I thought planning a month’s worth of meals consisting of whatever I wanted would be so much fun… but coming off a pantry challenge and still seeing a few odds and ends in the pantry makes me want to keep up the hard work!
Granted, I’m ready to eat more than mounds and mounds of black beans, but I can’t ignore the food we already have at home. With that said, some of the meals this month sound kinda haphazard… should make for some interesting leftover nights!
Breakfast
As you know, breakfast is pretty standard around here – the kids get a choice of oatmeal or the “recipe of the week.” With an abundance of cranberry sauce in the pantry, I found a recipe and made a few substitutions.
- Cranberry Coffeecake with Macadamia Nut Streusel x2 (new recipe, using cranberry sauce and nuts from pantry)
- Apple Cinnamon Bread
- Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
Lunch
(rotating throughout the month)
- Snacky Lunch (homemade granola bars, soaked granola, Greek yogurt, dried fruit, carrot sticks, celery sticks with peanut butter and cranberry and almond ants)
- Pigs in a Blanket (homemade crescent rolls with sausage links from freezer), fruit
- Peanut Butter and Banana Pitas (trying a new homemade pita recipe)
- Bean & Cheese Burritos/Pitas, fruit
- Peanut Butter & Jelly (on homemade bread), fruit
Dinner
Week 1
(S) Family Dinner
(M) Leftovers
(T) DIY Salads
(W) Leftovers
(T) Buttermilk Ranch Oven-Fried Chicken (homemade bread, potatoes, vegetable, salad)
(F) Spaghetti (sauce from the freezer, but no-fail pasta)
(S) Tri-Tip on the Grill (vegetable, Italian pasta salad, homemade bread)
Week 2
(S) Fellowship Lunch / Brining Strawberry Pretzel Salad; Family Dinner
(M) Labor Day / Grilled Hot Dogs (homemade buns, corn on the cob, Greek pasta salad)
(T) Beans & Rice (recipe TBD, but the Mediterranean Beans & Rice from last week was really good)
(W) Leftovers
(T) Bacon, Lettuce & Tomato Sandwiches (homemade bread, either pesto or homemade ranch dressing for condiment)
(F) Homemade Pizza
(S) Tri-Tip Tacos (leftover tri-tip, homemade tortillas, coconut rice, salsa, southwestern corn, salad)
Week 3
(S) Family Dinner
(M) Leftovers
(T) Pesto Ravioli with Side Salad
(W) Leftovers
(T) Orange Peel Beef (white rice, broccoli, carrots)
(F) Dinner with Friends
(S) Whole Chicken Rotisserie on the Grill (salad, vegetable, potatoes)
Week 4
(S) Family Dinner
(M) Leftovers
(T) Gourmet Grilled Cheese (I’m eyeing some from here and here) with Side Salad
(W) Leftovers
(T) Lemon Caper Chicken (vegetable, salad)
(F) Homemade Pizza
(S) Chicken Spinach Verde Enchiladas (salad)
What’s on your menu this month (or this week)?
This post is linked to OrgJunkie and StoneGable.
Tiffany…wow your menu’s are fantastic,wish I could get organized and plan ahead like this..it looks like maybe you only have to shop for a few things like fresh fruit…and maybe only a few meats and staples…how do you prepare for week/month? do you get your recipes and make a list of things you will need and go shop for week/month..reason I’m asking is I also have food budget for the month it is also 300…I’m trying to get it to were I don’t go at the first of the month and spend the entire budget..I’m trying to learn to stretch it out…thank you for all these great tips.I do appreciate your thoughts and suggestions on this,again Thanks Jo
Thanks Jo! It takes me a few days to put together these menus (nap time here, bed time there…), but it’s well worth the effort in the long run. Most of my menu is based around what I already have in the house, rather than finding recipes and then shopping for new items. I know that meal planning can be tough, so I’m going to post the details of how I planned this month this Thursday. Hopefully it can help fill in the gaps. Keep an eye out!!