The Roland Family: February 2013

In our quest to cut out most processed and sugary foods (almost everything from a grocery store that comes in a box), I am aiming to make basically everything from scratch this coming month. I used to cook more like this before kids and even after Abigail was born. However, with a second pregnancy and then baby, it's been so simple to buy some things pre-made or just out of a bag. These things not only have horrible additives, sweeteners, and junk added to them, they are just not as tasty as home-cooked goodness! I am also working to add in some simple weekly dinners that will help keep us within our food budget each month. We love breakfast foods in our family and yummy pizza so these will make up two of our weekly dinners. By soaking my grains and making homemade baked oatmeal, muffins, biscuits, bread, and pizza dough, I can make these meals nourishing, healthy, and yummy!

Maybe this meal plan will be helpful to some of ya'll as you look for yummy new recipes to try. Many of these recipes will be new to me this month, so I hope they turn out yummy!

Bake at beginning of the month to store in freezer for quick access:

Banana Crumb Muffins
Tater Tot Casserole Muffins - Substitute chopped baked potato for tots
Morning Glory Muffins
Bread and Rolls

I have assigned meal types for certain days of the week. There are three days that we are consistently out of the house. It's hard to get dinner on the table for these days and we easily fall into the habit of eating out, so I've assigned these days as my crockpot and freezer meal days.

Sunday - Crockpot/Lunch, Breakfast/Dinner
Monday - Grill
Tuesday - Crockpot
Wednesday - Freezer meal or/Crockpot
Thursday - Breakfast for dinner
Friday - Pizza
Saturday - Sandwiches/Lunch, Clean out the Fridge/Dinner

To simplify my life, I have repeated meals on this list. It will hopefully help keep the budget cheaper just to double up on some foods. I also don't stick right to my meal plan. Once I know I have these foods in my house after my first-of-the-month shopping trip, I don't mind rotating around some of our meals to fit best in that week.

So, here you have it!

Week 1

Sunday
B: Muffins from Freezer
L: Lazy Day Stew & Cornbread
D: Pancakes

Monday
B: Egg Omelets
L: Leftover Stew
D: Honey-Lime Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Sauteed Zucchini

Tuesday
B: Banana Pecan Waffles
L: PB&J's and Fruit (Packed lunch to take out with us)
D: Mama Rita's Meatballs, Pasta, and Garlic Bread

Wednesday
B: Green Smoothies
L: Leftover Meatballs and Pasta
D: Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole (Freezer), Salad

Thursday
B: Tater Tot Casserole Muffins
L: Leftover Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
D: Biscuits and Egg/Sausage gravy

Friday
B: Banana Crumb Muffins
L: Chicken Salad Sandwiches and fruit
D: Hamburger Pizza (Or Sausage Pizza)

Saturday
B: Oatmeal Pancakes
L: Thyme Meatball Sandwiches
D: Clean out the Fridge

Week 2

Sunday
B: Muffins from Freezer
L: Zuppa Tuscana Soup
D: Eggs/ Biscuits (Biscuit recipe is from Better, Homes, and Garden cookbook)

Monday
B: Egg Omeletes
L: Leftover Soup
D: Grilled Two-Cheese Burgers and Roasted Potatoes

Tuesday
B: Blender Waffles
L: PB&J's and Fruit (Packed lunch to take out with us)
D: Beef Stroganoff (make homemade cream of mushroom soup), Pasta, Salad

Wednesday
B: Smoothies
L: Leftover Beef Stroganoff
D: Baked Chicken Chimichangas (or Chicken Soft Tacos) and Salad

Thursday
B: Tater Tot Casserole Muffins
L: Leftover Chimichangas
D: Pancakes

Friday
B: Banana Crumb Muffins
L: Chicken Salad Sandwiches and Fruit
D: Chicken Pesto Pizza (or Hamburger Pizza)

Saturday
B: Pancakes
L: French Dip Sandwiches (Or Fried Egg, Bacon, Avocado Sandwiches)
D: Clean out the Fridge

Week 3

Sunday

B: Muffins from Freezer

L: Lazy Day Stew & Cornbread

D: Pancakes

Monday

B: Egg Omelets

L: Leftover Stew

D: Grilled Hawaiian Chicken (Marinate in pineapple juice, Worcestershire sauce, garlic/onion powder, and melted butter), sauteed zucchini, mashed potatoes.

Tuesday

B: Banana Pecan Waffles

L: PB&J's and Fruit (Packed lunch to take out with us)

D: Mama Rita's Meatballs, Pasta, Salad

Wednesday

B: Smoothies

L: Leftover Beef Stroganoff

D: Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole (from Freezer) and Salad

Thursday

B: Tater Tot Casserole Muffins

L: Leftover Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole

D: Biscuits and Egg/Sausage Gravy