November Meal Thoughts Week 1

 

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     I like when months start on a Sunday. I feel like there is order to the month. I can think about the November budget in tidy week for grocery shopping. I'd like to make this a challenge month, and with it being Thanksgiving later and I am doing the cooking, an interesting month to do the challenge.  Onn the one hand, holiday meals tend to be a splurge, I get items my family enjoys and don't look to nickle and dime the menu. On the other hand though, with a small gathering of my immediate family, one of who does not eat ay animal products I will have leftovers out my ears and will be able to put some in the freezer. I'll think on it a bit as I make my first shop later today. My way of menu planning is to not really plan, but have a list of options to draw from so I am not gaping with my mouth open at 6:00 trying to think about making supper.  Here's what we had last week:

• Sunday:  Pulled Pork sandwiches and air fryer fries-lunch was leftover taco meat as as a salad (me) or nachos (DH)
• Monday: Parmesan chicken and pasta bake
• Tuesday; Chicken, rice, broccoli, cheese hotdish
• Wednesday: Meatballs in mushroom soup, mashed potatoes, green beans
• Thursday: butternut squash-apple and caramelized onion  pizza.
• Friday: Last of pulled pork, leftover meatballs, French bread
• Saturday: Pumpkin shaped pepperoni pizza

     I  haven't grocery shopped in the last week other than picking up a few loss leaders and items DH forgot the week before and a Kwik Trip stop for essentials. Then I went to Trader Joe's with my daughter and now, I have a whole lot of variety to add to meal planning. Options for this week include:

• Aldi Red Bag Chicken on rolls with air fryer  French fries or baked potatoes or wedges
• Sausage, cheddar apple meatballs, with some sort of sides
• Homemade pizza flat breads with olives, onions, and pepperoni
• Cheddar broccoli  soup 
• Carnitas (still have the pork roast for this) with tortillas, rice, and cheese
• Tuna hotdish with vegetables
• Chicken skewers with vegetables and rice pilaf
• Vegan butternut squash lasagna (I've wanted to try this recipe for a while since we had squash pizza at Veg fest last year)
• Brats on the grill with onions, sweet potato wedges
• Goulash with green beans
• Rice Hotdish with carrots and celery
• Slopy Joe's and some sort of potaot-probalby wedges
• Cottage Pie-which has become a favorite for DH
• Pasta Bolognese
• Chicken Cordon Bleu rice pilaf
• Mandarin Orange Chicken
• Mushroom Ravioli
• Chicken Tortellini soup
• Hamburgers with the fixings, tots, fries, or onion rings
• Tomato soup and grilled cheese or paninis
• Still on my list:Chicken Wild Rice soup or a hotdish (I've been hungry for a wild rice dish since a  friend whose family harvested it last month posted about sending out packets) If I do the hotdish, it is one from the 1987 church cookbook I got as a shower present and was the first meal I cooked for guests, both sets of parents, after we were married.)

      This is good variety, a mix of easy  and quick, with easy and a bit longer, and needing to use a recipe as first time or a long time since I amde it. I may make a curry one night, but only if I have leftovers for DH. I'll eat the curry, then freeze the remainder in portions for myself and for when the college kid is home. I'll cheat and use the jar of tika masala sauce. (I have two still). That will break my boredom on meals for a bit. What's on your meal plan? Are you doing a November budget challenge?