Menu Plan Monday

Hope everyone had a nice holiday weekend. For us, it was quieter than normal. We didn't do any cookouts and we didn't have our typical soccer tournament. But, in many ways, this made for a really nice and relaxing weekend. We joined friends for a homemade pizza dinner on Friday night, so that the boys could do their online fantasy football draft together. It was a nice relaxed evening with pizza, wine and cheesecake - what a great combo! Saturday was filled with some walking, baseball practice, swimming and a family movie night of Muppets Most Wanted. Sunday was filled with some errands and a family game night/movie night rolled into one - we played Ticket to Ride and watched Ratatouille. Monday was a relaxed day with a quick lunch out, fort building and game play - both inside and out. It was refreshing to get the kids to bed before 9 for a change.

This week we are back into the busy life. It is a short week, but we still will have three soccer practices, one soccer game, a meet the teacher night, another fantasy football draft (the husband this time), a concert and likely a baseball game or practice to round out the week.

We are trying out a few new recipes this week and revisiting a few that we have had before.


Sunday
cereal and toast
sandwiches
Chinese

Monday
cereal
CiCi's pizza buffet
leftovers

Tuesday
Corn Dog Muffins

Wednesday
Grilled Mahi Mahi with pineapple salsa

Thursday
Chicken Mango Curry

Friday
Pizza

Saturday
TBD

Now that the kids are back to school, breakfast will be cereal, oatmeal or toast most mornings and lunch will be a mix of the hot plate lunch at school or a packed lunch from home. My husband and I will stick with our standard routines. I do hope to get back to packing more. I seem to eat better when I pack, plus I am hopeful that it leaves me some time to walk at lunch.

This post shared on Menu Plan Monday.

The Return of the Busy Life

*information for this post was in part supplied by Hormel Foods through their Hormel Extended Family Blogger program. No compensation was received for this post.

It's funny to me how cyclical busyness is in our lives. We either have nothing going on or we have a hundred and two things going on.

As we start to get back into the school routine, we are also getting back into soccer for two kids and baseball for one. That is one less sport than the spring/summer season, but still proves to be very busy. The good news is that by some coincidence, both kids have soccer practice at the same field, on the same day, at times that overlap by 45 minutes...meaning that although they will each get a bit of time to sit before or after their own practice, I get to have a much easier than normal schedule.

Of course, even though their practices are on the same night, we still have to get there pretty quick after I come home from work. This makes dinner a real challenge, but it is important to me that we get the chance to eat together as often as possible. I tend to take two approaches to dinner on these busy nights. Either I select a meal that I can prepare ahead so that I can get it on the table in a quick turn before we head off for soccer or I plan a meal that I can prep while they shower after practice.

One of my quick prep favorites is tacos. By cutting the vegetables and preparing the meat the night before, we can quickly warm the meat and eat before heading out. Another favorite is chicken Caesar salad. When I cook dinner the night before, I prepare a couple of extra chicken breasts, slice them up and have them ready to go, along with romaine lettuce, some shredded Parmesan, some dressing and croutons.

When we have to wait for dinner, it is important to me that the kids get an afternoon snack that I know will help hold them over through practice until dinner. This means that I look for snacks that have both carbs and protein - I have always heard that a sustaining snack has some protein along with carbohydrates to help fuel their energy needs. Some of our go to favorites are string cheese and crackers, or apples and peanut butter, or yogurt and granola.

Another item that the kids enjoy as a snack before we head out the door (or sometimes, as we do) is Hormel Rev Wraps. I like that they have a good amount of protein, but don't seem to be such a big snack as to spoil their dinner. The kids like that there are so many varieties to choose from, although experience says that Pepperoni Pizza is their favorite.

Then, dinner is usually some sort of a dish that requires a little bit of prep time - either on the stove or in the oven - that times up well with them getting their showers.

It can be a challenge, but sitting down as a family for dinner is important and we find ways to work around that.

What is your approach to dinner when your schedule is full?

No compensation was received for this post. All opinions expressed are mine or those of my family. I am completing this post as a participant in the Hormel Foods Extended Family Blogger program. Hormel Foods provided some product and some of the information for this post.

Menu Plan Monday

It is super hard to believe that this week marks the return to school for my kids. It feels like summer just started. They have been acting so dramatic this week about the start of school. My son has decided that they need longer for summer break and when I asked him how long he thought my summer break was, he replied 1 month? I wish. I suppose I could string together my vacation and a holiday and maybe get about a month off, but that would be awful, having no other vacation all year.

This week we are doing a mix of familiar favorites and a few new recipes. I am determined to clean up that stack of clipped recipes on my counter...and then move on to all those 'clipped' recipes on Pinterest. I hope to post the recipes and will link up after I do.

Our garden is booming right now, so there will be a lot of tomatoes served on salads or sliced on the side this week. I love being able to use garden fresh peppers, tomatoes and onions when I make dinner.

Sunday
cereal and toast
Cracker Barrel with the family
Leftovers

Monday
Baked Nuggets with Creamy Dill Dip and Mashed Potato Balls

Tuesday
Siracha Oatmeal-Crusted Tilapia

Wednesday
Turkey Roast

Thursday
Chicken Mango Curry

Friday
Pizza

Saturday
TBD

Now that the kids are back to school, breakfast will be cereal, oatmeal or toast most mornings and lunch will be a mix of the hot plate lunch at school or a packed lunch from home. My husband and I will stick with our standard routines. I do hope to get back to packing more. I seem to eat better when I pack, plus I am hopeful that it leaves me some time to walk at lunch.

This post shared on Menu Plan Monday.