Sunday, January 30, 2011

Menu planning, my new goal

I have found that if I make a menu I not only save money on food but I also am able to serve a more balanced and complete meal with less hassle and time.  However, the draw back is always taking the time to write up a menu... oh yeah, and then sticking to it...

This month I decided I was really going to work on menu planning and sticking to it.  The challenge I gave myself was making a menu for a full month that required very few if any trips to the grocery store.  I think I did a very good job for February.  I started out by making a menu for the rest of January which was only 6 days and then just kept expanding from there. 

So far dinner has been on the table at a decent time and I have heard nothing but compliments from the boys.  I wasn't going to post this here but then I decided that someone else might be in need of dinner ideas so why not share?

End of January

Meatloaf with mashed potatoes, green beans and country gravy
Spaghetti with meat sauce and garlic bread (homemade sourdough french bread... yum)
Split pea soup with leftover garlic bread
BBQ chicken with baked  potatoes and garlic green beans
Indian fry bread pizzas with chicken chorizo and beans
Spicy chicken tacos with rice and beans

*I have tried to think ahead and make things as easy as possible for myself.  When we BBQ'd the chicken I did 2 whole chickens that Curt had cut up.  We did half of the chicken with BBQ sauce and the other half with a yummy red sauce that Curt made.   The best thing about this menu was that I never had to run to the store.  I used my non fat homemade yogurt in place of sour cream and homemade salsa.  The boys have been happy and I have very few leftovers which makes me happy since it means less science experiments in my fridge. 

Stay tuned for February's menu. 

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