March Menu

March will also be about keeping our expenses low.  We're really trying to sock it to some outstanding debt in order to enter the new house debt free, aside from the mortgage.  We're also having to budget some more for the detox protocol with the integrative practice I'm working with, which of course isn't covered by our very traditional insurance.  But I know we can do it, and the fact that I'm feeling better really is motivational.

To that end, we'll continue making use of things we have in the freezer and pantry.  There will be some essentials we need to stock up on, like frozen berries, coconut milk, almond/soy milk, and fresh greens.  We'll also continue with our typical weekly use of the crock pot in order to save time and energy.

So, here's our plan:

Breakfasts:

• Smoothies with 1 cup greens, 1 cup coconut milk, 1/2 frozen banana, and some berries.  Add in seeds, cocoa powder, turmeric, ginger, etc. as desired.  Fill with filtered water to max fill line.
• Banana bars
• Eggs with leftover roasted veggies or greens
• Oatmeal with various dried fruit, seeds, and brown sugar/molasses
• Overnight crock pot steel cut oats
• Yogurt parfaits with granola, seeds, and frozen berries
• Coffee or tea (using loose tea when possible at home, because it's cheaper and generally better)
• Big boy breakfast:  Paleo pancakes, breakfast meat, eggs, fruit/veggies

Lunches:

• Leftovers
• Snack plate:  cheese, olives, pickles, gluten free crackers, chips and salsa, dried fruit
• Salads

Dinners:

• Crock pot Asian Chicken over rice or quinoa with Asian slaw (I usually make it without the Ramen because it keeps longer)
• Crock pot lasagna soup with gluten free noodles and salad
• Crock pot Thai chicken soup with Asian slaw (using leftover chicken or turkey in the freezer)
• Enchilada casserole with leftover chicken and corn tortillas, served with side salad
• Crock pot beans and rice with fixin's (cheese, salsa, plain Greek yogurt, maybe avocado
• Crock pot venison chili with fixin's (using leftover crock pot beans)
• Paleo dressing with sausage, mushrooms, onions, and celery
• Oven baked salmon with roasted veggies or salad
• Homemade mac and cheese with gluten free pasta and salad

Snacks:

• Cheese and crackers
• Fruit
• Energy bites
• Nuts

Batch cooking:

• Crock pot chicken/turkey stock (I've been trying to make some each week so I can have a cup or two daily and then put some in the freezer)
• Double batch of banana bars (one to eat, one to freeze)
• Energy bites
• Crock pot beans

Groceries to purchase/source at food pantry:

• Almond/soy/coconut milk (we try to do a rotation to get the health benefits from all)
• Cilantro (for Thai soup, Mexican recipes, and chili) and spring onions
• Frozen organic berries for smoothies
• Greens for salads and smoothies (we try to rotate baby kale, spinach, collards, and salad mix, again for health benefits, since each has a slightly different nutrient profile)
• Fruit (organic apples, citrus, pineapple, or whatever is on sale)
• Mushrooms (for Thai chicken soup, though I might use the dried ones we have)
• Avocado

The nice thing about most of these menu items is that they use pantry/freezer items as the base, so we can make them at any point.  The ones that rely on fresh ingredients, we'll try to make back to back so that things don't go bad (cilantro goes quickly, but we can freeze it in cubes for use in chili).

What are some things you plan to make in March?  I'd love to hear from you!