Monthly Menu Plan- Jan.3-31 (With getting Started Tip!!)

Posted by Holly Nelson on Friday, January 1, 2010 Under: Monthly Meal Plan

I read about a few lady bloggers that planned on not grocery shopping for the month, except for essentials. They are going to plan meals from the freezer and pantry. If my oven had not stopped working a few months ago , I could have been able to freeze breakfast items and this would have been great for me. But I also do not have a few essentials to get started. But I am going to start planning meals for the MONTH. I'll tell you why. It is easier to stock up on a few items to use differently through out the month. I was also given a lot of beef and deer meat by my parents and a great friend. I figured it would be great to plan meal around what I already have in my freezer. It would've been even better if I had already had a great stock in my pantry, but I don't. I haven't found any great coupon deals at Kroger lately to do that.

To get started...
Monthly Meal Planning:
1. Buy meat at the butcher or in discount section at your local grocery store. When buying large amounts of ground beef together, divide into smaller family size baggies for the freezer.
2. DO NOT think you have to serve a meat at every meal!
3. Think of items you can buy and use for different meal. Mine: diced tomatoes, dry beans, lentils, tortillas, potatoes, rice ,large canister of oatmeal.
4. What day do you make you "Big Family Dinner"? Plan big meals for that day(Mine: Sunday), and plan uses for the leftovers for 1-2 more days that week.
5. For the week, plan to make different kinds of meals. Pasta, mexican, meatless, soup, sandwiches
6. Use beans, potatoes, and rice often. It is filling and they go very far for little money.
7. Make home breads and pizza.
8. Consider starting a garden to have fresh items on hand. Gardens in a bucket are very easy!!
9. Plan simple meals for breakfasts and lunches. Breakfast: oatmeal, eggs, pancakes, biscuits and gravy served with hot tea or coffee, OJ, fruit. Lunch: egg salad, tuna, PB, turkey served with fruit, carrots, yogurt.
10. Have a "Leftovers" night!

Menu for January 3- 31
Breakfasts: sausage biscuits, scrambled eggs, egg sandwiches, biscuits and gravy, oatmeal, french toast, pancakes, cereal, omelets, PB toast, banana bread, pumpkin bread, served with fruit, OJ, hot tea or coffee

Lunches: turkey, egg, tuna, yogurt, carrots, goldfish, chips, cookie
Snacks: cheese and crackers, PB crackers, popcorn, ramen noodles, cookies, breads, fruit, cut-up veggies

Dinner:
S(3)~ mushroom steak and gravy, egg noodles, corn on cob, salad
M(4)~potato soup and cornbread, crackers
T(5)~ Chuck-E-Cheese- Noah's 5th Birthday!!
W(6)~ Chili and cornbread
T(7)~ Tuna mac, green beans, salad
F(8)~pizza
S(9)~Leftovers
S(10)~ roast, potatoes, carrots, cornbread
M(11)~ shepherds pie and cornbread (from leftover roast and cornbread)
T(12)~ deer tenderlion, mashed potatoes, green beans
W(13)~ quesadillas, chips and dip
T(14)~ french onion round steak and gravy, corn
F(15)~ pizza
S(16)~ leftovers or out
S(17)~ pinto beans and ham, rice, salad
M(18)~ cowboy chowder (used with leftovers/recipe later)
T(19)~ bacon fried rice (use leftovers)
W(20)~ bean and cheese burritos, chip and salsa
T(21)~ steak, baked potatoes, salad
F(22)~ pizza
S(23)~leftovers/out
S(24)~steak smothered in mushrooms, fried potatoes, carrots, salad, bread
M(25)~ Sante Fe soup(made from leftover soup from freezer), tortillas
T(26)~ Mexican round steak with rice(recipezaar.com)
W(27)~ Marlboro mans favorite Sandwich (pioneerwoman.com)
T(28)~ beef roll-ups with pasta(recipe soon)
F(29)~ pizza
S(30)~ leftovers/out
S(31)~ deer tenderloin, baked potatoes, green beans, salad, bread.

Do you see the theme here? Steaks, round steaks, tenderloin, potatoes, beans, rice. I also like to serve lots of green veggies, salads, breads.

I know this is a lot of beef and no pork or chicken. Thats what's in my freezer!! And funny thing is I don't really like beef!!
When I was younger I lived on a dairy farm and I'm lactose intolerant. Now my parents raise beef cattle, and I don't really like beef! Ironic, huh? I do love a good steak, I have to admit....but chicken is really my thing. Maybe next month!