Ingredients:

4 15 oz. cans red beans, drained and rinsed
1 large white onion, chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
2 tablespoons dried parsley
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 pkg. turkey smoked sausage, cubed
3 (4-ounce) cans tomato sauce
1 cup water
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
3 dashes hot sauce
Hot cooked rice, for serving

Directions:

Combine everything but the rice in a slow cooker. Cook on low for 4-5 hours. Serve over hot cooked rice.

This week my son will turn 17! It's so hard for me to believe that I only have him home for one more year. Like they always say, time flies when you are having fun. I kind of wish maybe he wasn't so fun. :( Just kidding, Corey! I am so proud of the young man he has become, but I will definitely miss him when he's not here with me everyday. We will be doing a couple of birthday celebrations for him this week, which are noted in the meal plan.

Here's this week's menu. Enjoy and have a great week! Be sure to follow me on Facebook to get fast updates from the blog. :)


Sunday - Bacon and Cheese Stuffed Burgers (the weather was beautiful and just screamed for grilling burgers), Salad, Strawberries

Monday - Tuna Noodle Casserole, Oven Roasted Asparagus, Salad, Strawberries

Tuesday - Red Beans and Rice (recipe coming soon), Salad, Applesauce

Wednesday - Eat out at Qdoba - Corey's birthday request

Thursday - Apple Butter Glazed Chicken, Broccoli, Salad, Fruit

Friday - Chicken Fajitas, Salad, Fruit

Saturday - Corey's family birthday dinner - Steak, Cheesy Potatoes (recipe coming soon), Green Beans, Salad, Strawberries, and Ice Cream Cake

For more menu ideas, visit orgjunkie.com.

Well, I'm still waiting to see if the files from my crashed laptop are going to be able to be salvaged. :( It's been in the shop all week. I did go ahead and get a new laptop since my other one was on its last legs. Goodbye pretty pink Dell XPS - hello shiny silver MacBook Pro! Yes, I crossed over to the dark side and joined the rest of my family and got a Mac. Now I just need to make sure I ALWAYS BACK UP my recipe files. Hopefully the computer shop guys will save me.

Corey and I were on spring break all week. We went hiking in Arkansas one day and saw some great waterfalls (it had just rained the day before, so they were really flowing). We also went to the St. Louis area to visit his girlfriend. Our school week is going to be filled with some extra meetings/workshops after school, so this week's meal plan is taking advantage of my freezer stash.

Here's this week's menu. Enjoy and have a great week! Be sure to follow me on Facebook to get fast updates from the blog. :)

Sunday - Grilled Pork Tenderloin (I'm just going to marinade in Italian dressing), Hash Brown Potatoes (cooked in a foil pack on the grill - I use Simply Potatoes with Onions), Green Beans, Salad, Strawberries

Monday - Swedish Meatballs with Noodles (new - photo coming soon), Broccoli, Salad, Applesauce

Tuesday - Crock Pot Salsa Chicken served in tortillas (from freezer), Corn, Salad, Orange Slices

Wednesday - Slow Cooker Roast and Gravy (from freezer), Day Before Mashed Potatoes (from freezer), Green Beans, Salad

Thursday - Spaghetti Chili (chili from freezer), Salad, Fruit

Friday - Leftovers

Saturday -Adirondacker Burgers, Oven Baked Fries, Salad, Strawberries

For more menu ideas, visit orgjunkie.com.

This is a very tasty and hearty meal. I usually serve the meatballs on egg noodles or even on mashed potatoes.

To make the meatballs:

Ingredients

1 pound lean ground beef (93/7)
1/2 cups dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup skim milk
1 t onion powder
1 t garlic powder
1/2 t Worcestershire sauce
1 egg

Directions

Mix ingredients; shape into twenty 1 1/2-inch balls (can make them larger or smaller - your preference). Bake in 13x9x2 inch pan on a rack so grease falls away while cooking, in 400 degree oven until light light brown, 20 to 25 minutes.

To make the sauce:

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup dry sherry
1 cup fat free beef broth
Salt and pepper (to taste)
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup fat free sour cream 

Directions:
Melt butter over medium heat. Sprinkle in flour and whisk until a smooth paste is formed. Slowly add sherry while continuing to whisk sauce; cook until sherry reduces by half. Slowly add broth and continue to whisk until the sauce thickens. Turn off heat and whisk in salt, pepper, Dijon mustard and sour cream.

Add the meatballs to the sauce and stir until coated. Serve over cooked egg noodles.

UGH! My computer crashed yesterday, and the dummy that I am, I hadn't backed up my recipe or meal plan files. So, needless to say, I don't have my meal plan for this week. :( Here's the plan from this week last year, just so I don't leave you hanging this week. If I get a chance to update once I've finished setting up the new computer, I'll repost.

http://www.myfamilymealplan.com/2011/03/whats-for-dinner-menu-plan_14.html

Enjoy and have a great week! Be sure to follow me on Facebook to get fast updates from the blog. :)

For more menu ideas, visit orgjunkie.com. 

We had a rather crazy week in Southwest Missouri. It's not unusual for us to get a snow day late in February, but we actually had our first tornado day! A tornado hit Branson late Tuesday night and did some pretty serious damage to the main part of town where lots of businesses, theaters and hotels are located. None of the school buildings sustained damage, but they cancelled school on Wednesday due to power outages and roads being blocked by debris. It was pretty scary looking at the pictures of places we see all of the time, now severely damaged or destroyed. Luckily, there were very few injuries and no deaths associated with the storm. I did have a few students and teacher friends who lost their homes. Our community has really come together to help those in need.

I had a Family Reading Night scheduled for that Thursday, and we decided to go ahead with it, hoping that it would be a good way for our school family to come together after the storm. It ended up being a great event. I had over 660 people attend! My theme was a reading luau, and I had planned on serving hot dogs as our luau feast. This couldn't have been more perfect. One lady come up and said she was a single mom with three kids, and she had no power and no way to get dinner for her family. This was a blessing for her. It's amazing how little things can mean so much. Here is a picture slideshow from the event.



This week is filled with evening obligations, and it's my mom's last chemo treatment! Woo hoo! I've decided to do lots of grilling this week to keep our meals simple and easy.

Here's this week's menu. Enjoy and have a great week! Be sure to follow me on Facebook to get fast updates from the blog. :)

Sunday - Creamy Chicken Breasts, Rice, Green Beans, Salad

Monday - Turkey Brats (just throw them on the grill), Green Beans, Salad, Peaches

Tuesday -Chili Ranch Grilled Pork, Broccoli, Salad, Applesauce

Wednesday - Grilled Sun Dried Tomato Chicken, Green Beans,Salad, Homemade Bread

Thursday - Eat out

Friday - Spaghetti, Salad, Applesauce (for the boys - I will be with Mom)

Saturday - Mom's choice

For more menu ideas, visit orgjunkie.com.