Meal Planning: Two Weeks of Dinners Plus Plenty of Leftovers

Hey there friends! I know some of you have probably resolved to start writing monthly meal plans. I started writing these two years ago, and when I’m diligent and stick with it they save me so much time and money! There are so many wonderful blogs with meal plan templates, suggestions and ideas. You just have to find the one that works for you.

For my family, it works best when I have the whole months worth of dinners planned out and I do the shopping on a bi-weekly basis. I’ll make a trip here and there for things we may run out of, like milk. But by sticking with this plan, I save tons of money by not making a trip to the store every day. We are probably all guilty of picking up a few unnecessary items on those random trips. Do yourself a favor and go in with a plan! It really helps me!

Here is a link to the blog that inspired my planning strategy. If you haven't checked out Confessions of a Homeschooler, you definitely should!

A quick note about our eating habits; While I try to keep things healthy and nutritious, we are still coming down from our holiday overindulgence high. So there are a few things here that are not so healthy, but we love them. (I’m looking at you, waffle fries)

So for the first two weeks of January, here is what’s for dinner in the Murray Home:

January 1st: Hamburger Soup with homemade bread

January 2nd: Oven Baked Meatball Subs with Waffle fries

January 3rd: Roast Chicken and Potatoes with Salad

January 4th: Baked Spaghetti

January 5th: Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes and Mixed Veg

January 6th: Chicken Curry Stir-fry with Veggies and homemade Naan Bread

January 7th: Sausage Potato Soup with Rolls

January 8th: Chicken Enchiladas with Rice and Beans

January 9th: Homemade Pizza

January 10th: Leftovers

January 11th: Chicken Pesto Penne with Asparagus

January 12th: Beef Stew with Herb Dumplings

January 13th: Chicken Pot Pie

January 14th: Chili Colorado Burritos with rice and beans

January 15th: Ginger Beef Mushroom Kale Stir-fry with Rice

Notes about the plan: 

My recipe for Homemade bread makes enough dough for two batches. I use one on the first day and freeze the second ball for my rolls later in the week. I make a lot of homemade baked goods and whatever we don’t eat freezes up nicely.

Most of the recipes produce enough food to feed a larger family than mine of three. We use the leftovers for lunches during the week or in a pinch.

The Chicken Pot Pie recipe makes two large pies. I suggest you freeze one or give it to a neighbor. Its a wonderful recipe!

Saturdays are our Free Day. We either eat leftovers, grill something up or splurge on eating out or ordering in. We keep the eating out and ordering in to once a month.

I print out copies of recipes I plan to try. That way, I can make notes about things I change or add, whether they were a big hit or a dud. I keep them in plastic sheet protectors in my GIANT Red Recipe Folder. I'm old school like that I guess.


I hope this simple plan helps you on your way to your New Year’s Resolution! Keep with it and you’ll reap the rewards in years to come.

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