Menu Plan – 12/29/15

Posted on December 29, 2015 by jmcoyan@gmail.com

Dec 29th – January 3rd, 2016

Merry Christmas from White Bear Lake!
Always fun when you include pets in candid pictures

I hope you had a wonderful holiday season! I love the time between Christmas and the New Year. It is such a great time to relax and get some planning done for the upcoming year. My planning includes our last two Meals/Family Get-Together. I will be so ready to eat nothing but vegetables after this. I think I had enough cheese, cream cheese and seafood for a bit. Don’t get me wrong, I love all the traditional foods we eat, but my pants are getting too tight!

Here is our short menu for the rest of the week to get us back to our normal shopping day of Saturday. Routines should be back to normal after this menu, which will be nice.

Tuesday, Dec 29th – Pork Chops, Rosemary Rice, Carrots

Wednesday, Dec 30th – Taco Soup

Thursday, Dec 31st – New Years Eve: Baked Ravioli, Popcorn Shrimp, Shrimp Scampi Dip, Cheese Ball/Crackers and Chopped Italian Salad (I just need some veggies!!!!)

Friday, January 1st – New Years Day: Crab Legs & Lobster, Wild Rice and Mixed Veggie

Saturday, 2nd Creamy Chicken Wild Rice Soup (use left over rice from previous night)

Sunday, 2rd Italian Stuffed Cabbage Rolls or LEFTOVERS depending

The Fresh 20 is a 5 day meal plan. They offer the following menus: Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Classic, Vegetarian, For One, Kosher and Lunch

For more Menu Planning inspiration stop by and visit Laura at Organizing Junkie and participate in Menu Plan Monday.

Need help getting started menu planning – Emeals is also great solution. Many meal plans to chose from at a very affordable price.

Happy New Year! Wishing you a year full of love, peace, joy and gratitude.

Our Annual Cookie Exchange Menu

Posted on December 11, 2015 by jmcoyan@gmail.com

I love finding new appetizer recipes for our cookie exchange each year. It is a lot of fun, but appetizers are time consuming!

Brie-Stuffed Mushrooms (Double Recipe) – The Pioneer Woman Cooks Food From my Frontier – pg 96.

Caprese Bites

Crab Salad on Crackers

Sliced Veggies and Dip (Dill Dip )

Spinach Artichoke Dip – The Pioneer Woman Cooks a Year of Holidays – pg 360

Shrimp Cocktail

Smoke Salmon

Slow Cooked Little Smokies

Fried Ravioli – The Pioneer Woman Cooks a Year of Holidays – pg 360

Holiday Cheese Ball Bites

Drinks: Peppermint Patties (Jen’s Cocoa Recipe)

My Cookies: Eggnog Thumbprints

Happy Holidays!!

Mom’s Hot Cocoa Recipe

Posted on December 11, 2015 by jmcoyan@gmail.com

It is the time of year when everyone asks for my cocoa recipe! I love the memories sipping this chocolate goodness brings back. It was always a great day when my mom made this!!

MOM’S HOT COCOA MIX
8 cups powdered milk
1 lb.Nestles Nesquik (4 3/4 Cups)
1 cup powdered sugar
8 ozs. Creamora (2 1/3 Cups)
Mix all together. Put in a large container. Use ½ cup of mix add hot water to make one glass of hot cocoa

Happy Holidays!!

Menu Plan Monday: October 19th, 2016

Posted on October 18, 2015 by jmcoyan@gmail.com

October 18th – 26th

Lunch Items for the week: Egg Food Young-ish

Sunday, 18th – Spaghetti and Meat Sauce

Monday, 7th – (FPU) – Taco Salad (Crockpot)

Tuesday, 23rd – Chicken Alfredo Pizza

Wednesday,19th – Bacon Butternut Quinoa (Fresh 20 GF September 11, 2015 ) Chicken Parmesan (21 Day pg 144)

Thursday, 20th – – Honey Spice Chicken and Quinoa(Fresh 20 GF September 25, 2015 )

Friday, 24th – Pork Burgers, Fries, Coleslaw

Saturday, 21st – ( FPU) – Brussels Sprouts & Butternut Salad (Fresh 20 GF September 11, 2015 ) – Fish/Tilapia

Sunday, 22nd- Chicken and Rice Soup (Fresh 20 GF September 25, 2015 )

Monday, 26th – Baked Teriyaki Chicken, Loaded Twice Baked Pot Casserole x 2 – Carrots or Brussels Sprouts– Taste Sept/Oct – 15 –p39

The Fresh 20 is a 5 day meal plan. They offer the following menus: Gluten Free, Dairy Free,
Classic, Vegetarian, For One, Kosher and Lunch

For more Menu Planning inspiration stop by and visit Laura at Organizing Junkie and participate in Menu Plan Monday. Need help getting started menu planning – Emeals is a great solution. Many meal plans to choose from at a very affordable price. In an attempt to eat healthier, I signed up for Fresh 20. Another great website for menu ideas is “Mommy’s Kitchen”.

Wishing you all a wonderful week!!!

Happy Cooking!!

Menu Plan Monday: October 5th, 2015

Posted on October 1, 2015 by jmcoyan@gmail.com

October 2nd – 18th

Friday, October 2nd – Pizza

Saturday, October 3rd -CRAB STUFFED PORTOBELLO MUSHROOMS with Brown Rice (Fresh 20 GF September 11, 2015 ) Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Sunday, October 4th –

Apple cinnamon steel cut oats! Double recipe for weekend leftovers.

2 cups steel cut oats
1 cup half and half
8 cups water…
2 chopped apples
Cinnamon to taste

Crockpot on low for 8-9 hours

HONEY DIJON CHICKEN Butternut “Risotto” & Snap Peas (Fresh 20 GF September 11, 2015 )

Lunch Items for the week: Egg Food Young-ish

Monday – 5th (Working late – Soccer Practice) – LEFTOVERS

Tuesday, 6th – (Soccer 5:30) – Best Broccoli Cheese Soup

Wednesday, 7th – (FPU) – Taco Salad (Crockpot)

Thursday, 8th – (Soccer 5:30) – Spaghetti and Meatballs

Friday, 9th – Gourmet Italian Club Sandwich & Caesar Salad (Emeals A – 551)

Saturday, 10th – Beef STEAK – Mushroom Potato Hash (Fresh 20 GF September 18, 2015 ) Add Vegetable

Sunday,11th – (Game 2:00) – GRILLED PORK TENDERLOIN Smashed Spinach Potatoes Green Bean Feta Salad (Fresh 20 GF September 4, 2015 )

Monday,12th – (Soccer 6:00) Bacon Butternut Quinoa (Fresh 20 GF September 11, 2015 ) Chicken Parmesan (21 Day pg 144)

Tuesday, 13th – (Soccer 5:30) – Honey Spice Chicken and Quinoa(Fresh 20 GF September 25, 2015 )

Wednesday, 14th – (Family Night no FPU) – Brussels Sprouts & Butternut Salad (Fresh 20 GF September 11, 2015 ) – Fish/Tilapia

Thursday, 15th- (Soccer 5:30) Chicken and Rice Soup (Fresh 20 GF September 25, 2015 )

Friday, 16th – Chicken Alfredo Pizza

Saturday, 17th – Pork Burgers, Fries, Coleslaw

Sunday, 18th – Baked Teriyaki Chicken, Loaded Twice Baked Pot Casserole x 2 – Carrots – Taste Sept/Oct – 15 –p39

The Fresh 20 is a 5 day meal plan. They offer the following menus: Gluten Free, Dairy Free,
Classic, Vegetarian, For One, Kosher and Lunch

Wishing you all a wonderful week!!!

Happy Cooking!!

Happy New Year…..

Posted on September 14, 2015 by jmcoyan@gmail.com

Doesn’t September feel like a start to a new year?? It always does to me! The cool breeze is in the year, the kiddos are back in school. We are living in an environment of growth, physically and mentally as our son starts his last year in Middle School. I love that feeling of growth and want to continue to experience it myself. Otherwise, my life feels stagnant. I set goals every year to help myself to continue to grow.

This time of year I always reflect on my goals for the current year and what I hope to accomplish in the upcoming year. I am not a New Years Resolution sort of gal, my new year starts in September. Just seems logical as we get back into the routine of school. And worst yet, when I reflect on my goals in September it gets me in gear to finish them by the end of the year.

2015’s Focus – SIMPLIFY

I try to keep my goals to a minimum, I only have 3 goals in 2015. My goals for 2015 are as follows:

1. Simplify My Life – to me this meant decreasing my commitments that kept me out of the house and focus on the activities that matter to me. I was just feeling stretch too thin and wasn’t enjoying it. After many years, I took a break from my book club. Spending more time at home, having Sunday dinner with our children each week. Doing things that really makes me happy. The simple everyday things have more impact then we realize on our own happiness. We also simplified our life by decreasing the amount of stuff we own. This is an on-going project, but we have made a lot of progress. We have no desire to keep up with the Jones’. We are becoming more selective as to what is allowed to come into our home. Our desire is to be DEBT FREE!!!

2. Park in the Garage – this winter we will park at least one of our four cars in the garage! We took time off in May and really made a big dent in cleaning the garage. This weekend I had four boxes left to go through, which are done. The garage is almost done, I just need to organize a bit and get rid of all the empty bins!!

3. Organize my photos – this one I haven’t made much progress on at all. By cleaning out the garage and around the house, I believe all photos all photos are all in one place. I want to get at least one photo book made by the end of the year, so this will be my project I will be spending the rest of fall with.

2016’s Focus – HEALTH

While most of my goals in 2015 focused on simplifying our life. I hope in 2016 to focus on my health. My goals for 2016 are as follows:

1. Healthier & Happier – I bought the book 52 Small Changes One Year to a Happier,Healthier You by Brett Blumenthal 2 years ago. Each year I start the book and only make it through the few changes and then lose momentum. This year I will make it through all 52 weeks. By blogging about my experience each week, I hope I will get some of you to follow along with me and keep me accountable. Plus this will get me blogging more than just my menu each week.

2. Writing Project – Complete a writing project I would like to do. This is a crazy idea I got one morning in the shower, which is by the way, the location my best ideas come from!! I am going to give it a try….I blog, that is writing, right??

3. Continue to Simplify……

What are your New Year Goals this September??? Join me in getting Healthier and Happier in 2016. Look for a blog post each Wednesday discussing the new change we can make that week to aide us in being healthier and happier!

Happy New Year!!

Menu Plan Monday: July 27th

Posted on July 24, 2015 by jmcoyan@gmail.com

June 27th – August 9th, 2015

Breakfast Menu for 2 Week (Repeat)

1. Waffles with Syrup (Kashi 7 Grain) – 1/2 Cup Milk
2. Fried Eggs – Mixed Berries – Toast
3. English Muffin with Nut Butter – 1/2 Cup OJ – Hard Boiled Egg
4. Almond Butter Waffle
5. Scrambled Eggs – 1/2 Cup OJ – Greek Yogurt
6. Peanut Butter and Berrry English Muffins – 1 Clementine
7. Oatmeal with Honey and Walnuts & Hard Boiler Egg

Lunch Menu & Snacks for 2 Weeks (Repeat)

1. Tabbouleh Salad (Cedar’s Taboule Salad) – Green Salad with Vinaigrette – 1/2 cup grapes| Blueberries – Mini Light Cheese- Almonds
2. Greek Salad Pita – 10 Baby Carrots and 3 Celery | Sliced Strawberries & Egg
3. Cream Cheese Avocado Wrap – Basic Salad -10 Baby Carrots and 3 Celery | Hummus and Cucumbers – Apple
4. BLT with Avocados – Mixed Green Salad |Mini Light Cheese – Veggies – Crackers
5. Almond Butter Banana Sandwich – Carrots and Celery – 1/2 Cup Grapes |Hummus and Cucumbers – Apple
6. Minestrone Soup (160 –180 calorie)- Basic Salads – 6 Multi Grain Crackers|Blueberries & Strawberries and Egg
7. Hummus – Veggie Pizza –Mixed Berries= Baby Carrots and Celery |Mixed Berries – Celery with PB

Dinner Menu

Saturday, 25th Egg Roll Noodle Bowl

Sunday, 26th Chicken Sausage -Sweet Potato Hash/ Skillet Garlic Broccoli (Emeals P – 590)

Monday, 27th – Beefy Tortellini & Caesar Salad (Emeals 596)

Tuesday, 28th – (evals) Soup/Grilled Cheese

Wednesday, 29th – (Orientation) – Baked Ham &Cheese Ciabatta Loaf & Berries(Emeals 595)

Thursday, 30th – Quick Baked Cod , Garlic Mushroom Quinoa and Green Beans

Friday, 31st – Avocado Bacon Turkey Wraps &Fruit with Fruit Salad (Emeals 596)

Paul Cooks for the Week
Saturday, 1st – Tater Tot Hot Dish

Sunday, 2nd – Pancakes

Monday, 3rd – Spaghetti

Tuesday, 4th – Scrambled Eggs and Bacon

Wednesday, 5th –Hamburgers

Thursday, 6th –Chili Dogs

Friday, 7th – Beef Stew

Saturday, 8th – Leftovers

Sunday, 9th – Order PIzza

Future Meal:Chicken Cordon Bleu Ranch Wraps
Baked Chicken and Mushroom Skillet, Veggie

Grilled Pork Chops – Greek Pasta Salad – Carrots

Baked Teriyaki Chicken, Mac and Cheese and Corn

For more Menu Planning inspiration stop by and visit Laura at Organizing Junkie and participate in Menu Plan Monday. Need help getting started menu planning – Emeals is a great solution. Many meal plans to choose from at a very affordable price. We have switched to the Paleo Meal plan and find it so easy to plan our menu!

Wishing you all a wonderful week!!!

Happy Cooking!!

Menu Plan Monday: July 13th

Posted on July 10, 2015 by jmcoyan@gmail.com

June 20th – July 4th, 2015

Home from a great vacation, camping in Forrestville State Park. Love cooking over an open fire. Spent the last week at home with my father –in –law, but will return to work on Monday. This week’s menu is a bit of a challenge, as we no longer have a working oven. I have been baking outside in the roaster oven so we have been doing fine, but it isn’t the same. Hoping you are all having a wonderful summer filled with great memories with your families.


Our Camping Cabin at the State Park	Cooking Over the Open Fire…..


Camping Fun!	Camping is such hard work…….

Saturday, 11th – Sloppy Joes & Chips

Sunday, 12th – Roasted Chicken, Corn on Cob, Bread, Salad

Monday, 13th – Seafood Salad

Tuesday,14th – Chicken Sausage -Sweet Potato Hash/ Skillet Garlic Broccoli (Emeals P – 590)

Wednesday, 15th – Egg Roll Noodle Bowl

Thursday,16th – Paul’s Birthday – Ribs, Chinese Cabbage Salad, Beans – Sour Cream Peach Pecan Pie

Friday, 17th – Hamburgers, Chocolate Malts

Saturday, 18th – Baked Chicken and Mushroom Skillet, Veggie

Sunday,19th – Quick Baked Cod , Garlic Mushroom Quinoa and Green Beans

Monday,20th – Chicken Salad Sandwiches, Cukes and Fruit

Tuesday, 21st – Spaghetti & Garlic Bread

Wednesday,22nd – Creamy Angel Hair with Sausage and Spinach

Thursday, 23rd- Easy Skillet Lasagna

Friday, 24th – Hotdogs, Beans

Saturday,25th – Grilled Pork Chops – Greek Pasta Salad – Carrots

Sunday, 26th – Baked Teriyaki Chicken, Mac and Cheese and Corn

Future Meal:Chicken Cordon Bleu Ranch Wraps

For more Menu Planning inspiration stop by and visit Laura at Organizing Junkie and participate in Menu Plan Monday. Need help getting started menu planning – Emeals is a great solution. Many meal plans to choose from at a very affordable price. We have switched to the Paleo Meal plan and find it so easy to plan our menu!

Wishing you all a wonderful week!!!

Happy Cooking!!

Menu Plan Monday: June 22nd

Posted on June 20, 2015 by jmcoyan@gmail.com

June 20th – July 4th, 2015

Life has been so crazy this last week. Youngest son was gone at camp for a week, returned in time to participate in a weekend long soccer tournament. Then we heading out of town to Duluth, MN for a conference that I needed to attend for work. Hubby and our youngest enjoyed the time exploring while I worked. So now, it is time to get back to healthier eating. Many meals from Emeals Paleo meal plan the next two weeks, such an easy way to get back on track!

Saturday, 20th –Chef Salad

Sunday, 21st – (Father’s Day) – Steak, Green Bean & Potato Salad (Taste of Home – June/July 2015 – pg53) and Brussels Sprouts w/ Bacon & Garlic (Simple and Delicious Dec/Jan 2015 pg 47) – Turtle Fudge

Monday, 22nd – (Soccer 6:00 – Away) – Bakes Teriyaki-Style Chicken Thighs, Spinach Salad with Plum Tomato Dressing (Emeals P – 587)

Tuesday, 23rd – (Soccer 5:30 – Away) – Soup and Grilled Pesto Ham and Provolone Sandwiches (Taste of Home Simple/D – April/May 2015- Pg 19)

Wednesday, 24th –(Soccer 5:30 – W St Paul- working late) Leftovers or Sandwiches

Thursday, 25th – Korean Beef and Rice (Simple/Del –April/May2015-pg 24)

Friday, 26th – Ground Pork Taco Salad

Saturday, 27th –Italian Mushroom Meat Loaf/ Tomato-Zucchini Noodles (Emeals P – 590)

Sunday, 28th – Grilled Lemon-Dijon Turkey Cutlets/Blueberry Spinach Salad (Emeals P – 590)

Monday, 29th – (Soccer 6:00 – Home) – Tex Mex Beef Lettuce Wraps/ Jicama-Cucumber Salad (Emeals P – 590)

Tuesday, 30th – (soccer 7:00 – Away) – Avocado-Basil Grilled Chicken Salad/ Tomato-Nectarine Coleslaw (Emeals P – 591)

Wednesday, July 1st –(Work Late Orientation) Tuscan Beef-Stuffed Peppers/Arugula-Strawberry Salad (Emeals P – 591)

Thursday, 2nd – Chicken Sausage -Sweet Potato Hash/ Skillet Garlic Broccoli (Emeals P – 590)

Friday, 3rd – CAMPING

Saturday, 4th – CAMPING

Sunday, 5th – CAMPING

For more Menu Planning inspiration stop by and visit Laura at Organizing Junkie and participate in Menu Plan Monday. Need help getting started menu planning – Emeals is a great solution. Many meal plans to choose from at a very affordable price. We have switched to the Paleo Meal plan and find it so easy to plan our menu!

Wishing you all a wonderful week!!!

Happy Cooking!!

Menu Plan Monday: June 8th

Posted on June 4, 2015 by jmcoyan@gmail.com

June 5th – June 21st, 2015

June 5th – Friday (last Day Of School) – Hamburgers, Fries & Sweet Potato Fries & Chocolate Malts

Chocolate Chip Cookies

June 6th – Saturday (Hugo Good Neighbors Parade) Tater Tot Casserole

June 7th – Sunday -(Tommy Leave for Okoboji) Bakes Teriyaki-Style Chicken Thighs, Spinach Salad with Plum Tomato Dressing (Emeals P – 587)

June 8th –Monday – Tuscan Pork Zucchini Boats and Balsamic Baby Carrots (Emeals P – 587)

June 9th –Tuesday – (working late) – Cajun Turkey Sausage – and – Mushroom Egg Casserole – (Emeals P – 587)

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars.

June 10th – Wednesday –(last FPU Class) LEFTOVERS

June 11th – Thursday – Leftover Donatelli’s

June 12th – Friday – (Tommy Returns) – Pulled Pork Sandwiches, Mom’s Chopped Coleslaw (Taste of Home – June/July 2015 – pg43), Corn on the Cob

June 13th – Saturday – Rotisserie Chicken (Crockpot) , Creamy Skillet Noodles with Peas (Simple/Del –April/May2015-pg 30) Salad

June 14th – Sunday (Out of Town) Beef Stroganoff, Noodles and Peas

June 15th – Monday (Out of Town) Biscuits and Gravy

June 16th – Tuesday (Out Of Town) – Korean Beef and Rice (Simple/Del –April/May2015-pg 24)

June 17th – Wednesday (Soccer Game 6:00) – Pizza’s

June 18th – Thursday (Soccer Game 18th ) – Soup and Grilled Pesto Ham and Provolone Sandwiches (Taste of Home Simple/D – April/May 2015- Pg 19)

June 19th – Friday – Ground Beef – Chorizo Burgers, Arugula-Jicama Salad with Cumin Vinaigrette (Emeals P – 587)

June 20th – Saturday – Ground Pork Taco Salad

June 21st – Sunday (Father’s Day) – Steak, Green Bean & Potato Salad (Taste of Home – June/July 2015 – pg53) and Brussels Sprouts w/ Bacon & Garlic (Simple and Delicious Dec/Jan 2015 pg 47) – Turtle Fudge

Wishing you all a wonderful week!!!

Happy Cooking!!

Living in White Bear Lake

Recipes, Frugal Living, Family Fun and So Much More!

Category Archives: Uncategorized

Menu Plan – 12/29/15

Our Annual Cookie Exchange Menu

Mom’s Hot Cocoa Recipe

Menu Plan Monday: October 19th, 2016

Menu Plan Monday: October 5th, 2015

Happy New Year…..

Menu Plan Monday: July 27th

Menu Plan Monday: July 13th

Menu Plan Monday: June 22nd

Menu Plan Monday: June 8th