Menu Plan Monday 2/20-2/26

At the beginning of January, I found out some sad news. My favorite bakery in the Peoria area, Peoria Bread Company, was closing. They made my wedding cake and we had bought our bread from them since we got married. They announced their closing suddenly, so I still am unsure as of why they closed down, but the fact is they are no longer in business and I no longer have a yummy (and healthy!) bread supplier! I bought seven loaves of bread the day their closing was announced and promptly put them all in my freezer. We have been slowly working our way through the loaves, all the while knowing that those seven loaves would eventually be gone and we would have to find another bread source.

That day has come.

I pulled the last loaf out of the freezer this morning.

My husband has been encouraging me to try my hand at making bread from scratch. He sees everything else I make from scratch on a regular basis and has asked on several occasions why I don't make our bread. He is right, of course...Ahem. However, there is something that he doesn't know...I have always been scared of baking bread. Sure, I have made quick breads, pizza crusts, biscuits and muffins, but never have I made a loaf of sandwich bread. So, stay tuned...in the next week or so, I will be attempting to make my very first loaf of homemade sourdough sandwich bread!

In other news, here is what I will be feeding my family this week...

Breakfast

• Soaked oatmeal and fruit x 6
• Sourdough pancakes, bacon and fruit

Lunch

• Standard lunch x 5 (for hubby)
• Leftovers and smoothies x 5 (for me)
• Hot dogs, salad and fruit
• Church lunch

Dinner

• Salmon patties, sweet potato wedges and fruit
• Sweet potato and sausage soup, whole wheat biscuits and fruit
• Standard lunch x 2 (for hubby)
• Leftovers x 2 (for me)
• Scrambled hamburger, mashed potatoes, whole wheat biscuits and fruit
• Calzones with homemade dipping sauce, salad and fruit
• COCUSA chili supper

Homemade Dipping Sauce

4 cans tomato paste

1 can tomato sauce

1 c. water

1 tsp. garlic powder

2 tbs. italian seasoning

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

3 tbs. olive oil

1 tbs. honey

Combine all ingredients in the crockpot. Cover and cook on low for four hours. Try to stir every hour or so, to prevent the sauce from sticking to the pot. Serve immediately. If not, cool to room temperature and freeze or refrigerate and use within 1-2 days.

Menu Plan Monday