Monthly Meal Planning; Menu #12

 December was a tricky month to meal plan for.  My husband had 3 Christmas parties for work, Alec had his karate graduation (which was postponed at the last minute), we had a few family get togethers and we just knew we'd be eating awful at everything so I tried to make our meals as healthy as I could (and still have my kids actually eat them!). 

I gave up on our meal plan altogether by the middle of the month since our freezers were full and I really wanted to focus on eating what we had in the house. But we ate well so I can't complain!  I'm pretty sure I'll be sticking with monthly planning in the new year but I won't be keeping up with our monthly meal planning posts.  I hope this past year has given you some good ideas.  



1. Turkey, broccoli, and rice casserole (using this recipe and subbing leftover turkey for the chicken)


2. Burgers/ veggie burgers/ hot dogs, with fries, squash fries, and salad. 

3. The boys got take out since my husband and I were headed to his company Christmas party.

4. Grilled steaks, baked potato, green beans and broccoli.

5. Crock pot pizza pork chops with pasta and sauce and leftover veggies from the night before. 


6. Pesto Caprese chicken with pasta and sauce and salad. 



7. We went to our friends' house and ate tacos with brownie sundaes.

8. Homemade pizzas (using the skinny biz pizza dough) with salad.

9. Shrimp carbonara (the younger boys made themselves hot dogs) and we all had salad.


10. Turkey/apple meatloaf (I used this meatball recipe and shaped it all into a loaf pan) with rice pilaf, broccoli, and salad.

11. Spiral ham with roasted potatoes, and green beans. 

12. Pasta Primavera 


13. Ham and cheese quiche with salad. 


14. Baked salmon (chicken for the boys), with white rice and sautéed zucchini and squash. 

15.  BLT sandwiches with chips and salad. (my husband was away for a Christmas party)

16. Pumpkin mac and cheese with salad.


17. Chicken breast with broccoli and couscous.

18. Teriyaki pulled pork (using pork tenderloin) with rice and vegetables.


19.  Burgers/ Hot dogs (I had a Boca Chick'n patty) and fries (I had a diced potato) and salad.

20. Chicken/ orzo one pot dish with salad. 



21. Grilled Kielbasa (chicken for Alec & I) with roasted butternut squash, turnips, and potatoes (the boys only eat the potatoes so I also served everyone some salad).

22. Sloppy joes (made with ground turkey) with salad and fruit. 


23.  Breakfast for dinner-- waffles, turkey sausage, and fresh fruit. 


24. Christmas eve we head to my mother's house for dinner and get take out pizza.

25. Christmas day I served up a post roast with mashed potatoes, squash, broccoli, crescent rolls and salad. We had dessert at my mother-in-laws-- our homemade apple pie, some chocolate cream pie, and cookies.



26. We had Christmas brunch at my father-in-law's house so I didn't bother cooking dinner; everyone just ate leftovers and fended for themselves.

27. Baked fish (chicken for the younger boys), with rice (rice cauliflower for me), frozen mixed vegetables, and salad. 


28. Weight Watchers Tuscan chicken pasta  with salad


29. Shake N Bake pork chops with noodles and frozen vegetables.

30. Turkey pot pie with extra vegetables. 



31.  New Year's Eve we ended up inviting all of Ian's grandparents over for a last minute mini graduation party.  He's starting college next month!  He requested lasagna, garlic bread, salad, and chocolate/ coffee/ peanut butter cake. 



Linking up with:








Comments

  1. HollyDecember 29, 2021 at 7:25 AM

    My mouth always waters at these posts- you are such great cooks!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Michele MorinDecember 29, 2021 at 9:15 AM

    I agree. Special events thwart planning in December, but it's all fun!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne December 29, 2021 at 2:45 PM

      Always, but it's well worth the thwarted planning.

      Delete
  3. Kari December 29, 2021 at 9:59 AM

    Everything looks delicious as always.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Kim CarberryDecember 29, 2021 at 11:47 AM

    It sounds like you ate well throughout December. What great ideas for some meals. I love the sound of the pizza pork chops and the sloppy joes look amazing x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne December 29, 2021 at 2:46 PM

      The pizza pork chops have quickly become a family favorite; they are so easy too! Most of the time I just throw the pork chops and a jar of sauce in the crock pot and that's it. Cook it on low all day and sprinkle with some shredded cheese when ready to eat.

      Delete
  5. NatashaDecember 29, 2021 at 11:49 AM

    We've been trying to eat out of our freezers as well. It's amazing all the food we have in there!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne December 29, 2021 at 2:47 PM

      It really is! I tend to go through cycles where I stock up and then cycles when we use just what we have on hand.

      Delete
  6. Sandi MagleDecember 29, 2021 at 12:32 PM

    We have also been eating out of the freezer---trying to get down to just one! LOL. Everything looks good, but not exactly diet friendly! Hugs, Sandi

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne December 29, 2021 at 2:48 PM

      I am too! We have a large chest freezer and a small freezer on the side of our fridge and I'd love to get everything into one place. I follow Weight Watchers and try to keep most meals diet friendly for me (with small modifications).

      Delete
  7. R's RueDecember 29, 2021 at 3:24 PM

    Yummy.

    ReplyDelete
  8. MicaDecember 29, 2021 at 5:18 PM

    These look really tasty! I try meal plan week by week but it was tricky for this week between Christmas and New years as we didn't know what yummy Christmas leftovers we would have, haha! Lots of nice easy meals that aren't too heavy as we have been eating lots of Christmas cookies in between meals, haha! :)

    Hope that you had a lovely Christmas last week :) We enjoyed spending a lot of time with family :)

    Away From The Blue

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne December 30, 2021 at 1:01 PM

      Yes, I feel like I am eating something sugary and awful for me every single day!

      Delete
  9. MarshaDecember 29, 2021 at 11:18 PM

    I am going to have to try those pizza pork chops! It's a little cold and breezy to be grilling right now! Lots of other good recipes here!

    Thanks for sharing, Joanne!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne December 30, 2021 at 1:00 PM

      My husband is crazy and grills year round; even in the snow and ice!

      Delete

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