Monthly Menu - January 2013 - Happy New Year!

Part of the reason I considered no longer posting my menus is because I felt like I was in a rut and not getting too many new ideas.  The truth is, we've settled into certain "favorite" dishes, and I just make them over and over again, so my menu's tend to repeat certain things week after week.  However, I went back through the last two years' menus and made a list of our favorite recipes, and realized, there are about 60 different things we love, and we've just not been mixing it up too much.

Enter, the MONTHLY menu.  I know it seems daunting, but putting together a monthly menu wasn't all that hard, especially when I had the list of all our favorites right at my fingertips.  I tried to plan at least one crockpot meal a week, a night out for dates or other plans, and a few leftover/pantry clean-out meals each week.  I also tried set aside at least one weekend day to try new recipes.  Often, when I haven't made something before, we end up eating really late at night because I haven't given myself enough time for preparing a new recipe.  Monthly planning also assures that we don't eat the exact same meal (unless its leftovers) within the same month, hopefully cutting back on some of the boredom I was feeling about our menus.

And, since it's the new year, let's face it, I'm hoping this will also save us some money!  So here's to trying something new in 2013!

Week 1: January 1-5

·         Thai Chicken Bites with Rice and Edamame

·         Pork Chops and Baked Sweet Potatoes

·         OUT to eat once

·         Leftovers/Pantry Meal

·         Grilling Burgers, French Fries, Salads

Week 2: January 6-12

·         Chicken Pot Pie *New Recipe*

·         OUT to eat once

·         Leftovers/Pantry Meal

·         Grilling Steaks, Salads, Easy Onion-Roasted Potatoes

·         Breakfast for Dinner

·         Crockpot Lasagna with Salad and Garlic Bread *New Recipe*

·         Leftovers

Week 3: January 13-19

·         OUT to eat once

·         Leftovers/Pantry Meal

·         Dinner in Charleston before Half-Marathon!

·         Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches with Potato Salad and Cole Slaw

·         Buffalo Chicken Crescents (with Leftover Chicken) and Salad

·         California Turkey Burgers, Homemade Guacamole with Chips, Black beans

·         Beer, Cheese &; Corn Chowder (Freeze Half for Later)

Week 4: January 20-26

·         OUT to eat once

·         Chicken Chili with Cornbread

·         Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches *New Recipe*

·         Leftovers

·         Grilled Pork Chops, Potatoes and Salad

·         Baked Chicken Parmesan, Spaghetti, and Salad

·         Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Soup and Salad

Week 5: January 27-31

·         OUT to eat once

·         Chicken Burritos, Blackbeans, Rice  (Make double recipe and freeze for later)

·         Easy Crockpot Potato Soup

·         Leftovers

·         Meatball Gyros with Tomato, Cuc & Onion Salad