After 17 glorious days off, SoldierBoy goes back to work on Tuesday and school resumes.  I planned easy meals as I ease back into solo days again.

Sunday–Chinese takeout
Monday–Blackened chicken, oven brown rice, green beans and 5-minute bread (from my new cookbook)
Tuesday–Spaghetti with slow-cooker marinara sauce, 5 minute bread with roasted garlic butter, salad
Wednesday–Caesar grilled chicken, salad, bread
Thursday–Beef enchiladas, sweet corn spoonbread
Friday–Szechuan beef pasta and stir-fried veggies
Saturday–Out to eat for our anniversary!  12 years!

Are you trying any new recipes this week?

Benjamin, my three year old, doesn’t do so hot with sleeping places that aren’t his home.  Since he was a tiny baby, he’s needed that, despite my hope every trip that this one would be different.  This trip proved no different, however.  After four nights of not sleeping well and then another fitful night after arriving home, throw in a birthday party today, and he was tuckered out.  Playing in the dining room this evening, we noticed him quickly slowing down.  Silence.  And we found this.  Shoes still on, even.  Sweet boy.  And not yet a peep out of him, sleeping quite soundly. One quick wake-up asking to be tucked into bed and he was out again.  His eyes were shut before I even got the blanket pulled up around him.

Last week I got off easy with menus.  SoldierBoy requested a few simple meals that I was able to freeze and, upon pulling into the garage Saturday evening, I found him prepping Sicilian-style pizzas to bake and pulling garlic breadsticks out of the oven.  Yum!  And, after too many fast-food meals that week, a home-cooked meal sounded even better.

A cool front is coming through this week–we’re supposed to get down to 94! one day, even.  Needless to say, I’m going to limit the use of the oven as much as I can!!  Time to pull out summer recipes!

Breakfasts
Toast and fruit
Smoothies
Oatmeal
Orange streusel cinnamon muffins (new recipe!)
Cereal

Dinners
Sunday–Maple smokehouse chicken sandwiches with maple bourbon barbecue sauce, fresh fruit
Monday–Skillet pasta, garlic bread cooked on the griddle
Tuesday–Arrachera in corn tortillas, lime rice, pineapple, tortilla chips with roasted salsa
Wednesday–Sloppy joes, crispy oven fries, cole slaw (cabbage from the garden!)
Thursday–General Tso’s chicken, stir-fried veggies, rice
Friday–Mystery meal (a.k.a. nothing sounded good while menu planning, so I’ll decide later in the week!)
Saturday–Chipotle-crusted pork tenderloin, roasted white & sweet potatoes, salad, rolls

I forgot to take a before picture but…you can imagine! All of this was scattered throughout the door as well as miscellaneous napkins, straws, packets of ketchup and so on.

I had the wooden basket already but, for less about $10, I fully organized the drawer!  It makes putting things away easier and finding what I need SO, SO much easier!  I can’t believe I waited this long to do this project.  I LOVE it!!  And, when we move again, the baskets can go with us and be used for whatever storage space I need.

The right side of the drawer.  Basket division: measuring cups (yes, we have three sets…and usually still cant’ find what we need! LOL), measuring spoons below that (again, yes, multiples), assorted small gadgets (can opener, wine opener, vegetable peeler, ice cream scoops) and (half-hidden) small baking stuff like offset spreaders and brownie & cookie spatulas.

Left side of the drawer includes a basket for serving & cooking spoons, spatulas and salad tongs, a small one for cookie cutters and corn-on-the-cob items and the last basket is bag clips & the baby mesh feeder.

After putting everything into baskets, I had a few items that were too large to fit in any, so they are in the back of the drawer.

Next week I will be making labels for the baskets (per SoldierBoy’s request) for my 52 in 52.  (I’m going with the thought that if I write down what I will be doing, I’ll feel more accounted for and will actually follow through!)

Easter pictures were so much easier when the 3yo was a babe!  At 3mo, he just sat where he was supposed to and smiled.  Easter at 15mo he was newly mobile and it showed.  Last Easter we were all sick.  This Easter?  He was trying to put leaves into the electrical sockets!!  And, of course, the other two had to check out what he was doing.  Love the look on EGirl’s face, though. A good picture of me, at least!

Two busy weeks ahead, so I am trying to keep my menu plans simple.  I struggle with simple menu plans–repetition, quick-assemble, it all sounds so nice.  But I get caught up in trying new recipes and such.   If all goes as planned, SoldierBoy will be gone for four months beginning in June and I am going to need simple menu plans if I want to get through those months.  So my goal is to work towards that now.

Lunches
Out to lunch
Quessadillas
Pizza pinwheels
Cheese/fruit/veggie/cracker trays x 2
Leftovers
French Dip sandwiches

Dinners
Sunday–Steak, salad, corn
Monday–shredded beef barbecue in the crockpot, ??? on the side dishes
Tuesday–Southwestern chicken pasta salad
Wednesday–Buffalo ranch chicken sandwiches in the crockpot, carrots & apple slices
Thursday–Teriyaki chicken, rice, pineapple
Friday–Hamburgers on the grill, crispy oven fries, green beans
Saturday–Beer can chicken, cajun sweet potatoes

Photo courtesy of allrecipes.com

First, I’m on Twitter now!  I don’t fully understand it yet and follow more than I tweet…but I’m on!  So follow me and I’ll follow you!

We have found a new chicken taco filling!  For so long, my recipe has been chicken + taco seasoning.  Simple and good.  But not delicious.   While browsing Allrecipes one day, I came across this recipe.  THIS is delicious.  Flavorful but not overwhelming and it freezes really well.   It tastes like a dish you would have in a good Mexican restaurant.  I made a few changes and adapted the recipe for the crock-pot and came up with the recipe below.  You don’t have to return it to the sauce after shredding but I highly recommend it.  I skipped it one time and there was a noticeable difference in taste.

This is a very fresh-tasting recipe, so I like to keep sides and toppings fresh and light as well.  Diced red onion, diced scallions, tomato, shredded lettuce, pico de gallo.  I vary my oven brown rice to include dried cilantro as the only initial seasoning and then stir in fresh minced garlic stirred in near the end and squeeze fresh lime juice and/or a bit of zest just before I serve it.  I love pineapple with Mexican food (thanks, Lynn, for the idea!) so I usually include that as well.

Next week I’m putting this on the menu but I’m going to try grilling the chicken breasts instead of cooking to shred it!

Lime Chicken Tacos
Serves 6

Cute new button for Menu Plan Monday, isn’t it?!

I’m back to MPM after a few weeks off.   God has been working on my views of myself as an imperfect perfectionist (a story for a later day)….so I’m throwing out my perfectionism and posting this late.  Its still Monday, after all!

Sunday–Ham in the crockpot, corn, oil rolls (from King Arthur Flour), green beans
Monday–Garlic pasta with cajun chicken (from freezer, recipe to come) and assorted veggies
Tuesday–Beef enchiladas, Spanish rice, pineapple
Wednesday–Barbecue chicken (from freezer) on leftover oil rolls, carrot sticks, corn on the cob
Thursday–Mongolian beef, rice, stir-fried veggies
Friday–Best Grilled Pork chops, green beans, oven brown rice
Saturday–Jerk chicken, plantains, grilled corn on the cob, Brazillian rice

After a recent bad cold inflicted my kids in the evening and, by bedtime, had all three miserable and I had almost nothing to help them (necessitating a late-night run to the drugstore), I decided I needed to restock my medicine cabinet.   While I already had the boxes, many things had been mixed up and they needed labels.  I also took the opportunity to try out the Fusion spray paint for plastics and paint the lids green (plastic storage drawers in the playroom are next!).

I have boxes for pain medication, cold/allergy, first aid, stomach meds (not pictured), miscellaneous and one for travel-size toiletries.  Each box has a list of what should be in the box.  Having a list on it allows me to, at a glance, know what I may be missing and to know if what I (or someone else) am looking for is in that box.  I need to resize the list to make a label for each front, as well.  (I wanted to do it before I posted but decided I wasn’t going to wait any longer to put this up…so I’ll do it this weekend.)

Table cleared?  Well, mostly.  A fork and a cup still sat in their spots.
Table wiped down?  Check.  Crumbs all over the floor but it was wiped!
Dishwasher unloaded?  Unloaded…but some dishes sat on the counter because they go on the top shelves.
Dishwasher loaded?  See below.

Soap in the dishwasher?  And then some!
Floor swept?  Mopped?  Teamwork can get anything done!

They proudly showed SoldierBoy their hard work.  They tried to contain their excitement but couldn’t, so they came to get me.  WIth closed eyes, they each took a hand and guided me to the kitchen.  “Surprise, Mama!  Look what we did for you!!  Do you love it?!!”  Eyes beaming, feet making them jump up and down, I scooped them into my arms, promised them I loved it and felt so loved and blessed by their hard work.

As I relayed this story to the older lady, she developed a horrified look on her face.  “You didn’t show them all they had done wrong?!!!” she said incredulously.  I didn’t know how to respond to her.  MY heart was hurt and I was so, so thankful they were not around to hear her admonishing words.

How much is it worth for the sake of it done “right”?

Is it worth replacing the proud smiles on my kids’ faces with crushed looks?
Is it worth the slumped shoulders as they carry the weight of my disapproving words?
Is it worth the shuffled feet as they walk away, off to be alone?
Is it worth any tears, expressed outward or just on the inside, from their hard work being tossed aside?
Is it worth never having them show initiative on household work again?
Is it worth discouraging them from ever trying to bless someone?

I bring my kids alongside me throughout the day.  They see the correct way to do things, I have plenty of opportunities to gently correct and guide them.  They are just 3 and 6 (well, soon-t0-be 6.5 if you ask EGirl!).  I have so many years ahead, so many times that I will be able to teach them how things are done.

I will take crumbs on the floor.
I will take a dishwasher only half-loaded and cock-eyed placements.
I will take a mopped floor with missed spots.
I will take laundry folded with some creases.
I will take socks and undies that are now ever-so-slightly-pink.
I will take windows with streaks.
And I’ll do it all with the sounds and sights of my three littles alongside of me, learning to bless each other, work together and serve with a servant’s heart.

Nothing is worth more than that.

Sunday–Chili & cornbread
Monday–Crockpot lemon chicken, green beans, oven brown rice
Tuesday–Freezer enchiladas, rice
Wednesday–Cajun chicken sandwiches, garlic pasta, raw veggies
Thursday–Sesame beef, rice, stir-fried vegetables
Friday–Fajitas (freezer), seasoned brown rice, homemade tortillas
Saturday–Pizza & movie night

I need new weekday lunch ideas.  We school until lunch time, so things that are easy and quick OR can be pulled out of the freezer.  What do you like to serve to your kids for lunch?  What are their favorites?  Leave me a comment!

Image via CrunchBase

Add to my to-do list: When you set a blog entry to auto-publish at a later time, check that it actually posts!!  I apologize to anyone who came back last week looking for this entry–I realized this morning it never posted.

My biggest wish list for Google calendar was a to-do list feature, so this was a major selling point on Cozi.  Like the calendar, to-do lists can be assigned (by color) to the different people or categories you set up.   You can create multiple to-do lists and either clear/delete them when you’re done or keep them for later use, like the FlyLady Zone calendars I imported from Cozi.

Include the date on your to-do list entry and it will transfer over to your calendar!  I just discovered this last week and I am THRILLED!  Less double-posting from me for items that I put both on the to-do list and the calendar.

The to-do lists can be retrieved as a text message or through mobile access as well as printable.

I have one more post about Cozi coming up–tips & tricks for using it.  If you have any questions about Cozi and what it does, leave a comment below and I’ll answer it in the last Cozi entry.  If you haven’t already done so, be sure to read the other Cozi entries.

All comments are my own, I am not at all connected with Cozi except as a satisfied user.