A Monthly Menu Plan

I'm taking a partial maternity leave from this blog as we we recently welcomed a sweet baby boy into our home. Today I am happy to be sharing a guest post from my sister-in-law Becky.

Waffles with Blueberry Apple Sauce

I find that my stress level drops significantly and that my family is a lot happier and healthier when I plan a monthly menu. I love hearing about what other people do to plan meals because honestly, I get tired of making the same foods! I have had many friends say “We should share menus, so that we can get new ideas and see what other people eat.” So in all its glory, here is my menu for March:

M 1 Broccoli Casserole
T 2 Tostada with chicken, beans lettuce
W 3 Fish/ Rice
Th 4 Chicken Noodle Soup
F 5 Mac and Cheese
Sa 6 Hamburgers
Su 7 Waffles
M 8Grilled Chicken/ Rice
T 9 Chicken Sandwich
W 10 Stir Fry
Th 11 Black Bean Soup
F 12 Spaghetti
Sa 13 Chili/ Cornbread
Su 14 Chicken Pot Pie
M 15 BLT
T 16 Bean Burrito
W 17 Corned Beef/ Potatoes
Th 18 Taco Soup
F 19 Pizza
Sa 20 Ruben
Su 21Roast/ Rolls
M 22 French Dip
T 23 Tamales
W 24 New Recipe
Th 25 Minestrone
F 26 Fish/ Rice
Sa 27 Cheese Crisp
Su 28 Chicken Crumble
M 29 Birthday dinner/ Child Choose
T 30 Tacos
W 31 Pork Chop/ Rice
Th 1 Potato Soup
F 2 Chicken Dinosaur
Sa 3 Omelets
Su 4 Swiss Chicken

Notes on the menu: I find it is easier to cook by days, so Tuesday tends to be Mexican food, Thursday is soup, Friday is an easy food in the hopes that we will go on a date (at the very least it is a meal that ALL of the children will eat usually without complaining!), etc.

I don't usually include the fruits and vegetables I will be serving. I have those on hand and just add them to each meal.

Traditions are great because they make a menu easier to plan and can break up the monotony. We almost always have waffles on Fast Sunday. In March we celebrate St. Patrick's Day with Corned Beef and Potatoes. On birthdays the children get to pick their dinner which means that we eat pizza!

Becky and Jared enjoying my 16th Birthday dinner: homemade chicken pot pies!

A special thanks to my own amazing mother who cooked at least two meals a day (we were not a cold cereal, take out food kind of family- she really cooked!!!) for seven children! That is over 6000 dinners I ate with my family!

Becky is the mother of six "bookend children" (one boy, four girls, one boy). She enjoys living in the shadow of Timpanogos Mountain but still gets homesick for the Arizona desert. When she is not doing damage control, Becky enjoys books, gardening, and running. She can be found (more not than often) at Consider the Lilies.