How to Use up Leftover Ham

Easter is this Sunday, and what is better for Easter dinner than a ham?    But how to use up all those leftovers?  Here are my top 5 favorite recipes.  Three of them are soups, just because soup is so nourishing when made with real bone broth. 

Mexican Ham and Bean Soup

Split Pea Soup (this will be on next week's menu for sure!)

Summer Corn and White Bean Soup

Goat Cheese, Artichoke, and Smoked Ham Strata

Not exactly Real Food, but Taste of Home's Broccoli Ham Ring is a yummy snack!

What is your favorite ham recipe?

Meal Plan 3/28 through 4/3

We've been without power for about 24 hours now.  One of the less pleasant things of prairie life is the tendency toward power outtages, even when the storm is nowhere near you!  Fortunately we've got generators so we can still take hot showers! 

The good thing about the power being out is I was able to make time to plan my menu for a month.  This should ease the burden a little as we head into the second part of calving season (the older cows).  

Here's what's cooking this week. 

3/28 Mon- Beef Taco Soup

3/29 Tues- Beef Fajitas (slow cooker) w/ avocado, tomato

3/30 Wed- hot dogs (I think they're uncured), baked beans

3/31 Thur- steak, fried potatoes, sautéed broccoli

4/1 Fri- broiled salmon, roasted potatoes, peas

4/2 Sat- cavatini (from freezer), steamed spinach

4/3 Sun- leftovers

Meal Plan 3/21- 3/27

Ahh, spring is really here!  The snow has mostly all mnelted, although there still are a few tiny patches here and there.  The mud is drying up, and there was actually dust last night when I herded the heifers into the corral.  I didn't mind in the least!  The fields have all been flooded, and now the creek is starting to go down just a little. 

To do this week:  get my seeds started!  Yikes!  I can't believe it's almost April!  I've been so busy working outside that I just haven't had the time or energy to think about the garden!  I need to start my brussels sprouts at least, and maybe some broccoli.

My parents came in last week and helped around the house so I could help outside.  We had a counting party with my 2-year-old, which I'll tell you about tomorrow. 

Yesterday we cut up some beef, so fresh beef is on the menu all week.  Here's what we'll be eating:

Monday- Beef Enchiladas, Corn
Tuesday- Hamburgers, Fried Potatoes, Sauerkraut, Fresh Fruit
Wednesday- Shepherd's Pie with asparagus
Thursday- Beef Ribs, Beer Batter Cheese Bread, Peas
Friday- Fish Chowder (from America's Test Kitchen- new recipe)
Saturday- Homemade Pizza, Spinach
Sunday- Leftovers

Menu Plan 2/27 through 3/5

We are gearing up for our busiest time of year- calving season!  I'm looking forward to getting outside with the baby calves in the next few weeks!  In preparation, I've stashed several casseroles in the freezer, as well as some cooked ground meat.  I'll be making good use of my oven and my slow cookers to create meals that are ready to eat as soon as we get home.  Here's what we're eating this week.

Sunday- Pork Roast with mashed potatoes and gravy; fresh fruit on the side
Monday- Pork enchiladas made with Soaked Tortillas; served with homemade sour cream, avocados
Tuesday- Cabbage Roll Casserole, served with homemade sour cream, fresh fruit
Wednesday- Leftovers
Thursday- Homemade Baked Beans, Cornbread
Friday- Broiled Steaks, Fried Potatoes, Carrot Sticks
Saturday- Chicken Tetrazzini (from freezer), steamed spinach with butter

 For more meal plans, visit I'm an Organizing Junkie every Monday.

Meal Plan Jan 30- Feb 5

Brrrr.... it is COLD here!  And the next two days are going to be even colder!  They're predicting wind chill readings of -50 degrees tomorrow night.  Yikes!  So glad to have a nice stack of firewood and the makings for some yummy soup!  I have made more soup this winter than ever before.  It's a frugal and healthy meal choice, especially when prepared with homemade broth.  To read about the health benefits of homemade broth, click here. 

Here's what we'll be eating this week:

Sunday- Mexican Beef Soup (new recipe), Cornbread
Monday- Venison/Beef Bolognese Sauce over pasta, Steamed Peas with butter
Tuesday- Roast Beef with Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, Carrots
Wednesday- Burritos made with leftover roast beef, avocados, sour cream, cheese
Thursday- Homemade BBQ Pizza made with leftover roast beef (an experiment) , Steamed Spinach with butter
Friday- Tuna Burgers on Homemade Buns, Cauliflower au Gratin (new recipe)
Saturday- Broccoli Cheese Soup, Homemade Wheat Bread

Meal Plan Jan 23-29

After a few weeks without a meal plan, I am ready to get organized!  It is so much harder to eat healthier when you don't plan ahead!  The kids and I have been sick, although we are recovering now. 

At this very moment I am straining some homemade cream cheese and whey for the first time!  I will share more about that tomorrow. 

Here's our meal plan for the week!

Sunday, Jan 23- Leftover Buffet
Monday, Jan 24- Venison Chili with Cornbread, carrot sticks
Tuesday, Jan 25- Mexican Ham and Bean Soup with Cornbread
Wednesday, Jan 26- Pork Carnitas on Soaked Tortillas with avocado, cheese, and sour cream
Thursday, Jan 27- Broiled Steaks, Fried Potatoes, Steamed Spinach
Friday, Jan 28- Salmon Patties on Homemade Buns, Steamed Peas
Saturday, Jan 29- Leftover Buffet

Meal Plan Dec 26- Jan 1

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas.  Another short week of cooking for me, since I'm taking the kids to town for the weekend.  Here's what we eating this week.

Dec 26- Beef Lasagna, fresh pears
Dec 27- Chicken Noodle Soup with Homemade Noodles, peas, carrots
Dec. 28- Pan- Fried Walleye, Fried Potatoes Sauteed Broccoli
Dec. 29- Pork Chops, Creamed Corn, Asparagus
Dec. 30- Chicken Parmesan, noodles, green salad
Dec. 31- dinner in town
Jan 1- Happy New Year!  Dinner in town

Be sure to check out I'm an Organizing Junkie for more meal plans.

Meal Plan Nov 28- Dec 1

We had a quiet Thanksgiving with my husband's family (as usual).  This week I'm taking the kids to the other grandparents' house, which is why I've only menu planned through Wednesday.  My husband will have to beg for food at his mom's house, which is a whole 1/4 mile away from ours! 

Over the past week I killed my first deer (post about that coming soon) and helped my in-laws cut up 2 sides of pork.  So, in addition to the frozen fish that some hunters brought out last week, we also have venison and pork on the menu!  It's so nice to have some variety- thank goodness for deep freezers!  I am also excited because I will soon be tasting raw milk for the first time! I had been hesistant to contact the dairy farmer since he's so far away (60 miles) that it just seemed ridiculous, but he's making a trip out here anyway, so my father-in-law asked him to throw some milk in his truck.  I don't really care for milk by itself, but my husband and son drink tons of it, so I'm going to try it raw.  Also, I'd like to try making whey and cream cheese, as I've just learned how easy it is to do.

Here's what we're eating before the big trip:

Sunday- BBQ Pork Ribs, leftover creamed spinach, leftover sweet potatoes
Monday- Pork Shoulder Roast with Potatoes and Carrots
Tuesday- Venison in a Salisbury Steak Sauce served with mashed potatoes, sauteed broccoli
Wednesday- Surf and Turf (Steaks and Walleye Fillets- a birthday dinner), fried potatoes, rolls, spinach, birthday cake

After that, I'm outta here! 

Meal Plan, Thanksgiving Edition

One of the great things about having hunters come out and hunt on your land is they bring stuff like walnuts, honey, fish, and elk.  Today we got to eat some walleye.  What a treat!  Here's what we're eating the rest of the week:

Sunday- Fried Walleye, Baked Acorn Squash, Iced Pumpkin Cookies
Monday- Potato Leek Soup, Pear Cranberry Pie
Tuesday- Broiled Steak, fried potatoes (using beef tallow!), roasted broccoli
Wednesday- Tacos with all the fixins, carrot sticks
Thursday- Turkey, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, Sausage Stuffing, Homemade Cranberry Sauce, Sweet Potato Casserole, Rolls, Mud Spinach (family recipe), Corn Pudding Supreme, Pumpkin Pie with Whipped Cream, Pumpkin Roll
Friday- Baked Whitefish, leftover sides
Saturday- Turkey Pot Pie

Have a great week!

Menu Plan Nov 14-20

Winter is upon us!  It has snowed on and off this week, so the baby and I have been snuggling in the house more than usual.  Luckily we managed to collect quite a bit of firewood before the storm hit.  Here's what we're having this week on the prairie:

Sunday, 11/14- Chicken Enchiladas, grapes
Monday, 11/15- Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
Tuesday, 11/16- Hamburgers, Fried Potatoes, Roasted Cabbage Wedges
Wednesday, 11/17- Cabbage Casserole, pears
Thursday, 11/18- Roast Beef with potatoes and carrots
Friday, 11/19- Baked White Fish (halibut or tilapia), Butter Roasted Potatoes, Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Saturday, 11/20- Homemade Pizza, peas

Last week I said I'd post the recipe for Cassoulet, so that's coming soon.  I haven't forgotten!

Menu Plan Nov 8-13

We had a really fun weekend with company.  We took advantage of the nice weather by doing lots of work outside.  We hauled hay to grind, cut and stacked firewood, and swept alot of dirt.  It's so nice to have an extra pair of arms to hold the baby (even if she doesn't like it for too long).  This week we have to get rid of lots of leftovers.  The weather's finally cooling off, so I'm excited about making the Cassoulet.  It's such a nutritious, cozy dish on a fall day.  It's a great way to get kids and husbands to eat their beans!  I'll share the recipe this week.
Sunday- Roast Beef with Potatoes and Carrots
Monday- Fried Round Steak, Butternut Squash Soup, Artichokes
Tuesday- Leftovers
Wednesday- Hamburgers, Sauerkraut, Carrot sticks
Thursday- Two-Bean Cassoulet
Friday- birthday party for my nephew
Saturday- Leftovers

Check out I'm an Organizing Junkie for more meal plans!

Meal Plan 10/31-11/7

Halloween Chocolate Chip Muffins

Halloween really wore me out this year.  It was great to trick-or-treat with my son, because this is the first year he's been able to say, "trick-or-treat", but having to drive for an hour to get to the trick-or-treating is not fun.  Sometimes I do miss living inside city limits. 

This week we're preg-checking our cows and trimming their hooves.  Then we've got company coming for the weekend.  As usual, there's lots of slow cooking beef around here. 

10/31- Tacos
11/1- Busy Day Beef Stew
11/2- Beef Ribs, sauteed broccoli, corn
11/3- Beef Enchiladas (pulled from freezer), artichokes
11/4- Beef Stroganoff (in the Slow Cooker) served over mashed potatoes, peas
11/5- Salmon Patties, salad
11/6- Chicken and Spinach Lasagna (pulled from freezer), honey wheat bread
11/7- Roast Beef with potatoes, carrots

More Meal Planning Tips- Theme Nights

If you missed the basics of meal planning on the prairie, click here.

    This summer I made a few goals for my family that involved meal planning.  First, I wanted to incorporate a little more structure into our week.  When you live out here, the days kind of run together, and many a time I've said, "It's Wednesday?  I thought it was Tuesday!"  I was hoping that by setting specific days for eating specific foods, we would have less of that confusion.  Second, I wanted our family to start eating more bone broth, since it is so healthy.  Finally, I wanted to include more fish in our diet.  


enchiladas ready to bake



    To accomplish these goals, I decided to try a little trick I'd read about: Theme Nights.  You pick a theme, such as, "Mexican", "Soups", or "Casseroles", and assign that theme to a particular night of the week.  Then, when you're making your meal plan, you pick something that goes with that night's theme.  So, if Monday is Mexican night, you might make tacos. 

Here are some examples of themes I've seen around the blogosphere:

Pizza

Mexican
Italian
Sandwiches
Soup, Stew, or Chili
Ground Beef
Chicken
Fish
Vegetarian
Slow Cooker
On the Grill
Gourmet

    Some people use a theme night every night of the week, but I have found that doesn't work well for our family.  Also, I really don't need to have a theme every night to meet the goals I set.  Instead, I have 3 theme nights.  Mondays are Soup, Stew, or Chili, Wednesdays are Casseroles, and Fridays are Fish.

    So how are we doing with these goals?  Well, we have been eating more fish and soups, but not necessarily on the designated day.  And I'm okay with that.  Having these three theme nights does make it easier to plan the week's meals, since I have some guidelines on those nights.  I try to stick with the plan as much as possible, but some Sundays are Soup days, and some Mondays are steak days!  As with everything in life, there are times when you have to flex a little.

Do you plan your meals

Linked to WFMW

Weekly Meal Plan 10/24- 10/30

This week the goal is to get rid of some random foods that need to be used up, so that's why some of the menus for the week might look a little strange.  I still have a quarter head of cabbage leftover after making Cabbage Casserole and Runsas, so I'm going to make some Roasted Cabbage Wedges.  If they turn out well, I'll post the recipe.  I found some artichokes in the in-laws' cooler, at least a week old, which I'll steam and serve with butter.  My husband is so not a vegetable eater, and he loves these.  It's a great way to get kids to eat some veggies too.  I also found some beef fat in the in-laws' deep freeze, which I'll use to make fried potatoes.  Yummmm.  I guess I am kind of spoiled, having that extra deep freeze and cooler that I can ransack from time to time. 

Sunday, 10/24- Beef and Vegetable Soup

Monday, 10/25- slow cooker fajitas, roasted cabbage wedges (new recipe)

Tuesday, 10/26- hamburger gravy, mashed potatoes, spinach
Wednesday, 10/27- cheesy beef and rice (new recipe), fresh fruit
Thursday, 10/28- steaks, potatoes fried in beef tallow, steamed artichokes
Friday, 10/29- Baked Salmon Fillet, Sauteed Broccoli, Honey Wheat Bread
Saturday, 10/30- leftovers

Be sure to visit I'm an Organizing Junkie for more meal plans.

 The days are quickly growing shorter.  I guess fall really is here. 

Meal Plan week of 10/17 to 10/23

This week we are shipping our calves.  That means the next few days will be very busy, and not much time inside to cook. 

Sunday, 10/17- chili, cornbread, grapes
Monday, 10/18- Runzas, butternut squash gratin
Tuesday, 10/19- lasagna from freezer, salad (lettuce in garden)
Wednesday, 10/20- steaks, fried potatoes, peas
Thursday, 10/21- beef tacos, refried beans
Friday, 10/22- salmon fillet, broccoli, homemade bread
Saturday, 10/23- leftovers

Check out I'm an I'm an Organizing Junkie for more meal plans!

Weekly Meal Plan 10/10- 10/16

After a long weekend away from the homestead I am refreshed and ready to get back into the groove.  I gave myself a little present before I left- I tidied the house!  It's so nice to come home to a vacuumed floor, empty sink, and all the laundry from last week done.  When I realized I was in labor with baby #2 I made sure to throw the clothes in the dryer and turn on the dishwasher before we left for the birth place (that's a story for another day)!

This is shaping up to be a busy week for us, and we have a lot of leftovers to get rid off so I'm keeping our meal plan pretty simple (okay, with little kids, it's always simple- who am I kidding)!

Sunday, 10/10- ham, mashed potatoes, corn, sliced bread, chocolate cake
Monday, 10/11- split pea soup
Tuesday, 10/12- steaks, sweet potato casserole, sauteed spinach
Wednesday, 10/13- Amy's Cavatini (from the freezer)
Thursday, 10/14- salmon patties, sauerkraut (for me)
Friday, 10/15- eat in town
Saturday, 10/16- leftovers

Be sure to visit I'm an Organizing Junkie for more meal plans.

How to Plan a Meal, Prairie Style

Shortly after the birth of my son 2 years ago, I discovered the wonderful (addictive) world of blogs, particularly those related to homemaking.  I discovered an extremely useful tool- the Weekly Meal Plan.  Many homemakers plan their weekly menus to save money, waste less food, and eat healthier.  Living an hour away from town, trips to the grocery store are limited to once a week.   It is also less work for me to plan all my meals once a week, instead of trying to think of new meals every day.  I almost always have some meat thawing or thawed in my fridge, so when it's time to cook, I don't have to spend half an hour defrosting it in the microwave.  Of course, I don't always stick to the plan exactly, but I know I have the ingredients to pull together several meals, and that gives me peace of mind.

The basic directions for meal planning are:
1) Check out what you have in your fridge, freezer, and pantry. 
2) figure out what meals you could make with those items, and write them down
3) make a store list for other items you need
4) go to the grocery store and purchase those items
5) write out your weekly meal plan; make sure the meals that use elements that will go bad quickly are closer to the beginning of your week

That's it! 

Here's what our week is looking like so far:

Sunday- ate in town after church
Monday- Chicken and Dumplings, Peach Crisp
Tuesday- BBQ Beef Ribs, Sweet Corn, fresh fruit, homemade honey ice cream
Wednesday- Cabbage Casserole
Thursday- Steaks or Burgers (depending on whether I can find some steaks in the freezer), potatoes (fried or baked), sauerkraut
Friday, Saturday- in town

These meals can be lunch or dinner.  If I cook at lunch, I usually won't cook dinner, and vice versa.  Whether I cook at lunch or at dinner really depends on what's going on that day and when I have time in the kitchen.  I almost never plan breakfast, unless we've got a bunch of guests.  We usually eat eggs for breakfast, in one form or another.
Do you plan your meals in advance?  How do you do it?