Weekly Meal plan and a Great new Recipe!

I think one of the biggest blessings of being plugged into a Sunday School class is being able to serve others. We have definitely been on the receiving end of that since Graham has been born. We were first showered with TONS of diapers and wipes at our shower and then we have been overwhelmed with delicious food the last 2 weeks. So, my weekly meal planning was put on hold, but it's time for me to start cooking again!

I decided to pull out Bellevue's Seasoned with Grace cookbook and try a few new things this week.

Monday- Grilled Flank Steaks and Pan Fried Asparagus

Tuesday- Cheesy Beef and Shells Casserole and green beans

Wednesday- Aunt Jo's Chicken Rolls

(I picked this recipe simply because of the name. "Aunt Jo" is what my nieces and nephew call me. I thought it was funny that it was the name of the recipe. If it's good, I'll have to have them over next time)

Thursday- Garlic Lovers Chicken and and Baked Apples

My mom shared a delicious recipe with me last week. Nick and I thought it was delicious, and it will definitely be a "go-to" recipe. It is simple, and yet definitely good enough for company. You should give it a try. I actually cut the recipe in half because it serves 6-8.

Red Apple Inn Chicken and Rice

6 chicken breasts

6 slices of bacon

1 small package of sliced beef (located near the deli meat)

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup sour cream

3 oz. cream cheese

rice

Season chicken with pepper and wrap in bacon. Place beef in bottom of pan and top with bacon-wrapped chicken. Mix together soup, sour cream, and cream cheese. Pour over chicken. Cover with foil and bake for an hour @ 350. Remove from foil and allow chicken to brown. Serve over cooked rice.

Enjoy!!!

First Week Home...

I feel like we may have been blessed with the world’s most laid back baby. We were expecting another newborn like Molly, but Graham has been quite the opposite. He is a great eater, and for the last week has only woken up once during the night for feedings. He is truly a little bundle of joy. We were expecting hours upon hours of crying and poor feedings. We referred to Molly as "Molly the Miserable" for the first 3 months of her life. Graham, on the other hand, is so chilled. We are grateful!

We have been thrilled with Molly's reaction to her "Baby Gam". We weren't sure how she would handle our attention being diverted, but she has already shown such love for him. She loves to give kisses and enjoys sitting next to us while he is eating. We do have to watch her carefully though because she's such a good "helper". She's already tried to comfort him by attempting to feed him goldfish and animal crackers. But, at least her intentions are good.

Here are a few pictures from our first week home...

Nick was doing laundry, and I caught Graham hanging out with him.

First Bath

Graham wasn't a big fan, but Molly had fun taking hers

Reading books with Daddy after bath time

Snuggle and Cuddle Time

Welcome to our World

We welcomed little Graham into our family last Thursday, February 3rd. We were at the hospital at 5:30 am, and he was born a little before 8:00. I have to admit that a c-section is definitely not all that bad. Avoiding all of the contractions and labor was quite nice, and fortunately the recovery has not been as difficult as I thought it would be (other than not being to pick up Molly.)

Nicholas Graham weighed 7 lb 3 oz and was 20 1/2" long.

We stayed in the hospital until Sunday morning, when we came home. It is a huge blessing to have both sets of Grandparents in town to help take care of Molly. My mom stayed with me the last two nights in the hospital so that Nick could be at home and put Molly to bed, in order to keep things as normal as possible in her world.

We think he is just adorable, and has been a much easier infant that Molly was at this age. He is a great little eater and sleeper, unlike his big sister was this early. He definitely likes to cuddle, which has been so much fun. We are just having the best time as a family of four.

Here are a few pictures from our hospital stay...

Molly's first time to meet Graham

After noticing my "boo-boo" she wanted one too.

She wanted a hat just like Graham

This picture was taken after Nana (Nick's Mom) had given him a bath.

Just getting to know him a little bit

Molly LOVED getting to "ride it" on the hospital bed.

Me, Graham, and his Honey

Getting ready to go home

I can't stop kissing those cheeks!

Old Friends

There's something so sweet about getting together with friends who you've known for years. I feel so blessed to still be such close friends with several girls who were my best friends in elementary school. Our moms have also remained very close, and it's been so fun to watch our families be blessed with the next generation of children. Today we were able to have lunch at the Ellis' house for a little reunion and a chance to meet the two newest additions while Meredith was in town. Little Ella Griffin Edwards and Ellis Grimm are two of the cutest little girls I've seen.

Mary Beth and Ella Griffin (Bennett was at school today)

Meredith with Lee and Ellis

Me and Molly

Ella Griffin, Ellis, Lee, and Molly

The Lineup

The Proud Grandmothers

All 3 generations

A few more dinner recipes...

Salisbury Steak

I found this recipe in the Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook. It wasn't the prettiest presentation because the meat tended to fall apart, but it still tasted very good. I probably could have packed the meat a bit tighter when making the patties. I omitted the mushroom steps because I didn't have them on hand (and Nick won't eat them). We actually froze half of the patties and soup mixture for a later dinner.

1 can golden mushroom soup, undiluted and divided

1 1/2 pounds ground beef

1/2 cup finely chopped onions (I used dried)

1/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs

1 large egg, beaten

1 1/2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms (i omitted)

1/3 cup beef broth

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/4 tsp pepper

• Combine 1/4 cup soup, beef, and the next 3 ingredients; stir well. Shape mixture into 6 (1/2 inch) patties
• Brown patties in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Remove patties, discarding half of pan drippings. Cook mushrooms in remaining drippings in skillet over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until tender. Combine remaining soup, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, and pepper; add to mushroom mixture
• Return patties to skillet; bring to a boil.
• Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes.

Yields 6 servings

Easy Chicken Casserole

This recipe is one of our favorite go-to recipes for a busy night. Not a gourmet meal, but one that we like to eat at least 2 times a month. We usually have all of the ingredients on hand, and I even tend to cook and shred chicken in batches for the freezer ahead of time. This makes putting together casseroles and soups a breeze when you already have the chicken cooked and shredded.

3-4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1 8 oz sour cream

1 stick of melted butter

2 rolls of crushed ritz crackers

• Cook and shred chicken. Combine soups and sour cream in a saucepan, mix well and heat to combine.
• In a separate bowl, melt butter and add crushed ritz crackers
• In 9x13 casserole dish, layer 1/2 of the cracker mixture, chicken, soup mixture, and top with other 1/2 of the crackers
• Bake at 350 for about 25-30 minutes, or until hot and lightly browned.

We usually serve with green beans.

Cousin Love

My mom has told me time and time again that I just don't understand the deep relationships cousins can have because I never had first cousins that were my age and who I played with regularly. I never felt like I really missed out on anything, and quite honestly never really gave it much thought. I'm beginning to understand what she was talking about as I'm now having the joy of watching Molly grow to love her cousins. To say Molly loves her cousin Owen is a huge understatement! Every time she sees him, her eyes light up and a huge smile is on her face. Her "Owie", as she calls him, is definitely her best friend!

I feel like I'm just in survival mode this last week before Graham is born. Mom, April, and Owen helped me pass the day today by going with us to the mall to play and then to The Village to have lunch with Nonny. It was a fun morning for sure!

Giving a great big hug!

Posing for a quick picture

Molly loves to slide!

Just hangin' out.

Molly loves to play and sing "Ring Around the Rosie"

with the falling down part being her favorite

Molly sure loves her Honey and her Nonny!

Weekly Meal Plan, recipes, and Product rave

Nick recently gave me a new cast iron grill pan for my birthday. I love to grill indoors, but my old pan was a tremendous pain to clean! This pan is wonderful! If you haven't discovered the ease and yumminess of indoor grilling, go out and get yourself one of these 10" Emeril Grill pans from B, B, and Beyond for $25. You will fire up the outdoor grill a little less often.

Monterey Chicken

2-4 chicken breasts (pounded thin- this is pretty important anytime you use a grill pan)

BBQ Sauce- I always use Corky's when using a bottled sauce.

shredded cheddar cheese

crumbled bacon- I purchase the pre-cooked crumbled bacon found in little bags near the salad toppings at Kroger. Kroger brand works just fine, too. Feel free to cook your own bacon, but to me it's just a waste of time for a recipe like this.

A couple of hours before gilling, allow pounded chicken breasts to marinate in the fridge in BBQ Sauce. Just make sure both sides are coated well.

When ready to cook, preheat grill pan to med-high heat. Spray with a non-stick spray for easier clean up, and place your chicken on the grill. Wait until the edges turn white before attempting to flip or your chicken will stick. You will grill chicken until it is no longer pink in the center. Transfer grilled chicken to an oven-safe dish and top each piece of chicken with 1-2 TBSP of BBQ Sauce, shredded cheese, and bacon crumbles. Broil in the oven until cheese is slightly brown.

You can garnish with chopped tomatoes and lettuce if you would like. This would also make for a delicious sandwich on a toasted bun.

Green Beans and Sliced New Potatoes-

effortless side dish that is really quite good. **not a low sodium recipe :)

1 can of cut green beans

1 can of sliced new potatoes, rinsed and drained

enough water to cover beans and potatoes

1 1/2 TBP olive oil

4 beef bullion cubes

generous amounts of cracked pepper

Combine the above ingredients, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and allow to simmer for about 40 minutes.

Weekly Meal Plan

My cooking is definitely winding down to to the ever growing belly. However here is what's on the menu this week.

Monday: Germantown Commissary BBQ and potato salad

Tuesday: Ladies Night Out with friends @ American Cafe (BBQ leftovers for Nick)

Wednesday: Chicken Casserole and Green Beans

Thursday: Chicken Parmesan over Angel Hair Pasta