Short post because of a crazy week. I have something every night, we were are going to be scrounging a bit. Be sure to try the Snickerdoodle Blondie recipe I posted last week. They were amazing!

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 - Eat a Mom's! She made lasagna and sauerkraut and dumplings! Woo hoo!

Monday - Leftover chicken strips, green beans, salad, grapes 

Tuesday - Eat at family reading night

Wednesday - Leftover lasagna from mom

Thursday - Boys eat taco salad (I have book club)

Friday - Eat out

Saturday - Chicken and Dumplings, Green Beans, Salad (didn't make it last week) 

For more menu ideas, visit orgjunkie.com.  

I'm not a big fan of Snickerdoodle cookies (too crunchy for my taste), but I am a huge fan of blondies, and I do love cinnamon rolls. I'm guessing that these will have the yummy cinnamon sugar flavor of cinnamon rolls, but the chewy buttery texture of blondies. And, yes, they do! So yummy and chewy when they are warm out of the oven.

Ingredients:

2 2/3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup butter, at room temperature
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 Tablespoon vanilla
2 Tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch baking pan.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

3. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla until smooth. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and beat until well blended.

4. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.

5. In a small bowl, combine the white sugar and cinnamon.

6. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the batter in the baking pan.

7. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until the surface springs back when gently pressed. Remove from oven and let cool slightly on a wire rack. While still warm, cut into squares with a sharp knife and serve.

Recipe Source - My Own Sweet Thyme

Last week was parent-teacher conference week at school, so I didn't teach my computer workshops after school. This week, things are back in full swing. I train on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday this week. I also have an author visiting my school on Thursday, and I have a book fair teacher preview I'm hosting Friday morning before school. Those extra things make providing meals for my family an extra challenge. But, luckily I'm pretty good at preparing for weeks like this, and I'm going to rely on my freezer stash this week. I usually do a lot of pre-cooking for the week on Sunday, but we had lots of activities today (all good - running, church, visiting a new baby in the hospital, and going to the wedding of two very dear friends). So, freezer stash, here I come. :) If you struggle with busy evenings, I strongly suggest stocking your freezer with extra meals on those rare days you have extra time. ;)

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 - Steak, Baked Potatoes, Green Beans, Salad

Monday - BBQ Pork Sandwiches (from freezer), French Fries (yes, the frozen kind), Broccoli, Salad

Tuesday - Crockpot Lemon Chicken on Noodles (from freezer - forget to take a photo last time I made this), Green Beans, Salad, Applesauce

Wednesday - Brisket (from freezer), Broccoli, Salad, Peaches

Thursday - Mexican Gumbo (chicken and soup from freezer), Salad

Friday - Spaghetti, Salad, Garlic Muffins

Saturday - Chicken and Dumplings, Green Beans, Salad

For more menu ideas, visit orgjunkie.com.  

Quick post this week (and yes, I know I'm late on posting recipe pics - I promise to get them up soon) as time has gotten away from me. I'm relying on the freezer stash again this week. 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 Cheese and Tomato Soup (it was one of those days)
Monday - French Bread Pizzas (no recipe - just add some sauce and cheese to French Bread and toast in the oven), Salad, Peaches
Tuesday - Kickin' Beefy Crescents (from freezer), Green Beans, Salad, Applesauce

Wednesday - Turkey and Gravy with Mashed Potatoes (from freezer), Broccoli, Salad

Thursday - Grilled Bacon-Wrapped Stuffed Hot Dogs, Salad, Peaches

Friday - Chicken Fajitas (using Mexican Chicken from freezer), Salad, Fruit

Saturday - Eat at band contest

For more menu ideas, visit orgjunkie.com.  

Fall has officially hit southwest Missouri. On Thursday, our afternoon temperatures were right at 80 degrees. Overnight, a cold front came through, and the high on Friday was in the mid fifties. Saturday morning we woke up to 36 degrees! BRRRR! I actually had to turn on the heat to take the chill off the house. But, that brisk morning ended up being perfect for me and Eric.

Some of you may know that our family is training for the Disney marathon (Eric), and half marathon (Corey and me) in January. Our training plan has us doing our long runs on Saturdays. Eric was scheduled to do 15 miles, and I only had to do 3 (though I planned to do 5 anyway). Corey had to take the SAT for National Merit, so it was just me and Eric. Saturday was one of those days that was just made for running. It was cool, cloudy, and there was no wind. I was having a great run, and knew that I was going to do 5 miles instead of the three that was scheduled. That's kind of the minimum distance I like to do for a long run. I finished my 5, and I was feeling great, so I decided to keep going. I thought to myself, "Oh, go ahead and do 6.25. Eric has to run 15, so you might as well keep going." So I did. I finished the 6, and still felt great, so I kept going. Eric passed me on the trail just as I finished 9 miles, and needless to say, was surprised to see me still running. :) I ran 10 miles that morning! That's the longest distance I've ever run. I have to admit, I was pretty pleased with myself. Eric knew when he saw me that I would go to 10, so he pushed himself and ran 16.2. Together, we ran a marathon! ;) Pretty good for two old people who have only been running for a couple of years. I couldn't resist sharing my running success with you.

My other cool news this weekend is that What's for Dinner is now over 1000 likes on Facebook! That makes me smile. I'm so glad to know that my nerdy hobby of posting my menus and recipes is helpful to others. :)

Today I spent the day doing my cooking for the week. My fridge now has three large meals cooked and ready to heat up throughout the week as we need them. I am so appreciative of my Sunday cooking day.

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 - Parmesan Pork Tenderloin, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans, Salad

Monday - Crockpot Chicken and Stuffing, Broccoli, Salad, Applesauce

Tuesday - Taco Corn Bread Casserole, Salad

Wednesday - Quick and Easy Goulash, Salad, Peaches

Thursday - Leftovers

Friday - Leftovers

Saturday - Eat out (visiting friends)


For more menu ideas, visit orgjunkie.com.  
 

This is a great, hearty dish for a cool, fall evening.

Ingredients:

1 lb. lean ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 cup frozen corn
1 T soy sauce
1 1/2 cup water
1 t basil
1 t oregano
1 t pepper
1/2 t salt
1 bay leaf
1 cup elbow macaroni or rotini noodles (uncooked)

Directions:

Brown the ground beef in a skillet; drain. In a large pot, saute the onions and garlic until tender, and mix in the ground beef. Add in the tomatoes, corn, soy sauce, water, and spices (including bay leaf). Stir until combined, and simmer covered for about 15 minutes. Add in the noodles and simmer for 15 more minutes. Remove the bay leaf and allow the goulash to sit for about 15 minutes more before serving.