Clover Lane

I'm tired of being cold.  I'm tired of the boots and hats and coats and scarves littering my home.  I want the snow to melt.  I want kids outside playing and open windows.  I want the smell of spring.  I want green!

I want to look out my window and see this:

Sunday
Minestrone Soup
Homemade Bread (in bread maker)

Monday
Zucchini Crab Cakes
Egg Noodles with Parmesan or Four Cheese Bow Ties

Tuesday
Asian Chicken Salad
Baked Potatoes
Fortune Cookies

Wednedsay
Beef Stroganoff (from Our Best Bites)


Thursday
Tacos
Guacamole (I make my own with avocados of course, a little salt and a little chopped onion and cilantro)
Salsa

Friday 
Pizza

Answers to questions from last week:
I have a bread making question: do you make all of the bread your family eats (including sandwiches)? I am wanting to take the plunge on a bread maker but am interested if it is as economical as I imagine. Thank you!

Question: I thought I read you were a vegetarian awhile back. Do you alter your family menu for yourself? I ask because I would like to become a part-time vegetarian and am looking for recipes the family will eat too
You did read I was a vegetarian awhile back.  I have been on and off for 20 years. Since I was pregnant with Janey I have been eating meat, and although I try here and there to cut down, since I'm still nursing, I just feel like my body needs it.  When I have eliminated meat from my diet in the past, I have either made the whole family a non-meat meal, or made myself something separate-maybe a huge salad, or whole wheat pasta topped with tons of sauteed veggies (that's my favorite).  

Here is my simple menu planning process-so simple I feel funny writing a post about it!

I have been doing this for more years than I can count and nothing, I repeat NOTHING, has saved me for hassle, money, stress, than this simple process.  It also prevents me from being eaten alive by hungry children. :)


All week long I have a piece of notebook paper hanging up on the inside of one of my kitchen cabinets.  As I notice we run out of something or someone needs something, I write it down.  I shop most of the time at a large grocery store once a week and I try to make this my one errand a week if at all possible, so this list holds just about everything I need from food to a school supplies or cleaning supplies or diapers.


My grocery shopping day changes depending on what works with my schedule at the time, but right now I usually go on Fridays.  On Thursday, I get my cute little pad of paper with the days of the week out (or I just use a piece of notebook paper), and think of dinners to make, along with maybe some desserts or snacks.

I own a few cook books, and also like AllRecipes to source meal ideas.

I try to mix it up with tried and true favorites and maybe one or two new things.  Friday is usually pizza night, Saturday I don't plan for, because we might go out, or stay in, or teenagers might have plans or not, and I just play it by ear.  I also look at the calendar to see what the week holds for me, and how much time I have for preparation that day.

I add to my grocery list the ingredients that I will need to make the dinners I have planned, checking my cabinets to see what we already have.

My days of the week chart is not set in stone of course, I change things around because I might forget to defrost the meat, or have a really busy day with a fussy little one, and go for the easy meal instead of one that requires time, but I always know I have six meal ingredients on hand.

Speaking of purging-I have had many readers ask where my 40 Day/40 Bags posts are.   I switched some things around on my blog this year and to make a long story short, I accidentally deleted them because I thought I had saved them somewhere else.   Lent starts a little late this year (March 9, my birthday go figure!), but I am going to try to duplicate them in "real" time.  I'm sorry for the inconvenience and annoyance, trust me, I could kick myself!

This little girl-seventeen months old-is showing a little side of sassy pants.  She reminds me a little of Abbey when she was little, maybe it's a girl thing.  She wants it the way she wants it and if you don't get the way she wants it, she'll have no problem letting you know that you've made a grave error.

She has been helping me organize and clean and straighten which means she undoes about 30% of what I do.  I don't think it's a terrible ratio-not enough to make me frustrated or warrant an excuse to stop and she enjoys it so we move forward and she keeps me company.

I've been thinking so much about the 20 years I've been home raising my kids.  I love being home, if you have read this blog you know that by now.  Not because it's easy, because it's certainly not always, just because I know deep in my heart that babies and toddlers and little ones need their mommies.  It's not the 'popular' thing to say because it's against what our culture wants us mothers to believe-that we're replaceable, and I know it's not always possible, in spite of the big sacrifices that most of us at-home moms have made at some point in our lives.  I would have and did and still would do absolutely anything to make it happen though.  I think nature intended for mothers and their little ones to be close by-it's part of our growth and their growth and bonding and just plain old human development.

I had a whole big essay I wanted to write (not that I haven't written about the subject enough) but I can't because Miss-Janey-Unreliable-Napper-Pants just woke up and I'm going to feed her lunch and then we might take a walk, or finish the wash, or play with her teapot.  So that will do for now.

Sunday
Potato Soup
Grilled Cheese (I usually make bread in the bread maker for these)

Monday
Lemon-Zucchini Fettucine

Tuesday
Spaghetti
Garlic Bread (I usually make this kind.)

Wednesday
Ritz Chicken Fingers
Chef's Salad with Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

Thursday
Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Sweet and Sour Marinade
Pineapple
Minute Rice

Friday
Pizza Night!

Extra Snacks For The Week
Peanut Butter Cookies

Oh boy-three snow days back to back before school can even start after Christmas vacation.



I am taking it in stride and it hasn't been as bad as I thought it could be in terms of boys inside (it's way below zero out) and getting on each other's nerves.  It's actually been a little fun?  We haven't had a storm like this one in a long time.

Jeff took the boys sledding after church on Sunday (which wasn't cancelled much to the disappointment of a few)...they begged him, and I wouldn't let them go without him.  When they got back I heard something about bumper hitching on the way home but I didn't ask questions because sometimes I've learned what you don't know can't hurt you.

The most important system for the smooth running of this house is my weekly menu.  If I don't have it in place, it seems like everything else falls apart.  It takes a little time to plan out but when I do it saves me so much time, and money and stress in so many ways.  I thought maybe I'd try to post ours every week (if you don't make fun of my really simple, sometimes lame, and repetitious meals) and that will hold me accountable also.

My menus are always subject to change and substitutions depending on what the week throws at me.

Sunday
Tomato Tortellini Soup (new recipe I'm trying)
Garlic Roll-Ups

Snack- Soft Pretzels

Monday
Chicken Noodle Casserole
Salad
Rolls

Tuesday
Chili (I serve this with tortilla chips and top with cheese and sour cream)

Wednesday
Buffalo Chicken Bites (in thiscook book I bought myself for Christmas, can't find the recipe on line yet)
Baked Potatoes
Eight Layer Dip (Pioneer Woman again)

Thursday

Spicy Roast Beef (a slow cooker recipe from this book)
Red Potatoes
Green Beans

Friday
Pizza Night

Saturday
(Don't know plans yet.)

Extra Snacks For The Week:
Hummus and Pita Chips
Black-Eyed Peas Salsa

Getting so big!