Menu Plan Monday ~ Aug 25th + giveaways!
Hi all! It’s an exciting day today because not only is it Menu Plan Monday (which is oh so exciting in itself…he he) but we’re also going to have a giveaway as well!! Recently I purchased two separate e-books that I absolutely loved and wanted to tell you about. I was drawn to both of these recipe e-books because they involve cooking with children and as you know I’ve been trying to involve my daughter more in the process of preparing the meals (which isn’t always easy when your daughter really doesn’t want to be involved in preparing the meals).
So let me tell you a little bit more about these great e-books:
FishMama’s Guide to Cooking With Children
This e-book is well laid out and easy to read and it’s all about encouraging kids in the kitchen despite the mess. Jessica’s book offers simple solutions and helpful tips for cooking with little ones along with plenty of easy recipes to get the kids excited about getting involved. Jessica has had a lot of practice with this as she is set to give birth to her sixth child any day now! More information on this e-book can be found here.
Heavenly Homemaker’s Fill ‘Em Up!
The e-book offers recipes with a purpose, filling your kids’ bodies and souls with nourishment. Laura’s book comes complete with seven godly lesson plans all centered around a healthy recipe. In other words you get to make some fun recipes in the kitchen with the kids while giving them some spiritual insights at the same time to enhance the experience. I loved that Laura provides lesson plans for two different age groups as well, ages 4-10 and 11-18. You can find more details and a sample lesson plan here and here.
And because these lovely ladies are both so nice they are EACH going to giveaway a free copy of their e-book to a MPM participant today. So I’ll be picking two winners from the Mr. Linky below, all you have to do is link up to your menu plan as usual (by noon on Tuesday) and you are automatically entered. Easy peasy!
Some more exciting news around here (well for me anyway but hopefully you’ll like it too) is that I’ve finally started a recipe index of some of my family’s favorite tried and true recipes that I’ve posted about over the past year here on MPM. To make it easier for me (and you) to find these recipes I figured it was about time I had them all listed together in one area. Click on the link below to check it out. In the future you’ll be able to find the link listed under the MPM tab at the top of the page.
Our Family Favorites Recipe Index
So here is what we’ll be eating this week (5 new recipes, that may be a record even for me!):
Monday: Roasted Pepper Ravioli Bake
Tuesday: I’ll be making Teriyaki Chicken to make Oriental Check Wraps
Wednesday: Beef Pesto Pasta Salad from iLunchBox
Thursday: Leftover buffet
Friday: Baked Potato and Cheddar Cheese Soup with Salad
Saturday: Crock-Pot Apple-Bacon Pork Chops with Rice, Zucchini and Mushrooms
Sunday: If you can find it you can eat it day!
WHAT’S ON YOUR MENU THIS WEEK?
Menu Plan Monday banners and guidelines are here.
Thanks for hosting this! I have been checking in for a while and finally got my act together and launched a $5 Dinner Blog. I love creating cheap meals and wanted to share my ideas with others!
-Erin
I wish I had some of the baked potato soup now! YUM!
Thanks for the great link to your family’s favorite recipes. I’ll definitely be giving some of them a try!
As always, thank you for hosting Menu Plan Monday!
Have you heard of Tastebook? Working on that has become my new obsession!
Leeann
niccofive.blogspot.com
My daughter convinced me that the MPM was a great thing. So I am giving it a try. She loves it. She says she uses up what she has and does not waste anything because she plans in her leftovers!!
Wonderful menu plan! Thanks for hosting this.
I love MPM! Today is my first time to particpate with my new blog. I’m so sorry to have to post twice–the first time it moved on before I put my link in!!
Thank you so much for hosting this wonderful weekly gathering!
It sounds like a tasty week Laura,what a daredevil you trying five new recipes..have a great week.
I’m so excited to participate in this. I’ve been planning my menus out each week pretty regularly, but posting this made me really think it through. Now I have my grocery list ready for shopping tomorrow after the kids get off to school. And all my recipes for the week are in order, ready to be used. Thanks!
I love the idea of a family recipe index. So organised of course!
you have some great recipes I look forward to trying!
Thank you for the great contest. I too am looking for ways to get my kids more involved in cooking.
I use up most of my leftovers for work lunches, but I like the idea of having a day just to let everyone scavenge for food 🙂
I love the new Family Favorites link. Thanks for doing that!
It has been awhile, but I am back on the menu planning bandwagon 🙂 Thanks for the inspiration.
Hey, we are having baked potato soup this week, too!! Actually we are having lots and lots of potato recipes this week because Hubby brought home a 15 lb bag of potatoes from work on Friday! The recipe you posted looks good. I don’t have a tried and true potato soup recipe yet, maybe I’ll try that one, too.
One potato, two potato, three potato, four . . . .
Jill
I’m trying the Greek Spagetti this week! Thanks for the chance to win…
Thanks for hosting!
I’m really excited about your Recipe index – what a great idea 🙂
The e-books you mentioned sound wonderful too.
Have a great day,
Stacy
I have been craving potato soup. Looks like a good weeek. Thanks for the give away!
MJ
Wow! That probably took a long time to organize that recipe link thing. It’s a smart thing to do that though. We all kind of whittle down to 25-30 favorites, don’t we?
Thanks for answering my entry questions. It’s always easier to help someone else than to try and figure out your own problems!
Check out my interview with my friend Kathy on time management.
THANK YOU AGAIN FOR HOSTING MPM. It really does help me stay on top of meals.
I am glad to see you created a recipe index. I’ve been planning on adding one to my site as well.
Your meal plan looks great. I also decided on serving an Asian inspired meal. I just wish I was going to be here to enjoy it. {g}
Great menu Laura 🙂
Thank you for HOSTING! 😉
http://tinyurl.com/5hle8d
Yay on the recipe index! I’ll have to spend some time browsing. 🙂
Have a great week!
-Sea
What a great idea to link the recipes in one spot! Thanks for hosting the giveaway!
Toni
Always cracks me up when I see the “If you can find it you can eat it” pop up. Thanks as always for hosting – dinnertime is so important for our family unity and this program helps me to stay on track and save time and money.
Thanks for doing this! I look forward to it each week. 😀 We had some tater soup this past week. It is a family favorite!
Thank you for the wonderful giveaway, too!
Oh, I love the looks of that roasted pepper ravioli bake. Yummy. I’ll have to add it to my list of things to try! Thanks again for the sharing!
<3<3
Your menu sounds so yummy–I’m definately going to try the baked potato soup too.
Thanks for the giveaway!! What a fun idea. 🙂
The giveaways look awesome! Thank you!
I tried a bunch of venison over the last few weeks, and this week I give my review! Be sure to stop by and read it!
Visit To Love, Honor and Vacuum today!
I’m trying a new cookbook this week that includes meal plans, recipes, and grocery lists. COOK ON!!!!
Love your recipe index. Thanks for putting it together. Your menu sounds yummy this week.
I even added some recipe links this week! =-)
Thank you! This is my first time doing the MPM…I think it will be a great help in streamlining dinner preparations. I’m excited! I love your blog too…I’m a Organizing freak myself!
I’m going to be spending a lot of time browsing all the wonderful recipes this week since I’m want to try planning a whole month of meals! Thanks for this wonderful resource!
I’m finally taking the time this morning to try out menu planning. I am loving the link to your favorite recipes. I am going to make the Taco Salad Bowls this week. Thanks for all the inspiration and information!
Wow! Your menu sounds delicious!
Potato & Cheese soup is the best! We started an online recipe file too, it really helps to find things quicker than looking through books & stacks of paper 😉
I am going to have to make the pork chops those sound great.
I’ve made the Roasted Red Pepper Ravioli a lot of times (we’ve even used it as a choice when I was the Executive Chef for one of those Make-Your-Meals to Freeze (Like My Girlfriends Kitchen or Dream Dinners but a local one) and it’s pretty tasty. One thing I like to do when it’s winter and peppers are expensive – use a Frozen stir-fry pepper onion mixture. Add a touch of liquid smoke (doesn’t matter whether is mesquite or hickory flavor) and now that you can find fire-roasted tomato sauce it helps too. 🙂 It turns out great.
The apple bacon pork crock pot meal sounds delicious! I can’t wait to try that one.
Thanks for hosting menu plan monday! This is my first week and I look forward to doing this for my family!
I found you through the ads on SITS, and I’m so glad I did! I’m basicaly obsessed with food, so I’ve had a good time looking around! Thanks for getting others excited about cooking; that makes me smile. 🙂
WOW. 5 new recipes in one week. Good luck, my family might throw a fit.
Great menu, wow, lot’s of great meals! I too have been thinking potato soup it must be fall coming. Had to add your recipe to my list! Have a great week, Kiy
Y’all have given me more ideas than I know what to do with! Definitely beats the “same old same old!”
We’re trying a crockpot porkchop recipe this week too…yours looks good! By the way, we tried the Southwest salad you have posted here before and loved it! thanks!
Your week looks YUMMY! GREAT giveaway! Crossing my fingers! 🙂
~melody~
For once my menu plan was easy between eating out one day and visiting my mum for three days! I’ll have to try some ideas from everyone else next week!
This week I’m trying to cook a little more low-fat than usual.
I love this idea, hopefully I can stick to making my plans this early in the week.
I just thought maybe you could tell me how to add links to recipies….it seems most people know how, and I am still new at this! Thanks so much for hosting this! I am able to feel less stressed about what we are having! I also find I am spending less money when I know what I am doing! I hope you have blessed day!
I too look forward to making homemade potato soup next week, I just made some pumpkin bars Saturday, and I am really ready for fallish foods!
Check back in soon!
Blessings~
Thanks for a great site!
I’m new, this is my very first time posting my menu plan on my blog and on orgjunkie I’ve been a menu planner for a long time 🙂
Your menu sounds really good…
Been reading your site for a couple of weeks and really enjoy your recipes and meal plans. thanks
I love any sort of baked potato soup! it’s so comforting!
Thanks for the giveaway!
wishing everyone a great week!
Hope I’m putting this in the right place. This is my first post for MPM.
http://lookingforward73.wordpress.com/2008/08/25/menu-plan-monday/
My menu plan is up and I am still trying to make meals that my family will eat but fit into my diet plan!
http://tc-twistedfairytale.blogspot.com/2008/08/monday-menu-plan_25.html
that beef pesto salad looks yummy. I like using pesto in place of pizza sauce. 🙂
Hope you like all the new recipes you’re trying this week! It’s late in the day, but mine is finally up.
I am excited to look over your favorite recipes!
Wow… Late start, but I got here. Lots of these receipes look really good. I’m going to have to write down a few!!
As always, thanks for hosting! I love this site!
It’s my first time this week. I love this idea!
Making memories in the kitchen with your kids is priceless! Thanks for making that a priority and encouragement to us! :0)
I am going to look forward to trying out some of your family favorites! I’m always looking for more “tried and true” recipes, especially nicely organized and easy to get to. Thanks!
Lots of Menus to choose from!
Thanks for doing this! I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many Mr.Linky’s in one place…