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!

Cheeseburger Pie Soup

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef
•  1 diced onion
• 3 to 4 carrots, shredded
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 tsp basil
• 1 tsp parsley
• 4 TBS butter
• 5 cups beef broth (I use water and beef base)
• 4 cups cubed potatoes
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
•  2 cups shredded or cubed Cheddar cheese (Velveeta is good too)
•  2 cups milk
• 1/4 cup sour cream

Directions

1. In a large pot, melt 1 TBS butter over medium heat: cook and stir vegetables and beef , until beef is brown, drain grease.
2. Stir in basil and parsley. Add broth and potatoes. Bring to a boil, then simmer until potatoes are tender, about 10-12 minutes.
3. Melt the remainder of butter and stir in flour. Add the milk, stirring until smooth.
4. Gradually add milk mixture to the soup, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer. Stir in cheese. When cheese is melted, add sour cream and heat through. Do not boil.

This Week's Menu

Monday (9/3/2012)
  Breakfast: Cereal

  Dinner Potluck with Friends

Tuesday (9/4/2012)
  Breakfast: Cereal or grits

  Dinner: Spaghetti w/ homemade Meat sauce, French Bread (makes 2 loaves, salad

Wednesday (8/29/2012)
  Breakfast: Homemade Waffles, sausage

  Dinner: Chicken Fried Steak, Mustard Greens, Rice (gravy), Corn on the Cob, Amazing Yeast Rolls (double for next day)

Thursday (9/6/2012)
  Breakfast: Bagels

  Dinner:  Homemade Cheese Ravioli with Meatball, Amazing Yeast Rolls

Friday (9/7/2012)
  Breakfast: French Toast (using , Sausage

  Dinner: Rice and Bean Enchiladas

Saturday (9/8/2012)
  Dinner: Grilled Chicken, green beans, Rice Pilaf

Sunday (9/2/2012)
  Dinner: Chicken Panini's, Broccoli Cheese Soup

***Lunches are usually easy pasta dishes, mac n cheese, sandwiches, or leftovers.

Monday (8/27/2012)
  Breakfast: English muffins, eggs bacon cheese

  Dinner: Stir fry over noodles or rice

Tuesday (8/28/2012)
  Breakfast: Pancakes

  Dinner: Spaghetti w/ homemade sauce, French Bread (makes 2 loaves)

Wednesday (8/29/2012)
  Breakfast: Grits, cheese fruit

  Dinner: Crockpot Roast, potatoes, carrots, green beans French Bread 2nd loaf

Thursday (8/30/2012)
  Breakfast: Cereal

  Dinner: Chicken marsala, Mac n cheese, Spinach

Friday (8/31/2012)
  Breakfast: Sausauge Biscuits

  Dinner: Hot dogs, sausage dogs, sauerkraut, tots

Saturday (9/1/2012)
  Dinner: Hamburger steak, rice/gravy, Mustard greens, Salad, homemade bread

Sunday (9/2/2012)
  Dinner: Cheesy Potato soup, Ham steaks, Field Peas

Honey Chicken Crockpot Recipe

Chicken (1-2 lbs)
1/3 cup Honey
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup Soy sauce
2 TBS minced garlic (or 2 cloves), garlic powder works in a pinch too!

Put all ingredients in the crock pot on low 6 hours.  You can use any type of chicken with or without bones.  We prefer boneless skinless breasts.  Great served over rice or egg noodles.   This makes a great sauce.  I like to thicken the sauce before serving.  Mix 2 TBS cornstarch or flour with 1 TBS cold water... then whisk into sauce on low heat... add more or less to desired sauce consistency.  My kids LOVE this!

Menu Plan Monday

Here is our weeks worth of meals.  Lunch is usually leftovers (if there are any), pasta, wraps, or sandwiches.   I usually try to bake a sweet of some sort towards the beginning of the week to include in the kids lunch boxes and for snack time.  And forgive me for the reverse order of breakfast and dinner... this is copied from my app that I do my meal planning in and I am too lazy to reverse it!  Promise we do eat breakfast first though! Lol

Monday (8/20/2012)
  Dinner: Spaghetti, homemade bread

  Breakfast: Biscuits and gravy (w/sausage)

Tuesday (8/21/2012)
  Dinner: Tacos

  Breakfast: French toast bacon

Wednesday (8/22/2012)
  Dinner: Sticky chicken crock pot, rice, green beans

  Breakfast: Oatmeal fruit

Thursday (8/23/2012)
  Dinner: steak, butter noodles, peas, yeast rolls

  Breakfast: Eggs toast

Friday (8/24/2012)
  Dinner: Pizza party (homemade pizzas)

  Breakfast: Blueberry muffins

Saturday (8/25/2012)
  Dinner: Shrimp scampi

  Breakfast: Cinnamon rolls

Sunday (8/26/2012)
  Dinner: Hamburgers, potato or pasta salad, baked beans

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!