Menu for the week of August 30th

This week we are getting back into our normal daily schedule. Sam starts back to work this week and school starts next week. Hitting the pantry this week, being frugal! And I'm thankful for my in laws gift of meat for our freezer for our anniversary. Last week we stayed at Sam's parents house so he could paint, I baked up a storm. I hope to share some recipes and photos this week!

Monday -
Breakfast - Oatmeal with fresh preaches (yum yum!)
Lunch - Leftovers
Dinner - Hamburgers on the grill (lovely coupon from Price Chopper, 6 frozen burgers for 3 bucks last week!) with yellow squash on the grill too!

Tuesday -
Breakfast - Cold Cereal
Lunch - Grilled Cheese Tomato Soup
Dinner - We are eating with my grandmother so is bringing her homemade spaghetti sauce, I can't wait! My Dad will join us also. I think I'll make some homemade bread, even though it is something that I'm not very good at.

Wednesday - Sam's first day back at work
Breakfast - Cold Cereal
Lunch - Cheese/Crackers/PB
Dinner - Steak on the grill with a Pasta rice side from the pantry

Thursday -
Breakfast - Cold Cereal
Lunch - Leftovers
Dinner - One Pot Spaghetti (with my own homemade sauce!)

Friday -
Breakfast - Waffles
Lunch - Sandwiches
Dinner - Leftovers

Saturday -
Breakfast - Cereal
Then we are singing at the nursing home, Sam is headed to church to work on stuff and I'm heading up to my sisters for the day!

Sunday -
Our usual snacks when we get home...Popcorn/Crackers/Cheese/Fruit/Fresh Veggies

Baked Apple Cinnamon French Toast

Bake Apple Cinnamon French Toast

1 1/2 C Kefir
4 egg whites
1 1/2 T honey
3/4 t vanilla (I'll bump this to one full t next time)
1/8 t salt
2 chopped apples (I also threw in one small pear)
1/4 c raisins
3/4 t cinnamon (I'll use more next time)
1/4 t nutmeg
1/2 pound whole wheat loaf bread

Preparation:

1. Trip crusts off 5 slices of bread and set aside. Cut the crusts and the remaining bread into 1 inch pieces. Toss with apples and raisins.
2. Whisk Kefir, egg whites, honey, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in bowl.
   
3. Coat a 8x8 inch pan with cooking spray. Transfer the bread mixture to the pan. Lay the reserved crustless slices on top. Pour egg mixture evenly over the bread. Press the bread down with the back of a wooden spoon, making sure it is evenly moist. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.
   
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 40mins.

The directions said to bake for 40 mins covered and then uncovered for another 2o mins. I totally didn't do that, oops. Should've read the directions a bit more carefully! Still it turned out just fine! We ate it with maple syrup on top! I felt like it was missing a kick to it, next time I'll add more spices to see if that does it. Still yummy, and I'll make it again!

Whole Wheat Pancakes

I know, I didn't get a picture of these...we ate them up before the thought even entered my mind. They were GOOD. So so so good. This is my tweaked recipe, not the original.

Whole Wheat Pancakes

1 egg (next time I MIGHT use egg beaters)
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour (I did use some white whole wheat since my whole wheat is gone :( so sad!)
1/4 cup wheat germ
1 T ground flax seed
1 1/2 cup Kefir (I probably did more like 2 cups to get the batter thinned out)
1/2 cup apple sauce - unsweetened
6 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon (but I love a heavy cinnamon flavor!)
A dash of vanilla (maybe 1 tsp? I didn't measure...)

Mix it all together. Cook in a heated griddle, I keep mine around 300. I used a 1/4 cup measuring cup to pour the batter out.

Makes 20 pancakes, 2 pancakes per serving (don't worry we all at more than the per serving! :) )

Cals: 110.0
Fat: .4g
Carbs: 22.1g
Protein: 5.5g
I wish the info gave the fiber amount!

Enjoy! Let me know how you like them or what you do to tweak the recipe!

Menu for August 16th

We are nearing the end of the summer, and other school teachers will understand that we are eagerly waiting for our first paycheck back! That means that everything for the next three-ish weeks is all about frugal! Sam is also going to be painting his parents house, so we will be spending a few days up at their place over the next few weeks...that makes menu planning much easier for me! Basically I'm planning meals for today and breakfast/lunch tomorrow and then breakfast/lunch on Friday!

Monday - Breakfast - Oatmeal/Fruit
Lunch - Leftovers - Baked breaded ravioli/pizza
Dinner - loaded mac and cheese (with turkey sausage and frozen veggies

Tuesday - Breakfast - Baked Apple-Cinnamon French Toast (recipe posted above!)
Lunch - Leftovers

Wednesday/Thursday We are at Sam's parents house while he paints

Friday - Breakfast - Muffins/Cereal
Lunch - Sandwiches in the car while we go and visit friends in Canada

Saturday - Visiting Friends in Canada!!

Sunday - We may be headed back up to Sam's parents house so he can paint some more for a few days...

See? I told you easy peasy! Linked this up to "I'm a Organizing Junkie" (which I am not..hahaha!) for lots of other meal planning ideas!

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

So late last night while the boys were at church and I was at home with a not feeling so hot little girl, I had the urge to bake. And something totally different for me. Cinnamon Swirl bread! I just asked Sam what he wanted for breakfast tomorrow morning and his reply? More of your bread! So I guess that is a score! It was totally yummy and all of my children ate it! Double score.

If you know me, I'm slightly passionate about making healthy foods that are still flavorful. And you know that I wouldn't just make this recipe as it without adding my touch. I totally would've used my Kefir instead of the milk but they (the grains) were still hanging out in my Mum's fridge from our move and camping trip. I also bumped the amount of cinnamon since I love the heavy cinnamon flavor!

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

Ingredients:

• 1 T butter
• 1/2 cup milk (next time I'll use Kefir)
• 1 package of active dry yeast
• 3/4 cup warm water
• 2 T sugar (I used raw sugar)
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 t cinnamon (I used 1 1/2 t)
• 3 cups of flour (I used white whole wheat, next time I'll do a cup of whole wheat and keep the rest white whole wheat)
• 2 T butter, softened (I let it sit at room temp while my dough did its thing)
• 2 T sugar (Raw sugar)
• 1 T cinnamon (a nice heaping tablespoonful)

Preparation:

1. Warm milk and 1 T butter in a small saucepan until the butter is melted. Let sit until it is lukewarm.
2. Mix water and yeast until the yeast is dissolved. I usually just do this in my 1 cup liquid measuring cup.
3. In a large bowl, add 2 T of sugar, salt and 1 tsp cinnamon (or more!!) Pour in luke warm milk and butter. Mix until the sugar and salt is dissolved and then add the yeast and water.
4. Mix in 2 1/2 cups flour. Turn onto floured surface and knead in remaining flour until the dough is soft and smooth. (Oh Kitchen Aid, thank you!)
5. Put dough in a greased bowl and turn dough so that the top is greased. I just grease the bowl from my mixer and throw it back in there. Cover and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until dough doubles.
6. My favorite part of bread/dough making! PUNCH down dough with your fist. Go ahead, take out some frustration. Turn dough out onto floured board and knead for about 1 minute.
7. Roll dough out into a basic rectangle. Spread the 2 T of softened butter on the dough. Evenly spread 2 T sugar and 1 T cinnamon on top of the butter.
8. Roll up dough and form into 1 loaf. Put into buttered bread pan. Cover and let rise until double, about 30 minutes.
9. The directions said to 'score' the dough by cutting three slashes across the top with a sharp knife. This is new to me...but I obeyed and am not sure why? Any insight?
10. Bake for 45 minutes at 375 degrees F. I baked more like 42 minutes at 360...I have a difficult time following directions.
11. Turn out on rack, let cool. Then eat the whole thing. I promise you'll be thankful the recipe only makes ONE loaf. Or not. I may double this next time, we loved it that much.

I also added some Confectioners sugar frosting. Of course, I didn't measure a thing. Through a cup or so of sugar in a bowl and then adding french vanilla coffee creamer until I had the consistency that I was looking for.

And I'm hungry for this again. Did I mention your house will smell so delicious?

Menu planning has simplified my life. Seriously. It has. I enjoy the 4pm hour now without much fuss and my shopping trips aren't meaningless walks around the grocery store. I'm making food that is healthier. I enjoy being in the kitchen.

I know I know...shocking.

I'm going to share my menu on Monday morning. I'll do my best to link my recipes if they are online or to share the recipes. I'll also use this blog to post about my cooking attempts. I'm always looking for healthier options to favorite recipes and enjoy tweaking some well loved ones. Sometimes my husband just wishes I'd leave well enough alone, but I just can't help it!