What's for Dinner Meal Plan

Boy, is it hot in Southwest Missouri! Our temperatures this holiday weekend have been in the high 90s, which is not the norm! My yard looks like it's August - the grass is totally brown. The only good thing about that is we didn't have to mow. We did have a nice holiday weekend in St. Louis visiting family. This week I finish my last week working at school (librarians have an extended contract), and Corey heads to Iowa for national math contest.

Here's a great treat for these hot summer days - give them a try!

Here's this week's menu. Enjoy and have a great week! Be sure to follow me on Facebook to get fast updates from the blog. :)

Sunday - Classic Steak Dinner - no recipe needed. :) Steaks on the grill, Baked potatoes, and Salad - Yum!

Monday - Eat at Mom's house - Grilled pork chops, corn on the cob, cheesy mashed potatoes, salad

Tuesday - Steak Salads (using leftover steak from Sunday sliced over Romaine lettuce and baby spinach, topped with feta, chopped walnuts, and grape tomatoes), corn on the cob (leftover from Mom's)

Wednesday - Meatball Subs, Salad, Strawberries

Thursday - Grilled Salmon Packets (put salmon, lemon slices, and a pat of butter wrapped in foil on the grill - cook about 8 minutes per side), Green Beans, Salad, Peaches (they are in season early!)

Friday - Grilled Shrimp Skewers with Creamy Cilantro Sauce, Grilled Asparagus, Cilantro Lime Rice, Salad, Strawberries

Saturday - Grilled Pizzas, Salad

For more menu ideas, visit orgjunkie.com. 

What's for Dinner Menu Plan

We are down to one and a half days of school! Our family is looking forward to some much needed down time. We are going to visit Eric's parents in St. Louis this holiday weekend, so our house sitter will be on his own weekend meals. :) I hope you all enjoy your Memorial Day weekend!

Here's this week's menu. Enjoy and have a great week! Be sure to follow me on Facebook to get fast updates from the blog. :)

Sunday - Steak, Grilled New Potato Packets, Green Beans, Salad

Monday - Apple Butter Glazed Chicken, Broccoli, Salad, Strawberries

Tuesday - Grilled Salmon, Grilled Asparagus, Salad, Strawberries

Wednesday - Sloppy Joes, Baked Beans, Salad

Thursday - Chicken Fajitas, Salad, Peaches

Friday - Eat at Grandmas (House sitter on own)

Saturday - Eat at Grandmas (House sitter on own)

 For more menu ideas, visit orgjunkie.com. 

What's for Dinner Menu Plan - Meat Week!

The craziness is finally coming to an end. This is our last full week of school! Our family finally had a free weekend, so I was able to meal plan for this week! The last two weeks of winging it was not fun. We ate way too much pasta, so this week we are eating meat! :)

We really did have a fabulous weekend. For Mothers Day, the boys to me to Crystal Bridges in Bentonville, Arkansas. If you ever have the opportunity to visit, it is fabulous! And, best of all, it's free! Here are some photos of our day.

Here's this week's menu. Enjoy and have a great week! Be sure to follow me on Facebook to get fast updates from the blog. :)

Sunday - Steak, Cheddar Potato Strips, Green Beans, Salad

Monday - Pepperoni Pizza Stuffed Potatoes, Salad, Peaches

Tuesday - Grilled Bruschetta Chicken, Broccoli, Salad

Wednesday - Mexican Gumbo, Salad, Applesauce

Thursday - Caramelized Pork Kabobs, Grilled Cheesy Potato Packets, Green Beans, Salad

Friday - Adirondacker Burgers, Green Beans, Salad

Saturday - Chili Ranch Pork Chops, Broccoli, Salad, Strawberries

 For more menu ideas, visit orgjunkie.com. 

What's for Dinner Meal Plan - Winging it again

To my regular readers, I hope you don't give up on me. I promise to have new well-planned menus very soon. I have another one of those weeks where I have evening obligations every night. I didn't have a chance to meal plan or grocery shop this weekend due to other activities that kept me super busy. I'm having to wing-it again this week and just get by on what I have in the fridge, freezer and pantry. That means lots of pasta and leftovers will be consumed in our house this week. I guarantee we will be eating lasagna (from the freezer), spaghetti, and mac & cheese at some point this week. Not exciting or super healthy, but we will at least have meals to eat. :)

Be sure to check my recipe archives to find real menus and recipes. :) I'm hoping to be back on track next week.

Enjoy and have a great week! Be sure to follow me on Facebook to get fast updates from the blog. :)

For more menu ideas, visit orgjunkie.com.  

Menu Plan Monday - Winging-it Week!

It seems like the last few weeks my meal plans have been pretty wimpy. I keep blaming it on my busy schedule, and I hate complaining about being busy. I'm honestly thankful that I have so many wonderful things in my life that keep me busy. But, that being said, I'm going to have to admit to a wimpy menu again this week because of my busy schedule. We hosted a before-and-after prom party for my son this weekend, which required my husband and I to pull an all-nighter for the first time in years. I am way too old for that! ;) I did make a pretty fabulous dinner for the kids, though. Be sure to check out my chicken cordon blue in puff pastry recipe and the fabulous vanilla mousse cheesecake we had for dessert.

I have three days this week at school where I have subs because I have to attend various activities, and I have evening obligations each night. So, this week, there are no recipes on my menu! I know - shocking! This week is "winging it" week. You've all had to do that before, I'm sure. You grab whatever you can from your fridge and pantry and just make it work. Here are some of my "winging it" dinner options. Maybe my list will help you the next time you are in a bind. If you have other "winging it" ideas that don't require a recipe, be sure to share them with me. :)

Breakfast for dinner
Hamburgers
Spaghetti
Soup and Sandwiches
Taco salad

And yes, we will have to eat one night because we are going to a Switchfoot concert. :)

Enjoy and have a great week! Be sure to follow me on Facebook to get fast updates from the blog. :)

For more menu ideas, visit orgjunkie.com.  

Chicken Cordon Bleu in Puff Pastry

Ingredients:
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 1 1/4 pounds)
1 egg
1 tbsp. water
flour for rolling out dough
1/2 of a package puff pastry (1 sheet), thawed according to package directions
4 slices (1 ounce each) cooked deli ham
4 slices (1 ounce each) Swiss cheese

Directions:

Spray a nonstick skillet with olive oil and heat skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken to the skillet and cook until it's well browned on both sides. Remove the chicken from the skillet. Cover and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.

Heat the oven to 400°F. Beat the egg and water in a small bowl with a fork.

Sprinkle the work surface with the flour. Unfold the pastry on the floured surface. Roll the pastry into a 14-inch square and cut it into four squares. Top each with one slice ham, one slice cheese and one chicken breast half. Brush the edges of the pastry with the egg mixture. Fold the corners to the center on top of the chicken and pinch the edges to seal. Place the pastries seam-side down on a shallow-sided baking sheet. Brush the pastries with the egg mixture.

Bake for 25 minutes or until the pastries are golden brown and the chicken is cooked through.

Recipe adapted from Pepperidge Farm

Vanilla Mousse Cheesecake

I made this for my son's prom party for dessert. It was a very yummy cheesecake. The mousse topping makes it extra scrumptious.

Ingredients:

40 NILLA Wafers, finely crushed (about 1-1/2 cups)

3 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted

4 pkg. (8 oz. each) Cream Cheese, softened, divided (I used reduced fat)

1 cup sugar, divided

1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. vanilla, divided

3 eggs

1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed

Directions:

Heat oven to 325ºF.

Mix wafer crumbs and butter; press onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan.
 
Beat 3 pkg. cream cheese, 3/4 cup sugar and 1 Tbsp. vanilla with mixer until blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each just until blended. Pour over crust.

Bake 50 to 55 min. or until center is almost set. Run knife around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool completely in pan.

Beat remaining cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with mixer in large bowl until blended. Whisk in COOL WHIP; spread over cheesecake. Refrigerate 4 hours. Remove rim of pan before serving cheesecake.

Recipe Source - Kraft