Menu Plan Monday ~ October 14

It was a wild week for us!  But yet we had lots of great meals!  Our week last week included lots of runnign now that after school extracurriculars are in full swing, and we also went camping at the Natural Bridge State Park since the kids had a few days off of school for Fall Break.  It was a great fall week!  Check out the tasty links below, or for more menu planning inspiration be sure to visit my Recipe Archives or OrgJunkie's Menu Plan Monday roundup.

Here's what we ate last week (and a few pix of camping meals) ::
** Truckstop Chili (hands down the best chili recipe ever)
** Black Bean Pizza
** Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala
** Fish Tacos

Camping....we had pancakes, s'mores, Walking Tacos (YUM...perfect camping dinner), hotdogs and pbj sandwiches.

Michael always makes sure we start our day off with a hearty breakfast.

Sam loves his Sunbutter crackers :)

What's cooking at your house this week?  

Menu Plan Monday ~ October 6

I am really struggling with planning (and sticking to plans) for dinners.  School nights are getting the best of me with extracurriculars.  I need to find some balance.  Last week I did pretty good though, I not only made some great meals, but was even able to make some "extras" to stretch for other meals.  I doubled the black bean recipe below so that I could freeze some for future use, and also kept some for pizza next week.  I also made more Tikka Masala than usual for a leftover night.  I just need to stick to the plan, and make homemade meals each night.  I need to find meals to fit each night, especially the busy ones!  And I want to keep loading up that deep freeze!

Here's what we were eating last week ::

Homemade Pizza (with everything...fresh garlic, onions, peppers, pepperoni & bacon..YUM)
Spaghetti Carbonara
Black Bean Burritos
Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala
"Best" Hamburgers (on pretzel buns!)

For more inspiration check out my Recipe Archives and OrgJunkie's Menu Plan Roundup!

Menu Plan Monday ~ September 23

Last week was a DOOZY at our house.  Between the four kids and their extracurriculars and other commitments for myself, we were on the GO!  So we had several EASY dinners last week!  For more menu planning inspiration visit OrgJunkie's Menu Plan Monday Post!

Here's what was cooking at our house last week ::
Leftover Night (we had Steak & Tortellini leftover from the previous week)
Chicken Pesto Stirfry with Pasta (sooo good, made with homemade pesto)
Hot Dogs & Tater Tots (Soccer night...no time for good cookin')
Quesadillas (another busy night...easy dinner!)
Date Night!  We had many bites of food at Twilight in the Gardens, read about it in this post.
Ribs, Mashed Potatoes & Fresh Green Beans

I also boiled & salted some fresh Edamame from our CSA, such a tasty treat!
And we did some baking for the Parish Kitchen as a service project for the kids.   Ella made Pumpkin Muffins and the boys made Brownies! 

While you are making your menu plan & grocery list for the week, be sure to print out this YOPLAIT FRUITFUL COUPON!  


And don't forget I have a VTech Toys Roll & Learn Activity Suitcase to give away on the blog! It's a perfect toy for the young ones!  Hurry and enter, just a few days left! 

Menu Plan Monday ~ September 9th

Here's what was cooking at our house last week, be sure to click the links to try the tasty recipes we dined on!  And PIN PIN PIN!  That's how I keep all of my recipes organized nowadays.  And be sure to check out my Recipe Archives and OrgJunkie's MPM Roundup for more inspiration!

• Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala

• "Skyline" Pizza with Salad

• Grilled Cheese with Chicken & Lemon Basil 

• Veggie Burgers, Tater Tots & Applesauce

• Mahi Mahi with Oven Fried Ocra

• Dinner at Izzy's with Michael's Parents (Kids Eat Free on Saturdays!)

• Hobbit Party :: Second Breakfast for Dinner lots of Hobbity snacks during Family Movie Night.  Check it out in this post.  

• And we also had lunch at the Old West Festival this weekend, so much fun!

What's cooking at your house?

Menu Plan Monday ~ August 19

We had some DELICIOUS dinners last week!  Please be sure to click the links below for the recipes, and pin them or bookmark them so you can use them soon.  They were all five star recipes in our opinion!  

And for more menu planning inspiration see my Recipe Archives, or visit OrgJunkie's Menu Plan Monday Roundup post!

Here's what we ate last week ::

• Spaghetti and Slow Cooker Italian Meatsauce 

• Lemon Basil & Chicken Pasta Bake

• Hotdogs & Garlic Fries (back to school dinner)

• Mama's Night Out ~ Dinner at Arnold's downtown & dessert at Chez Nora (the cheesecake there is out of this world!)

• Lemon Basil Grilled Chicken Pizza

• Dinner at the Pool: Grilled Tilapia (we skipped the mango salsa this time because we didn't have the ingredients and it was delish alone as well!) and Grilled Fresh Summer Squash (my favorite pool dinner this season!!)

• Cookout at my aunt and uncle's house, and we brought Zucchini to grill.  So we had grilled squash twice this weekend, I think we're in love with it!

What's cooking at your house?!

Menu Plan Monday ~ August 12

Busy.  Busy.  Busy.  Just a few days left of summer vacation!!!!  So I have very little time for blogging, but I wanted to share our menu from last week.  We ate out and had leftovers WAY TOO MUCH...but when I did cook we had some very tasty meals!  And for more menu-planning ideas visit OrgJunkie's Menu Plan Monday roundup!  And in case you missed it, I have a Kroger Gift Card Giveaway going on right now, just in time to stock up for school lunches!  

What we ate last week:

Skillet Red Beans and Rice
Homemade Pizza (of course!)  We actually ate pizza several times, but my favorite was the White Chicken Pizza with Lemon Basil and Grilled Chicken...YUM!
Izzy's for dinner with my brother (Goetta Reuben!)
Leftover Night

What's cooking at your house this week?!?!

Menu Plan Monday ~ July 29

Another Monday, another TASTY menu plan.  We had some really good eats last week!  Be sure to follow the links for all the recipes!  And for more menu planning inspiration check out Orgjunkie.com's weekly menu plan roundup, as well as my Recipe Archives.  

Here's what was cooking at our house last week:

• Homemade Pizza (of course....once a week at least!)

• Spaghetti & Meatballs

• Taco Salad, Quesodillas and Chips with Guacamole (Best Guac Recipe Ever!)

• Crock Pot Honey Sesame Chicken with rice and Roasted Broccoli

• Grilled Chicken Bacon Sliders (soooo easy to make, and so tasty!)

• Best Hamburgers EVER (with Pretzel buns from Trader Joe's and bacon top)

• DATE NIGHT!  At the Brewriver GastroPub - read more about it in this post.

What's cooking at your house this week?  Feel free to link to your menu plan or favorite recipe below!  And if you are on Facebook, please check out the Little Things Blog on Facebook and follow along so you don't miss any of my tasty recipe posts! 

Menu Plan Monday ~ July 15 ~ Vacation Menu

This past weekend we went to Cumberland Falls State Resort Park for a mini-vacation with my husband's family.  The six of us stayed in a small one-bedroom cottage, Matthew & Jenny stayed in a tent, and Sharon, Charlie, Jessica, Nicholas and their kids were in campers.  I had the largest kitchen by far with a whole 2 square feet of counter top space and a wobbly but working electric oven.  But despite the fact that we all had sub-par kitchens compared to the kitchens we had at home (or no kitchen at all as in M&J's case), we had some top-notch meals on our vacation.

We were on vacation for three days and three nights.  We had dinner together every night, and we had breakfast together two of the mornings. For dinners we had shishkabobs made by Matthew and Jenny, night two was Pizza night at our cabin (I made the pizza dough ahead of time, froze it and brought it down, Ella made the sauce), and for the third night we had Cincinnati Style Chili made by my mother in law for coneys and chili-spaghetti.  And Nicholas made a huge Sunday morning breakfast for us.  Along with all this we had fruit, pasta salad, salads, and of course...S'Mores.  We ate well! 

 Kabobs!

 Pizza prep

 Big Sunday Breakfast

What are your favorite vacation meals?  Here's a list of more of our favorite camping meals as well as a vacation menu plan.  And for more inspiration see my Recipe Archives or OrgJunkie's Menu Plan Monday roundup.

Menu Plan Monday ~ July 1

How in the world is it possible that it's already July?!?!  Our summer break is practically

flashing before our eyes!  We've been staying very busy this summer with all kinds of adventures from our Summer Bucket List, but I've still been pretty good about making our meals at home instead of too much eating out.  Although we did get to eat out a couple nights this week...once for a Date Night, we went to the Party Source in Bellevue for their Burgers & Beers night and got to sample eight different local beers and eat a gourmet burger ~ Cincinnati style with chili and cheese on top.  AND we ate at Mi Tierra for Max's 8th Birthday dinner.

Here's what was cooking at our house last week:

Panzanella (another perfect pool food!)
BBQ chicken (simple to make - I marinate with Montgomery Inn sauce and then bake breasts at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until done).  I served with pan fried potatoes and green beans.

Homemade Pizza - with pepperoni, bacon, onions, garlic & green peppers
Ribs, Mashed Potatoes, Fresh Green Beans and Rolls
Tilapia with Mango Salsa, Rice, Fried Corn, Rainier Cherries, Pineapple & Salad.  We love this recipe.  The fish is great with the salsa, and by itself.  Sam declared himself a "fishlover" after eating this tilapia.  And we got a great deal on it, two filets run about $5 at Trader Joe's in the freezer section!

What's cooking at your house?  For more menu planning inspiration, visit my Recipe Archives or OrgJunkie.com!

Menu Plan Monday ~ June 10

We've kicked off our summer vacation in style, with strawberry picking, hikes, marking a couple things off of our summer bucket list, starting summer camp and having dinner at the pool.  I love summer vacation so much!  We ate well last week...be sure to check out these recipe links!

What we were eating last week:
Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff with Noodles
Pizza at the Pool (I make pizza at home and then transport to the pool on a cookie sheet

covered with foil.  It's a perfect pool dinner, healthier & cheaper than ordering delivery pizza.  This week we had pepperoni, bacon, green peppers, onions & fresh garlic...it was delish!) 
Sirloin Steak with Dijon Port Sauce and Herb Roasted Potatoes (these potatoes are a family favorite!)
Nana's Lasagna (sorry, no link for this...top secret family recipe)
Buffalo Chicken Pasta

I also sauted some asparagus using this recipe, but I added a sprinkling of fresh grated parmesan.  YUM. And then there were all the amazing strawberry treats I made this week.


And if you need more inspiration check out my Recipe Archives and OrgJunkie.com's Menu Plan Monday Roundup.

Menu Plan Monday ~ June 3

Summer vacation has started with a BANG!  We've already been to the doctor for poison ivy AND strep throat, and we've already started our adventures about town.  You can read our Summer Bucket List here.  Because last week was a holiday and I had sick children to tend to, I didn't get my menu plan posted, so this week's post includes TWO WEEKS worth of recipe links, including several things I made to take to parties!  Enjoy!

Here's what we've been eating ::
Shrimp Scampi
Spaghetti & Meatballs

Chicken Fried Rice
Sesame Beef with Roasted Broccoli
White Pizza with Andouille Sausage
Dinner at the Sky Galley Restaurant for Sam's Birthday  AND Dinner at the Yard House with our friends for a date night!
Brinner: Griddle Cakes and bacon

For Parties I made Creamy Mac and Cheese, Sundried Tomato & Basil Hummus, and Texas Caviar (always a hit!).


We also had a great weekend getaway (WITHOUT MUNCHKINS!!) in Yellow Springs, Ohio.  We ate at several great restaurants while we were there, which was a real treat!

What's cooking at your house?  For more menu planning inspiration, visit my Recipe Archives or OrgJunkie.com!

Menu Plan Monday ~ May 20

It's been another tasty week at our house...every dinner last week was delicious! AND...I spent a day one day this week organizing all of my recipes here on the blog, so now I have a handy dandy tab at the top with my recipes archives!!!  Or you can click this button (below and on the right sidebar):

Here's what we dined on  last week:
Tilapia & Confetti Rice from Trader Joe's, with squash
Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala & Basmati Rice with Naan
Lemon Basil Chicken with Angel Hair pasta and roasted broccoli
Chicken Fried Rice (Weight Watcher's Recipe...YUM!)
Tacos & Quesadillas

I also made some yummy banana muffins with butterscotch chips this week.

And we went to a wedding where we ate the BEST food we've ever had at a wedding, hands down!  Check out Funky's Catering for your event! 

What's cooking at your house?

For more menu planning inspiration visit OrgJunkie's Menu Plan Monday roundup or the Recipe Archives!

Menu Plan Monday ~ May 13

I am looking forward to the summer months...because it means I can be a little more creative in the kitchen, and make meals that require more time and a bit more effort.  During the school year we are constantly on the go with after school activities, so our evening meals tend to get a bit "routine".  I have to plan easy dinners for nights where we have limited time between activities.  Starting this week all of our after school activities are on hold...so look for a more creative menu next Monday!  

Here's what we were eating last week ::

• Spaghetti & Italian Meatsauce  (slow cooker recipe - easy to make!)

• Hot Dogs & Garlic Fries (love love love the Hot Dogs from Trader Joe's with no additives, no nitrates, minimally processed, etc.)

• Pizza Night!

• Whole Wheat Waffles

• Chicken Ceasar Pitas

• Salmon (seasoned with butter & Old Bay seasoning and grilled to perfection) served with a chicken wild rice concoction Michael came up with.  The salmon came from Kremer's Market on Buttermilk Pike and it was delicious!

• Steak & Baked potatoes (Mother's Day!)

And I also had a lovely dinner at Walt's Hitching Post with my parents to celebrate Mother's Day...I'll post a review soon on Family Friendly Cincinnati!


What have you been eating?  Please leave your menu plan links in the comments!

For more inspiration be sure to check out OrgJunkie's Menu Plan Monday Roundup and the Little Things Blog Pinterest board of Recipes I Love. 

And be sure to read my post about super cute Fiestaware Fruit Bowls!   They are so handy and perfect for any kitchen.

Menu Plan Monday ~ May 6 ~ The First Communion Edition

Yesterday Max celebrated his First Communion, and we had quite a spread for his celebration after Mass.  So instead of giving you our weekly menu plan (we ate out ALOT last week)...I bring you instead my First Communion Party Menu Plan!  I wanted to have a picnic-style lunch for Max's party, so I used some of my favorite summer sides to accompany the sandwiches we had ordered.



Max's First Communion Lunch ::

Appetizers ::
Guacamole & chips (this guac always gets RAVE reviews)
Sun Dried Tomato & Basil Hummus with Pita
Jaarlsburg Cheese Dip & Pretzel Chips (from Kroger's cheese section, YUM!)

Pretzel Sandwiches from Kremer's Market

Side Dishes ::
Panzanella
Crunchy Slaw
Sesame Chicken Pasta Salad
Paula Deen's Red Potato Salad
Fruit Tray made by my Mother in Law

Dessert :: Cupcakes made by my friend Barb & Reece's Cup Mini-Cheesecakes & Oreo Mini-Cheesecakes made by "Desserts by Micaela"

What's cookin' at your house this week?
  
For more menu planning inspiration see OrgJunkie.com's Menu Plan Monday roundup or the Little Things blog Pinterest board of Recipes we Love!

Menu Plan Monday ~ March 25

Do you plan your weekly menu ahead of time?  Or do you fly by the seat of your pants each evening?  I'm curious as to how others plan their meals...
I am of course a menu-planning machine.  I follow my plans 95% of the time, sometimes there are evenings where even the best laid plans fall through.   I find my menu planning inspiration on OrgJunkie's Menu Plan Monday roundup and in my Recipes I Want to Try Pinterest Board. Where do you find inspiration?

Here's our menu from last week, be sure to click the links, these recipes were all delish!  

Oven Tacos This was the first time we had this dish and it's a keeper!  Two thumbs up!


Carbonara 
Homemade Cincinnati Style Chili with Spaghetti & Cheese
Pizza Night (using the Cincinnati Chili!)
Chicken & Pesto Stir Fry with Pasta
Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin with Mashed Potatoes & Crescent Rolls
(we were tasting some Kroger Brand foods that night thanks to Bzzagent - read more in this post)


What's cooking at your house?

Menu Plan Monday ~ March 18

I spend my Sundays, clipping coupons, writing grocery lists, making pizza dough for dinners this week, and creating this week's menu plan.  Pinterest is a huge help in menu planning, it's where I collect all of the recipes I love and all of the recipes I want to try.  And then OrgJunkie's Menu Plan Monday roundup is a HUGE help with all of those links!  Where do you find inspiration when you are menu-planning?

Here's what we had for dinner last week ::
Flank Steak with Red Wine Pan Sauce from the Kentucky Fresh Cookbook

Chicken Broccoli Casserole
Philly Cheesesteak Pizza (ooooh my, soooo good!)
Hotdogs & Popcorn (Circus night!)
Mahi Mahi & Panzanella
Slow Cooker Potato Soup and Paninis (I've tried a few slow cooker potato soups...this one is the winner!)

What's cooking at your house?

Menu Plan Monday ~ March 11

Another Monday, another menu plan...I know I sound like a broken record, but planning our dinner menu in advance each week really does keep me sane.  And it has made for much more peaceful evenings.  I don't stress out trying to figure out what to cook, I don't spend forever trying to pull a meal together on a busy night while the family starves in the other room.  I try to plan quick and easy meals for busy nights, or slow cooker meals.  And I save the more elaborate recipes for the weekend.  Just a couple things I want to share with you (and encourage you to try)....I've been making homemade pizza dough and sauce lately and we've been having pizza night once a week.  The homemade dough and sauce is soooo much better than the store bought stuff, and very easy to make.  You should try these recipes if you love pizza!  Also, the flank steak on this menu plan came from the Kentucky Fresh Cookbook.  I absolutely love this cookbook and recommend it to anyone who loves to cook.  Even if you don't live in Kentucky, you'd still find some winners in this cookbook!  This flank steak recipe had a sauce made with green onions, red wine, butter and a few other ingredients and it was out of this world.  So if you have the cookbook already earmark that recipe!  If you don't have the cookbook you can find it in my Amazon store!  If you want to hear more about why I love this cookbook read this post about the Kentucky Fresh Cookbook.

Here's what we were eating last week ::

Pan Fried Tilapia with Onion Rings (and West 6th Brewing's IPA which I LOVE)
Tomato Bread (this is a good light meal, would be a great side for a pasta dish)
White Pizza with Chicken Sausage and Onions
Grilled Salmon with rice and Roasted Broccoli
Flank Steak with Pan Sauce from the Kentucky Fresh Cookbook with Herb Roasted Potatoes

I also made griddle cakes to stock up the deep freeze, and a dear friend made the most amazing cupcakes for me: Banana Cupcakes with Bourbon Butterscotch Filling and Toasted Marshmallow Frosting.  OH MY!  They were delicious!

What have you been eating at your house?


For more recipe inspiration visit OrgJunkie's Menu Plan Monday roundup!

Menu Plan Monday ~ March 4 2013

We had some of our very favorite meals last week...click on the links below to find the recipes!  And for more menu-planning inspiration check out my "Recipes I Love" Pinterest board and Org Junkie's Menu Plan Monday Roundup!  And please do share your own menu plan or favorite recipe links in the comments below, I'm always on the hunt for new recipes.

Last week's Meals ::

Dilled Pot Roast with wild rice (sooo easy, and it's a crowd pleaser!)
Black Bean Burritos with salad
Lemon Basil Chicken with angel hair pasta
Spaghetti & Meatsauce (great slow cooker recipe, it makes a ton, so you can freeze some for future dinners!)
Pizza Night :: Cheese for the kids and Black Bean pizza for us.  I'm still loving making my own dough & sauce!
Fish fry with the family on Friday night
And Michael & I had a night out with friends on Saturday night.  We had dinner at A Tavola and then went to Bockfest in Over the Rhine.  Have you been to A Tavola yet?  It's pretty amazing.  Here's a post that I wrote about it last year.

It was quite a week...good meals all around.  I even got to go out to eat lunch a couple times, which is a treat.  We took my dear friend Della to Chuy's for her birthday (baja tacos!!).  And then Dad took me and the kids to Wunderbar in Covington on Saturday for lunch.  If you live in this area and like German food, stop by Wunderbar for a meal!  It's a bar, so if you take munchkins I'd suggest going at lunch time.  We had the soft pretzel, which they make in house, with a mustard sampler...delicious!  Just look how big that pretzel is!  It was enough for four of us to munch on.

And with our Dilled Pot Roast on Sunday we had fresh homemade pierogies from Babushka Pierogies (I bought them at Madison's at Findlay Market).  They were so tasty, I'll definitely be getting more of those!  And as a treat we had yogurt with homemade granola and star fruit.  

What's cooking at your house?

Menu Plan Monday ~ February 11

It was another yummy week at our house!  For more menu planning inspiration check out OrgJunkie's Menu Plan Monday roundup!  Or find my "Recipes I Love" board on Pinterest!

Last week we dined on:

Spaghetti & Meatsauce

Pizza & Salad (pepperoni for the kids and White Pizza with Chicken Sausage & Onions for us - click this link for all of our favorite pizza recipes!)
Chicken Lo Mein
Hotdogs & Brussel Sprouts (the sprouts were awesome...this recipe rocks!  But Henry was the only one who would eat them with me...I have to work on the others!)
Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala 
Seafood Saturday : Tilapia with Mango Salsa and Grilled Bacon-Wrapped Scallops (YUMMMY)

What's cooking at your house?

Menu Plan Monday ~ February 4

Another Monday, another Menu Plan!  I think it's been a few weeks since I've shared our menu plans with you...when things get busy at our house blogging gets put on the back burner.  My plan this week has some DELICIOUS recipe links...so be sure to check them out then print them or pin them!  For more meal planning inspirations see OrgJunkie's Menu Plan Monday roundup, or visit my Pinterest board of recipes I love to make!

Last week we dined on....
Pot Roast Sliders with Garlic Fries (I LOVE these sliders, and to mix it up, you can serve the pot roast meat over the garlic fries with some cheese curds thrown in, which is yummy too!)

"Skyline" Pizza with Salad ~ Last week I had made some homemade Cincinnati style chili (recipe handed down from Michael's grandfather) and I used the leftovers this week to make a pizza inspired by Vicky from What Really Matters.  I put the chili down on the crust instead of sauce, then topped with cheddar & mozz and baked.  When it came out of the oven we added oyster crackers and hot sauce - YUM. 
Chicken & Pesto Stir Fry with Rotini
Slow Cooker Potato Soup (the recipe I tried was a DUD - but a friend has shared another recipe, and I'm going to try it next week!)
Red Beans and Rice

Pan Fried Tilapia & Onion Rings


And then we had a FEAST for Michael's parent's birthday dinner ::
Chicken Lo Mein (read the reviews on this one ~ I added oyster sauce & left out water) 
Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken (LOVE this!)
Beef & Broccoli (not sharing this recipe, it wasn't that great)
Fried Rice from Oriental Wok
Egg Rolls & Pot Stickers from Sam's
Edamame

And for an appetizer I made Roasted Shrimp(tossed with olive oil and lemon juice and sprinkled with S&P - roast at 400 for 10 minutes) with this copycat Benihana shrimp sauce that I found online.  It was gobbled up in no time!

For dessert we had M&M cookies and Root Beer Floats.

I also did some baking this week....griddle cakes, whole wheat waffles, whole grain donuts (in my new donut maker!), granola and banana chocolate chip muffins.

As you can see, it was a very tasty week here....what have you been eating?