I’m planning menus now….
Well, I decided that it’s time to jump in. I know, you’re wondering…jump in to what? Well for the last few months, I’ve been visiting Laura’s (also known as the Org Junkie) site on Mondays and gazing longingly at all of the menu planning that was going on around the world. She has this thing she calls “Menu Plan Monday” where she writes her menu plan for the week and posts it for the world to see. I’ve always thought that was brave. How many people would I want to know that I served BBQ chicken 3 times in one week? AND not only does she post hers, many other people link to her site and post their menus too! There are over 100 people that do this each week!
Well, I’ve gotten inspired. Not only am I going to post my menu, but I also completely reorganized my recipes, an idea I also got from Laura.
Here are a few photos of my new recipe book. The outside matches my website (I know…I’m nerdy.)
The inside has a Menu Planning Help page that lists the titles of our favorite meals. Each category (i.e. Appetizers, Main Dishes, Desserts, etc.) has it’s own sleeve so I can just slide in the recipes I clip, print or write into that pocket. It’s awesome! (If I do say so myself!)
Here goes my first posted menu plan. I didn’t include veggies and sides. Maybe next time!
Monday: Sweet and Sour Pork Chops (This recipe is from Laura’s site.)
Tuesday: Red Beans and Rice with kielbasa
Wednesday: Bertolli Skillet Meal (Roasted Chicken and Linguine)
Thursday: Chicken Stroganoff (A yummy Weight Watcher’s recipe.
I’ve added the recipe to the bottom of this post.)
Friday: Family Fun night. Who knows!
Saturday: Going to a friend’s 40th birthday party. I don’t have to cook!
Sunday: Lunch - Hot dogs
Dinner - Hubby will grill & we’ll eat out on the deck if it’s nice!
Laura’s really rubbing off on me. Too bad I can’t get addicted to a workout blog…
Here’s the recipe:
Chicken Stroganoff
1 pound frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 can fat free cream of mushroom soup
8 oz. carton fat free sour cream
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
Put frozen chicken in bottom of crockpot. Mix soup, sour cream, onion soup mix and pour over chicken,. Cook on low for 7 hours. Makes 6 servings.
If you need more meal planning ideas, visit Laura. You can click -> HERE to go to her site. Eat well this week!
June 25th, 2007 at 5:54 am
June 25th, 2007 at 7:38 am
Looks good to me! If you look carefully at mine, I think I have 3 veggies in rotation every week, lol. Our BBQ chicken is spaghetti, and before MPM we were having it about 8 times a month. I’m trying to cut it down to 4.
June 25th, 2007 at 8:11 am
welcome!! I love those Bertolli meals–really good but never enough for our family (we feed monsters:)) Great meal plan week!
June 25th, 2007 at 8:15 am
okay you are about as cool as it gets. I LOVE that recipe book you made how cute! so when you going to make us be able to buy it online!? I’m totally doing chicken stroganoff this week, thanks!
June 25th, 2007 at 8:28 am
The recipe book is awsome- you should send a blurb over to Laura @ Org Junkies; she would probably love that idea! Your menu looks yummo too- family fun night sounds awsome! Have a beautiful week
June 25th, 2007 at 8:45 am
Wow! You are really organized, eh? Everything looks very yummy! And I love the stripes on your site.
June 25th, 2007 at 10:23 am
checking in from the inn
Glad you’re joining us… looks like yummer fixings
gp in montana
June 25th, 2007 at 10:24 am
I have SO wanted to join in the menu planning monday, but I know it would never work for me and I’d just feel like a menu planning loser!!
I have a terrible habit of cooking what I am in the mood for instead of what was planned! Also I have to make last minute changes all the time if Hubby works late or we just decide to pick up pizza.
I love your notebook idea–if I ever DO decide to try a bit of discipline in my menu planning, I am totally stealing the notebook idea!!
June 25th, 2007 at 10:56 am
Great notebook — I do a bit of the same thing. Print off the ideas I get and then file them in a 3 ring binder. I have a menu page at the front with the whole month on it and write down entrees on it as I get time, then any recipe that is going to be used that week is moved to the front for that week, then it is either re-filed in the back or thrown away if it was bad. I try to make any notes directly on the recipe if I come up with any shortcuts or comments.
June 25th, 2007 at 10:59 am
Welcome to MPM! I love your site…too cute, and some of my favorite colors too.
I love your notebook of recipes. I too, get a ton of ideas from Laura and am happy to hear that she inspires so many more people than just me. I might steal your notebook idea…ha.
Your WW Chicken Stroganoff sounds good too…any idea on the points value in this? What do you serve it with? Noodles?
Anyway…welcome to MPM and I’m adding you to my links. You have some yummy meals planned.
June 25th, 2007 at 11:10 am
That stroganoff sure sounds good! I like your notebook idea
Thanks for sharing your menu this week.
Barb’s Fridge
June 25th, 2007 at 11:18 am
Welcome to MPM! Great notebook idea! Have a wonderful week.
June 25th, 2007 at 11:28 am
Thanks for all the comments. By the way, the Chicken Stroganoff is 4 points per serving (6 servings) for those of you that count points. I just serve it with veggies and a roll. (I’d rather have the bread than the pasta but it would be great with pasta too!)
I also just realized that I only put 8 oz of sour cream in it, so I’ll make that change on the recipe!
June 25th, 2007 at 11:35 am
Welcome to MMP!
Your menu looks yummy!
June 25th, 2007 at 12:14 pm
Glad to have you join us!
June 25th, 2007 at 1:55 pm
I do a menu and have a book of recipes like yours. Although mine is not cute at all like yours.
That recipe sounds good! I’ll have to try it! I have a post that I wrote yesterday that will post in a day or so about cooking. (I prewrote my posts for a lot of this week and just time stamped them one per day.) I’ll be checking out the blog you linked to do get some ideas because I sure need them. Thanks!
June 25th, 2007 at 6:56 pm
Hello! Thanks for joining in. Your binder is awesome and I love your cover page, I’m nerdy like that too…lol. I’m still working on mine and this reminds me that I’ve got to get it done. Schools out next week and then I’ll have my big kids around to help me
Your menu looks fantastic too.
Oh and I’m not sure if I mentioned this but I really really like your blog design.
Laura (orgjunkie)
June 25th, 2007 at 6:57 pm
Forgot to mention that I had to delete your link on Mr. Linky and re-add it because of it pushing out the links to the side (as you mentioned in your comment). I hope you don’t mind.
Laura
June 26th, 2007 at 9:25 am
Hey Carmen! I tried the pork last night and it was DELISH! We are going to do that chicken stroganoff tonight! I love that the recipes are so easy! Definite must with our busy days.
June 26th, 2007 at 10:01 am
We loved the sauce on the pork too. But our pork chops themselves weren’t very good. They’d been in the freezer for a while. We decided to try the same sauce on chicken. It’s my new favorite sauce!
June 26th, 2007 at 8:22 pm
Great idea to put it on the chicken!
I did your chicken stroganoff tonight. Another big hit with everyone! I may have to join this monday thing! I’m getting great ideas off of it!
June 27th, 2007 at 10:31 pm
Looks great! If you are intereseted in a free menu planning report to help you along, check out http://www.menuplanningcentral.com