January Meal Plan

This month we're going to continue to work down what we have in our freezer.  We were also gifted several things over the holidays that will help round out meals, and we made a trip to Costco for a few things.  It is my hope to do very minimal grocery shopping for staples only (we already picked up corn meal, baking soda, and milk).  Hopefully next month will be our annual bulk spice/herb order, so next month's grocery budget will be less too.

We also plan to make use of the leftover items available to us through the food pantry.  This week I put up a quart of collard greens in the freezer, used two bags of fresh organic green beans, saved two gallons of milk, and we took several apples and cut up fruit that would have gone bad before the pantry reopened for clients.  This gleaning really does save our grocery budget and help cut down on their food waste.

My grandmother gave us a new crock pot for Christmas, which we're super excited about.  We're planning to use it a lot, as we have come to rely on it with the boys keeping us so busy.

Breakfasts

• Cranberry bread (gifted over holidays)
• Egg and cheese sandwiches (using croissants or rosemary bread from Costco)
• Leftover holiday egg and cheese casserole
• Overnight oatmeal in the crock pot
• Muffins:  lemon poppyseed, cranberry orange, molasses muffins, marmalade muffins, and winter squash muffins with nuts or pumpkin seeds
• Smoothies
• Yogurt parfaits with frozen berries and pumpkin seeds, nuts, or dry cereal crumbs

Lunches

• Leftovers rounded out with fruit (citrus, bananas, or gleaned from the pantry)
• Smoothies with frozen fruit and smoothie powder from Costco

Dinners

• Crock pot Asian chicken with carrots, pineapple, onion, and candied ginger over rice
• Baked sausage, apples, and sweet potatoes over rice with greens
• Tomato basil soup in the crock pot with grilled cheeses
• Pasta with tomato basil soup as marinara
• Black beans (crock pot) and rice with fixins
• Black bean tacos with winter squash or enchiladas
• Homemade pizza x 2-3 with homemade pesto
• Homemade mac and cheese with steamed/roasted veggies
• Veggie stir fry over rice with egg rolls
• Breakfast for dinner:  French toast or French toast casserole with fruit and yogurt parfaits
• Tuna casserole with roasted veggie sides

Snacks

• Chex mis (gifted)
• Hot cocoa (gifted)
• Gingerbread house pieces
• Holiday cookies
• Fresh fruit
• Dried fruit (apricots, prunes)
• Dried fruit and nut trail mix
• Cashews (gifted)
• Almonds (gifted)
• Pistachios (gifted)
• Popcorn (gifted)