Menu Plan Monday 2012 ~ Week of March 26th

Wow!  I cannot believe this is the last week of March already!  I've really been a bad menu planner and even worse blogger this entire month! 

The nice weather is to blame!  Really, it is!  I have Spring Fever!  Grace and I have been spending a lot of time outside enjoying the warm sun and of course playing with all of her outdoor toys that have been neglected all winter long! 

LOL!  I just looked back at those 2 paragraphs.  That's a whole lot of exclaimation marks!  Can you tell we're excited that Spring is here?  Maybe, just a little? 

In the moments that weren't outside, I've been working on my Spring Cleaning Decluttering Challenge.  If you read my blog, then you already know that I've challenged myself to removing 500 items from my home during the month of March.  So far, I'm doing pretty good!  (You can read the original post here, and also Update #1 and Update #2.  Update #3 coming up soon!) 

Although, I've been away from the blog and menu planning, I have been feeding my family.  It's mostly been quick meals from the freezer or I've cooked one meal and we ate it for almost a week.  Not very impressive, but sometimes I just need a break. 

This week, I'm ready to be put back on a schedule.  Although, I'll be sticking to some tried-and-true recipes rather than attempting something new.  I'm not quite ready for something new!  I feel like it's the first day back to work after a long vacation! 

So, here's my tried-and-true menu for this week: 

• Chili and rice.  A couple of weeks ago, I made a big pot of chili and froze 1/2 of the batch.  Perfect for a quick meal.  We love our chili served over white rice.  It's not only tasty, but also helps stretch a pot of chili for several meals!  (With how often we have chili, I can't believe I never took a photo!) 

• Chicken Pot Pie.  Even though Spring is here, I'm not entirely ready to give up my winter comfort foods!  I figure we'll still be eating soups, stews and pot pies for several more weeks!  After that, we'll be into summer barbecue type meals. 

• Easy Beef Stew.  This stew can be made in either the oven or the crock pot.  Both are slow-cooking methods and will need to be started early in the day.  Depending on how I feel in the morning will determine how this stew will be prepared. 

• Tuna Noodle Casserole.  Fridays during lent mean no meat for my family.  Sometimes that means pizza, sometimes the vegetarian options from our local Chinese take-out.  But more often than not, it means either grilled cheese sandwiches or Tuna Noodle Casserole.  I'm a little tired of sandwiches and it's been a few weeks since we've enjoyed the casserole...so the casserole wins out for this week's menu! 

• Porcupine Meatballs.  I've been wanting to make these meatballs again ever since making them for the first time several weeks ago.  I'm pretty sure I have all of the ingredients on hand for this meal.  I even have ground beef in the freezer! 

• Leftovers.  If our weekend is anything like the past several weekends, I won't have much time for cooking.  I'll be very thankful for leftovers after running errands this weekend! 

That's what we're eating this week.  I'd love to hear what you'll be serving your family...let me know in the comments! 

If you're looking for more menu planning ideas, you can check out my past menus or follow me over to Menu Plan Monday to see many more menu plans and dinner ideas!