Menu Monday

This week I decided to post my menu plan on the blog. It might make the whole process a bit more fun for me and give you a few ideas. I totally reserve the right to switch up the days or even omit one all together! ;) All of these recipes are off my pinterest board entitled, "Recipes to Try" so they are all new to us. Let me know if you decide to try any of these recipes too and I will share which ones will make a repeat appearance at our house!

Monday: leftovers for the fellas, Mommy has a women's ministry meeting at Cafe Express
Tuesday: BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches with Coleslaw or maybe broccoli slaw. I may use any left over BBQ chicken to make these wraps for Jeff and I's lunch the next day
Wednesday: Lasagna Rolls Ups and salad
Thursday: Home made Pizza Rolls and warm cinnamon apples
Friday: Mommy to girl's night out at church. I'm sure the boys will talk their daddy into taking them to McDonald's.
Saturday: Parmesan Crusted Tilapia (I get this from the freezer section at Sam's). I will likely pair it with some frozen veggies for a quick and easy dinner
Sunday: Cub Scout's Awards Banquet

This Just Pinned: Recipe Edition

I will be the first to admit that cooking has been a challenge for me and menu planning, well it caused many a "discussion" with the hubby in our first year of marriage. He just didn't get why it was so hard. His theory is throw stuff that looks good in the grocery basket and then make something out of it when you get home. In his defense, this really does work for him. He is one of those chefs that can throw things together. I on the other hand, need a recipe. Our budget appreciates a more systematic approach as well. I still don't really have a great system, but I'm getting there. Pinterest has been helpful in giving me recipe ideas and a place to keep track of them for easy access. I even started adding comments about the recipes I pin after I try them to help me remember if we liked them and what changes/substitutions I made.  I made these chicken tostadas last week and they were really tasty. My kids LOVE tacos, but always get frustrated trying to eat them because the stuffing falls out. I thought the flat tostadas might help and these are baked so they are healthier. We are also trying to eat mostly lean, white meat. I actually did kind of a taco party concept and everyone built their own. It makes it a bit more fun and saves me from jumping up to get the boys another serving. We are loving our giant lazy susan in the middle of our kitchen table too!

 It was yummy! I used pre-made guacamole from HEB and Mission brand baked tostadas, but I made the pico and the lime creme myself. I put it back in the sour cream container, but it is really more than just sour cream. The lime gives it a tangy flavor. I served it with Ranchero beans as recommended, but I think I would prefer black or just regular pinto beans. However, the boys liked the Ranchero. Jonathan even chose to put them on top of his tostada instead of just on the side. I used my George Foreman grill to cook the chicken and the marinade was super easy too. You could even freeze chicken in the marinade and then just defrost and pop on the grill as needed.  This will definitely be a repeat at our house!

The next recipe also utilized chicken and the George Foreman Grill and was inspired by the most amazing lettuce wraps I had at The Cheesecake Factory. I did a google search and found out Martha Stewart had posted the recipe on her website! Thank you Martha! You saved me $8 and satisfied my craving! Too bad I didn't have some yummy cheesecake to go with it though. But, this recipe is only 350 calories for three lettuce wraps. It is healthy and really satisfying! The little boys weren't as impressed, mainly because they were hard to eat without falling apart.

I could have kicked myself for forgetting the Feta cheese! Don't worry though, Jeff and I had the leftovers the next day and the feta was a nice addition to our lunch lettuce wraps. I made some modifications like marinating instead of basting the chicken and using bottled dressing instead of homemade. I did make my own tzatziki sauce though. I don't know what kind of lettuce I used, but it wasn't the butter lettuce because it was too expensive for my taste. They may have stayed together better if I had used it. 

I also bombed a bit when I tried to spruce up Angel's lunch with a new recipe I found here. I thought he would love it, but I was wrong. He doesn't like sandwiches and really prefers just meat and cheese with no bread. But I thought the crescent roll would be different. I was wrong. Oh well. Back to the drawing board. This week we are trying a couple of other recipes I have pinned, so look forward to more reviews soon.

This Just Pinned

I'm excited to do my first "new format" post! I am not what you would call a trendy girl, in fact I'm quite the opposite. However, there are two trends I have gotten into lately, Facebook and Pinterest. Both are time suckers, so I have to be intentional about how I use them. Pinterest has been really convenient in helping me keep track of interesting things for later use. I use it mostly for tagging recipes, craft tutorials, and activities to do with the boys. I have tried not to get overwhelmed by all the ideas and take them one at a time. It is easy to get overwhelmed and even feel insecure about my abilities as a wife and mother when I see the things others are doing. I know that sounds pathetic, but I'm just keeping it real!

Anyway, I have two ideas, or "pins" to share with you. One is a recipe and one is a craft/decor item. I made this recipe tonight and it was not only a crowd pleaser, but I also snuck veggies in! 2 points for me! I love Broccoli Cheese soup and it just seemed like such a great pre-Thanksgiving meal. I only wish the weather would cooperate and get cooler! We had a party over the weekend and I had left over crudités I wanted to use. This recipe called for broccoli and carrots. I had to google what julienne carrots are. I'm clearly no pro in the kitchen! If I can do this, so can you! It might be easier to use "match stick" carrots if you don't already have baby carrots on hand you need to use. It would save you the chopping, which is always my least favorite part of cooking. I made another minor adjustment to the recipe as it called to puree the soup in its entirety. That much soup wouldn't fit in my blender, so I pureed about half of it and left the rest. I like the actual veggies peeking through too. Anyway, I highly recommend this recipe and my kiddos and hubby gave it 6 thumbs up as well!

Onto the crafts...I am way into crafting. I like to think I get it from my mom, but I am nowhere near as good at it as her. But, I do love doing it and use it as a stress reliever! I have a ton of crafting ideas "pinned" on Pinterest and who knows if I will even get close to making them all. However, I have found sometimes I find 2 or 3 similar "pins" that I end up combining for my own take. In honor of Thanksgiving, I present you with, The Thankful Tree! This was such a fun project and so simple too! I combined it with this idea (another pin) of putting mini pumpkins in a vase with sticks. 

I actually loved the idea so much I shared it with my Sunday School class' women's coordinator, Melanie. We decided to do a women's event and all make the trees for our families to add things they are thankful for. It was a lot of fun and it was so neat to see how each of us took the same materials and made totally unique trees. I cut out the tags on my Cricut so it was super simple. A couple of the ladies found the sticks and I bought the vases for $3 at Garden Ridge. It was a super cheap and very meaningful project with a beautiful end result! Here is a picture of all the ladies with their "trees." Beautiful ladies, with beautiful hearts, and thankfulness overflowing from them! My sweet friend Jackie made the tags tied around the vases. The verse she selected was so appropriate and profound! 

Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. Hebrews 13:15 Happy Thanksgiving to you! Enjoy your family and the richness of God's blessings on your life! I know I will! Oh, and happy pining!