Meal Planning – Page 114 – Pollywog's Place Blog

May 28 – June 3, 2017 Meal Plan

Published on May 26, 2017May 30, 2017 by Susie @ Pollywog's Place BlogLeave a comment

This is our basic meal plan for the week. Sometimes we will switch the days around if I forgot to set something out or put something in the crock pot. Please feel free to use this or change it around to suit your family’s needs.

I have started trying to do easier meals on days that I have square dancing obligations. This helps me to be able to put a nice meal on the table without feeling guilty about having some much needed ‘Mommy Time’. Some of these meals may also help with those that have busy or irregular schedules due to work or extracurricular activities.

I do have ‘Snacks/Desserts’ listed as well. I always try to keep a bowl of fresh fruit out on the counter or table for the kids to snack on. Sometimes I will make a special snack or treat for us to enjoy.

Sunday (Mother’s Day)

Breakfast:

Banana Crumb Muffins, scrambled eggs

Lunch:

PB & J, fruit

Dinner:

Briarpatch Casserole, Salad, buttered bread

Snacks/Desserts:

Russian Tea Cakes/Sopapillas

Monday

Breakfast:

Cereal/Oatmeal

Lunch:

leftovers

Dinner:

Free Day for Memorial Day. (We may have a cookout but we haven’t planned anything out yet.)

Snacks/Desserts:

PB Crackers

Tuesday

Breakfast:

French Toast

Lunch:

hot dogs, mac n cheese

Dinner:

Mustard Crusted Pork Chops, Baked Sweet Potatoes, green beans

Snacks/Desserts:

Lazy Dazy Cookie Cake(** I will try to make an extra to take along for refreshments later.)

Wednesday

Breakfast:

Basic Muffins

Lunch:

egg salad sandwiches, veggies

Dinner:

Salisbury Steak w/Gravy, Mashed Potatoes, veggies, 30 minute Roll

Snacks/Desserts:

Muffins

Thursday

Breakfast:

Pancakes

Lunch:

soup, grilled cheese

Dinner:

Baked Salmon **, Baked Potatoes **, veggies **new recipe, link will update soon.

Snacks/Desserts:

Fruit

Friday

Breakfast:

Cereal/Oatmeal

Lunch:

chicken salad w/lettuce and sliced tomatoes

Dinner:

Meatball Sandwich Casserole, French Fries, Salad

**(This is a fairly quick meal to put together as Momma has a class/dance in the evening)

Snacks/Desserts:

Cinnamon Toast

Saturday

Breakfast:

Waffles, Fruit

Lunch:

PB & J Sandwiches, Fruit (We have a family outing planned so we will be packing these in a cooler to take with us.)

Dinner:

Free Day

Snacks/Desserts:

Cake

Meal Prepping: Freezing Veggies

Published on May 24, 2017May 18, 2017 by Susie @ Pollywog's Place Blog1 Comment

Life has been a bit crazy around here with kids, housework, homeschool, square dancing, and just day to day things. I am always trying to find ways to make life a little bit simpler and easier for everyone.

Today I have been a bit busy trying to prep a few things to make mealtime a little bit easier for me. (I did this a lot last year but somehow got out of the habit.) I try to keep up with my meal planning and this helps a lot with the prep work. As I work on reinforcing this habit I will try to do various posts to help others with this task also.

Today has been prepping veggies. I really love mushrooms and can often find them on sale but they don’t keep long in the refrigerator. My solution is to freeze them right away if I am not using them. You can do this a couple of different ways.

One way is to:

Slice or chop them as desired.
Cook them and let them cool.
Spread them out on a cookie sheet and freeze 2-3 hours.
Scoop the frozen mushroom into baggies and place in the freezer until needed.

You can also freeze them raw by following the steps above and omitting step 2.

I do the same thing with bell peppers and onions. I will usually slice a few onions/peppers and dice a few as well. This is really great to do when you find those sales on bulk amounts of veggies. This helps to reduce the amount of waste you may have. Just be sure that you are using clean, fresh veggies that are in good condition.

These vegetables can be used in many of your normal dishes. When you freeze them on the cookie sheet to start with it helps keep them from clumping together and makes it easier to remove the amount you need without thawing out the whole bag.

Other veggies can be frozen and stored the same way but some, like baby carrots, may need another method called blanching:

Bring 4-6 quarts of water to a boil on the stove.
Add 1-1/2 lbs of carrots (or other veggies)
Bring to a boil and boil for 3-5 minutes.
Quickly drain and cool the carrots with cold water for another 3-5 minutes.
Drain and dry.
Use steps 3-4 from above.

I normally use my most of my prepped vegetables within 2-3 months but some of them can keep as long as 12 months at a time.

Below is a link that I found to help determine what vegetables can be frozen and what method to use. It also goes into more detail about the different methods.

Freezing Vegetables – National Center for Home Food Preservation

May 21 – 27, 2017 Meal Plan

Published on May 19, 2017May 19, 2017 by Susie @ Pollywog's Place BlogLeave a comment

NOTE: This is a Pantry Challenge Week for me.

A lot of these meals have been prepped ahead as we will have some out of town guests this week.

Sunday

Breakfast:

Oatmeal w/bananas

Lunch:

Egg Salad Sandwiches, veggies

Dinner:

Crockpot Cream Cheese Chicken, Rice, Green Beans, Rolls

Snacks/Desserts:

Popcorn

Monday

Breakfast:

Cereal/Oatmeal

Lunch:

PB & J Sandwiches, Fruit

Dinner:

Sloppy Joes, French Fries, Salad

Snacks/Desserts:

Tuesday

Breakfast:

French Toast

Lunch:

Scrambled Egg Sandwiches, veggies

Dinner:

Spicy Chicken and Bowties, Salad

Snacks/Desserts:

Fruit

Wednesday

Breakfast:

Basic Muffins

Lunch:

leftovers

Dinner:

Laura’s Sweet Pork, Cheese Potatoes, Cole Slaw

Snacks/Desserts:

Muffins

Thursday

Breakfast:

Pancakes

Lunch:

soup, grilled cheese

Dinner:

Sweet Pork Quesadillas, Salad

Snacks/Desserts:

Boiled Eggs

Friday

Breakfast:

Cereal/Oatmeal

Lunch:

Tuna Salad Sandwiches, veggies

Dinner:

Mom’s Oven Stew, Rice, Bread

Snacks/Desserts:

No Bake Cookies

Saturday

Breakfast:

Waffles, fruit

Lunch:

Hot dogs, veggies

Dinner:

Crockpot Taco Soup, Rice, Tortilla Chips

Snacks/Desserts:

Muffins

May 18, 2017

Published on May 18, 2017May 18, 2017 by Susie @ Pollywog's Place BlogLeave a comment

Hey everyone! It’s been a little bit since I’ve checked in. Life has been crazier and busier than usual and I’m loving everyday!

The kids are growing like weeds right before my eyes. I try to make sure to take a few moments to savor these moments as I know they will be grown up before I know it. Everything is not always great as we have the expected, and unexpected, challenges that go along with kids, large families, special needs kids, and introducing them to new people. We handle each challenge with as much patience and optimism as we can. (Note that I am saying ‘we’ as I have met someone very special. He has been an answer to so many of my prayers and I thank God for bringing him into our lives. God not only answered my prayers but exceeded my expectations in so many ways.)

We are still homeschooling and have 14 days? of school work left to finish out this year. That too has had a few challenges especially with one of my girls. Again we work through the problem and try to find the best possible solution for everyone. Parenting is not easy and you must stay on your toes at all times. The solution for today’s challenge may not be the solution for tomorrow’s challenge and it may not be the solution for the other children so you have to stay open minded and be creative. It really does help to have someone else that I can go to for ideas on occasion.

Monday was my youngest child’s 4th birthday! Where has time gone? He requested a Stegosaurus Pull-Apart-Cake and was so excited when Momma was able to throw one together. We sang to him and had cupcakes for our afternoon snack as Momma had a dance that evening. Yesterday I was able to take him out for his birthday meal. (This is a tradition we started a year or two ago and the kids all look forward to it.) He wanted a cheeseburger, chicken nuggets, french fries, ice cream, and a soda pop! We went to Dairy Queen and got most of his request. He was such a happy camper. He ate half of everything, except the ice cream which he finished, and brought the rest home so he could share.

After eating we went to Walmart so I could grab a few groceries and he was able to pick out a toy and a balloon. He had been so sleepy while we were eating that I was afraid he might not make it through his dinner. He did fall asleep on the way back home though. As soon as we got home he was awake and ready to show off his new treasures. Life is good and I hope this is something that he will remember in the days to come.

Then we have square dancing. I’m not sure if I told you all this before or not but I have been made the Publicity Chairman for the Silver Fox Squares! I am also the caller’s assistant at the Clay Allemanders club. We have new classes starting up in another location too and upcoming dances and such to plan and organize.

We’ve had so many fun and exciting adventures and so many more to come. I better go for now as I’ve just put the kids down for naps and I have few chores to finish up before getting ready for the Luau tonight….

I pray everyone has a blessed week!