Meal Plan Monday + Review of The Hour That Matters Most

 

For me, meal planning seems to work best during the school year. This week will be our first full week of school and many extracurricular activities. Admittedly, it gets a bit trickier to eat at home but for a host of reasons, we simply cannot eat out continuously. These may not all be gourmet dinners but they will fill our bellies and keep us around the table together (er, in our case, the countertop!)

Monday: Chicken with Rice (trying chicken helper boxed meal, not a fan of hamburger helper or many prepared dishes in that style but the chicken variety looked more appealing, stand by for a review)

Tuesday: BLT's for the bigs and bacon with buttered toast for the littles

Wednesday: Frozen pizza bread, salad or carrots with dip

Thursday: dinner out

Friday: Grilled burgers and corn on the cob

I was lucky enough to be contacted and asked to review a copy of The Hour That Matters Most. I thoughtfully read it over the course of last week while sitting at dance classes and sports practices, which I am sure is nearly the only free time many of us busy moms have. 

Funny, I was under the impression I would be receiving a cookbook, as the authors are the co-founders of the successful Dream Dinners, storefronts where all the ingredients are available for you to assemble a month full of healthful freezer meals for your family. Granted, there are some recipes in The Hour That Matters Most but more than that, it is about the philosophy of sitting together for meals. The approach and discussion in the book reminded me of the importance of spending this quality time together with my family and also really made me want to commit to being more purposeful with our own meal times.

Here are a few more details from the back cover of the book:

Dinnertime—It’s More Than Just a Meal
Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott have discovered the surprising impact that something as simple as sharing a meal together can have on a family. And they aren’t alone. Researchers across the board are finding that an hour around the dinner table can really tether a family together and help you raise up healthier, happier kids.

Featuring the inspiring story of Stephanie Allen and Tina Kuna, the founders of Dream Dinners, The Hour That Matters Most shows you how to nourish and nurture your family through regular meal times.

An inspiring, practical book packed with everything you need to help you make the most of the dinnertime hour, The Hour That Matters Most includes

• never-before-published recipes
• expert cooking tips and ideas
• color photos of family-favorite meals
• dozens of conversation starters to get your kids talking around the table

If you’re looking for ways to bring love and laughter to your home, rediscover the remarkable power of the family meal in The Hour That Matters Most.

Over the next few Mondays, I will talk more about the book, share my takeaways and also link to more recipes.

Sharing at: Organizing Junkie. Visit for many links to recipes and meal plans. Pin It

what's been cooked and eaten around here

Aside from all of the wonderful meals and treats my Mom provided last week, I have done some cooking myself over the past few weeks and even in recent days.

Awhile back I mentioned I was going to try the Chicken Helper meal. It was good! I cannot do prepared meals that include any kind of canned meat so the fact that I was adding my own chicken breast made this A-OK for me. We had the fried rice version. I recommend it.

Next, I think I also shared that I wanted to make homemade granola found via Funky Vintage Lovely. I made that on Sunday and oh.my.gosh. This stuff is addicting. Even Olivia ate it and she is the picky palate in these parts.

(where to find the recipe and the photo credit belongs to them too)

And I got on the bandwagon and made Marlboro Man's Favorite Sandwich.

 (photo from The Pioneer Woman)

I guess all the hoopla resurfaced because it was featured on Food Network on Saturday (cute episode btw Ree, b/c I am so sure you read my blog). Let me start by saying, I have never eaten cube steak before nor have I ever prepared it. Now I understand why Ree could slice it into strips, the outside looks like ground beef but inside it is still a more solid steak like texture. Just sharing this for other new to cube steak chefs. I went ahead used nearly all the butter she called for and by gosh, the sandwich was delicious. My only regret was using a sad hamburger bun instead of getting a nice sub roll.

As you can see, calories are still apparently of no concern around here. This must change but in the meantime, I am enjoying every tasty bite!


Pin It