This month, I decided to try something different. I’ve seen people do monthly meal plans and it’s always amazed me. So this month, I gave it a try.
I printed out a monthly calendar and went down to the pantry and freezer to see what I had. I’m trying to clear out the pantry and freezer to save some money this month and use up some of the stuff we have. I started by pulling everything out of the freezer. Before putting something back, I had to assign it to a day. I had a few things that I wanted to use up, like frozen swedish meatballs, a pork loin and breaded chicken tenders. I also had a box of lasagna noodles so I put lasagna on the list. Once I got through the specific things in the freezer, I added a few things that we have to have at least a few times a month, like pizza and mac and cheese.
I then filled the rest of the calendar with meals we had most of the ingredients for, like peanut chicken stirfry and shepard’s pie. I filled the last few spots with spaghetti or a build-your-own-casserole.
This process sounds like it took a long time but I actually did the entire thing in about 20 to 30 minutes. Once it got rolling, it went really quickly. Here is what I’ve got:
Week 1:
Sunday: London Broil, rice-a-roni and veggie
Monday: Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup
Tuesday: Chicken Parm with pasta, garlic bread and salad (see recipe tab)
Wednesday: Tacos
Thursday: Swedish meatballs, egg noodles and veggies
Friday: Pizza
Saturday: Lasagna, garlic bread and salad
Week 2:
Sunday: Hot dogs, beans and veggie sticks
Monday: Pork chops, stuffing and veggies
Tuesday: Build-your-own-casserole with ground turkey
Wednesday: Chicken Parm, pasta, salad
Thursday: Pancakes and sausage
Friday: Mac and Cheese, veggies
Saturday: Meatloaf, mashed potatoes and corn
Week 3:
Sunday: Spaghetti
Monday: BBQ Chicken, buttered noodles and veggies
Tuesday: Shepard’s pie
Wednesday: Pizza
Thursday: Pork loin, rice or stuffing and veggies
Friday: Hamburger skillet
Saturday: Peanut chicken stir-fry
Week 4:
Sunday: Stew and Rolls
Monday: Pork Chops, spatzel noodles, veggies
Tuesday: Chicken Parm, pasta and veggies
Wednesday: Mac and Cheese with corn
Thursday: Pancakes and Bacon
Friday: Pizza
Saturday: Build-your-own casserole with ground turkey
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Wow! That’s a lot of meals to think of at once. I hope the month at a time thing works out well for you.
It hasn’t been perfect but it’s given me a good idea of what’s in the house. We don’t stick to it exactly but it’s really helped us eat at home and use up what we have.