Menu Plan for February 1, 2010

Time is just flying by lately. I strongly suspect that's because Baby's second birthday is rapidly approaching. I can't believe he'll be two in just a few short weeks. At the same time, I'm excited to see him growing up and learning new things. It makes me so proud when he figures out how to put words together or how to do something that used to challenge him. All the same, I long for the days when I could just hold him and rock him and he wouldn't say, "Mommy, no!"

Speaking of no, food has become a serious challenge these days. For those of you wondering how often Baby eats these wonderful varied things I put in front of him, the answer is not very often, especially these days. He suddenly has a thing against straight spaghetti - I think maybe it's a little challenging for him to eat it, so he'd rather not. He'd rather eat Spaghetti-O's or fusilli or another shaped pasta. He also will randomly decide to despise his favorite foods. I try my best to keep my cool about it, because I know my getting frustrated won't help the situation, but it's ridiculously hard sometimes. And I'm sure it's only going to get harder as he gets more opinionated.

I'm really excited to try this cider braised pork chop recipe this weekend - I've been wanting to try it for a while and I keep forgetting about it. I love apple flavors with pork chops, so I suspect that will be a pretty yummy dinner. And Baby will probably refuse to it, of course...so the saga continues.

Monday - Brinner! Buttermilk Waffles

Tuesday - Oven Fried Chicken Fingers

Wednesday - Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes

Thursday - Spaghetti and Garlic Knots

Friday - Honey Soy Chicken and Rice

Saturday - Cider Braised Pork Chops and Mashed Potatoes (a new recipe!)

Sunday - Beer and Brown Sugar Marinated Steak and Roasted Potatoes (Life got in the way last week so we didn't have this last week, and darn it, I was upset about it! I love this steak recipe!)

Have a great week, and don't forget to visit Org Junkie if you need any menu inspiration, or if you want to share your menu too!

Menu Plan Monday for January 25th

I've got some great new recipes coming your way this week, including my very first spaghetti sauce, which was quite delicious and extremely simple to make. I've also got some brownies coming your way, which are insanely yummy. I'm looking forward especially to making my beer and brown sugar marinated steak again, because that was so awesome the last time I made it. Super duper yum.

Monday - Brinner - IHOP Pancakes

Tuesday - Awesome Chicken Cutlets

Wednesday - Spaghetti and Garlic Knots

Thursday - Mom's Pork Chops (I will be sharing this recipe, though it's not new!)

Friday - Homemade Cheese Pizza

Saturday - Beer and Brown Sugar Marinated Steak

Sunday - Mom's Baked Chicken

What's on your menu this week? Do you need some additional inspiration? Visit OrgJunkie to find many, many more menu plans from bloggers all over the blogosphere!

Menu Plan Monday for January 11th

These past few days have been way busy in my kitchen, but not because of any cooking or baking - Husband has been attempting to install our new kitchen and dining room floor. It was apparently a bit more of a challenge than he anticipated, since it's not done yet, after three days of work, but at least I can use my stove again. Yay! Here's what's on the menu for this week...

Monday - Brinner - Best Buttermilk Pancakes (a new recipe!)

Tuesday - Honey Mustard Chicken

Wednesday - Spaghetti

Thursday - Beef Teriyaki

Friday - Honey Soy Glazed Chicken

Saturday - Brown Sugar Glazed Pork with Red Wine Sauce

Sunday - Pan Roasted Chicken with Onion and Ale Sauce (a new recipe!)

I've got several new recipes to post this week, including one that is definitely going to make it into my regular rotation - Beer and Brown Sugar Marinated Steaks. Keep your eyes peeled for that one, and don't forget, if you need menu inspiration, visit Org Junkie!

Menu Plan Monday for January 4th

Happy New Year to you all! I am excited about the new year, and I'm excited about this week's menu. Last week was nice and I'll be posting three new recipes I tried out this week, including a new Double Fudge cookie recipe (yum!), but I'm super excited to try a new recipe for brinner.

Monday: Yeasted Overnight Waffles (a new recipe - stay tuned!)

Tuesday: Chicken Teriyaki and Garlic Noodles

Wednesday: Spaghetti and Garlic Knots

Thursday: Skillet BBQ Chicken

Friday: Homemade Classic Pizza

Saturday: Honey Chicken Stir Fry (a new recipe - stay tuned!)

Sunday: Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry (a new recipe - stay tuned!)

So tell me, what are you making this week? Don't forget, Org Junkie has the market cornered on menu inspiration if you're in need of some. Happy menu planning!

Menu Plan Monday for December 14th

I'm hoping this will be a fun week - I turn 29 on Saturday, and I'm hoping that the Dinner Fairy will arrange to take me out to dinner. I sure don't plan to cook on my birthday. Usually, for my birthday and other various happy occasions, we go to my favorite Japanese restaurant, Kado, which serves traditional teppanyaki cuisine. It's my absolute favorite (hint-hint).

Monday - Buttermilk Waffles
Tuesday - Beef Teriyaki
Wednesday - Spaghetti and Garlic Knots
Thursday - BBQ Chicken on Garlic Toast
Friday - Glazed Pork Chops
Saturday - My birthday - NO COOKING!!
Sunday - Apple Maple Glazed Chicken (new recipe to be posted!)

Menu Plan Monday for December 7th

Last week was horrible. I did an awful job sticking to my menu, in part because of some drama that popped up throughout the week, but also because I was awfully moody last week. I'm sure hoping that this week will be different. I'm only doing one new recipe this week, but I do have several more Christmas cookie recipes coming your way!

Monday - IHOP Pancakes
Tuesday - Spaghetti and Garlic Bread
Wednesday - Honey Mustard Chicken
Thursday - Chicken Teriyaki and Garlic Noodles
Friday - French Onion Soup
Saturday - Brown Sugar Barbecued Chicken
Sunday - Mustard Garlic Grilled Pork Chops (new recipe to be posted!)

Need your Christmas cookie fix? Click here!

Menu Plan Monday for November 23rd

Can you believe it's Thanksgiving already? Where did this year go? Don't get me wrong, I love Thanksgiving, it just totally crept up on me this year. Do you still need some recipes for Thanksgiving? Come visit me tomorrow and Tuesday for my stuffing recipe and my favorite chocolate pie recipe, French Silk Pie.

This week we've got some standard fare, with one new recipe for the week on Sunday, Glazed Pork Chops with Asian Flavors. I'm looking forward to that, because if it's anything like my usual usual Glazed Pork Chops, these will be awesome. The day after Thanksgiving, I'm going with some super easy, crowd-pleasing Brown Sugar Barbecued Chicken, one of my favorite easy recipes.

Monday - Buttermilk Waffles

Tuesday - Beef Teriyaki

Wednesday - Spaghetti

Thursday - Thanksgiving Dinner
including Infamous Pumpkin Pie, Gravy, Traditional Sage and Onion Stuffing and French Silk Pie

Friday- Brown Sugar Barbecued Chicken

Saturday - Crisp Mustard Glazed Chicken

Sunday - Glazed Pork Chops with Asian Flavors (recipe to be posted!)

Menu Plan Monday for November 16th

This is going to be a neat-o menu week. Yes, I really wrote that. Neat-0. It's one of my toddler's favorite words.

I'm going to be sharing an old favorite recipe with you, for my mom's infamous Pan Fried Chicken. I will also be making a cream gravy to go with the fried chicken, which is almost the entire point of making the fried chicken. In our family, we're big fans of eating our cream gravy with biscuits. Yum. When I'm sick, that's the one thing I crave - not chicken noodle soup, chicken cream gravy and biscuits.

This week's new recipe is for Pork Tenderloin with Cider Sauce. I'm looking forward to trying this recipe, because it doesn't look too hard and because it also sounds awfully tasty. And reminds me of fall.

Monday - IHOP Pancakes (dude, if you haven't checked these out, you must - they are awesome!)

Tuesday - Honey Mustard Chicken

Wednesday - Spaghetti and Garlic Knots

Thursday - Beef Teriyaki

Friday - Burgers on the Grill

Saturday - Pan Fried Chicken Mom's Way (recipe to be posted!)

Sunday - Pork Tenderloin with Cider Sauce (recipe to be posted!)

Don't forget, if you need menu inspiration in a big way, go visit Org Junkie!

Menu Plan Monday for November 9th

In theory, we're going to have a cool down this week that might actually make it finally feel like fall. I sure hope so, because I'm planning to make French Onion Soup this week! French Onion Soup is one of my all-time favorite foods, has been for a long time. I think I first had it at a Bennigan's when I was in college, and I loved it. Several of my friends and I lived in an apartment complex across the street from a Bennigan's while I was in college, and we would constantly go there, for late night drinks, late night dinners, you name it. In fact, there was a Jameson whiskey-soaked steak there that I loved for a long time until they took it off the menu. I should hunt for a copycat of that recipe. I was really sad when Bennigan's shuttered its doors earlier this year - it was like a chapter of my past closing up for good. I guess I fared pretty well, though, given that Husband still hangs around and he was a big part of those Bennigan's dinners. He could slam back frozen mudslides there with the best of them.

Anyway, not too much excitement with this week's menu. I plan to start working on getting some of my Thanksgiving recipes up here very soon, so stay tuned. I also believe I might just have another book review for you this week. We've got three recipes this week that will be coming to you soon, and I'm way excited to share the steak with red wine sauce recipe, it looks delicious! Have a great week!

Monday - Buttermilk Waffles

Tuesday - Type A Mommy's Meatloaf

Wednesday - Spaghetti

Thursday - Simple Cheese Pizza

Friday - French Onion Soup (recipe to be posted!)

Saturday - Honey Soy Grilled Pork Chops (recipe to be posted!)

Sunday - Pan-Seared Steak with Red Wine Sauce (recipe to be posted!)

Menu Plan Monday for November 2nd

I am so happy to be done with the whole swine flu quarantine. If money grew on trees, we would totally eat out every night this week, just to get out of the house! But, I haven't found the money tree yet, so we're just back to normal, with some tried and true favorites this week as well as two new recipes to try. I'm especially looking forward to trying the steaks with balsamic mustard sauce recipe.

The other new recipe I want to share with you all, but so far the weather's not cooperating, is French Onion Soup. It's one of my all-time favorite things in the world, but when you live in Florida, you really only have it when you're sick or when it's actually cold outside. Right now, it's not cold, at all, it feels more like August than November. As soon as the temperature starts to dip, I will absolutely make my soup and post the yummy recipe - trust me, it will become one of your favorites, so stay tuned, and hope for a cold front!!!

In the meantime, here's what's on the menu for this week:

Monday - Buttermilk Pancakes

Tuesday - Brown Sugar Barbecue Chicken

Wednesday - Spaghetti

Thursday - Brown Sugar Pork with Red Wine Sauce

Friday - BBQ Chicken on Garlic Toast

Saturday - Steaks with Balsamic Mustard Sauce (recipe to be posted!)

Sunday - Skillet Pizza (recipe to be posted!)

Menu Plan Monday for October 26th

As you probably know, we're all quarantined with the swine flu at the moment (so far with only one sufferer, and that's Baby), so dinners for the first few days of the week are going to be blah and boring. We're supposed to be all better (in theory) by Tuesday/Wednesday, but I'm aiming for more like Wednesday to plan on being back to normal, assuming we survive our stir craziness. Without any further ado, here's the menu for this week...

Monday - Brinner - Buttermilk Waffles

Tuesday - Spaghetti

Wednesday - Chicken with Mustard Pan Sauce (recipe to be posted!)

Thursday - Beef Teriyaki

Friday - Burgers on the Grill

Saturday - Awesome Chicken Cutlets

Sunday - Crispy Orange Chicken (new recipe!)

Don't forget - if my menu doesn't inspire you, you can always visit Org Junkie to find hundreds of other bloggers' menus and sometimes even recipes. Happy menu planning friends!

Menu Plan Monday for October 19th

Last week, my menu totally went to pot. I didn't make any of the new stuff I planned to, for numerous reasons, so this week's menu is OVERLOADED with new stuff! We'll have to see how I do with all these new recipes, especially since Husband's going to be super extra busy for most of the week on a big work project.

Monday - Famous Buttermilk Pancakes

Tuesday - Beef Stroganoff (recipe forthcoming!)

Wednesday - Spaghetti and Homemade Garlic Bread (recipe forthcoming!)

Thursday - Chicken Lo Mein (recipe forthcoming!)

Friday - Oven Fried Chicken Fingers (recipe forthcoming!)

Saturday - Barbecued Pork Chops (recipe forthcoming!)

Sunday - Mandarin Chicken (recipe forthcoming!)

Need further menu inspiration? Visit Org Junkie for over 300 other bloggers' menus, complete with recipes, shopping lists, the whole nine yards!

Menu Plan Monday for October 12th

This year is quickly drawing to a close, it seems. How did it get to be the middle of October already? Is it ever going to feel like fall around here??? We had a brief cold front - or cool front, really - almost two weeks ago now, but since then, we've been back at summer-type temperatures here in Florida, so it's hard to get into making neat fall recipes with the weather so warm. For instance, I'd love to make French Onion Soup, but it's way too hot to appreciate it at the moment. It's funny, because this happens every year - I get impatient about fall in Florida, because it feels like it will never happen. I was watching the weather on the Today show the other day, and it seemed like every other state in the whole country had lovely, comfortable temperatures, but not Florida. This is precisely why I don't think I would mind living up north someday - says a girl who has pretty much lived in Florida her whole life and has never shoveled so much as an inch of snow, let alone driven in snow or ice. But anyway, I digress...

There are a whopping four new recipes on the schedule this week - wow! I'm really excited for all of them and can't wait to share with you how they all turn out. I've been working on my menu plans for the next few months (yes, I really write my menu plans that far in advance - it helps me grocery shop for items I will need when they're on sale, rather than when I need them, which helps us save money), and I must say, there are some pretty awesome new recipes I'm going to be trying out in the weeks to come!

Monday - Waffles

Tuesday - Awesome Pretzel Chicken Tenders (a new recipe to be posted!)

Wednesday - Spaghetti and Garlic Knots

Thursday - Mac and Cheese and Garlic-Cheddar Biscuits

Friday - Beef Stroganoff (a new recipe to be posted!)

Saturday - Chicken Lo Mein (a new recipe to be posted!)

Sunday - Barbecued Pork Chops (a new recipe to be posted!)

Don't forget to visit Org Junkie, if you're in need of menu-related inspiration!

Menu Plan Monday for October 5th

I feel like I've been to Publix a million times in the last week. The good news is that I have everything (and then some) for my dinners this week. Phew! The goal is to stay away from Publix unless we run out of milk!!

Last week was a good week of dinners, and there are two recipes I still owe you guys, so you'll see them this week - BBQ Chicken with Garlic Toast and Brown Sugar Glazed Pork. Yum on all accounts. Here's the plan for this week...

Monday - Buttermilk Pancakes

Tuesday - Frozen chicken fajitas (haven't found a recipe I really like for chicken fajitas - have one? Tell me about it!)

Wednesday - Spaghetti and garlic bread (recipe to be posted!)

Thursday - Beef Teriyaki

Friday - Brown Sugar BBQ Chicken (recipe to be posted!)

Saturday - Honey Soy Grilled Pork Chops (recipe to be posted!)

Sunday - Crisp Mustard Glazed Chicken (recipe to be posted!)

So we've got FOUR new recipes coming your way from this week! Pretty amazing! I'm excited about this week's recipes, I'm hoping it will be a super yummy week. What are you planning for dinners this week? Make sure to share it with Org Junkie! And if you need some menu inspiration, Org Junkie is the place to go, for sure. Happy Monday!

Menu Plan Monday for September 28th

What a ridiculously busy weekend! Didn't feel like much a break this week, especially with Husband heading out of town again on Monday. Oh well. At least I have a tasty menu for the week to look forward to.

Last week was full of new recipes left and right. I even started producing some of my recipes in a super-easy printable format. Did you like that? Make sure to leave me a comment to tell me so! This week there are a few more new recipes on the horizon, including one from Martha and one from the Publix Aprons collection, which I've never cooked from before. Also, this week I'll be posting my latest cupcake adventure with the Martha Stewart Cupcakes Club, Banana Pecan Cupcakes, so make sure to check in this week for that.

Monday - Mac and Cheese with Cheddar-Garlic Biscuits from the Food Network Magazine (biscuit recipe to be posted)

Tuesday - Spaghetti and Garlic Bread (or possibly garlic knots if I find the time)

Wednesday - Teriyaki Chicken and Garlic Noodles (Baby just LOVED those noodles)

Thursday - Simple Cheese Pizza

Friday - BBQ Chicken on Garlic Toast (a new recipe, from Martha - recipe to be posted!)

Saturday - Brown Sugar Glazed Pork (another new recipe, from Publix Aprons - recipe to be posted!)

Sunday - Burgers on the Grill

Menu Plan Monday for September 21st

Wow, I just realized that it's almost October. Woo hoo, that means it's almost really fall! I can't wait for the temperatures to start to dip. Fall and winter are my favorite seasons, because they are the only seasons in Florida where you won't feel yourself roasting to a crisp outside. Not that we have a real fall or winter, with snow or leaves changing or anything, but still. A relief from the insane heat and humidity is always welcome in my book. (Though, inevitably, I will gripe about the cold, too.)

So, Husband is travelling again this week (argh), but I'm going to try to make a regular menu. That basically means that I have to hope that Baby is getting better at entertaining himself while I cook, which is often problematic. Here's what's on this week's menu:

Monday - Cider Braised Pork Medallions
Tuesday - Honey-Soy Glazed Chicken (I am going to try this with boneless chicken and see how it comes out)
Wednesday - Spaghetti and Garlic Bread
Thursday - Mac & Cheese and Cheddar Bay Biscuits (I will share the biscuit recipe, if it's good!)
Friday - Beef Teriyaki with white rice
Saturday - Steak and Onion sandwiches (I'll be sharing the recipe!)
Sunday - Baked Honey Mustard Chicken (I'll be sharing the recipe!)

So, wow, four new recipes to try out this week! And I'm baking snickerdoodles this week, too, so it will be like recipe overload here on Type A Mommy this week. Enjoy! And don't forget, if you need menu inspiration, visit Org Junkie, who quite possibly hosts a record-shattering number of bloggers' menus on her website every Monday.

Menu Plan Monday for September 14th

How is it that Monday keeps sneaking up on me? Last week was understandable, Husband was on vacation and all...this week, no excuse. Oh well, at least the laundry's all done this Monday - I was such a procrastinator last week.

I totally flaked on my menu last week. I'm not sure if it was that Husband's business trip got cut short or what, but I totally skipped the "new" meals I was going to make last week, but I will still be posting my pulled pork recipe later today, just minus the pictures, since I didn't happen to make it.

Well, this week's menu is anything but exciting - it's a busy week this week, so I'm trying to keep things simple around here.

Monday - Waffles
Tuesday - Barbecued Chicken Fajitas
Wednesday - Spaghetti and garlic knots
Thursday - Meatloaf
Friday - Crock Pot Chicken Teriyaki (recipe to be posted)
Saturday - Cider Braised Pork Medallions
Sunday - Basic large pizza

What are you making this week? Share it with Org Junkie! Or just visit her for some serious menu inspiration!

Menu Plan Monday for September 7th

Monday has once again snuck up on me. I have a good excuse this time - Husband has been on his "staycation" all week, and now today is Labor Day, which he was also supposed to enjoy at home with us, but he's been called away to meet with a client (I know, on freaking Labor Day) and then he'll be away for the week, so I've been dreading Monday. And here it is.

Another reason I've been dreading Monday? Because I won't be having standard Labor Day fare for dinner - I can't grill. I know lots of girls who can grill, my mother being one of them. But I'm not one. Never have learned, and right now, don't really want to. My little munchkin would positively go berserk if I were to go outside to the grill and not allow him, and he's much too little to fully comprehend that "hot" is bad. So anyway...unless I drag my butt over to Steak and Shake for some burgers and fries, we'll be having some pancakes for dinner.

Since Husband will be away, I may alter the menu, but since this was a last-minute trip, I'm going to post my menu the way I had initially planned it, and change it if need be as the week progresses.

Monday - Buttermilk Pancakes
Tuesday - Honey Mustard Chicken (recipe will be posted!)
Wednesday - Spaghetti and Garlic Bread (or garlic knots)
Thursday - Chicken fajitas (frozen meal, sorry, I'm cheating)
Friday - Beef Teriyaki
Saturday - Crock Pot Pulled Pork (recipe will be posted!)
Sunday - Famous Pan Pizza

What are you having for dinner this week? Don't forget to visit Org Junkie to get plenty of menu ideas!

Menu Plan Monday for August 31st

Can you believe it's almost September already? I've been shopping for Baby's Halloween costume and finding it hard to believe that it's going to be fall soon. I can't wait - I will be so happy once the weather starts to change!

This will be a fun week, as Husband happens to be off, so we're having a super-fun staycation. He'll be coming with me to the Y this week, which should make for some fun work-out-related stories as the week progresses. As a result, I'm making a lot of his favorites this week, so enjoy the Husband-focused meal plan for the week!

Monday - Waffles
Tuesday - Meatloaf
Wednesday - Spaghetti and Garlic Bread
Thursday - Awesome Chicken Cutlets
Friday - Glazed Pork Chops
Saturday - Burgers on the Grill
Sunday - Pioneer Woman's Fried Chicken

By the way, we started watching "Arrested Development" on Hulu today, and wow, I guess we really missed some funny programming! We're only on the fourth episode of the first season, but I have a feeling by the end of the week, we'll have watched the whole thing. So far, I highly recommend it if you haven't seen it yet!

Menu Plan Monday for August 24th

I didn't do a super fantastic job sticking to my menu this past weekend - I was to make a new pork chop recipe on Saturday and fajitas on Sunday, but in reality, I made the fajitas on Saturday and a new Martha Stewart chicken recipe on Sunday. Oh well. I'll try to work the pork chop recipe into my menu in the next few weeks.

I was pleasantly surprised with yesterday's Martha recipe for honey-soy glazed chicken drumsticks. It was not only ridiculously easy, but it was quite tasty. So tasty that I didn't take a picture of it because we were too busy eating it. Especially Baby, which was a welcome change. He's in this phase now where he mostly rejects meat, although he ate all of the chicken I cut up for him last night, and a good bit of the steak I cut up for him on fajita night, as soon as Husband started dipping the steak in guacamole for him. I'll be posting both recipes later on today, so check back.

So here's this week's menu...

Monday - Waffles
Tuesday - Meatloaf
Wednesday - Spaghetti and garlic bread
Thursday - Easy BBQ Chicken Fajitas
Friday - Famous Homemade Pan Pizza
Saturday - Beef Stroganoff - a new recipe! (I've yet to find a stroganoff recipe as tasty as my mom used to make)
Sunday - Ribs on the Barbie - a new recipe!

What's on your menu this week? Don't forget to visit Org Junkie to find hundreds of different menus, many with recipes, to inspire you. Trust me, meal planning is worth the extra few minutes you spend on it a week - it saves me so much time!