October
Pasta with Red Sauce (Barilla), Salad
Burgers and Italian sausage on the grill
Chicken Parmesan with pasta, salad
Chicken and Bows
Hash Brown Chili, corn on the cob
Chicken Enchiladas, rice, beans
Mimi’s Slumguillon
Wild rice chicken dinner (boo!), broccoli
Creamy Chicken burritos, rice, beans

November
Mostaccioli (I used italian sausage instead of ground beef), salad, bread
Burgers on the grill
Pulled pork sandwiches
Thai chicken with rice, broccoli
Baked ziti, salad, bread
Southwestern pork and pasta*, salad
Chicken with mushrooms and peas, broccoli
Pesto-chicken penne*, salad, bread
Italian spaghetti bake*, salad, bread
Chicken pot pie
Turkish beef stew
Hash brown chili, corn on the cob
French dip sandwiches
Chicken divine, broccoli

* = Haven’t made yet

With me going back to work, I knew I would need to try to do things to make life a little easier, like planning the entire month’s meals at once. I know, it sounds crazy, but my friend Megan did it and I tried it and it has worked so well! I’ve even done April and May as well.

Here’s how I started: sit down and write down as many of your “Go To” meals as you can think of. I ended up with like 10. These were meals that we have over and over again. Not all of them are easy, not all of them are quick, and not all of them are a favorite. But they are food. It’s a good starting point. For Dan and I, we only need about 3 meals a week, which is 12-15 a month. We keep a couple of things in the house (sandwich stuff, EasyMac, Ramen) to fill in the gaps. After I had down our “Go to” meals, I looked through my other recipes quickly and Boom! I had March done. Dan’s been after me for a while to create a database of recipes so we wouldn’t have so many repeats (especially of stuff he doesn’t enjoy!). So, in my infinite nerdiness, I did. I’m including this as well for your edification. I hope this is inspiring to someone!

*Disclaimer: On the meals that say “pot, veg,” that means that I throw any old box potato/rice and vegetable combo with the main dish. I usually decide at the grocery store.

Jen’s Meal Tracker

March Meals

chicken enchiladas, spanish rice, refried beans
tuna pasta casserole
turkish beef stew
chicken pot pie
frozen lasagna, salad
taco salad
pulled pork sandwiches
spaghetti, salad
sour cream chicken, pot, veg
cfs, mashed pot & gravy, corn
pesto pasta (we used stored-bought pesto and add cubed chicken), salad
meat loaf, potatoes, veg
hash brown chili
hamburgers, fries, carrots (raw)
slumguillion
roasted chicken and new potatoes, veg

Bow Ties with Pesto, Feta and Cherry Tomatoes?

Stuffed Shells with Arrabiatta Sauce