Holy Cow everyone, I need some help over here!
Can someone please tell me where in the heck 2012 went? I’ve looked all over, and apparently I’ve been so busy with school, blogging, and other random activities that I seemed to have missed it!
I’m not sure I’m ready for another year to pass, but I do look forward to new and exciting things…so without further ado, here it is.
Slightly teary eyed…
The January *uhem* 2013 Monthly Meal Plan!
Download the January 2013 Monthly Meal Plan:
- January 2013 Monthly Meal Plan PDF
- January 2013 Monthly Meal Plan MS Word (Editable, not edible, but editable!)
I need to work on branching out and adding in some new recipes for the new year, so if you all have any yummy, easy weekday dinner recipes I’d love to have you share them below!
Erica, I know how you feel. A new year means a new number (2013) to remember, new calendar to use, another round of birthdays, and so much more.
Lord, please guide my hands, heart, mouth, and feet on the path you want as this year ends and the new one begins.
Thank you Erica for all you do.
One of our favorite quick meals is cheese quasadillas with a side of salsa and sour cream and rice. You can of course add veggies if you want. Its also fun to set up a bar with stuff you can cook inside them or top them with and let the kids make their own (you cook it of course) and serve chips with cheese dip and salsa!
Another fav on a cold night is Taco soup … super easy, super good, super fast!
1-2lbs of ground beef browned
1-2 packs of taco seasoning
1-2 packs of dry ranch dressing mix
1-2 cans of white shoepeg corn
2-4 cans rotel
1-2 cans of black beans
1 onion chopped (optional)
1 can of green chilis for heat if you like spicy.
mix all together with 1 cup of water and serve with shredded cheese, jalepenos, and sour cream. Use corn chips as the crackers…. SUPER YUMMY!
Just realized you have both those (almost the same) on your menu… OOPS
Sorry!
Thank you for this!
You know how we all kind of only make what we grew up with…
Well my family has switched to a mostly vegan/vegetarian diet,
and the meals I grew up with left no room for improv.
So, I had fallen into a rut of fast food and dining out this year.
This menu gives me a ton of ideas and can be easily made into vegetarian dishes.
Your menu looks like something my family could totally follow. Easy, good food. I make a weekly menu, but have often thought of making a monthly menu. That would really cut down on the time I spend menu planning and grocery shopping each week. My family’s favorite easy meal is tacos. I usually buy ground beef in bulk, brown it right away and freeze it in meal-sized portions. That way I can take it out of the freezer for quick tacos or sloppy joes.
Hi Erica! I have a recipie for chicken sorrento. Super easy. I got it off the Cambells Kitchen website. Basically you brown some cut up chicken breast in a little olive oil. Next you add a jar of spaghetti sauce and some tablespoons of balsamic vinegar or another similar dressing. Let this simmer for about 20 minutes and serve over noodles or rice. You can also add some peppers and onion to the chicken while it simmers.
Thanks for the “editable” calendar. I ALREADY have my menu ready to go! My husband is bit skeptical hoping I will actually follow it! I tried making a schedule that was less detailed and it was TOO LOOSE. I am excited to get started! I have also decided to implement the Card File Cleaning System. Here’s to a much more organized 2013!!
First I want to say that I have just decided to homeshool and your site is an inspiration for me. I am so glad that I found it.
Love the menu. I noticed that you have no soups. In our house, every Monday is soup night, usually with either salad or noodles to go with the soup. A couple of examples are: chicken and vegetable, lentil soup, chili, chicken enchilada. Thanks again!!
I would LOVEthe recioe for chicken enchilada soup!
One of our favorites is Savory Beef Sandwiches. I got this recipe off of Taste of Home. It couldn’t be easier and is so good!
I usually make some roasted sweet potatoes or mac & cheese with a frozen steam veggie for the side.
1 tablespoon dried minced onion
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 boneless beef chuck roast (3-4 lbs), halved
sandwich rolls
Combine seasonings; rub over roast. Place in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 5-7 hours. Shred with a fork and serve on rolls.
You don’t add a bit of liquid! The juice comes from the roast and there’s plenty!
Love it! I have thought many times about doing a monthly menu, and don’t know that my husband would necessarily want every meal mapped out at the beginning of the month ( he sometimes tends to change his mind about what sounds good when I have a strict menu for every day!) but I may start pre-planning the months meal themselves, so atleast I know what I want to make all month long, without assigning them to an actual day, that was there is a little bit of organization there! One meal we really like is my Hot Ham and Cheese bake – It’s just spaghetti noodles, cooked and drained, combined with ham cubes, velveeta (or Pace cheese melt – it’s cheaper! and get the big box – is it two pounds of cheese melt in the full size? I can’t remember….) and two cans or corn (drained). Sprinkle with seasoning salt, cover with aluminum foil, put in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes, and ‘Ta-Da!’ – dinner is done. I like to serve it with breadsticks or garlic bread. God Bless your New Year!
Myself and some of my SAHM’s have compiled a few recipes to share with one another, and it’s on the blog I tagged myself with.
Feel free to check it out, lots of easy week night recipes.
Our family loves this recipe I made up one night. Super easy.
Sausage, Peas and Rice
1 pack Kelbasa or smoked sausage, quartered
1 cup raw rice (we like Uncle Ben’s)
1 16 oz package frozen peas
1 32 oz box beef stock
Put it all in a large pot and cook until almost all the liquid is gone. You have to watch it near the end. Stir and serve. We like it with wheat/dairy free cornbread. (My kids all have food allergies.)
One or our favorites is Zesty Cheese Soup. I never measure amounts of anything, so the measurements are approximate; just adjust according to your family size:
diced potatoes (a few cups)
very finely diced onion
Very finely diced carrots (about 1 cup)
frozen corn, thawed (a cup or 2)
chopped up broccoli (about 2 cups)
1/2 jar Cheez Whiz or Velveeta (or use 1-2 cups cheddar cheese if you don’t want processed cheese)
1/2 cup salsa
bouillon (optional), salt, and pepper
Boil the potatoes, onion, and carrots for 6-8 minutes, until they are just starting to get soft (don’t overcook the potatoes!) Add corn, broccoli, Cheez Whiz, and salsa. Cook a few more minutes until broccoli is done. Season with salt and pepper.
My family loves this Mock Gumbo recipe that is so easy and really yummy!
1 package of Kielbasa..I like to buy the Turkey Kielbasa (sliced into coins)
1 good sized chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
1 large jar of PICANTE Sauce (NOT Salsa!) sometimes I use more than one jar because we like it saucy.
a good handful of frozen peas
1 10oz can of sweet corn, drained well
In a large Dutch oven or skillet…Brown the chicken in a little oil, set aside..Brown the Kielbasa in the same pan. Once Kielbasa is browned nicely..put chicken back in the pan and pour the Picante in. Bring to a boil and then turn down to simmer and add the peas and corn. Simmer until heated through.
Serve over rice. We like it with Saffron rice. yum! My kids like to eat it out of a deep bowl. Its a true one pot meal with your protein, veggies and starch. Fast and delicious! Enjoy
Turkey or Chicken Pot Pie
Ingredients: 1 10 oz (or 16 oz) package frozen mixed vegetables (or frozen carrots & peas), 1/3 C margarine or butter, 1/3 C flour, 1/3 C chopped onion, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. pepper, 1 3/4 C turkey or chicken broth, 2/3 C milk, 2 C cut-up cooked chicken or turkey. Use your favorite pie (two-crust) recipe.
Directions: Heat butter in saucepan over low heat until melted. Stir in flour, onion, salt & pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is bubbly; remove from heat. Stir in broth and milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir one minute. Stir in chicken and vegetables. Pour into pastry-lined pie crust. Cover with top crust. Finish edges and make slits in top crust. Bake in 425 oven for 30-35 minutes. Great recipe to double and then you can freeze one to cook at a later time. Enjoy!
I just made this last night and it was super easy and my family likes it!
I’ve cut the chicken amount in half and it still taste great, you just have more sauce. I am Filipino and grew up with this taste and it’s a favorite in my family now.
Filipino Chickent Adobo, edited the food network recipe, my family has never marinated…
Ingredients
• 4-5 lbs. chicken thighs
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 4 cloves garlic crushed
• 1 tsp. black peppercorns
• 3 bay leaves
Directions
Combine all ingredients in a large pot. Bring to boil, then lower heat. Cover and let simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Simmer and continue to stir, sauce will thicken, and chicken is tender, about 20 more minutes. Serve with steamed rice.