Monthly Meal Plan

I have never been a good meal planner. I think I have attempted to meal plan in the past and I never made it past the "start planning" stage. I finally decided to follow the example of some of my awesome friends and do a meal plan for an entire month! (Lofty goal for me, I know)

We are pretty simple eaters around here. Eli is pretty picky, Chris doesn't like to eat a lot of meat, and I am a carboholic. I also am not a very experienced cook! Most nights around here are usually spent eating Sidekicks pasta, hot dogs, and peanut butter sandwiches. Mmm....healthy......(not so much)

So, I am branching out! Since the start of the new year, church on Sundays is from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm, so I've decided to make Sunday our crockpot or make-ahead-casserole night, because the last thing I want to do after wrangling 3 kids through church is put energy in to making supper. The past few weeks I've done the casserole/crockpot thing, and it seems to be a good plan for us. Another requirement is making a meal each week that has enough leftovers for Chris to take to work for lunch for several days. In the past we have made a huge crockpot of chili, which we freeze in individual portions, and it last a couple weeks. He also likes to take Shepherd's Pie, and leftover homemade pizza.

I still stuck with some simple and easy supper plans that some people would be appalled to find on a "meal plan" - (You planned to have hot dogs???? That what you make when you run out of ideas!) - but come on folks, I'm starting out slow. Also, a lot of weekly repeats. Monday is waffle night because Chris isn't home for dinner that night, and he doesn't really like waffles. Maybe one day when I magically turn into SUPER MOM I will be able to make a delicious home cooked meal with all 5 food groups every single day and manage to stay sane.....(don't hold your breath).

Those notes being said, here's a look at our February meal plan.

Week 1
Sunday - Crockpot Pineapple Chicken w/ rice
Monday - Waffles
Tuesday - Shepherd's Pie
Wednesday - Hot Dogs and Home Fries
Thursday - Spaghetti and Caesar Salad
Friday - Grilled Cheese Sandwiches and Soup (for kids, Date Night for Chris and I)
Saturday - Eli's Birthday Party (haven't asked what he wants yet!)

Week 2
Sunday - Crockpot Ham and Potato Casserole
Monday - Waffles
Tuesday - Chicken Strips and Salad
Wednesday - Tacos
Thursday - Egg-in-a-hole and Fruit Salad
Friday - Grilled Cheese and Soup (for kids, Chris and I have church function)
Saturday - Homemade Pizza

Week 3 
Sunday - Crockpot Macaroni and Cheese
Monday - Waffles
Tuesday - Shepherd's Pie
Wednesday - Hot Dogs and Home Fries
Thursday - Spaghetti and Caesar Salad
Friday - Loaded Baked Potatoes
Saturday - Hawaiian Haystacks

Week 4
Sunday - Crockpot Chicken Noodle Casserole
Monday - Waffles
Tuesday - Chicken Strips and Salad
Wednesday - Tacos
Thursday - Egg-in-a-hole and Fruit Salad
Friday - Grilled Cheese and Soup
Saturday - Homemade Pizza

Not too exciting, I grant you, but at least it is all written down, and I can create my shopping lists without forgetting anything. And at least my kids won't be eating peanut butter sandwiches for supper. OK.....they still might.