I’ve been thinking about starting this blog for a while now, so I am just going to jump right in!
I started using a six-week long menu plan several months ago when our second child was born. Prior to that I did use a meal plan, but only planned a week at a time. As it turns out, six weeks is a great length for my family.
The first three weeks and the last three weeks in my six-week template are identical. If you’ve done any meal prep before, you know that doubling or tripling a recipe saves a ton of time! I love using this trick, but I don’t love eating the same thing over and over again, or forgetting about food in freezer purgatory. Having a one or two week plan that repeats over and over does not appeal to me. But eating the same meal again after a three week buffer? It feels fresh again. And including the doubled portion in my plan from the beginning means that it does not get lost in the back of the freezer.
The side dishes on this menu plan are pretty vague. I like to make fresh veggies when I can, and usually wait to see what is on sale the week we will be eating them. Plain, familiar side dishes also make dinner time run more smoothly in our house 🙂
Here are some of the recipes that we will be trying this month (I *starred recipes that I made ahead as freezer meals):
*Pepperoni Pizza Quinoa Stuffed Peppers – I have made these before but never as a freezer meal. I hope they hold up!
*Slow Cooker Maple & Dijon Pot Roast
*Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
*Slow Cooker Jerk Chicken – This is a new recipe for me – the sauce smelled sooo good!
Pumpkin Ravioli with Butter and Sage Sauce – I made this last year with some pumpkin ravioli I found at a local store. Hoping to score some at the same store, otherwise I will be making the trip to Trader Joe’s!
Polenta with Roasted Fall Vegetables and Pesto – I love making variations on this recipe during the summer. I’m thinking a mix of brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, and onions would be great for fall.
*Slow Cooker BBQ Cranberry Chicken – I use organic cranberry sauce & Annie’s BBQ sauce to unjunk this recipe. I’m also using chicken thighs instead of breasts because they hold up better in the slow cooker.
*Quiche – I used this recipe for the crust and this one for the filling
What are you cooking this week?
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