A little late...but here is last week's meal plan :)

Life has been busy...and hence why I haven't been timely with posting.  I also blame it on the January BLAHS.  Does anyone else lack some motivation during the winter months? 

Last week through my lack of motivation, and also through my freezer that still has fully cooked meals in it (waiting to be EATEN!) I made three meals.

First up was a pasta dish in the crock pot!  I've never actually tried a pasta slow cooker meal before so was kind of excited to see how it worked out.  Found this easy gem of a recipe!

Crock Pot Ravioli

I followed this recipe to a TEE, and it turned out perfect.  The kids loved it (okay my son was livid that there was green pieces in it - spinach - but i buried them deep enough that he got over it) and my daughter brought it to school the next day too!!  It was delicious and in case you're wondering - YES, it tasted just like ravioli!

Next recipe was a fave around these digs.  Chicken a la King!  I serve this dish over top of either egg noodles, or puff pastry shells.

I got this recipe years ago from a Presidents Choice Insider Flyer if you can believe it, and I clipped it and have used it ever since!

Chicken a la King

This recipe turns out fantastic every time.  My kids DEVOUR it.  The only modification I make, is using lactose free milk.  Otherwise it would be bad news for me :)

Last recipe I made was a find on Pinterest.  And I would call it a Pinterest FAIL based on what it turned out looking like!!  If you're going for "look" you won't like this, but it did taste good.

Maple Honey Mustard Glazed Chicken

As you can see by the picture they show it looking like, and what mine turned out like, it was a FAIL all around.

And that's a wrap - time for this week's blog post!

Double batch cooking today?!

So today was a little tricky for Sunday Soup Kitchen.  My husband was out golfing for the day, and I set out to do double, that's right DOUBLE, batch cooking!  I'm not going to be able to do any cooking next Sunday, so I had to do two weeks worth of cooking today.

It's brave, very brave, and I was praying that the kids would have a good day and be okay with being cooped up in the house so this mama could cook like a mad woman today!  Thankfully the kids were amazing!  Quietly playing, eating, and I took some time to go out with them to the toy store too!  When their dad got home they got almost 2 hours of outside time too.  They were pretty great today :)

So today I accomplished the following :)

• 4 loads of laundry
• Chicken a la King
• Chili (double batch)
• Slow Cooker Cilantro Lime Chicken (double batch)
• Garlic Soup
• Pizza Pinwheels (double batch)
• Funfetti Gooey Bars

First thing I did when I got up this morning was throw this great mixture in the crockpot.  Cilantro Lime Chicken.  I kind of modified this recipe from one's I've found on Pinterest so here goes:

About 5 chicken breasts
One can black beans
2 cups of frozen corn
1/2 of a red onion chopped up
2 garlic cloves minced
1 cup of chopped cilantro
The juice of 2 limes
About 1/2 cup of chicken broth

Seriously, just throw all of that in the slow cooker on low for 8 hours and don't look back!  It turned out delicious and we're going to have it for dinner tomorrow night served on tortilla wraps with shredded lettuce, cheddar cheese and sour cream.

Chicken a la King is a fan favourite around this house.  It's such an easy recipe I found years ago in a Presidents Choice Insider's Report that came in the local paper.  I modify this and use lactose milk (for the lactose intolerant in me) and I usually serve it over Tenderflake Puff Pastry Patty Shells.  You can find these in the frozen section of your supermarket near the pie crust and frozen berries.  The kids LOVE them!

Here's the recipe link for this great dish:

Chicken a la King

It was cold outside today and I had ground beef in the freezer.  Easiest recipe (also a cheap one in terms of ingredient cost) is chili!  My youngest isn't always a fan, but he eats it even though sometimes he's pretty angry about it!  I modify chili all the time, there's so many recipes out there!  Today I used chickpeas and white kidney beans, celery, carrots, garlic and onions.  If I had not just used up all the mushrooms in the previous recipe I would have thrown those in there too.

Here's a great chili recipe:

Easy Chili

I volunteered at work to bring some goodies in for a colleagues baby shower this week so I wanted to get that out of the way today instead of during the week.  Found this gem of a recipe on Pinterest and they turned out amazing!

Here's the link:

Funfetti Gooey Bars

I've been making pizza pinwheels for the last couple weeks for my daughter who loves them in her lunches!  My son, not so much a fan.  In fact I can't even get him to sniff it!  They're super easy, but somehow today they got all screwed up.  I think because I sprayed the pan with cooking spray.  NOTE:  Don't do that!

Here's the recipe:

2 sheets thawed puff pastry
6 tablespoons of pizza sauce
Grated cheddar cheese
Ham, or other meat of choice

Roll out the pastry, spread the pizza sauce over it, top with shredded cheese and the meat of your choice.  Roll it up and cut it into even rolls/slices.  Place it in the oven at 350 and bake for about 10-15 minutes.  Follow my advice so you don't have the mess I had today.  Don't spray the pan with cooking oil!

Oh, and wanna know an awesome surprise that I got today too?!  My mother in law knows the way to my heart - she showed up with two Shepherds Pies, and two HUGE batches of delicious chicken with bell peppers, onions and grape tomatoes served over brown rice!  Into the freezer it all went.  My freezer makes me smile right now :)

Alright, this mama's bagged so I gotta head to bed to catch some zzzz's before the work week starts again tomorrow!

Happy Cooking!