Menu Planning: March 26th Edition


It's been a LONG time since I've shared our menu plan. And, my grocery budget and pantry TOTALLY reflect it!

Last week I caught a wild hair and decided to go through my pantry. Boy, did I find some interesting items.

4 cans of cherry pie filling (uh... I don't even LIKE cherry pie filling!)
3 bags of mini marshmallows (I can see one... maybe... for cereal bars or something. But 3??)
Several boxes of stuffing mix (we don't eat stuffing unless it's Thanksgiving and even then it's from scratch!)

Sadly, the list could go on for quite a while. I decided that nothing would go back into the pantry unless I had a specific plan for it (other than the items I keep on hand).  Most of the items (like the cherry pie filling and stuffing mixes) went to live with other families instead of me working to find a way to use them up. Win all the way around!

In case you're new to Creating Everyday, here's how I do my menu planning.

I plan for 14 days. I like to plan for Wednesday - Tuesday because I try to plan around my freezer and fridge contents, my pantry, and (most importantly) the store ads. The store circulars come out on Wednesdays and I price match as much of our groceries as I can.

I find that if I plan for a 14 day menu, I am not going shopping near as much which in turn helps me with something I really struggle with - shopping.

I plan for 3 "leftover" meals/days in our 14 day menu plan. We're a small family, and most recipes serve way more than we need. Planning for leftovers makes my life easy, and our fridge empty(er). I try to plan for snacks, and desserts (1 a week) too. I do not assign meals to days/dates. I just pick from the list the morning of, and go from there.

Here's what I'm planning to serve/cook for the next two weeks:





  • Almonds
  • Fresh veggie sticks (carrots & celery)
  • Cheese crackers (keeping it real y'all!)
  • Popcorn
  • Fresh fruit (apples, bananas, oranges, and mangoes)
  • Black Bean Avacado Dip and tortilla chips
  • Homemade roasted red pepper hummus with fresh pita chips







  • Chicken Taquitos
  • Salads
  • PB&J
  • Lunchmeat, cheese & crackers
  • Fruits
  • Leftovers
  • Grilled chicken pocket sandwiches with cabbage salad









That's what I'm planning to serve. What do you have up your sleeve?

No comments: