Really?

It's Monday. It's a lazy day. I should be doing something productive. But, I'm not. How about you?

Daughter is on her laptop working on her school assignments. Hubby is on the couch watching tennis. Toby, our boy cat, is having fun attacking the stairs. I think the stairs are winning. And I am looking forward to a cup of coffee and perusing the menus for the week at http://orgjunkie.com/. It's the highlight of my week. Really.

At some point, I will get off my bum and reboot the dishwasher and take meat out of the freezer to thaw, get a shower and think about the things I should be doing. Really.

Maybe after that cup of ambition I will be motivated to do something else. Really.

Pam

Menu plan for week of June 28th

Breakfasts will consist of oatmeal, yogurt, cereal, whole wheat toast and peanut butter, etc.

Lunches this week will include chicken salad and leftovers.

Monday:

Sausage Quiche, Fruit Salad, Biscuits

Tuesday:

Spaghetti and Marinara, Salad, Garlic Toast

Wednesday:

Turkey Hot Dawgs, Chili Sauce, Chips

Thursday:

Favorite Beans and Rice (new recipe-recipe below), Fried Okra

Friday:

Hamburger Helper (I use ground chicken), Salad

Saturday:

Homemade Pizza

Sunday:

Fourth of July festivities at the Lake House!!!

Favorite Beans and Rice

Vegetable oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 cups cooked red beans (or 1 can)
2 cups black beans (or 1 can)
1 can diced tomatoes with garlic and onion
1 tsp fresh minced garlic
1 cup frozen corn
1/2 tsp chili powder (use up to 1 tsp if using a mild chili powder)
1/2 tsp ground cumin

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook onion to soften and add garlic, being careful not to let garlic burn. Add beans (drained) to skillet. Add tomatoes, corn, chili powder and cumin to skillet. Heat through, lower heat to simmer. Serve over hot rice. Sprinkle with shredded cheese if you wish.

Tips:

If you have the time to let this this simmer a while the better the flavors will blend.
This amount will feed a family of 4 for two meals, so I cook once, and eat twice.

What's Happening?

We had a lovely Father's Day yesterday. Hubby was brought breakfast in bed by Robyn. She made him a cute coupon book, wrote him a letter, and gave him a card. She even brought him a second cup of coffee later. I bought hubby his favorite book. Well, actually, it's his favorite movie but he read the book years ago. Now he has his own copy. Wanna guess the title? It's To Kill a Mockingbird. And guess what? It turned 50 years old this year. So that's two things he loves that are 50! lol

We spent the day up at Mom and Dad's house. Dad has been doing some work to the outside of the house and it really looks good. I took my homemade chicken and dumplings and he added to that with some noms from Kentucky Fried Chicken. I also brought cupcakes and a lemon meringue pie. It was a good meal and we were all stuffed.

That past two weeks Robyn attended VBS at her church and at a friend's. So VBS is done for the summer. She has done an excellent job at her homeschooling work and keeping her room clean. I am very proud of her. We have added taking out the trash to her responsibilities and she did that today.

Robert is outside doing yard work, never ending this time of the year, and will be hot and sweaty when he finishes. It is hot and humid here. He has been helping his aunt out doing work at her lake house and will be going back there tomorrow. He took Robyn with him one day last week and she took her laptop along and did her school work at the lake house. I think she enjoyed the change of scenery. I think she may do that again tomorrow. I enjoy a quiet house. lol

On Friday we are attending a local homeschooling book fair. Other than that, I expect this to be a quiet week. Not much going on. There should be time to get some projects done around the house, though, if I don't spend too much time on the computer. lol

Menu for the week of June 21st

Breakfasts this week will consist of: Fiber One Bars, Bananas, Oatmeal, Yogurt and maybe one day of pancakes and one day of eggs and bacon.

Lunch is usually leftovers for us.

Dinners:

Monday: Lazy Day Lasagna, Sauteed Yellow Squash with Onions, Garlic Bread

Tuesday: Down Home Chicken and Noodles, Corn on the Cob, Salad, Biscuits

Wednesday: Sloppy Joes (made with ground chicken), Chips, Watermelon

Thursday: Mixed Beans and Cornbread, Fried Okra

Friday: Leftover Buffet

Saturday: Grilled Turkey Burgers, Baked Beans, Pasta Salad, Chips

Sunday: Chicken and Stuffing Casserole (make extra for freezer), Broccoli Salad, Deviled Eggs

Menu for week of June 14th

Monday

B - Oatmeal and Banana for dh and I; Cereal for daughter
L-Leftover Navy Beans and Ham for dh and I; Easy Mac with Chicken Hot dog and Baby Spinach and Ranch dressing for daughter
D-Beef Taco Bake, Green Rice (recipe below)

Tuesday

B-Yogurt and Fiber One Bar for me; Yogurt and Toaster Treats for dh and daughter
L-Leftovers for dh and I; Chicken Nuggets and Tots for daughter
D-Country Fried Chops (crock pot), Mashed Potatoes, Buttery Cooked Carrots, Mayonnaise Rolls

Wednesday

B-Yogurt and Oatmeal for dh and I; One-Eyed Sailor and Sausage for daughter
L-Leftovers for dh and I; Sammie and Sliced Apple for daughter
D-The World's Greatest Potato Soup

Thursday

B-Yogurt and Fiber One Bar for me; Yogurt and Toaster Treat for dh and daughter
L-Soup and Sammies
D-Leftover Buffet

Friday

B-Eggs, Bacon, Sausage, and Toast
L-Any leftovers or Sammies and Fruit
D-Lazy Day Lasagna (vegetarian)-make extras for freezer (recipe below); Salad and Garlic Bread

Saturday

B-Muffins and Yogurt
L-Leftovers
D-Grilled Chicken Kabobs, Corn on the Cob, Squash and Onions, Salad

Sunday

B-Toaster Strudel for dh and daughter; Muffin and yogurt for me
L-Chicken and Dumplings, Fried Okra, Pinto Beans, Deviled Eggs, A yummy dessert, yet to be decided, quite possibly a chocolate pie for Father's Day.

Most days, I really enjoy cooking for my family. How about you?


Green Rice

1 c. rice, uncooked
1 c. sour cream
1-2 oz. can chopped green chilies
salt and pepper to taste
½ lb. shredded Monterey Jack cheese
butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook rice. Mix cooked rice, sour cream, green chilies and seasonings. Place ½ mixture in greased baking dish. Top with layer of cheese. Repeat. Top with dots of butter. Bake 30 minutes. Makes 4-6 servings.

Lazy-Day Lasagna

6 oz. lasagna noodles, cooked
¼ t. oregano
15 ½ oz. can spaghetti sauce, with meat or meatless
1 c. cottage cheese
6 oz. pkg. sliced mozzarella cheese

Combine oregano with spaghetti sauce. In greased 10x6x1 ½ inch dish alternate layers of noodles, cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese and sauce, using sauce for top layer. Bake 375 deg. 30 minutes or until heated through. Let set 10 minutes before serving.

To ebay or not to ebay, that is the question.

Do any of my readers have any experience selling on ebay? We have many things that are too nice for a yard sale and would like to get top dollar for. We have a couple pieces of furniture we may sell on craigslist as well. Any feedback, good or bad, would be greatly appreciated.

Menu for week of June 7th

Monday:

Breakfast-Wheat Toast with Peanut Butter and a Banana
Lunch-Soup, Cheese and Crackers
Dinner-Dinner out with Daughter who returns from Washington D.C.

Tuesday:

Breakfast-Cereal
Lunch-Pancakes and Sausage
Dinner-Petros and $2 movie!

Wednesday:

Breakfast-Eggs, Bacon, Toast
Lunch-Chicken Tenders and Tater Tots
Dinner-Slow Cooker Chili (recipe to follow)

Thursday:

Breakfast-Cereal
Lunch-Egg Sammies
Dinner-Taco Salad

Friday:

Breakfast-Wheat Toast with Peanut Butter and a Banana
Lunch-Soup, Cheese and Crackers
Dinner-Grilled Kabobs, Layered Salad, Cantaloupe or Watermelon

Saturday:

Breakfast-Eggs with a Hat, Fruit Salad
Lunch-Sammie and leftover salad
Dinner-Navy Beans with Ham, Fried Potatoes, Cornbread

Sunday:

Breakfast-Muffins, Fruit
Lunch-Spaghetti with Marinara, Salad, Garlic Bread
Dinner-Leftover Buffet

Slow Cooker Chili

2 lb. ground beef
2 cans kidney or pinto beans, rinsed and drained or homemade
2 cans diced tomatoes, undrained
8 oz. tomato sauce
2 medium onions, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 T chili powder
2 t. salt
1 t. pepper

In skillet, brown beef, drain. Transfer to crock pot and add remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on low 8-10 hours or high 3-4 hours. Makes 10 servings.