Pimento Cheese Spread - Yankee Version

As a born and bred Yankee I didn't grow up on pimento cheese.  The first time that I heard about it was during the Masters this year and from one of my favorite blogs Plain Chicken.
I was searching the internet yesterday to find a pimento cheese recipe and found many variations.  Below is my version of a pimento cheese spread.  I call it...Yankee Pimento Cheese.

1/2 brick of cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup of mayonnaise
1 jar of pimentos (drained)
1 scallion, finely chopped
dash of garlic powder
dash of pepper

Blend cream cheese and mayonnaise until smooth.  Mix cream cheese and mayonnaise with remaining ingredients.
It is best served after being refrigerated for at least 30 minutes. It tastes even better the next day.

Menu Plan 7/7/13 - 7/13/13

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Sunday

stuffed peppers, grilled zucchini, fruit salad

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Monday
grilled chicken, green beans, fruit salad
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Taco Tuesday

tacos for the kids and hubby
leftovers for me

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Wednesday - Breakfast Night
breakfast for dinner
eggs, pancakes, bacon, sausage, toast and my favorite; egg & veggie frittata
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Thursday
kabobs, corn
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Friday - Appetizer Night

I have deemed summer fridays as appetizer night!  I'll make a few different types of appetizers   for dinner each friday.

This week's picks are: mac n cheese bites, caprese bites, buffalo chicken dip

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Saturday - Salad Night

chicken caesar salad
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For more menu planning ideas, head on over to orgjunkie.com

Day 7 - Lunch Challenge

So I didn't make it more than 7 work days before I broke my challenge.  I ended up getting something in the cafe today.  I got stuffed green peppers.  They were soooo good.  Guess I have to start the challenge over.

Day 6 - Lunch Challenge

Today for lunch I had another lunch bundles.  I added some fruit salad to it that I made the other day.

Day 5 - Lunch Challenge

Today for lunch I had delicious leftovers from last night.  I modified the Easy Garlic Chicken recipe.  I added salt and pepper to the chicken.  I also added a little bit of soy sauce and some ground ginger.  The zucchini was super simple to make; I just cut and washed it, tossed it in some olive oil, sprinkled some salt and DH threw it on the grill for about 6 minutes.  I made a nice fruit salad to go with dinner too.  I made sure to have enough leftovers for lunch today.

Hasselback Potatoes

Photo From Incredible Recipes Facebook Page

Menu Plan 6/30/13 - 7/6/13

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Sunday

easy garlic chicken, grilled zucchini, fruit salad

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Monday
chicken salad lettuce wrap
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Tuesday

spinach and tomato chicken

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Wednesday
breakfast for dinner
eggs, pancakes, bacon, sausage, toast and my favorite; egg & veggie frittata
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Thursday - Happy 4th Of July!!
kabobs, corn, patriotic kabobs, red, white and blue sangria, red, white and blue cobbler (I'm going to add blueberries to the cobbler)
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Friday
turkey burgers, hot dogs, fruit and angel food cake skewer
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Saturday

oven baked chicken fajitas
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For more menu planning ideas, head on over to orgjunkie.com

Day 4 - Lunch Challenge

My original plan to have leftover Crispy Honey Chicken didn't go as planned.  I wasn't that crazy about it and it didn't settle well with me.  It was one of the gals birthdays this week so we ended up having all types of food and cupcakes.  Pictured above is a delicious buffalo chicken dip that someone made I had with a few Tostitos Scoops.  I also had some fruit and a salad too, which I did not take a picture of.  I am getting the hang of not going to the cafe.  I don't even bother looking at the menu as it might be tempting.

Day 3 - Lunch Challenge

Today I had another modified version of the Lunch Bundle.  I added turkey and blueberries to it.  It was very yummy.  As you can tell,I don't mind eating these regularly.  Tomorrow I am going to try to change it up a little bit and have something different for lunch, even though I'm not sick of eating those.  It would be good for me to change it up a little bit though.  I might have some leftover Crispy Honey Chicken, and fruit.

Next week my plan for lunch will be to bring some leftovers from dinner the night before.

Day 2 - Lunch Challenge

Day 2 of my lunch challenge went well.  I was busy so I didn't have a "real" lunch so I ended up splitting my lunch into two parts.  I had another Lunch Bundle, but modified it slightly.  This one is called the Bagelator.  It consists of bagel chips, cream cheese, granola, fruit & chocolate mix and an creme filled chocolate cookie (which I didn't eat).

For the first part of my lunch I had the bagel chips and cream cheese from the Lunch Bundle.  I added a few Tostitos Black Bean & Garlic Chips and a few Eat Your Vegetables Chips.  Some of the Lunch Bundles have the Eat Your Vegetables Chips in them, but the Bagelator does not.  I like the veggie chips so much that I found them at the supermarket near us.

About two hours later I finished my lunch with the remainder of the Lunch Bundle sans the creme stuffed chocolate cookie.  I added the granola, fruit & chocolate and a splash of Torani Sugar Free Vanilla Syrup to  Light & Fit Greek Yogurt.

Day 1 - Lunch Challenge

Day 1 Lunch Challenge = Success!

I have found a new favorite product at the grocery store.  It's called Lunch Bundles.  Everyone in the house is eating these.  My husband and I bring them to work sometimes and my kids have been eating them too.  Sure...I could buy all of the ingredients and assemble something like this myself but the likelihood of that happening is pretty much zero. 

This Lunch Bundle has gluten free crackers, pistachios, a fruit & chocolate trail mix, sliced cheese and a vegetable chip.

It didn't have lunch meat, so I added a few slices of turkey and a handful of blueberries to round out this yummy lunch.

Thirty Days of Lunches

Tonight I decided that I am going to start a challenge for myself.  I'm going to bring my lunch to work for thirty days.  I am constantly buying lunch at the cafe at work.  It would be so much healthier for me to bring my own lunch, plus I would save some $$.  I will try to post my lunches as often as I can.

Menu Plan 6/23/13 - 6/29/13

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Sunday

crockpot pot roast, potatoes, onions, carrots

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Monday
grilled greek pork chops. 
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Tuesday

cashew lettuce chicken wraps

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Wednesday
breakfast for dinner
eggs, pancakes, bacon, sausage, toast and my favorite; egg & veggie frittata
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Thursday
tacos
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Friday
cilantro lime chicken tacos
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Saturday
texas chicken with lime butter, green beans
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For more menu planning ideas, head on over to orgjunkie.com

My Favorite Things About Summer

Summer has finally arrived.  It is my favorite season.  There are many things I love about summer...here are just a few of my favorites in no particular order.

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Being a Beach Bum

One of our favorite summertime activities is heading up to Hampton Beach on the weekend.  We like to get there early in the morning to take advantage of the cheaper parking prices and plant ourselves on a premium spot before everyone else claims their part of the sand.  We bring a cooler filled with fruit, chips, sandwiches and drinks.  We also pack a lot of sunscreen as my husband and kids are very fair skinned and burn very easily.  Nothing is more relaxing to me than sitting at the beach reading a book, listening to the waves and my kid's laughter and smelling the ocean air.

They have bands playing in the half shell.  We will usually head up there at least once during our day trip to escape the sun for a little bit.  Another must-do at the beach is heading to Blink's Fried Dough.  You can top your fried dough with virtually anything.  

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The Smell of Suntan Lotion

Yes...I love the smell of suntan lotion.  When I start getting the winter blahs, I head over to Yankee Candle and pick up the Sun & Sand room freshner.  Currently, I have two at home and one at work.  Just a spritz of it brings summer memories of hanging out at the beach.

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Family Vacations

We usually take a family vacation during the summer months.  This year we are planning a trip to Washington D.C.  Last year we went to my all time favorite family vacation spot; Disney World.  The year before my husband's family rented a house at the Cape (that would be Cape Cod to those of you not familiar with New England).  I love the whole process of picking a vacation spot to planning it then finally heading to our destination.  I'm already thinking about what we could do next year and we haven't even been on this year's vacation yet.

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Warm Summer Nights

Everything about a warm summer night is appealing to me.  I love sitting outside sipping on iced tea in the evening.  We finally bought a patio set this year and are anxious to get some use out of it.  I like when we keep the window open at night and take the comforter off the bed.  The night starts to cool and a light breeze comes in through the window.  Then of course, I wake up in the middle of the night cold, shut the window and wrap myself in the comforter.

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Fireworks

The highlight of our summer is the 4th of July.  When my husband's grandparents were alive they would have a big party at their house.  They had an inground swimming pool.  It was where all of the grandkids learned how to swim.  In the evenings we would meet my parents for fireworks.  In more recent years since both my husband's grandparents and my parents have passed away, we spend 4th of July at home and then go to the local fireworks with the kids.  Two years ago we moved to a place closer to town which also meant closer to where they set off the fireworks.  The first year we moved into the new place my daughter wasn't feeling well on the 4th of July so I stayed home with her while my husband took our son to watch the fireworks.  I was standing outside when the fireworks went off to see if I could watch them from our place.  When it came towards the end of the fireworks and they got really loud our home started vibrating so much that it woke my daughter up and scared our cat.

Up at Hampton Beach they have fireworks every Wednesday night during the summer months.  We try to get up there at least once to watch them.  It's nice sitting on the sand at night with the moon up above shining down on the water while the fireworks are going off.

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Outdoor Concerts

Our town has a summer concert series.  During the months of July and August they have a band play every Tuesday and Thursday after dinnertime.  We break out the beach chairs and bring them to the park with a bag of drinks and snacks.  It's a lot of fun listening to the different bands play, watching the little kids dancing and being with other families in the community.

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Drive-In Movies

We have a drive-in theater not too far from our home. It is about a forty minutes away.  When my now teenagers were younger we would go to the drive-in every week.  We would pack some food and drinks and head over.  On the way there we would sometimes pick up a pizza.  During holiday weekends the drive-in shows three movies instead of two.  When the kids were younger we had a van and would take the last row out of it.  We would park the van backwards and sit in the back of the van and watch the movie.  We always brought plenty of blankets, pillows and insect repellent.  We made a lot of memories with the kids at the drive-in.

Head over to driveintheater.com to see if there is a drive-in near you.

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Grilling

We were so excited when we moved from our apartment to a home where we could have a grill.  I think being able to own a grill was more exciting then moving out of the apartment.  My husband has become the king of the grill!  We are always marinating something or finding a new recipe to try on the grill.

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Fresh Fruits & Veggies

We are always stocked with fresh fruits and vegetables during the summer.  There is nothing more refreshing than biting into watermelon and having the juice run down your face.  Just thinking about it makes me want to run to the store and buy one.

Menu Plan 6/16/13 - 6/22/13

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Sunday

pulled pork, baked beans, corn

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Monday
grilled greek pork chops. 
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Tuesday

chicken quesadillas made with leftover rotisserie chicken

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Wednesday
breakfast for dinner
eggs, pancakes, bacon, sausage, toast and my favorite; egg & veggie frittata
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Thursday
tacos
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Friday
grilled chicken, broccoli gratin with swiss and parmesan
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Saturday
grilled marinated flank steak, green beans
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For more menu planning ideas, head on over to orgjunkie.com

Menu Plan 6/9/13 - 6/15/13

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Sunday

dinner party

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Monday
grilled chicken, pasta salad
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Tuesday

grilled steak tips, pasta salad

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Wednesday
breakfast for dinner
eggs, pancakes, bacon, sausage, toast and my favorite; egg & veggie frittata
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Thursday
tacos
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Friday
french loaf pizza
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Saturday
buffalo chicken calzone
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For more menu planning ideas, head on over to orgjunkie.com

Beer Cheese Dip

ü  2 - 8oz packages cream cheese, softened

ü  1 - 8oz carton of sour cream

ü  1/2 - 1 package dry ranch dressing mix

ü  1/2 cup beer (I used Blue Moon)

ü  2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

ü  2 green onions tops, chopped

1.   Combine first four ingredients and mix until desired consistency. 

2.   Stir in remaining ingredients.

3.   It is best if refrigerated overnight.

My favorite dippers to serve this with: Snyder's Pretzel Snaps, Pepperidge Farm Cracker Favorites, Baby Carrots and Celery.

Notes: The original recipe did not call for sour cream.  I found that a whole package of the dry ranch dressing mix too powerful so I added the sour cream and got the desired consistency and taste I was looking for.  It reminds me of an appetizer that I have at our favorite wine and beer bar.

Recipe inspired by: http://www.food.com/recipe/beer-cheese-dip-29703

Menu Plan 5/13/13 - 5/18/13

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Sunday
leftovers - baked macaroni and cheese, ritzy cheesy chicken casserole, chocolate covered strawberries

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Monday
grilled caesar chicken salad, pasta salad, green beans
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Tuesday

grilled steak tips, leftover pasta salad, leftover green beans

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Wednesday
breakfast for dinner
eggs, pancakes, bacon, sausage, toast and my favorite; egg & veggie frittata
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Thursday
turkey burgers, hot dogs, steamed veggies
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Friday
Leftover Buffet

if there are no leftovers, we'll order take out
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Saturday
birthday party for my son

lots of grilling, cake and snacks
I'm going to try a new recipe on the family: blueberry corn salad.  It looks so refreshing.
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For more menu planning ideas, head on over to orgjunkie.com

Ritzy Cheesy Chicken Casserole

1 rotisserie chicken
1 can cream of chicken soup
4oz sour cream
1c shredded cheddar cheese
1c mozzarella cheese
1 sleeve of Ritz Crackers, crushed
1T poppy seeds
2T butter, melt
dash of garlic powder

Preheat oven 350* - Spray 9x9 pan.
Remove meat from rotisserie chicken and dice.  Mix chicken, soup, sour cream and cheeses.  Spread mixture in pan. Mix melted butter, crackers, poppy seeds and a dash of garlic powder.  Top chicken mixture with crackers.  Bake for 25 minutes.

Recipe is inspired by Poppy Seed Chicken and Cheesy Chicken Casserole.

Menu Plan 4/21/13 - 4/27/13

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Sunday
grilled marinated chicken, grilled veggies, fruit

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Monday
hot dogs, turkey burgers, grilled veggies, fruit
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Tuesday

taco dinner tuesday for hubby and the kids
leftovers for me

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Wednesday
breakfast for dinner
eggs, pancakes, bacon, sausage, toast and my favorite; egg & veggie frittata
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Thursday
grilled pork, grilled shrimp, grilled veggies, fruit
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Friday
grilled pizza
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Saturday
grilled teriyaki pork tenderloin, grilled veggies, fruit


I've been pretty bad with sticking to my menu plan the past few weeks.  My goal is to stick with the plan this week.
  As you may have noticed, there is a theme this week...GRILLING!  The nice weather is finally hitting New England and it is our favorite time of year...grilling season!

For more menu planning ideas, head on over to orgjunkie.com

Menu Plan 4/14/13 - 4/20/12

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Sunday
pizza

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Monday
honey teriyaki grilled steak tips, millet salad, green beans
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Tuesday

taco dinner tuesday for hubby and the kids
leftovers for me

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Wednesday
breakfast for dinner
eggs, pancakes, bacon, sausage, toast and my favorite; egg & veggie frittata
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Thursday
sesame chicken*, broccoli
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Friday
Leftover Buffet

if there are no leftovers, we'll order take out
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Saturday
easy chicken cordon bleu*, green beans
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*first time making recipe

For more menu planning ideas, head on over to orgjunkie.com

Menu Plan 4/7/13 - 4/13/13

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Sunday

grilled marinated steak, steamed veggies, fruit

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Monday
grilled marinated chicken, broccoli, fruit
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Tuesday

taco dinner tuesday for hubby and the kids
leftovers for me

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Wednesday
breakfast for dinner
eggs, pancakes, bacon, sausage, toast and my favorite; egg & veggie frittata

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Thursday
chicken parm, green beans
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Friday
Leftover Buffet

if there are no leftovers, we'll order take out
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Saturday
roasted shrimp on orzo*

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*first time making recipe

For more menu planning ideas, head on over to orgjunkie.com

Menu Plan 3/31/13 - 4/613

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Sunday

crockpot pot roast, potatoes, onions, carrots, biscuits

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Monday
chicken in mustard sauce*, green beans
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Tuesday

taco dinner tuesday for hubby and the kids
leftovers for me

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Wednesday
breakfast for dinner
eggs, pancakes, bacon, sausage, toast and my favorite; egg & veggie frittata

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Thursday
crustless pizza*
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Friday
Leftover Buffet

if there are no leftovers, we'll order take out
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Saturday
honey lime shrimp*, cilantro lime rice
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*first time making recipe

For more menu planning ideas, head on over to orgjunkie.com

Menu Plan 3/24/13 - 3/30/13

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Sunday

steak tips, ritzy chicken*, smashed potatoes, steamed veggies
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Monday
marinated chicken, steamed veggies
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Tuesday

taco dinner tuesday for hubby and the kids
leftovers for me

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Wednesday
breakfast for dinner
eggs, pancakes, bacon, sausage, toast and my favorite; egg & veggie frittata
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Thursday
man pleasing chicken*, steamed veggies
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Friday
Leftover Buffet

if there are no leftovers, we'll order take out
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Saturday
homemade white castle burgers*, french fries
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*first time making recipe

For more menu planning ideas, head on over to orgjunkie.com

Menu Plan 3/17/13 - 3/23/13

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Sunday

dinner at my mother-in-laws

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Monday
pizza
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Tuesday

kids eat dinner at their granny's house
leftovers or something on the road for me (I have school at night)

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Wednesday
breakfast for dinner
eggs, pancakes, bacon, sausage, toast and my favorite; egg & veggie frittata
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Thursday
dinner out
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Friday
poppy seed chicken*

if there are no leftovers, we'll order take out
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Saturday
easy chicken cordon bleu*, green beans
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*first time making recipe

For more menu planning ideas, head on over to orgjunkie.com

Menu Plan 3/10/13 - 3/16/13

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Sunday

baked artichoke chicken*, steamed green beans

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Monday
parmesan-ranch chicken*, sliced cucumbers
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Tuesday

taco dinner tuesday for hubby and the kids
leftovers for me

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Wednesday
breakfast for dinner
eggs, pancakes, bacon, sausage, toast and my favorite; egg & veggie frittata
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Thursday
poppy seed chicken*, steamed broccoli
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Friday
Leftover Buffet

if there are no leftovers, we'll order take out
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Saturday
crockpot mongolian beef*, broccoli
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*first time making recipe

For more menu planning ideas, head on over to orgjunkie.com

Menu Plan 3/3/13 - 3/9/13

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Sunday

turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, steamed asparagus, gravy

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Monday
marinated steak, lobster, steamed veggies
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Tuesday

dinner out - Claire's Birthday, her choice

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Wednesday
breakfast for dinner
eggs, pancakes, bacon, sausage, toast and my favorite; egg & veggie frittata
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Thursday
breaded chicken, honey mustard sauce, fresh fruit
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Friday
Leftover Buffet

if there are no leftovers, we'll order take out
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Saturday
chicken lettuce wraps, fresh fruit
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*first time making recipe

For more menu planning ideas, head on over to orgjunkie.com

Menu Plan 2/24/13 - 3/1/13

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Sunday

crockpot turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy

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Monday
breaded pork chops, steamed veggie, fresh fruit
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Tuesday

taco dinner tuesday for hubby and the kids
leftovers for me

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Wednesday
breakfast for dinner
eggs, pancakes, bacon, sausage, toast and my favorite; egg & veggie frittata
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Thursday
kielbasa, green beans
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Friday
Leftover Buffet

if there are no leftovers, we'll order take out
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Saturday
daughter's bday celebration

My daughter will be turning 13 next week and we plan on celebrating her birthday with the family today.  She has a basketball game and after that everyone is invited back to our home for dinner.  I will have my daughter help plan the menu.
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*first time making recipe

For more menu planning ideas, head on over to orgjunkie.com

Menu Plan 2/17/13 - 2/23/13

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Sunday

shepherd's pie*

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Monday
chicken parm, green beans, fresh fruit
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Tuesday

taco dinner tuesday for hubby and the kids
leftovers for me

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Wednesday
breakfast for dinner
eggs, pancakes, bacon, sausage, toast and my favorite; egg & veggie frittata

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Thursday
taco rice
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Friday
Leftover Buffet

if there are no leftovers, we'll order take out
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Saturday
turkey kielbasa, grilled cabbage
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*first time making recipe

For more menu planning ideas, head on over to orgjunkie.com