My Monthly Meal Plan

Yeah, you read that right. A MONTH. I have always been in awe of people who can plan out their entire meals for the span of a month (or beyond). If you’ve followed me for any amount of time, you probably know that I avoid routines and hate putting myself into any box when it comes to any strict plan, especially when it comes to what I eat. I love variety and freedom in my food far too much to restrict myself so much. Until I tried it. 

I am going on four months now of planning all of our meals for a month-long period. Around the first of the month, I sit down and open my iCal. I like to utilize my iCal for my meal plans because it is the same place I keep my schedule. I take a look at our calendar, what we have going on, when we may be gone for meals, and then I plan. I also love utilizing a digital form for meal planning because I can scroll back through previous months and copy/paste popular meals or our family favorites. I shared before on the blog an additional method I utilized to meal plan for a month with themed days. I did that for two months but found I like a little more free form plan. So here we are now. 

I cannot tell you how much less stress it has made in deciding what to cook. Every evening before after I do dishes and before I get ready for bed, I take a look at my calendar (via my phone) and what I have scheduled. Then I go out to the garage and pull any necessary ingredients (like meats) from our deep freeze to thaw for the next day. Sometimes during my lunch, I will prep any ingredients or pre-cook any ingredients to make supper even easier – especially with a hungry toddler after we get home from daycare. 

And because this is something people request I share ALL THE TIME. I will share my entire month of meals including any recipes I use. Maybe we will make this a regular series here on the blog, so let me know if it is helpful to have a bank of ideas to pull from. 

MONTH OF MEALS

Week One

1st – Tater Tot Casserole 
2nd- Chicken Burrito Bowls
3rd – Spaghetti with Veggie Noodles
4th – Pulled Pork Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
5th- Lime Salmon with Mango Salsa
6th – Brisket & Sides 

Week Two

7th – Green Chicken Enchiladas
8th – Beer Brats
9th – Chicken Cordon Bleu
10th – Meatloaf with Roasted Root Veggies
11th – French Onion Pork Chops 
12th – Vegetable Soup & Grilled Cheese 
13th – Steak with Cauli Risotto

Week Three

14th – Lasagna 
15th – Sausage & Lazy Cheese Buttons
16th – Chicken Tinga Tacos
17th – Burgers 
18th – Egg Roll Bowls
19th – Good Friday (Fasting) 
20th – Easter weekend with family

Week Four

21st – Easter weekend with family 
22nd – Sloppy Joe’s 
23rd – Spaetzle Hot Dish
24th – Taco Salad
25th – Whisky Peach Pork Chops 
26th – Pizza
27th – Arroz Con Polo

Week Five

28th – Red Beef Curry
29th – Mexican Lasagna Casserole
30th – Caprese Chicken with Pesto

Are you a meal planner? I would love to hear what works for you!