Category Archives: menu plan Monday

Today’s a Monday masquerading as a Tuesday so here’s a menu plan

01/02/2018 Nichole 2 Comments

There was a time when I would have scoffed at the idea of making a Chrissy Teigen recipe pulled from a Kardashian website. But that time was last year, and this year I’m absolutely making Chrissy’s lettuce wraps because they sound delicious.

Monday: Spaghetti and Meatballs: These were delicious and I might make it our traditional New Year’s Day dish.

Tuesday: Chicken lettuce wraps: Sorry, stodgy old 2017 Nichole. New 2018 Nichole is totally into celebrity cookbooks. I blame Freddie Prinze Jr. If these lettuce wraps are good, I’m buying “Cravings.”

Wednesday: Crispy garlic chicken: I’ve been making this recipe for at least a decade, and never once do I remember to marinate the chicken in time. This was supposed to be tonight’s dinner, but now it’s tomorrow’s.

Thursday: Sandwiches: Either turkey or tuna fish, probably.

Friday: Pizza: Pizza night has gotten a little more complicated, what with my dairy-free life and Pete’s deciding the only pizza he likes is a frozen DiGiorno’s. Pizza Friday might become a monthly thing rather than weekly, which would definitely be healthier for all of us anyway.

Hungry for more? Check out the Menu Plan Monday linkup at OrgJunkie.

menu plan Monday

What we’re eating as the snow melts

12/11/2017 Nichole

I am always pleased to have a Saturday totally free of obligations on the schedule, so I was already looking forward to last weekend. And then the weather folk said “You’re going to get a light dusting of snow!” and I was pleased because I like a light dusting of snow.” Then they said “You’re going to get 2-4 inches of snow!” and I was OK with that because the kids like to tromp around in a bit of snow.” And Thursday night they said, “Uh, you’re going to get a lot of snow. Like, 8 inches maybe? Or 12? We have no idea, really. Just get some bread and milk and plan to stay home.” And I was back to being thrilled because (a) Rockford managed to get home from Minneapolis just before the storm hit and (b) I love planning to stay home.

So we had a cold, stay-at-home weekend, with a good number of snowball fights and several naps while binge-watching “The Crown” and one nice-sized snowman, and we ended up with just over 10 inches of snow.

Monday: Hawaiian Meatballs

“What was that thing you used to make with green peppers and pineapple?” Rockford asked.

“Ummmmmmm,” I said. “Sounds like it could be a sweet-and-sour something?”

“No,” he said. “I think it was meatballs.”

And so it was. I last made this Pioneer Woman recipe something like 4 years ago.

Tuesday: Pizza, perhaps

Wednesday: Breakfast For Dinner: Last week’s tap-dancing class was equal parts amusing and confusing. I really should practice the steps we attempted to learn before Wednesday so I have some hope of keeping up. Regardless, Rockford will be at home making waffles for the kids.

Thursday: Sandwiches: It’s STAR WARS DAY! So we’ll have some sandwiches before we go see the movie.

Friday: Soy-Glazed Pork: This was overly salty the last time I made it, so this time I’m going to make my own black bean paste so I can cut down on the sodium a bit. I hope it works.

Hungry for more? Check out the Menu Plan Monday linkup at OrgJunkie.

menu plan Monday, Shopping

Arts & crafts & menu plans

12/04/2017 Nichole 1 Comment

We had a busy but very nice weekend here at Butterscotch Sundae headquarters. We spent some time on Saturday at an indie art and craft fair, and I saw these lovely things:

Octopi and other sea-life inspired pottery from Anja Bartels. She also had a line of dogwood pottery that was gorgeous.

Sweet and often simultaneously profane artwork by my friend Robin Plemmons.

Mind-bogglingly beautiful concert posters from Status Serigraph.

Stunning tiny sculpture from Funlola’s Workshop. Most of it was in the form of jewelry; I couldn’t believe the detail in her succulents in particular.

The “wire taxidermy” by Alison Brynn Ross blew me away. They were all delicate and lifelike and so quirky. I’d love to put this shark on my wall.

And my favorite thing from the whole show, Julia Claire’s pottery. Her designs feature geometric mountain scenes, and I’ve been admiring them on instagram for about a year. I was so excited to round the corner and see her work!

We got a lot of Christmas shopping done there, which is (in my opinion) great news for our gift recipients. Including myself, because I may have bought something from Julia Claire and stuck it under the tree To: Me; From: Me.

With zero segue, that brings us to this week’s menu plan. Here ’tis:

Monday: Oven-Baked Chicken: “Oven-Baked Chicken” is just another way of saying we’re having Shake ‘N’ Bake. I need to use up some potatoes, so I’m making mashed potatoes, too.

Tuesday: Tacos: Just your standard ol’ ground beef tacos, ft. black beans and avocado.

Wednesday: Frozen pizza: I’m embarking on what I’m certain will turn out to be a lifelong tap-dancing career on Wednesday evening, and I’m leaving my family to eat frozen pizza while I do it. Hopefully I don’t injure myself.

Thursday: Breakfast for Dinner: The question I face every week when I plan BFD: Will the veggie sausages make it until BFD night? Historical precedent says probably not.

Friday: Pizza: I know, I know! It’s a two-pizza-night week. Sometimes these things happen, and we have to learn to live with that.

Hungry for more? Check out the Menu Plan Monday linkup at OrgJunkie.