Meal Plan Week #26

Only a 4-day work week this week. Yay for holidays! Even though Friday is like a weekend which I normally don't plan for, I'm still putting together a full plan for the week. 

MONDAY: Slow Cooker Cheesy Chicken & Rice
I haven't done a slow cooker meal in awhile, I've done this one before and it was a success. I might switch it up and throw in some broccoli this time.

TUESDAY: Quesadillas with chips and salsa
Today is A's 8th birthday (!), she loves quesadillas so I thought this would be perfect for our Taco Tuesday night. I'll probably do cheese quesadillas and black bean quesadillas.

WEDNESDAY: Meatloaf and Asparagus
The husband asked for meatloaf this weekend and I didn't have what I needed so I promised to include it in this week's meal plan.

THURSDAY: Clean out the Fridge Night
The slow cooker meal and meatloaf will leave us with leftovers plus I made a double batch of chili over the weekend so we'll do some fridge clean out.

FRIDAY: Lasagna, Garlic Bread, Side Salad
My Dad and step-mom are coming to town for the weekend so I'm going to let the Stouffers family help me do the majority of the cooking :)

Linking up here

My 3 Summer Must-Haves

Summer is here. It's seriously my favorite time of year. The sun is shining, we can hang out outside all day, I can consume an entire watermelon without anyone noticing and have a beer or glass of wine in my hand before noon is completely acceptable as long as the grill or pool is nearby. I've compiled my top 3 summer must-haves!

Flip flops - I practically live in these things from June - August. If I could get away with wearing them to work Monday through Thursday I totally would (instead I wear sandals to class it up a bit). The best thing about flip-flops is that you can spend the $3 at Old Navy on one of their 50 million colors and if they break it just gives you an excuse to go back and buy a different shade :)

Iced beverages preferably from Starbucks - coffee, lattes, tea, lemonade, as long as it's iced I'm drinking it! I'm not a huge fan of hot beverages unless it's super cold outside. But during the summer I drink only iced drinks with lots of ice.

A good razor - let's face it, summer = bikinis, shorts and dresses. You don't want your lower half (or your armpits for that matter) looking like it's still winter time. This Schick Hydro Silk TrimStyle Razor is my go-to. Smooth legs and no unruly bikini line are happening when you use this razor and trimmer in one.

*Full disclosure: I received the Schick TrimStyle Razor for being a BzzAgent. All opinions are my own.

What is on your list of summer must-haves?

Meal Plan Week #25

It's another week of "what's for dinner?" ... are you as excited as me? (sarcasm abounds in my question in case you didn't pick up on that) This week we have a house guest, my mom is coming for a few days (Hi Mom!) so I'm planning my meals based on 5 people instead of 4. I normally try to plan for leftovers so the husband and I have something to take for lunch the following day at work so it should be pretty easy.

MONDAY: Picnic Dinner

I stole this idea from Carrie and my kids loved it. Cheese, crackers, fruit, veggies, anything we can eat with our fingers :)

TUESDAY: Taco Salads

Occasionally I opt out of tacos for Taco Tuesday and make myself a taco salad, but I haven't really planned on salads for the whole family. We'll give this a try!

WEDNESDAY: Spaghetti with Garlic Bread

THURSDAY: Sausages & Hot Dogs with Cucumber Salad

I was so busy trying to get ready for the garage sale last week we never ate the sausages and hot dogs that I bought - we'll have them this week instead!

FRIDAY: Pizza Braid

Baseline for this freezer friendly meal is here.

Anything good cookin' this week at your house?

Currently #2

loving. watching my girls run around outside, summer is such a carefree time
smelling. flowers from the store, maybe it's time I treat myself to a bunch for the house
writing. lists, there's so much to keep track of this month
reading. over vacation I finished The Fault in Our Stars and am looking for my next book
watching. Orange Is The New Black, so happy it's back!
craving. more free time to take adventures with the family
obsessing. over fresh fruits and veggies, time to hit up the farmer's market!
wishing. I had a maid service
needing. to allergy-proof our home for A, the results from her testing weren't good :(
wanting. to spend a day at the spa
trying. to get ready for our garage sale on Friday and Saturday
eating. fruit salad, I love to play with mixing fruits for different and fun combinations
drinking. flavored teas, I can't stand plain iced tea but add some raspberry or peach and I'm in!
feeling. tired, after getting sick I just can't rebound so quickly
hoping. J will be ready to start Kindergarten in August, she's a little spitfire and will give her teacher a run for her money:)
clicking. through Instagram, I love all the pretty photos even if they are staged

Meal Plan Week #24

Last week was a bit tough to get back into the swing of things. I wound up sick after our vacation but at least our meal plan kept us mostly on track for the week. We did skip one night's meal so we'll move that to this week. I'll also be busy getting ready for our garage sale on Friday so I'm keeping it pretty easy this week with lots of opportunities for the kids to help prepare dinner. Let's get into it!

MONDAY: Breakfast for Dinner
Waffles and eggs didn't happen last week, so we'll have this easy dinner tonight.

TUESDAY: Tacos

WEDNESDAY: Baked Potatoes and Salad Bar
All the fixin's for both - make your own style!

THURSDAY: Sausages & Hot Dogs on the grill

FRIDAY: Delivery / Take Out
I'm having a garage sale today, so we'll use some of our earnings to get our meal made for us :) I'm voting for Chinese

What's for dinner this week at your house? Any new recipes I should try?

Meal Plan Week #23

We're back from our cruise so now time to get back to reality. Which means back to meal planning. Of course this required a whirlwind of a shopping trip - I hate when I have to restock the fridge.

MONDAY: Deli Sandwiches, Fruit Salad and Chips
I will have a busy day back at work, so I won't have energy to cook a lot so this will work perfectly.

TUESDAY: Stacked Chicken Enchiladas
I'm so excited to get back to Taco Tuesdays! There was zero Mexican food to be found on our cruise so we are all craving something yummy.

WEDNESDAY: Mexi Mac & Cheese
Why not two Mexican inspired dishes this week - we just can't get enough :)

THURSDAY: Grilled Cheese & Veggies with Dip

FRIDAY: Breakfast for Dinner
We'll probably do waffles and eggs tonight.

What's for dinner this week at your house?

Meal Plan Week #22

Even though I'm not planning meals this week doesn't mean that the rest of you aren't! Let's pretend that I'm not ordering multiple dishes for each meal I eat aboard the cruise ship. ;) 
I've compiled some of our favorite meal plans for you to check out for new ideas.

New recipe week was a big success and we even rated the meals we tried so you know what our favorites are and which ones maybe you can skip. 
Highlights: Skillet Lasagna, Mexican Lasagna, Ranch Pork Chops, Grilled Cheese Pizza Sandwiches (became a new family favorite) and Beef Stew

Week #18 was also a winner.
Highlights: Baked Potato Bar, Chicken Taquitos (you must make these!), Kebabs on the grill, Pizza Braid

Week #2 was all about super easy, family pleasing meals.
Highlights: BLTs, Baked Tacos (everyone will love these!), Burgers & Fries

Week #16 featured some meal ideas that let us try some of our favorites in a new way and they did not disappoint.
Highlights: Broccoli Chicken Mac & Cheese, Sriracha Lime Grilled Chicken Chopped Salad (perfect summer meal), Meat Lovers Lasagna Roll-Ups

Wow, after this recap I have some ideas for next week that we can make again! I hope you got some new ideas for what to eat this week.