Back to School and Back to Menu Planning! Menu plan for 8/30/10

It is back to school for us this week. We are starting up grades 7,5,3 and Son #4 is perfecting his cuteness! I am also aiming to get back in the habit of putting my menu up so that it will help keep me accountable! Here is what we will be feasting upon this week!

Sunday- Leftovers
Monday: Ginger Steak Salad
Tuesday: Enchilada Stacks
Wednesday:  Dirty Rice with corn on the cob
Thursday: Homemade Pizza
Friday: Pot Roast with mashed potatoes and gravy
Saturday: Grilled kielbasa and peppers amd roasted potatoes

Enjoy your week!

Antelope Island

The boys and I are determined to explore the area around us. We had marked out Antelope Island in the Great Salt Lake as a place that we wanted to explore and we were not disappointed! We are already planning on when to take Daddy out.

We brought a picnic lunch to eat on the beach.

We played in the water, but due to bugs (brine flies?) we didn't stay in the water or near the water for as long as we liked.

Notice in the bottom of the photo the black stuff on the ground? That was the mass of brine flies- they were disgusting! We had grand plans of building sand castles, but we were grossed out!

So we drove around the island to see what we could see- and we found an antelope! He stood so still the boys thought he was a statue!

.

We also found this guy. Apparently there is a large herd of bison living on this island. They are HUGE in real life. We were so glad that we were in the car.

We had a wonderful little trip here. We can't wait to explore more of this new place that we have found ourselves in.

What I have been up to . . .

I have been a busy bee! I have been making my first ever rag quilt. It was actually really easy, the hardest part was snipping the seams. That took longer than putting the quilt together. I followed a great tutorial here. I can't wait for my newest nephew to be born so that I can send this out to him!

Poppyseed Chicken

This is an amazing chicken dish. It is frugal and super tasty. I have this in the oven right now, and the aroma is distracting! It's one drawback is that it is not low-fat, or low anything!

Poppyseed Chicken

8 chicken breasts
2 cups sour cream
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
2 sleeves of Ritz crackers, crushed
2 sticks of butter, melted
2 TBSP poppyseeds

Put chicken in 15 x 9 baking dish that has been sprayed with Pam. Mix sour cream and soup, pour over chicken. Mix crushed Ritz, butter and poppyseeds and sprinkle on top of chicken. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes at 350°.

Other fun events with Aunt Staci and Uncle Steve

We took Staci and Steve mini golfing while they were visiting us. Son #1 beat us all quite easily.

We also spent the day at the zoo. Salt Lake City has a wonderful location for the zoo. It was so green and lush. We had a great time wandering around looking at the animals.

We spent a whole day day camping, sitting around playing cards, shooting with the sling shots, roasting hot dogs and marshmallows and playing in the dirt. It was a great week and we hope that they will come back soon!

A visit full of fun, family and lots of memories!

My sister and her husband Steve came to visit us over the fourth of July and we had such a great time! One hot afternoon we were playing in the backyard, and we got a little silly.

We played on the swings and the fort that is in our backyard and we had fun with the shadows.

It was the one year anniversary of Staci and Steves engagement, so naturally their shadows were a little mushy!

This is Son #2 in action! He was running in slow motion. I think that it came out good.

 

Even my husband got in on the fun!

Son #3 is in the picture, but it is still a cool picture!

This is Daddy and Son #4. I really like this one!

This was the best shot I got of Son #1 dancing, he was moving to quickly for my camera!

We caught Uncle Steve "thinking". I guess he did not want me to capture his mad dancing skills! This was such a fun thing to do. We had a great time trying new poses and silly ways of casting a shadow. The boys said that this was one of their favorite things that we did.

Fiesta Corn Salad

This is a wonderful summer dish that is very easy to make and is very healthy as well. I tried this at my sister's home and loved it. Son #4 could not get enough- he was grabbing the edamame off others plates! Enjoy!

Fiesta Corn Salad

4 cups frozen whole kernel corn
1 cup frozen shelled edamame
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup red onion, diced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 small jalapeno, finely diced
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp finely shredded lime peel
2 TBSP lime juice
1 tsp cumin
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp chili powder
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced
Fresh cilantro

In a large sauce pan, cook corn and edamame in boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water, drain again. Stir together salt, corn, edamame, onion, chopped cilantro and jalapeno. In a small jar with a tight fitting lid, combine olive oil, lime peel, lime juice, cumin, garlic, and chili powder. Cover and shake well. Pour over corn mixture. Toss gently. Stir in tomatoes and garnish with cilantro if desired.