I’m posting my menu plan a little bit early this week because I’ve got bunches of posts to get up in the next few days.  Sorry that I’ve been bombarding you all weekend! 

So many of you are wanting to know more about some of the things we’ve tried to help our son’s severe eczema and I don’t want to leave you hanging because that’s just not nice.   

So, be watching for more of Our Healthy Eating Journey posts very soon…and in the meantime…here’s what we’ll be eating this week:

Sunday, March 14
Oatmeal, pears
Leg o Lamb, potatoes, carrots, gravy
Alphabet soup , honey whole wheat bread and butter

Monday, March 15
Simple soaked pancakes, blueberries
Pizza Casserole, tossed salad
Meat and cheese Burritos, pineapple-orange slushies

Tuesday, March 16
Scrambled egg sandwiches, oranges
Skillet meatballs with BBQ sauce, ranch potato wedges, carrot sticks
Oven baked chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, peas

Wednesday, March 17 (Join us for the little Green Project!)
Green smoothies, toast
Black Bean Taco Salad, apples
Spicy avodado dip, corn chips, fruit and kefir smoothies

Thursday, March 18
Mini apple pies, sliced cheese
Cheeseburger macaroni, steamed carrots
BBQ deer tenderloin, rice and veggie stir fry

Friday, March 19
Breakfast burritos, clementines
Grilled cheese, tomato soup, carrot sticks
Homemade pizza, fruit

Saturday, March 20
Whole wheat sourdough biscuits, turkey sausage gravy
Leftover buffet
Beefy vegetable soup, banana muffins

Take note:  In the recipe drop down menu across the top of my site, you’ll notice that I added a GLUTEN FREE page for your convenience!

If you haven’t already, please be sure to sign up for the Prayers of an Excellent Wife book giveaway brought to you by FBS Books!  Giveaway will be closed Monday night.

AND, make plans to join us for the little Green Project on Wednesday!  Share anything that you’re doing that is green (eating greens, saving green, going green…anything green!)!  Read more about the little Green Project here!

Find more menu planning inspiration at Organizing Junkie.

You all know that food makes me excited.  Can I tell you about my latest little fun food thing?  I found these cute mini chocolate chips at Amazon.  They don’t have any soy lecithin in them (my reason for looking).  They’re so stinkin’ cute and fun to bake with.  Yep, doesn’t take much to entertain us all around here.  (And yes, I often do make my own chocolate chips, but sometimes a girl just needs a little chocolate chip convenience.)

I’ve also got to tell you about how we tried Valerie’s Bacon Cheddar Meatloaves  last week!  We’d been excited all week long because, hello?  Bacon, cheddar cheese and beef all together in one dish?  How would that not be good?

So Saturday night came and I had the meatloaves in the oven baking…went to the fridge to get out the bacon to wrap around the loaves for the last phase of baking…and DIDN’T HAVE ANY BACON.  I knew I had some bacon in there.  Except that I didn’t.   And I was WAY too scary looking to run to the store (which thankfully I remembered before I went). 

So we had Cheddar Meatloaves , which were still amazingly wonderful, by the way.

Here’s our menu for the week, and here’s hoping I have all the ingredients this time:

Sunday, March 7
Oatmeal, pears
Fund raising meal for youth mission trip
Creamy mac and cheese, steamed broccoli and carrots

Monday, March 8
Chocolate chip pancakes, bananas
Homemade corn dogs , apple slices
Roasted chicken, potatoes, carrots, gravy

Tuesday, March 9
Mini breakfast pizza, oranges
Grilled turkey and cheese sandwiches, strawberry peach slushie
Sloppy cornbread, tossed salad

Wednesday, March 10
Orange muffins, fruit and kefir smoothies
Cheddar ranch burgers, green beans
Chicken and noodles, carrot sticks, fruit salad

Thursday, March 11
Fried eggs, cinnamon swirl bread, clementines
Turkey sausage, mashed potato pancakes, peas
Italian stew with green beans

Friday, March 12
Peanut butter honey toast, canned peaches
Taco potatoes
Lamb-burgers on whole wheat hamburger buns, onion rings

Saturday, March 13
Mom is Great breakfast Cake
Leftover buffet
BBQ meatballs, baked potatoes, asparagus
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Find more menu planning inspiration at Organizing Junkie.

Not to bore you with talk of the weather, but did you KNOW that it might actually get up to the 40s at my house this week?!  For several days in a row?  You should’ve heard my husband when he was checking the weather last night.  I thought maybe he’d just found out we’d won a million dollars or something.  Nope, just reading about great weather this upcoming week.  Skip the million dollars…bring on the sun!

Here’s our menu this week during our heat wave:

Sunday, February 28
Oatmeal, pears
Simple soaked pancakes, scrambled eggs
Bean dip with chips, cheese and salsa, clementines

Monday, March 1
Whole wheat waffles with strawberries and cream
Rice and veggie stir fry, strawberry peach slushies
Chicken fried steak strips, mashed potatoes and gravy, peas

Tuesday, March 2
Breakfast burritos, oranges
Fish and chips, carrot sticks
Spaghetti, steamed broccoli and cauliflower

Wednesday, March 3
Mini apple pies, turkey sausage
Tuna salad on toast, fresh pineapple, chocolate milkshakes
Taco potatoes, fruit salad

Thursday, March 4
Banana muffins, apples with strawberry yogurt fruit dip
Potato soup, carrot sticks
Cheesy beef and rice, asparagus

Friday, March 5
Giant breakfast cookies, bananas
Salmon patties, ranch potato wedges, peas
Homemade pizza, tossed salad

Saturday, March 6
Whole wheat donuts with chocolate frosting
Leftover buffet
Valerie’s Turkey bacon cheddar meatloaves (I can’t wait to try these!), baked potatoes, green beans

Snacks for the week:

• Popcorn
• Warm Vanilla Soother
• Smoothies
• Whole Wheat Graham Crackers

Thank you all for your input last week about which mixer you recommend.  I wanted to point out that Paula’s Bread is a great resource for mixers, grain mills and other awesome kitchen gadgets!

Also, check it out!  I FINALLY got around to making a Heavenly Homemakers button and putting it on my side bar for you to grab and put on your own site if you want!  Finally!  A big thanks to those who emailed me about it so that I would be motivated to finally get a round tuit!
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Find more menu planning inspiration at Organizing Junkie.

Hey, I KEEP forgetting to tell you about a guest post I wrote about a week ago over at Organizing Junkie!  If you click here, you’ll be rewarded with a new High Five Recipe, as well as the opportunity to see my very scary unorganized closet.  Focus on the recipe, people.

Have you told me how young you are yet?  If not, go do that here!  It’s been super fun to learn all of your ages this weekend!

On Monday, I’ll be drawing a random winner for the Have Your Cookie and Eat it Too ebook giveaway!  Go sign up now for a chance to win!

Here’s our menu this week:

Sunday, February 21
Oatmeal, pears
Roast with gravy over mashed potatoes, honey glazed carrots
Leftovers

Monday, February 22
Simple soaked pancakes, blueberries
Creamy mac and cheese, peas
Chicken quesadillas, fruit-yogurt smoothies

Tuesday, February 23
Scrambled egg sandwiches, oranges
Popcorn chicken, ranch potato wedges, strawberry peach slushies
Lamb chops, rice and veggie stir fry

Wednesday, February 24
Chocolate chocolate chip muffins, apple slices
Sloppy joes on whole wheat hamburger buns, steamed broccoli, clementines
Easy chicken alfredo, tossed salad

Thursday, February 25
French toast, canned peaches
Spicy avocado dip with chips, strawberry milkshake, carrot sticks
Beefy vegetable soup, cornbread muffins

Friday, February 26
Peanut butter honey toast, strawberry yogurt fruit dip with apple slices
Homemade pizza pockets, fresh pineapple
Teriyaki chicken wings, baked potatoes, green beans

Saturday, February 27
Funnel cake, bananas
Shepherds pie, fruit salad
Tacos

Snacks this week:

• Mudballs
• Whole Wheat Vanilla Wafers
• Apples
• Soft Pretzels

Hey, I have a question for you!  Several have asked me which mixer I recommend..a Bosch or a Kitchen Aid?  I don’t have a mixer so I’m throwing the question out at all of you!!  What do you have and recommend…Bosch or Kitchen Aid mixer?  Other?
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Visit Organizing Junkie for more menu planning inspiration!

**Be sure to take note of the giveaway at the end of the post!!**

We are having a very heart filled day.  I wonder how old my boys will have to be before they start thinking heart shaped food is silly?  My 12 year old still likes it (or at least acts like he does), so I think we have a few years left before heart shaped food on Valentine’s day becomes extinct at our house. 

I made Matt (and everyone else) a special breakfast of Peach Cobbler this morning.  I figure…it’s fruit and I make it with sucanat and whole wheat.  It’s definitely healthy enough for breakfast.  

I loved seeing Matt’s face when he came down to breakfast! 
(The boys were in on it ahead of time and kept it a secret from Daddy!)

Here’s what we’re snacking on this afternoon… 

Heart Shaped Homemade Chocolate Graham Crackers

There are still a quite a few truffles left, but someone has been attacking the caramel ones at quite an amazing pace.  I have no idea who.  {ehem}

Here’s our menu this week:

Sunday, February 14
Peach cobbler with milk
Heart shaped grilled cheese, tomato soup 
Heart shaped pancakes, scrambled eggs, turkey bacon

Monday, February 15 (Justus’ birthday choices)
Southside Grille with Daddy for breakfast
Hamburgers on homemade buns and fries
Cheesy turkey stromboli, tossed salad

Tuesday, February 16
Simple sourdough biscuits with butter and honey, bananas
Corn dog muffins, strawberry-peach slushies
Chicken tostadas, fruit-yogurt smoothies

Wednesday, February 17
Warm chocolate soother, homemade oat cereal
Salmon patties, ranch potato wedges, green beans
Three cheese garlic chicken pasta, tossed salad

Thursday, February 18
Mini breakfast pizzas, oranges
Taco potatoes, pears
Beefy enchilada bake, tossed salad

Friday, February 19
Cheesy eggs, fresh pineapple
Beef and cheese burritos, apples
Cheddar ranch burgers on homemade buns, onion rings, carrot sticks

Saturday, February 20
Mom is great breakfast cake
Leftover buffet
Lamb chops, baked potatoes, steamed broccoli and cauliflower

And now for the giveaway! 

My Peach Cobbler recipe (which was devoured in about 15 minutes this morning) is included in my Have Your Cookie…and Eat it Too! ebook.  This ebook is filled with all kinds of healthy treat recipes that include only whole wheat flour and natural sugars such as honey, maple syrup or rapadura/sucanat (dehydrated cane sugar juice).  My family loves these healthy treats!

If you’d like to win a free copy of the Have Your Cookie…and Eat it Too! recipe ebook, say something nice in the comments section at the end of this post!  I’ll pick a random winner in a few days!

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Visit Organizing Junkie for more menu planning inspiration!

After my cooking and baking marathon last weekend…this weekend seemed so…easy.  The only extra food items I made this weekend were a Banana Cake and several loaves of  Applesauce Bread (made with shredded apples instead of applesauce).  The great thing about having black bananas and grainy apples is that you can still eat them!!  I wish all food that “went bad” had a good recipe to go with it!

Several more inches of snow fell, so we finally made some Snow Ice Cream!!  That stuff is so good!  (Even if you do sit there with stiff, blue lips while you eat it.  It is so worth it!)

Here’s our menu this week:

Sunday, February 7
Oatmeal, applesauce
Chicken fried steak strips (recipe coming this week), mashed potatoes, gravy, peas
Super Bowl Party – German chocolate cake, cream cheese salsa dip

Monday, February 8
Whole wheat waffles with blueberry topping
Grilled cheese sandwiches, tomato soup, strawberry-peach slushies
BBQ meatballs, baked potatoes, green beans

Tuesday, February 9
Warm vanilla soother, homemade oat crunch cereal
Tuna salad, crispy cheese crackers, strawberry yogurt fruit dip with apples
Italian roast wraps, fruit salad

Wednesday, February 10
Applesauce bread, pears
Pizza casserole, tossed salad
Chicken noodle soup, carrot sticks, homemade rolls

Thursday, February 11
Scrambled eggs, cinnamon toast, oranges
Chicken veggie quesadillas, fruit-kefir smoothies
Swiss steak over rice, green beans

Friday, February 12
Peanut butter honey toast, bananas
Beef and cheese burritoes, canned peaches
Lasagna, tossed salad, corn

Saturday, Febrary 13
Cheese omelets, fruit platter
Leftover buffet
Chicken and biscuits, tossed salad

Snacks on hand this week:
Apples, graham crackers, Katie’s homemade wheat thins, milkshakes

Upcoming posts this week:

• Becoming a Better Help Meet
• Gratituesday (make plans to join us!)
• High Five Recipes:  Chicken Fried Steak Strips
• Random-ness
• Whatever else I have time for…  (sounds like a great post, doesn’t it?)

If you haven’t signed up to win $100 visa gift card from V8 V-Fusion, you have just a few more days!!  AND, be sure to sign up to win a free Mp3 download from Christian Meditators here!!
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Visit Organizing Junkie for more menu planning inspiration!

As I’ve been cooking and baking my way through the weekend, trying to get ahead…if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this:  My Freezers Are REALLY Full!

I AM NOT COMPLAINING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   This is one of the most blessed problems to have!!!   Freezers…PLURAL…are full.  I am so thankful. 

But here is my “problem”.  One of my freezers is full of frozen fruits and veggies that I put up during the summer and fall.  Remember all those strawberries we got?  Many of them are still in the freezer.  I put them in there so we could eat them the whole year through.  Um, hello Laura?  That would be now.

But the problem with having frozen strawberries in the winter is that frozen strawberries are…cold.  Go figure.

It’s time to let go of the cold factor and the fact that I tend to like to keep food stocked away for “when we need it”.  Come on Laura…get out the frozen strawberries and EAT THEM.  That’s what they’re for!!!

So…working to get over it (and because I really needed freezer space for all my other goodies), all weekend we were munching on partially frozen strawberries.  YUM!  The trick?  Just do a few jumping jacks in between bites…then go wash dishes in hot water.  You’ll warm up eventually.

Beyond just eating them out of the bags, I’m going to be very focused on making lots of slushies and smoothies.  This is the point of winter that we always feel lacking in fresh fruits and vegetables.  Bring on the smoothies.

AND…of course I’ll add the Antioxidant Omega 3 Greens from Tropical Traditions to give us even more nutrition.  Want to win some?

Here’s our menu for the week:

Sunday, January 31
Oatmeal, pears
Cheesy beef and rice, green beans
Nachos, mixed fruit slushies

Monday, February 1
Simple soaked pancakes, blueberries
Potato soup, carrot sticks, yogurt-fruit smoothies
Baked fish, stir fried rice and veggies

Tuesday, February 2
Whole wheat and honey zucchini bread, applesauce
Creamy mac and cheese, peas
Venison stew, corn bread muffins

Wednesday, February 3
Cinnamon swirl bread, canned peaches
Chili with cheese, carrot sticks, apples
Bean and rice bowls, kefir fruit smoothies

Thursday, February 4
Scrambled eggs, turkey bacon, oranges
Melting snowflakes, apples, bananas
Sloppy cornbread, tossed salad, strawberry-peach slushies

Friday, February 5
Giant breakfast cookies, applesauce
Meat and cheese burritos, fresh pineapple
Homemade pizza, fruit salad

Saturday, February 6
Warm chocolate soother, homemade crunchy oat cereal
Leftover buffet
Lamb chops, baked potatoes, steamed broccoli and cauliflower

Stay tuned for pictures and details about how our weekend went with the cooking and baking marathon!

Also…What would you make with lots of frozen strawberries and peaches?!  Have any fun new recipes I should try?
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More menu planning inspiration at Organizing Junkie.

I often receive emails asking what my kids eat for snacks.  To help answer that question and to give you more healthy snack ideas for your family, I’ll try to include a few snack ideas each week on my menu plan.

This week, we happen to have bunches of organic apples on hand (from Azure Standard, my health food co-op).  We’ll probably be having apples with a side of apples for many of our snacks.  And, as a treat for the boys some afternoon, I will probably make Caramel Apple Dip to go with them.

Also, it’s been a few weeks since I made Whole Wheat Vanilla Wafers.  Maybe I’d better double this recipe though? 

If we get a hankering to “drink a brownie” I’ll make us all a mug of Warm Chocolate Soother.  We are very likely to have a hankering to “drink a brownie”.  Although we usually don’t use the word hankering. 

Beyond those ideas, we have a lot of raisins, clementines and apples.  Lots and lots of apples.  I LOVE having apples available for snacks when I can get my hands on them.

Here’s our menu for this week:

Sunday, January 24
Oatmeal, bananas
Venison roast, potatoes, carrots, gravy, cornbread muffins
Out to Southside Grille with our small group

Monday, January 25
Whole wheat waffles, blueberries
Chicken-vegetable soup, crispy cheese crackers
Chicken fried steak strips, mashed potatoes,gravy, steamed broccoli and cauliflower

Tuesday, January 26
Homemade crunchy oat cereal with dried raisins and cranberries (recipe found in Think Breakfast…Outside the Box ebook)
Beef and cheese burritoes, fresh pineapple
Garlic shrimp pasta, green beans

Wednesday, January 27
Simple sourdough biscuits with butter and honey, applesauce
Tuna casserole, peas
Chicken enchiladas, tossed salad

Thursday, January 28
Banana bread, pears
Popcorn chicken, fruit-kefir smoothies
Spaghetti, tossed salad, corn

Friday, January 29
Scrambled eggs, turkey bacon (that I bought with a KYOOPON), oranges
Homemade pizza pockets, peaches
Spinach pasta alfredo, fruit salad

Saturday, January 30
Whole wheat and honey zucchini bread
Leftover buffet
Cheddar ranch burgers, potato wedges, carrot sticks

A little housekeeping:

• Hopefully many of you have figured out that I’d gone missing and you came back and resubscribed to my site.  If not…welcome back and please subscribe again!
• If you haven’t signed up yet to win a $100 Visa Gift Card from V8, be sure to go do that here!
• Thanks to everyone who linked up and/or left a comment on this Help for Haiti:  the Giving Challenge post, my husband and I will be donating another $60 to help Haitian victims.  You all are awesome!  Thank you so much for participating in this challenge!
• As always, be thinking about what you’re thankful for so that you can join us for Gratituesday.
• AND please, please join us on Thursday while we all celebrate and share about how we became a Christian.  ALL Christians have a story.  Come share yours!!  If you aren’t a Christian, please join us and share where you are on your journey and be encouraged by our stories!

This post is linked to Organizing Junkie.

Welcome to a new week.  I have a few things to say to get us started off:

1. Thank you SO MUCH for linking up and commenting on this post to help raise money for the hurting Haitians.  If you haven’t already left a comment or left a link, PLEASE do!  I’ll still donate in honor of your links and comments. 
2. If you haven’t re-subscribed to my blog, please be sure to do that now!  Remember my week of insanity and how I lost all my subscribers?  I need you back.  I miss you!!
3. Speaking of the week of insanity…I never did post the first installment in my Becoming a Better Help Meet series.  I was too busy trying to be a good help meet in the midst of freaking out in front of the computer.  It wasn’t pretty.  First post coming up tonight.

Sunday, January 17
Oatmeal, canned peaches
Beef stew, cornbread muffins
Bean dip with chips, pears

Monday, January 18 (Elias’ 8th Birthday meal choices)
Cream cheese breakfast pastries (From Nourishing Traditions cookbook)
Southside Grille with Daddy
Hamburgers and homemade fries

Tuesday, January 19
Fried eggs on toast, applesauce
Corndog muffins, apples
Chicken and noodles, tossed salad

Wednesday, January 20
Simple soaked pancakes, blueberries
Melting snowflakes, clementines
Taco potatoes

Thursday, January 21
Warm vanilla soother, peanut butter honey toast
Salmon patties, ranch potato wedges, steamed broccoli and cauliflower
Cheesy beef and rice, green beans

Friday, January 22
Mini breakfast pizzas, oranges
Chili with cheese, carrot sticks
Fish and chips, peas

Saturday, January 23
Mom is Great Breakfast Cake
Leftover buffet
BBQ chicken (made with this simple BBQ sauce), baked potatoes, tossed salad

With the tragedy in Haiti last week, I am overwhelmed with all we have to be thankful for.  I hope that is your focus right now also.  God is so good and we are well taken care of.  Please make plans to share what you’re thankful for this week during Gratituesday!
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Find more menu planning inspiration at Organizing Junkie.

Sounds like the weather just about (but not quite) everywhere is a little crazy.  Hope everyone is staying warm (or cool as the case may be where you are). 

We’ve had the privilege of feeding the York College track team twice this weekend.  Many of the sports teams were back on campus early for training, and the cafeteria hasn’t been open.  Various families from church have been helping out.   I love treating college students to home cooked meals.  The students don’t seem to mind either. 

Here’s our menu for this week:

Sunday, January 10
Oatmeal, peaches
Feeding YC track team – Sloppy joes, sweet baked beans, potato salad, relish tray with ranch dip, orange slices, Donna’s cookie bars (because I needed an excuse to make these again!)
Leftovers from lunch

Monday, January 11
Scrambled egg sandwiches, clementines
Tuna melts, fruit-kefir smoothies
Chicken and rice, carrots

Tuesday, January 12
Homemade whole wheat bagels, bananas
Alphabet soup, homemade soft pretzels
BBQ meatballs, baked potatoes, green beans

Wednesday, January 13
French toast, turkey bacon
Spicy avocado dip and chips, applesauce
Three cheese garlic chicken pasta, steamed broccoli

Thursday, January 14
Warm vanilla soother
Grilled cheese, tomato soup, carrot sticks
Stroganoff, asparagus

Friday, January 15
Banana bread
Chili on baked potatoes with cheese, pears
Homemade pizza

Saturday, January 16
Whole wheat donuts
Leftover buffet
Creamy mac and cheese, peas

If you haven’t already, I’d love to have you share where you are in your healthy eating journey.  Check out this post and join the journey!

Also, I’d like all of you to know that when you leave a comment or email me asking me to please share a certain recipe that you see on my menu plan…I DO take your inquiry to heart and file it away in my “to be posted eventually” file.  I’m not ignoring your request…just trying to get a round tuit. 

Lots of fun coming up this week in the new Healthy Eating Journey and Becoming a Better Help Meet series.  (Is plural for series, series?  Serieses?  Naw, series.  Okay, just thinking out loud.)  I’ve got a new High Five Recipe to share too! 

Most importantly, be thinking of what you’re grateful for so you can join in on Gratituesday!!!
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Find more menu planning inspiration at Organizing Junkie.