Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Umm, About That Meal Planning Stuff ....


I don't seem to be doing such a great job of it this week. 

~~~~~

I'm doing better with the fun stuff. 
Ramona recently spotted owl-shaped baking pans at the store (I had totally passed them by, but she's not one to miss a tool that will make baking more fun.) So, we made pumpkin muffins. 


Tomorrow we're planning on some flower-shaped cookies in honor of St. Therese of Lisieux. 

But since pumpkin muffins and sugar cookies aren't exactly dinner, anyone have favorite, go-to, EASY autumn dinner ideas to share? 

9 comments:

Tabatha said...

Those owl muffins are adorable. I am under the weather at the moment, and barely managed to make dinner yesterday. We had rice, beans, cheese, salsa, avocado, tortilla chips, sour cream. Basically, diy nachos. Other suggestions: soup, chili, roasted veg.

Danae said...

Nathaniel would LOVE those owl muffins! You will have to tell me where you found the pan. Does your family like sweet potatoes? I will do sweet potatoes in the oven and then do whatever toppings people like (like a baked potato bar) but with sweet potatoes. It's healthier than regular potatoes, but just as easy. AND you can go sweet or savory with the toppings.

Elizabeth Kay said...

Flank steak in the crock pot -- add a can of Ro-Tel diced tomatoes (mexican type), (or a can of diced green chiles) some coriander, cumin, chile powder, garlic/onion powder, (a little dash of cinnamon is nice too) salt & pepper it. Cook on low all day or high for four hours. It should be shred-able at this point. Make tacos, quesadillas (spread a tortilla with refried beans, add meat, some queso cheese, whatever else you like, dip in sour cream, top with salsa) or burritos (rice, beans, meat--roll up and top with a jar of tomatillo sauce and cheese). I make this flank steak just about every week in fall/winter.

Karen Edmisten said...

Thanks for the ideas!

StacieMakeDo said...

Autumn always says kielbasa to me. It's often on sale this time of year so every couple of weeks it's on the menu.
I slice it or dice it, fry it or roast it, put it in the oven with carrots and potatoes, or toss with pasta, or add it to rice and a bag of ready-to-stir-fry veggies.

Menus. Oy. The bane of my existence.

Julie said...

Here's what's been cooking at our house lately:
Pork roast with potatoes and carrots: http://www.food.com/recipe/incredible-boneless-pork-roast-with-vegetables-500210?soc=pinterest
Chicken leg quarters http://www.culinarycraftiness.com/how-to-roast-frozen-chicken/
Served with homemade (and then frozen) mashed potatoes http://veganinthefreezer.com/slow-cooker-mashed-potatoes/ (I used russet potatoes, didn't peel them, used regular milk and butter and these were 'hearty' mashed potatoes (aka, some lumps and peels!)) and a bag of frozen peas.
Looking forward to trying:
'chicken enchiladas' http://dontwastethecrumbs.com/2014/10/recipe-chicken-spinach-enchiladas-with-creamy-salsa-verde-sauce/
http://www.littlehouseliving.com/amish-chicken-casserole-recipe.html
Turkey meatloaf muffins http://recipeknead.com/easy-turkey-meatloaf-muffins/
I have a Pinterest page with boards for crock pot, etc. in case your family enjoys the same things mine does....https://www.pinterest.com/hsmomforlife/

Karen Edmisten said...

Stacie, thanks for the ideas, and for the commiserating Oy! :)

Julie, thanks for the links, and I'll check out your Pinterest page, too. I especially love the idea of the slow cooked mashed potatoes and then freezing them!

Author Amok said...

I love those muffin pans, Karen. I have to go hunting for them.

This time of year, we love to use our slow-cooker. We make a big batch of something on Sunday, then have it for dinner if we have a busy night during the week.

Karen Edmisten said...

The slow-cooker is a dear friend. :)