I have been up since 6am.  I have laundry in the wash, I cleaned out the refrigerator and made my husband a list of grocery shopping.  When he comes home from the grocery store, I have to put everything away.  We are headed into the city for a pre-screening of THE MUPPETS, and then I have to come home and finish getting ready for our Thanksgiving Potluck/Food Drive tomorrow.

I am hosting Thanksgiving this year.  Usually we go to my mother-in-law’s, however, I wanted to make it easier on her as she is going for surgery in a few weeks, so we are having it here.  Twenty-three people, including eight kids.  And it is an Italian household, so we are going to have enough food to feed an army!

First on the menu is the antipasto.  My mother-in-law will be bringing that and it will likely have various cheeses and salamis, plus some roasted red peppers, an olive salad and lots of bread.  My mom is making stuffed mushrooms, which she makes soooo delicious!  Next is the pasta (we will always refer to it as macaroni!)  This year, instead of the standard meat sauce, we are having a simple marinara.  Too much of the macaroni and meatballs ends up with no one wanting turkey!  Of course, then is the turkey and all the sides.  On our list we added cranberry sauce, ingredients to make fresh stuffing, sweet potatoes, white potatoes, broccoli, string beans and corn.  And my favorite food – stuffed artichokes.  We also have to make a chicken as my mother-in-law does not eat turkey.  I am sure I am forgetting some other things, but you get the picture.

Next is the fruit, which cousin Jeanie will be bringing.  Following fruit is nuts – walnuts, almonds, and yummy chestnuts.  And finally is desserts.  We’ll be making an apple and pumpkin pie, and I am sure everyone else will bring some other desserts.

On holidays, everyone goes home stuffed.  The hosts are exhausted and the kids sleep like logs that night!  For me, 6am Friday morning starts WIN IT WEEKEND, on my Mommy’s Links site,  and I am not sure yet if I will be heading out shopping for any of the Black Friday sales.  And then of course the MAD RUSH begins….  Preparing for CHRISTMAS!

Where did the year go?  I cannot believe I am saying this already,  but Happy Holidays!

What are your preparations for this week?

Jennifer, wife and mom of four
www.mommyslinks.com

This 1^st one is from Kraft, I just add my own little kick to it J.

Bacon, Cheese & Potato Soup

3 cups of milk (you can use fat free)

1 can of condensed cream of potato soup

2 cups of frozen Southern style hash browns

1 cup of Kraft Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese

2 slices bacon, cooked & crumbled

2 green onions (thin)

Mix: Milk & soup in large saucepan. Stir in hash browns. Bring to boil on high heat, stirring occasionally, simmer on med.-low for 10 -15 mins. Serve topped with bacon, cheese & onion. So easy…….. & GOOD!

Note: You could always add your favorite sausage or veggie to make it even more fulfilling.

Stay tuned for some of my favorite crock pot recipes.

Shanta

Many times busy parents resort to hot dogs and macaroni and cheese, frozen pizza or frequent trips to a fast-food restaurant. That’s not healthy for you or the kids – not to mention its pretty rough on the family grocery budget.

Kitchen time savers

There are things you can do to cut down on time spent in the kitchen. Pick one day a week and prepare several freezer friendly meals. You can even go the extra mile and package them in individual serving size containers. Doing so will provide your family with a larger variety of entrée choices, on any given day.

Do you have friends that are intrigued with the idea of a one-day a week cooking spree or a meal planning service? Get together with 2 or 3 of them. Each of you decides on 2 main dishes you want to prepare. Buy enough ingredients to make the entrees for each family.

You need to plan ahead

One simple thing that you can do is keep an ample supply of fresh fruits, salad ingredients, soups and fresh sandwich fixings, on hand. Quick meals such as this are nutritious and don’t require a great deal of preparation time.

If you take on the task of meal planning and want to get in the habit of consistently putting together weekly menus yourself, you may be surprised at how much time it involves. Did you know that the typical family meal planner spends roughly 3 hours per week combing through cookbooks, choosing recipes and compiling a grocery list? That translates into 156 hours, per year. Yikes!

A menu service can help

You can say goodbye to last minute thrown together meals and eliminate the stress of dinner planning for your family by subscribing to a meal planning service. This type of service is very affordable, usually costing only a few cents per day. Menus are often designed to be family friendly and easily adaptable.

When you purchase a subscription to a service such as this, your membership will typically feature a weekly menu emailed right to your inbox. This includes seven main dish recipes, side dish suggestions and dessert ideas. As an added benefit, you receive a detailed shopping list, categorized by aisle, which makes your trip to the grocery store that much easier. Simply cross off items already in your pantry, add any other products you may be in need of and you’re off!

If you enjoy planning your own menu, you may want to consider a dinner planning service, in addition to your own choices. Why? It will still save you time, in the long run. Use the membership menu as a base. Then, search for recipes that will deliciously compliment that weekly plan.

Remember, nothing is more important than family time. Don’t let dinner planning get you down. Consider the suggestions we’ve made and you’ll spend less time slaving over hot stove and more time with the people you love.

This article was reprinted with permission from Dine Without Whine – A Family Friendly Weekly Menu Planner. For a free one week trial of a family friendly meal planning service, visit Dine Without Whine.

I love this website I found with kid friendly foods, check it out!

http://www.juicyjuice.com/Recipes/Kid-Friendly-Foods.aspx

And don’t forget to make it cute! Check out these cool pictures.

 Shanta

Jailhouse Rolls

1 cup mashed potatoes
2 sticks oleo
3 whole eggs
7 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
1 package dry yeast

Mix yeast in water and blend. Set aside. Mix potatoes, melted oleo, eggs, salt and sugar. Add to yeast water. Blend in flour. Place in greased bowl. Cover with damp cloth, then place in refrigerator, until ready to use. Rpll out like pie crust then cut it to size. Butter tops and let stand for several hours, until they have risen. Bake at 350 or 400 degrees for 10 minutes, until brown.

Lose: Healthy eating leads to a healthier lifestyle. For those of us who have pounds to LOSE, enjoy our Win, Lose and SCORE! recipe!

Score: I am sharing a healthy recipe and tips for your family, and at the same time I have matched up the recipes to money saving coupons and deals to purchase the groceries in your recipes!

Salisbury Steak, courtesy of Cooking with Healthy Girl,  Mandy Potter.

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef, 90% lean
1/2 (5-oz) package of whole wheat stuffing
1/2 onion, finely chopped (Target coupon, $1 off fresh produce)
1 teaspoon cumin
1 egg
1/4 cup reduced-sodium beef broth
1 tablespoon worcesterhire sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 tablespoon pepper
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (Felipo Berio Olive Oil printable coupon $1/1; or here)
1 packet reduced sodium brown gravy, prepared (save $1/3 Heinz gravies)

In a bowl, combine meat, stuffing mix, onion, cumin, egg, borth, worcestershire, salt, and pepper.  Mmix to combine well and then form into 4 very thin patties.  Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat and then add olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan.  Add the patties to the hot skillet and cook, turning once, until done (about 8 minutes total).  Seve with gravy poured over the top.

Per serving:
340 calories
20g carbs
17g total fat
3g fiber
5 g saturated fat
3g sugar
116 mg Cholesterol
29g Protein
514 mg sodium
Points 8

Tips:

• Eating together as a family is invaluable for your children.  Try to eat together as much as possible during the week.
• Don’t forget store brands!  I will NEVER again buy name brand spices when I can get the Spice Time for $1 or so many other generic spices!
• Healthy cooking begins with a healthy lifestyle change!  Let’s do this together (because I am telling you I need to follow my own tips and start eating healthier!)

Red Lobster Biscuits – Cheese garlic biscuits

2 c. Bisquick
2/3 c. milk
1/2 c. grated cheddar cheese
1/2 c. melted butter
1/4 tsp. garlic salt

Mix Bisquick, milk and cheddar until a soft ball forms. Beat vigorously for 30 seconds. Drop by balls onto an ungreased baking sheet and bake at 450 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes. Mix butter and garlic and brush on rolls while still on the pan and hot.

So, here’s my question for today. What is your favorite leftover lunch? I have found that, many times, leftover lunches are some of the yummiest meals.  Being summer, I don’t want to heat up the kitchen more than necessary, so I’ll make a big batch of whatever it is I’m cooking and repurpose it throughout the week.

Recently, we had brisket for Sunday dinner. We ended up having a lot left over so I have been coming up with leftover lunches all week. My favorite so far is stuffed baked potatoes. I took one large baking potato, wrapped it in saran wrap and baked it in the microwave until tender (I used the potato setting on mine). After that, I took some leftover brisket, chopped it up and mixed it with my favorite barbecue sauce. I then warmed the mixture for about a minute in the microwave. I split the potato and added a little butter and cheese then topped it with the barbecue mixture. On top of that, I added a dollop of sour cream. I have had similar at barbecue restaurants but I saved a lot of money by doing this with leftovers. If you prefer, you can add some green onions. Stuffed potatoes are also delicious with barbecued or roasted chicken or sausage.

Another thing I have done with the leftover brisket is chop it up and make a sandwich on a hamburger bun with a little barbecue sauce and sliced pickle. My husband really loves this easy lunch. And, believe it or not, my boys really like barbecued pizzas. I will use barbecue sauce instead of pizza sauce and top with brisket and cheese.

I know a lot of people entertain during the summer and sometimes cook too much food. What is your favorite recipe to repurpose or change up leftovers?

Shannon
Potamus Prefers

http://www.potamusprefers.com/

Taking a little time to show appreciation for all our men and women in the armed forces and some who gave their lives for this country. Whether you support the war or not, men and women are still over there fighting for us as a country and risking everything they have.

This year, we honored my husband for the time he served with the Air Force and had the traditional burgers, ribs,& beer cookout with my family. It was a beautiful day out, so we were able to take advantage of the pool and cool down. I tried to keep a patriotic theme, and I think it worked out well! I hope everyone had a great day!

Krystal

I compared several products at www.qvc.com & www.hsn.com and I feel the brand by Jack Lalanne gives you the best bang for you $buck$ and the warranty that it comes with is awesome. If your family has a hard time getting in their proper amount of fruits and veggies you should consider juicing; it’s fast, easy and tasty.

Follow the link for more information and see for yourself. Also, see one of my favorite juice recipes.  (https://www.powerjuicersale.com/?mid=562806)

Apple Pineapple Ginger Juice Recipe
1 apple, cored and sliced
1 cup fresh pineapple, cubed, skin removed
1/2 inch fresh ginger

Juice the apple and ginger together, then juice the pineapple and serve.

(Yummy)

~Shanta