Mellow Monday & Menu Plan

After a fun and exciting adult weekend getaway with Daddy Goose, I am revamped and ready for the busy holiday week ahead.

Lovin' my hubby! 

With holidays comes a. lot. of. food - it's just part of our culture and society.  Thankfully, this holiday season I won't be doing a lot of cooking of that holiday food.  However, Brother Goose is on vacation from Pre-K, so we have some extra activities planned to keep us happy and keep this Momma sane!  So, to make sure I am enjoying all of my time with Brother, I am taking the easy road with lunches & dinners this week.  My first stop on easy street is my slow cooker.  I am using it to cook a couple pounds of chicken that I'll use in three meals this week.  Here's how:  (Check out our meal plan below.)

Juicy Slow Cooker Chicken

• 3-4 pounds of chicken breasts (you can use any part of the chicken you'd like, this is just what I usually have)
• 2-3 cans of chicken broth
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• Enough water to cover the chicken
• Salt and pepper to taste

Place all ingredients into slow cooker and season with salt and pepper.  Cook on low for 2-4 hours.  (Your slow cooker time might be different than mine, refer to your manufacturer's suggestions or other chicken recipes you might have.)  Rearrange your chicken midway through cooking time.  You can even use frozen chicken in your slow cooker.  Just add 2-3 more hours to the cooking time.

This week, I'll be pulling the chicken out and shredding a little and cutting up a little for each of my recipes.  Once, cooked and cut place a little leftover juice and chicken into individual containers to be used on the appropriate day.

Have you been filling your sink before starting to cook?

It makes life sooo much easier at clean up time. One of my Auntie's gave me this tip a long time ago, and it has been one of my favorite tricks.

Here's what I'll be using the chicken for:

Monday:  Chicken Philly Sandwiches (chopped chicken, sauteed onions/bell peppers/mushrooms, provolone cheese on a sandwich roll)
Tuesday:  Nachos (shredded chicken, cheese, refried beans - on tortilla chips placed under the broiler - topped with: avocado, sour cream, black olives, and salsa)
Wednesday:  Buffalo Chicken Wraps (shredded chicken, buffalo wing sauce, blue cheese crumbles, ranch dressing, lettuce and shredded carrots wrapped in a tortilla.  Our goslings will probably not have the buffalo wing sauce on their wraps.)
Thursday:  Thanksgiving with family!
Friday:  Adult dinner date with friends - eating out.
Saturday:  Family dinner BBQ at friend's house.
Sunday:  Football food - PIZZA!

What do you eat on holiday weeks like this one?

Do you like to menu plan? It helps me to stay on budget, stay on track with food choices and frankly, just makes life easier. If you'd like to see more menu plans, head over to OrgJunkie.com.

Always ~ Momma Goose

This post can also be seen at:
Stone Gable Blog
Couponing & Cooking
Erin Branscom