Only 6 days till Christmas! Believe me–the kiddos have been counting down 🙂 So you know that this week is a frenzy of chaos and fun.
So it’s time to get back to menu planning to try to take ONE bit of chaos out of the equation. I was a bad little blogger last week and did NOT do my menu plan-and boy oh boy did I ever regret it. All week I felt rushed and stressed at supper time. Add to that the fact that I woke up with neck spasms and headaches EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. . . well you can imagine that I just didn’t feel like I was on top of ANYTHING last week. And of course I had my cookie swap scheduled and my gingerbread house party as well last week.
So back on the bandwagon with meal planning for me this week! I am determined to relax and cut the chaos out as much as possible.
Here is this weeks chaos and considerations
1. The kids have after school activities on Mon & Wed, Scouts on Wed, and Pageant Rehearsal on Thurs. They they are out of school for Christmas
Break starting on Friday.
2. Yankee Bill has meetings on Mon & Tues night.
3. We have to be at the church for the pageant by 3 on Sat since I do costumes for the pageant & service, which start at 4:30. That means dinner is whatever I can get the overexcited kids to eat quickly. My Mom and Brother are hosting Christmas Dinner on Sunday so I don’t have to cook that night.
4. I have leftover Cincinnati Chili from the weekend, rice, ham and some squash I cooked and mashed last week. We also still have greens in the garden (chard, mizuna and turnip greens) as well as carrots.
5. I still try to make one meatless, one bean, on venison, one soup and one fish meal each week. I’m also thinking I need to add a pork meal in there since we have that half pig in the freezer! And remember-a single meal can count for multiple categories.
Taking all that into account here is my game plan:
Monday: Breakfast for Dinner! Pumpkin Pancakes.
Yankee Bill won’t be home because of his meeting, so it’s a good night to make something that isn’t a favorite of his-like pancakes for dinner. I’m make Pumpkin Pancakes (or actually squash from the mashed squash) in order to up the nutritional content a bit. Since I just can’t see putting a vegetable with pancakes, I’ll use a fruit instead. I’ve got plenty of home canned applesauce in the basement that I can serve on the side. This is my meatless meal for the week.
Tuesday: Ham Fried Rice
I can make fried rice using the leftover ham, greens & carrots from the garden, some onion and garlic and the leftover rice. I like to go sort of heavy on the vegetables and have it as a one dish meal. I’ll make a very large batch so that I can send leftovers in for everyone for lunch the next day.
Wednesday: Salmon Patties, Baked Potatoes and Sauteed Squash
My Salmon patty recipe uses canned salmon (sometimes I stretch it out with some tuna) and tastes yummy with some Hollandaise sauce drizzled over it. Usually I serve it with rice, but there is already quite a bit of rice in the menu so instead I’ll do baked potatoes in the oven (which hubs loves and I rarely think to make). For a vegetable I think it’s time to start using some of the summer squash that I blanched and froze this summer-If I thaw it just till the separate and then toss them in a hot skillet I should be able to start them sauteing before they turn to mush and get a better quality result. This is my fish meal for the week.
Thursday: “Pintos with Kick” with Sweet Northern Cornbread and Pot Greens
These Pintos with Kick are spicy but not too spicy! Cooked all day in the crockpot they will be hot and ready whenever we get around to eating supper. Cornbread is a classic southern accompaniment for any bean dish–I prefer my Sweet Northern Cornbread to the drier, crumblier and of course less sweet southern version. The greens will be cooked down with ham bullion and hot pepper flakes. This is my bean meal for the week.
Friday: Venison Vegetable Soup with Biscuits
I’ll create a venison soup/stew with some of this year’s venison in the crockpot. I’m guessing I’ll go with a beef bullion and stewed tomato base–maybe I’ll use some of the canned tomatoes and squash I put up in there. Of course I’ll add in all the classic soup ingredients: celery, carrots, onion, potato, corn–whatever I’ve got in the fridge. Since it’s a crockpot meal it will be easy to put together in the morning and then eat whenever we are feeling like it. This is my soup meal for the week.
Saturday: Venison and Gravy over Toast with Green Beans
We need something hearty but super duper easy. Using canned venison and a packet of gravy mix with toasted bread this meal is filling but quick. Round it out with some canned green beans and we can be full and out the door by 3pm. This is my venison meal for the week.
Sunday: Eating at Cici’s
My mom will be here for Christmas staying with my brother, so they are making Christmas dinner-no cooking for me! I think it’s ham but I’m not 100% sure. They are both very good cooks so I know regardless of what it is we will enjoy it.
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Are you interested in learning more about menu planning? Check out my post “Why Plan a Weekly Menu” .
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