It’s been another week, so it’s time to menu plan once again. This week is not as crazy as last week. I still have dance lessons, Cub Scouts, chiropractor appointments, and parent-teacher conferences. Even with those events, it’s not as busy.
Monday – beef stroganoff over egg noodles and veggies
Tuesday – pot roast, veggies, and rolls
Wednesday – chicken and rice casserole
Thursday – pumpkin pancakes, bacon, hash browns
Friday – baked potato soup and rolls
Saturday – leftovers
Today would have been my grandpa’s 89th birthday. It has hit me hard this year because, on December 6, it will be 10 years since his death. Here are some lessons I learned from him:
1. Sometimes, you need to drive off the beaten path. He would drive through the neighborhoods instead of the main streets. I drive that way too. I know so many ways to get to work that I could confuse someone.
2. Sometimes, it’s better to listen than talk. I knew I was in trouble when my grandpa started lecturing me about my behavior. When he spoke, you listened because whatever he said was important.
3. Chocolate and sweets make the world go round. He loved pumpkin pie (Imaginative One’s favorite) and chocolate. They would sit next to his recliner on his end table. Okay, not the pumpkin pie, but the chocolate did. Don’t ask me how I know.
4. Nature is beautiful. He and grandma would sit and watch the hummingbirds outside their family room.
5. Family is important. He was ready to retire when my mom, sister, and I moved in with him and grandma. He continued working for about 7 years so he could support us. He made the bunk bed my sister, and I shared for 2 years.
6. Keep your gas tank half full, especially in winter. You don’t want the gas to freeze.
7. The importance of vocabulary. He would read Reader’s Digest and have me look at the Word Power with him. I still read Reader’s Digest and look at the Word Power. Those word power puzzles stump me at times.
8. Coffee is yummy! I didn’t start drinking coffee until after he was gone. Now I love it. Now I wish I could sit with him and drink a cup of coffee.
9. Education is important. He wanted me to graduate from college. I was the first one in my family to earn a bachelor’s degree.
10. Trust in God! He was a tail gunner during World War II and saw unimaginable destruction. His faith needed to be there to survive.
Thank you, Grandpa, for teaching all these lessons!
We have only one deciduous tree in our yard. It’s an autumn beauty maple (at least, I think that’s the name of it). It gets gorgeous during the fall. It has not completely turned yet. However, since the lighting is great outside today (the sun shining), I decided to take some pictures of it.
Enjoy the beauty:
For a long time, I had wanted to try Larabars but was afraid because I didn’t know how they would like it because of the dates. Once I finally tried one of the bars, I decided it was not as bad as I thought it would be.
This past weekend, I picked my first container of dates to make some energy balls to eat as a snack and for breakfast. At first, I was going to make regular no-bake energy balls, but then I found a recipe for pumpkin no-bake energy balls. I decided to make them instead. Oh my goodness, they are delicious!!!!!!! :)’
The best thing about this recipe is you don’t need to bake them. I also like all the different textures and flavors within one little ball.
adapted from Gimme Some Oven
![IMG_0999[1]](https://cookingwithtraci.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/img_09991.jpg)
Stars of the recipe:
Steps:
I love coffee so much when we go to Walt Disney in late March/early April; I’ve been trying to find ways to have my morning cup. It’s part of my breakfast routine. Unfortunately, they don’t have a coffee maker in the hotel rooms, but we have come up with a solution: buying a resort cup so I can have my coffee in the morning and the rest of the family can use it for other drinks.
Several years ago, I wanted Keurig. I thought it looked cool and economical because I am the only coffee drinker in the house. A week before Christmas, I told my mom and Hubby. They both wanted to get me the machine. Finally, my mom got me the machine, and Hubby got me the K-cups.
I love using the K-cups, but they can get expensive. I bought the reusable K-Cup, but it was painful because you had to take the insert out to put the filter in. I still have it but use it rarely. I got another reusable K-cup that did not have a flat bottom. So it was a pain to put the grounds in because the grounds could fall out and get all over the place. At Easter time this year, I found Cafe Cup reusable K-cups. There were four in a pack with a scoop of coffee. I love them because they are flat. I use them all the time instead of K-cups. The only problem is that the lid does not seal from time to time.
The best part of using reusable coffee filters is the economic benefit. I can buy ground coffee for cheaper than K-cups. One of y favorite brands is Target’s Archer Farms Ground Coffee. I liked the Caramel Apple flavor, Autumn Roast, Pumpkin Spice, S’Mores (summer flavor), and Dark Chocolate truffle (summer flavor). As you can see, I love flavored coffee. I usually get it when it’s on sale.
Another coffee I like is from a local coffeehouse – Boston Stokers. I usually 1/2 pounds of this coffee. Two of my favorite blends are Snickerdoodle and Highlander Grogg. Both are delicious!!!!
I also like another local coffeehouse – Winan’s Chocolates and Coffees. I’ve discovered 2 favorites – Cashew Crunch (I believe that’s the name) and Buckeye (named after the delicious chocolate peanut butter candy).
Finally, my favorite nonflavored kind is from Tim Horton’s.
Another benefit of using reusable coffee filters is not putting all that waste in landfills.
What is your favorite coffee or even tea?
(No one has reimbursed me for my thoughts on these coffee flavors and reusable coffee filters.)
Can you believe it’s November already? I sure can’t. Soon it will be Thanksgiving, and then it will be the Christmas season. We decided to go light with Christmas gifts for the boys this year. Their big gift comes in late March/early April when we go to Disney. Or do you mean Santa will get them something small so they have something to open on Christmas morning?
This week is my semi-annual parent-teacher conferences (late October/early November and then February). My principal ensures we are all fed, so I don’t have to pack two meals. However, the boys at home still need to be fed.
Monday – pork chops and gravy sandwiches, chips, and hopefully veggie or fruit (Parent-teacher conferences for myself)
Tuesday – Chicken soup and either pretzel rolls or biscuits
Wednesday – bramble beans with either pretzel rolls or biscuits
Thursday – Teriyaki bbq chicken legs and baked rice
Friday – slow cooker meatballs and spaghetti sauce over spaghetti, salad
Saturday – ????? Maybe breakfast for dinner or pizza.
This weekend I was reading Mel’s Kitchen Cafe blog about the uses of coconut oil. I’ve had a jar of the stuff in my cabinet forever. Maybe not that long, but long enough. I started to use it on my body as a moisturizer/lotion. The Imaginative One loves it because he can also use it around his lip area, and it doesn’t matter if he gets it in his mouth (refined), and our dog loves to lick it off my fingers. He has really dry skin, so maybe this will help him.
I also got a jar for my kitchen, so I could cook with it. I decided to make my buttermilk biscuits. Instead of butter, I used coconut oil. My father-in-law is a diabetic, and he can’t remember things at times. Coconut oil is supposed to be good for those two things. So he can have one of the biscuits (it still has flour (carbs) in it.)
Can we say AMAZ-BALLS! They were amazing (singing voice)!!!!! I tried one of them and had to refrain from eating the other dozen of them.
This is my first anniversary of participating in Foodie Pen Pals. Shania, who lived in New Jersey, sent me my first box. I remember worrying about her last October because she was in the path of Superstorm Sandy. Luckily she was fine. She sent me magnets which is funny because Katie, my partner this month, also sent me magnets.
This time I sent it to and received a fit from Katie, who lives close to Chicago. For information about what I sent her, please visit her blog.
Here is what she sent me:
Happy Halloween! This week is another crazy week! I’m going to be cooking dinner this week, though.
Monday – ham, French fries, corn
Tuesday – barbecue chicken sandwiches, chips, veggies
Wednesday – chiropractor and parent-teacher conference for the Imaginative One, so I need a quick meal – Pizza.
Thursday – goulash over noodles
Friday – breakfast for dinner
Saturday – soup and biscuits
The boys are in Cub Scouts. We had their annual Halloween party last Thursday. Someone made this boo mix for some of the snacks being served. Oh, my goodness, I could not stop eating it. I even took one of the last two cups of it and ate some on the way home and the remainder the next day. I did not let any be wasted.
Today I found the recipe, so I made some snack mix for the boys and my lunches. Both boys tried some after I made it. They loved it, so each has 5 snack-size bags of the mix for their lunches. Then our friend stopped by the house and tried it. He also gave it a thumbs-up!
![IMG_0966[1]](https://cookingwithtraci.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/img_09661.jpg)
Stars of the recipe:
Steps:
