Hands down the best advice I have ever gotten about making dinner for my family: Plan a whole month ahead. The first time I heard it, I was astounded. A whole month? It was beyond me. Looking back, it probably would have been depressing/hilarious to see five or six meals repeated through the course of the month. I couldn't handle it yet, but I thought it sounded like a nice goal to aspire to.
I have since planned menus for a whole month and I have to say, it's amazing. It saves money, time, and means plenty of options if the ascribed meal for the night doesn't sound good. I've done a horrible job of meal planning in 2009, but I'm trying to get back on top of it and thought I would share our dinners with you.
Meal-planning is a personal endeavor. In trying to save money, this is mostly based on what we have in the pantry, trying to buy as few ingredients as possible. I hope you find some meals that will help you too. Stay tuned this month for reviews, as well as more gluten-free ideas and recipes. I will also work to post the recipes that are not already linked on this entry.
I have to admit, I'm a little surprised at the Martha Stewart theme I've got going. We'll see how her recipes measure up this month.
And, as always, these meals are gluten-free. Many of them are naturally gluten-free, meaning they need no adaptations.
A month's worth of meals, allowing a few gaps for leftovers and life in general:
Lighter Sesame Chicken*
Apricot-Glazed Pork Tenderloin* (notes on this recipe to come)
Spaghetti Carbonara*
Burgers, Honey-glazed baked beans, salad
Rice Choccoli
Black Beans and Rice
Honey-Soy Glazed Chicken
Crockpot Chicken makhani, dal, and gluten-free naan (this one's going to be good...)
Breakfast casserole, salad, crepes and fruit
Chicken with Ginger
Corned Beef and Cabbage OR Salmon Cabbage Rolls (St. Patrick's Day Meals)
Chicken Corn Chowder
Calzones or Pizza, salad
Tuna Patties or Tuna Caesar Salad
Rolled Flank Steak*
Chinese-Style Chicken Soup*
Green Chicken Curry
Southwestern Eggs
Pancakes, Eggs, Hasselback potatoes
Creamy Goat Cheese Pasta with Roasted Asparagus
Tuna-Black bean tacos
Roasted Chicken, sweet potatoes, and green beans
"Cajun-Style" Chicken Breat with Chili Bean Maque Choux
Thai Peanut
Chicken with Poblano Cream Sauce
Orange Beef stir-fry
*=new recipes I'm trying this month
Any questions? Suggestions? Let me know in the comments.
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1 day ago
3 comments:
I'm impressed. I've wanted to do that for a while, but I'm not sure that I would actually stick to it. I should give it a try.
Oh, and I think you should try making a paella. I'm 99% sure it would be gluten-free. And it's delicious. So, it's win/win.
paella, thanks! we've wanted to try that for a while. i'll add it to the list.
It's nice to find out about other peoples' menu process. I'm usually more of a two-week menu kind of person, but I think I'm shifting over to the month plan too.
Another thing I've been doing lately: when I make a meal we really like, I decide when I'll be ready to eat it again and put it on the calendar (sometimes as far as 6 months later). Then I have some meals already in place and I don't forget about meals we really like.
And I liked your idea yesterday about sharing our menus with the family. That would be a good jumping off point. I'll send you all my March menu soon. I may even blog it.
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