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Jan. meal planning- who's all in?


mhaddon
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I was thinking we could do a meal planning thread. Share what our meal plan for the month is and help others out that are starting :) I've seen discussion about it in other threads and have seen a few "resolutions" to try this. So let's chat, share, and learn!

 

I am finishing up mine and will post as soon as it is finished :)

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I was thinking we could do a meal planning thread. Share what our meal plan for the month is and help others out that are starting :) I've seen discussion about it in other threads and have seen a few "resolutions" to try this. So let's chat, share, and learn!

 

I am finishing up mine and will post as soon as it is finished :)

 

 

I would be game for that, but I don't plan by the month -- just by the week.

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Here's my new attack plan for dinners:

 

Sunday - dad grills (hamburgers/hot dogs, steak, kabobs, fish) or if he's not grilling then something in the oven (other than roast chicken), potatoes of some sort, veggie, salad

Monday - quick pasta dish + salad (fettucine alfredo, spaghetti with meat sauce or spaghetti carbonera)

Tuesday - roast chicken + rice + veggies

Wednesday - breakfast for dinner + fruit salad (omelets, pancakes, waffles, etc)

Thursday - pizza + salad

Friday - meatless (fish, seafood, vegetarian) (can be anything from cod, to shrimp fried rice to minestrone soup and grilled cheese sandwiches)

Saturday - leftovers, carry out or something new to try

 

Breakfasts are pretty easy but my downfall is lunches. Everybody just kind of comes and gets what they want and often they don't eat well or they don't eat enough and then get hungry before dinner, wind up snacking and then don't eat dinner. Throws everything off. I need quick, healthy lunches that will please everybody. That's hard!

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I've drafted a meal plan as we're aiming for a "no spend" month during January. Neither dh or I will have any income coming in at all, so this is necessary. Luckily we have a stocked pantry, freezer, & a garden that should be producing. My plan is:

 

Breakfasts: cereal, porridge, or yogurt & fruit (choices get limited towards the end of the month as items get eaten. I make my own yogurt & have enough supplies on hand for 2 litres / week)

 

Lunches: left-overs, salad, & fruit (Ds#1 will take the same to work when he starts back on 7th Jan)

 

Dinners:

1--MYO pizza

2--Tuna Mac

3--Fried Rice

4--Stuffed Potatoes

5--Breakfast Burrittos

6--Dinner Salad

7--Vegetable Flan

8--Soup & Salad

9--Teriyaki Chicken & Rice

10--Pasta

11--Bean & Cheese Burrittos

12--Pancakes

13--Dinner Salad

14--Fried Rice

15--Soup & Salad

16--Chicken curry

17--Pasta

18--MYO Pizzas

19--Ds#2's birthday meal (his choice)

20--Dinner Salad

21--Teriyaki Pork balls & rice

22--Soup & Salad

23--Butter Chicken & rice

24--Pasta

25--Fried Rice

26--Nachos & Salad

27--Curry Beef & peas

28--Fish cakes & salad

29--Tuna Pea Wiggle

30--Soup & Salad

31--Bacon Egg Pie

 

I got a new breadmaker for Xmas (with our loyalty points :thumbup1: ) , so I plan to have homemade breads available daily. I will do a couple batches of homebaking each week for morning & afternoon tea. Ds#2 is on summer holidays until 1st February & he plans to go fishing as much as he is able, so we may have fresh fish occassionally to supplement the above menu.

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I just finished up my January meals yesterday so I'm happy to share! I've always done them by the week in the past, but I decided to try doing them by the month this year since I hate meal planning. This way I only have to plan 12 times a year instead of 52! :)

 

Jan 1 - ham, mac and cheese

Jan 2 - chili

Jan 3 - shrimp and pasta

Jan 4 - burritos

Jan 5 - chicken pot pie

Jan 6 - chicken tikka masala

Jan 7 - baked spaghetti

Jan 8 - pulled pork sandwiches

Jan 9 - eat out

Jan 10 - pork tacos

Jan 11 - grilled salmon

Jan 12 - lasagna

Jan 13 - sausage and mushroom quiche

Jan 14 - sloppy joes

Jan 15 - chicken enchiladas

Jan 16 - eat out

Jan 17 - pork chops

Jan 18 - tortilla soup

Jan 19 - chicken alfredo

Jan 20 - pork roast

Jan 21 - stir fry noodles

Jan 22 - tuna casserole

Jan 23 - eat out

Jan 24 - salmon patties

Jan 25 - chicken quesadillas

Jan 26 - chicken cordon bleu

Jan 27 - roast chicken

Jan 28 - sausage and potatoes

Jan 29 - potato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches

Jan 30 - eat out

Jan 31 - breakfast for dinner

 

We eat out every Wednesday night with friends, but my goal is to not eat out any other night.

 

I don't list any veggies, but we have a salad every single night for dinner and then always a couple of vegetables. I pretty much buy the same veggies - green beans, cauliflower, broccoli, squash, zucchini, mushrooms, carrots - every week and just rotate through them....

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1- family dinner of corned beef and cabbage

2- chicken enchilladas

3- lasagna

4- Shrimp stir fry, rice, eggrolls

5- home made pizza

6- beef roast, green beans, potatoes

7- lamb chops, baked beans, pasta salad

8- sati babis, rice, peas

9- Chicken pot pie

10- beef stew and rolls

11- shrimp scampi, red lobster rolls and birthday cake

12- squirrel and dumplings, greens

13- dinner with family

14- quiche and fruit

15- spinach stuffed shells, salad

16- pallea

17- Salisbury steak, potatoes, peas

18- tuna casserole

19- deer chili

20- chicken Marsala, potatoes, broccoli

21- beef tips with mushrooms and egg noodles

22- Talapia, rice, asparagus

23- Green chicken pitas

24- pork roast, sweet potatoes

25- beef drip sandwiches, salad

26- baked potato soup and chessecake factory bread

27- bacon wrapped meatloaf

28- chicken spaghetti

29- lamb ribs, scalloped potatoes, cauliflower

30- biscuits and gravy, eggs

31- chicken and dumplings

 

I make almost all breads we have and do rotate around meals, but just so I know I have enough for a month :)

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I'm in, but not, 'cause I'm using a service (The Fresh 20).

 

A friend has been test driving an online service called Eat Your Books that indexes cookbooks and blogs, allowing you to search through your books, magazines, favourite blogs, etc. She has nothing but raves. Here's the EYB blurb:

 

Eat Your Books has indexed over 780,000 recipes from the most popular cookbooks and magazines and the best blogs and websites. All you have to do is tell us the cookbooks you own, the magazines you subscribe to and the blogs and websites you follow. Instantly you have a searchable index of all your recipes.

 

Enter a recipe name, an ingredient, a recipe type, ethnicity - whatever you want! You will see a list of recipes that match.
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What is the pea wiggle?? Sounds yummy, I love peas lol

 

 

Tuna Pea Wiggle is a traditional Vermont dish. It's simple & easy to make & a family favorite.

 

#1 Make a basic white sauce (I drain the water from the cans of tuna & peas to add in more flavor)

#2 Stir in canned tuna.

#3 Stir in peas (I like canned, but you could use frozen.)

#4 Serve over crushed saltines, toast, or noodles.

 

My brother likes Tuna Pea Wiggle so much that my mother would send him some every year on his birthday :laugh: . DH isn't a fan, but my dc love it.

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Tuna Pea Wiggle is a traditional Vermont dish. It's simple & easy to make & a family favorite.

 

#1 Make a basic white sauce (I drain the water from the cans of tuna & peas to add in more flavor)

#2 Stir in canned tuna.

#3 Stir in peas (I like canned, but you could use frozen.)

#4 Serve over crushed saltines, toast, or noodles.

 

My brother likes Tuna Pea Wiggle so much that my mother would send him some every year on his birthday :laugh: . DH isn't a fan, but my dc love it.

 

 

I think I will try it on Tuna night! Sounds good and stuff everyone already likes :)

 

So yes, meal planning saves me a ton of money. Plus we are unable to go out to eat. We may have lunch one day at a fast food place, but that is not even always happening. I do have a husband that hunts so that helps with some meats and we raise our own. We are hoping to have beef in the freezer very soon and some more pork. Streatching the lamb until next fall is hard!!

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I am in for sure. My number one goal for 2013 is to conquer meal planning. I don't like it all, but I know that when I do take the time I save a TON of money. I've never thought of planning for an entire month, but I just might give that a whirl this month. Curious, those of you that plan a month, do you shop for a month too? I would love to do one big trip each month, then just pick up the perishables (milk, eggs, produce) weekly. Hmmm.....

 

I've got to put the baby to bed but I'll be sitting down with a paper and pencil tonight to get a January plan down :)

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I usually only plan a week at a time. DH and DD11 juice twice a day and DD8 & I do smoothies for breakfast and lunch (she has some additional food also). If I don't have a plan for those too, I end up not doing them. I also plan lunches so we don't end up at McDonald's. Planning all that gets overwhelming, so I usually only do a week at a time. I'll try two weeks and see how well it goes.

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I was doing oamc...had some good recipes, but not enough freezer space. I came across some soup recipes I'd like to fix for the busy nights. Like the others, I usually cook by the week, depending upon what is on sale. We are sticking to a weekly cash grocery budget ala Dave Ramsey...also pledging not to eat out. I'm embarrassed by how much we were spending on a "quick" dinner. :crying: I won't even begin to talk about my Starbucks addiction...

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I'm in! I also do mine weekly, so I can meal plan around sales. I have specific meals for dinner, but just rotate breakfast, lunch, and snack ideas.

 

Dinner for the rest of this week and next-

 

Friday-making lasagna to take to the in laws

Saturday-chicken noodle soup and salad

Sunday-shepherds pie

Monday-roast chicken and veggies

Tuesday-chili and corn bread

Wednesday-leftovers

Thursday-$5 pizzas on our way home from the gym

Friday-Hawaiian pork chops, cabbage salad

Saturday-fettuccini Alfredo, caprese salad

Sunday-teriyaki chicken and veggie fried rice

 

Breakfast is bagel with cream cheese, eggs, pancakes, or oatmeal

 

Lunch ideas-

Bean burritos

Turkey sandwiches

Chicken salad sandwiches

Pita and hummus

Buttered pasta and edamame

Leftovers

 

Snacks are Greek yogurt, carrots, fruit, cheese sticks, popcorn

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Okay, I actually made a dinner list. Now I just need to follow through. I think I will try and do one big shop Monday, then fill in the gaps with fresh produce, milk, and bread weekly. I still need to figure out the pizza nights (the person who selects our family movie for the night also selects the pizza). I'm quite certain that I won't be going in this order, but selecting what I can cook that night based on my mood & time. I add salad & veggies to every single meal regardless so they aren't listed since I use what's on hand. Lunches here are typically leftovers, and with a nice meal plan like this I see plenty of leftovers that will be up for grabs! Breakfast during the week is simple - oatmeal, yogurt, scrambled eggs/toast, etc. I get a little fancier on the weekends - pancakes, potatoes, etc.

 

1 Chili & Cornbread

2 Spaghetti & Meatballs

3 Chicken Tacos & Rice

4 Pizza Friday

5 Roast Chicken & Potatoes

6 Pulled Pork Sammies

7 Pasta e Fagioli Soup

8 Potato Soup

9 Beef Stew

10 Pork Chops & Potatoes

11 Pizza Friday

12 Dried Beef Gravy

13 Chicken Enchiladas

14 Chicken Noodle Soup

15 Chicken Tenders with Mac & Cheese

16 Lemon Chicken & Confetti Rice

17 Sausage & Potatoes

18 Pizza Friday

19 Grilled Cheese

20 Cowboy Spaghetti

21 Sloppy Joes

22 Meatloaf

23 Turkey Nachos

24 Pesto Pasta

25 Pizza Friday

26 Fettuccini Alfredo

27 Chicken Pot Pie

28 French Toast & Sausage

29 Pot Roast

30 Beef Tacos

31 Baked Ziti

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Here's mine, starting with tomorrow.

 

Dec. 28: homemade Mac 'n cheese with broccoli spears.

Dec. 29: Salsa Verde Chicken Taco Bake, green salad, fruit

Dec. 30: Spaghetti & meatballs, Italian bread, green salad

Dec. 31: sloppy joes, oven baked fries, carrot/celery sticks

Jan. 1: Streusel Baked French Toast, bacon, fruit salad

Jan. 2: leftovers

Jan. 3: Chicken Noodle Casserole, green salad, muffins

 

That's all I have for now. I'm trying to have a "no spend" January, so my budget is set at the absolute minimum. Most of my meals will be made with pantry/food storage items.

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I plan a month ahead and just finished mine because I'm grocery shopping tomorrow. (I do a monthly big trip to Costco, our local foodie grocery store, and Target for staples and then go each week for perishables for that week's meals and to replenish produce.)

 

 

stroganoff

pinto beans and tortillas (my dh is from NM and makes the beans and tortillas and the kids love it.)

cheeseburger chix; crash hot potatoes; roasted carrots

enchilada casserole, salad

turkey veg soup w cabbage and brown rice and homemade biscuits

spinach minestrone soup w homemade bread and salad

wild salmon, baked potatoes w butter, sour cream, and fresh chives, roasted broccoli

homemade chicago style pizza, salad

sloppy joes, fries, veg of some sort- I start running out of ideas for veggies in the winter and often make some boring frozen veggies.

chix legs w rice and oven roasted veggies

crockpot chix noodle soup, salad

chix on a stick (from weelicious, my kids love it), homemade mac and cheese, green beans

crockpot meatball soup, salad

Indian dal and naan

greek shrimp w orzo, green beans

tomato basil soup w tortellini and bacon wrapped breadsticks

fettucine alfredo, salad

crockpot mex bean and beef soup, salad

chix parm, roasted broccoli

wild salmon and oven roasted veggies (sweet potatoes, red potatoes, spinach)

linguine and red clam sauce, salad

meatloaf, cabbage, potatoes

crockpot chix and lentils over rice

french toast casserole and sausage

spaghetti w pesto, salad

roasted veggie magic (from gluten free goddess)

fish and chips and veggies

crockpot salsa chix and beans over rice, salad

 

I don't schedule anything on Saturdays. Dh and I eat alone together and cook something new together. The kids get to pick convenience meals for Saturdays, like frozen pizza or whatever they want. They consider that a treat and I count on that day off. I also hardly ever used my crockpot before having a high-needs baby/now toddler, and it's now my bff.

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Here's my next month's menu:

 

Dec. 30 - sausage biscuits (breakfast for dinner)

Dec. 31 - vegetarian (soup)

Jan 1 - chili and cornbread muffins

Jan 2 - noodles & beans (this is my kid's go-to daddy's-work-night meal)

Jan 3 - homemade baked chicken nuggets

Jan 4 - salmon and broccoli

Jan 5 - homemade pizza & salad

Jan 6 - pancakes, eggs, bacon

Jan 7 - beans and rice

Jan 8 - spaghetti & meatballs, garlic bread

Jan 9 - noodles & beans (daddy's work night)

Jan 10 - crock pot cream cheese chicken and noodles

Jan 11 - pork chops & baked sweet potatoes

12 - spam & rice

13 - breakfast casserole

14 - Vegetable soup

15 - beef roast - crock pot

16 - noodles & beans (daddy at work)

17 - baked chicken, veggies, potatoes

18 - salmon patties

19 - bean burritos or nachos

20 - sausage biscuits

21 - bean soup

22 - meatloaf muffins & mashed potatoes

23 - noodles & beans

24 - chicken dish - crock pot

25 - pulled pork sandwiches

26 - baked potatoes and salad

27 - pancakes, eggs, bacon

28 - veggie quiche

29 - beef tacos

30 - noodles & beans

31 - chicken stirfry, rice

Feb 1 - tuna casserole

Feb 2 - sausage, beans, rice

Feb 3 - breakfast casserole

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Here's my new attack plan for dinners:

 

Sunday - dad grills (hamburgers/hot dogs, steak, kabobs, fish) or if he's not grilling then something in the oven (other than roast chicken), potatoes of some sort, veggie, salad

Monday - quick pasta dish + salad (fettucine alfredo, spaghetti with meat sauce or spaghetti carbonera)

Tuesday - roast chicken + rice + veggies

Wednesday - breakfast for dinner + fruit salad (omelets, pancakes, waffles, etc)

Thursday - pizza + salad

Friday - meatless (fish, seafood, vegetarian) (can be anything from cod, to shrimp fried rice to minestrone soup and grilled cheese sandwiches)

Saturday - leftovers, carry out or something new to try

 

Breakfasts are pretty easy but my downfall is lunches. Everybody just kind of comes and gets what they want and often they don't eat well or they don't eat enough and then get hungry before dinner, wind up snacking and then don't eat dinner. Throws everything off. I need quick, healthy lunches that will please everybody. That's hard!

 

 

I love this approach! You are giving me some ideas!

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Tuna Pea Wiggle is a traditional Vermont dish. It's simple & easy to make & a family favorite.

 

#1 Make a basic white sauce (I drain the water from the cans of tuna & peas to add in more flavor)

#2 Stir in canned tuna.

#3 Stir in peas (I like canned, but you could use frozen.)

#4 Serve over crushed saltines, toast, or noodles.

 

My brother likes Tuna Pea Wiggle so much that my mother would send him some every year on his birthday :laugh: . DH isn't a fan, but my dc love it.

 

 

 

We do the same things just put it over buiscuts! ummy...i was never a pea fan, so it tends to be corn! :)

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Life is way to complicated for me to do the whole month! It seems things change to much and I love to use the store ads to decided what to make, saves a few cents! So here is mine for the first week of January.

 

Pot Roast with rice and veggies

Potato Corn Chowder with biscuits

Burritos with the leftover Pot Roast

Pork Stir Fry over rice

Chef Salad

Creamed Tuna over biscuits

Leftovers

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Here's my January list. We probably won't get to everything on it, since things come up and we end up eating out sometimes. The only date that is meal specific is New Year's Day. Dh likes hoppin' john (black-eyed peas) so I'll make that but without the greens. No one likes collard or mustard greens so we usually just have a salad. For the most part I don't plan sides because I order from a produce co-op weekly. Sides are based on what comes that week. I also list by categories, so for example if I want to do something with the meatballs I have in the freezer, I just have to look at one general area of the list.

 

Jan 1st - Hoppin' John, cornbread, tomatoes, salad

 

January meals:

 

shrimp creole

fish tacos with lime cream sauce

pork roast

pulled pork sandwiches

pork chops with apples and onions

cranberry pork chops

herbed pork tenderloin

pork tenderloin with red cabbage

minestrone soup

chili

lentil soup

tomato-basil soup and grilled cheese sandwiches

split pea soup with ham

red beans and rice

meatball subs

meatballs and gravy

meatloaf

tacos

roast chicken

chicken enchiladas

fried rice with whatever leftover meat we have

baked potato bar, salad

tortellini with pesto sauce, tomato salad

breakfast casserole

French toast, bacon, fresh strawberries

homemade or take & bake pizza

 

We will go out for dinner on or near our anniversary. We'll also have several leftovers or clean out the fridge nights. Anything on the list I don't make this month will roll over to February's list.

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I'm working on my menu right now! I've done this off and on in the past and have GOT to be better about it routinely!! :)

 

 

ETA:

Ok, here's what I've got so far! This took me all afternoon! LOL!

 

Right now I'm skipping Sundays and Wednesdays because of church and our crazy schedule. Still trying to figure out those days...

 

1

2- simply great chicken - pinterest

3 salmon patties and roasted broccoli

4 creamy chicken enchiladas

5 chicken pot pie

6

7 breakfast

8 chicken noodle soup

9

10 soft tacos - beef

11 grilled cheese and tomato soup

12 oven fried chicken

13

14 mexican hamburger casserole

15 bbq chicken sandwiches

16

17 chicken alfredo and salad

18 breakfast

19 grilled steaks

20

21 cube steak sandwiches and fries

22 chicken casserole

23

24 potato soup

25 soft tacos - chicken

26 grilled cube steak with peppers and potatoes

27

28 fried rice and chicken

29 south of the border casserole

30

31 quiche

 

Almost all these recipes are on my pinterest boards for recipes OR healthy meal ideas. Sorry I'm too lazy to type them all out!! :)

 

I looked in my freezer and we have ground beef, cube steak and chicken. So I'm trying to cook with only those meats this month. I already had the canned salmon also.

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These are lunches and dinners. Kids are cooking some of these so they reflect their choices. Some of these days are holidays and or parties here or out. All breakfasts are eggs, muesli, oatmeal etc.

 

29

beans and cornbread

Snacks for pm

 

30

Roast, vegetables, bread, banana pudding

Brownies, ice cream and fudge sauce

 

31

Vegetable beef stew, bread

Smokies, cheese dip, crackers, loaded nachos, fruit tray

 

1

Black eyed peas, collard greens, cornbread

Leftover snack food, birthday cake

 

2

Tuna salad on pita, carrots, fruit brownies

Ham and cheese sandwiches, cuties

 

3

Quesadillas, Spanish rice

Minestrone soup, bread

 

4

Chicken and noodles with crackers

Homemade pizza, vegetable tray

 

5

Toast with jam, eggs, sausage

Cheese ball and crackers for party

 

6

Roast, vegetables, bread, fruit jello

Leftover snacks from party

 

7

BBQ sandwiches and pickles

Pancakes and eggs with sausage or bacon

 

8

chowder, oyster crackers

Italian chicken, mashed potatoes, fruit, bread

 

9

Homemade macaroni and cheese

Shepherd's pie

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Ok...so I've planned January. This is how I do it. I pick 30ish main dishes and list them with the recipes attached. I then pick the items for a particular week based on sales, how busy I'll be, etc. We rarely have bread, and I pick sides totally based on what's nutritious & cheapest, so the only thing I'm listing is main dishes, and those are in no particular order. As a matter of fact, they're loosely listed by category, because that's how I plan. Looking over the month, it seems heavy. What can I say? It's winter. We're cold (weenie SC residents that we are). I pretend to redeem myself through adding lots of fresh green salads and tons of fruits and veggies. I don't pretend to add those things lol, I just pretend that their addition redeems the "heartiness" of the entree. :D

 

1. Creamy Potato Soup

2. White Chicken Chili

3. Homemade Chicken Soup

4. Cheese/Chicken/broccoli Soup

5. Italian Meatball & Tortellini Soup

6. Poor Man Stew

7. Shredded Beef Enchiladas

8. Tacos

9. Chicken Enchiladas with Verde Sauce

10. Taco Salad

11. King Ranch Chicken

12. Chicken Diable

13. Baked Veggie Spaghetti

14. Spinach Lasagna

15. Stuffed Shells

16. Creamy Chicken Spaghetti

17. Pasta Bake

18. Squash & Broccoli Mac & Cheese

19. Thai Chicken

20. Shepherd Pie

21. Sloppy Joes

22. Roast with carrots & potatoes

23. Pasties (because of leftover roast)

24. Chicken Fried Rice

25. Homemade Pizza

26. Homemade Faux Deep Dish Pizza

27. Roast Chicken (out of order because the leftovers will become the chicken fried rice)

28. London Broil

29. Leftover London Broil on Greens with Sliced Pears and Bleu Cheese

30. Some kind of mish mash stew or pot pie using all the bits of leftovers I've tucked into the freezer over the month.

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I go week by week. Next week will be:

Sun-roast turkey, baked sweet potatoes, rolls, kiwi

Mon-turkey nachos, fruit salad, vegetable tray

Tue- baked veggie pasta, oranges

Wed-boneless pork chops, broccoli, biscuits, applesauce

Thu-turkey veg soup, fresh bread, grapes

Fri- calzone, salad, ice cream

Sat- grilled cheese and tomato soup, baked apples

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Wow, you guys are awesome. I get stressed planning a week ahead, but I just went to the grocery store and stocked up. We are trying to eat Primal, so lots of meats & veggies. Here's what I have for the next week-ish ...

 

Meats:

2 small chickens to roast for friends who are coming over for dinner today.

Use the chicken remains to make stock.

Big pot roast

Lots of ground beef in the freezer. May try a stuffed butternut squash, some ricotta-stuffed meat balls, chili, and/or a bacon-meatloaf recipe I haven't tried yet.

 

Veggies:

Cauliflower for mashed cauliflower

Lots of carrots for carrot soufflĂƒÂ© and for the stock (celery & onions, too, for the stock)

Pumpkins to roast and make pumpkin soup

Butternut squash, not sure how I'm going to cook yet

Yams, for maple mashed sweet potatoes

 

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Thanks for inspiring me to get this done!

 

Here's the plan:

 

28. Potato soup and cheese toasts

29 Burgers/dogs/veggie burgers, fruit salad, oven chips

30 Beer can chicken, grilled cauliflower, mac n cheese

31 Appetizers and snacks

1. Black eyed peas, rice, cornbread, spinach

2. Turkey kielbasa, pierogies, cabbage and carrots

3. Burritos

4. Veggie calzones and salad

5. Ham, spinach quiche, fruit

6. Ham, au gratin potatoes, green veggie

7. Stir fried veggies and Japanese curly noodles

8. Pressed subs, veggies with dip, fruit

9. Bean soup and cornbread

10. Italian macaroni and broccoli

11. Southwestern eggrolls, rice, pico de gallo

12. Broccoli cheese rice casserole, grilled chicken, salad

13. Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green veggie

14. Chicken mushroom stroganoff, green veggie

15. Sloppy joes/veggie burgers, quinoa salad, fruit

16. Brunswick stew and homemade crescent rolls

17. Turkey sausage, veggie, pesto pasta

18. Cheese fondue

19. Quesadillas and black bean soup

20 Ribs and chicken, baked potatoes, green beans

21. Spaghetti and meatballs, salad

22. Breakfast - croissants, eggs, bacon, grits, fruit

23. Chili

24 Grilled chicken wings and tenders, orzo veggie medley

25. Pizza and salad

26 Veggie soup and grilled cheese

27. Roast chicken, stuffing, peas and corn

28. Tacos

29. Chicken and dumplings

30. Southwestern pasta

31. Meatball/falafel pitas and Greek salad

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The thread inspired me to try planning two weeks. Here's what I have so far, in "flexible" order. I kind of group things by main dish, then I spread those out over the week for variety. Things like the side veggies may have to change depending on what looks good at the markets and on the sales. I have enough meat to last until May (I think), so that part is easy to plan.

  • Turkey, stuffing, sweet potatotes, cranberry sauce, lettuce & pea salad (New Year's Eve)
  • Hocks and blackeyed peas (New Year's Day)
  • Broccoli beef, brown rice
  • Boeuf bourguignon, rolls, salad
  • Steaks, steamed broccoli and salad
  • GF tortellini with chicken, veggies and mushrooms in garlic chicken broth sauce, and salad
  • Chicken piccata, snap peas, carrots, and salad
  • Indian chicken tacos and salad
  • Mu Shu pork, rice pancakes, stir-fried veggies
  • GF pasta with hot Italian sausage and stir-fried romaine and mixed greens (whatever I can find)
  • Macaroni and cheese, steamed broccoli, salad
  • Pinto beans and rice, steamed broccoli, salad
  • Gluten free pizza (x 2)

 

For lunches, it will be mostly soups, and I will make the guys some sandwiches as well. Soups will be:

  • Potato leek
  • Minestrone
  • Butternut squash and bacon
  • Navy bean and bacon
  • Vegetable beef
  • Chicken and white & wild rice

 

 

For breakfasts, we usually have eggs or ham for protein and fruit. The guys also have toast, or sometimes pancakes or french toast.

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I decided to do one big shop and just got back. Our cupboards & fridge & freezer are stocked. There a few more things I need to pick up tomorrow at a different store, but that will be easy as tomorrow is also my Target run. Then my weekly trips will be just milk & produce ( if only I had the fridge space for a month of milk). I can already tell I saved a bundle :)

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This is what I have planned so far. The open dates indicate nights that I'm not sure that we'll actually be home for dinner or nights that dh will be gone (I usually just do something easy when he's gone). There are a few open dates for the last week of the month - our dinners will be based on what is left in our freezer and cabinets at that point!

 

1/1 Ă¢â‚¬â€œ Ham, rice, black eyed peas, green beans

1/2 Brown Sugar & Balsamic Glazed pork (crockpot), mashed potatoes, roasted broccoli

1/3 mexican ziti, corn

1/4 macaroni & cheese with ham & broccoli

1/5 crockpot beer chicken, roasted veggies, rice

1/6 leftovers or eating at grandparentsĂ¢â‚¬â„¢ house

1/7 (My Birthday)

1/8 Crockpot French Dip Sandwiches, salad

1/9 salisbury steaks with mushroom gravy, mashed potatoes, green beans

1/10 Creamy Bacon Carbonara with Chicken, roasted broccoli

1/11 Proscuitto Wrapped Chicken thighs, roasted red potatoes, asparagus

1/12

1/13 Sirloin Tip roast, homemade mashed potatoes

1/14 Chicken Cordon bleu, roasted veggies

1/15 Crockpot beef & broccoli, fried rice

1/16 Chicken Ranch tacos, rice, beans, corn

1/17 Roasted Pork in a Baguette, green beans or salad

1/18 - leftovers

1/19 Ă¢â‚¬â€œ DD8Ă¢â‚¬â„¢s birthday (sheĂ¢â‚¬â„¢ll get to choose dinner)

1/20

1/21

1/22 Chicken Parm Meatballs, spaghetti, Italian bread, salad

1/23

1/24 Flank Steak in crockpot, roasted red potatoes, veggie

1/25 Roasted Chicken, mashed potatoes, veggies,

1/26

1/27

1/28

1/29

1/30

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Well, thanks to all of you I've been very busy the past few hours. I fully expect a lot of leftovers, so I'm not concerned that I came up with only 28 days instead of 31. I listed a few lunch ideas, but of course there are always the standbys like PB&J, Tuna, etc...

 

 

Dinners

 

 

  1. Koshari
  2. Zesty BBQ Chicken Sandwiches
  3. Fasulia, Rice (Thursday)
  4. ShepherdĂ¢â‚¬â„¢s Pie
  5. Musaka, Rice
  6. Lasagne, Salad
  7. Broccoli Cheddar Soup, Cornbread or Homemade bread
  8. Broiled Chicken, Salad, Veggie
  9. Meatloaf, Salad, Rice
  10. BBQ Chicken Pieces in Crockpot, Veggies, Salad (Thursday)
  11. Laban, Rice (cooked yogurt dish, Arabic)
  12. Taco Soup, Cornbread
  13. Salmon, Rice
  14. Malfoof, Salad (stuffed veggie rolls)
  15. MemawĂ¢â‚¬â„¢s Casserole, Salad (kind of a mexican spaghetti casserole)
  16. Kafta Waraq (Arabic meatballs wrapped in grape leaves)
  17. Chicken Stew (Thursday)
  18. Chili and Cornbread
  19. Oven Fried Chicken, Salad, Veggies
  20. Chicken Burgers, Veggie
  21. Spaghetti and Sauce
  22. Dawud Basha, Rice (Arabic; meatballs in a tomato stew with dried mint)
  23. Roast Chicken with Red Peppers & Garlic, Rice
  24. Roast Leg of Lamb, Rice, Veggies (Thursday)
  25. Meatballs baked with turnips, carrots, roasted eggplant, tomatoes, and potatoes; Rice
  26. Fava Bean Ratatouilee (p. 201 Forks over Knives)
  27. Skillet Fried Chicken Strips, Salad, Veggies, Rice
  28. White Chicken Chili

 

 

Lunches

 

 

  1. Tacos
  2. Red Beans and Rice
  3. Crock Pot Macaroni and Cheese
  4. Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup
  5. Quesadillas

 

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I don 't mean to steal the thread, but how do you guys do this kind of planning?? Do you look through your calendar and if you have a busy afternoon you plan an easy dinner?

 

I just end up often feeling like I planned something difficult (ish) to make when I had a harder day.

 

Also, there are so many days where I planned to make, say, lasanga, and everyone really felt like having something entirely different. How do you deal w/ that?

 

Alley

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We usually do weekly, but since we recently purchased a 1/4 cow and a 1/2 pig, I've got a freezer full of food to work with. There are a couple of holes I need to fill in still, but here's our month so far:

 

Jan 1-yogurt w/berry sauce, celery almond soup, sesame glazed chicken w/Brussels sprouts

Jan 2-smoothie, mini pizzas, rolled cabbage

Jan 3-oatmeal, egg salad sandwiches, black bean soup

Jan 4-cereal, salad, veg stir fry w/rice

Jan 5-pancakes or muffins, tuna sandwiches, chicken tetrazzini

Jan 6-eggs, ??, pork butt

 

Jan 7-granola bars (homemade), tomato soup, bulgur chili

Jan 8-yogurt parfait, pasta salad, mushroom herb chicken, twice baked potatoes, veg

Jan 9-egg sandwiches, cole slaw, beef enchiladas

Jan 10-granola, mushroom quesadillas, split pea & ham soup

Jan 11-cereal, tuna sandwiches, veg curry w/rice

Jan 12-pancakes or muffins, corn & bacon chowder, cauliflower mac & cheese

Jan 13-eggs, ??, olive oil poached steaks w/thyme

 

Jan 14-smoothie, brown rice salad, ?? (veg based)

Jan 15-oatmeal, peanut noodles, mustard chicken thighs

Jan 16-eggs, tuna melt, noodles w/cabbage & pork

Jan 17-cereal, salad, butternut chowder

Jan 18-oatmeal, rice, peas & carrots, potatoes & eggs w/salad

Jan 19-pancakes or muffins, ?? (soup), pasta w/mushrooms, chicken & wine

Jan 20-eggs, ??, fennel roasted pork

 

Jan 21-oatmeal, salad, ?? (veg)

Jan 22-yogurt, flatbread w/veggies, chicken in wine sauce

Jan 23-eggs, minestrone soup, chili mac

Jan 24-oatmeal, pizzas, spinach, pasta & pea soup

Jan 25-baked apple, ?? (sandwich), ?? (veg)

Jan 26-muffins/pancakes, ??, roasted veggie pasta

Jan 27-eggs, ??, sirloin steak

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1/9 salisbury steaks with mushroom gravy, mashed potatoes, green beans

1/10 Creamy Bacon Carbonara with Chicken, roasted broccoli

1/11 Proscuitto Wrapped Chicken thighs, roasted red potatoes, asparagus

1/14 Chicken Cordon bleu, roasted veggies

1/15 Crockpot beef & broccoli, fried rice

1/16 Chicken Ranch tacos, rice, beans, corn

1/17 Roasted Pork in a Baguette, green beans or salad

1/22 Chicken Parm Meatballs, spaghetti, Italian bread, salad

 

Do you happen to have recipes handy for any of the above? Your whole menu sounded like things we would eat here, so I am curious about these! :)

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