Menu Plan Monday + Fun, Easy St. Patrick's Day Sugar Cookies!

Hi!! Happy Monday!!

How was your weekend?? Did you do anything fun?

We went into our weekend without any real plans- and while we didn't do anything special, it ended up being a really great couple of days!

One of my "projects" for 2016 is to take a "Sunday Best" picture of my kids, every week, after church. Some photo sessions go better than others....this week's picture attempt was quite INTERESTING. HA! I did end up getting a good group picture of the kids, but only after I gave James an hour to "cool off." He was D.O.N.E. with his sisters :) They love him so much that sometimes they just don't know when to leave the poor guy alone! HA!

So- it's Monday and time to share my weekly menu plan!

At the beginning of the month, I planned out meal "themes" for the whole month of March. I don't mean to be a broken record (because I already mentioned this in last week's post)- but I am LOVING this monthly "system!" It has made it SO much easier for me to come up with a weekly menu and that is just making me SO happy!

Here's what's for dinner at our house this week:

Monday: Meatball Sub Sandwiches and Steamed Green Beans

For dinner tonight, I am going to make a batch of meatballs, using a simple recipe like this one. About 20 minutes before it is time to eat, I start simmering the meatballs in some spaghetti sauce on the stovetop. Then, I place a few meatballs on some Italian bread, top them with provolone or mozzarella cheese and then pop the sandwich under the broiler. I let the cheese get melted and then they are ready to be served! This is an EASY, filling dinner- and one my whole family enjoys!

Tuesday: Taco Chips + Steamed Corn

It's "Taco Tuesday" and I am going to make some "taco chips" for dinner! I have some lean 93/7 ground turkey I got on sale at Sam's Club- so I am going to brown that up, seasoning it with a taco seasoning packet. Then- about 20 minutes before it is time to eat- I will assemble the "cups." I got a bag of "scoops" style tortilla chips at Aldi and I am going to fill each one with a little meat and shredded cheddar cheese. I will pop them under the broiler for a couple minutes and the taco chips are done! Obviously- these could be called nachos- but I think taco chips sounded cuter- HA! My husband's chips will get topped with salsa and sour cream- but my kids' chips will just be meat and cheese. Everyone will get a side of steamed corn + some salad!

Wednesday: BBQ Meatloaf + Mashed Potatoes + Steamed Broccoli

Wednesday is "Try a New Recipe" day on my monthly menu plan. I am kind of cheating this week- because I am using a freezer meal I made a couple weeks ago :) BUT- this was a "new-to-me" recipe when I originally made it. I used this meatloaf recipe and omitted the onions- my kids REALLY don't like onions. I also added about 1/3 cup of BBQ sauce that we had on hand and it turned out SO good! So- we will be having meatloaf, plus mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli- all already prepared- they just need to be pulled out from the freezer and thawed. I LOVE when I think ahead (doesn't happen often- HA!) and plan meals that make an EXTRA meal- it is like a free night of cooking! 

Thursday: GREEN Breakfast for Dinner to celebrate St. Patrick's Day!

For St. Patrick's Day, I am going to make a GREEN breakfast for dinner! We will have green eggs, green applesauce, green milk and green pancakes. My kids will get more than their annual "recommended" dose of artificial food coloring in this one meal- HA!

Friday: Potato and Cheddar Cheese Soup + Grilled Cheese + Tossed Salad

Tried and true "meatless" meal night for us. I made a big batch of the potato and cheese soup last week- so I will just pull a portion out of the freezer for Aaron. Aaron will also have some grilled cheese (I make his using this amazing crusty, sliced Italian bread from Aldi along with muenster and gouda cheeses- SO good) and so will the kids. 

I will have a big salad :)

Saturday: Pizza Night

Our favorite night of the week! Pizza + a movie for the kids. Aaron has gotten into a routine of making the pizzas- which I am loving :)

Sunday: Turkey Burgers + French Fries + Steamed Green Beans

Grill out night! We are going to have turkey burgers! I will also make some shoestring fries in the oven and steam some green beans. Super easy and simple meal- a nice way to end the weekend!

And really quick- I wanted to share with you some super YUMMY St. Patrick's Day sugar cookies I made yesterday!!!

So- I LOVE baking from scratch- but I have tried MULTIPLE sugar cookie recipes and never found one I like. On a whim, about a year ago- I picked up this sugar cookie mix from Aldi and made them. My husband and kids absolutely LOVED them. I am pretty sure Aaron said something along the lines of, "These are the best sugar cookies you have ever made- stop trying other recipes." HA! Don't have to tell me twice! :) This mix + 1 stick of softened butter + 1 egg and 10 - 12 minutes in a 350 degree oven make the BEST, slighty crispy on the outside, super moist and soft on the inside sugar cookies! 

I have kind of gotten into a routine of making a batch of sugar cookies every Sunday afternoon and yesterday when I was making the dough- I asked the kids if they wanted their cookies to be green for St. Patrick's Day:) Well DUH! Of course they did! After the cookies come out of the oven, I smeared a little cream cheese icing on top of them and added some rainbow sprinkles. SUPER DUPER simple- but so festive and YUMMY! 

Do you have your menu planned out for the week? Are you making any new recipes?

Do you make a "special" St. Patrick's Day meal? 

Hope you have the BEST day!!

I am linking up with Laura today!