Monthly Archives: June 2015

Jun 4

May’s Favorite Photos

May flew by way too quickly. The kids enjoyed their last month of school, and I tried to keep up with all of it.

Summer is in full swing, and the weather is finally improving. I hope to have lots of photos to share from the month of June.

Speaking of June… Today is an extra special day in June. It is my Mom’s Birthday! Sending great big birthday hugs, and the happiest of wishes your way Mom! Have an amazing day!

Jun 3

May’s Veggie Meals

I stuck with my veggie ways for another month, and so far I’m five months going strong. I’m going to keep going through June too. I made lots of tasty meals, and here is my list to share with you.

  • 5/1/2015: Take-out @ Wendy’s and Arby’s: Baked Potato with Cheese, and Curly Fries
  • 5/2/2015: Take-out @ Taco Bell: One Bean Burrito and Nachos
  • 5/3/2015: Baked Potato Bites with Cheese and Broccoli
  • 5/4/2015: Take-out @ McDonald’s: Two Fruit and Yogurt Parfaits
  • 5/5/2015: Guacamole Salad and Tortilla Chips
  • 5/6/2015: Chopped Salad with Sunflower Seeds, and Pickled Okra (vegan)
  • 5/7/2015: Cheese Burritos, Tortilla Chips, and Homemade Salsa
  • 5/8/2015: PB & J’s
  • 5/9/2015: Fruit and Fresh Veggies (raw and vegan)
  • 5/10/2015: Dessert for Dinner Homemade Chocolate Mousse
  • 5/11/2015: Coconut & Chia Granola with Blackberries (vegan)
  • 5/12/2015: Tortilla Chips, Re-fried beans & Cheese, and Homemade Salsa
  • 5/13/2015: Veggie Chili Mac with Corn and Okra
  • 5/14/2015: Hummus with Veggie Sticks and Pita Chips
  • 5/15/2015: Take-out @ Pizza Hut: Thin Crust Cheese Pizza
  • 5/16/2015: Hummus with Veggie Sticks, Pita Chips, and Fresh Fruit
  • 5/17/2015: Roasted Veggies and Steak Fries (vegan)
  • 5/18/2015: Bean & Cheese Burrito, Tortilla Chips, and Homemade Salsa
  • 5/19/2015: Salad with Croutons, and Wheat Rolls
  • 5/20/2015: Roasted Veggies and Steak Fries (vegan)
  • 5/21/2015: Veggie Burrito with Monterey Jack Cheese, Tortilla Chips, and Homemade Salsa
  • 5/22/2015: Take-out @ Pizza Hut: Thin Crust Cheese Pizza
  • 5/23/2015: Pancakes
  • 5/24/2015: Spaghetti and Homemade Bread
  • 5/25/2015: Rice & Lentils, and Hominy
  • 5/26/2015: Veggie Burrito with Monterey Jack Cheese, and Tortilla Chips
  • 5/27/2015: Take-out @ Taco Bell: Two Bean Burritos
  • 5/28/2015: Mashed Potatoes (late snack in the afternoon, I wasn’t too hungry)
  • 5/29/2015: Roasted Veggies with Chickpeas (vegan)
  • 5/30/2015: Roasted Veggies with Chickpeas, Fresh Fruit, and Greek Yogurt
  • 5/31/2015: Baked Pasta with Mozzarella Cheese, Green Olives, and Breadstick Dinner Rolls

I’ll have some photos up soon. We got to the store this morning, so I’m all stocked up on veggies.

 

Jun 2

May’s Tasty Treats

This Summer the kitchen is my home sweet home. I’m either cleaning up, washing dishes, cooking ahead a meal, grabbing snacks, or baking something, a.k.a. I have become my Grandmother… Yesterday, I spent the entire day baking and preparing Sourdough dough, and I’ve already got bread in the oven this morning.

I have a few photos to share from my kitchen in May, and one seriously EPIC FAIL from my kitchen too…

Chocolate Chip Cookies…. Cookies, cookies, cookies. I keep asking my family if they would like me to bake anything else, and nope, just Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Cinnamon Rolls, breadmaker cheater batch. I’ve been stocking the fridge for grab and go breakfasts for James, and Cinnamon Rolls fit the bill. I take a little (well a lot) of help from the breadmaker with this recipe, and proof the dough with it instead. It really does cut down the time, but I feel a little guilty.

Homemade Chocolate Mousse. I made this for myself for Mother’s Day. I also froze half of the batch, and made some amazing ice cream out of it.

I made a big batch of Cherry Cheesecake Pudding. I’ve been making lots of cool desserts lately. This one was absolutely delicious, even though my family wouldn’t try it, because they don’t like cheesecake, and they are crazy…

Agnes and I made a batch of Sunbeam Cookies, the kids loved them!

Banana Muffins, I double the batch, and keep them in the fridge for fast breakfast. The kids even like them for dessert too.

We have been going through a lot of bread, so I’m making a few loaves from scratch for the kiddos lunches. It is so tasty, and makes the best grilled cheese sandwiches.

Depression Cake, Snack Cake, Wacky Cake, Crazy Cake, whatever you call it, throw some ice cream on top of it, and it is dessert.

So the tiny ones have been wanting to help me in the kitchen. They like to help prep ingredients, and make suggestions on what to make next. We were watching a cooking show on Food Network when they spotted Marshmallow Dream Brownies. The tiny ones said right away that we needed to make them.

To the internet, to obtain the recipe, and to the store for the extra ingredients, and then off to the kitchen to follow the direction step by step,

And I ended up with an entire pan of FAIL! O.k., so we called them spoon brownies, and they did taste pretty good. I’m going to try this recipe again, but this time, I’m using a bigger pan.

I hear my oven beeping, so it is time to take the Sourdough Rolls out of the oven. I had better get to it.

Jun 1

Monthly Dinner Menu For June

To me it still feels like March. The weather is cool and rainy, and it just doesn’t seem like it should be Summer just yet. It is the first day of June, and that means that it is time for another monthly dinner menu.

Here are a few little things that are going to be different with my Summer dinner menus.

While they are not going to be zero take-out months, I’m trying to stick to cooking in the kitchen. Lately every time we’ve grabbed take-out (no matter where it has been from) , it hasn’t been good… The food has been cold, gummy, or just iffy, even the kids are starting to complain about their favorite spots. So, I’m going to plan a meal, but opt for a meal out if we really feel like it.

Yes, there are a lot of repeats… I’m trying to stick to my weekly budget, and I’m having a hard time doing so. All three kids are home, and eating around the clock, so I need some budget friendly meals to fix in a hurry.

I’m still sticking with my lacto-ovo vegetarian ways, and so happy about it. I’ll post my meals after the first of the month, as I do not follow a daily menu.

So with all of that here we go. Hello June, and hello to another monthly dinner menu.

  • 6/1/15: BBQ Chicken Sandwiches, and Tater Tots
  • 6/2/15: Chicken Soft Tacos, Tortilla Chips, and Homemade Salsa
  • 6/3/15: Panko Popcorn Chicken and Curly Fries
  • 6/4/15: Tacos, Tortilla Chips, and Homemade Salsa
  • 6/5/15: Take-out or Snack Dinner BBQ Lil’s Smokies, Veggie Sticks and Hummus, Chips and Dip
  • 6/6/15: Cinnamon Rolls, Bacon, Toast, and Breakfast Potatoes
  • 6/7/15: Chicken Noodles, Mashed Potatoes, and Dinner Rolls
  • 6/8/15: Panko Chicken Sandwiches and Curly Fries
  • 6/9/15: Tacos, Tortilla Chips, and Homemade Salsa
  • 6/10/15: Homemade Chicken Rice-a-Roni, Hominy, and Dinner Rolls
  • 6/11/15: Beef Soft Tacos, Tortilla Chips, and Homemade Salsa
  • 6/12/15: Take-out or Grilled Chicken, Rice, Corn, and Wheat Dinner Rolls
  • 6/13/15: Pancakes, Toast, Fruit, and Bacon
  • 6/14/15: Steaks and Steak Fries
  • 6/15/15: Salmon Bites, Salad, and Breadstick Dinner Rolls
  • 6/16/15: Tostadas, Tortills Chips, and Homemade Salsa
  • 6/17/15: Panko Popcorn Chicken and Tater Tots
  • 6/18/15: Tacos, Tortilla Chips, and Homemade Salsa
  • 6/19/15: Take-out or Salmon Cakes, Rice, Corn, and Dinner Rolls
  • 6/20/15: Waffles, Toast, Fresh Fruit, and Bacon
  • 6/21/15: Fried Chicken, Spaghetti, Hominy, Dinner Rolls, and Chocolate Bundt Cake
  • 6/22/15: Homemade Beef Rice-a-Roni, Hominy, and Homemade Bread
  • 6/23/15: Tacos, Tortilla Chips, and Homemade Salsa
  • 6/24/15: Grilled Chicken, Salad, and Breadstick Dinner Rolls
  • 6/25/15: Beef Soft Tacos, Tortilla Chips, and Homemade Salsa
  • 6/26/15: Take-out or Panko Chicken Sandwiches and Tater Tots
  • 6/27/15: Pancakes, Bacon, Toast, and Fresh Fruit
  • 6/28/15: Pot Roast with Potatoes, and Dinner Rolls
  • 6/29/15: Salmon Bites, Salad, and Breadstick Dinner Rolls
  • 6/30/15: Chicken Soft Tacos, Tortilla Chips, and Homemade Salsa

Time to get to it. Happy Monday everybody!