August menu plan

This is a listf recipes we are planning on having for the month of August, along with links to most of them.

1. Portobello BBQ Melt
2. Mushroom Chicken
3. Taco Spaghetti Squash (find our version/preferences here)
4. Peanut Butter Honey Popcorn (church picnic)
5. Beef and Broccoli (crock pot meal)
6. Mexican Chicken
7. Grilled Balsamic Garlic-Crusted Pork Tenderloin
8. Chicken Cordon Bleu
9. Cheesy Beef and Sausage Bake
10. Chicken Divan
11. Hamburger Broccoli Alfredo Casserole
12. Ranch Pork Chops
13. Buffalo Chicken Wings
14. Mushroom Chicken and Sausage Casserole
15. Meatloaf Muffins w/ BBQ Sauce
16. Chicken Pizza Crust (with this for the sauce)
17. Flat Iron Steak and Spinach Salad
18. Zucchini Lasagna
19. French Onion Burgers
20. Mexican Layer Casserole
21. Chicken Burrito Bowls
22. Spinach Lasagna
23. Pork w/ Camembert Sauce
24. Deep Dish Pizza
25. Chicken Salad
26. Pepper Steak
27. Chicken Tikka Masala
28. Bacon Burgers w/ Cheese
29. Simple Time Pork Chops
30. Buffalo Burgers
31. Chicken Quesadillas

So, what are you having for dinner tonight??

menu planning....

I have been printing recipes for more than 4 years now, and have quite a collection. I finally decided to start using them!  I put them all in sheet protectors and into a binder, then organized by breakfast type foods, misc (soup/salad/meatless), pork, chicken, and beef. 

Then I used Microsoft Publisher to print some blank monthly calendars and started filling them in.  I color coded using fine point sharpies and using a different color for each food type, and adding different colored stars for meals that were grilled or made in a crock pot.  Yellow = chicken, light blue = beef, green = pork, red star = grilled, blue star = crock pot, and I use purple to note any special days, like potlucks at church or planned get togethers with friends.  I slid the calendars into a sheet protector and hung it on the fridge.  I use dry erase markers to 'X' out the days and to circle any recipes that don't get made.  For August, I tried color coding just by writing the whole month in pen and coloring each square with different colored markers.  I like the colored sharpies better.

Any recipes that don't get made just get moved to the next empty space in my calendars.

I "cereal"sly like you!

Suplies needed:

small boxes of cereal

plastic spoons

 I wrote them names of each of my daughter's classmates on the pens.

 Then attach a note that says I "cereal"sly like you!  Love, _____

and attach the spoon with some tape.

hot cocoa with GIANT marshmallows!

A yummy hot cocoa treat on cold wintery day!

The marshmallow is almost bigger than the mug!

This little girl thinks it's yummy!



This little boy loves it too!

Trying to eat the marshmallow! :D 

Weekly Menu Board

I saw this on Pinterest a while back and just knew I had to make it!  So simple and SO cute!

I found the pictuer frame at Michael's and bought it without a coupon (I know, crazy!) and it was only $8!

I bought a ocuple of 12x12 sheets of paper (although I probably already had something that would have worked) and added letters that I already had, and in no time had a weekly menu board!

I had Saturday and Sunday share a day since we quite often eat leftovers or end up eating somewhere other than home.

The arrows you see are our votes of good or bad meal. :)

Just use a dry erase marker and it wipes off with anything - no water or spray needed!

happy new year!

For dinner tonight we enjoyed one last meal of complete unhealthiness
.....if you ignore the glass of milk. ;)

(the kids drank hot cocoa with their waffles!)

the 12th day of Christmas

For the 12th day of Christmas,

12 pens you'll find right here.

I wish you a Merry Christmas,

And a Happy New Year!

the 11th day of Christmas

For the 11th day of Christmas,

Some lotion I hope you need.

Zion Lutheran is so lucky

To have you, indeed!

the 10th day of Christmas

For the 10th day of Christmas,
$10 for Subway (or Bath & Body Works!) I bring to you.
You surprise me every day
With all the fun stuff we do!

the 9th day of Christmas

For the 9th day of Christmas,
Some candy for a snack.
Sorry, that's all the food
I could fit in my backpack!

the 8th day of Christmas

For the 8th day of Christmas,
here are 8 paperclips multiplied by 10.
Hope you're enjoying this,
'Cause tomorrow I'll do it again!

homemade soap "crayons"

Grate a bar of soap.

One bar makes about 3 cups of grated soap.

Add about 3 tablespoons of water to grated soap and mix together.  Add a few drops of food coloring and mix some more.  This part was fun - it's like soapy play doh!  :)

I used a small cookie scoop to scoop the soap into a silicone ice cube tray to make Christmas Trees.  (I used the red to make circles using a silicone muffin pan.)

Place in freezer for a few hours or overnight!

Makes great party favors or stocking stuffers!

homemade laundry soap

To make homemade laundry soap, you need 1/3 of a bar of Fels Naptha soap or 1 whole bar of Ivory soap, grated.  I have used both, depending on what I had on hand.  You also need 1/2 cup Arm & Hammer washing soda (NOT baking soda), and 1/2 cup Borax.  I found all my ingredients at Woodman's.  You also need a container to hold your soap in.  This recipe makes about a gallon.  I keep mine in a 5 quart ice cream bucket.  It's best to keep it in a fairly open container as this recipe turns into a pretty solid gel and you will need to be able to scoop it.

I use a cheese grater to grate my soap.  It's amazing to me how soft soap really is! 

It grates very quickly and easily!

 

Grate your soap - 1 full bar of Ivory soap or 1/3 bar of Fels Naptha.

Put the grated soap into a pot.  Add 6 cups of water and heat until soap is melted.

Add the 1/2 c of washing soda and 1/2 c of borax.  Stir until it is dissolved.  Remove from heat.

Pour 4 cups of water into a bucket.  Add the soap mixture and stir. 

Add another 6 cups of water and stir again.

Your laundry soap will look like a very runny gel.

 

Let this sit about 24 hours, stirring every so often.  It will end up being a very thick gel, almost solid.

Use 1/4 cup of soap per load of laundry.

I've read that you can add 1/2 to 1 ounce of essential oils to your soap if you want it to have a scent.  I haven't tried it yet.  I love how clean and fresh it smells as it is.

I love this recipe of laundry soap!  I didn't have time to make more last time I ran out and had to buy a bottle of Tide.  I can't tell a difference in the cleanliness of our clothes.  This recipe cost less than $1 per batch to make!!!

the 7th day of Christmas

For the 7th day of Christmas,

I've brought you chewing gum.

It feels like Christmas break

Is never going to come!

the 6th day of Christmas!

For the 6th day of Christmas,

6 canes of red and white.

Guess who my favorite teacher is.....

If you guessed you, you're right!

the 5th day of Christmas

For the 5th day of Christmas,

I give 5 binder clips.

I'm sure it could be tempting

To use them on some lips!