So this week I am determined to actually work with a dinner menu plan. I have narrowed it down to some easy, quick dinners based on whats in the cupboard meal ideas and tried to think about what I can double cook for later in the week.

I am also thinking I may start using someone elses menu plans for the following week (payday is next Wednesday which will allow me to shop based on the menu plans). So I have started looking for a few different menu plan groups and menu plan e books.

So onto sharing my menu plan for the week (I didn’t plan menus for lunches, as my children eat lunch at school and I eat left overs or just have cereal :) ! )

Monday:
Breakfast -  English muffins  cheese slices (melted on top)   oranges
Dinner – Spaghetti bread (bread machine dough) green salad *make extra ground beef for tomorrow

Tuesday:
Breakfast – Poached Eggs Whole wheat toast Melon
Dinner- Tacos – Mexican Rice (rice cooker do you have one yet ?)  – tomatoe/cuke salad

Wednesday:
Breakfast – Berry Oatmeal Muffins Milk creme cheese
Dinner- Mashed Potatoes Corn on the cob Pork Chops Apple sauce

Thursday:
Breakfast – Apple sauce – sausage – toast
Dinner- Tuna Casserole – Tossed Salad – dinner buns

Friday:
Breakfast – Oatmeal with real maple syrup and golden raisins
Dinner- Potato Salad Hambugers

Saturday:
Breakfast – Saturday is always pancakes and scrambled eggs :)
Dinner- Crock Pot Jambalaya

Sunday:
Breakfast – Toast, fruit, coffee ( I know but its my lazy morning …. )
Dinner- The Best Pasta Salad -  Grilled Barbque Chicken

There you go, maybe I will get inspired and take pictures !

Blackberry has many great blackberry applications for moms. I am wondering how I possibly lived without my ‘MOM Blackberry’ !

This morning I downloaded Appetite to help me create menu plans on my blackberry. It has four sections;

1. My Recipes
2. Get Recipes
3. Grocery Lists
4. Ingredients

I researched a variety of different blackberry applications for moms to use while plannign their family meals and shopping and this one seemed to have all of the tools I know I will need.

Download this handy Blackberry Application for busy moms at Simple Leap.

I refused to give up on my 7am-730am mom time and the kids are all on board after 3 weeks of my consistent reminders that until the alarm goes off at 730 am no one is to get out of bed. Wondering what I do for half an hour ? I should be working out but no, I am curled up with a coffee reading a book.

My mom time results in needing to get six kids from bed to van in 45  minutes. I could give away all my secrets, but instead I will just share one. Quick breakfasts 101. Muffins. Muffins and more muffins with granola yogurt days in between. (ok I do actually make other quick breakfasts as well.)

Tomorrow morning the kids will be chowing down their daily fruit and veggie intake with mmmm Quick Moist Morning Glory Bran Muffins.

3 c. all purpose flour, sifted
2 c. unprocessed bran (actually 1 7/8 cup and 1/8 cup of flax meal)
2 c. dark brown sugar
4 tsp. baking soda
4 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. shredded coconut
Mix above ingredients in LARGE bowl

6 eggs
Whisk eggs in new bowl
1 c. vegetable oil
Whisk in oil

1.5 c. carrots, peeled and grated
1 cup fresh pineapple small cubes
1 green apple, peeled and grated
1/2 c. raisins (no rasions in here so Daryl will eat said muffin)
1/2 c. pecans, chopped coarse

Add to egg mixture

Pour wet ingredients into centre of dry ingredients and mix until moist.

Spoon into muffin tins (Lined with paper cups because no one like scrubbing muffin tins. Really I’d rather eat paper ;)

Bake at 375 for 25 minutes but check them at 18 minutes and make sure they aren’t done.

… because most likely your oven will be hotter then mine and then you will be setting the alarm off at some ungodly hour and wake all your kids. Resulting in cranky kids refusing to eat your muffins because

A. they are tired because you woke them up and
B. because burnt hockey puck morning muffins hold no glory:)

Look I actually took pictures – I love my new blackberry curve.

If you love the pottery that my non hockey puck muffin adorns be sure to check out the artists blog.

* Planning before shopping is key. Get your family involved in planning meals. When your family has a say about what meals they would like to eat, they are more likely to help you prepare it.

* Make older children responsible for a meal.

* Use your cookbooks for ideas and have fun trying new recipes.

* Double recipes that freeze well.

* Plan quick meals or use leftovers for busy nights. Save roasts for Sunday dinners.

* Be flexible. If something comes up, you can switch meals.

* Scan the grocery flyers for specials.

* Prepare a dinner menu for 5 or 7 days and post the menu to refer to during the week.

*After you have made menus for several weeks, recycle menu plans.

* Check pantry and refrigerator for ingredients needed and discard wilting fruits and vegetables and expired dairy products such as yogurt and cheese.

* Write a grocery list of the needed items to buy and post it in the kitchen. As an item is finished or running low, write it down on the list. In my family, we use a white board in the kitchen to write our grocery list and weekly menu.

* Be ready to substitute if you find a great deal.

* Save time shopping.

Organize your shopping list to match your grocery store’s layout. For example:

1. Fruits and vegetables
2. Baked goods and bread
3.Deli counter and meat
4.Dairy
5.Cereals
6.Baking ingredients
7.Pasta and beans
8.Canned goods
9.Condiments
10.Beverages and snacks
11.Cleaning
12.Pets
13.Paper and plastic
14.Frozen
15.Other

By setting aside a little time each week to plan meals before shopping, you will see how simple and stress-free preparing healthy family dinners can be.

Natalie Rivard is a Professional Organizer with Organized Success in Montreal and a member of Professional Organizers in Canada

Visit the Organized Success website at www.organizedsuccess.com
You can reach her at 514.733.1533 or natalie@organizedsuccess.com

A great quick breakfast for busy families on the go (and great for lunches too !)

2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups ripe mashed bananas (4 bananas)
1 egg
4 tablespoons oil
2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners or lightly coat with cooking spray.
(OK I find it makes 7 good size muffins not 12 .)

In a large bowl, whisk the flour with baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. In another large bowl, whisk the mashed bananas with the egg until smooth. Whisk in the oil, brown sugar, applesauce and vanilla. Add the banana mixture to the flour mixture and whisk until just blended. Do not over mix.

Spoon into the prepared muffin cups, filling them almost full. Bake until the muffins have risen and turned golden brown, 22-25 minutes. Remove to a rack. Can be frozen up to 2 weeks.

AMA Family Health Cookbook

Of course I am referring to my life before three children not my life as a busy mom trying to stay organized :-) One of the biggest obstacles I face is trying to cook meals that are affordable and healthy. My grocery budget is stretched each month beyond my budget with last minute runs to the store for meals. Its the constant finding time delima. I know other moms who buy family size meats for example and cook up three lasagnas and freeze them for future use.

I would enjoy an evening of cooking, I just have a hard time finding the time. I have a freezer, I just don’t have the time. My goal this month is to locate different menu planning options with shopping lists, and putting a shopping system in place. I currently have a monthly shopping list that covers all my basics however with out a menu plan this busy mom spends too much on her grocery bill.

Developing a menu plan use to be really easy for me when I was a mom with one child. My oldest son will eat anything! He was eating black beans with cilantro at 8 months of age. I am now a mom to a picky eater. So I am trying to balance what everyone would like in my menu planning. We don’t eat pork (by choice) and I am trying to cut out red meat so this means any tools I find online I will have to spend time adjusting to my family’s needs.

This morning i signed up for Menus 4 moms free service. I am sure this will give me a starting point, once I remove all the pork products though I am left trying to fill in the blanks. Ideally I would like my Grocery budget to get under $400 a month with a menu plan and develop a menu plan that accommodates my obvious lack of time! I also need to learn how to balance my children’s desire to eat chicken nuggets everyday to my taste for ethnic food.

My Online Meals offers great menus based on serving amounts.