Menu Plan for January

Happy New Year!

I am joining with bloggers everywhere (inspired by Life as Mom and Money Saving Mom) and resolving to Eat from the Pantry/Freezer for most of my meals in January. I have been able to stock quite a bit in my freezer in particular over the past few months, and it's time to clean it out. So my inspiration for my meals this month comes from what I already have on hand, supplemented of course with fresh dairy and produce each week.

Following is my menu plan for the month. I've linked to recipes when I can, but I almost always alter recipes I find to make them healthier (using whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose, applesauce instead of oil, etc.).


1: Homemade pizza (Friday night staple)

2: Ravioli, salad, bread

3: Pancakes (freeze leftovers)

4: Pasta with red sauce, Caesar salad, homemade bread

5: Broccoli & cheese soup for Scott (dinner with friends for me)

6: Chicken tenders, sweet potato casserole, and homemade rolls

7: Mashed potatoes and meatballs (make a double batch to freeze), salad

8: Homemade pizza (Friday night staple)

9: Breakfast for dinner (crustless quiche?)

10: Baked potatoes, salad, carrots

11: Lasagna roll-ups

12: Salmon and black bean frozen dinner

13: Eat out (Awana night)

14: Chicken teriyaki stir fry

15: Homemade pizza (Friday night staple)

16: Breakfast for dinner (frittata?)

17: Leftover stew, dinner rolls

18: Lasagna roll-ups from freezer

19: Chicken tacos, beans, and rice

20: Eat out or have leftovers (Awana night)

21: Macaroni and cheese, steamed broccoli

22: Homemade pizza (Friday night staple)

23: Breakfast for dinner (eggs and rosemary potatoes?)

24: Fend for yourself night!

25: Broccoli and cheddar soup, homemade rolls

26: Leftovers

27: Eat out or fend for yourself (Awana night)

28: Bean and cheese enchiladas, Mexican rice, salad

29: (Isaac’s birthday!!) Homemade pizza (Friday night staple)

30: Breakfast for dinner (waffles and eggs?)

31: Leftover meatballs—on subs or spaghetti, salad

I printed out this menu plan and put one on my fridge in a plastic page protector so that I can refer to it whenever I need to. I also bring a copy of it with me whenever I go grocery shopping so that I know exactly what I need to buy--and what I don't. Just having a plan in place helps me feel more organized and has already saved me time and money. I avoid last-minute trips for groceries I forgot (or having to resort to fast food) when I have it all mapped out ahead of time!

When I plan my menu, I try hard to be realistic. I know that Wednesdays, for example, are really crazy for our family. I'm at church from 5:00-8:00 (at least) and don't have the energy to worry about a proper dinner. Typically we drive through Jimmy John's for a sandwich on those nights as a treat. And on Sunday nights we don't get home until after 7:00, so dinner has to be something I can put on the table very quickly.

If you are interested in meal planning and don't know where to begin, I'd suggest these two articles by Simple Mom and Life as Mom. They are both fabulous blogs full of lots of tips for home management and organization.

Menu Plan Monday

On Sunday night, Scott filled the grill with turkey burgers and enough chicken to last us a few days! Yea! This is an easy week full of favorites!

Monday: Chicken quesadillas
Tuesday: Chicken caesar salad
Wednesday: Spaghetti and mozarella meatballs (using ground turkey)
Thursday: Meatball subs
Friday: Homemade pizza with mushrooms and peppers

I'm also baking this week: chocolate chip banana bread, Rice Krispie treats, homemade bread

I have no idea what the weekend holds, so I'm not even planning that right now! :)

Menu Plan: Week of July 20

Breakfasts
Steel-cut oatmeal with flax meal, honey, and banana
Cereal
Oatmeal squares
Pancakes

Lunches
Leftovers
Burritos

Snacks
Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies
Grapes
Apples
Carrots
Graham crackers
Yogurt
Cheese and crackers

Dinners
Monday: Frittata, toast (from homemade bread), OJ, coffee
Tuesday: Grilled turkey cheeseburgers with sauteed onion and mushrooms
Wednesday: Pasta salad, fruit
Thursday: Leftovers/fend for yourself
Friday-Sunday: Traveling to Oklahoma to see in-laws, so no meal planning!!

Menu Plan, Week of June 22

Monday: Banana Pancakes

Tuesday: Spaghetti and meatballs with red sauce

Wednesday: Meatball subs

Thursday: Grilled chicken, zucchini, and squash

Friday: Chicken tenders and mashed sweet potatoes

Saturday: Pizza (Caleb's been asking for it--I'll try to post my recipes later)

Sunday: Eat out?

I made a big pot of red sauce tonight which should last us for a few months, and I made a big batch of meatballs so I was able to freeze enough for an extra couple of meals. I also made some "breakfast cookies" for Caleb following this recipe (more or less) from Ellie Krieger. On Wednesday I plan on making some more bread and maybe even try a recipe I found (but cannot for the life of me find right now!) for bagels.

Menu Plan, Week of June 1

Here is our plan for the week (I think):

Monday: Chicken fajitas (using leftover grilled chicken) with peppers, cheese, onion, and lettuce

Tuesday: Popcorn chicken and mashed potatoes

Wednesday: Girls' Night Out! Leftovers for Scott :)

Thursday: Egg scramble and toast (using some Morningstar stuff from the freezer so I can free up space, and also something quick because I have a haircut that night--first one in 6 months!)

Friday: Ravioli (from the freezer), homemade bread, and salad

Saturday: Fend for yourself--we'll have burgers for lunch (free!) from our HOA party, so we probably won't be too hungry for dinner

Sunday: Eat out?

Menu Plan: Week of 5/11

Monday: Leftover chicken spaghetti (that we took from Mom's house--thanks, Mom!) and salad (with Anne's salad dressing recipe!)

Tuesday: Banana pecan waffles

Wednesday: Chicken/black bean tacos (using extra stuff I have in the freezer--Scott has a meeting that night so I'll be short on time)

Thursday: Quiche with chicken sausage from Sprouts

Friday: Homemade pizza (I know, we end up eating pizza most Friday nights!)

Menu Plan, Week of April 27

Last week's menu worked out pretty well. The banana pecan waffles were incredible! I think that will become a new special treat around here. The recipe makes 12 waffles, and so I had plenty of leftovers to put in the freezer. They thaw and heat wonderfully by popping them in the toaster! (Note: I only use about half the butter called for, and I use whole wheat flour--they were still great!)

The macaroni and cheese was fabulous, too. What a great recipe! I've used Alton Brown's recipe from Good Eats for about a year now, and it's great, too, but according to Scott (the ultimate judge on all things food in our house), the new one from Pioneer Woman is better. (And she has beautiful step-by-step photos.)

Another big win was the chicken & black bean taco filling. I meant to make it into quesadillas, but I got lazy and just plopped it into some sprouted tortillas for yummy tacos. The recipe made plenty to freeze and reuse as an easy meal in the future.

Let's hope this week's menu goes as well! Most of my items are based on what's on sale at Sprouts this week. They have particularly good deals on chicken, chicken parmesan sausage, and pineapple which I'm going to use.

Monday: Tortellini and salad

Tuesday: Breakfast for dinner--Quiche with spinach, mushrooms, and chicken sausage

Wednesday: Leftovers (last night of Awana!)

Thursday: Teriyaki chicken stir-fry over brown rice (we were supposed to have this last week, but skipped it)

Friday: Homemade pineapple pizza

Saturday: Potluck dinner at the church for the Awana leaders

Sunday: Either eat out or fend for yourself! :)

Menu Plan, Week of 4/20

I have found that one of the best ways for me to save money is to plan out my meals. If I don't have a plan, it becomes too easy for me to get frustrated and go through a drive thru! So, I'm going to try to start posting my menu plans each week. For more menu planning ideas, go here.

Dinners
Monday: Breakfast for Dinner--Pecan waffles, scrambled eggs, coffee, and juice

Tuesday: Mac and cheese, salad, steamed broccoli

Wednesday: Leftovers (It's Awana night, so I don't have time to cook!)

Thursday: Teriyaki chicken bowl (brown rice, sauteed chicken, steamed veggies, teriyaki sauce)

Friday: Ravioli, salad

Saturday: Chicken Quesadillas

Sunday: Leftovers (Awana again, no time to cook)


I also plan on making breakfast cookies and chunky banana bran muffins.