Menu Monday #28

Whew. I'm still trying to catch up today. We didn't get in from Ohio until late last night and after a listening to Cars 2 about a zillion times, mixed in with shrieks of discontent for half the trip, I was wiped. So, it's really Menu Tuesday, but that just doesn't sound nearly as good!

Last week I prepared Thanksgiving dinner for our little family of four. Turkey stuffed with homemade stuffing, gravy from the juices, mashed potatoes, and corn soufflé.

Yes, even after feasting on it for 2 days, there are still leftovers in the freezer!

And let's not forget dessert. Pumpkin crunch pie. Awesome. I used a combination of the pumpkin crunch and pumpkin pie recipes I had to create this. Quite a delicious addition to the table!

Pie and cake. The best of both worlds! :)

Ethan enjoyed eating on the "fancy plates," aka our china.

When did he get so big?!?

Noah was just happy to use a spoon to feed himself. ;)

Ditto!

As we have come to do every year now, we set up the Christmas tree after enjoying our Thanksgiving dinner. Ethan was really excited about it this year, which made it even more fun. Noah still doesn't really know what's going on, but he does love dancing to some Christmas music! :)

Melting my heart!

We headed to Josh's parents' house on Wednesday, after joining Ethan for a Thanksgiving lunch at his preschool on Tuesday. I was happy to be able to help get the meal ready, even if it included boiled veggies, instant mashed potatoes and what looked more like deli turkey than a real one. :/ It was more about the experience and he enjoyed having us there with him to eat that day. :)

Kristy Lou, Laura Kates and Annie Sue with our little ones!

We spent a couple days in southern Ohio before heading north to my parents' new house on Friday! My wonderful mother had prepared my favorite for dinner - manicotti. The boys gobbled it up, too. I need to make that again soon. I had a wonderful evening catching up with a couple of my best friends from high school. It was so great to see them and have our kiddos play together!

On Saturday, my mom's family gathered for a meal at a local restaurant, Der Dutchman. With so many of us now, cooking a big meal can be a chore, so it was nice for everyone to just relax, eat and visit. We were missing a few people, but I am happy to report that my aunt's open heart surgery yesterday (to remove the tumor that caused her stroke) went well. Hopefully she will soon be on her way to a full recovery! Thank you to everyone who has prayed for her and her family.

On Sunday morning, since my sister's family was there too, my parents fixed our traditional holiday big breakfast of homemade coffee cake and sausage and Canadian bacon egg muffin sandwiches. It was delicious, as always! I really need to get back on track this week with some healthier food. No more desserts! Sigh.

Sunday: Take-out pizza

We got together with some of my Dad's family, and instead of yet another turkey dinner, we decided to enjoy some pizza instead! I wanted to check out some of the local fare from my hometown, so we ordered from Pizza Dock. Their Cheezy Meatball pizza was quite tasty! I would love to check out more of their speciality pies next time I am in town.

Monday: On the road

We had a long day on the road, so fast food had to suffice. I tried the Southwest Grilled Chicken salad from McDonald's. Definitely not the best quality, but the flavors weren't bad.

Tuesday: Cajun Chicken Pasta
I haven't made this meal in a long time, and it sounded like a great light meal after so many big feasts for the holiday! It is packed with lots of yummy fresh veggies, yet it still feels like a comfort meal with the addition of whole wheat pasta.

Wednesday: Grilled pork chops, roasted butternut squash, and toasted pine nut couscous with dried cranberries

I'm hoping it isn't too chilly to fire up the grill for the pork. This meal has quickly become one of our favorites, so I'm looking forward to it. The combo of the crunchy pine nuts with the nutty couscous and the sweet cranberries is perfect. Paired with the earthy flavors of the squash, this meal is incredible.

Thursday: Salsa chicken in whole wheat tortillas, sweet corn

This is a nice, easy healthy meal. I would still like to find an alternative to using cream of chicken soup, so I need to hunt for one to try. Any suggestions?

Friday: TBD

We'll probably eat out somewhere, but I haven't planned this far in advance yet.

Saturday: TBD

I'd like to cook something, but I made this quick menu on the fly this morning while I was out, so I'll go back to the store later if needed.

Happy meal planning to you this week. Time for some turkey detox for us!