I am trying something new this month. I am planning the menu for a month at a time. I know this could seem daunting but it actually wasn’t that difficult. I sat down with a calendar and went to town. I looked at the month’s meetings etc. and decided to give it my best shot. I am going to try this for a few months and see if I notice a savings too. Don’t be afraid of leftovers. You can always add a salad or different side with them.
I am trying to buy my meat at Costco and stick to Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods for the rest. I am buying my organic bread at Costco because I can get 2 loves for under $6. I buy a loaf for each week and they freeze well. Organic ground beef and milk is also very affordable at Costco.
Use Pinterest and my cookbooks for meal planning and recipes. We have tacos at least once a week because the Miller boys love them.
I know there will times that I switch up days but that is ok. I can also then just go weekly for fresh fruit and dairy.
November 2012
| Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||
| 4 Tacos Corn | 5 Lasagna Garlic Toast | 6 Chicken and Noodles Applesauce | 7 Leftovers | 8 Bunco Grilled Cheese Tomato Soup | 9 Turkey Burgers and Salad | 10 M - 42 Davis Dinner Party |
| 11 Spaghetti Spinach Salad | 12 Oven Tacos Carrots and Ranch | 13STM 4 All Leftovers | 14 Ground Beef Stroganoff Broccoli | 15 Roasted Chicken Stuffing Green Beans | 16 Cheese Pizza Salad | 17 Leftovers |
| 18 Meatloaf Mashed Potatoes Peas | 19 Ravioli Casserole | 20 Grilled Cheese Tomato Soup | 21 Newton | 22 Newton | 23 Newton | 24 Tacos Carrots and Ranch |
| 25 Chili Cornbread | 26 Hickory Cheddar Cauliflower Soup | 27 Chicken Nuggets Mac n Cheese | 28 Leftovers | 29 Mandarin Orange Chicken Rice Peas | 30 Salmon Asparagus Potatoes | |
I have a nearly impossible time at the commissary without my menu. Ward made me a nice Excel spreadsheet that I can change the dates on. I use that to plan for 2 weeks of meals and then type in the grocery list off to the side. Any way it is done, it helps tremendously to include the veggies and side dishes. Otherwise I'm standing in the kitchen with a blank mind. :D
ReplyDeleteWhat is ravioli casserole?
ReplyDeleteI absolutely can't stand preparing meals. I finally figured out that part of the reason was I never had a plan, which is funny because I am at my best when I have a plan! I saw your post and thought I'd give meal planning for a month a try. I have the main dishes for January all planned out! I thought about what we had on hand, what I would get at Sam's, and our favorite meals. Voila! I am lovin' it! "Leftovers" is a common category, but we call it "Buffet Night." I put everything on the counter. My girls love choosing what they get to eat (with a litte guidance from mom and dad). To create my calendar, I printed off a blank calendar template, slid it into a sheet protector, and wrote with a dry erase marker. Changes are easy. Thanks for getting me going!
ReplyDelete