The Official What's For Dinner thread:Thursday 1-24-08? Recipe finder in OP. Enjoy!

[LindsayDunn228]

Robin is coming over today and I'm not sure what we're having. She is bringing the items to making peach bellinis. After discovering on NYE that I really like champagne, I am looking forward to trying a bellini

WFD at your house?

And now for an update on:

The Romance of the Smitten Kittens

Kevin called me around 10 a.m. yesterday. He said he had some news and Robin just didn't like us not knowing, and he told me he had proposed. He said they aren't telling anyone until April. They are very worried people will give them a hard time about it being so soon and all. I totally understand that.

So he called Scott at work and told him. He also asked him to be his best man. I knew he would So it looks like sometime in April or May there will be a wedding! It's so cool that my husband and I are standing up with them. It is such an honor.

I will probably have ton to report in the morning after spending the day with Robin. But for now, there's a little update on The Romance of the Smitten Kittens.
​

 

[Mermaid02]

OMG! Take a break for a couple of days and come back to find out the SK's are getting married???? WOW!! Congrats to them!

Well, I have some news. My manger and supervisor approached me at work last week and informed me that my job hours are changing to 12-4. I don't mind that, but it means Jack will have to go to afterschool care for 45 minutes every day and it will cost us $35 a week- not bad until you figure out that's $140 a month. I wish I could just quit. I'm going to have to budget meals and plan and use the crock pot and really be disciplined. That is something I have always had a hard time with. Any advice is appreciated.

 

[FormrCastMbr]

Loreli, Sorry your hours are changing...I am also trying to budget and be more organized in the kitchen. Here are a couple things that I have been doing:

Make a list and stick to it. I always tended to buy what looked good too. Make sure to shop the circular and base meals around what is on sale.

Try and not be too fancy in the kitchen. Make it easy and quick and try and plan weekly dinners.

Freeze stuff. I am not great at this but trying.

I am eager what the other ladies say to do...like I said, I need help too!

*******
Tonight we are having patty melts (the boys have been asking for these) and I am not sure about the sides...maybe a big chopped salad and soup (Progresso).

Have a great day all!

 

[FormrCastMbr]

Yeah Tigers!!!

 

[HERSEY]

Robin is coming over today and I'm not sure what we're having. She is bringing the items to making peach bellinis. After discovering on NYE that I really like champagne, I am looking forward to trying a bellini

WFD at your house?

And now for an update on:

The Romance of the Smitten Kittens

Kevin called me around 10 a.m. yesterday. He said he had some news and Robin just didn't like us not knowing, and he told me he had proposed. He said they aren't telling anyone until April. They are very worried people will give them a hard time about it being so soon and all. I totally understand that.

So he called Scott at work and told him. He also asked him to be his best man. I knew he would So it looks like sometime in April or May there will be a wedding! It's so cool that my husband and I are standing up with them. It is such an honor.

I will probably have ton to report in the morning after spending the day with Robin. But for now, there's a little update on The Romance of the Smitten Kittens.
​

I'm glad Kevin finally told you and Scott. I could stand the wait till April though.

I am so nervous about this LSU game I'm about to throw up!

Breath and release repeat as necessary.

 

[nucpharm29]

Morning all. Last night's dinner ended up being snacky foods while watching the game. Glad to hear that LSU won--fell asleep before it ended. But don't tell DH I said that, he's from Ohio and his whole family are HUGE Buckeye fans. But I find it hard to root for a Big 10 team living here in SEC country.

Dinner tonight is up in the air--I've got a tex-mex chicken crock pot thing I could do. But I'm neither inspired nor willing to get it together right now. I still haven't begun to pack, so that's topping todays agenda--at least I have laundry started, right? Now if the darned weather in FL will stop changing so I can figure out what to pack!

 

[TigerKat]

Great morning isn't it??????? I survived the big game, but I have to admit I was crying like a baby at the end, tears of extreme joy!

Loreli - Lauren gave you some good advice. The only thing I can do is say planning weekly menus is absolutely necessary.

WFD - Becky's Balsamic Lemon Mustard Roast Chicken(I think that's pretty close to the name), pasta and broccoli.

 

[Glynis]

OMG! Take a break for a couple of days and come back to find out the SK's are getting married???? WOW!! Congrats to them!

Well, I have some news. My manger and supervisor approached me at work last week and informed me that my job hours are changing to 12-4. I don't mind that, but it means Jack will have to go to afterschool care for 45 minutes every day and it will cost us $35 a week- not bad until you figure out that's $140 a month. I wish I could just quit. I'm going to have to budget meals and plan and use the crock pot and really be disciplined. That is something I have always had a hard time with. Any advice is appreciated.

I've got quite a few crockpot recipes that we really like. If you want, PM me your email address and I'll get them to you! I love using my crockpot!

I'm sorry that your work is throwing your schedule (not to mention your finances) off! Wish I lived closer so I could help!

 

[Glynis]

Make a list and stick to it. I always tended to buy what looked good too. Make sure to shop the circular and base meals around what is on sale.

Try and not be too fancy in the kitchen. Make it easy and quick and try and plan weekly dinners.

Freeze stuff. I am not great at this but trying.

These are great suggestions!

Our ads come out on Mondays and Tuesdays. So, Tuesday nights, I sit down with my recipes, and the ads and see what I can put together. We budget 150 dollars a week for food, and doing it this way, I can get all the food we need, plus a few extras as well.

I also plan on 2 nights a week where there's nothing fancy. Friday night is always soup and sandwich night, and Saturday is Mac N Cheese night. When stores have case lot sales, I stock up on soup (tomato, chicken noodle, etc.) and macaroni and cheese.

I keep a shopping list on my fridge, and when I go to the store, I do not deviate from the list. Sometimes it's really hard, but having the list helps me a lot! It also means I don't have to rely on my aging brain. Definitely not the thing to do!

I'll try to think of other things, but having a weekly menu plan is one way of really helping you budget your time and money. I post my weekly menu on the fridge, and have the recipes in a binder on the counter. That way, everyone knows what we are having, and if DH gets home from work and I'm not there, he can start dinner since the recipe is right there.

 

[Glynis]

Dinner tonight will be baked chicken reubens!!!! Can you tell I'm excited??? I love this recipe, and when chicken went on sale, I knew it was going to be on the menu!!! I'll do corn and either noodles (lemon spaghetti) or rice to go with it!

I won't be around tomorrow, as I'm going to see my parents. I don't know if I've told you about my dad or not. He's the founder and executive producer of the Utah Shakespearean Festival. It's a HUGE thing in our state! Well, the annual meeting of the Shakespeare Theater Association of America is going to be at my dad's theater starting tomorrow, so I'm going to help with the opening ceremonies! Should be a lot of fun, but it's a quick trip. Down tomorrow, home on Thursday!

 

[Aimeedyan]

Lindsay - I am so excited about their engagement!! I also understand why they want to wait to tell others, but am glad they told you =)

Glynis - I need the recipe for the baked chicken reuben. Sounds delish!

Loreli - $140 a month would make a big budget issue for us, too, so I understand your frustration. I have a HUGE word file of Weight Watchers crockpot meals if you want me to email it to you. They have all been so tasty - its' about 140 pages, with 3-4 recipes on a page. I can't do crockpot everyday but it does help to do it a few times a week.

Tonight's dinner is a crockpot salsa chicken. I've made a salsa chicken before and it was 'okay' but I found this one on SparkPeople (my new obsession) and it looks promising. And low calorie!

 

[Glynis]

Lindsay - I am so excited about their engagement!! I also understand why they want to wait to tell others, but am glad they told you =)

Glynis - I need the recipe for the baked chicken reuben. Sounds delish!

Loreli - $140 a month would make a big budget issue for us, too, so I understand your frustration. I have a HUGE word file of Weight Watchers crockpot meals if you want me to email it to you. They have all been so tasty - its' about 140 pages, with 3-4 recipes on a page. I can't do crockpot everyday but it does help to do it a few times a week.

Tonight's dinner is a crockpot salsa chicken. I've made a salsa chicken before and it was 'okay' but I found this one on SparkPeople (my new obsession) and it looks promising. And low calorie!

I got the baked chicken reuben from this thread! I love it!!! I think either Kathy or Lauren posted it early on. Seriously, one bite and you'll think you've died and gone to heaven! My kids don't like the sauerkraut, so I do one half without. Works great for us. Check the front page of the thread and you'll find it pretty quickly.

 

[shovan]

Don't know what's for dinner. I opened the freezer & it was dripping. It's running & the food is still frozen though. So I just closed it & am waiting to see if maybe the door wasn't fully closed. (This is the fridge in the garage, thank goodness.)

I can't decide what to fix, I'm really having a hard time getting back into the swing of things since the holidays.

Loreli, Sorry to hear about the job problems.

Lindsay, That is great news for the happy couple!

 

[FormrCastMbr]

Yes, the chicken reuben is a Kathy recipe. It is great! Very easy too. Andrew does not like the kraut either and I add caraway seeds to mine.

Glynis, have fun tomorrow.

I am typing from bed. I guess I came down with some bug or allergy/sinus thing. My eyes are killing me...it hurts to move the muscles and I cannot get the chill out of me and its warm here today. I laid down for a while and now I am trying to get motivated. The house is a mess and A comes home soon.

 

[Nancyg56]

Kathy- Your Tigers did well I see! I don't follow football but I had to pay attention this morning to see how "you" did!

Loreli- That is a big change! Between the childcare issue and that cost and the meal thing it is drastic, I think. I'm paying attention to the suggestions as well. I have not been very resourceful lately an my food bill is sky high so I need to make some changes. I used to make a hearty soup once a week and when I was running late or just running I had that to fall back on. It made a big difference because I used to clean out the fresh veggies I had on hand, toss in leftovers if I could and use up meat if I had not cooked it. It was a lifesaver when I ran late becasue I did not stop for take out.

A gal I worked with used to cook once a week. She froze each entree and planned sides ahead of time. Then she posted the menu on the fridge. She did this after she went back to work full time and saw that she used a good chunk of her paycheck that first month on take out. Her kids would sometimes rearrange her daily plan but they stuck to the basics. She went back to it after she came to work with us. She was eating out and I was not, ( I never let work cost me money, I brought my lunch) and her food bill was atrocious so she got her plan in place and told me the stress was gone.
Good luck as you adjust to this!

Glynis- Your family sounds like so much fun! Have a great time!

Stephanie- You will get it all done, don't worry. I am a little jealous of your trip, I want to run away from all of my things I have put off and that are now biting me in toe!

Lauren- Get some rest, this bug thing can linger if you are tired.

Sheryl- The fridge thing is catchy down there??? Seriously, I hope it was just a glitch!

Dinner tonight is going to be a breeze for me. We are going to my oldest son's for Chinese! I don't know if I can drag Buddy out once he gets home. He can have a sandwich if he stays in.

 

[TigerKat]

Lauren - I'm sorry you're not feeling well, take care of yourself and REST!

Nancy - I'm sure Buddy will be happy with a sandwich.

 

[Nancyg56]

Nancy - I'm sure Buddy will be happy with a sandwich.

I think I am playing right into his plan!!!!!!!

 

[liamsaunt]

Lauren I hope you feel better soon.

Tonight I am heating up a pot of short ribs that I cooked on Sunday for DH. I braised them in some red wine, port, and beef stock. I am serving them with garlic mashed potatoes and pan roasted root vegetables. I'll just eat the veggies and the potatoes since I don't do red meat.

Last night we just vegged in front of the TV and I made panini--they were turkey, sharp cheddar, and a fruit chutney that I am not sure of the ingredients. It's kind of like a major grey's chutney but not as spicy.

 

[shovan]

Lauren, So sorry your feeling so crummy. Stay in bed & take care of yourself.

The drips in the fridge are freezing now. DH came home for lunch & thinks we need to adjust the level things on the bottom, cus the doors not staying closed tightly. The good thing is he's picking up Outback for dinner!

 

[liamandcaili]

Lauren -- I hope you feel better!

Loreli -- Good luck with the changes. I have such a hard time with food budgets, but when I do need inexpensive meals, I turn to pasta, breakfast for dinner, homemade pizza, or black bean burritos. If I know I have a lot of budgeting ahead, I make things for the freezer like pot pies, meatballs, pasta sauce, soups, lasagna, etc, and I make sure my stock items like pasta, oils, rice, etc are full. That way, if I find myself short one week, I can live out of the freezer and pantry.

I had to wait around most of the day today for my new dryer to arrive and then for the plumber to hook it up so no grocery store trip. Dinner was kielbasa, potato pancake, spinach and baked apples.