Monthly Meal Plan - January

Ok, this is something I have been working on!  The first image is just that an image to view or print.  Scroll down for the excel file that has attached grocery list and you can edit.

Still tweaking a bit but posting for those that asked.  You should be able to download a copy in excel and edit to suit your family's favorite meals.  The second sheet has an ingredient list and although setting it up may take a bit of time.... once you do it you can save and quickly update next month without having to enter everything in again!   You can then print the recipe list each month prior to your grocery trip.... This is my first month doing it this way.... And really I have already shopped for my January meals for the most part.... I will tweak the list as I go, adding or reformatting if needed.  I am in the process of posting my recipes to this blog too for reference....

I shop the bulk of my items by month.... Meats, canned goods, dry goods, cleaning products, etc.  In between I grab produce, milk, and bread as needed.  We also have spaghetti of some sort every Tuesday.... Sometimes it's spaghetti and meatballs, sometimes meat Sauce... sometimes with salad, and different breads.  Wednesdays we eat at church.  And most weekends I don't "cook", per se, but we eat up the leftovers from the days prior, or if there are none it's Soup/sandwich or pull something from my freezer stash.  Many Sundays we will eat out as well....

My goal for 2017 is to do this each month and then in future Years it won't require much to adjust for new dates! I am also starting something new in my little family assigning a cooking night to the kids.... They were excited about this and wanted to work in pairs.  So my boys are teaming up and my daughter is pairing up with daddy!  Hopefully this will help them all be more proficient in the kitchen, give me a break once a week from the cooking part at least!.... and perhaps they will gain a new appreciation for all my efforts!  I have printed the monthly page for the fridge and also keeping a copy in a binder that I am keeping as reference!  I am also highlighting the kids cooking night!

Anyway I hope this may provide some inspiration to you!  Feel free to copy and use/amend to suit your family, etc.  My kids won't be cooking at your house though LOL!

Cake Batter Waffle Sundaes!

How amazing do these look!  Let me tell you how amazingly EASY these were... and how very, very excited my kids were to get to make their own!

Cake Batter Waffle Sundae

All you need is any boxed cake mix.  Prepared as instructed on the box.  We used a Chocolate Cake Mix.  The best part about this is that they are ready very quickly!  No waiting on the oven to preheat...no waiting for the cakes or cupcakes to bake, cool, etc.  And as a bonus this is something easy for kids to make themselves, with a little supervision of course :)

Preheat your waffle iron... pour batter (mine uses about 1/3 cup per waffle section)... Close and cook.... My waffle iron has a green light when finished... probably about 4 minutes or so...

Pour Cake batter in heated waffle iron.  (Mine takes about 1/3 cup per waffle section)

Once they are done, carefully transfer to a plate.  Add a scoop of ice cream, whipped cream, well... whatever your heart desires!  We happened to have some maraschino cherries and mini chocolate chips... and of course some chocolate syrup!  Imagine them with some crushed Oreo's, or some peanut butter, vanilla cake mix with colorful sprinkles and strawberries!  Oh the possibilities get me excited!  These will also be great in the summertime when it is so hot I don't dare turn my oven on!

Here is my oldest... All 3 of my kid were pretty excited about these!

I think the one box mix made about 16-18 waffles!  I really lost count cause we were eating our sundaes up :)    I flash froze the remaining waffles, once frozen, transferred them to a freezer bag.  I think there are around 10 waffles left... These will be great to have a quick and yummy dessert after dinner, or a special afternoon snack for the kids (& me :)

Broccoli Cheese Soup

2 tbs butter
1 whole onions chopped
1 whole garlic cloves (I use minced in the jar)
½ cup butter
1 lb. broccolli washed, cut (Or use frozen)
½ cup flour
1 qt. half & half
1 qt. chicken stock (or use chicken Base)
2 salt and pepper, to taste grated
¼ tsp nutmeg
8 oz. cheddar cheese
2 whole carrots shredded

This soup serves 6 and can be easily doubled. It is unbelievably delicious!!
time to make 55 min 25 min prep


1. Saute onion in butter. When onions are golden, stir in garlic and cook for 3 more minutes. Set aside.
2. In another pan melt the 1/2 cup of butter and stir the butter and flour (make a roux) using a whisk over med. heat for 3-5
minutes. Stir constantly and slowly add the half-and-half. Add the chicken stock whisking all the time. Simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Add the broccoli, carrots and onions. Cook over low heat till veggies are tender for 20-25 minutes. Add salt and pepper.
4. Pour in batches into blender and puree.
5. Return to pot and add the grated cheese and stir till well blended.
6. Put on low heat and stir the nutmeg.

Serve with cheese on top.... Freezes wonderfully!

Shrimp Scampi

2 tbs olive oil
1 stick butter or margarine
1 whole green bell pepper chopped
1 whole onions chopped
salt & pepper to taste
2 tbs garlic minced
Italian seasoning to taste
1 lb. shrimp (frozen is what I use)
1 jar diced tomatoes I use a large jar (maybe 25-30 oz)
splash of wine (i use whatever I have on hand white or red)
pasta (thin spaghetti or angel hair is preferred)


Ben's Favorite! (and very easy)
I don't eat seafood so I usually do a seperate butter sauce for me :)

heat olive oil, saute minced garlic, onions, peppers. add 1 stick of butter... Add salt, pepper and italian seasonings. stirring here and there. Add 1 jar of diced tomatoes with juices (you can use italian blend or plain)... You can also use fresh if you have them. continue cooking until peppers and onions are tender. If I have wine on hand I add a bit to the mixture while cooking too. (red or white). At the end add shrimp (tails removed) saute tossing a few minutes until cooked. (I usually buy frozen shrimp for convenience but fresh is good too!)

could also be made with chicken instead of shrimp.

serve over angel hair pasta or thin spaghetti :)
add a salad, garlic bread and red wine for the perfect meal!