It’s time for another month of menu planning!

Rather than planning my family dinners night by night, or week by week, I’ve taken the habit of planning out one menu for an entire month. This makes my grocery shopping much easier since I’ve already decided what dinners I’ll be making, I only have to pick up the ingredients missing for that week and the very regular cast of breakfast and lunch foods.

And the looming nightly dinners are now much less intimidating. No longer having to stand in front of the refrigerator scratching my head, trying desperately to figure out something nutritious and delicious to make for dinner? Love that. And by doing this monthly rather than weekly, it leaves more time for life in the days in between. It isn’t rocket science, and thanks goes to Simple Mom who inspired me with this idea.

So here’s my menu for the month of December:

Week One

Monday: Mrs Budds Chicken Pot Pie
Tuesday: Pasta w/ ground beef, red sauce w/ caesar salad & Texas Toast
Wednesday: Hot Dogs & macaroni & cheese
Thursday: Trader Joe’s Orange Chicken w/ mixed veggies & basmati rice
Friday: Grilled Cheese & Pepperoni w/ Italian Wedding Soup
Saturday: homemade pizza w/ alfredo sauce, spinach & shredded cheese
Sunday: My dad’s birthday – may not be home? Otherwise: Meatball Subs w/ provolone cheese

Week Two

Monday: Chicken strips, sweet potato fries & veggies
Tuesday: Fettuccine Alfredo w/ grilled chicken and Caesar salad
Wednesday: Hamburgers w/ choose your own sides
Thursday: Grilled Cheese & Pepperoni w/ chicken noodle soup
Friday: Trader Joe’s BBQ Chicken Teriyaki w/ mixed veggies & basmati rice
Saturday: Enchilada style Mexican pizza
Sunday: Tuna Fish Sandwiches

Week Three

Monday: Steak & Cheese Sandwiches
Tuesday: ABC pasta w/ garlic and olive oil, with Texas toast & Caesar salad
Wednesday: Beer Battered Fish w/ mashed potatoes & veggies
Thursday: Trader Joe’s Orange Chicken w/ mixed veggies & basmati rice
Friday: Grilled cheese & pepperoni w/ chili
Saturday: Dec 20 – Family Party
Sunday: Gnocchi with red sauce

Week Four

Monday: Beef toquitos w/ blue corn chips and salsa
Tuesday: Spaghetti and meatballs w/ Caesar salad
Wednesday: Dec 24 (Happy Birthday to me!) Family Party
Thursday: Merry Christmas! Family Party
Friday: Trader Joe’s BBQ Chicken Teriyaki w/ mixed veggies & basmati rice
Saturday: GAME NIGHT dh’s homemade pizza
Sunday: Grilled Cheese w/ pepperoni & clam chowder

That’s it for December! Remember, the most important part of this process is flexibility – make a plan, but  don’t get eaten up about it if you decide to switch things up – maybe your dinners for Wednesday and Thursday need to be switched for a week or you make plans at the last minute – that’s fine – this isn’t homework, so it shouldn’t feel like it – the whole goal is to make YOUR life easier! So have fun with it!

If you’re making a menu plan for the month of November be sure to leave a comment with a link to your post in the comments section below.