Weekly Meal Plan + 6 Pins + a Pot Luck idea! - 1/28

Okay ladies and gents.  I hope you enjoy today's plan. I have added two extra dishes this week. One of these dishes is a meal for a family member. I will try to include this extra meal in my plans for awhile. Hopefully, this will give you some ideas for the next time you have a pot luck. 

Now...we shall plan! 

Cheesy Chicken and Stuffing, and Garden Salad

Lazy Day Casserole

Crockpot Fajitias 

Quick and Easy Salisbury Steak, Mashed Potatoes, and Green Beans

Turkey Ranch Wraps and Chips

Take-Along or Pot-Luck Meal:

Scooter's Spaghetti

And that is all I have for you this week folks. I hope you found something you enjoy in this plan. Be sure to pin all of these if you haven't already. And be sure and follow me on Pinterest!

Have a great week!

Weekly Meal Plan ~ 1/7 + 5 Pins!

Hello 2013! I certainly hope the holiday season has treated each of you well. We had one of the best holidays yet. I look forward to the new year and getting more organized for my own sanity. One of my resolutions has certainly been cooking more for my family. The only way to keep that resolution is to meal plan.

So here we go ladies and gents...lets plan supper!

Copy-Cat Cracker Barrel Chicken Tenders, Salad, and Garlic Bread

Grilled Hamburgers and  New Baked Potatoes

Baked Tater Soup and 7 Up Biscuits

Taco Night!

That is all for me this week! I hope you found a pin you liked. We really enjoy the Copy-Cat Cracker Barrel Chicken Tenders. If you would like to follow me on Pinterest you can do so here. 

Have a great week and Happy Meal Planning!

Need help with your meal plans! Check out this link up at the orgjunkie the queen of meal planning!

Weekly Meal Plan + 4 Recipe Pins!

Happy Fall Ya'll!
Can you feel the crisp air? The smell of football and hot cocoa in the breeze? Deer are beginning to stir and the leaves are changing color.
I just love this time of year. :-)
It's time for soup! Wouldn't you agree?
I know one of the staples for many people this time of year is chili. I like old fashioned tomato-y chili, but I wanted to try something new this season. I've heard rave reviews for this White Chicken Chili but every time I tried to make it...all I had was Tortilla soup. :-/ I finally figured out that you can not use Rotel you have to use just green chile.
Duh. o_O
Well now that that is cleared up lol...are ready for a meal plan and some pins?

First up...

Macaroni and Beef with Cheese
from: Ruhlman.com 

White Chicken Chili
from: Jenna @eat, love, run

Homemade Calzones and Salads
from: Jimmie

Grilled Marinated Steaks, Steamed Veggies and...
 Crash Hot Potatoes
from: Ree @The Pioneer Woman





Finally we will be having a
Leftover Buffet.

Looks like that minus the square pans and the heat lamps. ;-)

I want to say a big THANK YOU to all of the bloggers for their yummy recipes and gorgeous photos.
If you like any of the recipes I suggest you put a pin on it.
Don't forget to follow me also for more great recipes.
Have a great week and happy meal planning!

10 Steps to Create Your Own Spa Day at Home + 17 Free Songs from Amazon!

10 Steps to Create Your Own Spa Day at Home

This will take some prep work on your part. So plan ahead the end result is so worth it. Just remember you deserve it. :)

1. Schedule some alone time without the kids. I know this step alone is performing magic but do not give up. Your day will come and when it does you'll have this nifty list to help you relax!

2. Before the actual day think about what you want to have on your spa day. A facial, mani, pedi or the whole pie? Whatever it may be a plan is needed. We have major relaxing to do. I'm going to go with a nice candle light bath in my hot (bath) tub, a pedi, and a facial. I usually do a conditioning treatment on my hair also. You just use a shower cap and your favorite conditioner. [Generously condition your hair and cover with the cap. Let set as long as desired. I leave it for an hour or more. Wash your hair and viola salon hair. ]

3. Now that you have an idea of what you want you can either go through your cabinets and pull out your expensive stuff you've saved since Christmas, use up some of those free samples, or make your own. I like to do all three. Gives me a chance to try some new things and feel all frugal. Here are links to my favorite concoctions. 

-Homemade Facial Scrubs
-Bath Salts
-Massage Oil
-Hand Cream
-Foot Soaks




4. You may want to pick up a few 'spa essentials' at the grocery store. Fruit, Tea, Croissants, and Chocolate definitely chocolate.  

5. Kick everyone out of the house. Close the blinds, pull the curtains, light scented candles, and start up this Free Relaxation & Meditation digital sampler.  Pull on your favorite comfy robe and apply your conditioning treatment and facial masks.

6. Pour yourself some tea, have a nice sandwich on your croissants, and dip the fruit in the chocolate. You could sit with your back against a massage pad and soak your feet while you enjoy your food.

7. Run a nice hot bubble bath, add flower pedals if you have them, and bath salts. Light candles and turn off the lights. Try not to fall asleep in the tub, it is dangerous. You could set a timer if you are alone just to be safe. 


8.  Once you have done all your soaking, salting, and conditioning its time to rinse. Lotion would be good at this point to hold in all the lovin' you just gave your skin. 


9. Next give yourself a nice pedicure from the lotion to the polish. I have all the essentials here at home and I can get a pedi done without the cost. You can too with very little investment. 

10. To end your day curl up with a good book or seeing as the children and hubby are away... SLEEP, yes...sleep is good. ;-)

I hope you enjoy your Homemade Spa Day and don't forget to download your free Amazon music sampler here with 17 songs!

Chickenettes Recipe

What is a Chickenette? Well, it is my new word *poof* enjoy it. If Rachel Ray can invent EVOO I can have Chickenettes. Right? ;) Besides this delish dish needs a unique name. My family loves Salmon patties or Salmonettes. So I decided to try them with chicken. I used the method of cooking you use when making salmon patties. I just changed up the ingredients. This one should be pretty easy and oh so tasty. :)

Ingredients:


3 Cups Shredded Rotisserie Chicken 
1 1/2 Cups Bread Crumbs
1 tsp Chicken Seasoning
1 tsp Onion Powder
EVOO for frying
Pepper
2 Eggs


Directions:


Place your chicken in a processor one cup at a time and pulse it a few times. Don't over do it or you'll have a puree. Place processed chicken in a bowl with the bread crumbs, chicken seasoning, onion powder, and pepper; mix. Taste this mix now and adjust seasonings if desired. Lightly beat the eggs and pour them into the dry mix. Pour the oil into a frying pan turn heat to medium. Now get your hands dirty! Mix everything up and form into 12 patties. Press them into the frying pan once oil is hot. These will cook about 4-5 minutes on the first side and 2-3 on the other side. You are basically cooking the egg and browning them. We served these with chicken gravy. My family really loves them and requests them all the time. I have to say that the Rotisserie Chicken really is the ingredient that makes or breaks this recipe. You could always use what ever chicken you have on hand but more seasoning may be required.


Tip:
Rotisserie Chicken is a staple in my house. I make mine with this recipe in my crock pot so it doesn't break the bank. I put the left overs in a freezer bag in my freezer for recipes like this one. In seconds I can make homemade chicken and dumplings, chicken noodle soup, or chicken tacos that taste like I worked hard all day. 


As always I hope you like this one. If you have any questions let me know in the comments. 
EnJoY!

Crock Pot Pinto Beans + Refried Beans + Freezer Meals: Beef and Bean Burritos, 3 Recipes in 1 place!

Welcome back readers! You may recall me talking about getting some freezer cooking accomplished. I'm happy to say that I have finally gotten a start and I'm sharing it with you! This week I have not one, not two but three.. new recipes for you to try! ;-) Yeah I hear ya..."3 has she lost her mind?!" LOL No not yet!

Recipe # 1:

Crock Pot Pinto Beans aka Soup Beans

When I was a kid, Mamaw always had a pot of Soup Beans on the stove. They became a staple in my home early in my marriage one because they are so easy to make and two because they always made me  think of Mamaw. The thing is, she always stood over the stove for hours stirring her beans to make them soupy and creamy and delicious. I'm lazy. I love my Crock Pot. There hasn't been a meal yet, I haven't tried in said Crock Pot. So this recipe was inevitable. ;-) 

Ingredients:

1lb bag of dry Pinto Beans

1 Medium Onion Chopped

1 Tbls of Salt

2-4 Slices of Bacon

6 Cups of Water

Directions:

Soak your beans either over night or on your counter top for about 2 hours. Clean and discard any of the bad pieces. Pour into Crock Pot. Add Onion and Water. Set to Low and cook for 4 hours. Add Salt and more water. Allow to cook another 4-6 hours on low, check your beans periodically to assure they have enough water. The beans should cook a total of 8-10 hours this will vary depending on the Crock you are using. My Crock cooks hot, if yours doesn't, you may not need to cook as long or add as much water. I usually add my bacon the last hour or two before eating. These beans will be so creamy. I can never get over how good the Crock Pot makes these beans. Sorry Mamaw. 

Recipe #2:

Homemade Refried Beans

Ingredients:

Leftover Pinto Beans

Soup of Leftover Pinto Beans 

1 Tbls Cumin

1 Tsp Garlic Powder

1 Tsp Onion Powder

Directions:

Reheat your beans on the stove top. Place a strainer in a clean bowl. Pour the beans into the strainer until the beans and soup are divided. Stirring the beans in the strainer helps.

 Keep the soup! 

Once your beans are divided grab your tater masher and mash them up really good. Add some of the soup back into the mix. This will help your refried beans to stay moist. They will definitely dry out quick if you skip this part. 

Add the cumin, garlic, and onion powder. Mix well. You can adjust the taste to your liking. I may have went overkill on the cumin for some people. We loved it. Just start small and add more if your not happy. Viola! Homemade Refried Beans! They are yummy yummy all by their lonesome. Run a tortilla chip through it and you got lunch! ;)

Recipe #3:

Freezer Meals: Beef and Bean Burritos

After completely this recipe, I fully understand why everyone is going nuts over freezer cooking. This recipe alone has saved me countless times for lunch, dinner, and a quick snack! My husband swears these are better then anything frozen he's ever had. The man lived on these at one point so that is a compliment. And they are just too easy to put together for a great burrito anytime. 

Ingredients:

1 lb Hamburger

About 2 1/2 Cups Refried Beans

1 Packet Taco Seasoning(or you can use this homemade version.)

1 1/2 Cup Mozzarella Shredded

1 1/2 Cup Cheddar Cheese Shredded

20 Medium Tortillas

Reynolds Wrap

Aluminum Foil

Directions:

Prepare hamburger according to seasoning directions. Warm tortillas in Microwave between two paper towels in 2 batches, this makes them easier to fold. Prepare you assembly line. I would lay out a tortilla, spoon on beans, spoon on beef, sprinkle cheese and fold.

 

I'm not the best folder in the world or anything. And because I'm Miss Link Lady to my friends here is a link that teaches you step by step how to fold a burrito. Once I folded them a covered them in Reynolds Wrap. 

Once I got them all filled and wrapped I then wrapped them in foil to keep that nasty freezer taste out. I labeled them BB with the date. 

Now whenever we want a fresh homemade burrito we unwrap, place it on a plate and cook for about 2 minutes in the microwave. You can top it with salsa and sour cream for a meal. Stick it in a lunch box to thaw by lunch and then 30 secs to 1 min in the microwave. You could always heat one up at midnight for a snack. I won't tell!

I really hope you enjoy these recipes. They are tried and true in my house. The beans go over two generations. So if you like it then please put a pin on it. ≧◠◡◠≦✌

Have a great day and Happy COOKING good looking!

Weekly Meal Plan 6/4

Hello readers! Welcome back to The Halton Mom for another great week. Here is my new plan with new recipe links! I hope you enjoy them and please feel free to share your meal plan links in the comments. If you have any questions please ask! Here we go...

Pulled Chicken Sandwich and Homemade Tater Wedges

Cowboy Beans and Rice (Recipe coming soon!)

Salmonettes, Taters, and Corn

Spaghetti with Meat Sauce and Garlic Bread

Kwick Kielbasa Hash and Corn

I hope you have a great week, for more great recipes join me on Pinterest!

(✿◠‿◠)

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Crock Pot Pork Tacos Recipe

I love my Crock Pot. I use it at least once a week sometimes more. So when I got a hold of some nicely priced pork tenderloin, I thought it would be a great idea to pull my Crock Pot out and make some yummy restaurant style pork tacos! I couldn't find a recipe to go with what was in my cabinets or taste buds so I threw this one together. I thought you all might want to try it out.

Here is what you will need:

Crock Pot Pork Tacos

1- 3lb Pork Tenderloin Roast ( or 6 Chicken Breasts if you don't do pork.)

1-10.5 Ounce Can Tomato with Green Pepper & Onion (or Rotel would work for more kick!)

1- Packet Taco Seasoning (or you could use this homemade taco mix .)

1-Tablespoon Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix (or this mix.)

Pour the tomatoes and seasoning mixes into the Crock Pot. Stir everything together until it is well mixed. Now add your Pork Tenderloin Roast and roll it around in the juices. Pull some of the tomatoes on top of the roast.

Cover and cook on low 8-10 hours. The pork will be so tender you can easily shredded with forks. Once shredded mix it all together once more and spoon on to taco shells.

We used soft shells and remember you can heat those up straight on the burner with tongs!

These were so good and we had plenty left over to freeze for another night! Be sure and add your favorite fixings to this one by running it through the dairy and the garden. That's it, this one is way too easy.

Enjoy and if you liked it, than ya shoulda  put a pin on it! ;)

Tutorial: Easy Cute No Heat Sock Curls

When I first joined Pinterest one of the things I wanted to learn about the most was new ways to fix my daughter's hair. We had done the ponytails, braids, and pigtails to death. And I didn't want to fry her hair with curling irons and flat irons. Early on I found some great tips on how to curl hair, without heat, with socks.  Best part, you should already have everything you need in your bathroom and sock drawer! We had to try it. We loved it and I thought my readers would too. So...ya interested? Good, lets get started. :)

Things you will need:

1. Freshly Shampooed Towel Dry/Wet Hair

2. 5-10 Dress Socks depending on how much hair you have to work with.

3. Curling Mouse, Gel, or Spray

4. Finishing or Hair Spray

5. Comb

6. Clips to hold hair up in sections. I used whatever I could find in the house. I think I used a pencil for one. ;)

After you've finally wrestled your child in and out of the shower make sure to dry the hair as much as possible with a towel. If the hair is too wet the curls won't hold. Okay now work some of the Curling Gel throughout the hair, scalp to tip. Now comb and divide the hair into sections, clipping each section up and away from the section you'll be working with first. Remember the bigger  sections will form more of a wave and the smaller sections produce a tighter curl.

Take your first section and comb it straight, take your first sock and wrap the hair keeping it flat and curling the tips under from tip to scalp. Make sure and tuck any loose ends in while your rolling or those pieces will not curl. Now have your child hold the wrapped hair and the sock down with their hand while you tie the ends of the sock together. It's okay if the sock knot is loose from the scalp and moves freely. Repeat this step with each section until your child's hair looks like the picture below. Now spray the knots with hair spray and tuck your kiddo into bed.

 In the morning the knots will have slipped out a little as they are slept on. No biggie, just untie the socks and pull your beautiful curls out one by one. Use your fingers to style the hair and spread the curls out evenly and around the face.  Spray the style with hair spray and your done.



You could also pull one side up with a bobbie pin, pull the sides up into a half pony, add a braided head band, or leave it loose like we did here.

If you need more help with this one here is a video from Babesinhairland.com on Pinterest. They have countless styles, tips, and videos to help you make your child over everyday!

I hope you have fun with this one we sure did. We still get a giggle using Daddy's old socks to fix her hair. :) Remember to like, share or pin this one if you enjoyed it, THANKS.
Have a great day!