Menu Planning Madness!

When I made my December menu, I had only planned through Christmas and then New Year's Day with a big honkin' gap in between.  As much as I would like to go on kitchen strike for the next five days, that's not realistic.  Then I looked at the calendar and realized that I needed to top out the freezer with ready to cook meals for January since my time will be dedicated to ventures other than cooking.  So, there went my delusion dream of a kitchen break.

So instead I will be combining my freezer cooking with a "clean out the freezer/pantry" challenge, similar to last year's challenge.  I worked to find dishes that will freeze well and use up stuff I already have on hand.  I was given  Taste of Home: Freezer Pleasers for Christmas which was very helpful with some new meal ideas to mix things up a bit (great index by ingredient!).

Christmas Ham remainders were repurposed to soup and Ham & Cheese Rolls that made it to the freezer.  I'm really looking forward to the rolls  as they are similar to a hot pocket and will go great with soups!

I will be cooking up a chicken which we will have for dinner and then will be used to make double batches of Chicken Stuffing Casserole and Chicken Potato Casserole and broth.   I also plan to pull some grilled chicken from the freezer and make Ravioli Alfredo with grilled chicken and broccoli to go to the freezer.

Also on the planning board is Beef Stroganoff and Chili.  Check in for Freezer Friday to see how far I get! (Oh, and for New Years Day on Saturday, there's a large pork roast who's travel plans include a stay in my slowcooker, a meet-up with homemade rolls & homemade BBQ sauce and then the freezer)

I'm hoping with a little extra work this week, my freezer will be stocked with meals, instead of ingredients, and I'll be done cooking for the next month!

This Week in My Kitchen

We have a wonderfully cool week forecasted for our area so I'm going to take advantage of it and do some baking.  In keeping with my New Freezer Challenge and to prepare for some upcoming events here are my baking projects for the week.

~*Broccoli & Cheddar Bread dough (to be used for hamburger & sandwich rolls)

~*Carrot Cake

~*HV Chocolate Cake

~*Pumpkin Bread

I'm also looking for some kind of bar recipe too.  We'll see what ends up coming out of the oven!

I also need to make another batch of yogurt.

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February Wrap Up & March Madness!

As I wrapped up February with a family vacation I took a little bit of time to go back to my 2010 Goals and found that I'm actually doing quite well!  I did well with my February Kitchen Goals as well. Watch for an upcoming blog on how to incorporate whole grain flours in your every day baking!

Now by some warp-speed of my calendar, it is March already!  How did that happen?  This month things are going to be very goal focused for me.  Here's what will be going on in my house this month:

De-cluttering through my the Forty Bags in Forty Days project.  We started this on February 17th and so far 12 bags have left our house.   Since we were gone last week we have a little bit of catching up to do this week.

In the kitchen this month, we are working on a freezer challenge to try to empty down our chest freezer before spring and summer bring a new wave of fresh produce.  Most of our main dishes will be meals that are already prepared and in the freezer, or from ingredients that are in the freezer.   My Freezer Friday posts this month will not be what went into the freezer, but link-backs to recipes that have gone into the freezer over the previous months.

I will also be working diligently on baby food to keep GBaby in a healthy balanced diet that is full of iron (as we were informed of a deficiency last month).  I also plan to do a bit of baking and experimenting with a new technique of bread-making.

From the time that I'm not spending cooking this month, I will be sewing - stay tuned for updates from the sewing table too!

There is a lot in store for March - make sure to subscribe to ThrivingMama for your favorite blog reader or follow us on FaceBook so you don't miss out!

February Kitchen Goals

After completing the Eat from the Pantry Challenge in January, reminded me that I am a very goal oriented creature.  In most areas of my life, having something to work towards is a motivator and I love being able to see the progress as I go.  So, for February, I'm setting some kitchen goals to hopefully produce food for my family that will be a little bit healthier.

1.  One plate salad meal a week. I find that  our menu often lacks the veggies that we should be eating and in the winter, it is a huge challenge to find good produce at reasonable prices.  But here goes - we'll see how I do!

2.  Up the Whole Grains. I bake a lot and I use a LOT of regular un-bleached flour.  I am challenging myself this month that every baked good that comes out of my kitchen will have some portion of whole wheat or oat flour.

3. Back to the Baby Food. GBaby has moved past the mush baby food to eating a lot of what we eat.  When it seems like she needs more produce, I grab a banana.  Poor habits, I know!   So this month I will have cooked finger food veggies in assorted colors available in the fridge/freezer for GBaby's meals and snacks.