I didn’t get last week’s Freezer Cooking in an Hour post written on Thursday like I’d planned (it was just one of those weeks where I was behind on pretty much everything all week long!), but I did make the Bread Machine Bread Sticks, Lemon Garlic Marinated Chicken, and All Natural No Bake Energy Bites (as evidenced from the photo above).
We didn’t love the Lemon Garlic Chicken, but the Bread Machine Bread Sticks were a BIG hit (notice that half of them are already missing from the picture above?) and I’ll definitely be making them again. The No Bake Energy Bites also went over well and the children had a blast helping me roll the balls.
We’re still experiencing pretty high temperatures, but it’s supposed to cool down later in the week, so I’m hopeful it will be cool enough for me to use the oven a little more. We’ll see!
Here’s our planned menu for the week:
Breakfasts
French Toast Casserole, Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Smoothies (used carob rice milk instead of chocolate milk; this was still very yummy!)
Granola bars, fruit salad
Scrambled eggs and toast, fruit
Blueberry waffles, fruit smoothies
Steel Cut Oatmeal, Fruit
Hard-boiled eggs, toast, fruit
Whole-Wheat Banana Chocolate Chip MuffinsLunches
Lunch at church (our church provided lunch for everyone)
Pizza, peaches, All Natural No Bake Energy Bites
Lunch out as a family
Salad with hard-boiled eggs, bagels, fruit
Refried beans with rice, carrot sticks, fruit
Leftovers x 2Snacks
Banana Almond Smoothie
All Natural No Bake Energy Bites
Fruit/VeggiesDinners
Dinner at extended family’s house
Crockpot Barbecue Chicken, Crusty Baguettes, green salad, fruit
Lemon Garlic Grilled Chicken, fruit, Bread Machine Bread Sticks
Hamburgers, Oven Baked Parmesan Seasoned Fries, Steamed vegetables, fruit
Build-Your-Own Haystacks, fruit
Asian Barbecue Chicken, rice, steamed veggies, fruit salad
Dinner outFreezer-Cooking-In-An-Hour Plan (I’ll share pictures/details on how this goes on Thursday!)
Strawberry Freezer Jam
Crockpot Barbecue Chicken
Whole-Wheat Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
Did you make a menu plan this week? If so, I’d love to have you share your link in the comments.
sarah says
thank you SOOOO much for posting these!!! i look forward to them every week to see what new yummy ideas you have! We made you “energy balls” this week and my 4 year old GOBBLED them right up. You encourage me through these to try lots of new recipes and healthier alternatives. thanks again!
Cynthia says
I did awesome this week! I’m leaving for 3 weeks to visit my mom and my husband is staying by himself. Great opportunity to put what I have learned in here into practice. It took more than an hour. Spent the whole day in the kitchen, which is really hard when you have a 6 month old baby. I ended up doing, 3 pan of baked pasta, 3 pan of chicken penne pasta, 2 pan of rice and chicken mexican casserole, 8 meatloaf balls, 12 corn dog muffin, 3 honey cornbread and 10 breakfast burrito. I’m so proud of myself, never cooked that much and my husband was sooo impressed. Thank you for your blog is really encouraging.
Bethany Brewster says
Thank you so much for posting your menu plans every week, they are very useful to me. I generally use them as a spring board to see what I could make and try some new recipes!
Katharine says
Thank you for sharing some of these wonderfully easy and quick recipes. I tried the oven baked, parmesan fries and absolutely loved them. They are the perfect oven baked fries. Thanks again!
Corrine says
Thank you for posting my recipe! Your site is a great resource for families!!
Victoria says
Crystal~
Absolutely love your website! Thank you so much! I have a question regarding the bread stick recipe in this weeks menu plan. I followed the recipe, but was not sure as to cover them during rising cycle. Do you cover yours? Would appreciate any comments regarding the breadsticks as they look so yummy. God bless you!
Jana says
Crystal-
Do you have to use whole wheat AND unbleached all-purpose flour for the Whole Wheat Banana Choc Chip Muffins? I have everything I need except the all-purpose flour b/c I only use whole wheat…. Do you think it would make much of a difference?
Thanks!
Cara Ivey says
I make all my muffins/cookies with whole wheat. Since you do it regularly I’m pretty sure you’ll be happy with the results! They just have that “heartier” flavor and texture. I also only Applesauce, no butter. They also taste really good withot the butter!
Trish Conard says
I have to agree with many others that the energy bites look delicious. I need to find more nutritious items for us to snack on during the day (and by us, I really mean me :o)
http://paconard.blogspot.com/2011/07/our-weekly-menu_19.html
Willing Cook says
Thanks for linking to my dairy-free Steel Cut Oatmeal recipe. I think the key is “toasting” the oats in the beginning. They give it kind of a nutty flavor. Mixed with the creamy milk (we use almond), brown sugar and cinnamon, I want it every morning!
Cara Ivey says
Our menu this week is
Turkey Burrito Pie (Mexican lasagna with totillas instead of pasta, great way to use up stale tortillas.)
Asian Chicken Noodle Salad
Chicken Broccoli casserole
Turkey Cheese Burger Meatloaf Muffins
Breakfast for Dinner (Whole wheat Blueberry pancakes/turkey sausage)
Southwestern Hashbrown bake
Turkey Haystacks
I did mostly Freezer prep this week. Cooked off 10lbs of chicken and picked it all, made 1 1/2 gallons chicken stock, Morning Glory Muffins, and diced up a bunch of Mangoes I got on sale to freeze until I figure out what to do with them.
Also wanted to let you knw that I have tried all of your pancakes, baked oatmeal, and choc. chip oatmeal cookies and Loved them!! I did make one change to all to make them a little more “mommy friendly”, I switched out ALL butter for applesauce!! And they all came out fabulous!! Just FYI for those trying to lose the babyweight and still get yor treats in!!
I turned a friend onto this site and she made the enery bites and watermelon frosty! I’ll be making them tonight!!
Amanda says
I tried freezer cooking for the first time about a month ago. Since then we have saved so much money becuase we don’t eat out as much anymore. My husband always use to say “I am hungry and there is nothing to eat” so he would go and pick up food or we would eat out. Granted there was a food in the house, having the meals prepared makes it easier for him to pop something into the oven and have it all cooked in 20 minutes!
Thanks!
Terri says
I’m a huge fan of anything that can cook in the crock pot! We’re trying to keep our energy bill as low as possible this summer, so made a vow to stick with the grill, the crock pot & the microwave as much as possible!
We’re looking at $14.78 per person this week. Not my best, but I’ll take it! Here’s a link to my meal plan & grocery list. http://housewifery101.net/grocery-list-meal-plan-for-next-week/
Rae says
Crystal, have you ever tried barley as a breakfast cereal? I have tried making it twice now (the first times ever using barley at all) because I read that it is even better for you than oatmeal. Well the first time came out good (I used cinnamon, butter, and a little syrup) but yesterday I made it again and it was DELICIOUS! I cook the pearled barley in the crockpot ahead of time then refrigerate it until I’m ready for it. I spoon some into the bowl, chop it up with the spoon, add cinnamon, and chopped (pretty small so you get a few pieces in each bite) strawberries then microwave. The strawberries get soft and sweeter when cooked so it actually sweetened the barley enough that I didn’t need the syrup at all. Seriously… barley, fresh strawberries, and cinnamon…. so healthy but sooo good. I like things sweet so if I had added the strawberries, I would have needed some syrup or honey or something in it.
Crystal says
I’ve not tried barley as a breakfast cereal, but it sounds like something I’d like!
Rae says
Well if you want to try it, put pearled barley (I got mine at an Amish store on vacation but here I’d probably get it in the bulk section) in the crockpot with water. The barley to water ratio is 1:4. I did one cup of barley for the 3 of us and it was enough to fill us up but no leftovers (we ate 2 bowls each because it was so yummy 😛 ). Set the crockpot to low and leave it alone for a few hours. Time depends on your crockpot (size/type) and also how much you make. For the one cup of dry barley that I made, it was done in less than 6 hours so I’m glad I did it during the day and not overnight like I had seen. If you do make it overnight make sure you do more than one cup. I always have the intentions of making extra so that some I can make into breakfast and some I can use in a savory dish later on but it never makes it past breakfast. You know it’s done when it is starting to brown around the edges just a bit. You can make it into the breakfast cereal right away or what I did was make it the afternoon prior (I didn’t want to chance it overnight since I wasn’t making that much) then refrigerate. When you do make it, eyeball the amount of cinnamon you want and chop the berries and add them right away. If you taste it after heating it up and it’s not sweet enough, you can always add honey or maple syrup at the end. 🙂
Sheila says
I’m not as detailed as you. My kids and husband have a few things they like for breakfast so we just switch them around. Same thing for lunch since we’re on summer break. But dinner is where I have to plan. Here’s my menu for this week: http://sheilaskitchen.wordpress.com/2011/07/18/week-of-july-18th/.
Tiffany says
Here’s my healthy and YUMMMY menu plan for this week:
http://healthynbalanced.wordpress.com/2011/07/19/menu-plan-for-719-724/
Carrie @ My Favorite Finds says
I also pinned the Energy Bites, but have yet to make them. I’m glad they turned out well for you. That gives me hope. This morning, I made 5 loaves of zucchini bread, 2 cinnamon swirl, and a loaf of banana bread. So, I think my freezer cooking for this week is done. Here’s my menu, and of course it includes your Breakfast Burritos and Cinnamon Roll Biscuits :).
http://myfavoritefinds.blogspot.com/2011/07/menu-plan-week-of-july-17.html
Nisrine says
I have to try out those energy bars and the Asian bbq chicken. I am going to add them to my next week’s menu.
Here is my menu plan for this week
http://www.isavvymom.com/2011/07/19/menu-plan-july-18th-july-24th/
Emily @ Saving with a Plan says
We are trying to get our “Back to School Menu” planned and trying to make things go as smooth as possible since this will be our first year Homeschooling. I know it will be busy but hopefully with some good planning we can make everything run smooth . Here is out menu.
http://www.savingwithaplan.com/2011/07/menu-plan-monday-13/
Jennifer says
My husband just got laid off from his employer last week. With zero income, we have to get creative with our meals. I have over 200 recipes on my What’s Cookin’ website, with most based on a couponers budget. Time to go through them and make my menu for the week!
Jennifer says
What’s Cookin’ Recipes can be found at http://www.jennifervandahm.com
Cookie and Kate says
Thank you for including my banana almond flax smoothie in your menu plan! It’s great for when you’re out of fresh fruit, because you can use frozen bananas and pantry staples!
Katy @ Purposely Frugal says
Here’s my 2 week menu/groceries: http://purposelyfrugal.com/2011/07/19/groceries-and-menu/
And I make a smoothie really similar to yours! It’s my favorite! 🙂
marsha says
For the Crusty Baguettes, can you do the ice-cube thing with an electric oven? And do I just throw them in around the heating element or would it be more prudent to place them in a shallow pan? Appreciate any tips.
Crystal says
I’m not sure since I’ve never made them before. If anyone else has input, let us know!
Making My Own Luck says
In my electric oven I place them in my broiler pan.
Stephanie says
Hope you enjoy making the freezer jam this week! It is something our family looks forward to all summer. We do strawberry, blackberry, peach, and cherry. YUM!!! You can’t beat it 🙂
Erin says
The energy bites look like the bones of a granola bar recipe I just tried, minus the nut butter. I am not a big fan of granola or granola bars, but yum! They were like dessert! Might have to try these.
The beautiful thing about marinated chicken breasts is that if you don’t love the marinade, you can always use the chicken in some other way, like grilled atop a salad, as a chicken salad (dressed with a mayo-yogurt combo), or as tacos or nachos.
Caroline says
I make a different type of energy protein bars that we love! My midwife always encourages me to eat them during my first trimester. The recipe I use has more protein in it I think because it has dried milk powder. If I really am needing more protein I will put dried whey powder in it. Here is the link: http://www.themodestmomblog.com/2010/02/perfect-snack-for-pregnant-mama.html
Tammy @ Skinny Mom's Kitchen says
Your menu looks fabulous!! I LOVE my bread machine so I will have to try those bread sticks.
With 5 more pounds to lose (already lost 40 :)) my menu plan stays between 1300 – 1500 calories a day. But it is still yummy and family friendly. I have the calories listed for each meal and snacks for added convenience.
http://www.skinnymomskitchen.com/2011/07/18/weekly-healthy-weight-loss-menu-plan/
Sherry says
Crystal, Did you bake your Bread Machine Bread Sticks before putting them in the freezer? I made a batch to freeze for the first time and I did not bake them before freezing. Does it matter? I follow your weekly menus…so many great ideas. I use them all!!
Julie says
Crystal, did you bake the breadsticks and then just freeze them as is? They look wonderful!
Melissa says
I want to try the bread sticks. They look delicious.
Here is our menu for the week. We get local organic produce delivered to our house, so my menu revolves around the produce we are getting (and ways to avoid the heat!)
http://www.momsplans.com/2011/07/menu-planning-71711/
Cat says
I feel like I was so much better at this before I had my son. I used to be able to plan out a month at a time – now I’m happy if I can throw together spaghetti!
Getting back into the swing of things…baby steps 🙂
Meredith says
aw – things really change with little ones! I’m about to have my second – my first just turned 5 and I’m JUST getting the hang of shopping by the circulars, stocking up on rock bottom prices, and menu planning. You’ll get it back! You’re right – baby steps!! 😀
misty says
We loved the lemon garlic grilled chicken. I cut mine into strips though and only marinated it for a few hours. Could have marinated a little longer but the kids loved it. : )
[email protected] says
We’ve been having more smoothies lately too. I just made a peach mango one today and it was yummy!
Here’s our $100 Budget Menu for the week: http://thepeacefulmom.com/2011/07/15/100-budget-weekly-menu/
and here is my daughter’s Gluten Free Menu:
http://simpleglutenfree.net/2011/07/18/simple-gluten-free-weekly-menu-718/
Betsy @ Romance on a Dime says
Thanks for the recipe for the energy bites!! I made them and my husband and I LOVE them!! Here is my meal plan for the week: http://romanceonadime.blogspot.com/2011/07/menu-planning-monday_18.html
Nora@ The Dollar Hollering Homemaker says
Those energy bites look so yummy! My meal plan is here: http://thedollarholleringhomemaker.blogspot.com/2011/07/meal-plan.html
Jennifer says
I made those no bake energy bites (with mini chocolate chips, flax seed, dried cherries & unsweetened coconut) last week. My kids liked them so much, they were fighting over the last one!
Thanks for sharing!
April says
Those energy bites look awesome…and I have ingredients to make them in my pantry (using a couple substitutions)! I plan on making them tomorrow. Thanks!
Jessie Brown says
http://tjandjessie.wordpress.com/2011/07/16/wheat-free-gluten-free-food-finds-menu-plan/
Good links for wheat-free, gluten-free stuff!
Jen (Balancing Beauty and Bedlam) says
I had to peek at the crock pot chicken recipe. It’s looks yummy and easy as well. Honestly, that meal has been an lifesaver and I don’t even add anything to mine at all.
We get so many meals out of it, and the kids love just the sauce over rice, even when the chicken is all gone. 🙂
http://beautyandbedlam.com/easy-bbq-chicken-in-the-crock-pot/
Shannon Van Wye says
We do this same set up as a family a lot. Except, we call it Taco Mountain… and there is rice involved. We love rice! 🙂
Emily says
http://ourfrugalhappylife.blogspot.com/2011/07/menu-plan-717.html
It is SUPER HOT here in Central Wisconsin this week (which is highly unusual, although this St. Louis native is somewhat accustomed to it!). I am switching as many meals to the crockpot and/or stove as possible!
Frugal Momma @ Live Joyfully says
Speaking of freezer cooking, I also posted my recipe for Freezer Friendly Stuffed Shells here: http://www.savemoneylivejoyfully.com/2011/07/recipe-of-week-freezer-friendly-stuffed.html
Which, I am now craving, since I had to toss all 3 batches thanks to the untimely freezer demise 🙂
Frugal Momma @ Live Joyfully says
Our freezer died this week…We had to toss everything! So, this week I’m doing simple and frugal. It happens to be our anniversary this week as well. Nothing says “I’m glad I married you” like buying each other a new freezer 🙂
Our meals this week include:
Homemade Applesauce for breakfast. I’m actually looking for a good crock pot applesauce recipe if anybody has one. Organic apples were $0.49/lb this week, so I picked up a bunch!
Dinners: Black Bean Enchiladas with Green Salad, Steak Salad with French Bread, and Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches.
The entire menu is here: http://www.savemoneylivejoyfully.com/2011/07/weekly-menu-july-17-23.html
Crystal says
I am SO sorry about your freezer! 🙁
Frugal Momma @ Live Joyfully says
While an unexpected expense, we feel very blessed that we didn’t get sick from any of the food, and that we are going to be able to purchase a new one. I am very excited to start filling it up again! 🙂
Jamie - delicious-nutritious.blogspot.com says
I just peel, core, and cut the apples then throw in the crockpot until they are soft. Sometimes I add a little cinnamon, but usually the apples are sweet enough that they don’t need any sugar. We’ve cut down significantly on the amount of sweeteners we use. I have added sucanat, but then I kind of consider it “apple butter” instead of applesauce. I like mine chunky, but you can always puree the apples after cooking if you prefer it that way. I then put the applesauce in canning jars and either freeze them or go through the canning process if I have enough that warrants doing that. Sorry to hear about your freezer.
We love steel cut oats in our house, this week I am trying a new recipe – a soaked and baked oatmeal. Can’t wait to try it. I was thinking of doing this in the crockpot instead of the oven due to the extreme heat this week, but if I do it in the morning it might not be so bad. Anyway, here is our menu for the week – chock full of veggies from our CSA and new whole grain recipes. http://delicious-nutritious.blogspot.com/2011/07/this-weeks-meal-plan-7182011.html
Frugal Momma @ Live Joyfully says
I like chunky applesauce. I might add the cinnamon. That sounds very easy, thank you!
Rae says
I actually just cut the apple off the core (or you could use a corer), add the cinnamon and a little tiny bit of honey (both are just an amount that looks good) then a little water. I cook it until soft then if wanting it chunky you can mash it with a potato masher and pull the skins out. Or you could use an immersion blender (which also takes care of the peels to leave those nutrients in). And an added benefit, you could take some out then continue cooking in the crockpot until it thickens and darkens (a few more hours including 1 or 2 without the lid) and it will be yummy apple butter 🙂
Jen says
I can relate to the freezer dying, because it happened to us 3 weeks ago. We were fortunate that I caught it before everything had defrosted. I’m SO thankful I went to get a roast out for dinner the next day, because I think it had been out for a few days by that point. We buy our meat in bulk each fall from a local farm (1/4 beef, 1/2 pork, 12 whole chickens), so we’ve used a lot since fall. However, we still had plenty left. I madly rearranged the freezer in my fridge and our small chest freezer, and managed to fit everything in! Some things had defrosted but were still chilled, so I figured I’d use the smell test before using anything. I felt safe doing this since our meat has only been frozen once while it was fresh. It’s the equivalent of freezing previously frozen meat from the grocery store when you get it home.
We ended up repairing the dead thermostat on our freezer, because even though it was a RIDICULOUS price, it was still (slightly) cheaper than replacing the freezer (which was only 2 1/2 years old). I’m happy to report that I’ve used several items, and they have been fine.
So sorry to hear you have to replace your freezer. It’s such a bummer. Happy anniversary, and enjoy your gift! 🙂
Melissa says
Can you share some info about how you went about finding a place to buy whole chickens? I would like to start doing that. (We already by a side of beef from my cousin’s farm.) With all of the news about antibiotics and such in chicken, I would like to start buying from a farmer who avoids that.
Jen says
Hi Melissa. I found all my local food and meat sources starting from 2 Websites:
eatwild.com
localharvest.org
Both have a feature where you can search for local farms in your area. Good luck! We have found the pastured chicken we buy to be excellent. Seriously, there is a huge difference in taste from the grocery store chicken. It’s awesome!
Melissa says
Thanks. I appreciate you getting back to me! I will definitely look into buying from a local farm. On average, what is a good price per pound (whole chicken) to pay?
robyn says
i have a super simple applesauce recipe for the crockpot, but use my vitamix. i use organic apples and leave the peel on. simple core the apples and cut, place in vitamix, cover with water and pulse/blend.( if you have a vitamix you prob know what this is like -sames as chopping onions or potatoes for hash browns). once the apples are copped pretty fine i strain (basically dumping the excess water out) through a fine colander and pour in my crockpot. by using my vitamix the apples are really fine but still a little chuck and there’s extra moisture from the water so i don’t add any in the crockpot. then i add cinnamon and maybe nutmeg and leave the crockpot over night. super simple and maybe takes me 10min to get ready, most of the time is spent in the apple coring. if you want finer applesauce you can put in the vitamix (or blender again after cooked).