March Meal Calendar

March is here! March is one of my favorite months. I'm still really enjoying planning our meals for the month and shopping just twice a month. Instead of doing seperate posts I am going to share our monthly meal calendar at the beginning of each month and any special plans I have to save money for the month.

 

We always have some favorites that are rotated and used every month. You'll always see tacos, chili, and asian stir fry. We love these meals and they are very easy! I also color code the calendars so that I know the main protein for each meal. This helps with planning to shop so I know how much of each meat I need that time around.

 

This month I am going to purchase a large package of chicken and a large package of pork at Sam's Club. I'll get whatever cut of pork is the best prices, but it's usually bone-in pork chops, which we love! The chicken will last for the month and the pork will likely last into April. This will make my grocery bill a little more on the front end, but much less towards the end of the month. I am also shopping at Aldi for most things and couponing some at Food Lion.

 

I worked in some new meals this month.

 

Pesto Pasta is one of our favorites. I use pesto that I freeze as the sauce and throw in vegetables and parmasan cheese. Balsamic Chicken wraps are just grilled chicken breasts that I marinate in balsamic vinegar and honey and then we eat them on a wrap with lettuce. Lemon Chicken pasta is grilled chicken marinated in olive oil and lemon zest served on pasta with asparagus, broccoli, spinach, parmasan cheese, and a homemade lemon vinegarette (I'll be sharing this recipe soon). For Grilled Pork Chops, I usually marinate them in some type of seasoning and/or vinegarette and then we grill them!

 

One thing that I am most excited about this month is all the fresh vegetables that will be back in season at the grocery store. Asparagus is one of my favorites! It's really only good in the spring, so we'll probably be eating it with lots of meals this month!

 

 

Meal Planning Part 3

This is part 3 of my series on meal planning. Last time I shared two weeks worth of meals, recipes, and a shopping list. This time I'm going to share two more weeks!

 

For the last part of February, here's what we've had:

 

Week 3

Day 1/2: Taco Soup

Day 3/4: Baked Ziti

Day 5/6: Baked Chicken and Veggies

 

Week 4

Day 1/2: Asian Stir Fry

Day 3/4: Red Beans and Rice

Day 5/6: Taco Night

 

Like I mentioned before, I have a lot of things that I keep on hand. Some things that I did not have to buy this time because I already had them were rice, tortillas, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, jar of minced garlic, cajun seasoning, chicken, spices, and veggies (The chicken, tortillas, and veggies, I bought the previous week).

 

Shopping List

Cost: Approximately $40

• 2 lb. ground beef/turkey
• 2 cans black beans
• 3 cans diced tomatoes
• 1 can dark kidney beans
• 1 can light kidney beans
• 1 bell pepper
• 1 onion
• 1 jar of salsa
• 1 package taco seasoning
• 1 small container part skim ricotta cheese
• 1 jar spaghetti sauce
• Ziti pasta
• 1 bag shredded cheese of your choice (used for ziti and taco's)
• Vegetables of your choice
• Soy sauce and Rice wine vinegar
• Frozen corn
 

Recipes

 

Taco Night: You can find this in my Part 2 post

 

Baked Ziti: I use the same process for baked spaghetti found on the Part 2 post, except in between the layers I add a layer of ricotta cheese. This recipe is very versatile and you can add in vegetables, your favorite pasta and sauce, and made totally different meals.

 

Baked Chicken and Veggies: This is one of Dan's favorites. He works out a lot and craves healthy foods [I know, weird! :)]. I place two-three chicken breasts in a small casserole dish and coat with 1 tbsp. olive oil, 2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar (or a favorite vinegarette bottled dressing), salt and pepper, and 1 tsp. garlic. Then throw in vegetables of your choice. I ususally put in frozen broccoli, frozen green beans, and some fresh carrots. Bake at 350 until chicken is cooked through.

 

Asian Stir Fry: Dice 2-3 chicken breasts into bite sized pieces. Cut vegetables that you want to use (my favorites are broccoli, carrots, sugar snap peas, and corn) into small pieces. In a small bowl, mix together 1/4 c. soy sauce, 1 tbsp. rice wine vinegar, 1 tsp. garlic, and some hot sauce. Start with a large skillet with some olive oil on medium high heat. Add chicken and cook for about 3 minutes. Add in vegetables and sauce. Cook until vegetables are tender and chicken is cooked through. Serve over rice.

 

Red Beans and Rice: This is one of our vegetarian favorites although sometimes I add smoked sausage. I don't claim to know anything about cajun/Louisana cooking or that this is even cajun at all. It would probably be a disgrace down there, but we like it! Saute 1 bell pepper, 1 onion, and 1 tsp. of garlic in a skillet with olive oil until tender. Add in 1 can of diced tomatoes, 2 cans of kidney beans, 2 tbsp. of cajun seasoning, and 1/2 cup of water. Let simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. Serve over brown rice.

 

Taco Soup: In a crock pot combine 1 lb. ground meat, 1 can of black beans, 1 can of diced tomatoes, 1 cup of frozen corn, 1 cup of water, and 1 package of taco seasoning. Cook on high for 3 hours or on low for 5 hours.

 

This month we spent $150 on groceries total! Using this meal calendar, planning for breakfasts and lunches, shopping only twice, and not going out to eat really made it easy to save lots of money. Next month, I'll share our meal calendar and shopping lists again!

Meal Planning Part 2

Week 1-2 of Meal Planning

 

Last time I started talking about how I've started planning our meals for the whole month. Now I'm going to share two week's worth of meals, recipes, and a shopping list! I have a good collection of about 12 recipes that are my "go-to's". They are easy, inexpensive, and our family loves them. For February, I planned lots of meals like this because I'm still getting used to mommy-hood. Also, as mentioned in my last post, I cook enough at once so that we can eat that for supper two nights! If you're family doesn't do leftovers, you'll have to add in some extra meals.

 

 

Week 1

Day 1/2: Baked Spaghetti

Day 3/4: Taco Night

Day 5/6: BBQ Chicken and vegetables

 

Week 2

Day 1/2: Chili with cornbread

Day 3/4: Stir Fry

Day 5/6: Taco Night

 

For the 7th day of each week, we either did a special date night at home with steak that we already had in the freezer or ate a freezer meal that I had made before our son arrived! Those have been so nice to have.

 

Shopping list for this round

Cost: Approximately $45 (I shopped at Aldi for the majority of the list)

• 2 lbs. ground turkey (use whatever ground meat you like/that's on sale)
• 1 bag of frozen chicken breasts or chicken breasts in bulk (you wont need it all this time, but will use it for the next half of the month)
• 1 package of smoked sausage
• Spaghetti Noodles
• Jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
• 4 cup package of shredded cheddar cheese or block of cheddar to shred yourself
• Frozen vegetables of your choice (broccoli and green beans are our favorite)
•  2 cans of chili beans
• 1 package of chili seasoning
• Ingredients for cornbread (I have these on hand) or a package of box cornbread mix
• 3 cans of diced tomatoes
• 1 bell pepper
• 2 onions
• 2 packages of taco seasoning
• 1 large jar of your favorite salsa
• Tortillas
• 1 can of black beans
• 1 bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce

Recipes



I apologize for not having pictures. Meal time isn't what it used to be with a newborn! I will try by best to have some next time! :)

 

Baked Spaghetti: Cook noodles and brown 1 lb. ground turkey. Once turkey is completely cooked, stir in jar of spaghetti sauce and a can of diced tomatoes. Make alternating layers of  noodles and meat in a 9 x 13 dish. Top with 1 1/2 cups of cheddar cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes! Steam broccoli or have a salad on the side. This meal is also HUGE. So we sometimes eat it for 3 nights and/or have lunches.

 

Taco Night: This is possibly our favorite meal to have! It's so easy! Cook chicken breasts (I usually do 2-3 depending on size) in the slow cooker with 1/2 the jar of salsa, taco seasoning, and black beans for 2 hours or until chicken is done. Take the chicken out and shred with two forks. Put back in the slow cooker and stir together add 1 cup of shredded cheese before serving. Serve on tortillas with your favorite toppings. We sometimes put the mixture inside of a tortilla and grill/cook in a pan for a quesadilla instead!

 

BBQ Chicken: Another family favorite... cook chicken breasts in slow cooker with 1 bottle of BBQ Sauce. Take chicken out and shred. Serve with vegetables and rice or on a bun.

 

Chili: Dice and saute 1/2bell pepper and 1 onion. Brown 1 lb. ground turkey in a soup pot. Add 2 can of diced tomatoes, 2 cans of chili beans (don't drain!), and package of chili seasoning. Let simmer for 30 minutes. This can also be cooked in a slow cooker. Top with cheese and serve with cornbread!

 

Stir Fry: Cut smoked sausage into bit sized pieces. Slice 1/2 bell pepper and 1 onion. Saute sausage, pepper, and onion until the sausage browns. I serve this with brown rice. Sometimes I also add some kidney beans and Cajun seasoning.

 

The shopping list is the BASICS for the suppers. I always have a few things on hand that I can throw together like brown rice and whole wheat pasta, frozen vegetables of all kinds, flour and cornmeal for breads, seasonings and spices. These things help me make meals more flavorful and filling.



Meal Planning Part I

A lot has happened in the past few months. We are now a family of 4 (kitty included!). Our son was born January 4. He is seven weeks old today. You can read more about him here. These have been the BEST seven weeks of my life! We've been blessed that I have been able to stay home and be a mommy. It was (and still is) a step of faith. In order to make it work, we've made drastic changes to our budget and have cut back a lot. I haven't missed a thing.

 

 

One thing that has really helped us stay on budget is planning our meals. I used to do this before the pregnancy cravings kicked in! However, we didn't always stick to it. Now we have to stick to it and I can't believe how much money we've saved. It also takes the stress of trying to figure out what to make each night.

 

How to plan meals:

1. Get organized. I use a calendar on the computer and just input what we're having each night. I'm a huge fan of cooking ONCE and eating TWICE, so I plan a meal for every other night. I make enough for the next night too. It's awesome and I'm so glad to have a hubby that loves leftovers. I hang the calendar on the refrigerator so it's there when I need it.

 

2. Limit shopping. I plan meals for the whole month and shop only twice a month. This is also a big money saver. I ONLY go to the store twice a month, no exceptions. All of those little trips were really adding up for us. And since I really hate grocery shopping, this was actually welcomed by me. I was inspired by a friend who shops for the whole month at once. I may try this one day, but it involves lots of freezing (for milk, cheese, sandwich meat, etc. or else they will go bad). I'm not quite there yet! You don't have to freeze anything if you shop every two weeks.

 

3. Have a theme. Plan meals that use the same proteins and ingredients so you can buy in bulk or family size to save money.

 

4. Don't forget your breakfast, lunch, and snack needs. I don't plan these meals. We normally eat the same things for breakfast and lunch everyday: some sort of eggs and an english muffin for breakfast and some sort of sandwich and raw veggie for lunch. I just make sure to buy plenty of these things so that we have them.

 

5. Plan for special nights. Having a baby in the middle of flu season has been quite scary for me. I have been a little over protective of him, not wanting to take him out in fear that he'll get sick. Now that he's 7 weeks old and I'm breast feeding (YAY for immunity!), I have eased up a bit and we've been venturing out some. For this month I planned home date nights, which were usually a special meal and included some sort of dessert. Part of the budget cuts we made were some date nights, so I'm planning more special nights for home. Things to consider for out-of-the-ordinary nights: home date nights, family or friends coming over, if you'll be taking a dish to a party, special weekend breakfasts, birthdays, etc. Think of EVERYTHING so you don't have to go back to the store.

 

 

 

Over the next few posts I am going to share with you some example weeks from our calendar. For February, since I am still getting acclamated to being a mom, I made sure that all of our meals were super easy and fast or for the slow cooker. Check back in a few days for a week's worth of planned meals and recipes!