Meal Plan Monday: 9/24/18

This past week, I found myself sitting around a dining room table with 8 incredible ladies – most of which were lamenting about not having time to meal plan. They really wanted to, but felt like it was just another chore on our seemingly endless to-do lists. If that sounds like you, I am here to help! As you scan through my meal plan each Monday, my hope is that I can do a bit of your meal planning for you. Jot down a few ideas and add them to your list. =)

You can always go back through my Weekly Menu archives as well!

Here’s what my family ate last week. Hope it inspires a meal idea or two for you. Happy planning everyone! ~Bekki

Sunday: Skyline Chili

If you’re not from the Midwest, you may not know what skyline chili is. It’s basically pasta topped with a chili and other toppings of choice. My husband had me try it years ago at the Columbus airport and I was hooked. We have it often as a quick meal. (I totally use canned beanless chili as a great short-cut. My favorite is the Hormel 99% Fat Free Turkey Chili w/o Beans.)

Monday: Chicken Pot Pie, Homemade Applesauce

While I prefer a pot pie with only a bottom crust and a biscuit-like topping, my husband loves the old-fashioned double crust -so that is what I prepared this time.

I tend to experiment with my chicken pot pie recipes. Sometimes I wing it, and sometimes I use a recipe. This time I used a recipe from Just a Pinch.

I found it while surfing Pinterest. BTW, speaking of Pinterest, are you following me there? I’d love it! Click to follow Chasing Supermom on Pinterest. (I pin tons of recipes, lots of homeschooling stuff, and an ungodly amount of baked goods….) We all have our weaknesses. 😉

Tuesday: Thick & Hearty No Bean Chili and Cornbread

My husband is generally NOT a fan of soups, stews, and chilis. He’ll eat them – but he won’t ever ask for them. I’d been craving chili awhile back, but knew that my husband’s dislike of beans would require me to come up with a special recipe. I created a super-thick and hearty no bean chili that he actually LIKES. (And so do my kids!) This one is a winner!

Wednesday: Hawaiian Turkey Sliders, Rice

This was SO phenomenally good and is definitely going into our meal rotation. I took a turkey tenderloin and put it in my crockpot with a little salt and a can of pineapple juice. And that’s it. When cooked, I shredded it up with two forks, and served the meat on King’s Hawaiian rolls with slices of pineapple. I served it up with some plain rice. It was SO good. I could have eaten so many.

Thursday: Spaghetti, Garlic Toast

I am so proud of my girl. On Thursday I was at a women’s ministry event for church, and my 12 year old daughter made dinner for the rest of the family by herself. I love getting my kids involved in the kitchen and seeing their skills develop!

Friday: Totchos

We spent the day exploring the Columbia River Gorge as a family. No matter how many times we take the drive, I’m always blown away by the beauty of the NW. If you’ve never been out here, I encourage you to make the trip. It’s amazing.

We stopped at Multnomah Falls. It holds a special place in my heart as it was the place my husband and I first spent time alone, AND the place he proposed. =)

We stopped at one of our favorite little drive-in restaurants on the way home, the Eastwind Drive-Thru. They serve HUGE ice cream cones!

As we were sitting outside the restaurant enjoying our ice cream, we kept smelling the tater tots being cooked inside. And we couldn’t get those tots out of our head. We were really channeling Napoleon Dynamite. (If you get that reference, I love you more.) So, we stopped at the store on the way home and grabbed a big bag of tater tots. I baked them up and served them with taco meat, queso, tomatoes, lettuce, and other toppings. They were a huge hit!

Saturday: Sweet and Sour Meatballs, Rice

We were at a family birthday party on Saturday night, but they served up a huge batch of sweet and sour meatballs and rice. It was delicious – and a meal I often forget about! Look for meal inspiration everywhere you go!

My husband’s cousin cooked the meal, and cooked up a HUGE batch of brown rice in her Instant Pot. I have been on the fence for nearly a year now. If you have one and love it, or if you have one and it sits around like all your other appliances you “needed” – please leave a comment and let me know!

Weekly Treat: Pumpkin Bread

It’s officially fall, so it’s time to bust out the pumpkin bread. This is my FAVORITE recipe for pumpkin bread and I love to turn it into muffins as well. They are SO moist (sorry – I know that word is gross, but it’s the right word for these muffins!) SO good and so full of fall flavor!