Menu Planner

Happy Sunday! I have an open today and this awesome home! If you are local, come check it out!

Here goes with this week's menu planner....

Sunday....Paula Deen's Gumbo served over Rice

Monday....Spaghetti Carbonara, Salad, Bread

Tuesday...Kickin' Chicken (recipe below), Bean & Rice, Corn

Wednesday...Bratwurst, French Fries

Thursday...Ina Garden's Weeknight Bolognese, Salad, Bread

Kickin' Chicken with Crunch
6 pieces of white bread for breadcrumbs
2 tbsp olive oil
4 medium chicken breast, boneless skinless
1 cup plain yogurt, low-fat
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 1/2 cups tortilla chips, crushed
1 tbsp thyme
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup jarred jalapenos, chopped
1 medium lime

Make breadcrumbs by tearing about 6 pieces of white bread into 2 inch squares. Blend in flood processor. Toss breadcrumbs with 2 tbsp olive oil and a pinch of salt. Heat in a skillet for 5 minutes or until slightly brown. (I sometimes use store bought breadcrumbs and they work fine.)

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Flatten chicken breast with meat mallet to even out thickness.

In a large bowl, mix yogurt, brown sugar, chili powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Add chicken breast to mixture. You can marinate in mixture up to 24 hours or proceed.

In a shallow bowl, mix breadcrumbs, tortilla chips, thyme, cheddar and jalapenos. Coat marinated chicken with breadcrumb mixture. Using your hands, press the mixture into the chicken.

Transfer chicken on to foil lined baking dish and bake for 20-25 minutes. Serve immediately with lime wedges for squeezing over the chicken.

Weekend Recap & Menu Planner

Yesterday, was a beautiful day here in Richmond! We met Michael's parents and sister's children at Bottom's Up Pizza then spent the afternoon near Brown Island on the T-Pot bridge and Buttermilk Trail! It was a little muddy but we all survived. It felt nice to be outside after all the snow days! ⛄

I have been trying to step up my menu planner presentation. I created this graphic and was hoping to have links in the graphic. I think that is pretty varsity skill but it is good to have goals. 😉 Links below the graphic.

Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday

Snow Week Recap & Menu Planner

Happy Saturday! Is it Saturday? I am so confused about the days since we seem to have a never ending Christmas break that I am afraid may even go into next week. 😨 #bombogenesis

I am ready for a warm up...so is Piper!

We (to be honest mostly Michael) have been working on a home improvement project. We pulled up the flooring in our mudroom and added new groutable peel and stick vinyl tiles. I am waiting to get everything completely finished and I will do a post on the process. Here is a sneak peak!

Since we have had a lot of inside time, I decided to rework this bookcase. Camille & I spent an hour or so working on it and I do like it much better!

 And after!

Here goes with this week's menu planner!

Saturday...Mini Man Burgers, French Fries

Sunday...Tacos with ground turkey. Camille eats vegetarian tacos with pinto beans. Clyde just eats the shell. 😩

Monday....Skinnytaste Mongolian Beef & Broccoli

Tuesday...Breakfast for dinner! My kids love this and Michael is not a huge fan. This time I am serving pancakes, sausage, bacon and this crustless quiche.

Wednesday....Homemade pizza (we use this dough recipe). I will cook one pepperoni and one Buffalo Chicken and Ranch Pizza.  I also recently tried this dough found in the refrigerated section at Kroger and thought it was pretty good and very easy to cook!

Thursday...not sure! I ran out of inspiration.😕

Hope you have a great rest of the weekend! Stay warm! Pray for school Monday!  🙏

Happy New Year & a Menu Planner

Happy 2018!

I think this break has been one of the best ones yet! We saw friends and family, slept late, relaxed and celebrated....I didn't want it to end. But this morning when I woke up it felt like it was time to put away the Christmas decoration and get back into a routine. 6:15 am is going to be a rude awakening tomorrow!

Here are some highlights from Christmas....

Here goes with this week's menu planner!

Monday....Chicken & Cabbage Tacos with Cilantro Cream

Tuesday....Cheddar Turkey Burgers with Avocado Mash, French Fries

Wednesday....BBQ, Corn, Pinto Beans

Thursday....Smoked Sausage, Parmesan Risotto, Roasted Broccoli 

Southern Living Christmas Cookbook

I have partnered again this year with the Ronald McDonald House to help spread the word about their Southern Living Christmas Cookbook sold exclusively at Dillard's. (You can check out my previous posts here and here.) The Ronald McDonald House provides a warm and inviting home away from home for families with critically ill children receiving treatment at our local hospitals. Last year, the Ronald McDonald House helped 7,000 people and they are slated to do more this year!

The Southern Living Christmas Cookbook is being sold again this year for only $10. You can find it at the Stony Point & Short Pump Dillard's as well as on-line. All proceeds go directly to the Ronald McDonald House.

We entertain a lot during the holidays and I love to flip through my collection of these cookbooks. This year's edition features not only recipes for Christmas time but also other occasions throughout the year such as Thanksgiving, Easter, Father's Day. There are tons of ideas for tablescapes as well. I have personally made the breakfast enchiladas included in the cookbook and I highly recommend them!

This year Camille, Clyde and I made the Gingerbread House Cutout cookies. They were so easy to make and very tasty! Our decorating did not turn out quite as cute as the picture! But C & C had tons of fun rolling the dough and cutting the shape then adding icing and candies. Much easier to pull together than a gingerbread house and also would make a cute gift for friends.

This is such a great gift idea for someone who loves to cook, decorate or entertain! Also a steal at $10 and all proceeds benefit our local Ronald McDonald House. Pick yours up at Dillard's or online.

Menu Planner

Sunday: Do The Dukkah Chicken, Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Broccoli

Monday: Breakfast for Dinner - French Toast, Eggs, Sausage, Bacon

Tuesday: Meatball Subs, Fries, Salad

Wednesday: Spicy Sausage Pasta

Thursday: Chicken Fajitas

Amazon Finds & Menu Planner

Happy Saturday! We are having a low key weekend which is a welcome change. I woke up early today planned my meals, ordered Clicklist, picked up Clicklist and then had time to sit down and write this post. I wanted to share some of my recent Amazon finds and then scroll all the way down for my menu planner.

Starfiber Microfiber Kitchen Scrubbies, 4-Pack

I can't remember how I ran across these Starfiber Microfiber Kitchen Scrubbie sponges but I 💓 them! They come in a 4 pack and they have a rough side and a smooth side. The best part is you wash them in your washing machine and they come out perfect!

Camille recently had to transform a pumpkin into a storybook character for a project at school. She choose the book, Harper and the Scarlet Umbrella by Cerrie Burnell. This is such a cute story and she loved the book! She just started Harper and the Circus of Dreams.

I received a review copy of Chef Gino's Taste Test Challenge: 100+ Winning Recipes That Any Kid Can Cook by Gino Campagna recently. I flipped through it and must say I didn't see a ton of recipes that I thought my kids would make. However, I was out with Clyde earlier today and came home and Camille and Michael had proved me wrong, they made homemade pizza dough using Chef Gino's recipe! It was delicious.

 

                                   

Finally, I just started reading The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo: A Novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid yesterday and am really enjoying it so far!  

Here goes with this week's menu planner...

Sunday...Chicken Noodle Soup with Blueberry Muffins, Pear Slices 

Monday...Do the Dukkah Chicken, Sweet Potatoes, Roasted Green Beans w/Almonds

Tuesday....Chopped Mexican Salad

Wednesday....Kate's Italian Sausage Pasta

Thursday...Mini Man Burgers, Fries, Roasted Broccoli