30 Meals and Recipe Card Printables!

September is here!  Isn't that crazy?!  I am still in disbelief!  Where did summer go?  Today I dawned my first cool weather outfit in months and although I LOVE summer (and would actually move to Hawaii, hands down, in a heart beat, if give the opportunity) there is something welcoming and homey about the coming of fall.  Trips to the apple orchard and the fair, our large Maples turning red and golden, hot soups and stews with fresh baked bread (of course!)- it's a captivating season!

So, to kick off this season I thought I would share a very cool idea that I recently ran across on the web, along with an accompanying printable that I think you will all enjoy!  Have you heard of Nannygoat and the 30 Meals project?  Well, if not, you must head over and check it out!!  The beautiful ladies behind this blog, Kathryn and Melissa, have written a series of 7 different posts that lay out all the details on how to simplify your meal planning by narrowing your recipe file down to your 30 favorite (or about that many- I hope to go over a bit), creating a database of all the needed ingredients, and placing your recipes on laminated recipe cards that are easily accessible.  You really should just go there and read it because they have it so well laid out I could not possibly do justice to it here, and well, it's their idea!

I am planning on doing a variation of the 30 Meals, although I think those of you who know me won't be surprised that I intend to not only do our 30 favorite dinners but also our 30 favorite breakfasts, lunches, snacks and side-dishes!  I also plan to have a few recipes that rotate in and out with the seasons- such as hearty soups and stews that we normally cook more in the fall and winter than the summer.  Once the project is complete I think it will be such a helpful tool and really aid in simplifying my monthly meal planning.  It is going to be a great deal of work but I am really looking forward to it!

Since part of the project is putting all your recipes on nice and neat recipe cards, I decided that it would be fun to put together some of my own with a few digital scrapbooking supplies that I have been collecting.  As I was working on them I realized that you ladies would probably like a copy of them too, since I am so sure that once you read the details on the 30 Meals project you won't be able to help yourselves but jump right in too!  Plus with the holidays coming we could all use a few cheap gift ideas, and wouldn't it be great to surprise a friend or family member with their own beautified 30 Meal recipe card set?!

My goal is to come out with a few new recipe cards every month, and maybe, just maybe, I will trow in a few with recipes actually on them as well (but that is for another day!).  My cards are sized at 5x7 instead of the 4x6 that normal recipe cards are, because I figured you could fit more information on them and they would be easier to read.  If you really want them smaller I am sure you could easily size them down though!

So here is my Start of Fall set!  There are two versions- one with a spot for a picture of your recipe and one without.  I think that these cards will be perfect for my shepherds pie, pot roast, and bountiful stew recipes!  What do you think?

(click to go to download)

Go ahead and grab your copy (or a few!)!  Also, I would love to hear about how you are going to use them or if you have any requests or suggestions for future cards!  So, if you grab the download it would be just peachy if you left a comment and let me know!

I hope you enjoy, and Happy 30 Meals planning!


PS. Most of the design elements were freebies by Michelle Underwood at Two Peas in a Bucket.

Meal Plan Monday- August 23-29th

I have been a baking fool lately (surprise, surprise)!  I have seriously used my Bosch Universal Plus Mixer almost every single day since I received it from Marmee's Bread Market!  So far I have made basic whole wheat bread with both red and golden wheat (10 loaves total), about 35 of the softest dinner rolls on the planet (froze a bunch), whole wheat pizza crust, banana bread, overnight cinnamon rolls & frosting, and today I added whole wheat english muffins to the mix!  I'm on a roll ladies and soon you will see posts (and even some video... eek!) about all of it!

Here is what's on the menu for this week!  You will probably notice a lot of repeats, but since we are on a tight budget still I am trying to stretch one meal as far as I can!

Breakfasts:

Whole Wheat English Muffins and scrambled eggs (English Muffins from Marmee's Bread Basket Cookbook)

Sweet potato Oatmeal

Sweet Potato Oatmeal (LO)

Breakfast cookies & Scrambled eggs

Breakfast cookies & hard-boiled eggs

Spinach & bacon Omelets w/toast

Frozen Cinnamon rolls

Lunches:

MTM- ABC- butter pasta, cheese, apples

Whole Wheat English Muffin Pizzas w/ applesauce

 Whole Wheat English Muffin Pizzas w/ applesauce

Tuna Melts on Whole Wheat English Muffins

PB&J, Carrots, Pretzels, Grapes

PB&J w/ Yogurt

Macaroni & Cheese w/ carrots & applesauce

Dinners:

Chicken Osaka w/ rice & corn

Pork chops w/ appleasauce, rice, salad

Rotisserie Chicken w/Corn & salad

Chicken & rice soup w/ garlic mozzarella braid (From Marmee's Make it Special DVD)

Chicken & rice soup w/garlic mozzarella braid (LO)

Hamburgers, Homemade Hamburger Buns, Macaroni Salad & Corn

Hamburgers, Homemade Hamburger Buns, Macaroni Salad & Corn

Snacks:

(morning/afternoon)

dried fruit/ peanut butter toast

dried fruit/ peanut butter toast

Grapes/ pretzels & cheese

Grapes/ Caterpillars (From Marmee's Make it Special DVD)

Applesauce/ Caterpillars (From Marmee's Make it Special DVD)

Grapes/ pretzels w/Peanut Butter dip (from Deceptively Delicious)

Graham crackers w/Peanut Butter dip (from Deceptively Delicious)

And here is my prep-ahead schedule:

Yesterday- Make English Muffins

Monday- Make a batch of bread, prep oatmeal for next morning, prep english muffin pizzas

Tuesday- prep english muffin pizzas

Wednesday- make breakfast cookie dough, prep tuna melts

Thursday- Make Best Bread (from Marmee's Bread Basket Cookbook), caterplillars and garlic mozzarella braids, pack lunches for Friday

Friday- Free Day!

Saturday- Free Day!

Sunday- Make Graham Crackers

I have linked this post up to OrgJunkie.com's Meal Plan Monday!  What are you eating this week?

Be sure to visit my sponsor- Marmee's Bread Market- for recipes and everything else you need to easily make fresh baked goods for your family!

Menu Plan Monday- August 16th-22nd

Well, I had been hoping to have our menu planned through October by now, and while I am not quite there yet I did at least finish through the end of this month!  Horrah!  Needless to say, I have decided to work A LOT of baking into my plan since I have my fun new BOSCH Universal Mixer from Marmee's Bread Market (my wonderful sponsor!), which truly does make baking home-baked goods simple and easy (I SWEAR!)!  For now, I will go ahead and just give you the breakdown for this week's menu though:

Breakfasts:

Baked Peanut butter oatmeal

Baked Peanut Butter Oatmeal (lo)

Best-Ever Banana Bread & hard-boiled eggs

Best-Ever Banana Bread & hard-boiled eggs

Cereal & hard-boiled eggs

Biscuits w/ scrambled eggs

Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

Lunches:

MTM- yogurt, carrots, bread, cheese, olives

Egg Salad Sandwiches & Carrots

PB&J Waffle Sandwiches

Rib Quesadillas w/ carrots & cherries

Lunch at Nana’s

Friend’s Birthday Party

Loaded Nachos

Dinner:

Pizza

Leftover Pizza

Ribs w/ mashed potatoes & corn

White Chicken Chili

White chicken chili left-overs

Salmon Cakes, Broccoli & Salad

Salmon burgers Broccoli & salad (Left-overs)

Snacks:

Ants on a log/ Dried fruit

Yogurt/ Dried Fruit

Ant on a Log/Fruit leather

Dried Fruit/ Yogurt

Snacks at Nana’s

Ants on a log

Peanut Butter toast

Oh, and here is a little tip for you!  When making your menu plan and shopping lists, take the time to also make a list of all the things you need to prep-ahead so that you can save yourself some work!  I use one of those magnetic planner notepads from the $1 section at Michaels that has lists for each day of the week- that way I can keep it right on the fridge and be reminded of what I need to do to stay ahead of the game.  For instance, I write down for each day how I can prep breakfast, lunch, snacks and even a few dinner components the night before while I am making dinner so that I am always a day ahead and never have that "rushed" or "behind" feeling.  Here is what my prep schedule looks like for this week, just to give you a better idea:

Monday-

Take Ribs out of Freezer for Wednesday

Boil Eggs

Make Egg Salad for tomorrow's lunch

Tuesday-

Make Banana Bread Batter for tomorrow's breakfast

Make PB&J sandwiches for tomorrow's lunch

Put rub on ribs for tomorrow's dinner

Make Ants on a log for tomorrow's snack

Wednesday-

Prep Rib Quesadilla's for tomorrow's lunch

Go Grocery Shopping

Thursday-

No Prep Ahead (mostly leftovers)

Friday-

No Prep Ahead (mostly leftovers)

Saturday-

Prep Overnight Cinnamon Buns & Frosting for brunch tomorrow

Grate Cheddar and swiss cheese

Sunday-

Make Frittata for tomorrow's breakfast

Make English Muffins

You can find more great meal ideas over at Meal Planning Monday being hosted by OrgJunkie.org!

Be sure to visit my sponsor- Marmee's Bread Market- for recipes and everything else you need to easily make fresh baked goods for your family!

Meal Planning Monday- July 26, 2010

Meal planning has been consuming and plaguing me lately (along with curriculum planning, but that's another story entirely!) and my honest to goodness goal is to have all of our food- meals and snacks- planned out from August through October.  Why you ask?  Lots of reasons, not the least of which are saving money and simplifying my life!

Cooking for my family always goes better when I have a well thought out planned established well in advance, so although it is a lot of work, I know it will be sooooo worth it!  And best of all- you get to benefit from it!  I am going to do my best to make my plans available to all of you along with tons of recipe links (and recipe posts), so you can hopefully simplify your first few months of school too!

Right now though, I just have this week planned (phew) and not only do I think it is going to be ubber-yummy, I also think it is going to be quite economical for my little fam!  Enjoy!

Breakfasts:

Monday- mini quiche (recipe to come! These are premade, and frozen so you can make in bulk and use again and again!)

Tuesday- scrambled eggs & whole wheat banana carrot muffins (frozen batch of batter- will share recipe also)

Wednesday- baked egg puffs (from Deceptively Delicious)

Thursday- blueberry bagels & eggs

Friday- cereal, yogurt & hard boiled eggs (this is an on-the-go day)

Saturday- oven omlet roll w/ partially whole wheat biscuits

Sunday- whole wheat cinnamon rolls 

Lunches:

Muffin tin Monday- carrots, yogurt, sweet pickles, cookie cutter pb&j sandwiches, pasta salad, watermelon

Tuesday- jazzed up mac & cheese (from Deceptively Delicious)

Wednesday- tortilla quiche leftovers w/ carrots

Thursday- pb&j waffle sandwiches with applesauce & cheese  (will share recipe, or really more of the method!)

Friday- tuna, ranch & spinach wraps with apples, oranges and pretzels

Saturday- pizza quesadillas w/applesauce

Sunday- loaded nachos w/pinto beans, olives, sour cream, sausage, avocado & salsa

Dinners:

Monday-Thai Chicken Curry over rice (recipe to come)

Tuesday- Ceasar chicken over Summer Salad (recipe to come)

Wednesday- Tortilla Quiche with side salad

Thursday- Crock Pot Carolina BBQ Pork sandwiches with Cabbage Ramen Salad 

Friday- Carolina BBQ Pork & Cabbage Ramen Salad leftovers

Saturday-  New England Pot Roast w/ potatoes, carrots & Salad (Betty Crocker)

Sunday- Shepherds Pie (Paula Deen)

Snacks:

Dried Fruit
Mandarin Oranges
Pretzels & Peanut Butter
Honey & Butter Toast
Parmesan Quesadillas

For more great meal plans for this week, hop on over and check out Meal Planning Monday @ OrgJunkie!

The "trial run" week

Alright- a little update first off.  Friday morning I woke up essentially feeling like I was dying and decided we were going to have to divert some of the money that would otherwise be going towards bills to get me into urgent care.  First off they took my blood pressure and the nurse though something was wrong with the machine because it read at 91/53.  She checked it again and there was very little change.  A nurse friend of mine later told me that I was 2 points away from being admitted to the hospital and I run a pretty high risk of sepsis.  Fun.  So far I have been dizzy a few times but all in all, seem to be alright.

After an x-ray and an albuteral nebulizer treatment (and lots of comments about how horrible I sounded and how terribly sick I was) the doctor finally agreed that it was, indeed, pneumonia.  So he put me on two more antibiotics to try to cover the full range of what is plaguing me and he gave me an inhaler so I can actually breathe!.  All that to say, that I am glad I finally got treated for real and my prognosis is about another two weeks of fatigue, coughing and shortness of breath, but the "gunk" should go away in the next couple of days.  Oh- and I'm not contagious!  Just in case you know me in real life you don't have to run scared!

Anyhoo!  I have been working very hard over the last few weeks to get things organized for fall (and really, for our life in general!).  I still have a bit left to do but am at a place where I think it would be smart to give it a trial run.  So, this week we will be testing out the new routine I have been working on along with a light school schedule and early-prep on almost all of our meals and snacks.  Once I get the schedule fully tweaked I will be posting it for you all to see and possibly glean from (or laugh at- whichever suits your fancy), and I will also be doing quite a few menu-planning and recipe posts, including pre-prepped breakfast and lunch ideas!  So, stay tuned!  It should be a great week!

Make your bread with Bosch!

Alright- I have SERIOUSLY been wanting to get a Bosch mixer for 2 1/2 years now so that I can start making our own bread for my family.  I received a grain mill for Christmas but have yet to get the mixer and let's face it, with young kids I NEED the mixer to make this goal a reality- I simply can't do it by hand every week!  With a Bosch though- I think it is totally possible! 

Bosch mixers are the go-to mixers in the homemade bread making world because they have a large mixing bowl to accommodate enough dough to make multiple loaves AND they have the most heavy-duty motor so they don't burn out quickly with the stress of mixing dense dough.

Well, guess what- Deals to Meals is giving one away!!  I want NEED this mixer!  It would make such a difference in the way our family eats, thus making me feel like a better wife and mom!  See- it isn't just about bread- this mixer would change my life!  Okay, maybe that is a little overboard, regardless, I want this mixer!

If you haven't heard about Deals to Meals yet you should go check them out!  It is a pretty cool blog where they not only blog about current deals of food, but they create a menu out of them so that you can actually use the food you purchase!  I love anything that takes a little of the work of being frugal and meal planning for me!  Head on over and give them a gander!

What's for Dinner?

My husband just finished a big job that we will make decent money from, but until that check comes we are having to live BEYOND cheap!!  To add to the food budget stress there are a number of families that need help with meals in the next couple of weeks (new babies, etc...) and in order to help them out (which I really do want to do) I just have to get a little extra creative!  So, here is what our menu for the week looks like:

Monday- 

White Chicken Chili from the freezer (double score- already made AND paid for!)

Tuesday- 

Hamburgers and this yummy pasta Asian Pasta Salad!  We will be sharing this meal with some friends too.

Wednesday-  

Hamburger and pasta salad repeat

Thursday- 

Penne pasta with chicken sausage, spinach and mushrooms

Friday- 

Zuppa Toscana, which I plan to make and take half of to a friend who just had a baby- I may make a little more broth and add more potatoes to make it stretch a bit farther, but it makes a fairly big amount of soup so I think it will work fine.  I will also pick up fresh bread and salad on the way there!

Saturday- 

These AMAZING salmon cakes with roasted Asparagus.  In addition to being ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS, you will be totally amazed by how many salmon cakes you can get out of just one can of fish!

Sunday- 

Fry up the rest of the salmon cakes with a side of broccoli and bread!

So, what are you eating this week?  
Join the planning at orgjunkie.com!

Meal Planning Love!

The first half of this year I was rockin' in the meal-planning, home-keeping department!  I mean seriously!  I was following Fly Lady like nobody's business, we had home-cooked meals every night and the house was generally spotless!

Then I had Lion Cub (the most bored baby on the planet who lets you know how bored he is every minute of the day!) and all was lost!

Well, November is my fresh start!  I figured, why wait for New Years?  I need to get back on my game NOW (or I may loose my mind and run out of money to feed my family!)!

So, here is what I am back to doing- planning out a whole month of meals at a time!  I know, I know, it sounds daunting, but after you put a little bit of work into it you will save yourself so much time and money!  Plus, by planning the whole month in one sitting I can ensure that we aren't repeating any meals during the month (besides leftovers), which drives my husband crazy!  So, it is a win-win-win!

So, how do I do it?  I'm so glad you asked!

First- I print a blank calendar off my computer.

Second- I make a hot cup of tea (essential!) and sit down with my recipe binder, calendar, and Control Journal (a Fly Lady thing, I have added my own sections to it including one with past meal calendars for inspiration and ideas!).

Third- Formulate the plan!  I go through the month trying make a good mix of flavors, cooking methods and types of veggies and meat throughout each week so we are certain to have a well-balanced diet.  I try to place crock-pot meals on days when I know things will be more busy, or schedule leftovers for such days.  Busy days are also good time to put to use any meals you made duplicates of and froze the month before (I'll talk more about this later).  If it is a more complicated meal I try to figure in days when my husband will most likely be home early or weekends so that he can help with the kiddos.
       I also figure in which days would be good to try new recipes on.  I generally try to include 3-4 new recipes a month to keep things interesting and expand my repertoire of family-loved recipes (if you don't try things you will never know!).  I go through my cookbooks for things we haven't tried or look for recipes on some of my favorite blogs.  My main go-to sources tend to be:

• My Kitchen Cafe
• Crockpot 365
• Food Network
  

Fourth- Gather my recipes!  Some this may already be done for my new recipes, but for the rest I pull out all the recipes I will need for the month and then divide them into weeks and place them behind my meal calendar in the Meal Planning section of my control journal. This way they are easy to find and reference, should I need to.

Fifth- I write my shopping lists for the whole month!  By doing this all at once it allows me to buy certain things in bulk (that will last through the month) that I would have ordinarily bought in smaller, more expensive portions had I planned by the day or week.  I can also buy in bulk for certain recipes that I plan to make more than one of at the time I prepare the food so that I have meals to put in the freezer.   Plus, getting this all done at once helps me to not leave anything out and saves me a great deal of time over the next three weeks of the month!  It also allows me to clearly budget out our money over the month and minimize the number of trips I need to make to the store.

Sixth- Look for deals and coupons!  I am not always that good at this one, but I do try to divide my shopping list between a couple of different stores where I know I can get the best prices on certain items.

Seventh- Go shopping! I try to really stick to my budget but if I see a great deal on something I will need later in the month then I buy it!  Having a well-planned list helps me get in and out quickly.

Eighth- Prepare!  I keep a few things in mind as I prepare each meal-

• Am I using any of these ingredients again soon that I can prepare now to save myself time later?  Things such as onions, celery and so on, can be chopped all at once.  If I am making numerous spice mixes throughout the week or month, why not make them all at the same time while I have everything out?
• Do I have enough ingredients to make more than one meal so that I can put one in the freezer?  I find that I usually have enough of the ingredients I bought for sauces, glazes and so forth, to at least make the recipe twice.  Having a second meal prepared and frozen saves me time and money next month and allows me to apply that whole "buying in bulk principle" if I keep this idea in mind when I am writing my shopping lists.
• Are we eating this as left overs tomorrow?  If so, are there certain ingredients that would be better to add in fresh tomorrow, such as grated cheese in Tortilla Soup, that I can prepare now so I don't have to tomorrow?

Ninth- Enjoy the fruits of your labor- nutritious meals, saved time, and saved money!  It is so worth it!

I hope this post can help some of you in your mission to feed your family healthfully and economically!  If it does, please share how!  Also, if any of you would like me to post my plans for the month with shopping lists, please let me know (I don't want to do all the extra work unless people are actually interested!)!

Monthly Meal Planning

Starting in January 2010 I will be posting monthly meal plans, hopefully with shopping lists and links to recipes included.  Stay tuned! 

For now you can go here to look at my meal planning process.