Meal Plan March 4-10

I never save my meal plans but I am starting to now. I'm hoping it will save me some time in the future. I created the menu in google docs so that I would have access to it where ever I am. I love seeing what other people eat and getting new ideas so I'm hoping this will help someone out there. Here is our first week in March. As a review, the burritos were just okay. I bought a rotisserie chicken from Costco and used it for both the haystacks and the dumplings meal. I boiled the bones with vegetables to make my stock for the recipes throughout the week. Everyone loved the hawaiian haystacks and the kids wanted it for lunch the next day so that is always a bonus. It may be because we were all starving since it was a fast Sunday, but none the less, everyone gobbled them up and even had seconds, maybe thirds. I served them with green onions, celery, tomatoes, mandarin oranges, pineapple tidbits, coconut, shredded cheese and sliced almonds. The coconut and fruit put them over the top. Next time I think I'll add some of the pineapple juice to the sauce to make it more fruity. I think the boys really liked making their own creations. This was my first time making haystacks and I liked not using cream of chicken soup. I hadn't made chicken in dumplings in probably over a year and so that was another hit. Even though my mom never made it, it reminds me of my childhood and the south and those are good memories. I'm glad my kids enjoy it too. They loved the dumplings. I had to make another batch and add it to the leftover gravy because we'd eaten them all. The pork chops were really good, I just really like a mushroom gravy the best but it was a nice change and bacon makes everything better. Now that I'm making breakfast every morning, I'm actually eating it and liking it. I haven't bought cereal in weeks. It does put a lot of pressure on me to get up and get moving in the morning but I think it's a good thing. The kids love it and they stay full, whereas when we had cereal most mornings they were starving 30 minutes later. I like the apple puffed pancake but the apples change the texture of the pancake which makes me not as big a fan but the flavor is great. I make the baked oatmeal every week, but I decrease the sugar called for. I always halve the recipe and cook it in an 8x8 pan and it's always been plenty for me and the kids but not this week. The kids ate it all and I only got the leftovers in their bowl. I like to add the mixed frozen berries from Costco to it. It takes a little longer to cook but it is so good with milk poured over the top and this is from someone who usually hates oatmeal. It used to make me gag, a psychological effect from eating it everyday in Romania for 4 months. We also like to add bananas or apples. I love the refrigerated bran muffin recipe and it lasts for 6 weeks in the fridge but we never make it that long. We usually have these once a week. I just scoop them out and throw them in the oven. It's awesome. They are really good hot out of the oven with a little honey drizzled over them. We also have the pancake mix usually once a week. It's not my favorite pancake recipe but it's whole wheat and oatmeal and my kids don't mind it. Since it's a ton healthier than Krusteaz and just as easy, I use it. As long as my kids can slather syrup over it, they eat it up. I used real potatoes for the casserole. I just love breakfast casseroles. I try to make something extra special for the weekends when Neil is home to eat breakfast with us. He usually just gets to eat the leftovers the next day which isn't as good I'm sure. I found some new breakfast recipes I'm excited to try next week.

Click on the link below to go to my google doc.
Meal Plan March 4-10