Autumn Eatin'

Pumpkin Pancakes. . .

Caramel Corn. . .

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls {with cream cheese frosting}

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. . .

Pumpkin Pie. . .


Sigh.

It is hard to think about saying goodbye to baby pounds with all of this yummy stuff going on!


*. . .do not think about the leftover pumpkin cinnamon rolls on the top shelf in the fridge. . .*

If there is one thing I enjoy as much as eating great food, it's planning menus of great food!  I haven't posted menus here in about for.ev.er but I make one out pretty much every week.

Menu planning was new to me three years ago. . . but since then the idea has steadily grown on me and I can't imagine life without it. It is so amazing to have good healthy meals planned;  it saves me so much stinkin' time and energy.

(and I don't have much time *or* energy to spare right now)

(have I mentioned being sleep deprived?)

My family likes different meals and I like cooking them, so we usually have a pretty varied meal schedule with old standbys thrown in here and there.  I usually plan one "breakfast for dinner" night and we religiously eat pizza on Friday, so I only have to come up with five dinner ideas. 

I usually make sure I have ingredients for one weeknight dessert (in case I forget someone's Cubbie treats for unexpected company) and one dessert on Sunday.  Other than that I don't buy stuff for desserts because, miraculously, sugar has a way of showing up in our diet every.single.day.  How is that??

Breakfast meals are pretty much the same;  I rotate the kids favorite hot cereals, baked oatmeal, fresh fruit and toast for weekdays.  Saturday mornings are for pancakes, Sundays are flavored yogurts. (The kids pick out yogurts for each family member every week. It's the highlight of the grocery shopping trip.)

Lunches are super simple and very light.  We don't eat breakfast super early so no one is ever very hungry at lunch anyway.  I don't usually plan anything for lunches. . . leftovers are fine, pb&j, soup and crackers or even raw veggies and dip.

For meal planning inspiration I have about four websites that I always visit.

Kraft Foods is sure to have great, easy ideas.  The recipes are always a hit, but I usually only pick one meal from their site because it tends to be expensive and not super healthy.

You can be sure to find economical food over at the Five Dollar Dinner Mom.  I don't often follow her recipes, but I use her ideas a LOT.

It is definitely hard to beat Taste of Home for amazing, economical, yummy recipes.  I learned to cook using their magazines;  I think the first meal I made for Daniel and his fam was from Taste of Home.  (Ha ha. . . it worked.  He married me. )

My new favorite is definitely Pinterest.  The inspiration is limitless and it compiles the best of the food bloggers in one easy place.



Here's what we're eating over here during the next few days:

Saturday:   Roasted Vegetable Minestrone & 7-Up Biscuits {just been dying to try these}

Sunday:   The Blue Plate Special,  {hot roast beef on white bread topped with mashed potatoes and gravy. . . oh yum. oh comfort food.  oh waistline.} Green Beans,  Seven Layer Salad, and something pumpkin for dessert.   

Monday:  Birthday Party for my mother-in-law.  I'm making this yummy stuff.

Tuesday:  Shredded Beef Sandwiches, Red Cabbage Apple Slaw & Sweet Potato Fries

Wednesday:  Baked Potatoes, Orange Roughy & Green Salad

Thursday:  Zucchini, Black Bean and Rice Bake (the kids and I loooove rice.  We'd eat it all the time, but Daniel isn't a fan.  We schedule the rice around his days at MFD. Ha ha.)

Friday:  Taco Pizza & Green Salad



Speaking of pumpkin stuff. . . you know. . . all roads lead to the newest little pumpkin around here. . .

Oh, squishiness!  Love our little Eli David!