Menus by the Month

I have had a few requests for my "system" for creating my menus by the month.... I told Tripp I was going to do a post on this and his response was.... " so you are going to tell them we sit down and talk about what we are going to eat?"... And while I do ask Tripp if he wants anything specific for the month I do have a system....

I start with a calendar for the month, and write in any events or nights out that I know of... the worst is buying too much food b/c you don't take into acct your weekly date night or the dinner party on the weekend.

Soooo here is my May Menu.... Please don't judge the nights of hot dogs and spaghetti. That is just how the month goes and I am sooo good with my easy nights.

















I try to do fish at least twice a month, and try to balance chicken dishes and beef dishes. Although they seem to end up lumped together I try to balance them for the month. I don't plan the sides crazy, but I know what I usually do with each entree. Then on Sunday night when I am making my grocery list for Monday morning I can look at my calendar and know what I need to buy at the store that week. Some of these meals I don't have to buy anything... it is a completely panty/freezer meal.

example:
I know that large tortilla shells I use with ckn roll up, ceaser wraps, and quesadillas. So that item goes for 3 meals this month. (this is one example how I think when making my menu and then make my shopping list for each given week and allowing me to get the biggest bang for my buck on an item) My goal is to never throw away food.

For my May Menu here is my list of proteins.
8 lbs of Ground beef
9 (2 pack) Chicken Breast meals
1- Italian Sausage links
1- Andoullie Sausage
2- Mahi Filets (one meal)
2- Tilapia Filets (one meal)
1- Pork Butt
1 lb- Skirt Steak
1- Pork Tenderloin
1- Pack of hotdogs

So on my costco run I can get all the ckn and beef (break it down and have it in the freezer ready to go)and get the hot dogs.

Then when fresco sausage goes on sale I can just buy it up and have it in the freezer downstairs.

I buy my fish frozen so I can get it on sale and in turn my menu by the month allows me to save as much money as possible for the meals my family eats for a given month.

The Skirt Steak, pork tenderloin, and Pork butt I just buy the week scheduled.

In my coupon notebook I keep a list of entrees, so when making my menu I can look the the previous couple months menus and my list to try to change things up. There are some meals Tripp would eat every week (spaghetti, tacos) so I can put them on here multiple times.

I also try to keep a list of the other ingredients for some of the meals.... esp things I don't cook often and may need a refresher for the ingredient list. If I am pulling a new reciepe from a cookbook I will write the book and page number on the calendar so I remember where I got it from and on the back of the calendar write the ingredients so I don't have to pull out the book while making my grocery list.

I hope this scatterbrain list of tips and techniques can help you make a more cohesive list and save money by being able to buy ahead on sale and prevent yourself from overbuying.

Good Luck! and Let me know how your menu planning goes!