Turkey Soup

I realized last night that my meal plan, while lovely, is incomplete. I did not include the recipes for either my Turkey Soup, or my Quiche.  I unfortunately do not have pictures to go with these recipes either, but I will post them because they are yummo!

Turkey Soup

Ingredients:

• 1/2 diced onion
• 1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
• 3 stalks of celery, chopped
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 4 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1 cup frozen green beans
• 2 cups diced turkey, cooked
• 32 oz. chicken broth
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tsp dried rosemary
• 1 tsp dried parsley

Instructions:

1. Saute the garlic and onions in about 2 tsp of coconut oil (or whatever you have) for about 5 minutes.
2. Add in the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil
3. Simmer for about 45 minutes.

Easy peasy and delicious!  I'll post the quiche tomorrow!

Meal Planning

I have been making an effort to sit down every Sunday morning and plan out my meals for the week.  I have seen bloggers who are really committed and have lists of everything in their fridges and pantries and nicely compiled recipes, and maybe one day I'll be that on top of things, but for now, I take stock of what I have and go from there.  I hope to eventually be able to plan for a month at a time, but I live in an apartment, so for the time being, it just isn't practical.

Here is my plan for this week:

	Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner
Monday	Oatmeal w/ fruit	Peanut butter sandwich w/ cucumber	Turkey soup
Tuesday	Oatmeal w/ fruit	Turkey soup	Quiche w/ broccoli
Wednesday	Leftover quiche	Turkey soup	Grilled chicken over salad
Thursday	Pumpkin smoothies	Turkey soup	Kale pasta
Friday	Cereal w/ banana	Sweet potato w/ broccoli	Thai turkey meatloaf w/ salad
Saturday	Baked oatmeal	Kale pasta	Leftovers
Sunday	Eggs, turkey bacon, and fruit	Leftovers	Leftovers

I have found that leaving Saturday and Sunday meals a little more open to leftovers and cooking whatever I have left from the week saves money and ensures I use everything that I bought in the week.  I do it in a table in Microsoft Word and print it out and put in on my fridge.  I use the meal table to make my grocery list on my phone and I'm set for the week!

Thanksgiving Leftovers

This year, my husband's family came to see us for Thanksgiving.  His parents have a summer home here, and they all stayed there, so it was nice to have everyone in town, and not overwhelming to have everyone at our home.  Because they were in from out of town, we got the leftovers!  By the time they left, however, we basically just got the turkey and some potatoes that somehow didn't make it in with the mashed ones.

I try to do a weekly meal plan and shop accordingly. It saves so much money and time and I find that I regret not doing it if I skip it for whatever reason. This week my goal was to use up that bird! I made some turkey soup on Sunday night and packed away 3 servings for my lunch at work.  And last night, I made a turkey casserole.  I neglected to take any pictures, but I will do my best to explain the casserole directions, because it was delicious!!

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 tbsp butter
• 1 1/2 tbsp flour
• 1 1/3 cup milk
• 4 capellini mushrooms
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp herbs de provence (dried)
• 1/2 lb pasta
• 1 1/4 cup diced cooked turkey
• 1 1/4 frozen broccoli
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Thinly slice the mushrooms and saute with the garlic over medium heat until brown and wet-looking (about 5 minutes).
3. In a small saucepan, over medium heat, melt the butter.  Add in the flour and stir continuously for about 2 minutes.  Add in milk and herbs de provence and whisk.  After the mixture starts to thicken, add in the mushrooms and garlic. Whisk until it is the consistency of cream soup.
4. While you are making your sauce, cook the pasta according to the box, drain, and pour into non-greased 8x13 casserole dish.
5. Cube the turkey and add it and the broccoli to the casserole dish.
6. Pour the sauce over the pasta, turkey, and broccoli.
7. Add in the parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper, and mix until all ingredients are equally coated.
8. Sprinkle the cheddar cheese over the top and bake for 15 minutes.

Sorry again for the lack of pictures, but do not let that be the reason you don't give this recipe a try!

Elf on the Shelf, Part 1

Last post, as part of my 101 in 1001, one of my items was to blog for 30 days straight.  While the holidays are maybe not the best time, in terms of having spare time, I am going to try and make it for the next 30 days with a posting each day.  If I fail, I'll start over in the new year!

Last year my husband's dad's secretary sent us an Elf on the Shelf for Christmas, so this is the first year we have gotten her out of the box.  We got her out on Saturday night so that Maddie can enjoy finding her for the entire month leading up to Christmas.  Maddie named her "Mubble."  I have been scanning Pinterest for different ideas for our little Mubble and will be posting her antics sporadically.

The first night she sneaked into Maddie's room and got out her tea set and had a tea party with Dora the Explorer on my book shelf.

When Maddie found her in the morning, she was very distressed that the elf had taken her tea set.  She also accused me of doing it.  My almost 3 year old is already a skeptic!  I think she is now convinced that the elf moves on her own, because she thought it was hilarious that Mubble was on top of my moon stairway this morning.

I have a few more ideas, some seen on Pinterest and some of my own concoction, for the next few nights, so I will keep you posted with pictures of Mubble and Maddie's reactions.