Meal Plan for the Week of 8-5-12

Ohmygoodness, how is this August already?  It feels like this summer has just been unbearably hot and now we are at the tail-end of it and it's over?  We saw leaves falling on the ground as we walked around the lake the other day.  Leaves!!!  Little Hob was amazed by them.  He finally found the "right one" and carried it all the way home.  So, now it sits in our garage...just a reminder of our summer that turned into fall way too soon.

Little Hob choosing the perfect leaf

So, we have really kept up with the meal plans this past year and this month I went ahead and made out a plan for the entire month.  To do the entire month, I created a theme for each day that really made planning things out much easier.  I'll put the "theme" for each day in parentheses behind each meal to show you what I mean.  Also, it seemed to make it easier to not be stuck in the pasta-bbq-meat rut we tend to get stuck in.  I'd really like to do the sort of planning I've seen on other blogs where you not only plan for the entire month but you freeze things ahead of time and add those pre-made meals into the mix.  But...not quite there yet so here this week is....

Sunday-leftover Slow Cooker BBQ chicken, baked eggplant, bbq beans, fresh peaches (Papa Hob plans)
Monday-Zucchini Enchiladas, black beans (Meatless Mondays)
Tuesday-Blueberry pancakes, sausage (Breakfast Tuesdays)
Wednesday-Lasagna, green beans (Pasta Wednesdays)
Thursday-Leftover Lasagna (Leftover Thursdays)
Friday-Broccoli, Chicken, Rice Casserole, cucumber & tomato salad (Fish/Chicken Fridays)
Saturday-bbq hamburgers (Papa Hob BBQ's Saturdays)

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday...let's hope for a cool week!

Slow Cooker Shredded BBQ Chicken

Well, if you haven't ever made this meal...you need to get on it.  So easy, so simple, and so so good.  Here's the recipe and link to prove it's awesomeness...Slow Cooker Shredded BBQ Chicken

You'll need:
6 frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 (12 oz) bottle of BBQ sauce
1/2 cup Italian salad dressing
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

All you do is place the frozen chicken breasts in the slow cooker.  Mix all other ingredients in a bowl and dump it over the frozen chicken.  Cover the slower cooker and set it on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours.  Usually as soon as it's done, I take a couple of forks and pull it apart to shred it and then let it sit awhile longer.  Put it on a bun and you are done.  Simple and good...that's how we like dinner around here.  Papa Hob always wants to add some onions in with ours and it's good too.  Enjoy!

-Mama Hob

photo from allrecipes.com

New Beginnings

After taking a long break from the blog, and then a summer off to recover from a long year, I'm ready to get started again!  Big decisions have been made over the last six months and while I watch my coworkers head back to work next week, I'll be at home with Little Hob and spending time with him.  He is now 16 months old and has more energy than I'd ever imagined someone his size would have!  Please re-add me to your blog roll and watch for updates in the upcoming weeks.

Love,
Mama Hob

Meal Plan Monday 8-1-11

Ai, ai, ai....this was one of "those days."  Our a/c went out yesterday so the whole family slept in the basement last night.  I was planning to go into work this morning but couldn't because I had to wait around on the a/c guy to show up and tell us what was wrong/how much it would cost.  The a/c guy came, got the unit to work, and then-45 minutes after he left-the unit was back to not working again.  So we are in the basement again tonight and Papa Hob got the last window air conditioner we could find at any of the big box stores in the area to tide us over until someone can replace our a/c system.  But, guess what...tomorrow will be better!


Monday-planned to have leftover chicken legs, mashed potatoes, and Athena melon-ended up with Lion's Choice while we were out and about looking for a window a/c unit :(


Tuesday-leftover chicken legs, mashed potatoes, and Athena melon


Wednesday-pasta salad, grapes, crackers (picnic!)


Thursday-pork chops, corn-on-the-cob


Friday-pool party picnic-sub sandwiches, plums, macaroni salad


Saturday-Baked Rigatoni with Eggplant, Sausage, and Basil


Sunday-pizza and fruit

Meal Plan Monday 7-25-11

Not a lot exciting going on over here as far as meals this week!  I am volunteering with VBS at my church and getting a much earlier start than I've gotten to get out of the house than I've gotten in the last 19 weeks.  The key words for us this week are....keep it simple!  


*Bold items are items we received from our co-op order


Monday-spaghetti with ground turkey, corn-on-the-cob, cantaloupe


Tuesday-pork steaks, sweet potatoes, plums (we have planned this meal for several weeks now and it just keeps getting pushed aside for something else...we will do it this time!)


Wednesday-bacon, eggs, fruit salad


Thursday-Leftover Feast!


Friday-BBQ for VBS


Saturday-Date Night with Papa Hob


Sunday-BBQ chicken legs, Au Gratin potatoes, brownies

Napping Update

I need some thoughts from some fellow mamas and papas.


Here is where we are at with napping.  Little Hob, in the last few days, has decided that naps are okay but mostly only as long as he's being held.  Papa Hob and I were set to begin sleep training with him this week using the Sleepy Planet "Sleepeasy Solution" but now I am questioning whether or not to begin it since he is beginning to sleep.  Is sleeping while being held okay for now and we can transition out of it later or am I creating a bad habit that will have to be broken later on down the road?  I see my options as


a)  Discontinue holding him while he naps and dive into the Sleepyeasy Solution method.


b)  Keep doing what I'm doing and transition slowly to less time being held while sleeping and more time laying in his crib while sleeping.  


Right now I'm leaning toward "b". Based on your own experiences-what do you think?  

Meal Plan Monday 7-18-11

I promise...that this blog is not just going to be what we are eating during the week LOL.  We do more than eat around here but those other things have kept us busy this week!  We were so fortunate to have both sides of our extended families in from out of town for the weekend and we had a wonderful BBQ lunch on Sunday here at the house.  


Little Hob's personality is really beginning to come out and we just love seeing all the new things he's doing each day.  He had his four month appointment and weighed in at a whopping 13 pounds 2.5 ounces.  He is rolling over from back to tummy and doing a lot of talking.  His favorite conversation?  "Oooo, oooo, oooo, oooo."  That's all he says all day long :).  We are getting him prepped for beginning rice cereal in the next few weeks. Little Hob sat up at the table in a booster seat tonight while we ate.  Where did my little newborn go? :)

Not a newborn but you'll always be my baby :)

Our meal plan this week includes a food from the co-op that is new to us....leeks.  I googled a recipe to use the leeks in and we will be using it for a delicious dinner on Sunday!  I will make the recipe a "clicky" if you are interested in trying it!  Also, I  will show the foods we got from the co-op by putting them in bold print.  Have a great week!


Monday-leftover chicken and burgers, corn-on-the-cob, green beans


Tuesday-yellow squash and baby portabella mushroom stir fry, couscous, strawberries


Wednesday-turkey tacos and cheesy Spanish rice


Thursday-BBQ chicken legs, corn-on-the-cob, cucumber and tomato salad


Friday-pork steaks and sweet potatoes


Saturday-Wedding Reception dinner


Sunday-salmon steaks with carmelized leeks and carrots