{March Madness...and I don't mean basketball}

It's not surprising to me that my blogging fell a bit off the table during the last part of February and all of March.  This time of year is traditionally a very busy time for our family, and this year was no different.  With wrapping up of birthday season, heading into Irish dance season, and track starting, it's been a little busy around my house.  The next 10 weeks between now and the end of the school year promise to be just as busy, but I'm hoping to find time for writing, even when things can be crazy.  I even have some draft posts already in the works, so that excites me!  I'm working on a first quarter goal update, and I'm excited to share some recent changes I've made with you all.  In the meantime, I just wanted to squeak in a little post to let you know I haven't disappeared!

{Meal Plan~ August}

After a long hiatus, I'm back.
I've been asked to share a meal plan, so here we go.  Just a few words up front about my meal planning process:

First, I started by revamping my Master Meals list for the upcoming school year.  I get creative in the kitchen during the summer because I actually have time and energy to experiment in the kitchen and create tasty meals for my family (which I LOVE!).  In August, I always like to update the Master Meals list with additions from things we tried over the summer (and possibly since the previous August) that we want to make regular menu appearances.

Second, I take a look at what we might have going on each week.  For example, I know that on Mondays, I teach Oula at 6pm.  During the summer, this is no big deal, because we can just eat early, but during the school year, things change and we get busier, I work later, etc, so I usually try to plan an easy, quick meal, or a crock pot meal on those days.

Third, I usually only plan 4-5 dinners each week.  I know my family well enough to know that we often have days where we say, "Hey, *THIS* sounds super good tonight!" and we go with it.  You can already see from this picture and what I have below that meals got shifted around because of the movie night my kids planned. I also plan at least one leftover day during the week because we end up with a large amount of food sitting in the fridge if I don't. 

The last thing I do is take a look at what I have planned and upcoming for the next week to determine my grocery list.  If I need to do a Costco run, I will try to make sure I buy anything on my list that will keep (I don't usually buy produce at Costco) to get me through the month so that I don't have to make another trip.

All that said... Here is the menu plan for the rest of August (links to recipes included where sources are known):

Thursday 8/11:  Teen Movie night at our house, Papa Murphy's Pizza (starting out easy!!!)
Friday 8/12:  Chicken Penne  *New recipe, might be adding to the master list*
Saturday 8/13: Leftovers (if there's enough), Tacos if not
Sunday 8/14: Pork and asparagus Stir Fry
Monday 8/15: Panini sandwiches and salad
Tuesday 8/16: Chicken Enchiladas (chicken mixture prep in crockpot, then assemble and bake)
Wednesday 8/17: Leftover or Free day
Thursday 8/18: Red Thai Curry
Friday 8/19: Homemade Pizza
Saturday 8/20:
Sunday 8/21:  Both of these days are free days because of company in town, and I'm not sure of the plan at this point.  :)
Monday 8/22:  Chicken Tikka Masala (I usually use this recipe, but I'm trying this recipe to see how it is.)  I'll be back in my classroom this day making sure all is ready, and teaching Oula in the evening, so it's the crock pot to the rescue!
Tuesday 8/23:  Ginger Beef & Veggies *New recipe!!*
Wednesday 8/24: Staff Back to School BBQ... I'll probably bring a pasta salad.
Thursday 8/25: Baked Potato Soup (My youngest has been begging for this even though it's summertime!)
Friday 8/26: Creamy Chicken Picatta
Saturday 8/27: Leftover or Free day
Sunday 8/28: Burgers on the grill and roasted veggies
Monday 8/29: Leftover or free day... It's the last day of summer!!
Tuesday 8/30:  Beef stroganoff... First day of school
Wednesday 8/31:  Pork steak on the grill and grilled zucchini & onions

There you go!  I'll try to let you know how the new recipes turn out, and post September as soon as I get it done!!

Playing catch up...

That's what I feel like we've been doing for the last couple of weeks. My last day with kids at school for this school year was Tuesday, June 8th. Our kiddos' last day was Friday, June 11. Since then, we've been running around going crazy, trying to get some stuff done that was sadly neglected during the school year. So now I'm going to play a little more catch up, and catch everyone up on what's been happening with the Montana Meeks...

First, we've been contemplating getting a dog. We've looked around and just haven't found the right match yet. We'll keep you posted when we do.

I've been spending a little bit of time poring over decorating magazines, trying to get some inspiration to jazz up my home a little bit. With any luck, my pal Jami, will come and help me sometime in July. She's amazing and her home is super adorable. I'm sure she can help me be creative with items that I already have!

My summer classes are going well so far. One is just about to wrap up, and the other is just kicking into gear. Over the next few weeks I have some serious work to do, but then I'll be able to enjoy some time (August) to kick back and relax without having to think about assignments being due, or reading really, really dry stuff!

This week, we are getting ready to re-roof our house, if the weather cooperates. This is a project that we have been planning for since last September, making sure that we had the money saved and everything in place to make it happen, so it is a great feeling to know that it is finally coming together!

I've been working a little bit on and off, and trying to get caught up on laundry and housekeeping in between everything else. I'm also starting a new workout program today, so watch for another post about that later today.

In the midst of everything, we were able to get away for a short camping trip. Michaela was at a friends house for the evening, and Jon and I decided to take the other two camping over a Sunday night. We went down to Bass Creek. Monday we took a nice hike up to the reservoir before heading home. It's been a pretty rainy summer so far, so we have had to take advantage of the sunshine when we get the chance. Here are some pictures from our trip:

This is the perfect s'more in Becca-land.

These were supposed to be baked potatoes, but they got a little overdone.

Bethany...

The kiddos...

Next stop on the catch up list:

Fix the dishwasher (it broke yesterday, part will be in tomorrow...)

Clean the fridge (Be afraid, be very afraid....)

'Til next time,

Becca