Author: deannak360

It’s been a while. A very long while.

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2019, Week 9 (we start our week on Sunday)

I don’t even know what I’m making for dinner tonight, and it’s 2:00 pm (when I started writing this post). Who knows what time it will be when it gets published.

Menu planning has *got* to make a comeback in this house. Since August 2018, my menu planning has taken a back seat while selling our house and moving (we moved last month), and all the chaos it brings has taken a very prominent front seat. We are now settled in a temporary living space while our permanent living space takes shape.. aka construction.

So what do I have in my pantry, freezer, or refrigerator.

I have meatballs, bratwurst, roast, chicken (I think), hamburger, and an abundance of hot dogs. Let’s get to work on a simple meal plan. Family activities and the weather can often influence our menu. Simplest meals are made on the busiest days of the week. Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday will all be quite full this week. By Pacific Northwest standards, it’s going to be a cooler week, so some “warmer” comfort foods may make an appearance.

Disclaimer: I am not an affiliate of any brand or product. If I mention a product/brand, it’s simply a personal/dietary preference.

Sunday (today): Chicken & Dumplings – from The Novice Chef

Monday: Bratwurst with Broccoli and Potatoes. I’ll be making this up as we go along. I’ve got all three that need to be used. If it turns out well, I might post a picture or recipe (note to self).

Tuesday: Tacos – I am a firm believer in having a few staple/weekly meals. Taco Tuesday lives on. Some weeks are beef tacos, others may include chicken or fish. We’ve also been known to make this a meatless meal by incorporating TVP, inspired by The Spruce Eats.

Wednesday:  Meatballs & mashed potatoes. Easy meal that everyone loves. When I have time to make the meatballs from scratch, “Someone Pasta the Meatballs” from Janet and Greta Podlaski’s cookbook “Looneyspoons Collection” is my favorite. When time is not on my side, I use Cooked Perfect All Natural Chicken Meatballs, in the crock pot or in the oven with a little water (1/2 cup) thrown in the baking dish to keep them moist.

Thursday: Breakfast for Dinner (scrambled eggs, bacon, hash browns and toast). This is another weekly/staple meal. Will be sharing my favorite crispy oven potatoes recipe soon (note to self).

Friday: Hot Dogs – incredibly busy day will call for an incredibly simple dinner.

Saturday: Hamburgers – the weather looks decent (finally!), so grilling is an option.

It’s now just after 3:00 pm, and I have a plan for the week. The load of things that I need to remember has just been lightened a bit!

What are some of your “go to” meals?

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Week Two – Menu at Brown Dog Trail

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This week arrived on time and I’m in a bit of a panic that my menu plan isn’t done for the month. I wasn’t ready for Christmas Break to be over (yes, we take breaks in our homeschool), and our schedule got very busy, very fast. Still behind a day or so, I’m brainstorming this menu as I am writing this post. Mr. K and I have a hot date this Friday: dinner and grocery shopping. Those with kids will understand!

The rest of the month will be planned before our date, and life will hopefully resume a normal temperature soon. So here we go:

January 8,2017 – January 15, 2017

  • Sunday, January 8 – Refrigerator Cleanout. We will not be having leftovers again tomorrow night. We all refuse.
  • Monday, January 9 – Mississippi Roast Beef (maybe this one), Mashed Potatoes, and Sautéed Veggies.
  • Tuesday, January 10 – Taco Night Returns!
  • Wednesday, January 12 – Nachos or French Dip.. depends on leftovers. 
  • Thursday, January 13 – Breakfast (scrambled eggs, sausage/bacon, and toast. Possibly a breakfast casserole).
  • Friday, January 14 – DATE NIGHT! Grandparents are in charge of dinner.

Week One – Brown Dog Trail Menu

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There’s a trail near our place named “Brown Dog,” so hence, the name of our menu. Menus need names.

Week One has passed, so I am posting past tense. Working on getting my game back. Ha!

January 1, 2017 – January 7, 2017

  • Sunday, January 1 – I believe we had breakfast for dinner. Long story, and it’s not that interesting unless you like living without a plan. No plan makes me crazy, end of story.
  • Monday, January 2 – Prime Rib, Sautéed Veggies, Steak Fries. Was supposed to be January 1, per our family tradition, but the “no plan,” thing…
  • Tuesday, January 3 – Prime Rib Dip and Salad.
  • Wednesday, January 4 – McDonalds. Yup, I am that mom. AWANA night means eating on the run. Or in the car. I don’t run.
  • Thursday, January 5 – Pretty sure we had breakfast again. Scrambled eggs, sausages and toast.
  • Friday, January 6 – Fried Chicken and Salad Bar. Yum.
  • Saturday, January 7 – Super Bowl Playoffs Night (Go Hawks!) We are like champions. Hot dogs, tater tots, and salad.

Next week will be better. 

Switching gears.. 

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Over the next month or two, there will be some changes around this blog.. it’s purpose has been purely personal, and I’m trying to figure out how to make it relevant to both me and you. So excuse the mess, and the leap from one subject to another with each post. I suspect most of this week’s posts will be centered around food, but there may be a few faith moments, and a few random topics. We shall see!

I Didn’t Know it Would End Like This.

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The title of this post sounds forlorn and a little melancholy. I suppose there may be some of that in there. A little bittersweet, too. This isn’t the end of a relationship, though, but rather a continuing in the journey. It IS the end of a year, however. It is the end of a year of growing, maturing, and wrestling with my faith. It is also the beginning of a new year of continuing growing and maturing, and I suspect there will be some wrestling again in there somewhere too.

phone-appIn the middle of 2015, I decided to check out the app, Daily Audio Bible. I really wanted to listen to the Bible from beginning to end, but much of the year had passed and I was not able to catch up by the end of the year. So 2016 arrived, and I decided again that I would make it a personal goal to follow the podcast and listen to the Bible in a year. I am not naive in that I knew my life would be different at the end of the year, but I did not expect how it would be different. I did not anticipate how listening to the last podcast of 2016 would have me sobbing, praying with the spirit of thankfulness, for Jesus’ mercy and faithfulness in the last year. I felt like I had come to end of the first BIG milestone in my faith, and I was breathless, completely poured out, but ready for the next part of the journey to begin. So I’ve committed to another year of reading/listening through God’s word via Daily Audio Bible. Thank you to everyone at DAB for your ministry, lives are being changed because of your obedience to God’s calling on your hearts.

Goodbye 2016. Boy, has it been real. I really didn’t expect it to end this way, but I am really looking forward to the journey in 2017. God has brought me this far, and I’m still trusting Him to lead.