Monthly Menu Plan - June

I am not entirely sure how closely I will follow this month's Monthly Menu Plan. I have some new recipes in the back of my mind that I am hoping to try as well as some old ones that have been forgotten about for a while.

The number one way to keep up with the grocery savings is to make sure you keep up with variety!

Interested in trying any of these meals? Find some of the recipes here:

Burger & Broccoli Casserole

Lentils & Biscuits with Gravy

Fried Rice

No-Tomato Chili

Beef and Cabbage Joes

Baked Beans

Sweet Lentils & Rice

Polenta Quiche

Beef Stroganoff

Depression Casserole

Chicken Soup

For more menu plan ideas, check out: Organizing Junkie

Monthly Menu Plan - May

This month is going to be a very busy month so I am not aiming to try any new recipes. I am keeping my Monthly Menu Plan fairly simple and hoping to freeze quite a bit of food for effortless meals.

While I am using the "Prep" portion of my monthly menu as mentioned last month, I have not been filling it in until a few days prior to the required prep work. This is an area I am still testing out to see if it is a good fit for my planning so I will not be posting my prep work for this month.

Any of these meals look good to you? Find some of the recipes listed here:

Baked Beans

Chicken and Biscuits with Gravy

Lentil Soup

Spaghetti Sauce

Beef & Rice Skillet

Tangy Chicken & Rice

Salmon Cakes with Tangy Honey Mustard Sauce

American Chop Suey

Sweet Lentils & Rice

Chili Skillet

Polenta Quiche

For more menu plans, check out: Organizing Junkie

Monthly Menu Plan - April

I am slowly making some changes to my monthly menu planning to better accomodate my family and my schedule.

The first piece to change is my Monthly Menu Plan. While still holding the same concept of planning every dinner for the month, I have also added a section for preparation work. This "Prep Work" will remind me what I need to do a day or two before a meal in order to stay on schedule (for example, soaking beans, thawing meat or making pie crusts).

While I have not fully implemented this system just yet, I would like to share with you my new template:

Hopefully the changes I am making will make monthly menu planning much easier as well as give you some new pointers on how to try it for yourself!

Looking for some meals to add to your menu plan? Check out my Recipes!

For more menu ideas, check out: Organizing Junkie

Monthly Menu Plan - March

With the addition of a new family member last month, our hectic schedules emptied out the entire freezer. This month began with bare cupboards and a bare refrigerator. Because I plan on doing quite a bit of restocking, I am shooting to save money by using some of my favorite frugal recipes with no eating out or splurging on expensive meats.



What little tricks do you use temporarily cut back on your meal budget?

Looking for some meals to add to your menu plan? Check out my Recipes!

For more meal plans and homemaking tips, check out: Organizing Junkie, Ginger Snap Crafts and 5 Minutes For Mom

Monthly Menu Plan - February

A little late this month but here is my Monthly Menu Plan for the month of February:



Because of the exciting arrival of our new son, this month is full of meals from the freezer as well as simple meals with a lot of leftovers. We may toss in a couple of take-out nights to make things extra easy but for the sake of our budget and our diet we are hoping to not rely on restaurants too heavily.

How does your menu planning look this month?

For more great menu plans and homemaking tips, check out: Organizing Junkie and A Bowl Full of Lemons

Monthly Menu Plan - January

So begins a new month and a New Year. This year, I have plans to upgrade my Monthly Menu Plan in order to save even more money and get even more organized. Stay tuned for changes in the future!

Our new addition is due to be born this month so this plan may not be followed too closely. I have plenty of meals pre-made and frozen to make easy dinners for the hectic month ahead.

Start out your New Year by tackling a Monthly Menu Plan! You will be surprised how wonderful it is to not worry about what is for dinner at the last minute.

For more great menu plans and homemaking tips, check out: Organizing Junkie, Learning the Frugal Life, 5 Minutes for Mom, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Far Above Rubies, Growing Home, Ginger Snap Crafts and Homestead Revival.

Monthly Menu Plan - December

Another new month is upon us which means a new Monthly Menu Plan!

You will notice that mid-month I plan on having a Chicken Week. This really cuts down on the number of meals I need to cook and freeze at the beginning of the month, so I will probably use the free time to stock up the freezer with some extra meals for the future. It never hurts to have an overstocked supply of convenient meals.

Have you tried out a monthly menu yet? Consider making meal planning, whether for a week or a month, part of your New Year's resolutions!

For more great homemaking tips check out: Women Living Well, Raising Homemakers, It's a Keeper Thursday and Organizing Junkie.

Monthly Menu Plan - November

Tomorrow is the start of a new month which means it is time to tackle my Once-A-Month Cooking! I did my monthly grocery shopping over the weekend so this week my crockpot, stovetop and oven will be very busy stocking the freezer. Here is a look at my Monthly Menu Plan for November:

If you remember my Monthly Menu Plan for October, many of the dishes remain the same with one or two changes. This makes creating a grocery shopping list much easier. Since we only have most of the meals once a month, my family still feels as though there is enough variety in our dinner menus.

Bear in mind, this menu plan is something I use for general planning and tend to not hold to very strictly. It is always fun to shake things up at the last minute. I am constantly looking for new recipes to keep some excitement in our eating habits.

Are you doing your Once-A-Month Cooking this week? If so, do you have any new recipes you are trying out? Please share!

I will be linking up with OrgJunkie's Menu Plan Monday.

Monthly Menu Plan - October

Since it is the beginning of a new month, I wanted to share with you my Monthly Menu Plan for October to give you some ideas on how to space out your meals.



While this menu plan helps me immensely in creating a complete grocery shopping list and knowing just how much money to budget for the month's grocery expenses, I do not always strictly hold to it. I enjoy changing things up at the last minute, altering recipes, switching meal days, and trying new recipes. The key is to use ingredients that are all ready in your home without robbing ingredients from another meal. Keeping a full stock of beans, rice and spices makes such last minute change-ups possible.

Notice several days call for "Leftovers." I prefer to plan my menu to make larger quantities so I do not have to worry about cooking and freezing 30 different recipes. This also makes things easier on those busier days when I have less meal prep time.

You will also notice that there are very few meat recipes on this month's menu. The reason for this is cost. Meat, though tasty and versatile, is also expensive when compared to vegetarian or vegan recipes. By filling my menu with a variety of beans, whole grains and produce, I am able to cut the cost of the month substantially while still providing my family with healthy and complete meal items that they love. (Seriously, ladies, your husbands will hardly notice the meat is missing as long as the meal is filling and tastes great!) For ideas on healthy bean recipes, please check out my Bean Series.

Have you tried planning out your menu for the week or month? If not, I challenge you to give it a shot for the month of October.

Please help me win the Race Against My Sister's Uterus and Like my Fanpage!

It's 12 Noon, Frugal Time

I have discussed frugal and healthy breakfasts and given you a menu of some of my dinners.  Now, let's discuss the meal in between.  At our house, lunches are usually very simple but full of variety.  In one week, our pallets can travel to a cottage in the country, a bistro in Italy, or a lunch cafe in San Diego.  Here are some nutritious and frugal lunches we enjoy the most:
A Cottage in the Country

• Good ol' lunch meat. You can't go wrong with a lunch meat sandwich and some popcorn or pretzels.  It is our standard lunch on very busy or very lazy days.  We buy the cheapest lunch meat on the market, since we really aren't picky, which usually is cotto salami (for my husband) and turkey bologna (for the rest of us).  Occasionally I will pick up some regular turkey, but only if it is a good deal.  We never buy from the deli because the prices are not usually worth it.  This is an area where you should determine your priorities.  Perhaps you just aren't willing to give up your deli thin-sliced ham, and that's fine.  You may need to do lunch meat sandwiches less often.  Add some extra nutrients and a crunch by using cabbage instead of lettuce.
• Peanut butter and jelly. This is another basic sandwich that I try to make as healthy as possible.  I buy 100% whole wheat bread, all-natural (just peanuts and water) peanut butter, and fruit preserves.
• Macaroni and cheese. Use 100% whole wheat elbow macaroni, add some milk, cheese, and a pinch of mustard and you have a quick and healthy homemade macaroni and cheese.
• Chicken and rice. Cook rice according to package directions.  Add two 2 cups hot water, 2 teaspoons chicken bouillon and mixed vegetables.

A Bistro in Italy

• Herbed Pasta Primavera. Chock full of vegetables and fiber, this is a great lunch so spice up your boring week.  Stay tuned for the recipe tomorrow!
• Super Easy Spaghetti.  Cook up some spaghetti noodles and drain.  Toss in a can of tomatoes, some oregano, basil, parsley, and garlic to taste, then sprinkle on some Parmesan cheese.
• Caesar Salad. Romaine lettuce, some dried homemade bread bits, and some homemade Caesar dressing.  Simple and light.

A Cafe in San Diego

• Grilled Cheese. Some days it is nice to have a warm sandwich.  I use 100% whole wheat bread to make it more nutritious.  You can even toss on some tomatoes and cabbage.
• Easy Lentil Soup. Combine 1/4 cup lentils, 2 cups water, 2 teaspoons beef bouillon and some frozen green beans in a bowl.  Microwave 15 to 20 minutes or until lentils are tender.  If you prefer, a splash of Worcestershire sauce really spices up this soup.
• Quick French Onion Soup. Saute 1 cup finely chopped onion in butter, add 2 cups beef broth, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, and boil.  Top with Swiss cheese.

Just get creative. Find items in your kitchen that sound good together and play with them.  If you have the time, lunch is a great meal to get creative.  If you are rushed, you can always make a little extra dinner and have leftovers for lunch the next day.

Make lunch time easy going and light on the proteins and you will guarantee yourself a frugal meal.

A Little Planning Saves A Lot of Money

I would venture to say most money-saving techniques fail when we do not have the proper planning.  I hate to plan things.  I like effortless, mindless ideas that don't backfire if I've had a rough day or a crazy schedule.  That is why I plan my meals for the entire month.  One night, I sit down before writing out my shopping list, print out a calendar and write down every meal I plan to make that month.  I'll admit, I don't always follow the plan.  Last minute things come up or I forget to pull something out to thaw in time and the whole menu gets rearranged, but I at least know what to buy and make for the rest of the month with very little thought required on a day to day basis.

The menu calendar that I have created is a PowerPoint file (download it here: Menu Calendar).  Not only do I write down what I plan to serve for the month, but I also note when my husband gets paid and what day I plan to do my grocery shopping so I can plan out my cash-only strategy accordingly.  You could probably use a dry-erase calendar or regular yearly calendar instead of print-outs, but I like to use the computer since that is where my electronic shopping and price lists are stored.

Your method may change depending on when paychecks come in.  Some people are paid every two weeks, in which case a consistent four week menu may be best, whereas my husband is paid on the 1st and 15th of every month so a monthly menu fits our lives.  This leads to some months requiring more meals than others, but as long as I budget high for the large months I can rejoice on months like February when I get to throw a lot of money in our can.

From here, I ask my husband if he has any requests for dishes for the upcoming month, then I start filling it out.  The use of the menu gives me a visual that ensures variety so we are never bored with our meals.  Most meals will appear two or three times a month (since that is the quantity I tend to make batches in and freeze them).  Once you have your menu filled out, it will make compiling your grocery list much easier and you know you won't be over-purchasing.

Once I have finished my shopping and I start on my Once-A-Month Cooking, I just pull out the calendar and mark things off as they are prepared and frozen, then I post the calendar on the side of my refrigerator.  By spending a couple hours at the beginning of each month, I save many more hours later that would be filled with agonizing over what to prepare for dinner that night.  It makes my money-saving techniques last-minute-schedule-change-proof.

Tomorrow, I will help you start your calendar with an easy-to-freeze meal:  Homemade Tomato Soup.

More from the Once-A-Month Cooking series:
Freezing Sauces, Soups, and Stews
Freezing Casseroles, Pastas, and More
Freezing Piecemeal