If you’ve been here before, you’ll know that I’m a huge fan of monthly meal planning. I tried weekly and it just didn’t work for us. We got stuck in a boring rut and fell back on to the same meals week after week. Monthly planning gives me a full view to see if we’re having the same meals week to week. But better than that, I can plan our meals around certain events and activities that are happening throughout the week. If you’d like a more in-depth look at how I monthly meal plan, you can check out this post.
But what takes the cake for monthly meal planning for me is that it’s just a running list of 30-31 meals that we’re eating that month. I’m not stuck to having a specific meal on a specific day. I can pick and choose meals from the list that fit our needs for the week, and go from there.
Now before I get into the nitty gritty of our January meal plan, here’s what I was considering when I made our January meal plan.
First of all, I had some meals left over from December’s meal plan. I figured why come up with more meals, when I could just roll over some meal ideas. Simplicity folks, I’m all about simplicity. I also included a few extra meals that are really easy just in case January sickies hits our house like a ton of bricks. I’d rather have a few fast and simple meals on hand if kids are dropping like flies than very intricate meals that I can’t get around to making because we’re sick.
January also has 2 birthdays in our family. We will be having a small, family only, birthday party for Lady Bug early in the month. And later in the month for Hubs’ birthday, we usually go out to dinner as a family with his parents.
And lastly, we’ve got a busy month this month. Between car repairs, Bookworm’s play rehersals, doctor and orthodontist appointments, our month filled up pretty fast, and I wanted meals that were simple and easy to throw together.
Beyond that, here are some other things to consider when reviewing our monthly meal plan:
I plan only our dinners. Unless it’s noted, sides consist of a fruit or veggie, possibly a grain, and is based on what I have in my fridge and pantry.
We try to have one big meal each week, and it’s usually a roast. Throughout the rest of the week I use the leftovers as ingredients for the week’s remaining meals. For instance, a roast beef then becomes ingredients for beef stroganoff, beef quesadillas, and so on.
Breakfasts are usually oatmeal, cereal, toast or bagel with peanut butter and fruit, cottage cheese and fruit, or yogurt with granola. It may seem limited and boring, but keeping breakfast choices as simple as possible makes it much easier on our hectic morning routine. Hubs is out the door at 6:30 and kids are on the bus at 7.
Lunches are packed each day for Hubs and the kids, while I currently eat at home. Lunches are either sandwiches, salads, chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, or leftovers as the main course. It’s served with a fruit/veg, yogurt or cheese, a drink and a “treat” {gummies, chips, etc}. Snacks, such as crackers, pretzels and Nilla cookies, are also divided out at home and sent to school in smaller snack containers.
I don’t stock pile shop –we just don’t have the pantry space– but I do shop for weekly sales, mostly for crackers, pretzels, and so on. While this may not be the best of healthiest option, I far prefer fruit for their snacks, I have found that it is by far the easiest when divvying out snacks, and also is the least messy/sticky in the classrooms and backpacks.
During the summer and fall, I preserve what I am able to grow and get cheap from local you-pick farms and farmer’s markets. It helps me keep what we eat fresh and local, but also limits our preservative and additive intake {I have a preservative allergy and my middle gets migraines with certain food additives}.
Steaks, Salad & Fries
Pierogies
French Toast x2
Tortellini Alfredo
Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Fish & Chips
Roast Chicken
Chicken Enchiladas
Stuffed Pepper Soup
Pancakes x2
Chicken Alfredo Broccoli Shells
Pizza Party – Birthday
Cheese Steaks & Fries
Birthday Dinner – of choice x2
Ham Dinner – Scalloped Potatoes, Green Beans
Chicken BBQ Sandwiches
Ham, Potato & Green Bean Soup x2
Meatloaf & Mashed Potatoes
Tuna Noodles
Leftovers
Sloppy Joes
Ham, Peas & Noodles
Carrot Squash Soup
Pizza
Tacos
Chili x2
Cast Iron Chicken
Chicken Sammies
Chicken & Rice Soup x2
Need more dinner inspiration? You can check out our past meal plans. Don’t forget to follow me on Pinterest, where I have a whole board dedicated to meal planning, as well as boards for soups, chicken recipes, and so on.
What’s on your meal plan for January? I’m always looking for new meals and would love some new ideas!
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