Monday Menu Idea

Today I thought I’d share a great way to make your weekly menu less of a headache!  I’ll start off by giving you a little background of my cooking history…or lack thereof!  Like it says in my bio, I am not a cook, but I can follow a recipe!

Before I had B, my husband and I ate out A LOT!  I mean pretty much every day.  This gets REALLY old when you live in a small town like we do because there are not many options at all!  I didn’t mind cooking, but I just never knew what to cook (and I hate the mess). 

My husband is the pickiest eater EVER…seriously!  He doesn’t eat any vegetables! I know you are probably thinking…I’m sure there are some veggies he likes…NOPE NADA!  Well…okay…he eats corn and potatoes but that’s about it!  I LOVE watching the Food Network channel, and he would always ask why I never cooked if I watch so many cooking shows.  I told him “YOU WON’T EAT ANY OF THIS STUFF!” So he stopped bugging me about that. 

Anyways...just imagine cooking for someone who pretty much only eats meat, beans, potatoes, pasta and rice (and lots of sweets)….BORING.  I, on the other hand, will try just about anything!  So my rational to eating out was it was just so much easier for two people, and I could eat what I wanted without having to make two separate meals.  When I did cook, I would just make something that he liked because it was much easier than cooking something different for me that was more tasty and healthy. 

Fast forward a few years (or about 9) to when B came along.  When he started eating solids I knew I wanted him to eat mostly healthy and homemade cooking.  This is where Pinterest and cookbooks have been such a lifesaver for me! 

So now (back to the tip I started with) on Sunday afternoons or Monday mornings I try and sit down and make a menu for the week.  This seems like such an obvious routine that probably many moms do all the time, but it is something that I have just started doing and it makes my life SO much easier! 

I have a magnetic menu on the refrigerator that I use to write down the menu for the week.  I usually browse through my food Pinterest boards and cookbooks to come up with my menu.  Then, I make a grocery list and go to the grocery store sometime Monday.

Before this easy fix, I would stress myself out every day deciding what to make for super that night. Then by the time I finally figured something out, it was too late to thaw out any meat, so supper would end up being something like sandwiches.  Making a menu also helps me give my family a little bit of a variety of food instead of it being Friday afternoon, and I realize we have eaten a casserole with ground beef in it every night this week!

Now you might be wondering how I fixed the problem with my picky eating husband...well I haven’t (if you have any tips let me know)!  Now, I just don’t give him an option!  I make something that B and I will enjoy (B is really a great little eater), and my hubby picks the veggies out, or some nights he might just eat a chicken breast with rice!  I’m hoping (not with much luck) that one day he will get more adventurous and at least try something new!  Until then I will Carreon!

This is the magnetic menu I use!

All the recipes this week are from Pinterest (what would I do without you?), so I will share the links to each one.  I usually tweak recipes to better fit my family (or the things in my pantry and frig) so I'll let ya'll know if I change something up!

Monday- Italian Chicken Artichoke Bake...I'm so excited to try this!

Tuesday- Beef and Broccoli...One of my new FAVS!  So easy and delish!  I will serve this with brown rice.

Wednesday- Hamburgers on the grill with sweet baked potato fries for B and I and regular baked fries for the hubby (no he doesn't like sweet potatoes...sigh)!

Thursday- Chicken Verde Tacos (using the crock pot).  One of my very favorite Pinterest meals!  SOOO easy and delicious.  I usually throw in extra chicken breasts to have some to freeze and use later.

Friday- Chicken Alfredo the healthier way!  SHHH don't tell my husband... He loves Chicken Alfredo, and I want to see if he notices the healthier ingredients.  This is a new one for me!

Saturday- I'll let the hubby cook tonight....which means we will go out somewhere and eat ;)

Super Simple Banana Blueberry Smoothie

It was a busy Friday morning for this mommy and toddler!  This means no time for the usual sit down breakfast.  My go-to breakfast for B on days like today is always a smoothie.  I love smoothies because you can put just about anything in them, and B can drink them in the car while I run errands. 

Every time I make him a smoothie he sucks it down in no time at all!  I also feel great about giving him a healthy breakfast on the go.  This is a much better choice than grabbing a sugary or fast food breakfast. 

This is just a super simple recipe that used what I already had on hand.  Of course these ingredients could be substituted for whatever you have at home. 

 

1 cup of vanilla yogurt

 

 

 1 small banana

 

 

 1 hand full of frozen blueberries

 

 

 1 hand full of fresh spinach

 

 

 blend all ingredients together (I used my magic bullet)

 

 

frozen yogurt pops with the leftovers...YUM

 

Super Simple Banana Blueberry Smoothie 

Ingredients

1 cup of vanilla yogurt

1 small banana (I took a bite off the banana this morning to make it small ;))

1 hand full of frozen blueberries

1 hand full of fresh spinach

A splash of milk (whatever you have in the frig will work…even water works!)

Directions

Throw everything in a blender and blend (I use my magic bullet when I’m not making a large amount). Add more milk if you prefer a thinner consistency. I needed it thin enough that B could easily suck it through a straw.  

How easy is that?

I had quite a bit left over, so I made frozen yogurt pops for a sweet treat that B can enjoy later!

Here are some links to the magic bullet and freezer pop molds!

 

Welcome!

Welcome to Carreon Mom Blog! I thought I would write my first post about the meaning behind my blog name! I've wanted to get this blog started for a while now, but I just couldn't figure out a name that fit (along with being nervous about actually sharing my life). Everything I came up with was either taken, or I thought the name was too generic. Finally, I decided on Carreon Mom. Carreon is my last name (pronounced carry on), so finally something original and meaningful!

What do all moms do every day? We carry on! I looked up the definition for carry on and these are a couple explanations that are fitting for all moms: to manage or conduct, and to continue without stopping. When I read these, a light bulb went off and I said PERFECT! This is what we moms do every day! We "Carreon" no matter how tired, sick, stressed, busy etc. We have no other option but to put on a happy face and take care of the kids. Of course, this is what we live for and love so much, but we all have our “days” or should I say “daze”!

This morning for example, was one of those “days”. We have been gone all weekend on a camping trip, and then I had a doctor’s appointment out of town yesterday. So we haven't really been home in about 5 days. We all know what kind of work piles up at home when we are gone! So this morning B was my alarm clock (he is some days...I'm SO not a morning person- something I'm working on). 

When he woke up, all I wanted to do was sleep in a little bit longer, but this was not an option obviously. Therefore I threw a little fit in bed (moms can throw a fit sometimes, right?), kicked the covers off, stomped to bathroom, quickly threw on some clothes (sweats and a hoodie for today…you will see the sweats ended up being a good choice), and brushed my teeth all the while wishing I could just sleep in this morning- just Carreon I told myself. After about 4 minutes to myself to "get ready" I walked to his room. 

Before I turned the corner, I put a big smile on my face and walked into his room as cheery as ever! Of course he's in a wonderful mood as always! At this point, my bad mood fades quickly. I am happy to be up this morning to spend every minute I can with him.

Now on to breakfast, I thought we would try a cup with a lid this morning. He uses a sippy cup with a straw normally because he still likes to occasionally hurl his cup across the room randomly. As we sit there having breakfast, I ask him questions about the day (with no answers) and, he’s doing such a great job using his big boy cup!

Then, he got a wild hair and threw the cup onto my lap (Carreon Mom I tell myself), so I very calmly walk to get a towel and throw it on top of the milk like a scene from the movie "Big Daddy." I tell myself to finish breakfast and I’ll clean later, and that is exactly what we did. I continued on chit chatting with B while he squished oatmeal between his fingers.

Something I am trying to get better at each day is letting house work wait and time with B come first. This is a very hard concept for me because I love everything in order and tidy! So for now I will remember to Carreon!