A Month of Meals

We started meal planning years ago. Starting slowly with weekly planning and then shopping accordingly. Buying what we needed to make what we wanted to eat. It did not take long to figure out that this was a very expensive way to meal plan. We ended up with food going bad in the fridge and freezer. I would often forget what we had in the pantry and we were always buying new things to make the meals.

Along came the wonderful inventory. Not a new idea but new to us. About two years ago we started taking a monthly inventory. Some months we are great at it and some we just eyeball what we have. We take an inventory of the pantry, the fridge, and the freezer. Some people keep a running inventory list and cross things off as they use it but I found that too hard with little ones. Seems my list was always disappearing from its ever so convenient spot on the fridge. So monthly it became.

Once we have our inventory I look at the list and write down what meat we have for meals. This months list looked like this:

Ground Turkey 1

Pork Chops 5 lunches

Ground Beef 9

Turkey 1

Beef 4 dinner 1 lunch

Drumsticks 6

What do the numbers mean? In the case of ground beef it means 9 pieces. We buy in bulk and freeze it pre portioned. One portion is enough for a meal where beef is not the centerpiece (like tacos) and two portions a meal where it is the centerpiece (like Southwest Skillet Pie). Drumsticks are also pre packaged so I have 6 packages. Other meats are usually 1 dinners worth.

After this list is done I look at what I have in my pantry that I can combine to make meals with. The list now looks like this:

Ground Turkey Burgers

Tacos

Hamburgers

Pasta x2

French Dip

SW Skillet Pie

Sloppy Joes

Turkey

Turkey Sandwiches

Vegetable Soup (making broth from the turkey)

I then get onto my computer and print out a monthly calendar. I tried using a calendar in a sheet protector with a wet erase marker once and by the end of week one my entire meal calendar was smudged and wiped off! Its hard enough to make a months worth of meals but to do it twice! Back to paper and pen we went.

Next I look at the calendar and take note of what days Joe is home late, days we have something planned that will make dinner late, and days that Joe is available to cook things I do not like to cook. This month it so happens that Joe and the two older kids are gone from the 11th to the 16th at the fair. So these days I only need meals for me, a three year old, and a 17 month old. So I added some easy meals to the list:

Pasta

Oatmeal and toast (the three year olds favorite thing to eat)

Chicken Strips

Pancakes

Baked Potatoes with beans and cheese

As I come up with meals I write them into the calendar square for that date. Meals that require a lot of prep or things I can't do when the kids are hanging on my legs (like fry chicken!) are put to the weekends, easy meals are added to the days mentioned above, other meals are added to the rest of the days. As I come up with meals I ask the kids what they want for dinner this month that way they feel included in the meal planning. I usually hear "Pancakes!!" and "I don't care." I tried right?

I have food that I buy every month or two in bulk so I know as I plan meals these things will be in my pantry. Some of these things are:

All kinds of beans

Rice

Chicken breasts

Tomato Sauce and Diced Tomatoes

Perishable staples of course. Milk, fruit, vegis, dairy products.

Spices

Tortillas

My meal calendar now has 32 meals on it. One for today which is the last day of July. Here they are in order from beginning of the calendar to end:

Salmon

French Dip

Turkey

Turkey Sandwiches

Enchilada (vegi)

Vegetable Bean soup

Pizza on the grill

Beef Kabobs

Ground Turkey Burgers

Drumsticks

Chicken Salad

Pasta

Oatmeal

Chicken Strips

Pancakes

Potatoes with beans and cheese

Pasta

SW Skillet Pie

Waffles

Vegetable Lentil soup

Pizza on the grill

Chicken Kabobs

Hamburgers

Drumsticks

Chicken and bean burritos

Chickpea Stew with rice

Pancakes

Vegetable Chili over potatoes

Tacos

Beef Roast with roasted garden vegis

Buttermilk Fried Chicken

Sloppy Joes

This is a larger than normal meat month as we had a bit of beef in the freezer I wanted to get rid of. We are blueberry picking soon and need the freezer space. :) We try and do half meat and half vegetarian meals. Looks like this month is 10 no meat meals. For sides we use what is in the freezer, pantry, or garden and when needed I buy one or two bags of bulk frozen vegis at the beginning of the month. I also buy brown rice and other grains when needed in bulk. Baking supplies are also bought in bulk as needed: flours, sugar, etc.

Lunches and breakfast have no plan on the calendar. We have a few things that we eat regularly and just rotate between them. Joe usually takes his lunch and we either cook more of something or make plans out of extra stuff in the freezer specifically for him.

Our breakfasts look something like this:
Yogurt and toast
Oatmeal
Cereal, fruit, sometimes toast
Pancakes
Waffles
Eggs and toast, eggs in toast, eggs in every way you can imagine
Breakfast burritos or breakfast pizzas
Smoothies and toast

Lunches look something like this:
PB and J or PB and honey
Burritos, nachos, tacos
Leftover day (kids love this one)
Noodles with parm cheese
PB and banana wraps or some other wrap
Mini pizzas- Usually made with whatever I have on hand. Tortillas, muffins, french bread.
Large snack plate with crackers, a protein, and some fruit/vegis and dip.

We sometimes have dessert after lunch rather than dinner so that the sugar can get worn off. Lately its been frozen berries mixed in a food processor to make Granita (ice crystals) and mixed with real whipping cream. Sometimes its cookies or whatever.