I'm trying to have us eat up some of the meals in our freezer this week. So, I'm not going to be doing much cooking. Maybe I'll get some extra things done this week, like cleaning. :-)
For more Menu Planning, see I'm an Organized Junkie.
Breakfasts: Today, the kids and I made a crockpot full of Irish oatmeal (I used a combination of 2 different recipes. We'll be eating this throughout the week.) & a batch of Oatmeal Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins. Recipes are below.
Snacks: We also made some Gingerbread cookies today from a mix that Honey (the name our kids call my mom instead of calling her Grandma) gave us.
So for snacking, we'll be eating those cookies, celery and carrot sticks with ranch (I might make a hummus dip again to dip veggies in also), pretzels dipped in almond butter, and yogurt.
Lunches: Roast beef sandwiches, PB&J, bean & cheese burritos, & baked 'taters with chili
Dinners:
Monday - Quesadillas and leftover green beans (weird combo but we need to eat these before they go bad)
Brownie meeting tonight
Tuesday - Chicken Taco Soup (freezer meal) & cornbread
Wednesday - Grilled cheese sandwiches for kids
Awana Meeting for the kiddos & Date Night for hubby and I (We just got the kids enrolled in Awanas 2 weeks ago. They love it, and we have 2 hours to go out to dinner alone!!)
Thursday - Sweet & Sour Pork & steamed rice (freezer meal)
Friday - Tamales & beans (freezer meal)
Crockpot Caramel Apple Oatmeal Recipe
The problem with some crockpot oatmeal recipes is they don't use enough liquid. So by the time you wake up in the morning, the oatmeal is crusty and stuck to your slow cooker. This crockpot oatmeal turns out just the way oatmeal was intended to taste and can cook 8 to 9 hours without sticking.
Important: You must use steel cut oatmeal, such as McCann's Irish Oatmeal, not rolled oats or instant oats. Otherwise, your oatmeal will cook too fast and end up sticking to the crockpot. If you don't want to use the milk and cider, just substitute 8 cups of water.
- 2 cups steel cut oats (not instant or rolled oats)
- 4 cups milk
- 4 cups apple cider
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 vanilla bean, split but not scraped, or use 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 cup chopped dried apples
- 1 cup raisins
Spray crockpot with nonstick cooking spray. If you're planning to cook the oatmeal 8 hours or longer, use 8 cups of liquid. If you want to cook it less than 8 hours, use 6 cups of liquid. Put first seven ingredients in slow cooker and cook on low. Just before serving, Stir in raisins. Sprinkle with additional brown sugar and add cream if desired.
Serves 8.
Oatmeal Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
12 muffins
350 degree oven, 25 minutes
3 large very ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup applesauce
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup all purpose flour (or half and half with whole wheat)
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup chocolate chips
Mash the bananas in a large bowl. Add sugar and mix until well blended. Add in egg and applesauce, and beat together. Without stirring, add the dry ingredients to the bowl. Once they are all added together, stir the dry ingredients a bit, then incorporate into the wet ingredients; you could just use a separate bowl, but why do more dishes? Stir in the chocolate chips.
Spoon into medium sized muffin tins, well greased or lined with liners. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes at 350 degree oven.
1 comment:
girl, you need to spend some quality time on your blog, letting me know what's going on in your life, besides food. hehe. I miss you! I know you're busy, but just a little somefin!
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