early July, my 52 Weeks of Organizing will be on hold... But do check out all the others playing along! Thanks for stopping by and we'll see you again soon!

MPM # 16

TroubleMaker is sleeping on my husband's chest as I type this up - we got home earlier today from a fantastic four day camping trip to Elk Island National Park with my Dad & step Mom and all my siblings. The weather was cool but nice (save for the smoke that blew in from the raging forest fires in the neighbouring province) and we laughed and had so much fun... Both TroubleMaker and I said to my husband at different times while packing up this morning "I don't want to go home!"

I laughed so hard, the tears rolled down my cheeks and we ate until I thought I'd explode! We ran around and played like kids - and our kids (there are four grandchildren between the 5 of us kids) ran and screamed and played until they'd run in to the campsite in need of a drink. Then they were off again!

Sometime on Friday afternoon, we set up the badminton net and hilarity ensued. Our best was 31 consecutive hits - I was sure we'd get a Guinness Record if we tried long enough... But there doesn't appear to be a record for the number of times a team can hit a shuttlecock back and forth. Go figure!

Here is our week at a glance!
August 23 to August 29
Monday Fried Egg Sandwiches
Tuesday Perogies & Sausage
Wednesday Grilled Chicken & Corrie's Spanish Rice
Thursday Tacos (this recipe is a link to 'make your own' recipe for taco seasoning mix)
Friday Easy Hot Wings , Veggies & Dip, Coyote fritters
Saturday Honey Chipolte Ribs
Sunday Homemade Pizza with this crust
I add: 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp of oregano or Italian Seasoning to yeast mixture - YUM!

Breakfasts
Cereal, toast, bagels, muffins, bacon & eggs!

Hope you have a great week and check out more Menu Plan Monday cooking and meal planning ideas over at Org Junkie!






Corrie's Spanish Rice
I made this up one night when I became disgruntled with the sodium levels of most 'prepared' Spanish Rice mixes. We like "spicy" so tone it down as preferred by your taste.
1 green onion, sliced
2 tbsp celery leaves
1 can, no sodium diced tomatoes (further chopped with a pair of clean kitchen sheers)
1 cup water
2 tbsp Victorian Epicure Fruit Salsa spice
1/2 tsp parsley
1/2 tsp salt
2-1/2 cups Instant Rice

Put first 7 ingredients in a medium sauce pan, bring to a boil and remove from heat. Add rice and let stand 5 minutes. Stir and let stand and additional 3 minutes or until tender.

Coyote Fritters
1 can whole kernel corn
milk
1-1/2 cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
salt & pepper to taste
1 egg, beaten
oil

Drain corn, reserve the liquid. Add enough milk to the corn liquid to equal one cup. Stir together the dry ingredients. Combine egg, milk mixture and corn; add to the dry ingredients. Mix just until moistened. Carefully drip batter by the tablespoon full into hot oil. Fry for about two minutes on each side or until golden. Drain on paper towel. Yield: about 14 fritters



Ok - I know I used this picture last week but it still has just as much impact for me today as it did when my Husband (Blackstone Images) first showed it to me. It is so amazing and I can't thank him enough for his hard work!

MPM#11

Our camping weekend was a success! Our first trip out in the Motorhome (now known as “MH”) is usually good but often we’ve forgotten to “reload” some essential supply or realize we forgot things like blankets or soap, but this trip, the only ‘forgotten’ things were:

Peanut butter
Jam
Hot chocolate
TroubleMaker’s Toothpaste

That is pretty good! Also nothing broke or wore out, which is also very good! Our first trip last summer (summer ’09) saw us break a vent cover (and of course, it rained most of the weekend) and the valve on the propane tank stripped (and caused a leak which my Hubby and Step Dad were able to ‘fix’ for the weekend). Although we did have a teensy issue with the coach battery (it was dead) my Hubby was able to fix it before we left, but not before he nearly sawed his thumb off in the process.

So one quick panic attack from me (and yes, folks, I’m a certified First Aider), several rounds of “Hizzzz zat?” from TroubleMaker in response Hubby’s trail of blood and one very large bandage later, we were off!

We arrived without incident at Miquelon Lake Provincial Park and then Hubby whacked his other thumb on some unknown object and was bleeding, again…

The weekend went well, we relaxed, we played in the dirt, chased TroubleMaker out of 1000 different puddles and swatted 1, 645, 234 mosquitoes. One nice thing about Alberta in the summertime is spontaneous weather (torrential downpours, sun, more rain, sun, thunder that scares the dead, more sun, more rain, repeat) and mosquitoes. I think we won the battle this weekend; and although I’ve got a couple of bites, TroubleMaker won the swatting war and has finally realized the benefit of insect repellent. He now knows trips outside do not happen unless he’s got “sun-skeen n’ bug spay”!

Our camping menu was altered slightly as we just warmed up a can of the Chef for dinner on Thursday. I always seem to forget how tiring the first day out is – packing 17 laundry baskets of clothing and toys for TroubleMaker to the MH will do that, I suppose… I made potato salad while we were out camping too and I’m a little less than impressed that the silly fridge froze the remainder!

The other thing I must mention is my birthday. On Tuesday, I turned 36. I told Hubby “do nothing – we’ll warm pasta up for dinner” since we had a great trip planned for the weekend and money is tight… I got home shortly after 4pm and I walk into the house and am met with silence. Deafening silence. No dog barking, no kid trying to climb on me – nothing. Even the Cat was MIA. I wait for a minute and listen – nothing. Then I hear a door in the basement “ah… Here it comes.” And again nothing but my darling, sweet husband coming up the stairs. Alone. By himself. He explains that he arranged for my parents to take TroubleMaker and Max for the evening so we could go out to dinner!

Many thanks to my Dad & Step Mom who always help out and an endless supply of kisses and adoration for my Hubby. Just when I think I’ve got things all figured out, you always change the rules and keep me guessing… I love you and thank you for your love.

Here is this week’s menu! (I’ll update tonight and add a few recipe links, I left the actual menu pinned to the fridge and can’t remember it all)

July 19 to July 25
Monday Perogies & Sausage
Tuesday Slow cooker Swiss Steak (see below for recipe)
Wednesday Slow cooker sweet & sour turkey meatballs with rice
Thursday BBQ Pork Chops with grilled veggies
Friday Nachos
Saturday Slow cooker sweet & sour turkey meatballs with rice
Sunday

Lunches
Leftover pizza, cottage cheese, yogurt and granola bars

Breakfasts
Homemade "Eggos", bagels & cream cheese, Banana muffins & cheese cubes, Toast, Bacon & Eggs

Hope you have a great week and for more Menu Plan Monday cooking and meal planning ideas, head over to Org Junkie!

Slow Cooker Swiss Steak
1 pound of steak, cut into 1/2 strips
1/3 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp paprika

Combine flour & seasonings in large bag. Toss to combine. Add steak pieces and shake to coat all. Turn contents into a crock pot.

28 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 can mushrooms, drained & their juices
2 onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup ketchup
3 tsp beef boullion

In a bowl, combine the above ingredients and pour over the dredged steak pieces. Turn crock pot on 'low' and cook 7 to 9 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours.

1 cup sour cream

During last 1/2 hour of cooking, add one cup of sour cream. Stir to combine.

Serve over plain rice or egg noodles.

MPM#10

This weeks menu was well followed and SO yummy! I've made the Enchilada Casserole three or four times and I love it more each time. I've modified the recipe - I add chopped onions and peppers (red & green) as well as about 1/3 of the corn the original suggests to the meat when it's just about finished cooking (I drain it first). I find that this adds some good hidden veggies and enhances the flavour overall. I finally got all three layers to fit this week too! If you haven't tried it yet, you must!

I had "Saturday" last week listed as "surprise"! Well - I was being covert in the event my Dad happened upon my blog that week... My step Mom and I had planned a surprise retirement party! After 41 years in the same job, my Dad finally hung up his hat so we HAD to celebrate! It was a complete surprise to him (it's hard to surprise my Dad - he knows or finds out about everything) and he was so excited! We had the usual summer barbeque fair - steak, chicken baked potatoes, potato salad, Caesar salad... Lots of desserts - it was great and everyone had a fantastic time!

This week, we are heading out to Miquelon Lake Provincial Park camping for four days! I've never been out that way before but they (the Province) did a whole bunch of renovations to the park a couple of years ago so it's supposed to be a good family park now. Regardless, it'll be very nice to finally get away for a few days camping in our motorhome!

So here is our week at a glance!
July 12 to July 18
Monday Chicken Burgers, Salad, chips (We're having company for dinner - my MIL and quasi SIL are staying after they take TroubleMaker on his first zoo trip)
Tuesday Up in the air because someone *ahem* is turning 36 today!
Wednesday Tuna Sandwiches & salad
Thursday BBQ hamburgers & chips
Friday Steak & Caesar salad
Saturday Smokies cooked over the campfire!
Sunday leftovers?

Lunches
Not much - TroubleMaker is at the zoo tomorrow and Wednesday is at the sitter's... I'm off the rest of the week and we're camping so it'll likely be snack-like food!

Breakfasts
Homemade "Eggos", bagels & cream cheese, Banana muffins & cheese cubes, Toast, Bacon & Eggs

Hope you have a great week and check out more Menu Plan Monday cooking and meal planning ideas over at Org Junkie!