Menu Monday #29

After a busy weekend last weekend, it was nice to spend a quiet weekend at home. On Friday, I took advantage of Josh being home all afternoon to do some solo shopping. It was wonderful. I definitely never realized before kids how difficult something as easy as shopping would become. I have no idea why kids wouldn't want to spend hours in a stroller or shopping cart while Mommy browses through stores?!? They must not be mine! ;) Later, for dinner, we hit up Smokey Bones because Ethan wanted grilled cheese, and we knew they had it. Unfortunately, though they are normally quick and tasty, they were neither of those things for me that night. The meal took forever to get and my salad was not great. I had to send it back for a new one!

On Saturday morning, I had just the right amount of pumpkin purée leftover, so I made another batch of whole wheat pumpkin pancakes. This time I tried the recipe for the cinnamon streusel topping, too. It was heavenly!! We can't decide if we like them better with the cream cheesing icing or the cinnamon streusel topping. They are both so tasty! We took advantage of the beautiful day in the high 60s, and we all went outside to play and put up the Christmas lights on the house. That evening, we wanted to try a local pizza place, so we headed to Scratch Brick Oven.

That's it for the menu! I really want to try that stuffed pie!

Peperone, andouille sausage, spinach and onions

They offered a fun environment and some really good pizza! We will definitely be visiting them again. They make all of their own meats, doughs, and sauces themselves in house. You can definitely tell the difference in the quality, too. Their prices were very reasonable (the pizzas are big!!) and you can even bring your own drinks with you. I recommend this since they don't use servers and you can avoid buying bottled drinks that way. :) You just fill out a slip with what you want on your pizza, or you trust them to create one for you! We may have to try that option next time. Then you give it to one of them and they go to work making it. It's that easy. You have a seat and they call you up to get it once it is ready. They go by the honor system when it comes time to settle the bill. You let them know if you had any drinks and they add it to your tab. Be sure to bring cash for a 3% discount on your bill. :) We added 4 toppings to our pizza and they were all great - cooked just right! We also got an order of pesto cheesesticks to start. These were really good, too, though the pesto was a bit different than what I make at home. Ethan was a huge fan.

On Sunday morning, Ethan helped Daddy make scrambled eggs and Cream of Wheat for breakfast. The boys always love eating this meal. We spent the day cleaning and playing.

He's really good at cracking eggs!

He's got some mad fork skills! :)

Sunday: Blackened salmon over brown rice, oven roasted asparagus

On the menu this week...on my new menu board! :)

We fired up the grill since the weather was beautiful, in the 60s again! I had missed this meal, so it was extra tasty.

Monday: BBQ chicken sandwiches, mac 'n cheese, baked beans

With another nice day in store for us, it will be another meal on the grill. We'll use Montgomery Inn BBQ sauce on the chicken. I have recently discovered Annie's organic mac 'n cheese and it was a hit with the boys, so I have strayed from our longtime favorite for this new variety. :) The guys gobble up Bush's Southern Pit BBQ baked beans, so that will round out the meal. It will feel like summer again!

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

I wasn't kidding when I said this was a new favorite! We'll be having it again this week. All of the flavors are excellent together!

Wednesday: Grilled cheese with prosciutto, tomato soup

The boys gobble this meal up, and I "fancy" it up a bit for hubby and I to enjoy, too! I'll bake a loaf of French bread in the bread machine to use, along with provolone cheese and some prosciutto. Amy's organic chunky tomato bisque soup is delicious, and topped with a little shredded parmesan, it's just right!

Thursday: Chicken capri over brown rice, oven roasted green beans

I slice my chicken breasts thin and pan fry them in a little EVOO first, then top them with a ricotta cheese mixture, crushed tomatoes, and fresh mozzarella. This is baked to melt the cheese and served over the rice, to soak up all the juices. I haven't tried roasting green beans yet, but since I prefer all of my veggies this way, I am going to give it a go. I normally use frozen beans, so I'm going to try it this way to see how well it works!

Friday: Out to eat

We'll probably eat out somewhere. We'll see what we're in the mood for that day!

Saturday: TBD

Maybe we'll eat out again. Maybe not. Hubby and I are both craving some more pizza from Scratch already though! ;)

Happy meal planning to you this week. Is it unusually warm where you live, too??

I'm working on a re-design of the blog, with just a bit more to do now. I wanted something that I designed myself versus a template, so I am happy that I am figuring it all out pretty well. Can you tell I am partial to chevron right now? :)

And before I forget, if you haven't checked out Mom of the Year's posts on What Real Moms Want for Christmas, please do so! Keep tuning in every Monday, as you just might see someone you know there in a couple of weeks. ;)