coffee

8/29/2021 Weekly Meal Plan

Abby H.

0a5e9dab796cea8a07eabe4eb4795b9e.jpgThis coming week is going to be great! A little busy with doctors appointments, but other than that, it’s looking to be a fun week with warmer temps (and that means after school swimming).

I hit up the grocery store on Thursday and did some batch cooking and menu planning for this week. It was the only day last week where I was not busy with appointments.

I kept the grocery shopping at budget. I had to go to three stores however, because my usual stores didn’t have everything I was looking for. The supply chain is starting to get wonky again, so you may notice some items are taking longer to get back in stock on shelves.

And I’ve been getting a lot of really great freebies from Social Nature lately too. It’s fun to try new foods.

No CSA box this week. We’ll be back on it next week!

For those of you that are new to meal planning, I’ve got an easy 101 style post here with super easy tips and steps. After you get that down, here is info about batch or freezer cooking.

I’ve gotten a pretty good inventory of the pantry, freezer, and fridge done (I try to update it after every shopping trip), so I’m able to plan meals and use up what we’ve got with little waste. If you are looking for a kitchen inventory printable, I have made my own and you can find them for sale here on my Etsy Store.

I only post our dinner plans for the week, because our other meals are usually the same each day.

Breakfast: Coffee with 1/2 and 1/2  for me, and pancakes or something along those lines for the kids. They are also into fruit and bagels for breakfast. The Ancient Grain bagels from Einstein Bros. are the current family favorite. I pick them up on Mondays when a dozen is only $7. I slice them and freeze them to keep them from going bad too quickly.

Lunch: I have a plastic tote in the cupboard full of self-serve snacks. I buy treats and snacks in bulk and fill up snack-sized zip-top bags. I’m back to packing lunches again. However, school lunches are free this year, but so far, there is nothing on the menu that appeals to the kids.

Dinner: We’ve got a pretty good schedule down for dinners. We have nuggets (vegetarian for the boy child, chicken for the rest) on the nights that we have respite. It’s quick prep and clean up, and I can serve it on our cafeteria trays with other fingers foods (we have trays like these) like cut-up fruit, crackers, and cheese. I have been posting our meal plans on Instagram too- As well as pics of stuff we are doing to keep busy.

  • Sunday: Machacas Bowls (Rice, Beans, roasted veggies, and Machacas)
  • Monday: Chicken Tetrazzini with brocolli, watermelon
  • Tuesday: Nugget night: Nuggets, crackers, cheese, fruit
  • Wednesday:  Impossible Burgers with Chimichurri sauce, Salad, buttered noodles
  • Thursday: Veggie Fritatta, toast
  • Friday:  Takeout Night
  • Saturday: Leftovers, fruit

Please stay safe you guys!

Cross Country Cafe: Maple Pecan K-Cup® Coffee

Abby H.

They are back! Limited Edition Maple Pecan K-Cup® Coffee are in stock at Cross Contry Cafe!

Maple pecan offers a familiar blend of sweet maple syrup and rich, buttery pecan flavors. This fan-favorite is a limited edition, seasonal roast. It won’t be here long, stock up now!

And for those of you who don’t use Kuerigs or 1 use k-cups, check this out: Do you find yourself wondering things like, “can I reuse a K-Cup® capsule?” You are not alone. Cross Country Cafe questions like that every day. In this article, they answer your top seven Keurig® coffee questions.

 

Cross Country Cafe: K-Cup® Coffee Free Ebook + $5.00 coupon!

Abby H.

I love Cross Country Cafe– They have awesome deals on k-cups, coffee, and supplies to make your morning cuppa Joe even better. Right now they have a cool offer: Free K-Cup® Coffee Ebook + $5.00 off coupon! In addition to their ebook, they also have a section on their website dedicated to coffee recipes- it’s a great resource, especially if you love coffee shop coffee, but you are trying to avoid the drive-thru!

10 Iced Coffee Recipes to Keep You Cool this Summe

And every month, Cross Country Cafe gives away four boxes of K-cups. To enter or learn more, visit their giveaway page here.

Cross Country Cafe: Feeling lucky? Win 4 boxes of K-Cup® pods

Abby H.

Cross Country Cafe has a great giveaway!

Enter to win FOUR full-size boxes of the best-selling K-Cup® coffee pods! Enter to win before May 31st, 2021.

And while you are at it, check out their blog– They have great articles, recipes, and tips to keep your Keurig running its best!

3/8/2021 Weekly Meal Plan!

Abby H.

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Our second CSA Box is being delivered today! To learn more about Yasukochi Family Farms and our first box, click here. A lot of our meals this week are going to be veggie-heavy. We eat a lot of produce anyway, but now we’re eating more local produce!

I hit up the grocery store over the weekend for some much-needed bread, milk, and butter. I’m waiting for the grocery ads to come out for this week to see if I can find some deals on chicken or beef. I really would like to make a meatloaf to have for lunch this week (and meatloaf sandwiches for another lunch).

For those of you that are new to meal planning, I’ve got an easy 101 style post here with super easy tips and steps. After you get that down, here is info about batch or freezer cooking.

I’ve gotten a pretty good inventory of the pantry, freezer, and fridge done (I try to update it after every shopping trip), so I’m able to plan meals and use up what we’ve got with little waste. If you are looking for a kitchen inventory printable, I like the kitchen inventories here. They are great printables.

I only post our dinner plans for the week, because our other meals are usually the same each day.

Breakfast: Coffee with 1/2 and 1/2  for me, and pancakes or something along those lines for the kids.  The kids are nuts about pancakes. The Big Kid has been on a protein shake kick in the AM.

Lunch: The little kiddo and I usually have something quick and filling (I’ve been prepping bean and rice bowls on Sundays for us to have during week) so we can get back to our adventures.  Big kid takes his lunch to school.

Dinner: Usually, I do a crockpot meal on Mondays, but now that we are home all the time, we’ve been having an odd combination of fully home-cooked, scratch meals, and frozen entrees and veggies. I have been posting our meal plans on Instagram too- As well as pics of stuff we are doing to keep busy.

  • Sunday: Badas Burgers (it’s an amazing food truck that’s taken up residence across the street from our house- so dangerous!)
  • Monday: Salad, Nuggets, fries
  • Tuesday:  Entrees & Fruit Salad
  • Wednesday: Breakfast for dinner: Pancakes, Eggs (scrambled with veggies and cheese), fruit
  • Thursday: Skillet casserole, roasted veggies
  • Friday:  Pizza Night!
  • Saturday: Leftover Fiesta

Please stay safe you guys! The sooner we flatten the curve, the sooner life can go back to normal- whatever that means.

Talk Back: What are you cooking for dinner this week?

3 Months of Free Coffee with MyPanera+ Coffee Subscription!

Abby H.

If you live or work near a Panera, this deal is pretty sweet!

If you redeem your MyPanera+ Coffee subscription daily during your monthly subscription, that works out to about 30¢ per day. Subscribe now and get your first 3 months free. After that, it’s just $8.99/month (plus tax).

Any Size, Any Flavor-Includes unlimited hot coffee, iced coffee, and hot tea.

Get any size, any flavor once up to every 2 hours, with unlimited refills while you’re in the cafe. That means plenty of coffee to pair with your favorite bagel, breakfast sandwich, or sweet treat. YUM!

Fine Print: *For new subscribers and resubscribers that sign up for a MyPanera+ Coffee subscription between 12/10 through 3/31/2021, you will receive three (3) free months of coffee subscription. Must be a MyPanera member and at least 18 years of age or older to register. Registration available online only including Kiosk. You may cancel at any time. If you do not cancel either before your renewal date or after the expiration of any free trial offer, your credit card will automatically be charged $8.99 plus tax for the monthly subscription and will be charged on a recurring monthly basis every thirty (30) days thereafter until you cancel your subscription. To cancel your subscription online, visit the Subscription section at www.panerabread.com/MyPaneraCoffee or on the Panera Bread app. Subscription limited to hot coffee, hot tea and iced coffee once every two hours plus unlimited refills. Excludes iced tea and cold brew iced coffee and espresso and cappuccino beverages. Customizations including but not limited to added Espresso and added Syrups (Vanilla and Caramel) are not included in the Coffee Subscription monthly price. Upcharges apply. Other additions such as Milk, Skim Milk, Almond Milk, Half & Half, Sweeteners are included in the monthly subscription price. Subscription program registration and redemption available at participating U.S. bakery-cafes only. Excludes third party delivery and catering orders. One subscription per person. Visit here for complete Terms and Conditions. No cash back unless required by law. Not valid with any other coupon or offer. Offer may expire without notice due to error, fraud or other unforeseen circumstances. ©2020 Panera Bread. All Rights Reserved.

3/1/2021 Weekly Meal Plan

Abby H.

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I’m up to my eyeballs in soup! Looking through the freezer to do the meal plan for this week, I discovered that I’ve got 3 different kinds of soup in the freezer.

So on Tuesday we’re having beans and rice OR soup to go with our quesadillas. The kids will probably pick the beans and rice.

I went to the grocery store on Friday for milk, eggs, cheese, and bread. We were still good on everything else. We’re almost out of meat in the freezer, but the meat sales aren’t too great during Lent. I’ll keep my eyes open, but we may be eating more meat free meals until after Easter. That’s part of shopping and meal planning around what is on sale, rolling with the punches, and eating what’s on sale and in season.

For those of you that are new to meal planning, I’ve got an easy 101 style post here with super easy tips and steps. After you get that down, here is info about batch or freezer cooking.

I’ve gotten a pretty good inventory of the pantry, freezer, and fridge done (I try to update it after every shopping trip), so I’m able to plan meals and use up what we’ve got with little waste. If you are looking for a kitchen inventory printable, I like the kitchen inventories here. They are great printables.

I only post our dinner plans for the week, because our other meals are usually the same each day.

Breakfast: Coffee with 1/2 and 1/2  for me, and pancakes or something along those lines for the kids.  The kids are nuts about pancakes. The Big Kid has been on a protein shake kick in the AM.

Lunch: The little kiddo and I usually have something quick and filling (I’ve been prepping bean and rice bowls on Sundays for us to have during week) so we can get back to our adventures.  Big kid takes his lunch to school.

Dinner: Usually, I do a crockpot meal on Mondays, but now that we are home all the time, we’ve been having an odd combination of fully home-cooked, scratch meals, and frozen entrees and veggies. I have been posting our meal plans on Instagram too- As well as pics of stuff we are doing to keep busy.

  • Sunday:  Flavors of East Africa (we’re getting take out)
  • Monday: Salad, Black Bean Burgers on rolls
  • Tuesday:  Quesadillas, and beans and rice OR Soup
  • Wednesday: Nugget Night with veggies, fruit salad, and cheezits
  • Thursday: Quiche, toast, and fruit salad
  • Friday:  Pizza Night!
  • Saturday: Leftover Fiesta

Please stay safe you guys! The sooner we flatten the curve, the sooner life can go back to normal- whatever that means.

Talk Back: What are you cooking for dinner this week?

2/21/2021 Weekly Meal Plan

Abby H.

0a5e9dab796cea8a07eabe4eb4795b9e.jpgThis week is going to be a lot calmer/slower than the past few weeks. We are down to our usual weekly appointments only. Thank goodness, I don’t think I could handle a third marathon week.

I cleaned out/rearranged the freezer, fridge, and cupboard this weekend. I found a lot of great stuff I had forgotten about. I did the quarterly trip to Costco yesterday and grabbed a few things beyond our usual stock up of household goods (trashbags, laundry soap, dishwasher tabs, etc.). I grabbed a rotisserie chicken (good for at least three meals) and some fruit to get us through the week. If you need ideas for what to do with rotisserie chicken, there are ideas here, here, and here.

For those of you that are new to meal planning, I’ve got an easy 101 style post here with super easy tips and steps. After you get that down, here is info about batch or freezer cooking.

I’ve gotten a pretty good inventory of the pantry, freezer, and fridge done (I try to update it after every shopping trip), so I’m able to plan meals and use up what we’ve got with little waste. If you are looking for a kitchen inventory printable, I like the kitchen inventories here. They are great printables.

I only post our dinner plans for the week, because our other meals are usually the same each day.

Breakfast: Coffee with 1/2 and 1/2  for me, and pancakes or something along those lines for the kids.  The kids are nuts about pancakes. The Big Kid has been on a protein shake kick in the AM.

Lunch: The little kiddo and I usually have something quick and filling (I’ve been prepping bean and rice bowls on Sundays for us to have during week) so we can get back to our adventures.  Big kid takes his lunch to school. He’s been digging on Bear naked protein granola in his lunch lately. It’s his new favorite.

Dinner: Usually, I do a crockpot meal on Mondays, but now that we are home all the time, we’ve been having an odd combination of fully home-cooked, scratch meals, and frozen entrees and veggies. I have been posting our meal plans on Instagram too- As well as pics of stuff we are doing to keep busy.

  • Sunday:  Rotisserie Chicken, Salad, & Roasted Veg
  • Monday: Hashbrowns, eggs, Banana Bread, fruit
  • Tuesday:  Dream Dinners Entree (our last one), Roast Veg
  • Wednesday: Nugget Night with veggies, apple slices, and cheezits
  • Thursday: Crockpot Meal
  • Friday:  Pizza Night!
  • Saturday: Leftover Fiesta

Please stay safe you guys! The sooner we flatten the curve, the sooner life can go back to normal- whatever that means.

Talk Back: What are you cooking for dinner this week?

2/15/2021 Weekly Meal Plan

Abby H.

0a5e9dab796cea8a07eabe4eb4795b9e.jpgToday is a national holiday here in the US (President’s Day), so no school for the kiddos, but that doesn’t mean that I get any reprieve in the action.

I did a little shopping yesterday (we ran out of milk, ohs noes!). But it was a pretty small shop. Once again, we’re eating a lot from our pantry and freezer. I scored some great produce last week and we’ll be eating that for most of our salads.

I did some meal prep over the weekend, including making up beans and rice for lunches (and Sunday’s Dinner), and I made a HUGE batch of Machacas yesterday- half of it went onto the freezer for another meal in a few weeks.

For those of you that are new to meal planning, I’ve got an easy 101 style post here with super easy tips and steps. After you get that down, here is info about batch or freezer cooking.

I’ve gotten a pretty good inventory of the pantry, freezer, and fridge done (I try to update it after every shopping trip), so I’m able to plan meals and use up what we’ve got with little waste. If you are looking for a kitchen inventory printable, I like the kitchen inventories here. They are great printables.

I only post our dinner plans for the week, because our other meals are usually the same each day.

Breakfast: Coffee with 1/2 and 1/2  for me, and pancakes or something along those lines for the kids.  The kids are nuts about pancakes. The Big Kid has been on a protein shake kick in the AM.

Lunch: The little kiddo and I usually have something quick and filling (I’ve been prepping bean and rice bowls on Sundays for us to have during week) so we can get back to our adventures.  Big kid takes his lunch to school. He’s been digging on Bear naked protein granola in his lunch lately. It’s his new favorite.

Dinner: Usually, I do a crockpot meal on Mondays, but now that we are home all the time, we’ve been having an odd combination of fully home-cooked, scratch meals, and frozen entrees and veggies. I have been posting our meal plans on Instagram too- As well as pics of stuff we are doing to keep busy.

  • Sunday:  Beef Machacas, Beans, Rice and Salad
  • Monday: Black Bean Burgers, Chick’n Nuggets, Cauli Fries, salad
  • Tuesday:  Dream Dinners Entree, Salad (green or fruit)
  • Wednesday: Protein shakes, Meal of Snacks or leftovers
  • Thursday: Soup, Grilled Cheese sammiches, fruit
  • Friday:  Pizza Night!
  • Saturday: Leftover Fiesta

Please stay safe you guys! The sooner we flatten the curve, the sooner life can go back to normal- whatever that means.

Talk Back: What are you cooking for dinner this week?

Simple, Frugal Recipe: Coffee Cake!

Abby H.

I love coffee cake. I always have. It’s a quick, easy, frugal food to make for potlucks, or when you have company over for breakfast or brunch. Or because it’s Tuesday.

A few weeks back, Social Nature and Bob’s Red Mill sent us a Blueberry muffin grain-free mix. I don’t have a muffin tin (RIP muffin tin, it served us well for 10+ years), and the kit came with a recipe to use the mix for a coffee cake. HELLS YES.

The kids gobbled the cake up and the big kid asked if there was a way to make a coffee cake without a mix.

A quick glance at my handy dandy 1950 Betty Crocker Cookbook and here is my version of the recipe. I have made found the perfect recipe. I’ve made some changes that are a little healthier, a little more modern, but don’t mess with the flavors at all.

Betty’s Coffee Cake with Streusel Topping

 

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup white sugar
  • 1/4 cup butter, softened
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 1/2 cups AP Flour (You can use whole wheat flour if you prefer)
  • 2 tsp. baking POWDER
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)
  • 2 Tbsp. AP flour
  • 2 tsp. Cinnamon
  • 1 Tbsp. melted butter
  • (optional, but tasty) 1/2 C. chopped pecans

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
  2. In a large mixing bowl, combine white sugar, softened butter. Mix together until fluffy.
  3. Add egg and blend thoroughly.
  4. Stir in milk, and the dry ingredients. Mix until the batter is smooth.
  5. Pour and spread batter in greased (use spray release) 9×9 glass baking dish.
  6. In a smaller mixing bowl, combine brown sugar, remaining AP flour, cinnamon, melted butter, and pecans (optional). Spread this crumbly mixture over top of the baking dish.
  7. Bake cake for 25-32 minutes.

Serve with coffee (DUH), or a glass of cold milk.