Ashley English's book A Year of Picnics.

I am getting into a routine of sharing my meal plans for the upcoming week.   I know so many of you are challenged, like me, with this ongoing chore, working to prepare nutritious weeknight meals that already before your kids fill up on after school snacks.   Read more of my ramblings on this topic HERE.

I hope you get some inspiration by what I post. Regardless, this practice is beneficial for me, as it is creating a database of dinner ideas (all you have to do is click on the meal planning category tag on the sidebar to see all my posts on this topic).  

I also value your feedback.  I appreciate your ideas and inspiration.  (Thank you to those of you who posted comments or sent me an email last week!)

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We have a busy week ahead as a family.  This week I have after school meetings, and the boys have their music concert and there is a skeet.  And it is the crazy week at school before Christmas break!

I am anticipating low energy for this mama after school and being proactive with weekend meal prep so I do not have to use too much energy getting meals on the table during the after school witching hour .    

Our weeknight family meal plan - December 17-21

weekend meal prep:  bake potatoes, make crescent dough, make lasagna roll dinner, *make pizza dough bread maker (I double this recipe), make and freeze calzones.

Monday:   Venison Chili with Twice Baked Potatoes

inspired by a meal suggestion in Ashley English's book A Year of Picnics.

need:  potatoes, cheese, butter, chives, chili beans, onions.

Tuesday:  Taco Crescent Ring

As recommended by Stacy,  I will be making a variation of this recipe.

need:  homemade crescent dough, ground beef, taco seasoning, tomatoes, lettuce, black olives, green onions, lettuce, sour cream

*I have a great recipe for homemade crescent dough from Make the Bread, Buy the Butter: What You Should (and Shouldn't) Cook from Scratch to Save Time and Money that I will use for the dough.

Wednesday:   Lasagna Rolls  (a variation of this recipe) & Caesar salad

need:  lasagna noodles, mozzarella cheese, pesto, Italian sausage, canned garden pasta sauce, lettuce, salad dressing, croutons

Thursday:  Fried Rice & Wontons

need: pork sausage, brown rice, eggs, frozen peas/carrots & frozen wontons

Friday:  Quick Calzones

need:   pizza dough, pizza sauce, pesto, pepperoni, parmesan and mozzarella cheese.   

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I would love to hear what you are cooking too!  

Post a comment or shoot me an email.

Have a great week!

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Around Here....

We have been enjoying time together outdoors on the weekends on the slopes at Giant's Ridge.  We are enjoying alpine skiing and snowboarding - and - this mama even tried snowboarding with the boys this past weekend.

James got out on the lake with his brother ice fishing (and catching!) last weekend a well.

I am finding that when we schedule some time for fun it is a refreshing break from day to day responsibilities. when we schedule time for fun.  Making experiences like these rhythms of our life has is providing opportunity to strengthen our relationship as a family through conversation and play.

Around Here....

We are getting in the holiday spirit.  As a family we are focusing on advent, we made cookies and put up decorations, including our Christmas tree.

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This act of sharing photographs and ramblings of our daily life is a practice in gratitude that brings me joy.

I encourage you to reflect on the good in your life.

What are you grateful for today?

 .......

This act of sharing photographs and ramblings of our daily life is a practice in gratitude that brings me joy.

I encourage you to reflect on the good in your life.

What are you grateful for today?

last Wednesday's pasta bar

I am getting into a routine of sharing my meal plans for the upcoming week.   I know so many of you are challenged, like me, with this ongoing chore, working to prepare nutritious weeknight meals that already before your kids fill up on after school snacks.   Read more of my ramblings on this topic HERE.

last week's Crescent Bacon Breakfast Ring

I hope you get some inspiration by what I post. Regardless, this practice is beneficial for me, as it is creating a database of dinner ideas (all you have to do is click on the meal planning category tag on the sidebar to see all my posts on this topic).  

I also value your feedback.  I appreciate your ideas and inspiration.  (Thank you to those of you who posted comments or sent me an email last week!)

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Our weeknight family meal plan - December 10-14

Monday:  Sweet and Sour Meatballs

(inspired from Ashley's comment on my last post.

need:  frozen meatballs, barbecue sauce, sweet peppers, pineapples, & rice 

Tuesday:  Sheet Pan Pork Loin Dinner with doctored up stove top stuffing (as requested by my 11 year old)

The sheet pan meal worked great for us last week.

need:   Pork Loin, Brussel sprouts, sweet potatoes, onions, parsley, mushrooms & stove top stuffing mix

Wednesday:   Spaghetti Carbonara and caesar salad

need:  spaghetti noodles, eggs, parmesan cheese, crumbled bacon, romaine lettuce, caesar salad dressing & croutons

Thursday:  Crock Pot Porchetta Roast Sandwiches

need:  porchetta roast & hamburger buns

*make pizza dough for tomorrow in bread maker - I double this recipe.

Friday:  calzones

need:   pizza sauce, pesto, pepperoni, parmesan and mozzarella cheese.   

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I would love to hear what you are cooking too!  

Post a comment or shoot me an email.

Have a great week!

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Around Here....

We have been enjoying time together outdoors on the weekends on the slopes at Giant's Ridge.  We are enjoying alpine skiing, snowboarding - and - this mama's new style: telemark skiing.

Zoe and I are spending time on the nordic trails as well.   We are having a lot of fun together and it is good for everyone to get away from the responsibilities of home and have a weekend day of fun.

Around Here....

It certainly feels like December in kindergarten!   There is lots of energy and excitement.   In December I like to pull out some of my favorite projects and activities to share with the kids.   We are in the process of  hand sewing project with felt and buttons. This week my kids completed a winter birds project (I get a lot of inspiration from Patty Palmer's Deep Space Sparkle site) .   The Kindness Elves have also been visiting our classroom, this week the kids were inspired to make Christmas cards for residents of our local nursing home.   (I love this alternative to the elf on the shelf idea.)  

Around Here.....

James is continuing to make great progress on our sauna building.   We now have an installed stove, a sheet rocked wall and a door!   

Around Here...

The nordic ski season has begun!  Our daughter competed in her first meet this past week and did great.   We are excited to cheer her on at our first home meet next week!

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This act of sharing photographs and ramblings of our daily life is a practice in gratitude that brings me joy.

I encourage you to reflect on the good in your life.

What are you grateful for today?

Last week I shared some ramblings about my weekly chore and challenge of meal planning.   I know so many of you are in the same arena, trying to prepare nutritious weeknight meals that already before your kids fill up on after school snacks.  

My Sanity Saving Strategy for Weeknight Meals: Here's How

I had some good feedback from my last post, so I am going to continue to share my meal plan for the upcoming week so that you might get some inspirations - or better yet, maybe you can give me some good ideas!  (Thank you to those of you who posted comments or sent me an email last week!)

Here we go:

Monday:  Steak and Chicken Sheet Pan Fajitas with Spanish Rice

(inspired from Jo's comment on my last post and from this recipe feature that I wrote for Minnesota Parent magazine last April)

need:  peppers, tomatoes, cilantro, steak, Spanish rice mix

Tuesday:  Meatloaf Muffins,  Mashed Potatoes & Garden Green Beans

I am going to try an adaption of this highly rated recipe this week.  Using some of the herbs that I have dried and stored from our summer garden and some store bought pork/hamburger grind and some venison

need:   carrots, onion, pork/beef grind,  saltines, potatoes

Wednesday:   Pasta Bar

Twisting a recommendation for "pasta boats" from Jo's comment on my last post to a pasta bar idea.

need:  ham, mushrooms, bacon, broccoli, chicken, red sauce, alfredo sauce, broccoli, parmesan cheese, pesto, noodles

Thursday:   Crescent Bacon Breakfast Ring

Using up eggs is always a great option when we have laying hens.  I am going to try this recipe this week: https://www.jocooks.com/recipes/crescent-bacon-breakfast-ring/

I have a great go-t0 recipe for homemade crescent dough from this book that I will use for the dough.

need:  eggs, bacon, green onions, peppers, cheese, crescent dough

Friday:   Mini Sub Sandwiches

need:  Sarah Lee Center Cut Hoagie Rolls, lunch meat, cheese, lettuce, and extras

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I would love to hear what you are cooking too!  

Post a comment or shoot me an email.

Have a great week!

The December issue of Minnesota Parent Magazine is available throughout Minnesota and online now.


My ramblings in my School Days Column this month are about planning a girlfriend get-a-way.

This month I also wrote a recipe feature, highlighting a great, seasonal recipe for meatballs from the new cookbook Run Fast, Cook Fast, Eat Slow  for the "In the Kitchen" column.  Be sure to check it out!

Pick up a print copy, or read the full issue by clicking --> HERE.

Find the online link to my column---> HERE.

Find the online link to the Run Fast, Cook Fast, East Slow recipe feature----> HERE.

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If you like what you see, social media 'shares' are appreciated!

As always - thanks for reading!

James has been working hard and making great progress with our sauna building.   He recently finished paneling and sealing the ceiling (Aspen).   The walls and ceiling of the sauna are paneled with cedar.  The windows and doors are in and he has one wall of sheetrock up and another paneled with birch tongue and groove.   The sauna stove is also mounted.

My dad recently and completed and gifted us with this beautiful stained glass window (pictured above).  This will be such a special addition to our sauna building.

As you can see from the pictures, the building is already being used for waxing skis.   It is the perfect spot and we are excited about the potential of this new space on our homestead.

Meal planning is not my favorite thing to do.   

Our family eats a lot, more than the average anyway.   High metabolism combined with active, growing children make a chore out of planning and preparing enough food (without restocking at the grocery store several times a week).  

It is a daily challenge to prepare a nutritious meal that it is ready before my kids fill up on after school snacks.  I have shared some ramblings on this topic in this piece I wrote for mothering.com:

My Sanity Saving Strategy for Weeknight Meals: Here's How

I know you may be facing similar challenges so I thought I might as well start sharing a little bit about what I will be cooking at our house from week to week, so that you could get some inspiration - or better yet maybe you can give me some good ideas!

Here's what I am planning on cooking this week:

Monday:  Rice Bowls

brown rice, a can of chili beans, pan fried steak strips, lettuce, cilantro, guacamole, tomato, cheese & chips

Tuesday:  Burgers & Salad

frozen chicken burgers, frozen turkey burgers, buns, pickles, & green salad

Wednesday:   Pasta & Salad

rigatoni noodles, crumbled Italian sausage, parmesan cheese, garden pasta sauce, frozen breadsticks, & green salad

Thursday:   Fish Tacos

baked Alaskan cod fish, tortilla wraps, coleslaw, & tomatoes

Friday:   Fried Rice

brown rice, frozen peas and carrots, scrambled eggs, orange chicken, & cream cheese wontons

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I would love to hear what you are cooking too!