Category Archives: Nico

Mar 10

Lunch Menu 3/9-3/15

We are in week 2 of the “Not Going Out In March Challenge”, and I’ve got another yummy lunch menu planned. Here is what we are having for lunch this week.

  • 3/9/09: Chicken Rings and Fries
  • 3/10/09:Chili and Crackers (The Chili was on hand in the freezer)
  • 3/11/09: Salmon Cakes, Corn, and Rice
  • 3/12/09: Turkey Soup and Grilled Cheese Sandwiches (Soup on hand in the freezer)
  • 3/13/09: Angus Burgers and Fries
  • 3/14/09: Chicken Chow Mien and Chow Mien Noodles
  • 3/15/09: Spaghetti, Black Olives, and Garlic Bread

I’ve also got a few yummy breakfasts planned for this week too. I made Monkey Bread on Sunday, and we still have a bit leftover for a quick breakfast. I will also be making James favorite Biscuits & Gravy with Sausage. I’ll be using with leftover Biscuits from Sunday night’s bbq. The boy’s are also still craving waffles, and I’ve got plenty on hand for the kiddos.

This week I’ll also be baking a few loaves of bread, and making some Chocolate Chip cookies for the kiddos too. It looks like it is going to be another tasty week.

Mar 9

Walk KS Challenge

Over the next two months I am taking part Walk KS, and I’m ready for the challenge. We have a great team lead by my dear friend Stacey, and many MOPS Mommies are on the team too. I hope to keep motivated, eat better, and get healthier.

Saturday we went to the Walk KS kick-off and my boys really learned a lot! Thade was even better about eating his veggies at dinner time last night, thanks to a motivational speaker named Rich. If Walk KS can get Thade to eat his fruits and veggies than it is well worth it!

Mar 8

Not Going Out Week 1 Review

Saturday brought the end of week 1 of the “Not Going Out In March Challenge”, and so far it is going pretty good. Thade is still wishing that we could stop off for a Happy Meal (thanks new Spiderman Toy commercials that run constantly), but James is holding strong. He even passed up a lunch out, to come home to a home-cooked meal, kudos to James. I even resisted the easy pick-up meal after a busy Friday morning, thanks to a well planned lunch menu.

But then there is the not so good… My kitchen pretty much always looks like the picture above. It is such a mess. Who knew making so many meals and snacks would use that many dishes. Oh well, it is pretty rewarding when I finally get that mess all cleaned up at the end of the day.

I am also running through staple items in the kitchen like crazy. I’ve already used 5 lbs of flour, and I just ran out of Sugar too. I’ll need to keep both of those items well stocked for this March’s challenge.

The good… The home-cooked food seems to taste much better than their take-out counterpart. James and Thade have said everything is so yummy on several occasions. Thade threw his arms around me after Friday’s Fajita night and gave me a hug, and then he said “everything is just so tasty”. The recent “yummy” comments have me wondering, is fast food is killing our taste buds?!? Could all of those preservatives and additives be robbing us of yummy flavor? Maybe they were just really hungry, but it is strange.

I was also surprised to see just how little garbage we had to take out this week. The cans were so low, that we were missed entirely. I know that that is all due to not grabbing take-out along with bringing home all of the take-out packaging waste that comes along.

So I am looking ahead to week 2, and I’ll have another report on next Saturday. Let’s see if we can make it one more week away from our favorite drive thru places.

Mar 7

Another Addition to the Crazy Month of March

March brings Dylan’s birthday, Spring planting, Spring cleaning to be done, and Spring Break. Yep preschool has Spring Break too. As I was looking at the calendar I noticed that Thade is only going to school for 8 days this month. Whoa, this is going to be one long month… Thade loves going to preschool, and I know he is going to really miss it during the break.

I guess I should start racking my brain and come up with a few activites to keep Thade busy during the break. Wish me luck…

Mar 5

At Home Arby’s

Since we are missing take-out, I’ve got a few faux take-out meals to keep the drive thru temptations away. Last night I made at Home Arby’s, and it was so darn good, it might just be tough to go back to real Arby’s.

I made fresh homemade butter rolls for the sandwiches, and I piled them high with Roast Beef that had been warmed in Beef Broth. I picked up the Roast Beef at the Deli counter for about $5.00 a pound. One pound of Roast Beef made 6 very generous sandwiches.

When we made the Aldi run I spotted a bag of curly fries for just $1.55! I thought this little addition would help the look of this faux fast food meal even more. The best part, we only used 1/2 of the bag for dinner, so we still have a 1/2 bag left for a future meal. This was also a big savings too, for about the cost of a single Arby’s curly fries, I got about 8 servings of delicious curly fries!

I even kept a few Arby’s sauce packets from out last trip to Arby’s, so the boy’s were not without their beloved sauce.

The verdict….. Thade loved it and gave it a thumbs up! Dylan only liked the Curly Fries (same way with Arby’s), and then just wanted a sugar cookie instead. James said that it was “absolutely delicious” and also gave the meal an double thumbs up. I loved it too, it was so tasty, and super fast and easy to make too.

Making the meal at home saved a bundle. The closest Arby’s is 30 minutes away, and that costs a bit in the old gas tank. We also had plenty of big sandwiches left-over for those late night cravings. I will definitely move the faux Arby’s sandwiches into the menu rotation for a fast lunch or a delicious dinner.