Meal Plan for the week of 9/9 and Lazy Weekend Chicken

Hello again everyone!  So, this week I have a bit more time and am going to lay out my meal plan for the next few days and go over the meal we made tonight.  

Monday 9/9 - Lazy Weekend Chicken

Tuesday 9/10 - Greek Pita Sandwiches

Wednesday 9/11 - Lasagna

Tonight we made the Lazy Weekend Chicken and it was so so good!  There is curry in it, but the curry flavor is very slight.  The curry just amps up the flavors that are mingled together. 

 This is the chicken dish before we baked it and then...

After we baked it.  Try this recipe.  You will love it.

September Goals and Meal Plan for the week of 9/2 with coupon help from this weeks deals!

Hello again everyone!  This last month was way too busy and the amount of stuff I had to do and get done made me so so fatigued.  I used all of my energy up each day and spent too many days borrowing from the next day.  This of course just made my pain worse overall.  You would think I would have learned this from all of my past experiences like this, but no.

Anyway, it is now a new month and a new chance to go in the right direction.  For September I have three major things that I am going to work on:

1. Work on Meal Planning and Figure out a 4 week meal rotation that will work to repeat for a month or two.  Hopefully this will be something I can use again next Autumn.  I am also wanting to do this for each season to try to use produce that is in season at that time.  
2. Work on "Spring" cleaning.  We have recently finished construction in our home and had a mold issue before that, so everything needs to be washed down or painted or put through the laundry.  
3. Work on Balance in my life.  Eating a more balanced diet, exercising regularly, and getting on a better sleep schedule are all things I am wanting to make happen in my life.  

So to start off September, here is a meal plan for the first week with my grocery list and links to the recipes I am going to use.  

Monday 9/2 - Sweet Potatoes Smothered in a Spiced Chickpea Curry

Tuesday 9/3 - Chicken Curry in a Hurry

Wednesday 9/4 - Honey Soy Salmon with a side salad

Thursday 9/5 - Skinny Chicken Pesto Bake with Fresh Green Beans and Quinoa

Friday 9/6 - Smoothies

Saturday 9/7 - Beans and Steaks on the grill

Sunday 9/8 - Breakfast for Dinner - Pancakes?

My Grocery List:

Produce:

Sweet Potatoes

Bagged Lettuce for salad (on sale at Cub tomorrow on BOGO)

1 Medium Tomato

Carrots for salad

Cucumbers for salad

Green Beans

Meat:

Steaks (No Name Steaks from Cub on sale tomorrow for $10.99 for the pack)

Dairy:

Shredded Reduced Fat Mozzarella Cheese

Grated Parmesan Cheese

Canned Goods:

1 Can Coconut Milk

Tomato Paste

Vegetable Broth

Baked Beans (on sale at Cub tomorrow on 2 for $3)

Diet Coke (on sale at Cub tomorrow for $1.98 for a 12 pack of cans because I love Diet Coke)

Pantry Items that I already have & buy at Cost Co or Penzeys when needed (I keep our pantry and freezer well stocked):

Salt

Black Pepper

Curry Powder

Cloves

Cumin

Coriander

Red Pepper Flakes

Ground Red Pepper

Paprika

Cinnamon

Pesto - I keep this made up in the freezer

Soy Milk

Honey

Soy Sauce

Garlic

Quinoa

Brown Rice

Chickpeas

Olive Oil

Frozen Broccoli 

Yellow Onions

Diced Tomatoes

Frozen Salmon

Frozen Chicken

So, we will see how this meal plan turns out!  Let me know if you enjoy seeing a meal plan and the progress on how it works out for my family.  Also, do you like the coupon help? 

Small Summer Vacation

Hello everyone!  I just wanted to let everyone know that I am going to take a small vacation from my blog.  There is a bit too much going on in my life right now, and I don't have enough energy to go around.  I hope you all unde
rstand and I will be back again on September 1st!!!

Picture credit: picture can be found here.

Easy Meal Mondays! Oatmeal Bake

Hello again everyone and happy Monday!  Today's recipe is for a oatmeal bake that is great for Sunday morning breakfast with your family and pairs perfectly with fruit and juice for a great breakfast.

Oatmeal Bake (recipe by Dawn Clifford)
Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter softened
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 and 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 3 cups oats

Directions:

1. Beat butter, brown sugar, and sugar until creamy.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Beat well.
2. In another bowl combine flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.  Mix slowly into another bowl.
3. Lastly, stir in oats and mix well.
4. Pat into baking pan and bake for 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees.  

Thanks for stopping by and let me know if you try this recipe!

Easy Meal Mondays! Lime Cottage Cheese Jell-O

Happy Monday again everyone!  This weeks easy recipe is a great item to bring to a potluck or barbecue.  Also, it may sound weird or even gross, but this is really really good!  I hope you enjoy it!

Lime Cottage Cheese Jell-O (recipe from Dawn Clifford)
Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup boiling water
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 package lime Jell-O
• 1 cup cottage cheese
• 1 cup crushed pineapple (drained well)
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 8 ounce tub of cool whip

Directions:

1. Dissolve Jell-O and sugar in boiling water.  Let stand until the Jell-O starts to set.  You can put it in the refrigerator to speed this up, however do not let the Jell-O set completely.  
2. After the Jell-O starts to set up, stir in the cottage cheese, pineapple, walnuts, and cool whip.  Refrigerate until right before serving.