Menu Update...

I did get some motivation to look up a few easy recipes and make it to the store this morning...

Yesterday we snacked enough on fruits and nuts (and a surprise loaf of pumpkin bread from my mom!) that we weren't hungry for lunch, which means we still have the soup we were going to eat available for today or tomorrow.

Then when we got off work and picked up our son (in the middle of the afternoon) we decided it would be a great (non-rush) time to go get some pancakes at IHOP since it was National Pancake Day and they were free! We did get a side item and tip, but it was a great meal for next to nothing! And it saved having to figure out dinner!

So I picked up just a few things this morning (before any snow rush started at the stores) and will also be able to make some things from ingredients already on hand. On the list:

homemade baked oatmeal
homemade granola
a spinach salad with bacon, eggs and mushrooms on top
a chicken and rice dish with bacon and carrots and a cream cheese sauce on top
a "cabbage roll" soup dish
another chicken and rice dish with carrots and onions, for later in the week
and stuff for a big breakfast for a meeting tomorrow: eggs, bacon, potatoes and mushrooms

I didn't have to buy a lot, and shouldn't have to do much for any of these meals, but I'm pretty excited about all the dishes we'll get out of the ingredients I've got.

Menu Plan Monday - February 22

My menu plan is fairly simple this week.
I'm taking it one day at a time.
Last night we found ingredients to make quesadillas.
Tonight we had leftovers.
Tomorrow...well, we'll just have to wait and see what happens.
I'm 37 weeks pregnant, ready to deliver any day now, and not really wanting to plan meals...
If it comes down to desperation, we live near stores and we have a freezer full of food.
What do you do when you have no motivation, or time, or when you have no idea what tomorrow actually holds?
For some great ideas for planning meals, head on over to Orgjunkie.

Menu Plan Monday - February 15

Still Pregnant!
Still cold and snowy around here!
Still trying to stock my freezer and get my house and life in order for having baby boy #2 any time now...
Still making lots of soup since it is simple to make and simple to freeze, and great in cold weather!

We've been trying to eat a wee bit healthier over the past week or so, trying out some new things for breakfasts and lunches. Been eating a homemade baked oatmeal for breakfast a lot as well as tuna, yogurt/fruit/granola (homemade granola), and eggs for lunches (or sometimes breakfast too). Also getting in more raw fruits and veggies (harder to find decent deals this time of year), nuts, and dried fruits for snacks.

Here is what I am working towards for dinners this week:
Curried Chicken and Cider Soup (this has been on my list for a while, but I roasted my chicken and made my chicken broth, and I am ready to make the soup today!) I have made this one before and greatly enjoyed it!
Hearty Tomato Soup is on my list again, loved it the first time and looking forward to it again!
A simple Hamburger Macaroni Bake
And hopefully this Maple Apple Chicken

Find more great ideas and recipes at Orgjunkie.

Menu Plan Monday - February 8

The countdown is in effect.
Not only am I 35 weeks pregnant, and not only was I already realizing how close I was getting and how much I wanted to get done, but also found out last week that the baby is already in the right position and I am starting to dilate, and now I am going back weekly for checkups. Shouldn't be too much longer...I'm thinking when I was at this stage with my first it was about another 2 weeks...will try to make it to 37 weeks so I am "full term" but who knows...
So, I need to get a little busier stocking my freezer...
I didn't get as much done as I wanted to this past weekend...used some extra time to shovel snow with the family so we could get out of the house. And watched the Super Bowl.
So, for this week:

Curried Sweet Potato and Apple Soup
Baked Chicken Fingers

Pea Soup (for my son, seems hard to get him to eat his veggies lately, unless it is raw carrot with dip)

Apple-Spice Muffins

Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins

Meatless Chili
Bran Muffins
Curried Chicken and Cider Soup
Blueberry French Toast Bake (for a breakfast meeting)

So, I am excited (need) to spend a lot of time in the kitchen this week. Hopefully I stay motivated and have the opportunities I need.
What's your plan for cooking this week?
For more great meal ideas, head on over to Orgjunkie.com.

Filling the Freezer Friday!

I don't usually add an update at the end of the week as to how I have done with my menu planning for the week, but it has been a great week and I am pretty excited. I have been cooking and baking and getting my freezer stocked! I did a good amount on Wednesday just because I got in the mood. Then I had my 34 week check-up yesterday and found out that baby is in the right position and I am starting to dilate, and this got me even more excited to make sure I am getting things done around the house. Not only have I been working on my organizing that I talk about here, but I have also been really good this week about making the meals we are eating as well as making food to store away for when the baby comes.
So, here is my progress and some of the things I have been working on this week:
So far this week we have had:

Cream Slow-Cooker Chicken
Chili Cheese Biscuit Pies
Slow Cooker Turkey Stew
And by the end of today I plan to make the:
Curried Sweet Potato and Apple Soup
Baked Chicken Fingers (maybe...)
I put some of the chicken in the freezer and also plan on putting some of the stew in the freezer.
Other things I have worked on specifically for the freezer (since Sunday):
Baked Oatmeal

Apple and Cheese Pancakes

Blueberry Bread (sorry I don't have a picture for this one...)
Zucchini Bread (my favorite so far!)

 

Broccoli Potato Soup

Breakfast Cookies

Banana-Oat Muffins 

And some more food for my son that I plan on having done by the end of tomorrow (it helps that we have had lots of snow and are in the middle of a storm again so I am getting lots done inside!):

Pea Soup

Apple-Spice Muffins

Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins

...and who knows what else I may come up with...

And some other things I have made just for fun and because I have had the ingredients and because I have had a sweet tooth...

Jello Magic Mousse 

A recipe similar to this but with a store-bought crust, orange jello and mandarin oranges. 

 

And the old standby, Jello and Cool Whip mixed.

Yeah for progress! And also for accountability because now I need to make this stuff I have mentioned above! Good thing I have so much motivation right now! Off I go to get more done!

Remodeling and Organizing

I am SO excited about this organizing challenge over at I'm An Organizing Junkie! Seriously excited! It gives me a challenge and gives me a deadline and these are good things for me.
When I woke up this morning I was pretty sure I was already going to start my project today. I am 34 weeks pregnant and wanting to get some things organized before I can unpack all my newborn stuff and get it where I want it.
My husband has been working on remodeling a closet in our house that I would be able to use as a linen/storage closet. Unfortunately I did not get before pictures of the closet. The mismatched shelves. The chipping paint. The part of the wall falling off. The extra sheets, pillows and diapers shoved into the two shelves available...it was bad.
He fixed the wall, got rid of the chipping paint, re-sized all shelves to fit, and primed the walls. I told him not to paint for a couple of reasons: I am excited to organize and want to get started, and I am not worried about spending more time and money on a closet. I would like to find a couple more good organizing baskets to go in the closet, but thus far, it has been a free project as we already had everything needed to get the job done. Here is the closet, ready to be organized (once I remove the bucket).

 

And here are pictures of the places I have other random things stored where they don't belong/I don't want them.

This is all the stuff that was shoved into the closet and has been patiently waiting in the hallway for over a month now.

 

  

 

(I don't know why this one won't rotate correctly)

 

And this is all the stuff that is in random rooms and areas that I want neatly organized in my new closet. I want the armoire available for baby stuff and these shelves could be put to much better use as well. Towels, toiletries, medicines...it's all going to find a new home. 

Menu Plan and Stocking the Freezer

I am 34 weeks pregnant. I delivered at 37 weeks with my first son. I figure it's about time to get started with stocking my freezer, unpacking all the newborn clothes and necessities, and getting myself and my stuff ready as well...
Since  our area was expecting a big snow this weekend I decided that maybe it would be a good time to stock up on groceries and spend some time in the kitchen, since I probably wouldn't be able to get out anyways...it was worth the insanity at the store as everyone was nervously stocking up on bread and milk.
So far I have mostly worked on stocking for my 1 year old. I know some people often do everything in one day, but I prefer to do a couple things at a time, but not for the whole day. Just my way. Yesterday I made baked oatmeal (my new favorite breakfast for my son, and he loves it too!) and these breakfast cookies. They have similar ingredients, but the cookies have bananas and raisins.  Today I made banana muffins (a combination of two of his favorite foods: bananas and cheerios!) and broccoli potato soup (very simply onion, broccoli, potato, stock, and cheese). My son tried a muffin and enjoyed it greatly, and he has had the soup before and loved it! It feels great to be filling my freezer!

For the meals we will actually be eating this week:
Curried Sweet Potato and Apple Soup
Slow Cooker Turkey Stew
Cream Slow-Cooker Chicken
Chili Cheese Biscuit Pies

And some other recipes that I will be working on to add to my freezer collection:
Meatless Chili
Baked Chicken Fingers
Pea and Spinach Soup

We'll see if I really get to all of this. But I do already have all the ingredients for all of these recipes, and that excites me! It's the little things...
Head on over to Orgjunkie.com for more great ideas for meals.

Blending In

I have greatly enjoyed making my own baby food for my little one. Crazy that we are coming up on a year since I started doing this. The best methods for me have been using a blender or food processor after I have cooked a food to make it soft. Well, best and cheapest as I already had these appliances. I began thinking before the holidays, though, that a small hand blender would be great. I could cook something in a pot (some apples or a soup or other food) and then just stick my hand blender right in and blend up the food. Less mess, less cleanup, more convenient...all the things I like! So I asked for one for Christmas from a relative and it has been great! I think it might actually work better than my blender ever did. And it doesn't take up much cabinet space. And it does the job quickly. And there is not much to clean up when it is done. I think I could go on and on about how great it has been, but hopefully you get the point. I tried to get an "action" shot while it is doing it's job.

This is what works for me. For more great tips and ideas on what working for others, head on over to We Are THAT Family.

Menu Plan Monday - January 25

Really working hard to get back on track with meal planning. Not just for the week, but for a month at a time. And it helps tremendously! And I've overestimated enough meals this week-thus pushing meals back to the following week- that I already have my first week of February planned based on overture! Nice! Here are some of the main foods we will be enjoying this week.

Cheese Quesadillas
Blueberry Pancakes
Whole Wheat Waffles
Spinach Tortellini Soup
Easy Crock-pot Tater Soup
Chili Cheese Biscuit Pies 
Autumn Sausage Casserole 
My son has been much better the past couple of days at trying new foods, so I am excited to see how this week and some of the recipes go over with him.
For more great menus and meal ideas, head on over to Orgjunkie.

Time to Evaluate!

I just wrote this post a few weeks ago, less than a month, but I feel a need to evaluate where I am with my efficiency. Why? Because I need to inspire myself. Inspire myself to evaluate why I chose this word for my year and how I am doing with living by it.
I am trying to live by this word in all areas of my life. There are various areas of my life that are easier to evaluate than others. Ultimately, though, I feel I am falling short thus far. Again, this is not for pity, not necessarily for encouragement, but really to inspire myself back to why I chose the word and create more change.
I think I have fallen short mainly because I make excuses.
I am pregnant.
I am tired.
I'll do it tomorrow.
I don't want to wake my son from his nap.
I'll get to it.
I'll do it on my day off.
And on, and on, and on...
Today is a good example of falling short.
I did run a few errands, get some grocery shopping done, spend time with my son, make a soup for my son to stock the freezer with...and this seems good. But I also spend time, way too much time, being lazy around the house for no good reason...
There is stuff sitting in my upstairs hallway that needs to be stored in the attic...
There are dishes that need to be done...
There are things to work on for prepping to have baby #2 soon...
There are three books that I have started but read none of today...
There is an exercise bike begging to be used...
There is clutter...lots and lots of clutter...
There is dust on the furniture, dirt on the floor, grime in the bathroom...you name it, we have it...and yet, I sat, surfing the internet and watching TV and being lazy...
I do not look back on today proud of my efficiency. Instead I look back on today and realize that I am not living up to my word. I realize that I need evaluation today, and I will probably need it again tomorrow, and next week, and next month...I realize that I need to post this word in more places in my house so that I am reminded of my goal more often...I realize that I need to be an example in my house...I realize that if I don't learn to live by this word with one kid I am never gonna make it with two...
And so, here goes...as I once again hold up my glass of sparkling apple cider and say "Here's to being more efficient in the new year!"

WFMW - Recipe Collection

I have struggled for a long time on the best way to keep track of recipes. I have magazine clippings, cooking books, internet sites, recipes on my computer, etc, etc... I LOVE making new recipes, so I am always saving recipes that I just might to use one day. But then when meal planning time comes along, I am just trying to be efficient and quick in finding recipes and making a list. But quick and efficient does not go along with finding all sorts of recipes in different locations all over my house and computer.
In steps Evernote. My husband (and quite a few other people I know) has used this for some time now to take notes, but it has taken me a while to actually learn about it and decide whether I wanted to take time to try it out. I finally decided YES. But not so much for taking notes. At least not yet. But for now, recipes is my thing.
1. It's free.
2. It's simple.
3. It's practical.
4. It's efficient.
I haven't tried out everything it has to offer yet, but I have been able to quickly go through recipe files on my computer, clip them (including any pictures I had in the document), transfer to Evernote, add tags, add a URL source, and watch it work. I can also clip info straight off a website and do the same thing. I can quickly add all my recipes to Evernote, and then I will be able to search quicker then ever before...I can look up a specific ingredient, look up what my tags are, quickly look at pictures...whatever works for the mood I am in. And quickly. My next step is taking all my clippings and scanning them, or finding them on line and adding them into my new collection.
It works for me, and even if it is not for recipes, I hope it can work for you too. Check out this site for more great ideas!

Meal Planning Conflicts

I mentioned here how I seem to have a habit of planning too many meals for what we actually end up eating in a week. Even in a regular week I thought maybe I had planned too much for this week, and the funny thing is that it is already Thursday and we have only had two of the recipes I planned for, the Apple and Sausage Pie and the Blueberry Snack Cake.
Random things happen that we don't get to all the meals.
Sometimes it is that there are more leftovers from a meal than I planned for and we eat the leftovers before preparing extra meals.
Sometimes one of us will get a craving (I am pregnant, and my husband gets pregnant cravings too!) and we will fill that craving and save the planned meal for another time.
Sometimes other plans come up for a meal that we hadn't planned on, like getting invited to a friend's house.
So, this week.
I got some cheap, and oh so good, avocados from the store and we made some guacamole. Honestly, this sometimes becomes a meal for us, and it did. For two nights this week. That, along with some bread with dipping oil that my husband was craving.
Then last night we made the pie and it was really good. So good, that since we were short on prep time tonight, we decided to eat the leftovers for dinner.
It was simple, and good. And what's really exciting is that, as picky as our son has become about trying new foods, he tried all the ingredients in this. Before it was all put together, but I was excited still. He tried the crust and liked it. He tried the apples after they were cooked in onion and garlic, and liked them. He tried the sausage, and like it. He tried the feta cheese and liked it. Success on many fronts with this meal! I recommend it!
I also made the Blueberry Snack Cake for breakfast this morning and it was a hit as well. So much so that I forgot to get a picture of that one.
Lots of meals yet to try. All ingredients already purchased. We are invited to a friend's for dinner this Saturday. I think we might have some meals for next week.

Menu Plan Monday - January 11

Seems like I have a habit of planning for more food in a week than we actually get to. Or we have other random meals and don't fully get around to what was planned...either way, I still have all the ingredients and plan to make the tomato soup with some grilled cheese sandwiches Monday. It's still cold and I'm looking forward to this.
My review from last week: when making a soup with mostly milk, be sure and stir like the recipe calls for...I'm still trying to scrape the burntness off the bottom of my pan! And what a bummer how a little burning on the bottom makes the whole batch taste burnt, or as my husband graciously called it "smokey!" Even though my husband and my 1 year old turned their noses up at first glance of the vegetable soup, they both enjoyed it when they actually tried it! Success!

So, for this week:
Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup (out of the freezer)
Hearty Tomato Soup
Artichoke Chicken
Apple and Sausage Pie
Apple Chicken Quesadilla
Blueberry Snack Cake

Okay, so that looks like a lot of food again, but I don't have to buy too many ingredients to make it all happen, and there's a good possibility that at least one of these meals will carry over to next week. It's all good.

Menu Plan Monday - Jan 4

I am excited to start the New Year off right with healthy meals and great recipes!

We had plenty to eat last week and never got to the Creamy Corn Chowder, so that is first on my list to make this week. Actually, it is freezing here and I am thinking of making all soups this week because that is what sounds really good when the weather gets cold.

So, Creamy Corn Chowder, Hearty Tomato Soup, and Vegetable Soup with Sweet Potatoes and Rosemary to use up some extra sweet potatoes I have from when they were so cheap over the holidays.

These three soups, as well as other foods we have on hand for breakfast and lunches should easily get us through the week.

What's on your menu this week? For other great ideas head on over to I'm an Organizing Junkie.

My Word for 2010!

I was recently reading one of my favorite blogs. Why is it one of my faves? She has a big family (and I think that is fun), she is very creative, she is very real, I love her photography, etc...

So I was reading this post of hers, and I was inspired...the premise is to not make a bunch of (or even a few) New Year's resolutions, but instead to choose one word that would sink into every part of my life, becoming my focus for 2010.

I started thinking about this on my own and came up with what I thought I wanted my word to be. But on a longer drive today, I brought the idea up to my husband and asked him what word he would choose. As he was contemplating, I began rethinking my word, wanting to possibly change it to another...

When he was done thinking he asked what my word was and I explained my original word and why I wanted it, but also explained my new word and why I was thinking of changing it...and he laughed. Not because of my words, but because through his thought process he had come up with those very two words, but then ultimately decided on a third word that he felt encompassed the first two words more fully. I laughed too. And I was very excited that we were on the same page with what we want 2010 to look like, and excited that we could have a "family word" and spur each other on.

Sorry if you are in utter suspense now and overly excited to know our "word."

Our first two that we separately came up with were 'simplicity' and 'discipline'. How could we live with more simplicity, how could we simplify our lives, our home, our everyday occurrences and daily routines? How could we be more disciplined in the things we do, in eating better and exercising more regularly, in our relationship with God, in keeping our home in order?

These are all good things, but the third and final word that we decided upon we believe will encompass all of this and more: efficiency. How can we be more efficient with our time, our resources, our bodies? Can we become more efficient because we are simplifying, and can we become more efficient as we learn to be more disciplined? I think so. We think so. So this is our word for 2010, and I feel the need to write it here so that it is in writing somewhere for sure!

Efficiency. Achieving maximum productivity with minimum wasted effort.

Feeding a Picky Eater

I have mentioned a few times recently about my 1 year old becoming a bit picky as an eater. I have some struggles with this, as I have often thought to myself that a kid will eat what you give him/her and if you don't try new things or always give them the animal crackers they ask for or give in too easily, then it becomes more of a parenting issue than a kid issue. At this stage, my son has to get his food from me (since he can't get it for himself yet) so it is up to me to get him a variety of healthy foods in his diet. And he was doing amazing at eating lots of variety and at trying new things, until about a month or so ago.
He started this thing where he would clinch his mouth as a new food was coming toward him, allow it to touch his lips, and then make a nasty face as if it was the worst thing in the world (even though it never made it into his mouth!). I think Thanksgiving was the first we tried some new foods, got this new response, but were determined to not let him make the decisions about what he was eating. We tried the same foods about three times throughout the day, never offering another option. He never took them. He had some milk, and went to bed fine that night. When he woke up the next day (hungry for sure) he ate all the same foods he had refused the day before.
This is when I decided I would try any new foods (and also foods he was not as excited about) first thing in the morning. This has worked great!
I have also decided that I am not giving up on getting new and different foods into his diet, but I have decided that I will make healthier versions of some of his favorite foods (like oatmeal) and will add ingredients he wouldn't normally eat into foods that look more familiar (like muffins and pancakes). In this way I still feel like I am the one in charge of what he is eating, I still do not offer alternatives if he refuses to try something, and I feel that he is getting a wider variety of foods without making every meal a fight.
So, the lessons I have learned and tips I would share (and I am happy to accept other tips and lessons learned):
1. Try the less exciting foods in the morning.
2. Hide the foods I want to save for later in the day or special occasions (he loves bananas SO much, but once he sees them he won't eat anything else!)
3. Add new and different fruits to yogurt since they become slightly hidden, but also get eaten in the mix with a favorite food.
4. Add more fruits, proteins and vegetables to foods that seem more familiar but include different ingredients: oatmeal from scratch, muffins with fruits/vegetables, pancakes with fruits/proteins, breads with fruits/grains, etc.
5. Don't give in and offer alternatives when he won't try something new or makes a face. I keep trying the same food at another time, but know that if I back down and offer a favorite after he rejects something, we will quickly learn this easy pattern in how to get what he wants and then he will be in charge.
This is what Works For Me. For more great ideas and posts, check out We Are That Family.
What have you learned in feeding a toddler? What other things can I try as my toddler continues to grow and as I am planning for my next son who will join us in a few short weeks?

Breakfast of Champions

I wrote here about some of my struggles with finding healthy foods my baby will eat. Foods that may seem like ones he is used to and has become partial to, but ones that contain a healthier and wider variety of ingredients. I was excited and nervous at the same time. Excited for the challenge, nervous to make food that could possibly not be eaten. But alas, success!!



I found a recipe for apple and cheese pancakes. I knew my son would eat pancakes, and this version has main ingredients of apple and cottage cheese. A bit healthier and getting some fruit, calcium, and protein (and no sugar) at the same time! Unfortunately, I didn't write down where the recipe came from, but have it on hand if you are interested.






I found another recipe called "easy baked oatmeal" that I made today. Again, success! I have been using packaged oatmeal because it is quick and simple and fairly inexpensive, but wanted to find something similar that I could have on hand and would have better ingredients for my son. I was excited for the oats, wheat germ and flaxseed especially. It was thinner than I imagined, but turned out quite well when I reheated a little and then added some milk (for softness and for cooling it for son) and cinnamon.

Menu Plan Monday - December 28

A little late with posting, but thankfully I did actually get up early yesterday to plan this week. Which made it possible for me to get to the store last night after my husband got home so I could purchase everything and be ready.
We just got back from a few days visiting relatives for the holidays and now it is time to get back on track with eating healthy, simple meals regularly.
My son recently turned 1 and with that is entering a picky eating stage. This makes it a little more challenging than just cooking for all of us, but has also been a fun challenge for me to find things he likes to eat (like pancakes) and find recipes that add main ingredients I would want him eating more of, like fruits, vegetables and proteins.
Although I am trying to "get us back on track" my husband is out a couple of evenings this week, we have a New Year's Day party to go to on Friday, and I still have a few random things in the freezer to eat before I can start restocking...so, it is still a light week here for food planning.

Apple Cheese Pancakes: I made these for my son today and he tried to turn his nose up at first and spit it out, but once I let him feed himself, he made his "I love these" noises and ate 1 and a half! success!! Unfortunately I do not remember where I found the recipe (I need to get better at tracking this info) but I have the recipe and will post my success story soon.

Easy Baked Oatmeal: My son loooooves his oatmeal, and this will be my attempt at making a healthier, cheaper, more filling version of the dish. Fingers crossed...

Pear Oven Pancake: Making this one for a breakfast meeting.

Creamy Corn Chowder: It's been very cold lately and this will be a warm and comforting meal a couple of nights this week.

Cabbage Sloppy Joes: I like an easy lunch that is also healthy and I'm excited to try this version that has cabbage in it.

Thai Appetizer Pizza: This one is to take to the New Year's party.

Also bought extra fruits and vegetables that both looked good and were on special this week. Trying to make this a very healthy week going into the new year!

What's on your menu this week? Need even more ideas? Head over to orjunkie.

Menu Plan Monday - December 14

I've got to get back on track!
We've been eating out of our freezer A LOT the past couple of weeks since our main freezer broke and we've needed to get the freezer cleaned out some to make room for normal everyday use...but now it's time to really start cooking again. And I am ready! I have a new desire and excitement when looking for recipes since I have a toddler who is starting to eat more of what we are eating and this makes cooking for all of us more fun. Also, my husband has been having a huge problem with heartburn and I know we could eat even healthier than we already do sometimes, but this makes it even more important that we are eating foods that are good for his stomach.

Spinach Tortellini Soup I've made this once before (it freezes great!) and it was delicious.
Making this Chicken Tortilla Bake when we have company over next weekend.
Cheese and Spinach Tart with Glazed Carrots (found this recipe in the January 2010 issue of Parents magazine, but can't seem to find it online to link to it)
A Pea and Potato Soup made similar to the recipes given here (to have some extra easy food on hand for my son).
Making this Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole for a meeting.
Trying out this Pumpkin Cake recipe on some company next weekend.
Some other snacks/breakfast foods I plan on making to have on hand for all of us, but mostly for my son: Lemon Yogurt Snack Cake, Banana Oat Muffins, and Applesauce Muffins.

For even more great menu ideas, head on over to orgjunkie.com.

Menu Plan Monday - November 30

Head on over to Laura's site for some great menu ideas for this week!
Today is a somewhat sad day in my menu planning arena. Simple. But sad.
Over the weekend I went to grab some baby food from by deep freezer to add to my freezer upstairs for convenience. When I did this I realized that the food (the applesauce I was grabbing) was mostly thawed! Bummer! Not sure how long it had been, not sure if things had been thawed and were refreezing or was in the process of thawing for the first time. The weird thing is there were some things that were still solid frozen. Those things were the only things I was willing to keep. Sadly, I dumped a lot of food this past weekend, voting for safety and security over the time and money spent on the food. What a sad weekend. Still not sure what is wrong with the freezer. We emptied it all out (salvaging the little we could in out normal freezer) turned it off to defrost it and turned it back on to see if anything had changed. It is cold. But more like a refrigerator than a freezer.
So this week we will be eating the things we were able to salvage. I had just gotten myself all pumped and found a bunch of recipes for a cooking/baking day to get my freezer stocked, and now I am doing the opposite. Just thankful I had not already done that big stocking the freezer day yet!