Let's talk about menu planning. This is one area that took me a little while to master but now that I have it down it has helped so much. I started writing out one week's meals at a time and I gradually increased to a month's worth of meals. This will be especially helpful when we move because we will be an hour away from WalMart and around 2 hours from Aldi.
So what I do is first I go through my freezer and pantry and make a list. Then I write down enough meals using those items and our family favorites to cover the whole month, minus each Sunday as it has become a family tradition to watch a movie and have pizza on Sundays. I tentatively set each meal with a day of the week, but I use it more as a guideline for the week/month switching around meals as needed.
Then I go through the first 2 weeks meals and write down every single ingredient I will need for each meal. I check off each ingredient that I already have on hand and write my grocery list using the items left. So basically I'm shopping for 2 weeks at a time.
I keep a copy of that month's meals in my household binder. I bought a wipe off calender from the Dollar General for $2.50 that sticks to the fridge, it isn't dated, but it has spaces for each day of the month. I write my meals on that as well so I can see what the plan is at a glance.
And now here is March's Meal Plan-
1- Sloppy Joes, fries
2- *Take out* (had to work a double and got home late)
3- Ribs, Mac & Cheese
4- Tacos
5- Fried Chicken, Mashed Potatoes
6- Pork Loin, Green Beans
7- Pizza
8- Cheese Quesdillas
9- Baked Potatoes, Salad
10- Breakfast
11- Swiss Steak
12- Sloppy Joes, fries
13- Sandwiches
14- Pizza
15- Roast Chicken, Sweet Corn
16- Tilapia/Salmon, Boiled Potatoes
17- Turkey Wraps
18- Cheeseburgers, Fries, Beans
19- BBQ Pork Sandwiches, Chips
20- Tacos
21- CJ's 3rd Birthday and his Party *planned take out day*
22- Salads
23- Chicken & Rice
24- Soup & Sandwiches
25- Baked Chimichangas, Mexican Rice
26- Beef Stew
27- Sloppy Joes, Fries
28- Pizza
29- Breakfast
30- Terayki Chicken Legs
31- Pork Loin, Potatoes
