Today is my son's 15th birthday! It's so hard to believe that I have a 15-year-old. :) Both sets of grandparents came to visit to celebrate his special day. I'm going to keep it short this week as we are getting ready to have birthday dessert - chocolate chip cookies! Yes, my son wanted cookies instead of a birthday cake. This week will be busy with track meets and computer workshops, but we do get Friday off of school for Good Friday. Here's our menu. For more menu ideas, go to orgjunkie.com. Have a great week!

Sunday - Ultimate BBQ Chicken, Green Beans, Strawberries (Corey's birthday request)
Monday - Chili, Peanut Butter Sandwiches, Applesauce
Tuesday - Chili Dogs, Salad, Peaches
Wednesday - Filets, Grilled Asparagus, Salad
Thursday - Grilled Chicken Salad, Oranges
Friday - Chili Ranch Grilled Pork, Cheddar Potato Strips, Green Beans
Saturday - Eat at Mom's for pre-Easter dinner

We finished our spring break this weekend with, of all things, an ice storm! Some towns north and west of us got anywhere from 7 to 14 inches of snow, but we just got ice and sleet. Luckily it has warmed up just enough this evening that the ice has melted, but it sure wasn't as nice as the 70 degree day we had on Friday.

We spent the first part of our spring break week visiting colleges that Corey is interested in attending. It was fun to see the different campuses and see what they have to offer. Luckily he has three years to make his final choice because he liked all of them. On another note, I completed my longest run yet - 4.5 miles! I was pretty proud of myself considering that a couple of months ago I couldn't run for 60 seconds. :)

This week it's back to the regular school/work schedule. Corey has track, I have computer workshops, and Eric has work meetings so our evenings will be full. As usual, I did the week's cooking today so that meals will be ready to heat up when we arrive home each evening. I do have one new recipe on tap this week - a shells and cheese dish where you don't have to boil the noodles ahead of time. We'll see how it turns out. :) Here's this week's menu. For more menu ideas, go to orgjunkie.com. Have a great week!

Sunday - Onion Beef Muffin Cups, Peaches, Salad
Monday - Cheese Stuffed Shells, Broccoli, Salad
Tuesday - Chicken Fajitas, Corn, Fruit
Wednesday - Bacon Cheeseburger Pie, Salad
Thursday - Eat at Book Club; leftovers for the boys
Friday - Leftovers
Saturday - Ultimate BBQ Chicken, Green Beans, Salad, Strawberries

Ingredients:
1 block of reduced fat cream cheese
2 cups part skim mozzarella cheese
1 egg
1 box large shell pasta
2 Tbsp. minced garlic
Pepper to taste
1 jar Spaghetti Sauce

Directions:
Mix together cheeses, egg, garlic and pepper well. Place mixture in large Ziplock bag and seal. Cut the corner off the bag to allow cheese to squeeze through. Fill pasta shells and freeze. (You can skip the freezing part if you are making them immediately.)

Take frozen pasta shells and place in 9x13 pan. Cover with spaghetti sauce and leave covered overnight in refrigerator.

When ready to bake, place covered 9x13 in oven at 350 degrees and bake for approximately 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Recipe Source - The Full Table

It's kind of pointless to post this, but here is this week's menu. We were on spring break this week and traveled around visiting colleges that my son is interested in attending. Anyway, here's the menu. For more menu ideas, go to orgjunkie.com.

Sunday - Traveling for spring break
Monday - Traveling for spring break
Tuesday - Traveling for spring break
Wednesday - Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup
Thursday - Creamy Chicken Breasts, Twice-baked Potatoes, Green Beans, Salad
Friday - Homemade Pizza
Saturday - Filets, Baked Potatoes, Green Beans, Salad

 

Spring is finally coming! After having a very cold, snowy winter, we had our first sunny warm weekend. Saturday was in the mid 60s and today actually got up to 70! Corey had math contest yesterday (which he received a 1st and two 2nd places), but we did manage to take the dogs on a long walk at Nathanael Greene Park in Springfield. Today we went for a run on the Frisco Highline Trail. Eric and Corey ran from Springfield to Willard, and Toby and I ran our normal 5K. It was so nice to be in shorts and a T shirt and feel the sun on my skin. It gives me hope that spring is really on its way. :)

 

Like I mentioned last week, Corey's track practice schedule has changed the way we have to plan for dinners for a while. We get home pretty late, so I have to precook most of what we are going to eat for the week so we can just heat it up when we get home. I'm sure that many of you have similar situations, so maybe my meal ideas will help you if you like to precook items for the week. :) For more menu ideas, go to orgjunkie.com. Here's this week's menu. Enjoy!

Sunday -Parmesan Tilapia, Couscous, Green Beans, Salad

Monday - Taco Bake, Corn, Fruit Salad

Tuesday -Bourbon Chicken (from freezer), Rice, Broccoli, Salad

Wednesday -Crockpot Pork Chops and Stuffing (subbing pork for the chicken in the recipe), Pea Pods, Salad, Peaches
Thursday - Eat out (horn recital and academic team meet)
Friday -Girls Night at my house - Grilled Bruschetta Chicken and whatever sides girls bring
Saturday - Filets on the grill, Mashed potatoes, Green Beans, Salad

Ingredients:
1 package yellow cake mix
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 eggs
3 Snickers candy bars, chopped


Directions:
In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, brown sugar, butter and eggs until well blended.  Stir in chopped candy bar.
Spread into a greased 9 x13 pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Recipe Source - One Crazy Cookie

Ingredients:
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 lb tilapia (or your favorite fish) fillets
1/4 cup fat free or light mayonnaise

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a shallow dish, combine breadcrumbs and cheese. Brush all sides of fillets with mayonnaise; coat with breadcrumb mixture. Arrange in a single layer in a shallow baking pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden and fish flakes easily.

Recipe Adapted from Balancing Act Basics