May's Meal Plan

I haven't posted my meal planning method for May yet.  I know it's a bit crazy the way I mix things up and do it differently every month.  That just seems to be the way that I am when it comes to cooking.

This month I decided to skim my inventories from my freezers and use up some of the meats that I had on hand.  I had several ham bones and small bags of bits of meat that were leftovers.  I then made a list off the top of my head for meals that I knew I could fix using what I had.  I also stocked up pretty well on meats last month at Sam's by buying ground beef, ground turkey, pork chops and sausage links.  I had frozen them in bags of 1 pound each.  I still have many whole chickens in my freezer from raising meat chickens last spring so those were incorporated into the menu also.

Here's a list of the 20 meals that I jotted down for the month of May.

1.  chicken and dumplings
2.  chicken fried rice
3.  potatoes and ham frittata
4.  pintos with Mexican corn bread
5.  zucchini pie
6.  beef stew
7.  smoked sausage chowder
8.  pancakes/ground sausage/fruit
9.  chicken-a-la-king on toast
10.  beef stir fry
11.  Indian lentils and naan
12.  pumpkin bread/chicken bacon/fruit
13.  BBQ pork with potato salad
14.  crock pot pork chops
15. salmon wild rice soup/bread
16.  chef salad bar
17.  Singapore chicken rice
18.  red beans and rice
19.  baked fish/cheesy orzo
20.  pizza bar

Twenty meals might not be enough for the month, so I might need to add some as the month progresses but for now it works.  I will add a couple of side dishes each night of salads, vegetables from last year's garden, fruit or bread.

Using what you have on hand (if you tend to stock up when things go on sale) is a great way to meal plan every few months or so.  It will not only save you money on your grocery budget from preventing you to have to buy meats, but it also helps you use what you have before it gets buried in freezer burn (not that that would ever happen to any of you).  :)