Menu Plan Monday

I know this blog has been sorely lacking lately, but in all honesty, I'm really enjoying the more laid-back approach of blogging just when I feel like it rather than trying to stick to some sort of regular routine of so many times a week, etc. I just love summer and of course, summer always seems busier than the rest of the year, so we are enjoying picnics in the park and walks around the neighbourhood when we can.

Last week's menu was a bit of a flop. We ended up eating lasagna 3 days in a row, which is more than enough for me. With only the two of us plus a picky toddler, we end up having lots of leftovers sometimes. Thankfully, my husband doesn't mind leftovers and approaches it with the attitude of "might as well not waste food." Friday was a frozen pizza kind of night, so yeah, it wasn't the most exciting week meal-wise, but some weeks just go like that. We are coming up to a couple of busy weeks for us, so things are going to be kept simple for meals.
Here's the plan for this week:

Sunday, June 26
Waffles with Whipped Cream & Strawberries, Bacon & Scrambled Eggs

Monday, June 27
BLT's & Potato Wedges, Veggies & Dip

Tuesday, June 28
BBQed Steak, Baked Potatoes, Grilled Mixed Veggies

Wednesday, June 29
Chicken Enchiladas, Corn, Salad

Thursday, June 30
Homemade Pizza, Salad

Friday, July 1
Leftovers

Saturday, July 2
Going out to eat

*For more great meal ideas, visit Menu Plan Monday hosted by orgjunkie.com*

Flooding & Menu Plan Monday

We had quite the eventful weekend with all the rain we got around here the past few days. Many people's basements flooded, including my sister's basement suite. When the phone rang at 3:30 in the middle of the night, I woke my husband up and said, "Oh no, someone's phoning. Something must have happened." What I was actually thinking was, "Oh no....who died?" I know it's terrible, but when the phone rings in the middle of the night, you know it's probably not good. Anyway, it was my sister phoning to tell me her basement suite was flooding and trying to figure out what to do. Four of her friends had driven 10 hours to see her for the weekend, and this was turning out to be a disaster. To make a semi-long story short, we got my sister's stuff moved out the next morning, and her friends all came over to our house to hang out and spent the next night. Despite the circumstances, I'm pretty sure they ended up having a good time, and it was fun to host all my sister's friends. As the rain started to fall again, of course my husband and I could hardly sleep as we worried about our own basement flooding. Thankfully, our basement is still dry, but unfortunately many of our neighbours' basements are flooded. Father's Day morning we planned on going to church (as we always do on Sundays), but I was honestly exhausted from the weekend, and so was my sister. Ellie was exhausted, too, as she's been sleeping very poorly lately, and when she woke up at 6:45 a.m. Sunday morning, it just wasn't going to happen. She napped from 9:30 a.m. to noon, and I did, too. I'm very sorry we missed church, but once in awhile, that's just how things go. Anyway, that about sums up our weekend events. Here's what we plan on eating this week: (Another really simple week for us, meal-wise)

Sunday, June 19
Leftovers for lunch, visiting family for supper

Monday, June 20
Fettuccine in a Mushroom Cream Sauce with Caesar Salad
(To make the mushroom sauce, I just melted some butter, sauteed some garlic with rosemary and parsley. Then I added the mushrooms with just a splash of white wine (we don't drink, but I occasionally use wine in cooking). Once the mushrooms were cooked, I added in some cream and a pinch of nutmeg and let it simmer for a few minutes. Then I tossed that with cooked fettuccine.)

Tuesday, June 21
Lasagna using leftover Meat Sauce in the freezer, Tossed Mixed Greens, Garlic Toast

Wednesday, June 22
Leftovers

Thursday, June 23
BBQ Marinated Steak, Baked Potatoes, Veggie Kabobs, Tossed Salad

Friday, June 24
BLT sandwiches, Veggies & Dip

Saturday, June 25
Chicken Fingers, Fries, Salad or Veggies & Dip

*For more meal ideas, visit Menu Plan Monday hosted by orgjunkie.com*

Easiest Way to Clean a Microwave

This is the easiest way to clean a microwave, in my opinion. No scrubbing required! An added bonus is that there are no chemicals involved. All you need is half a lemon.

Cut the lemon into a few slices and place them in a microwave-safe glass bowl with about 2 cups of water. Squeeze some of the lemon juice into the water and then toss the slices into the bowl. Microwave on high for 5-10 minutes. Do not open the microwave after it's done. Leave the door closed for an additional 10 minutes. Then, take a paper towel or cloth and wipe everything down. All the stuck-on nastiness should come off very easily and it leaves the microwave smelling lemony-fresh.