The weather is still pretty warm where I live, but the calendar indicates fall is quickly approaching. Among other things, this means my household is ready for a new monthly menu! You may recall that I periodically develop monthly menus. We use each for 3 consecutive months before moving on to a new one (you can read more on why I plan monthly menus here).
Our menus only include dinner selections because we almost always eat leftovers with a side of fruit for lunch. For breakfasts I usually make a few items on the weekends and freeze them for easy preparation on busy weekday mornings. Our recent favorites include mini breakfast stratas, honey wheat butterhorns, and breakfast sandwiches.
My goals when planning this menu were to have at least one meatless dinner each week and to eliminate the need for canned foods. Eating meatless dinners is an easy way to save a little money on groceries (we get so much protein through other foods that we don’t even notice it when we go without meat for a few days!). Eliminating canned foods is one step we’re taking to avoid BPA. Obviously there are plenty of healthy foods that come in cans (e.g., beans, tomatoes). We’re not trying to avoid these, we’re just trying to avoid BPA-laced versions of them. Thus, I’ve been soaking and cooking my own beans and we’ve found an alternative to canned tomatoes.
Week 1
- Grilled chicken wraps, seasoned orzo, carrots
- Roast beef, mashed potatoes & gravy, lima beans
- Italian grilled cheese sandwiches, side salad
- Nachos (tortilla chips, chicken, shredded cheddar cheese, lettuce, onion, and tomato), corn
- Penne festival pasta, green beans
- Turkey & wild rice soup
- Spaghetti & meat marinara, green beans
Week 2
- Beef stew
- Italian tomato macaroni & cheese, carrots
- Roast beef & Swiss cheese grilled sandwiches, green beans
- Chicken quesadilla, corn
- Pepperoni pizza, green beans
- Minestrone soup, cheesy bread
- Out
Week 3
- Healthier queso dip, tortilla chips, corn
- Chicken parmesan, green beans
- Ham & beans, cornbread
- Cheeseburger wraps, cauliflower
- Cheddar & bacon smothered chicken, seasoned orzo, carrots
- Penne with sun-dried tomato Alfredo sauce, green beans
- Open
Week 4
- Southwest chicken chowder
- Spaghetti & meat marinara, green beans
- Chili mac, cauliflower
- Pizza rolls, green beans
- Ranch macaroni & cheese, lima beans
- Roast beef wraps, green beans
- Out
Over the next few weeks I’ll post recipes for some of the dishes on the menu. Are you curious about the recipe for a particular dish? Let me know in the comments section so I can be sure to post that recipe.
What have you been eating for dinner lately? What recipes are you eager to try this fall?
Thank you so much for sharing!! I’ve been needing some new meal ideas…I tend to get stuck in a rut! 🙂
You’re welcome, Jessica! I usually spend a week or so looking at recipe books and recipe websites each time I make a new menu because I can get stuck in a rut, too.
Hi Shannon! What is your alternative to using canned tomatoes? THANKS!
Carol,
We use Pomi Chopped Tomatoes (if you click on the product name you can see their listing on amazon.com, which is where we buy ours). We’ve found them in one grocery store where we live, but they cost less on amazon. They are very flavorful and are non-GMO and free of BPA.
It’s easy to get stuck cooking the same old things week in week out. Always such inspiration to see what other people cook and a great way to get some new ideas. Thanks for sharing – looks yummy!
Thanks for linking up at Essential Fridays.
Blessings
Mel from Essential Thing Devotions.