MPM: The Week After

We survived the big Halloween party we hosted! Saturday afternoon saw us host 15 kids plus parents - it was an incredible amount of preparation and a family effort to make it happen (Thank you to my amazing husband for all his help), but happen it did and there were 15 kids just delighted with the event!

It's hard to believe that all the planning and preparation could lead up to so much excitement and yet end so quickly! I learned a few things - first, I decided to not buy three times as much food as I needed and second, it likely isn't worth planning a bunch of activities and crafts for a group of kids. They make up their own games and keep themselves quite entertained!

I also learned is is possible to overload on sugar. But I think I already knew that! This week, I think we seriously need to explore the vegetable family again! That is, assuming my husband can eat something solid at some point!

October 31 to November 6

Monday Perogies
Tuesday Fettuccine Alfredo
Wednesday Vegetable soup with cheese biscuits
Thursday Baked Chicken Breasts and Garlic Mashed potatoes and garden veggies (from my Dad's garden)
Friday Chicken Burgers with chips (assuming my honey can eat them)
Saturday Sloppy Joe Pizza
Sunday Roast Beef with root vegetables

I'd also like to let you know that having defined some recipe and planning criteria has made the menu planning task much easier! I don't dread it as much and I find myself thinking of things mid-week and I feel like I'm regaining control!

Thanks for stopping by and for more great menu planning resources, check out the Org Junkie's Menu Plan Monday!

Mystery Lunch

Our house has been a little chaotic this week as the Momma (that's me) got the cold my boys had last week - and with preparing for our vacation, it's just added up to some busy days!

This morning, as I'm rushing to get out the door for work, I knew I needed a hot lunch. I venture down to the Freezer to see what is has tucked away in its darkest corners for hot lunches - namely, soups.

There were three containers of homemade Split Pea Soup, which I've since decided I don't like but tucked way at the back was a baggie filled with flecks of poultry, the gorgeous orange of carrots and the odd bit of celery, parsley and pasta. I drew the conclusion that it was soup... And I assumed I hadn't labelled it because how could I not recognise soup?

Well, I heated it today and it is soup. It is really good soup. But my inexperienced pallet has no idea if it's chicken or turkey and I honestly don't remember making it so I also don't know how old it is... But it tastes fresh and warm and it's like a hug from your favourite Grandma... And just what the Momma ordered.

There are a few things I do well in life and soup making is one of them. I just have 'the gift' - my issue is a toss things in a pot and don't write or measure what I toss in the pot! I did, the other day, make homemade chicken "stew-p" (pronounced "steww-ooop" - a made up word that combines "soup" and "stew") and I did record what I tossed in... But what I forget is I will randomly pull spices out of the cupboard and adjust the taste - so, I will share my 'recipe' (I'll add it to this post when I get home) but note a 'sprinkle' of this and a 'sprinkle' of that cannot be accurately measured.

So here is a lousy picture (the joys of cell phone camers)of my Mystery Lunch - paired with a tea biscuit and a slice of sharp cheddar, could life get any tastier?