Make a Master List of Meals - Monthly Meal Planning

Make a Master List of Meals for Monthly Meal Planning

This is going to be a pretty simple tip, but you need to have a really good idea what your family’s favorite meals are. What do you usually cook over the course of a month? Remember, you need to plan for all meals. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. This will be your master list of meals that you can pull from when planning a monthly menu.

Sit down when you have a chance to really think. You can keep the list on your computer, or write it down in your home management binder. You need to have a nice rotation of meals.

This will look different for everyone, but I am going to give you some ideas of the meals we eat in our house.

Breakfast

I don’t necessarily menu plan breakfast, but I like to have an array of choices available.

• Bagels/cream cheese
• Eggs/bacon/toast
• Yogurt/granola
• Pancakes w/syrup
• Oatmeal/fruit
• Cereal/fruit
• Smoothies

Lunch

• Tuna
• Sandwich fixings
• PB&J
• Chicken nuggets
• Salad greens
• Veggie sticks
• Chips
• Egg salad

Dinner

• Penne Pasta w/Italian Sausage
• Spaghetti with ground beef sauce
• Chicken broccoli alfredo
• Italian Sausage lasagna
• Pork chops, veggie, rolls
• Taco soup
• Country Cabbage soup
• Chicken anything soup
• Tacos, Mexican rice, refried beans
• Chicken Enchiladas
• Chicken and dumplings
• Salmon patties
• Crispy salmon over salad
• Chicken picatta
• Steak, potatoes, salad
• Sesame chicken
• Split pea soup w/ham
• Roast chicken w/veggies
• Chili mac
• Chili w/cornbread
• Beef and broccoli
• Roast with carrots and potatoes
• Beef stew
• Marinated chicken
• Parmesan Tilapia

Snacks

• Goldfish crackers
• Raisins
• Fresh fruit
• Fresh in-season veggies
• Nuts
• Apple sauce
• String cheese sticks
• Pudding
• Jello

Baked Goods

• Brownies
• Cookies
• Muffins
• Rolls
• French bread
• White bread

This is definitely not everything we eat, but it is a good idea of what we do eat and gives me dinners to pull for my menu plan. Your list will likely look much different, and that’s ok. Just start somewhere.

I have included a PDF with my master list of meals and links to recipes I use.

Ask everyone in your family what their favorite meals are. What snacks do your kids like to have? Don’t forget about yourself. Everyone’s master list of meals will look different, but this is an important item to keep on hand! Don’t skip this step.

Next week I will show you how to make a master inventory of every ingredient you will need to feed your family throughout the month.

This is the next step in preparing for once a month grocery shopping!

Want all of this information and the printables in one place? Get my eBook, The Ultimate Guide to Once-A-Month Grocery Shopping.

Photo Credit: Ambro / FreeDigitalPhotos.net