Then I came across a different method of menu planning -- planning a month of meals and then just plugging them in as they fit and the mood strikes.
"Ah-ha. This is more my style; this might work for me," I thought. I could make a list of main dishes and I could pick and choose depending on our schedule. I wouldn't plan veggies and side dishes. Those would be based upon what was on sale that week at the grocery store.
So, I tried it. At the beginning of June I looked over our freezer and refrigerator and planned out 30 days worth of main dishes. I included a bunch of family favorites and a few new recipes I wanted to try. It was wonderful. It worked great. My husband even commented that he liked seeing what the options would be, and even made a request once or twice.
When we returned from our vacation I decided to do it again. I made a list of possible meals for the rest of July.
So, here are our Main Dish options for the month of July:
- Chicken Tetrazzini - we had this last night it was wonderful!
- Slow Cooker Roasted Chicken
- Leftover Roasted Chicken
- Steak on the grill x2 (from my Dad's freezer)
- Sweet Vidalia Onion Chicken Breasts - in the Slow Cooker
- Spaghetti x2
- "Go To" Chicken Casserole
- Slow Cooker Pork Roast
- Sweet & Sour Chicken
- Sesame Ginger Chicken Breasts - in the Slow Cooker
- Homemade Pizza (with this dough and this sauce)
- Vidalia Onion Pie
- Potato Spinach Sausage Casserole
This list is mostly meats that are already stockpiled in our freezer as well as a few new-to-us recipes. It even includes a no meat meal (Woo Hoo!). I'm trying to include more "no meat" meals, but not being a fan of beans this is rather challenging.
Each main course will be supplemented with two veggies and/or fruits and will include a grain or starch. Spaghetti and Pizza, obviously, already include a grain; the Baked Chicken Breasts will be served with brown rice and the Slow Cooker Chicken & Pork Roast will probably include biscuits from the freezer (I made them a few weeks a go and froze them. They're ready to pull out and bake in the toaster oven at a moment's notice.)
Other meals this week:
Breakfasts: french toast & cantaloupe; pancakes, bacon & bananas; pineapple muffins & scrambled eggs; grits or oatmeal with raisins or blueberries; creamed chipped beef over whole wheat biscuits, cantaloupe; cereal
Lunches: leftovers, PBJ sandwiches, turkey & cheese sandwiches, smoothies
For many more menus visit OrganizingJunkie.
1 comment:
The go to chicken casserole sounds really good. Thanks for sharing!
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