meal planning monday 2016: no. 6

It's a new week!

Last week meal planning didn't happen. Our schedules were just too crazy. The week before that some of our meals didn't happen as planned so I am including them this week so we can test them out!

Here's our line up:

monday// leftover chili
- recipe: PW's simple chili

tuesday// bacon and leek pasta
-PW's recipe using bacon instead of pancetta

wednesday// pesto chicken pasta
*Homemade pesto is always best but I will most likely be using store bought for the sake of convenience. All I do is cook the chicken in a skillet, add pesto at the end of cooking, and toss with cooked pasta with additional pesto.

thursday// italian sausage soup
mrs. anita granier's recipe

friday// pork burgers, oven fries, sautéed greens

saturday// meatloaf, mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables
-PW's meatloaf recipe

sunday// slow cooker honey garlic chicken with potatoes and green beans
-recipe via tasty

What are you cooking this week?

7 on the 7th: kitchen tool favorites

This month's favorites come from my favorite place in our home: the kitchen!

 Here are a few of my kitchen must-haves that I put to use everyday.

1. garlic press: Fresh garlic is a game changer in recipes. I used to attempt slicing or mincing garlic with a knife. Now I use this handy little tool for super fine, crushed garlic.

2. mini food processor: I wish I was a super quick hand chopper. I'm not. Also, have a husband who prefers for any tomato product to be pulverized to a puree, so the chopper is my go-to for turning crushed or diced tomatoes into smooth tomatoes.

3. silicone mitt (& festive ones!): I won the silicone mitts in a dirty santa game this year. I love that they are multipurpose. I use them for removing hot items from the oven and also to open difficult jars! Also, seasonal kitchen linens are my love language.

4. microplane: My friend shared this tool with me and it is definitely a favorite. It is perfect for zesting citrus, grating garlic, grating parmesan, or fresh ginger.

5. ramekins: Small bowls may be my love language too. I love using them for serving Charlotte's food, my snacks (hello portion control), or for meal prep to hold ingredients.

6. salt and pepper grinders: There is nothing better than freshly ground pepper or salt. I used to buy the cheap filled plastic ones from aldi or kroger but then decided to buy refillable grinders at Walmart. I love them!

7. spoon rest: I use this little piggy my grandmother gave me as a spoon rest. I love having it out on my counter for decoration and functionality.

What are your most used, go-to kitchen gadgets?

meal planning monday 2012: no. 5

Believe it or not, last week I had a 6/7 record! I'm going for progress, not perfection.

This week here's our line up:

monday// leftover beef + hashbrown casserole
recipe via last week's meal plan

tuesday// chicken pot pie
recipe via mrs. brenda lichtenburg

wednesday// italian sausage soup
recipe via mrs. anita granier

thursday// slow cooker honey garlic chicken with potatoes + green beans
recipe via tasty

friday + saturday// plans with friends

sunday// super bowl snacks
TBA {all suggestions welcome}

What's on your week's menu?

meal planning monday 2016: no. 4

How is it already Monday again? And the last Monday in January at that!? Goodness gracious, time flies.

Well, I wish I could tell you last week's meals went so much better than the week before. 

They didn't. 

Maybe I should just call this Meal Idea Monday since I can't seem to stick to a plan...

Regardless, I'm still trying...

Here's what we plan to might eat this week... 

monday// deer stew compliments of Dustin's Nana 

tuesday// oven baked salmon, rice, steamed veggies 

salmon recipe: combine 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, 2 tbsp dried parsley, 2 cloves minced garlic, evoo. bake salmon filets at 400* for 10 minutes. spoon mixture onto salmon filets. bake for 10-15 more minutes. enjoy! 

wednesday// one pan honey garlic chicken + veggies

recipe: this one found via pinterest 

thursday// leftovers

friday// spicy thai noodles
recipe: this one 

saturday// easy chicken paprikash
recipe via tasty {Dustin suggested we try to make something from one of the videos once a week}

sunday// beef + potato casserole {we had this yesterday- so easy, so good, I want it again}

recipe: similar to this one, with added bell peppers/garlic and cream instead of evaporated milk

What's on your menu this week? 

meal planning monday 2016: no. 3

Lest anyone think that our meals are elaborate, perfectly planned and executed suppers, let me just be real. I'm pretty sure none of our meals went as planned last week, except for Monday. Either we ordered out, ran through the drive thru, swapped things around, or did something different. Our little one had a rough few days of not feeling well (& still isn't 100%), which often puts cooking on the back burner. (See what I did there?)

Anyways, it's a new week. There is grace. Thank you Lord. Most of our meat is in the freezer so I will have to be more mindful about what needs to be taken out to thaw and when this week. We shall see! Yesterday as we were in the kitchen we realized this Wednesday is our proposal anniversary. Every year we recreate the meal we were making (bacon wrapped duck, carrots, and mashed potatoes) on January 20th when Dustin proposed. It almost slipped our minds. Well we just happened to have some duck marinating for gumbo, so we decided to celebrate a little early. I just love food traditions, even if they change a little year to year.

Here's what our menu looks like this week:

monday// leftover gumbo + bacon wrapped duck, carrots, mashed potatoes

tuesday// beef + broccoli with rice
recipe: a cross between this and this

wednesday// slow cooker pork tacos with beans + rice
recipe: this one on food network

thursday// ground beef curry with rice
recipe: a blend between this one from pinterest and PW's

friday// pork chops + roasted apples + brussels sprouts
recipe: from this month's Southern Living

saturday// leftovers

sunday// chicken noodle soup
recipe: from this month's SL

What are y'all cooking?

meal planning monday 2016: no. 2

I've found I do better when I have recipes lined up to use for each night's meal. This week I was doing well just to decide on something to eat for every day. I still have some time to determine recipes for a couple of the meals at the end of the week. If you have any suggestions, let me know!

Here's this week's menu:

monday// filipino adobo chicken, rice, steamed vegetables
recipe: food network

tuesday// chili
recipe: here

wednesday// pasta alla marlboro man (don't worry Dustin, I'll blend up the tomatoes...)
recipe: Pioneer Woman's

thursday// leftovers

friday// gumbo
recipe: to be determined

saturday// salmon, roasted vegetables
recipe: undecided

sunday// breakfast for supper

What are y'all whipping up in the kitchen this week?

7 on the 7th: new year edition

A fresh cup of coffee, a journal, a new planner, and my favorite Bible: just a few of my favorite things. Each one comes in handy when preparing for the New Year, and every new day! I like setting goals or resolutions. I also like the idea of declaring a word of the year. I decided to combine these approaches to making goals. I wanted a word (or a derivative) I could find in scripture and I wanted it to be broad enough to apply it to multiple areas of my life.

I chose mindful as my one word for 2016. I want to be attentive to, aware of, and careful with the decisions I make this year. Scripture has quite a bit to say about our minds-- my Bible's concordance referenced 32 verses where the word mind/minded/mindful is used. I was particularly excited to find that number almost perfectly fits for reading one verse about mindfulness a day each month.

Here are a few areas I want to be particularly mindful this year:

1// my thinking: This one is definitely a challenge. I struggle with anxiety and selfishness. Rather than my initial thought be a negative/sinful/overanalyzed one, I pray this year I become more mindful and take captive every thought, making it obedient to Christ {2 Corinthians 10:5}.

2// my eating: As a dietitian, food is always on my mind. Too often this past year I varied between the extremes of unintentionally missing a meal because I was too busy doing fill in the blank and overindulging in foods that provided no nutrition. This year I want to do better about eating healthily, but also enjoying things that maybe aren't as nutritionally beneficial.

3// my scheduling: I hope to be better about planning our days and weeks so that I can have time for what matters most. That means being prepared with meal plans, setting limits to the time I'm away from home, and using my time at home wisely. I especially want to do better about honoring the sabbath and being prepared for the week ahead so that I can enjoy a day of rest with my family.

4// my spending: My husband is nodding his head in approval to this one, I'm sure. I think it's pretty self explanatory that I need to be more mindful in how I view and use our finances. That means discerning the choices I make at the grocery store, the department store, or on amazon. The sermon last Sunday was especially convicting about stewardship. The Lord owns everything. I need to be mindful of this daily.

5// my praying: Lately, I have noticed a desire for a deeper prayer life. I find myself settling for short snippet prayers throughout the day. I don't think those are always wrong, but I crave a closer relationship with the Lord through prayer. I believe in and have witnessed its power; I want to be mindful of the time I spend in prayer.

6// my reading: I love to read. Books are (one of) my weakness. I want to buy them all and read them all. (Clearly, mindfulness when it comes to spending and scheduling are needed in regards to books!) I'm guilty of buying a book but not reading it or completing it. I joined the library last summer but have not checked out any books. I hope this year to set aside time to enjoy reading books, maybe even buy some new ones, but also finish the ones I already have.

7// my studying: Last November and December I completed a scripture writing plan. (Technically I finished the November one in December thanks to procrastination.) I've found writing the Word helps me study it on a whole different level. My sister-friend Rhi started a Facebook group devoted to writing the Word everyday this year! Our church also has a Tuesday morning bible study group that I have become so fond of! I hope to complete reading the Bible this year. I'm so excited see what the Lord teaches me this year through studying scripture in each of these ways. I also want to be mindful of the time I devote to studying nutrition. I enjoy it and never want to fall behind in the latest research.

There you have it. My one word for the year and my goals to apply it. Have you set any goals this year? Have you declared a word of the year? I pray your 2016 is one full of growth for you and glory for the Lord!