Thursday I didn't have to make dinner. We went to a Halloween party for special needs kids and there were hot dogs and pizza there.
Since we didn't have spaghetti on Thursday (OH!), I thought I'd make it today, but with a nod to Halloween.  Saw this at Kraft Foods and LOVED it!!


Spaghetti and "Oozing Eyeballs"

Prep Time: 20 min Total Time: 45 min Makes: 8 servings

What You Need!
2 lb. ground beef
1 pkg.  (6 oz.) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix for Chicken
1 cup water
2   eggs
1 jar (26 oz.) spaghetti sauce, divided
4 sticks  KRAFT STRING-UMS String Cheese, cut into quarters
4 pitted large black olives, cut into 4 slices each
1 pkg.  (1 lb.) spaghetti

Make It!
HEAT oven to 375ºF.

MIX meat, stuffing mix, water, eggs and 1/4 cup spaghetti sauce. Shape into 16 (2-inch) meatballs. Insert 1 cheese piece into top of each meatball, with end of cheese piece just showing at top. Place on baking sheet. Top each with olive slice to resemble eyeball.

BAKE 20 to 25 min. or until meatballs are done (160ºF). Meanwhile, cook spaghetti and heat remaining spaghetti sauce as directed on package and jar.

DRAIN spaghetti. Serve topped with meatballs and sauce.

**The only thing I did differently was to make the meatballs smaller. I have all little ones with little tummies and these meatballs were going to be too big.  I used my medium scoop from Pampered Chef, so one meatball = 2 scoops. That gave me 22 meatballs all together.**

Breakfast:  I spurlged this morning and everybody got toaster waffles. Eva had a dr's appt this morning and it takes an hour to get there and I like to sleep in, so we had just enough time to get everyone dressed and out the door. (I laid everybody's clothes out the night before. I also packed some snacks and water and put them into the car the night before. I also put some books in the van for them to look at, so then I was all set)

Lunch:  I made them burritos with carrot sticks. Then they had a scoop of ice cream. Eva wanted some ice cream and if you give it to one, you better give it to all, lol!!

It's Wednesday and Eva's still sick! But I still need to make dinner so it's ready when we get home from Ella's ballet lesson. Gerald has choir practice tonite, so he'll eat when he gets home. Was hungry for meatloaf, but didn't feel like mashed potatoes, so I made the meatloaf into meatballs and served with gravy over noodles - yummy!! For the kids, I served the noodles, peas, and meatballs in gravy seperately, but you knew that already, lol!

Here's my favorite meatloaf recipe. Works every time and is always yummy!!


Lipton Souperior Meat Loaf (made with Onion Soup)
Easy & Delicious!

Ingredients
1 Envelope Lipton Recipe Secrets Onion Soup Mix
2 lbs. Ground beef (or ground turkey)
3/4 cup Plain dry bread crumbs
2 Eggs
3/4 cup Water
1/3 cup Ketchup
Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In large bowl, combine all ingredients

In 13 X 9 inch baking or roasting pan, shape into loaf (for best results, line pan with aluminum foil and use a non-stick cooking spray before adding meat loaf to pan)

Bake 1 hour* or until done
Let stand 10 minutes

(Note: leftovers make GREAT cold meatloaf sandwiches for the next couple of days!)
*for the meatballs, I cooked them 20 mins at 350. I didn't use ketchup because I knew I was going to put them into the gravy.

Breakfast: I had planned on pancakes, but Eva was dinking so bad this morning that I had to stop at the gas station for some doughnuts and milk. Ok, if you think that's weird, I'm telling ya, Kwik Trip has the BEST doughnuts and the BEST price!!! (as well as the best price for milk and eggs!!) Dropped Joey off at thereapy, then took the cats to the vet. Couldn't do a urine analysis on the one kitty because she didn't pee (and still hasn't!!)

Lunch:  Eva and Eddie didn't want to eat, so I just made cheese sandwhiches (not grilled) with carrots and pretzels.

Well, it's Tuesday and Eva is still sick.  Since I made extra chicken this weekend, I decided to make Chicken Divine with Rice.  For the kids, I served the rice, broccoli, and chicken in sauce seperately. For Gerald and I, I mixed them all together.


Chicken Broccoli Divan

From: Campbell's Kitchen
Prep: 15 minutes  Cook: 20 minutes  Serves: 4


Ingredients:
1 lb. fresh broccoli, cut into spears, cooked and drained

1 1/2 cup cubed cooked chicken or turkey
1 can (10 3/4 oz.) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Broccoli Soup (Regular or 98% Fat Free)
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
2 tbsp. dry bread crumbs
1 tbsp. butter or margarine, melted

Directions:

PREHEAT oven to 450°F.
ARRANGE broccoli and chicken in 9" pie plate or 2-qt. shallow baking dish. Mix soup and milk and pour over all.
SPRINKLE with cheese. Mix bread crumbs with butter and sprinkle on top.
BAKE 20 min. or until hot.




Well it's Monday, and a cold rainy Monday at that. Also, Eva stayed home from school sick, so I didn't have a lot of time to make dinner. Chili seemed to be the perfect meal for today.  For the kids, I put cut up hot dogs on top of their chili, then shredded cheddar cheese. They LOVE it that way. I got the recipe idea from Campbell's Soup, but I merged several recipes together.

2-Bean Chili
Idea From: Campbell's Kitchen

Prep: 10 minutes Cook: 15 minutes  Serves: 6

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1 large onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
4 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons cumin
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 cans Campbell's® Tomato Soup
2 cups beef broth
1 can (about 15 ounces) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (about 15 ounces) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups elbow or shell macaroni
Toppings: 
Sour cream
Sliced green onion
Shredded Cheddar cheese
Chopped tomato

Directions:

1.  Cook the beef, green pepper, onion, chili powder and black pepper in a 10-inch skillet until the beef is well browned, stirring often to separate meat.  Pour off any fat.
2. Stir the tomato juice, broth and beans in the skillet and cook until the mixture is hot and bubbling.
3. Top the beef mixture with the sour cream, green onions, cheese and tomato before serving.

Breakfast:  Well, I slept in late this morning, so the triplets didn't sit down for breakfast until 10am, so I made them eggs with burritos.  They were pretty happy and I've never seen them eat so fast!


Afternoon Snack:  I did animal crackers with orange juice. There are a lot of people sick out there, so I figured orange juice would be a good idea! And they really haven't been eating a lot lately, so I'm afraid the "cold cooties" might be lurking in their little bodies!!



Planning. I'm alll about planning and it's the key to getting everything done without losing your mind! I found a holiday timetable at Menu 4 Moms and yikes! I'm already behind in my holiday preparations!  Here is what has happened so far and coming up next week:

Week #1 - List Week  October 4-10
Make your lists of gift recipients, Christmas cards, menus for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's, goodies to share or to give, favorite meals to prepare ahead, decorations needed, and gifts to make.

Week #2 - Browse Week   October 11-17
Develop and record ideas for gifts and decorations. Ask yourself the following questions:
■What would our ideal Christmas be like?
■What activities are particularly important to our family at Christmas?
■How much emphasis do our Christmas activities place on the spiritual side of Christmas?

Week #3 - Supplies Week  October 18-24
After inventorying supplies on hand, purchase non-perishables needed for holiday baking, supplies needed for gift making, film, batteries, gift wrapping, and Christmas cards as needed.

Week #4 - Baking Week    October 25-31
Set aside the time needed to complete holiday goodie making. Make lists of toys, books, and clothes that children would enjoy and keep the list handy for telling family members who ask what they would like.

Here is the link so you can have your own copy of the 2009 Holiday Timetable.

Gotta run and catch up! See ya in a bit!
Well, it's Thursday again and as you know in this house, it's Spaghetti Day.  Today I just kept it simple since the kids wanted "curly noodles" - aka, rotini.  I cooked the rotini while the trips were at school, put it into a gallon baggie and placed it in the fridge to reheat later.  I came across this Applesauce Cake recipe and not only did it look yummy, it was easy to make. The hardest part was trying to find my springform pan!!  When I got home, I then thawed and cooked a pound of hamburger, adding italian seasoning and garlic to it while it cooked. Then I added a large jar of Pregos Chunky Garden Sauce, let it come to a boil, then brought it to the table. Reheated the noodles in the microwave, then added them to the sauce and stirred and served!


Applesauce Cake
  from Family Fun Magazine
Ingredients
3/4 cup raisins or sweetened dried cranberries (we used Craisins)
1 2/3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup smooth, sweetened applesauce, at room temperature
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans (optional)

Confectioners' sugar

Instructions
1.  Butter a 9-inch cake pan (we used a springform pan) and set it aside. Place the raisins or dried cranberries in a small bowl and add enough hot tap water to cover them. Set them aside to soften. Heat the oven to 350º F.
2.  Sift the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices into a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer until it's soft and fluffy. Beat in the sugars 1/2 cup at a time, then beat in the egg and yolk, and lastly, the vanilla extract.
3.  Using a wooden spoon, stir a third of the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture until it's smooth. Add half of the applesauce, another third of the dry ingredients, the remaining applesauce, and the final third of the dry ingredients, stirring well after each addition.
4. Thoroughly strain the water from the raisins or cranberries. Then stir them and the pecans into the batter until they are evenly distributed.
5.  Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spoon. Bake the cake on the center rack until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30 to 35 minutes.
6.  Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool for 1 hour. Then run a knife around the edge of the pan and remove the cake (or the sides of the pan, if using a springform pan). Let the cake cool for another hour or so. Finally, to enhance the flavor of the cake and to allow it to become moist and dense throughout, cover it snugly with plastic wrap and let it sit for another 2 hours.
7.  Before serving the cake, generously dust the top with confectioners' sugar. Makes 10 to 12 servings

What I did differently:  I did not use raisens or craisens because no one in my family would eat the cake with them in there. But I did add 1 cup of cinnamon chips. They melted nicely and gave an extra "oomph" of cinnamon.

Breakfast:  Eva is now on a PB Toast kick and the trips wanted the mini bagels with pb.  I like it because it's easy to make, lol.  I added a banana and we were all set!

After School Snack:  The trips need a mini meal in order to make it through swimming, so I went through my Bento box ideas and came up with this today (especially since it's all that I had in my pantry!).  My kids have never eaten an egg salad sandwhich, but have eaten and liked hard boiled eggs, so I made up some hard boiled eggs to make egg salad.  Family Fun magazine also had these really cute mini caramel apples, so I made up a few of those.  So in my Glad plastic sandwhich boxes I put:
          Half an egg salad sandwhich, cut in half
          Pretzels
          Carrot Sticks
          2 Mini Caramel Apples
Well, it was the first time they had egg salad and it went pretty well.  Joey and Ella ate their sandwhich, but Eddie and Eva did not (I wasn't expecting Eva to).  Surprisingly, Eddie only ate the pretzels - no sandwhich or apples!!  Mr. Garbage Disposal! Must've been waaaay to new and strange looking!!
Mini Caramel Apples

Bite-size versions of the fall fair treat, these tiny "caramel" apples are a great party snack.

Ingredients
4-inch lollipop sticks
Melon baller
Granny Smith apples (one apple makes about 8 mini apples)
Butterscotch or peanut butter chips
Chopped nuts, nonpareils, sprinkles, shredded coconut (optional)
Small paper candy cups

Instructions
1.  First, cut the lollipop sticks in half at an angle (the pointy end will go into the apple pieces easier). With the melon baller, scoop little balls out of the apple. Each ball should have a section of apple peel. Push half of a lollipop stick into the peel of each ball. Pat the apple pieces dry.
2.  Melt the chips according to the package directions. Dip and swirl the mini apples in the melted chips, then roll the apples in nuts, sprinkles, nonpareils, or coconut, if desired. Place the mini apples in paper candy cups to set.
Wednesday, the middle of the week. It's all down hill from here, wheeee!! And another day we have a dinner crunch - Ella has ballet from 5:30-6:00, Eva has CCD from 6:30 -7:00, and Dad has choir from 7:30-???  So it has to be reheatable.  And I was hungry for pot pies and thought of this one. Easy peasy and reheats well.  My kids learned how to pick out the veggies they like and that they were not allowed to complain about it! Eva didn't eat it all all, but I knew she wouldn't because everything is mixed together, so she had a pb sandwhich and a banana.

Easy Chicken Pot Pie
Enjoy homemade chicken pot pie taste made extra easy. Use whatever ingredients you have on hand!

Prep Time: 15 min  Total Time: 45 min  Total Time: 30 min      Makes: 6 servings

Ingrediants
1 2/3 cups Green Giant® Valley Fresh Steamers™ frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
1 cup cut-up cooked chicken
1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup*
1 cup Original Bisquick® mix
1/2 cup milk
1 egg

1. Heat oven to 400°F. In ungreased 9-inch pie plate, stir vegetables, chicken and soup.
2. In medium bowl, stir remaining ingredients until blended. Pour into pie plate.
3. Bake uncovered about 30 minutes or until crust golden brown.
(* I didn't have this, so I substituted a can of cream of mushroom soup and added a 1/2 tsp of sage and thyme)

Breakfast:  Well, Eva had peanut butter on toast, but AFTER I had made her oatmeal (grrrr).  So the triplets got oatmeal and a mini strawberry bagel.

Lunch:  Since the triplets do not have school on Wednesdays, I make lunch, except for today when we went with my mom's group to Tazino's. VERY yummy pizza and the trips LOVED the mac n cheese. We ARE going there again!!

Afternoon Snack:  Tried to get the trips to eat something, but they weren't interested (probably still full from lunch like I was, lol)  Eva had carrot sticks and dip while at Daisy Scouts, but then came home and wanted something more, so I gave her cheese and whole grain crackers.
Busy, busy, Tuesday again. Gotta have something ready for when we come home as Gerald has choir practice at 7 and we're probably going to get home at 6:15 ish.  Then I remembered the email I got from Gold n Plump Chicken and I was like "ooooh".  It reminded me so of the Fall and some of the reasons that I like Fall - warm apples and cinnamon.  I wrote the recipe as they wrote it, but honestly, I will probably just throw it all in the slow cooker, turn on the cooker, and walk away. I've never had any luck browning chicken with the skin off. It always seems so tough and dry afterwards, so I usually don't do it.  I'll make the rice during lunch while the trips are in school, then just reheat it when we get home.

Cinnamon-Spiced Chicken with Apples and Raisins

Made in a Dutch oven, this autumn-inspired dish will fill your kitchen with delicious aroma.
Cuisine: Mediterranean   Cooking Method: Stove-top  (I'm doing it in a slow cooker)
Prep Time: 15 minutes   Cook Time: 35 minutes   Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 package (3 pounds, 8 ounces) Gold’n Plump® Best O' Fryer
1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 Granny Smith apple, cored, peeled, and coarsely chopped
1 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup dark raisins
2 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions
1. Combine cinnamon, cloves, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.
2. Remove and discard chicken skin. Use your fingers to rub chicken with cinnamon mixture.
3. Heat oil in a 4-quart saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add half of chicken; cook, turning occasionally, for about 5 minutes or until lightly browned on all sides. Use tongs to transfer chicken to a plate or bowl. Add remaining chicken, onion, and apple to pan; cook, turning occasionally, for about 5 minutes or until chicken is lightly browned on all sides.
4. Return first batch of cooked chicken to pan. Stir in orange juice and raisins.
5. When liquid comes to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer for about 25 to 30 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked.
6. Garnish servings with parsley.

Nutritional Information

PER SERVING • Calories 224 • % Calories from Fat 25% • Total Fat 6g • Saturated Fat 1g • Cholesterol 94mg • Sodium 239mg • Total Carbohydrate 11g • Dietary Fiber 1g • Sugars 9g • Protein 30g • % DAILY VALUE • Vitamin A 3% • Vitamin C 17% • Calcium 3% • Iron 9% • DIETARY EXCHANGES • Lean Meat 3 1/2 • Fat 1/2 • Fruit 1/2

Substitutions/Variations
Curly-leaf parsley may also be used if flat-leaf parsley is not available.
Tips
While the chicken is simmering, prepare basmati rice according to package instructions. Serve with prepared rice and warm pita bread.

Breakfast:   Scrambled eggs (with cheese and chives), sausage, mini blueberry bagels.

After school snack:  Apples and granola bars.  Since Eva has such a long class, I'll do what I did last week and pop some popcorn and bring the portable dvd player so we can watch a movie.
Macaroni Monday!! I made Kraft's Whole Grain Macaroni & Cheese with Hot Dogs for the kids, and I made Garlic Shrimp for Gerald and I.

Garlic Shrimp

3 tablespoons minced garlic
1/3 cup olive oil
1 pound peeled, deveined shrimp (26 to 30 per lb.), rinsed
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Salt
1. In a 10- to 12-inch frying pan over medium-high heat, stir garlic in olive oil just until it begins to turn gold, 2 to 3 minutes. Add shrimp and stir until almost completely pink, about 2 minutes.
2. Add  parsley and stir often until shrimp are barely opaque but still moist-looking in center of thickest part (cut to test), about 1 minute. Add salt to taste. Pour into a serving dish or individual bowls.
3. Serve with noodles.

Breakfast:  Eva had oatmeal (as always).  The trips had mini blueberry bagels with pb (per their request).  Was all set to make pancakes and they wanted the "circle bread" with peanut butter. awwhhh, how could I say no?

After school snack:  Eva has acting class today, so I made everybody a cheese sandwhich (cold, not grilled) with carrot sticks and a banana (except for Joey, who got chopped cinnamon apples). We played in the park for an hour after we picked Eva up from school, then went to her acting class. I brought a big stack of books that I haven't read to the trips before and they ate their fruit snacks while I read books. They're so cute right now, asking questions, naming colors and shapes, trying to say the alphabet or count. Very, very adorable, if I do say so myself!
aaaahhhhhh, no cooking today! Eva's school is having their Fall Festival, so I'm just doing frozen pizza's.  That way we can get to the school by 6:30 and I don't have dirty dishes in the sink.

Breakfast:  Pb on toasted bagel by request. But Eddie said he was still "hun gee". So I heated up some Pigs in a Blanket from yesterday, like 6 and he ate them all and asked for more!! lol, some days, I think it would be cheaper to take him to Old Country Buffet!

After School Snack:  Cheese and Whole Wheat Crackers with Grapes
Well it's Thursday again and I had a lot to do. Had to find Eva a costume for Halloween, since her school's Fall Festival is tomorrow, and I had to find sweat suits for the boys to match the knight accessories I found at the Dollar Tree. I was hungry for tortellini, but couldn't find it anyware, so I did bow tie pasta with ham and peas in an alfredo sauce.  The sauce I make is easy peasy!!

Philadelphia Cream Cheese Alfredo Sauce

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese   ( I used light)
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 cups milk   (I used 1 3/4 cups to make it thicker faster)
6 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS
1.  Melt butter in a medium, non-stick saucepan over medium heat. Add cream cheese and garlic powder, stirring with wire whisk until smooth.
2.  Add milk, a little at a time, whisking to smooth out lumps. Stir in Parmesan and pepper. Remove from heat when sauce reaches desired consistency. Sauce will thicken rapidly, thin with milk if cooked too long. Toss with hot pasta to serve.
3,  I had ham steaks from my S.H.A.R.E. order, so I took one out, thawed it out, cut it into bite size squares and put it with the pasta.
4.  I took a bag of frozen peas and threw them into the pasta pot after the noodles were done. I turned off the heat and let them sit in the water for a couple of minutes while I was doing the ham.  Then I drained the peas well and added them to the pasta.  Then I gently folded everything together until the sauce had coated everything.



BREAKFAST:  I didn't feel like cooking this morning, so I cheated and served the trips Pigs in a Blanket from Schwans. Eva won't eat them because of the sausage inside, but it's perfect for the trips (and me!)

AFTER SCHOOL SNACK: I learned my lesson from last week. They obviously didn't have enough to eat at 3, so by the time we left swimming, I had 4 whining kids the whole long 30 minute ride home!!! This week, I took sandwhich containers for each child and put in them:
            1 Bean and cheese burrito (cut in 1/2" sections for the trips)
            2 Oatmeal cookies (from scratch, so they had whole wheat and less sugar)
            1 apple, cut into pieces (only for the trips. Eva has a tooth loose, so she won't eat apples!)
               a reg muffin paper cup of mini carrots
            1 candy corn pumpkin
And it was a success! The trips made it through the swimming lesson in fine spirits and still ate dinner.  So I'll be looking into my saved bento recipes to come up with more ideas!!

As if I wasn't busy enough, I baked a Pumpkin Spice Bundt Cake for the Cake Walk at Eva's school's Fall Festival on Friday.  And I'm finishing some Pinkalicious Cupcakes (strawberry cake, pink strawberry icing, pink sprinkles) for the Bake Sale at the Fall Festival. If you're not familiar with the story of Pinkalicious, you don't have a 6 yr old girl in the house, lol!!
Well, today didn't work out as planned, lol.  Eva had no school today, so we slept in. But then I had to scurry to get Joey to thereapy on time, but ended up 10 mins late anyway!  The recipe I made for breakfast was a disappointment (aka Won't make THAT again!!), but the kids ate it (whew!).  Then we had a playdate right after Joey's thereapy. Then I had to get home to meet the Service Co-ordinator for this State Program and to help us with the Katie Becket Program (trying to get some financial help with Eva and with Joey since we haven't qualified for traditional aid.) Well, she said it would only take about an hour or so, but it ended up being "so" - like 2 1/2 hours!!! So I didn't have time to make dinner before I had to take Ella to ballet. Then came home, grab a Hamburger Helper and some blueberry muffin mix and threw it together while making a cheese sandwhich for Eva. She ate that on the way to CCD. sigh, what a day!
Tuesdays are the day that I have to have something ready when we come home from Eva's Musical Acting Class.  Didn't have many ideas until, while digging through the pantry, I found a jumbo can of French's Fried Onion Rings! Oh yeah, we're having their Onion Chicken for dinner tonight.  I have extra mashed potatoes from Sunday's dinner (I made extra so I would have them on hand) and veggies only take around 6 mins in the microwave, so I was set for dinner.  I made the chicken while the trips were at school. Then I let it cool and placed it in the fridge.  When we came home, I put a bag of green beans and a couple of tablespoons water into my micro steamer from Pampered Chef  (if you don't have one of these, GET ONE!!) Green Beans take a littler longer, like 9 mins in the microwave. I have been blessed with two microwaves, one over the stove and one in my dining room (LOVE IT!!)  So while the green beans were cooking, I reheated the chicken and the mashed potatoes in the kitchen.  That and some rolls and dinner was complete!!

FRENCH'S® CRUNCHY ONION CHICKEN™

SERVINGS 4COOK TIME 20 min. PREP TIME 5 min.

Ingredients:
2 cups (4 oz.) FRENCH'S® Original or Cheddar French Fried Onions
2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
4 (5 oz.) boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 egg, beaten

Directions:
1.  Place French Fried Onions and flour into plastic bag. Lightly crush with hands or with rolling pin. Transfer to pie plate or waxed paper.
2.  Dip chicken into egg; then coat with onion crumbs, pressing firmly to adhere. Place chicken on baking sheet.
3.  Bake at 400°F for 20 min. or until no longer pink in center.

BREAKFAST:  Super simple today, I just toasted bagels, reheated some sausage patties, put a slice of american cheese on top of the sausage patty and put that on the toasted bagels. Voila! Breakfast Bagel Sandwhiches.

AFTER SCHOOL SNACK:  I found mini hamburgers at the grocery store, so I reheated those for the triplets and served it with carrot sticks.  Eva had a pb sandwhich with her carrot sticks.  Since her class is an hour and a half, I popped some microwave popcorn and brought the portable dvd player. So while Eva was in class, the trips and I enjoyed a movie and some popcorn in the minivan.
MACARONI MONDAY! Or at least, that's what Eva calls it.  But just because it's Macaroni & Cheese doesn't mean it has to be boring!  I will make up the mac & cheese and set aside a bowl for her (she's a purist, doesn't want anything else in there, well, maybe a hotdog, but that's all!)  For the rest of us, I like to change it up, make it interesting. If you go to Kraftfoods.com and do a search using "mac cheese", you will find a lot of choices!!  Here's my choice for tonite: 
     Cheesy Chicken & Broccoli Mac
And it works well with tonight's schedule since I'm going to the PTSO meeting tonight. This dish will be fast, yet yummy!

Breakfast:  I always make a "big" breakfast on school days for the trips (M, T, Th, F) because there just isn't enough time between when they eat breakfast and when they have to catch the bus to eat lunch! (My kids are late sleepers.  They usually don't get out of bed until 8am!! Yeah, my friends are jealous, lol)  This morning was easy peasy - Hashbrowns and Breakfast Sausage Patties.  (I've got two kids who aren't getting enough calories and one that's fine. I've got to stop eating what they're eating, lol) The breafast sausage patties I bought in bulk from my S.H.A.R.E. order last month.  I see they didn't offer them this month, hope we don't run out!!

After School Snack: Kitty Cat cookies  Yeah, I know, not very nutritious, but Eva bought this really cute kitty face cookie cutter when we were in Cederburg for their Fall Festival.  I finally got the stick pretzels and m & m's so the kitties can have eyes, nose, and whiskers. The squeals from the kids when I give them the cookies will more than make up for the guilt I feel about givng them something not that good for them. I'm using my grandma's sugar cookie recipe. They always turn out sooo yummy!! If I think of it, I'll post a picture.
Sundays I like to make a big dinner.  So, after I made pancakes for breakfast, I started on dinner. I had bought a 5lb roast (so I could have leftovers) on sale at Pick n Save for $1.98/lb.  Love it when I get deals!  I bought a 5lb bag of carrots at Woodman's and I wanted these because they were skinny carrots, about the width of my finger. This makes them easier to cook with the roast and the rest of the carrots will be easy to cut into sticks for the kids.
     I peeled and cut the carrots into roughly 6" lengths and placed them in my nesco.  I then got out my cast iron skillet, put a little EVOO in the bottom and let the oil heat up.  I sprinkled my roast with Bavarian Spice mix from Penzy's and seared the roast on all sides before I put it into the nesco next to the carrots.  I then pourred into the nesco, 2 cups of beef broth and one bottle of beer. I placed the cover on, turned the heat to 250 degrees and walked away.  (It cooks for about 2 hours).
     I grabbed out some leftover mashed potatoes to make Potato Dinner Rolls.
     About an hour and a half before I wanted to serve dinner, I peeled and chopped the poatoes for mashed potatoes (1 potato/person + 1).  Once the pototes could be pierced easily with a fork, I drained the potatoes and put them back into the pot.  I turned the heat back on, about med-high, so the pototoes could dry out.  Then I placed 1 stick of butter, sliced into pats, into the pan and gently folded the potatoes until the butter was melted and coating the potatoes. Then I added 2/3 rds of a cup milk, put it into the pan, and continued to stir until the milk was almost to a boil (little bubbles).  I then used my potato masher to mash them (or, if you like smooth potatoes, use a mixer).  Then mix in 1cup sour cream, mix thoroughly.  Yumm!!
     I had made a chocolate cake for desert.
       Well, VERY early in the morning, Eva and I woke up to go to the feis.  Did she want waffles? NO! She wanted oatmeal (like she has EVERY morning!)  Fortunately, it only takes 2 minutes in the microwave and another 2 minutes in the freezer to cool off. Last night, I had packed a backpack with things for Eva to do - 2 Level 3 books, a search a word, her artist pad with colored pencils, her cd player and a few snacks in her school lunch bag- a bottle of water, a baggie of pretzels, a yogurt, a banana, and a fruit roll-up. In a baggie, I put her medicine and my medicine in it and put it in my purse. I layed out what she was going to wear and what I was going to wear. I made sure her shoes were at the door (even though I have a shoe cubbie by the door, somehow her shoes never make it in there!). I made sure her jacket was on it's hook (which it wasn't, it was hanging on a chair in the dining room, grr).  Since I prepared the night before, all I had to do this morning, besides the unplanned oatmeal, was to grab her backpack and my purse and put them in the car. I had made coffee the night before for myself, so I was all set. I had already printed off a map of how to get there and had put it in my purse (and now you know why I have a big purse, lol). And we were off!
      We returned at lunch time and I already had an idea what I was going to make for lunch for the kids.
Hot dogs, carrot sticks, and canned peaches.  Eva wanted mac n cheese instead, so I had an instant mac n cheese that I did up and added a cut up hot dog to it.
     For Gerald & I, I went to the freezer and reheated the minestrone soup that I had made last week.  Here's the recipe that I used as an inspiration:

OLIVE GARDEN'S MINESTRONE SOUP
INGREDIENTS
1 cup finely minced celery
1 cup finely minced onion
1 cup finely minced carrot

1/2 cup garbanzo beans
1/2 cup kidney beans
1/4 cup butter beans
1/2 cup whole dried peas
1/2 cup white pea beans

3/4 cup sliced carrots
3/4 cup coarsely chopped onion
3/4 cup sliced celery
3/4 cup chopped bell pepper
1/2 cup rice or barley

2 tablespoons minced parsley
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
2 teaspoons soy sauce
 Pepper to taste

1 cup shell macaroni
Parmesan cheese

INSTRUCTIONS
Slowly sauté onion, celery and carrot in butter until very brown.  Add peas and beans and about 3 quarts of water. Cook slowly until beans are almost done (check garbanzos — they will take the longest) about 2 to 2-1/2 hours. Add the remaining vegetables, rice and spices and more water if necessary and cook another hour. About 20 minutes before serving time, add the macaroni and more water if needed. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Serve with crusty garlic bread.

The olive garden soup recipe is ready to serve. Amazingly nice....enjoy it !
(http://olivegarden-soup-recipes.blogspot.com/2009/01/olive-gardens-minestrone-so... )

**What I did differently:  I had a 6 bean soup mix that I had gotten in my box from S.H.A.R.E. several months back.  I then took that mix and put it in the soup pot and cooked it according to the package directions for using right away.  I then drained the beans and thoroughly rinsed them off.  Then I cooked the trio as directed. Then I added the beans, the vegetables and the water. (for the vegtables, I also used a mixed vegetable frozen bag.)  After 3 hours, I added a large can of diced tomatoes and tomato sauce.  I let it cook 20 minutes, then I added the macaroni. 

We ate some that day, and the rest I put into ziploc 8oz bowls and froze them.

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For dinner, I let Gerald cook. We had frozen pizzas.  I took an idea that I read from Family Fun magazine and I served dessert first while the pizza cooled.  After lunch, I made chocolate pudding. So the kids ate their pudding and when they were done, the pizza was cool enough to eat without them whining about how hot it was!! Whooo, hooo! LOVE that idea!
      On Friday, there are no after school activities, so we usually rent movies and eat pizza. But because Eva didn't have Irish Dancing class last Sunday (because of Sarah's Fundraiser), the makeup class is today from 5:30-6:30 (why oh why do these things have to be during dinner time!?!)  Well, I have some leftover chicken that I need to use up anyways, so I'm going to try this recipe from the Betty Crocker site.

          Southwest Chicken and Couscous
          A home-cooked chicken dinner in a skillet can be on your dinner table in less than 30 minutes.

          Prep Time: 25 min  Total Time: 25 min   Makes: 4 servings

         1 cup frozen bell pepper and onion stir-fry (from 1-lb bag)
         1/2 cup Green Giant® Valley Fresh Steamers™ Niblets® frozen corn
        1/2 cup Old El Paso® Thick 'n Chunky salsa
        1 can (15 oz) black beans with cumin and chili spices, undrained
        1 package (9 oz) frozen cooked southwest-seasoned chicken breast strips
        2 cups water
        1 1/2 cups uncooked couscous
        1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (or parsley if you don't like cilantro)

        1. Spray 12-inch nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Add stir-fry vegetables to skillet; cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until crisp-tender.

        2. Stir in corn, salsa, beans and frozen chicken. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until chicken is thoroughly heated (break up large pieces of chicken with spoon as mixture cooks).

       3. Meanwhile, heat water to boiling. Stir in couscous. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 5 minutes.

       4. Fluff couscous with fork; spoon onto serving plates. Top with chicken mixture. Sprinkle with cilantro.

       Make the Most of This Recipe With Tips From The Betty Crocker® Kitchens

         Substitution
          If you don't have the stir-fry vegetables, use a combination of one or more colors of chopped bell peppers and onion to equal 1 cup.

          Substitution
          Use your choice of mild, medium or hot salsa to make this dish as mild or spicy as you like.

What did the kids eat? Well, they tried this, but didn't really like it. They had the couscous and the mini calzones that I had made for their after school snack.  Well, it was meant to be an after school snack, but then the phone rang and it was important and 40 mins later, I was back at it.  It was a good thing, though, since they didn't like tonight's dinner.  I just used pizza dough, pizza sauce, and mozzarella cheese.

            My favorite pizza dough recipe:

             1 package regular active dry yeast  (2 1/4 tsps)
             3/4 cup warm water (105°F to 115°F)
             1 cup Gold Medal® whole wheat flour
            1 cup Gold Medal® all purpose flour
            2 teaspoons sugar
            1/2 teaspoon salt
            1 tablespoon olive oil

            1. In medium bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir in flour, sugar, salt and oil. Stir with fork until
dough forms. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface; knead 12 times. Return to bowl. Cover; let
rest 20 minutes.

           2. Heat oven to 425°F. Spray large cookie sheet with cooking spray; sprinkle with the cornmeal.
Gently push fist into dough to deflate. Spray hands with cooking spray; press dough into 15x10-
inch rectangle on cookie sheet or roll out and cut into 6" circles.

           3. Cookie Sheet:  Bake 8 minutes. Spread pizza sauce over partially baked crust to within 1/2 inch of edge. Top with your favorite toppings.
-or-
spread about 1tsp of sauce to within 1/4" of edge.  Sprinkle with cheese on one side. Fold in half.  Crimp with fork to seal.
           4. Bake 10 to 15 minutes longer, or until cheese is melted and edges of crust are golden brown.
   -or-  Bake about 10 minutes longer or until golden brown.
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Speaking of Irish Dancing, tomorrow, Eva and I are going to the Pat Roche Feis (fesh) in Chicago.  Eva isn't competing yet, but I thought it would be nice for her to see what it's all about before she goes to her first one, sometime in Jan or Feb.  But, we have to leave the house by 5am, groan, so that means I've got to make food up ahead of time so we can be on time (and so that everybody else gets fed in this house!). So tonight, I'll make up waffles.  The next morning, just pop into the toaster!
Thursday is ALWAYS spaghetti nite for us. Our oldest started that when she was 3 and had swimming lessons on Thursdays. I didn't mind, spaghetti was easy to make. And now we have the triplets and we still eat spaghetti on Thursdays and they are now taking swimming lessons!
But just because we're having spaghetti doesn't mean that it has to be the same ole same ole. Tonite I did a pasta bake. Easy for me and hot and ready when we got home.

4 italian sausages
1 box penne noodles, uncooked
1 26oz favorite spaghetti sauce (I use Prego Chunky Garden)
2 cups mozzarella cheese
2 cups hot water

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees
2. Slice slightly frozen italian sausage into coins. Put about 2 T oil in a pan, heat up the oil slightly, then add the italian sausage coins. Cook until they're brown.
3. Put box of penne into a 13x9x2 pan. Pour the 2 cups of hot water over the noodles. Let noodles sit while the sausages cook.
4. Add sausages, pasta sauce and cheese to the noodles. Mix well.
5. Cover and cook for an hour.
6. At this point, can serve or turn the oven to Keep Warm.

Serve with italian bread and a small salad.
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After dinner, I made muffins for tomorrow's breakfast. Because we get up so early, I made the muffins tonite to serve tomorrow.


CINNAMON APPLE MUFFINS
Cinnamon and apples make these easy breakfast or brunch muffins a tasty favorite.
Preparation time: 15 min Baking time: 18 min Yield: 1 dozen muffins

1 1/2 cups all‐purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup LAND O LAKES® Butter, melted
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 cup finely chopped apple

Heat oven to 375°F. Combine, flour, sugar, baking powder and cinnamon in medium bowl. Add all remaining ingredients. Stir just until flour is moistened.
Spoon batter into greased 12‐cup muffin pan. Bake for 18 to 23 minutes or until lightly browned. Let stand 10 minutes; remove from pan.

Serve with LAND O LAKES® Spreadable Butter with Canola Oil.

Nutrition Facts (1 muffin): Calories: 170, Fat: 6g, Cholesterol: 30mg, Sodium: 100mg, Carbohydrates: 27g Dietary Fiber: <1g, Protein: 2g
(because the fiber is so low, the next time I make them, I'm going to use 1/2 cup oatmeal)
Wednesday's afternoons are busy for us. Ella has dance from 5:30 to 6. Then Eva has CCD from 6:30 to 7:30 (also her bedtime). So I have to make dinner ahead of time and either keep it warm in the oven or be reheatable. Tonite, I made meatloaf and mashed potatoes. (no veggie because I haven't gone to the store in ages, so the freezer is out!)

SOUPERIOR MEAT LOAF
1 envelope Lipton® Recipe Secrets® Onion Soup Mix
2 lbs. ground beef
3/4 cup plain dry bread crumbs*
2 eggs
3/4 cup water
1/3 cup ketchup
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Combine all ingredients in large bowl.
2. Shape into loaf in 13 x 9-inch baking or roasting pan.
3. Bake uncovered 1 hour or until done. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

*Substitution: Use 1-1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs or 5 slices fresh bread, cubed.

Mashed Potatoes
Peel one potato per person plus one. Cover with cold water and cook until a fork slides in easily. Drain, return to pot and mash with a masher or a hand mixer. Add 1/2 stick butter, 1/2 cup sour cream and about a 1/4 cup (or less) of milk. Mix together and serve.
Tuesdays this fall are crazy for me. Eva has an acting class in the next city over until 5:45pm and it takes me a half hour to get home. Dinner has to be ready when we walk in the door since Dad has choir practice at 7!  This is when I use my slow cooker.  For this recipe, I saute the onions and green pepper, then brown the steaks and then I put all of it into a slow cooker with the tomatoes. I make the roux when I get home. I use medium grain rice that takes 20 mins to cook, so I make it the night before so that all I have to do when I get home is to make the roux and reheat the rice. Serve with rolls (already made, lol).

GREEN PEPPER STEAK

1 lg. green pepper (coarse chopped)
1 lg. onion (chopped)
5 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 lb. steak
1 can beef bouillon
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 can tomatoes (303 size)
2 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tbsp. flour
2 tbsp. butter (melted)

4 c. cooked rice

1. In large skillet heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Cook onion and green pepper until onion is soft and translucent. Remove and set aside.
2. Cut meat into 1/4 inch strips 2 or 3 inches long. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Brown in remaining vegetable oil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Add onion, green pepper and bouillon. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
3. Pour tomato juice from canned tomatoes into skillet. Cut up tomatoes and stir into skillet. Stir in soy sauce. Cover and simmer additional 15 minutes. Remove from heat.
4. Make a roux by stirring flour into melted butter until dissolved. Stirring constantly, add roux to skillet and continue stirring until thoroughly combined. Over medium high heat, cook and stir constantly until smooth and thickened slightly.
Serve over hot cooked rice.

Since the kids will not eat green peppers if they are cooked, I sliced raw green peppers into bite size pieces. When I served the steak, the kids got a couple pieces of the steak, the rice with some butter on it, and some pieces of raw green pepper. For us, I put the rice on the plate first, then the green peppers and steak with sauce over the rice.
On Mondays, I have time to make something for dinner, but tonight, I was dragging my heels, didn't really feel like cooking.  Then I remembered I had shrimp in the freezer!!
This is approximately what I did. I used a whole box of angel hair pasta, and 5 servings (per what the bag said was a serving) of shrimp

Tomato-Garlic Shrimp With Angel-Hair Pasta
(by By Meghan Pembleton Special to the Republic)
4 ounces angel-hair pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
8 ounces raw, large shrimp, thawed if frozen
1 can diced tomatoes
Chopped fresh basil, for garnish

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large, non-stick skillet over medium-high heat . Add garlic, shrimp and tomatoes. Saute until shrimp are no longer pink, 2 to 3 minutes. Toss with drained pasta. Garnish with basil, if desired.
Active time: 10 minutesTotal time: 10 minutesServings: 2
Approximate values per serving: 435 calories, 15 g fat, 175 mg cholesterol, 27 g protein, 46 g carbohydrates, 2 g fiber, 211 mg sodium, 31 percent calories from fat.

I had one kid eat the shrimp and pasta. The other 3 kids ate:
Fish sticks and angel hair pasta
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Since Tuesdays are crazy, I made the rice tonight for tomorrow's dinner.