5 May 2014

What’s Eatin’?

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What's Eatin?

Thanks for giving me a few weeks off from menu planning. I’ve barely got the kitchen unpacked into The Trace Kitchen – and I’m looking forward to trying these new recipes this week.

What are you cooking?

Monday: in honor of Cinco de Mayo – I’m making Willow Bird’s Taco Crescent Rolls and for dinner, chicken fajitas. Mister’s day off was switched this week so I’m trying to get some meal prep done today for the rest of the week. How do you go about meal prep?  Especially if you have small children?

Tuesday: I got some red potatoes at the Marietta Farmer’s Maret over the wknd to make this roasted bake. Looked healthy and delicious!

Wednesday: This is a serious chicken pot pie – and I can’t wait to show you guys some photos of it.

Thursday: To use up the rest of the cream cheese from last night’s meal – I’ll be making some cream cheese mac and cheese. Two days in a row of comfort food!

Friday: Most Fridays I will not be doing much cooking since it is my mister’s only day off every week. I’m thinking of going to a pizza night on Friday nights – fun for everyone and a simple hands-off whole wheat crust and some homemade pizza sauce in the slow-cooker.  I’ll be tweaking the pizza each week.  This week I’m doing a white mushroom truffle oil pizza.

Baking of the week: some homemade granola bars for all of us to snack on during the week!

Maybe I’ll throw in a lime ice box pie this week too!

14 Apr 2014

What’s Eatin’?

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What's Eatin?
This is a special week in the life of the Rainwood Kitchen:
1. My in-laws are coming for a visit.
2. I am packing up our kitchen with a friend in our community group at church later this week.
3. And it is Easter!

What special traditions do you have for Holy Week or Easter? Do you make anything special to celebrate this holiday?

Monday: We are doing homemade grilled cheese and soup for lunch today when the in-laws get here. Then for dinner we are doing taco salads with the amazing grilled chicken that some men from our church cooked up yesterday. All for missions! God loves the world!

Tuesday: You know the Italian Chicken I was supposed to make last week – well, I’m making it today instead.

Wednesday: The Sweet Corn Pancakes from Edible Portland and sausage. Story: We sat down today for lunch and I made Jiffy’s corn waffles. We both devoured them. Mister said I could definitely make these again! I said I wanted to make my own. Now he will have to decide what he likes better – box or homemade

Thursday: White Chicken Chili. Going to make a crockpot kind so we can be busy doing other things instead of standing over a stove.  I’m going to start with this recipe – then make it my own.  Look for a recipe coming this week!

Thursday: Comfort food night: meatloaf, green beans, and mashed sweet potatoes from my cousin’s farm in Alabama.  These are coming rom a church cookbook that my husband loves.  I’ll post it to the recipes later!

Friday: Fried Chicken Salads.  This is one of our go-to easy dinners.  Love them!!

Saturday: Simple pasta dish with a salad.  Don’t want to pack all that and its easy after a yard sale morning!

Sunday: For Easter breakfast, we are doing a blueberry cinnamon French toast.  Then after church, we are getting Fried Chicken from KFC and making my Granny’s Pea Salad, biscuits, and creamy rice.

Sweets:
Coconut Custard Pie
Banana Bread
Lemon Cream Pie Bars
Golden Oreo Cake Balls

9 Apr 2014

What’s Eatin’?

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What's Eatin?

We have another short week on our hands. We just got back from looking for housing in the Atlanta area.

I love being married – because I can ask  my husband what he wants to eat.  How this helps me: he’ll be getting food he loves and he gives me ideas when I’m in a rut!

Wednesday: Bolognese Pasta and the great thing about this is it is in the freezer.  I can just pull the sauce out and warm it up.  We have another showing on our house and everything has to be spotless at all times!

Thursday: Caesar Salad with Grilled Chicken and a Coconut Cream Pie from Sara Foster in NC.

Friday: Paula Deen’s Italian Chicken Casserole

Saturday: Brinner before a photo shoot of a sweet family in town.  I love French Toast and rarely make it so I’ll be making it this week and serving it with some fruit!  Our little will love it too.  May not try him with syrup yet because it is so messy – but he will love the sweetness of it as well.

Sunday: Fajitas for our church’s mission fundraiser.  I here there are 75 lbs of skirt steak marinating.

31 Mar 2014

What’s Eatin?

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What's Eatin?

I am finally learning to be creative in what I cook. So, while I still love recipes – I am having fun playing with them and learning to add my own touches here and there. This week is full of those. Can’t wait to have people around our table this week.

Monday: Brinner. Eggs, grits, bacon, and lemon poppy seed cake with blueberry glaze (recipe to come).
Tuesday: Pulled out a cookbook by one of my favorite chefs – Tyler Florence – and am cooking from his Dinner at My Place book this week. Penne with Spicy Italian Sausage is going down.
Wednesday: A sweet pepper quiche with those lovely little peppers that were on sale this week at Kroger.
Thursday: We are having a date night with a gift card and to see a movie! Yay!!!!!
Friday: Stir fry chicken with some great delicious rice. Rice is cheap and easy!
Saturday: We are cooking together with a family who are friends of ours. We are doing taco night on a Saturday. I’m making Tyler’s Mexican beef tacos. And you know there will be guacamole if I have anything to do with it!
Sunday: Leftovers. I love not having to cook for Sunday lunch. And I am going to be making some brown sugar sandwich cookies with spiced cream cheese filling. So yummily!

27 Mar 2014

What’s Eatin?

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What's Eatin?

Sorry this is really late – but we were out of town, so I really didn’t have to start cooking till mid week.  Here you go – simple things.  Still trying to clean out my pantry and experiment!  What do you like about experimenting with food?  Do you like to be creative?

Wednesday: Mustard and Pinapple Chicken with Lemon Quinoa and broccoli

Thursday: Bolognese Bread Bowls and salad (recipe forth coming)

Friday: Leftover chicken sandwiches and Annie’s Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese

Saturday: Black beans, corn pancakes, and eggs

Sunday: Caramel bars for our small group and leftovers.

What are you eating this week?

17 Mar 2014

What’s Eatin?

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What's Eatin?

I did very well with the lower budget last week, so here we are again.  Meal planning doesn’t include as much fresh fruits and vegetables because they are expensive here in the middle of the country, but we make due with what we can get.  This week, its bananas and cuties!

Monday: Its Saint Patrick’s Day so in honor of that celebration: Dinty Moore Shepherd’s Pie and Lucky Charms Cereal Bars.

lucky charms cereal bars

Tuesday: As part of the Influenster Nation I got a coupon for Annie’s Homegrown Family Meals and chose the Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese.  Will be having that with chicken tenderloins and frozen veggies.

Wednesday: Heather’s Garlic Rice with stir fry

Thursday: Pumpkin Soup with bread

Friday: Italian Sausage spaghetti with a sweet friend.

Saturday: Heading to Memphis to hang out with some NC friends and packing a picnic lunch.  Late homecoming dinner with pizza from Marcos (with coupon).

Sunday: Leftovers

10 Mar 2014

What’s Eatin?

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What's Eatin?

I’m so thankful that we have the means to provide simple meals for our family.  Thankful for how the Lord provides for us each week!

Monday: these leftover beans and jiffy corn muffins (those are so worth the fifty cent they are!)

Tuesday: Taco Tuesday will be black bean quesadillas

Wednesday: A potato and meat layer dish from a church cookbook I have.  I’ll share the recipe if its share worthy.

Thursday: we are having dinner at a sweet family’s house.

Friday: Brinner – corn pancakes and eggs!

Saturday: spaghetti.  simple and classic meal that can’t be beat!

What are you cooking this week?

 

3 Mar 2014

What’s Eatin’?

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What's Eatin?

What to do when the weather prevents you from getting to the grocery store like you had planned?  Alter your menu for the week!

I’ve talked before about cutting back on our family’s food budget, so I’m looking forward to the challenge.  My husband works hard to provide for our family.  I want to be able to make nice meals for when we have company, showing the extravagant hospitality of our loving Father (not to put forth rich food, but not wanting just to slap something together either), and I want to make healthy but not expensive meals for our family.

Monday: Last night was the storm of sleet.  So, we are unable to get out to the grocery store today.  So, going with what we have here at the house.  Chicken Salad salads and Heath Bar Blondies by ELR.

Tuesday: We are going to Longhorn’s with a gift card from friends.  Can’t wait for a date night!

Wednesday: This delicious parmesan white bean stew from How Sweet It Is.

Thursday: Turkey Bacon, Pancakes for brinner.

Friday: I’m taking dinner to my friend and her family and the main part will be this Italian Chicken and Rice casserole – slightly tweaked.  We’ll see how the finished product turns out.

Saturday: we will for sure have some leftovers that we will be eating

Sunday: again, leftovers or sandwiches or brinner or brunch.

24 Feb 2014

What’s Eatin’?

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What's Eatin?

Eating on a budget.  Yes, it needs to happen.

My husband and I are definitely foodies.  We spend quite a bit for a family our size on groceries each month.  So, I’m going to try to scale it back by 1/3.  Yikes.  But, this cut in budget isn’t so we can do more – but so that we can get out of down quicker so that we can GIVE more.  So, I’ll be looking for yummy, foodie, but cheap recipes.  I need to also use my coupons and use up what is in our pantry, too.

So, here we go.

Monday: since I’ll be making potato soup for a crowd this coming weekend, I’m trying another recipe – this time one of Tidy Mom’s to see if I want to use this one.  Poor husband, we are going to be eating potato soup for a while!  This soup will be being made for our leftovers and lunches this week.  Because on Monday night we are going the soft grand opening of the Main Cheese here in West Little Rock.  This is another opportunity through the Arksansas Women Bloggers – excited.  How wonderful can great grilled cheese be on a cold night!

Tuesday: Salad with leftover Lemon Chicken by Shutterbean.

Wednesday: Sausage Ragu with Spaghetti Squash

Thursday: Cheap, Mexican breakfast food – brinner we call it in America.  I have most of the ingredients of this already!

Friday: Missions dinner at church

Saturday: I will have just spent all day in the kitchen, so I’m hoping for eating out with a coupon!

Sunday: these pancakes and scrambled eggs.  I’m really not an earl gray fan, but I figure there is no harm in trying these – and there isn’t much that syrup and butter can’t fix!

Breakfast will be oats because I have them already.

What are you cooking this week?

18 Feb 2014

What’s Eatin?

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What's Eatin?Its been a busy weekend and a busy Monday out of town visiting some friends, so I’m a day late in posting the menu and in grocery shopping.  I’m going to try to fit it in tonight before some friends come over when our littles go down for the night.  Does your life ever seem like a run on of days – but never a break.  That’s been ours recently.  I love being busy but I also crave down time too!  Vacation please!!!

Well, here you go:

Monday: it was leftovers – nothing exciting.

Tuesday: I’ll probably have a salad but I am defrosting some of Jenna’s Spinach Stuffed Shells for the men tonight.  Perfect freezer meal – just pop leftovers in the freezer from the first time you make it and they are perfect for busy nights like this.

Wednesday: Potato Soup.  I’m testing this one in order to use it for missions conference women’s lunch next weekend.

Thursday: I’m making dark chocolate cupcakes with white chocolate buttercream and sea salted caramel drizzle for a ladies meeting I’m attending.  For dinner I’ll throw together a simple curried soup recipe.  Maybe pick up some naan or try making it if I have time (baby appts that day).

Friday: If we are at home with nothing to do I try to make Fridays pizza day.  This week we are doing a whole wheat crust with zucchini!  I know, the green will remind me of spring which should be just around the corner with the beautiful weather we’ve been having this week.

Saturday: I’m breaking away from Jenna for Saturday and heading with Tracy at Shutterbean.  Lemon Chicken – brown rice – vegetables.  And it will serve as perfect leftovers!

Sunday: Leftovers and two separate receptions at church that day.