Saturday, January 9, 2016

Meal Plan: Week 2

Last weeks menu was a success. The highlight for my husband and I was Thursday night's Indian food! All the dishes came out fantastic. Bridget loved the Vegetable Biryani (a very flavorful basmati rice with vegetables, raisins, and the right amount of spices) the most. George and Liam were not too keen on the Indian food. George ate only the raisins in the rice and ate most of his Saag Aloo (spinach and potatoes). The Chana Masala was too spicy for the children, and that was using only a sprinkle of cayenne instead of the "large pinch" the recipe called for. I definitely plan on making Indian food again, and hopefully over time the boys will acquire a taste for India's unique spices.

There is nothing too exciting on the menu this week as far as new flavors go. With the cold temperatures we've been having lately, I'm most looking forward to anything warm. 


SUNDAY

Brunch
Pancakes with Veggie Sausage

Dinner
Veggie Starter: Salad Greens
Main Course: Falafel w/ Tahini Sauce, Pita


MONDAY

Breakfast
Yogurt, Granola, Strawberries
Lunch
Cheeseburgers, Fries, Orange Slices
Snack
Fig Bars
Dinner
Veggie Starter: ---
Main Course: Eggplant Parmesan, Angel Hair with Marinara


TUESDAY

Breakfast
Chocolate Oatmeal
Lunch
Turk'y Sandwich, Salad, Sliced Pears
Snack
Scotcheroos
Dinner
Veggie Starter: ---
Main Course: American Goulash, Homemade Rolls, Green Beans

 

WEDNESDAY

Breakfast
Special K Red Berries with Soy Milk, Banana
Lunch
---
Snack
Whole Wheat Crackers, Peanut Butter, Raisins
Dinner
Veggie Starter: ---
Main Course: Leftovers or Sandwiches


THURSDAY

Breakfast
Cream of Wheat w/ Agave, Kiwi
Lunch
Sweet and Sour Meatballs, Brown Rice, Broccoli, Mandarin Oranges
Snack
Scotcheroos
Dinner
Veggie Starter: ---
Main Course: Mexican Pizza


FRIDAY

Breakfast
Cinnamon-Sugar Toast, Banana, Nuts
Lunch
Gardein Chick'n Strips, Sweet Potato Fries, Sliced Apples, Homemade Roll
Snack
Chocolate Chia Pudding
Dinner
Veggie Starter: ---
Main Course: Moo Shoo Vegetables w/ Chinese Pancakes


SATURDAY

Dinner
Veggie Starter:
Dinner: Minestrone, Breadsticks



Recipes for the meals above are provided in the appropriate link or will be provided in a later post.


Linking up with:



Friday, January 8, 2016

Week in Review 2016: #1

Life

The week was off to a good start. I was feeling refreshed after the weekend, in which I was able to plan an entire weekly menu and to all of the grocery shopping for the most part. All with enough time to prepare a delicious dinner on Saturday and prepare-in-advance our Sunday dinner. Things went smoothly at church. George adjusted well to his first Sunday in a new class and not in the nursery. Bridget also did well (she ended up with the same teachers as last year, and we can't complain---they are awesome!). Liam is still with me until the end of the month. He got cranky toward the end of church because he had not taken a nap. By the time we got home, he was sound asleep. My husband laid him on the floor in the living room and he slept like this for over an hour.


Monday also went great. Of many many personal goals this year, one of them is to record our lives a bit better. So I took part in a homemaking journal link-up and I must say, I enjoyed it! It really motivated me and I enjoyed reading other homemaker's journals. Right now I think I'll keep it on a Monday-only schedule, as with my Friday Week in Review posts, I think most everything we do throughout the week is covered.

On Monday afternoon we got a few snow flurries, which was very exciting for the children. Nothing else came of it, which disappointed them as they had big plans for playing in the snow the following day.

Then came Tuesday. Tuesday came very early in t he morning, when at 4:45 a.m., George came to the side of the bed and told me he is sick. I asked him what he meant by that, and he then told me he threw up. I got up, nudged the hubby to also get up (cleaning vomit + caring for sick child is most effective as a 2-person job). So there it was, off the side of his bed and on the floor. George did let me know that "blankey and teddy bear do not have throw up". Hubby and I cleaned up, then I got George set up on the couch with a bowl. Hubby went back to bed while I stayed on the couch with George. He threw up again at 5:25 a.m, this time only into the bowl. Cleaned that up, brought him a new bowl, and then I curled up on the other end of the couch to try and fall back asleep. That didn't happen, as George never fell back to sleep. He also didn't throw up again and not once ran a fever.

I called my dad after the other children had woken up, and asked if he could come over and occupy Liam and help me keep an eye on George while I did school with Bridget. I love having him so close by. He stayed all morning and left after lunch. After putting Liam down for his nap, I curled up on the couch with the older two with a few books. I had barely opened the cover of the first book when George was already asleep in my lap. Oh how I wished I could fall asleep too, but I had already committed to reading to Bridget. I put down George's book and got out the scriptures and Bridget had me read 4 chapters. I would have read more but my eyelids were falling, so I told her I was done. Dinner did not get made that night, but fortunately we had leftovers to eat.

The rest of the week dragged on and while George was fully recovered from whatever was wrong with him by Tuesday afternoon, I still feel I have not recovered from waking up so early that morning.

I did get started in accomplishing one of my other personal goals for the year, and that is to record my family history! I made my first post yesterday, and I felt as if I learned so much. I love sorting through old family photos and compiling a written history for my children.

Homeschool 

Reading

Bridget wants to read all the time! She is hooked on this Dick and Jane book we borrowed from the library. 


We have borrowed it numerous times and I renew it as many time as they let me before I have to return it to the library and just check it back out a week later. While I do enjoy BOB Books for reading practice, the drawings in Dick and Jane books are impressive. I think that is what has drawn Bridget to this book, and also that what she is reading is more of an actual story as compared to the BOB Books. She is reading most of it all on her own now, and then wants me to read each story once she has read it aloud. 

Writing

Bridget is doing so well with writing. I like to look at her writing pages from August and compare them to today's work. My only complaint is that with some of her letters, she has gotten lazy and writes them a different way. I suppose that is my fault for being confident in letting her do her assignment on her own instead of watching her like a hawk as she writes each letter. I erase the letter in question (I can tell when she writes them incorrectly--such as lowercase "b", she will write the circle first, then the line going up) and I have her write it the correct way. 

Math

Bridget took another math test early this week and only got one problem wrong, which was a silly mistake on her part. She knew the answer when I showed it to her, but I unfortunately still needed to count it as wrong.

Linking up to:


Saturday, January 2, 2016

Meal Plan: Week 1

A new year, a new week, a new menu!

For this weeks menu, I asked my husband to sit down with me after the children went to sleep to go through some recipe books and pick out anything new he'd like to try while I did the same. He surprised me by picking out Indian food for dinner on Thursday. He has never been to an Indian restaurant and has almost no experience with Indian flavors (with the exception of curry, which he loves). I've never made Indian food, so it will be a new adventure for me as well.

The children are excited to get back to "school" and I have to say, I enjoy making "school lunch".

This year, I will be sticking to my "sweet treat" for their afternoon snack, as the sugar after dinner makes it nearly impossible to get them to fall asleep at a reasonable time.

A couple of changes are also taking place this year. I am not planning a dinner for Wednesdays, as it will give me an opportunity to get rid of leftovers (we also don't get home from extracurricular activities until after our usual dinner time, so anything I can either warm up with prepare very quickly is best). The second change is that because our church meetings this year do not start until 1 p.m., we will be enjoying a Sunday brunch as a family.



SUNDAY

Brunch
Ooey Gooey Cinnamon Rolls

Dinner
Veggie Starter: Salad
Main Course: Pizza Burgers with Avocado Pesto


MONDAY

Breakfast
Special K Red Berries with Soy Milk, Banana
Lunch
Southern Chickpea Salad, Whole Wheat Crackers, Yellow Squash, Grapes
Snack
Ooey Gooey Cinnamon Rolls
Dinner
Veggie Starter: Brussels Sprouts
Main Course: Creamy Yellow Pepper Pasta


TUESDAY

Breakfast
Cream of Wheat with Agave and Strawberries
Lunch
Gardein Mandarin Chik'n, Brown Rice, Green Beans, Mandarin Oranges
Snack
Muddy Buddies
Dinner
Veggie Starter: ---
Main Course: Brunswick Stew

 

WEDNESDAY

Breakfast
Marmalade Pancakes
Lunch
Pizza Hummus, Triscuts, Salad, Strawberries
Snack
Chewy Ginger-Molasses Cookies
Dinner
Veggie Starter: ---
Main Course: Leftovers or Sandwiches


THURSDAY

Breakfast
Toast with Peanut Butter, Fresh Fruit
Lunch
Macaroni and Cheese, Broccoli, Sliced Apples
Snack
Muddy Buddies
Dinner
Veggie Starter: ---
Main Course: Indian Buffet: Saag Aloo, Chana Masala, Vegetable Biryani, Garlic Naan


FRIDAY

Breakfast
Yogurt, Granola, Fresh Fruit
Lunch
Chili and Cheese Nachos, Sliced Pears
Snack
Ice Cream
Dinner
Veggie Starter: ---
Main Course: Orange Tofu, Brown Rice, Broccoli


SATURDAY

Dinner
Veggie Starter: ---
Dinner: Chickpea Filets with Lemon-Dill Aioli, Asparagus, Mashed Potatoes



Recipes for the meals above are provided in the appropriate link or will be provided in a later post.


Linking up with:




Friday, January 1, 2016

The Beginning of a New Year!

I don't know where 2015 went, but it feels good to begin a new year again with new goals in mind.

My husband took the children this morning to visit his parents for the day while I stayed home to get some work done. After they came home, I had prepared black-eyed peas, collards, and cornbread for dinner. Hopefully this traditional southern New Years Day meal will bring us luck and prosperity in 2016.

Happy New Year!

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