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 February:

Week One

Saturday: Game Night – Home Made Pizza
Sunday: February 1 – Kiddie Style Mac’n’Cheese – recipe in January ’09 issue of Family Circle
Monday: Leftover Mexican Food (mini tacos, quesadillas & toquitos)
Tuesday: Pepperoni Pizza & Angel Hair Pasta
Wednesday: Hot Dogs & Macaroni & Cheese (Annie’s Box)
Thursday: Trader Joes Orange Chicken w/ basmati rice & mixed veggies
Friday: Steak & Cheese Sandwiches

Week Two

Saturday: Mexican Pizza Enchilada Style
Sunday: Smoky Mac & Cheese – recipe in January ’09 issue of Family Circle
Monday: Mrs. Budds Chicken Pot Pie
Tuesday: Spaghetti & Meatballs w/ Caesar salad & Texas toast
Wednesday: Hamburgers w/ choose your own sides
Thursday: Trader Joes BBQ Teriyaki Chicken w/ basmati rice & mixed veggies
Friday: Last-Minute Lasagna – Recipe in January ’09 issue of Real Simple

Week Three

Saturday: Valentine’s Day – Homemade Spinach & Alfredo Pizza
Sunday: Cheesy Meximac – recipe in January ’09 issue of Family Circle
Monday: Left Over Lasagna
Tuesday: Fettuccine Alfredo w/ grilled chicken & spinach and Texas toast
Wednesday: Chicken Strips, Sweet Potato Fries & Sweet Corn
Thursday: Trader Joes Orange Chicken w/ basmati rice & mixed veggies
Friday: Swedish Meatballs w/ egg noodles

Week Four

Saturday: Indian tacos – Thanks to Jean @ Working Momma 247 for mentioning this recipe recently!
Sunday: Four-Cheese Classic Mac – recipe in January ’09 issue of Family Circle
Monday: Beef Toquitos w/ blue corn chips & salsa
Tuesday: Pasta w/ ground beef and red sauce w/ Caesar salad & Texas toast
Wednesday: Beer battered fish, mashed potatoes & sweet corn
Thursday: Trader Joes Orange Chicken w/ basmati rice & mixed veggies
Friday: Meatball Subs w/ provolone cheese

That’s it for February! 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 February be sure to leave a comment with a link to your post in the comments section below.