100 Days to Christmas!

I thought I'd share with you that September 16th marks exactly 100 days to Christmas! (Scary I know - I just started thinking about Halloween for goodness sakes!) 

Like most Moms, every year I vow to be prepared for this holiday WELL ahead of time and on the ball... not running like a mad woman 1 week before the big day, feeling like it just magically "popped up" out of nowhere and wondering how the heck it snuck up on me AGAIN! (like I do every year)

I think this day marks a good starting point to get the lists started.

Check out 100 days to christmas for inspiration to get this holiday season started off on the right foot!!

Meal Plan Week 38 - 2010 and Week 37 Review

For other great Meal Plans and Organization Advise, visit Organizing Junkie

So first week of the new "format" so here is the Menu that I will be working on this week followed by some notes from last week's meals. Because I started this format halfway through the week, there is only notes on the latter half of week 37.

I hope that my Menu's have given you some inspiration - and if not - feel free to pass on some ideas - I LOVE to experiment.  Happy cooking!

Meal Plan week 38

Monday ~ Oriental Tuna Bites

                    Cabbage and Carrot Stirfry with Lime and Cumin

Tuesday ~ Breakfast for Supper (Pancakes, Bacon, Scrambled Eggs and Hashbrowns)

Wednesday ~ Corn Chowder with Bacon and Potatoes

Thursday ~ Chicken and Spinach Risotto Rice Pot

Friday ~ Mom out - family gets choice from leftovers

Saturday ~  Chili served with Canadian Style Corn Fritters

Sunday ~ Cajun Spiced Chicken with Tzatziki Sauce Lemon Baby Potatoes and Tossed Salad

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Week 37 "In Review" 

Thursday we had Spaghetti and Caesar salad - No recipe, I treated the family to homemade meatballs! mmm! The only note here on my sauce is I finely grate 1 carrot and 1/2 zucchini into the sauce as it simmers to ensure veggie intake for my son. It adds a sweetness to the sauce and helps to thicken it. Honestly I will be doing this long after I need to. 

Friday we ended up have Chicken Burgers, and Sweet Potato Fries - again no recipe, just out of the box.

Saturday we had Korean Pork with Asian Slaw - this meal has been a staple of our household for about a year now and this was actually my husband's request for the week. SO delicious!! 

Sunday we went to a friend's house for another Spaghetti Dinner, I could LIVE on this stuff! :-) 
I was in charge of bringing a dessert and opted for a traditional, seasonal Apple Bread Pudding with Vanilla Sauce which was a huge hit - both batches were devoured! And to top it off my house was filled with the lovely aroma of apples and spices. This is now a new autumn classic in our home.  

“In the childhood memories of every good cook, there’s a large kitchen, a warm stove, a simmering pot, and a mom.” - Barbara Costikyan

Planners and Self Promotion

I Heart Organizers and Calendars and really anything that just might make my life a touch easier, and that is when my new 2011 calendar came into my life... it is called the Mom's Home Plan-it Calendar it can hang on the wall or it also has a magnetic strip to hang on the fridge. Check out the full line here; Plan-it Calendars

I wrote to the company to see about shipping to Canada and although they don't ship internationally, they did direct me to http://www.calendars.com/ who carries their calendars and planners and does ship to Canada.

I personally got mine through Avon (did I mention that I am an Avon Rep?? - let me know if you need one)


The SUPER cool thing about my new Plan-it calendar is that it starts August 2010 and goes all the way until December 2011 so I can start using it TODAY!! WOO HOO - See ya later - I'm off to populate my new calendar...

Pork Chops with Fruit Relish Review

This was a wonderful autumn meal full of fruit, and spice. The pork chops turned out great (I had to cook a little longer than suggested) There was a little too much Thyme for my taste (which is saying a lot because I love Thyme!) I would scrap the Thyme in the Fruit Relish and just have it on the chops. The baked Sweet Potato with Cinnamon butter was AMAZING! Just bake it like a regular Potato (mine took an hour in the oven) and top with Butter and sprinkle with Cinnamon or Apple Pie Spice. So simple, yet SO GREAT!

Go to Recipe!

Seared Chicken with Pan Gravy

This was a super awesome meal! Mashed Potatoes and Gravy sure do say comfort food! The added Lemon Juice to the Pan Gravy added a nice tang that kept it nice and light. Pounding the Chicken Breasts made it so they cooked super fast. Instead of adding the broth and flour to the pan individually I whisked the two together in a glass prior to pouring into the pan to ensure there would be no lumps. I got this from the Weight Watchers 20 Minute Meals recipe book so if you serve with 1/2 Cup Mashed Potatoes and 3 Tablespoons of Gravy you are looking at a point value of 8 for the entire meal, take away the Mashed and it is only 6 points. I would highly recommend this recipe even if you aren't counting - it is SO flavourful!

Go to Recipe!

Quinoa Salad and Caramel Apple Bars

Well it's been a couple days because i haven't had to cook for a while. My MIL cooked Cabbage Rolls on Saturday and Turkey Dinner on Sunday, so we have been spoiled. Tonight it was back to it and Man alive did I pick a good one!! 

I saw this recipe and thought it looked interesting because it truly has everything in it and it turned out to be one of my new fave salads of ALL time. This Quinoa salad would be PERFECT for a pot luck or for any gathering or BBQ as you can make it up to 3 days in advance. The blend of sweet and savory is impeccable and it is so colourful and pretty to boot. PLEASE try this salad!!!

Go to Recipe!

I also had a little bit of time to try a friend's recommendation of an easy Apple Bar: Easy Apple Caramel Bars They were a snap to make and turned out perfect. With a dollop of Vanilla Ice Cream, they made a perfect light dessert. Thanks Caryn for the recipe, it was awesome. 

This time of year is SO great for baking and I must admit I just LOVE it and all the crispness in the air and wearing chunky sweaters while drinking hot apple cider and baking with aromatic spices like nutmeg and cinnamon and making ANYTHING out of a pumpkin. I love to experiment, so if you have a fave Autumn recipe, please send it my way and I'd love to try it!!

Meal Plan Week 37 - 2010

For other great Meal Plans and Organization Advise, visit Organizing Junkie

 

Well, it's the Monday of the Labour Day Long weekend and the weekend was so crazy that I am JUST getting to this now. So without further a do - here is what will be served in our house this week...enjoy.

Monday ~ Coconut Crusted Tilapia served with Quinoa Salad

                     Tilapia from the Seafood Section of our deli

                      Quinoa Salad Recipe

Tuesday ~ Seared Chicken with Pan Gravy, Mashed Potatoes and Steamed Carrots

                      Seared Chicken with Pan Gravy Recipe

Wednesday ~ Pork Chops with Fruit Relish, Baked Sweet Potatoes with Cinnamon Butter

                    Pork Chops with Fruit Relish Recipe

Thursday ~ Spaghetti with Meat Sauce served with Caesar Salad

                        (No recipe)

Friday ~ Korean Pork Tenderloin served with Asian Slaw

                   Korean Style Pork with Asian Slaw Recipe

Saturday ~ Summer Corn Chowder with Scallions, Bacon and Potatoes served with Biscuits

                       Corn Chowder with Bacon and Potatoes Recipe

Sunday ~ Family out - I have to come up with a dessert - stay tuned...

~ Keep your eyes on the stars, and your feet on the ground. Theodore Roosevelt

Thai Style Pork

This was a good slow cooker meal, we all finished our plates, but we also drank 2 glasses of water each because I must say it is SALTY. The base of the sauce is Teriyaki Sauce, so that is probably why. Definitely DO NOT add any salt.

Go to Recipe!

Southwestern Chicken Pizza Review

A wonderful change to the regular pizza. I found this recipe in a Weight Watchers 20 minute Cook Book - this pizza has a point value of 4 per slice (if you're counting) so add a side salad and you're looking at a whole meal for 4 points plus salad dressing! And it is SO delicious and flavourful. Tonight I made each of us our own personal sized pizza, so a few more points than suggested. My son had his own version (chicken, cheese, sour cream, and bbq sauce) :-/ 

You'll see this one return for sure if only for the cheese and fresh cilantro! mmmm momma likey!

Go to Recipe!

Au Gratin Taco Bake

I LOVE Tex Mex! This meal, is easy and although it takes a long time to bake (65-75 minutes) putting it all together is easy. So as long as you can get to it early, this is a great meal. The flavours were simple and just right. I did add pepper, paprika, and garlic. (Staples in my meals) 

I recommend this meal for sure - maybe on a weekend? Toss a salad and mix up some maragaritas and this meal would become a crowd please. You whip it up early, throw it in the oven and enjoy your company and cocktails for at least an hour prior to dinner. Ole!

Go to Recipe!