Menu Plan Monday 10/1

Chicken Fries, Chicken Wraps and homemade fries
Pasta
Tacos
Grilled Chicken with white rice
Rosemary Chicken and Potatoes
Leftovers
??

Last week was a blur and I was a little confused when I sat down to write up the menu because I don't have any of October planned yet!!  We had my son's favorite dinner of chicken fries, chicken wraps and french fries for dinner.  Tuesday was busy and I wasn't home so my husband made pasta for my son and had soup himself because he didn't feel good.  We had a frozen pizza that I got free from Safeway and a Buffalo Chicken Naan Bread Pizza for Wednesday dinner.  Thursday dinner was chili with cheese and chips with mac and cheese which was super easy because I had already made it and frozen it.  We had Barber Chicken Kiev and Cordon Bleu with rice on Friday.  On Saturday, I used the rest of the chili to make Salsa Sloppy Joes and my son had pasta.  Sunday was busy and we had our free rewards from Pizza Hut which cost nothing.

I am hoping for a less busy week this week but who knows.  We are planning to eat lots from our yummy and full freezer and pantry.  I started my monthly menu plan so I will go through and figure out what is planned for the month and the rest of this week soon.

Roadside Assistance Book Review

I reserved every book by Amy Clipston at the library because I really enjoyed her book and I wanted to read all the series that I had the chances.  This was the last book in my pile to get to enjoy her great writing.  Roadside Assistance by Amy Clipston turned out to be a youth fiction book.  It was a great book for adults or kids.

A very bumpy ride. Emily Curtis is used to dealing with her problems while under the hood of an old Chevy, but when her mom dies, Emily’s world seems shaken beyond repair. Driven from home by hospital bills they can’t pay, Emily and her dad move in with his wealthy sister, who intends to make her niece more feminine—in other words, just like Whitney, Emily’s perfect cousin. But when Emily hears the engine of a 1970 Dodge Challenger, and sees the cute gearhead, Zander, next door, things seem to be looking up. But even working alongside Zander can’t completely fix the hole in Emily’s life. Ever since her mom died, Emily hasn’t been able to pray, and no one—not even Zander—seems to understand. But sometimes the help you need can come from the person you least expect.

I thought it was a great story with the two main characters connecting over a car repair.  I thought it was amazing to watch the change in Emily while she was working with her dad or Zander on making a car repair.  It was so different then the unsure girl who was trying to make it through losing her mom, living in her cousin's shadow at school and trying to start her new life.  Emily kept thinking that everyone was against her and she was against taking charity.  It turned out that she wasn't giving everyone a fair chance and she was pushing away everyone that was trying to help.  You have to pick up this book and find out what happens but I am sure you will enjoy it as much as I have.  I hope that you check it out for yourself!!

Menu Plan Monday 9/24

Chicken Fries, Chicken Wraps and homemade fries
Pasta
Leftovers??
Chili with cheese on Fritos (Spaghetti for my son)
Barber Chicken and rice
Frozen Pizza
Leftovers

Monday was my son's favorite dinner so we enjoyed chicken wraps while he had chicken fries and we all had homemade fries.  I made cube steak and rice for dinner before soccer practice.  It was so much food that I couldn't finish mine. Wednesday I worked late so I tried to have my husband make homemade pizza but he couldn't figure it out.  Luckily he preheated the oven and got out all the ingredients so it was a quick put together and got dinner on the table in just a few minutes.  I was exhausted and decided on leftovers on Thursday.  I finally got to make the ground beef and it was defrosted!! I made french dip sloppy joes on homemade rolls with the leftover gravy and beef stock that I had in the fridge as part of the sauce.  I also made mac and cheese to go with it on Friday night.  Saturday we decided on Philly Cheese Steak Pasta and Spaghetti. Sunday was Pork Chops with white rice because I got some more clearance pork chops so I did that instead of the Barber Chicken.

I don't have a clue what is going on this week but I have a feeling that it is going to be busy.  We all are feeling a little tired and maybe a touch of allergies.  I don't have the full plan but going to dig through the freezer and hope for inspiration!!

The Beloved Hope Chest Book Review

The next book in the series was The Beloved Hope Chest (An Amish Heirloom Novel) by Amy Clipston which I was glad to start after the last story ended in a bit of a mystery.  This book started right into the story that was left off in the last book.  It was hard to put down but sad to near the end of this great series.

When Mattie packed her hope chest, she put away the heartache of her past. But as her daughters begin to unpack it, she discovers a healing more powerful than she ever hoped for.
Mattie Fisher’s three daughters know that she’s been keeping a secret from them. With each item pulled from the beloved family hope chest, they’ve discovered a new clue about their mother’s past.
But there’s a reason Mattie has been keeping her history hidden, and she’s not sure she’s ready to reopen old wounds. Will dredging up the past change the way her children view her? Or her marriage to their father? And can she handle the pain of revisiting the memories that preceded the last few happy decades? Mattie’s story is one of grief and learning to love again. But like the best things preserved in a hope chest, it's a story of love and redemption born out of heartache—and it's past time to share it.

Mattie is the mother of all of the daughters from the previous books.  This book follows the beginning of her life before she had her girls to give them a glimpse into her past.  Her daughter came upon her secrets in her locked hope chest and wanted to know the truth.  Spoiler alert if you haven't read the other books, you might want to skip this part of the review.  All three girls are called to their childhood home to learn about their mothers past and they are shocked at what they learn.  They find out about her life before their father and they were in her life.  Mattie was in love and married to a man before and lost him in a tragic accident but she was carrying her baby.  In order to not be a burden on her family, she decided to marry her childhood friend who was willing to support her through this and raise the baby as his own.  She is going through a lot of grief over the loss of her husband and a lot of hormones being pregnant so there are a lot of ups and downs in this book.  You have to pick up the book to find out what happens.  I promise you will be amazed!!  I hope that you check out this book and the rest of the series and enjoy it as much as I have!

The Cherished Quilt Book Review

I started this book right after finishing the last book in the series and the story continued without interruption.  I love the way the story follows a different sister but all of the previous stories are tied in with mention to the past books.  The Cherished Quilt (An Amish Heirloom Novel) by Amy Clipston is a great continuation of a wonderful series.

Tragedy tore Christopher’s world apart. But Emily believes there are enough pieces left behind to stitch together a beautiful new beginning. Emily Fisher is eager to meet the new employee at her father’s shop in Bird-in-Hand, Pennsylvania. But when Christopher Hostettler arrives, his cold demeanor freezes her attempts at building a friendship.  Longing for a fresh start, Christopher travels from Ohio to Bird-in-Hand. Christopher’s heart is still wounded from memories of home, and making new friends is the last thing on his mind—he knows the pain that comes with losing those you love. When Emily is kind to him, he tries to remain distant, but he soon finds himself stealing glances at her throughout the day.  When Christopher shares his tragic reasons for leaving home, Emily decides to make a quilt for him as a gesture of their friendship. The two are quickly falling in love when a family emergency calls Christopher back to Ohio without warning.  Emily finishes the quilt, in spite of her pain. But when Christopher receives it, will he have the courage to follow his heart?

Another amazing story with Emily being the sister in the story this time after her older two sisters were the lead characters in the previous books.  It was a nice change to get to know this sister and all the things that she did for her other sisters.  They both said that she was instrumental in getting them together with there husbands and that she never put herself first.  She was now helping Chris to settle into the small town and make sure that he knew that he was valued there.  They immediately had a connection to each other that was easy to see each time they got together.  Emily is trying to help Chris get over his tragic past and help him to feel better and more valued.  You have to pick up the book to find out all the little ways that she does this but I know that you will be as touched as Chris was by her generous heart.  I hope that you pick up this book and read it to enjoy it as much as I have.

The Late Bloomers Club Book Review

I don't remember reserving this book but the description or something must have caught my eye because it ended up on my reserve shelf for me to read.  The Late Bloomers' Club: A Novel by Louise Miller was an interesting cover and the next in my pile to read.

A delightful novel about two headstrong sisters, a small town's efforts to do right by the community, and the power of a lost dog to summon true love

Nora, the owner of the Miss Guthrie Diner, is perfectly happy serving up apple cider donuts, coffee, and eggs-any-way-you-like-em to her regulars, and she takes great pleasure in knowing exactly what's "the usual." But her life is soon shaken when she discovers she and her free-spirited, younger sister Kit stand to inherit the home and land of the town's beloved cake lady, Peggy Johnson.

Kit, an aspiring--and broke--filmmaker thinks her problems are solved when she and Nora find out Peggy was in the process of selling the land to a big-box developer before her death. The people of Guthrie are divided--some want the opportunities the development will bring, while others are staunchly against any change--and they aren't afraid to leave their opinions with their tips.

Time is running out, and the sisters need to make a decision soon. But Nora isn't quite ready to let go of the land, complete with a charming farmhouse, an ancient apple orchard and the clues to a secret life that no one knew Peggy had. Troubled by the conflicting needs of the town, and confused by her growing feelings towards Elliot, the big-box developer's rep, Nora throws herself into solving the one problem that everyone in town can agree on--finding Peggy's missing dog, Freckles.

When a disaster strikes the diner, the community of Guthrie bands together to help her, and Nora discovers that doing the right thing doesn't always mean giving up your dreams.

I read this book at the beginning of the month and had to return it when heading out to the library which had me promptly forget to write the book review.  I do much better when the book is next to the computer taunting me for not writing the review.  This book was unexpected and I was instantly drawn into Nora who owns the local diner and has been supporting and helping her whole family for her entire life.  She likes to help everyone in the small town the best she can but her sister comes back and makes her feel like her life isn't worth anything compared to the full life that Kit has lead.  They inherit Peggy the cake lady's estate and realize that there is more then they ever knew about her.  It is amazing all of the things that happen in this store.  I hope that you check out this book and enjoy it as much as I did with the full characters and great story.

Menu Plan Monday 9/17

Chicken Fries, Chicken Wraps and homemade fries
Cube Steak and rice
French Dip Sloppy Joes
Homemade Pizza
Philly Cheese Steak Pasta (Spaghetti for my son)
Barber Chicken and rice
Leftovers



Last week, I actually took out all the meat at the beginning of the week to make sure that things would be defrosted and then found a great deal on meat at the grocery store which I didn't get to use right away so I ended up freezing the pork chops and the steak.  Monday we had dinner that my mother in law brought over of Fried Chicken which left us with leftovers to have the next day.  I ate mine for lunch and my husband ate his for dinner while I made my son Pasta as we had on the plan.  Wednesday brought yummy tacos!!  Thursday was my son's favorite meal of chicken fries and french fries and I made us chicken wraps.  We made homemade pizza Friday after soccer practice and enjoyed it lots.  We grilled chicken on Saturday and my husband and I had a chopped salad with corn, crispy pepperoni and chicken on top and my son had white rice.  We were supposed to have leftovers on Sunday after a day visiting a historic site and getting a tour and watching the canon fire but my husband declared it to be take out pizza day.  We had a pretty good week of easy meals at home and we are planning for the same this week!!