This month is proving to be quite the challenge from a meal planning standpoint!
Here’s why this month is a challenge…I’ll be out of town for a few days. We’ll be eating out a number of times with family and friends. We’ll be enjoying a few holiday parties. And we’ll generally be running around with our heads loosely attached to our necks.
The holidays get so crazy and hectic, but somewhere in all the madness, we have to stop to cook and eat. This month, I’m just going to create a list of about 18-20 meals that I will be making. Also, I already have on hand most, if not, all of the ingredients I will need to prepare each of the meals on the list below.
So that being said…I hereby officially declare December a Pantry and Freezer Challenge Month! The goal will be to spend less than $35 per week at the grocery store each week during December. (I should also note that I am not at all responsible for any part of our Christmas meal, so that will help me keep our overall grocery budget down this month too.) I’ll be getting the basics…produce, milk, snacks, maybe some meats, if the price is right. I’m hoping to create a little more room in the freezer and pantry as we move into 2011!!!
Oh, and we’ll probably be having each of these meals with spinach…as I found 10 (yes, 10) packages in the freezer!!!
- Cider Beef Stew
- Sausage Split Pea Soup
- Garlic Chicken in Slow Cooker
- Rosemary-Garlic Chicken Thighs
- Apricot Walnut Chicken
- Red Beans and Rice
- Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
- Shrimp Scampi and Corn Cobs (in the freezer)
- Salsa Chicken - a baked version
- Pasta with Chunky Bolognese Sauce
- Chili Topped Potatoes and Honey Baked Lentils (found only in The $5 Dinner Mom Cookbook)
- Pumpkin Pancakes (also found in soon-to-be-released The $5 Dinner Mom Breakfast and Lunch Cookbook!)
- Waffles, Eggs and Bacon
- Breakfast: Katie’s Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls (Doubled this recipe on Thanksgiving morning and froze 3 pans worth!)
That’s what I’ve got! Recipes that I have not added a link to will be posted sometime during the month. Let the Pantry and Freezer Challenge Begin…
Want to know more about why I plan my menus out each month? Read more here. Want to give monthly meal planning a try?!…check out all the printable planners and templates that will help with your weekly and monthly meal planning!
{ 0 comments… add one now }