What's Cookin' This Week (Aug. 22 - 28, 2011)

Well this is going to be a busy week.  It's the first week of school.  I work at a university so it's the first week of classes which means my phone and office will be buzzing with phone calls and people.  My daughter is switching to a new classroom with a new teacher at day care/ preschool.  And my husband is out of town, traveling for work for most of this week (so I'll be a single parent). 

So with all that being said, I'm planning to keep things very low-key in the kitchen.  I'm not making anything new - just digging in my freezer for what I already have.  That's the great thing about doing bulk cooking and preparing meals ahead of time - you can take almost a week off when you need to.  And I think I will need to do so this week! 

This may change at any moment, but here's the plan I hope to mostly stick with this week:


Monday, August 22 - Mini Shrimp and Spinach Alfredo Pizzas (using pita bread I have in the fridge and leftover shrimp cooked over the weekend)


Tuesday, August 23 - Better For You Baked Spaghetti and Meatballs (which I have on hand in my freezer!)


Wednesday, August 25 - Eat Out or grab Take out food (Chick-Fil-A or other kid-friendly restaurant)


Thursday, August 26 - Sweet Potato Soup, Hummus Dip and Pita Chips (I have both of these in the freezer too!)


Friday, August 27 - Slim Sloppy Joes in a whole wheat wrap (also stored in my freezer!)


Saturday, August 28 - Chicken Parmesan with honey mustard flavor with green beans and easy beer bread


Sunday, August 29 - Black Bean and Sweet Potato Enchiladas - I haven't made these in awhile but I'd like to have them again.  It's good to go meatless sometimes!


And what else? 




Although I'm not making any new recipes this week, I hope to do some stocking up again on purees like carrots and avocados.  I also want to make a batch of these early start muffins and a small batch of pumpkin muffins too.

I'm also going to find time to juice and zest 20 limes that my husband's co-worker gave us.  I plan to freeze most of it for later to use in margaritas, lime pie and in a chicken dish. 

I hope you have a fabulous week and have some great foods on your table!  I'll be back soon with my third and final birthday cake recipe.  You don't want to miss how I turned the disaster cake into something presentable and edible!  

What Three Birthday Cakes Should I Make For Myself? (And This Week's Meal Plan Too! )

Well, I wasn't kidding when I said before that August would be a busy month for me!!!  I can't believe a week has already gone by.  I spent the first part of this month doing special things for a friend of mine who needed me.  Then I entertained my B-F-F that I've known since we were babies all weekend long too.  Food has definitely played a big part in the last week - preparing a meal for a family, cooking homemade pizza, blending up frozen coffees, baking grits casserole and cookies for a much-deserved pal on vacation.

Busy, busy, busy!  I enjoyed it all though.

But now, this week is MY TURN to shine!  My birthday is Friday, August 12.  I will be turning 33 years old.  In honor of my special day, I've come up with an idea.... to make three small cakes for myself!  I mean, after all, why just have one when I can have three???  Don't you agree!? 

Now I'm just trying to decide what three cakes I should make?  What am I in the mood for?  I still have five days to decide, or maybe just three or four if you include grocery shopping time to prepare for it.  I'm sure one should be chocolate.  Maybe even caramel or peanut butter too.  What about the others?  Should I have one called sinful, one called deadly and then one called six feet under because they are each so decadent and rich??!

Decisions, decisions!!  Help me decide.  What would you make? 

Well, think it over and let me know, will ya please!?   In the mean time, here is my meal plan for this week.  I'm not making anything new, just some of my favorite family recipes from my cookbook.

If you have trouble reading it, the photo says the following:

Monday - Sloppy Joes
Tuesday - Pepperoni Pasta
Wednesday - Sandwiches and salad
Thursday - Eat Out
Friday - Eat Cake.  Enjoy my birthday!
Saturday - BBQ
Sunday - Sausage and Black Bean Corn bread


I hope to share the one for Sloppy Joes in a few days.  But we'll see, I think I might be too preoccupied looking up cake recipes!  :-)

Please share your ideas, recipes and even links to cakes in the comments below.  I want to make three cakes for my 33rd birthday and I need your ideas! 

What's Cookin' This Week (August 1 - 7, 2011)

I'm having a lazy Sunday so I'm doing something a little different this week.  I am going to forgo the whole typing out of my meal plan and rather just share a photo of my hand written schedule for the upcoming days.  Here you go....





That's it - that's the plan.  Nothing fancy!  I just use a random sheet of paper that I find around my house; grab a pen; then I start browsing through my pantry, fridge and freezer for what I have in stock.  Then I wait for inspiration to strike me and what recipes come to mind. 

And yes, I realize that I have a misspelled word on my list.  It's really quite a shame especially since I have a B.A. with concentration in English.  What can I say?  I'm human and I make mistakes.  (At least I didn't write me-steaks? :-) 

I'm also going to make a bunch of desserts for my friend who is coming to visit next weekend.  But most of them are low-calorie, low fat versions that are printed in my cookbook. 

Anyway, I've got to get going!  My computer keeps freezing up on me - sooo annoying!  Our A/C is not working right now either and we have a full day of planned activities.  So I'm hoping and wishing that we can get our house temperature under control soon so the whole day isn't ruined!  At least I've got today's red beans and rice cookin' in my slow cooker and that's one less thing to worry about!

Hope your Sunday is better than mine and that you have a good start to the week too!