Meal Plan for Jan 9 - 15

One of the best things I've done in my kitchen over the years is to meal plan! Having a plan written down makes that "witching hour" of 4:30-6 pm go so much more smoothly. Do we always follow the plan down to each detail? No, not always. Sometimes what I plan on Sunday to eat on Thursday isn't what I feel like fixing come Thursday. Or we might have a change in plans that will not allow for me to make what's on the menu. Or I might forget to get the meat out of the freezer in time to thaw. But it's a start, and that's what matters most. A plan is a very good thing to have! 

With our busy schedule and commitment to eating together as a family nightly, I've come up with a thematic night approach to planning our weekly menu.  I've used a variety of menu planning strategies over the years, and this seems to be working best for our family at this stage of life.  We have fruit at every meal, but I don't always write that down in the plan.  We just sort of pull together what we have on hand.

Here's what's on our menu plan for this week:

SOUP NIGHT Monday - Turkey Soup (from the freezer), Cranberry muffins, salad, pumpkin pie pudding parfaits
ONE DISH Tuesday - Sausage Rice Casserole, Honey Glazed Carrots, salad
SANDWICH Wednesday - Turkey Pretzelwiches, chips, veggies, Cranberry Raspberry Jello salad
KIDS' PICK Thursday - Spaghetti and meatballs (from the freezer), salad, garlic bread, lemon bars (from the freezer)
PIZZA Friday - Chicken Pesto Tomato Pizza, Salad, Chocolate Chunk Raspberry Brownies (from the freezer)
NEW RECIPE Saturday - U-Pick Lunch (leftover buffet), 21 Ingredient Chili
BRUNCH Sunday - Bacon, Eggs, Cinnamon Rolls (from the freezer) for brunch,
Sunday Dinner - Pork Roast, potatoes, carrots, salad, Blueberry Cake Parfaits

I'll post the recipes later in the week with photos were applicable.  This blog is a work in progress!  Thanks for following!

What's on your menu this week?

Need some further inspiration?  Check out some other menu ideas over at I'm an Organizing Junkie where Laura hosts Menu Plan Monday every week.  You can also check out some other ideas with Jessica at Good Cheap Eats.