I’m through month two of Project 365, and I have to say it has been one of the favorite hobby/projects I have ever done! If you haven’t done it before, I strongly encourage you to pick up your camera and start taking a picture a day! Here is what I did in February:
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For being the person who heads up Adopt a Blogger, I must admit that I’m about the worst adoptive parent ever when it comes to my own adoptees. I hope my new fledglings don’t feel ignored. You can blame it on my real life kiddos… they take all the attention!
I have had the chance to have a few email conversations with both of my adoptees and I must say… they really don’t need my help at all. Bloggers these days seem to be so much savvier then I ever was back in the day… you know, when I had to walk uphill to school, against the wind, without shoes carrying an 80 pound backpack full of textbooks. Yeah… those were rough days. Makes me cold and tired just thinking about it.
Katie, from The Cutting Back Kitchen, is a menu planning, coupon / deal finding queen. She lives in OH and is married to a prince of a guy as well. I wish I had the sense of mind to be so smart with my money when it was just my husband and I. Katie’s blog is a fantastic resource for parents, singles, couples… anyone wanting to save money, cook delicious food, and figure out how to live a great life on a budget! I have a feeling I’m going to learn as much from Katie as she will learn from me!
Stephanie, who writes the blog Desserts for Breakfast, is a lovely CA native. She is a graduate student in linguistics, but I secretly think she should drop all that and just focus on food photography and styling. She is quite talented for being on the newer side of blogging. Stephanie’s blog is full of delicious, indulgent, rich and decadent desserts… all written up with clever writing and beautiful photography!
I hope you will visit both of these blogs and say hi… welcome them to my ever expanding family and give them a little of attention, please. Ask my kids – you kind of have to fight for it around here.
Now, on to menu plan Monday. My menu this week features some really delicious recipes, but I have to give an extra shout out about what we had for dinner tonight. Have you ever eaten at Bonefish Grill™? Have you ever had their amazing Bang Bang Shrimp™? One of the tastiest things on the planet, in my opinion! Well, this past week I found a copycat recipe and made it tonight… Oh. My. Gosh. This stuff is so good. Warning you though… it has quite the kick to it, so if you don’t like spicy food, you might want to skip this recipe!
I hope you all have a great week! What’s on your menu? Don’t forget, for more great menu ideas, visit Menu Plan Monday at I’m An Organizing Junkie!
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As I’ve mentioned time and time again on my blog, I have not always been a cook. In fact, I used to detest cooking. My husband still refers to our early days together as “back when you couldn’t cook” (nice, isn’t he?).
As my ability to cook has evolved, I still have my old stand-by recipes that I turn to when I’m looking for something quick and easy for a weeknight meal. Stir-fry, some version of tacos and spaghetti are three things that you can normally find at least one of on my menu on any given week. The difference between now and “back when I couldn’t cook” is that instead of automatically reaching for a jar of spaghetti sauce, stir fry sauce or taco seasoning to make these various weekly menu staples, I have turned towards making my own. It may take additional time, but the extra little sense of pride I feel for knowing that I don’t have to rely on pre-packaged items and can whip up our family favorites with items I usually have in the pantry, makes me really happy!
Below my menu plan for the week, you’ll find my go-to Taco Seasoning Recipe. This recipe will usually season 3 pounds of ground beef or ground turkey. I often double the recipe and put the extra in a tightly sealed container and get it out when I need it. Once you realize how easy it is to make your own pantry staples, you won’t want to buy packets of spices or jars of sauces again!
Our Menu for the Week (For more information about Menu plan Monday and to participate yourself or get other great menu ideas, visit I’m An Organizing Junkie):
Taco Seasoning Adapted from All Recipes
In a small bowl, mix together chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, oregano, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper. Store in an airtight container. When you make your taco meat, use approximately 2 Tbs of seasoning per each pound of ground beef.
I always brown my beef, add a little flour and water to the pan and stir in the seasoning. Bring to a boil, stirring continuously. Taco meat is ready once most of the liquid is absorbed.
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Please tell me I’m not the only one who does this. I get all motivated to do something and then an event… being sick, crazy schedule, full moon… something out of the ordinary comes up and I fall right off the wagon. I get in these spurts with menu planning where I do really great and then before I know it a couple of weeks go by and I realize we’ve fallen into old bad habits.
So, this week I’m on the wagon – I have my menu planned, groceries purchased and the motivation to hopefully get me through to next weekend’s menu planning session again. You would think that simply looking at my bank account on the weeks that I menu plan versus don’t would be motivation enough to keep me consistent! We do so much better, which means more fun money, when I plan out our meals and stick to it.
Here is my menu for this weeks Menu Plan Monday at I’m An Organizing Junkie:
Coming up this week on Dine & Dish:
If you are looking for something quick and easy to add to your weeknight menu, this Chicken Stir-Fry recipe is a regular on our menu. Switch up the veggies for what your family likes and will eat!
Chicken Stir-Fry (adapted from Recipezaar)
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