Summer’s really here, isn’t it?  College students have graduated.  A lot of the area school districts have ended classes.  Summer camps are starting.  Vacations are being had.  Summer swim teams are almost in full swing!  Summer’s here!

For many, that means that kids are out of school.  For some, that means that schedules are even crazier.  For some, they are staying out later and sleeping in (oh, sleeping in would be nice!).  It could be that summer is a pretty expensive time of year between sports teams, vacations, increased snacking and child care. One area that you might be able to control costs is menu planning.  Being intentional with your menus means you can be intentional with your shopping!  That could save you some money!

The Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Menu:

Available formats:

• The easy-to-print version as a .PDF.
• The pre-filled file in Excel.
• An empty file in Excel.  Make your own menu plan!

The Dinner Only Menu:

Available formats:

• The easy-to-print version as a .PDF.
• The pre-filled file in Excel.
• An empty file in Excel.  Make your own menu plan!

Its okay if you don’t like these recipes or these ideas – make your own!  Just open the Excel version, delete what you don’t want and keep what you do want!  I have a menu plan that works for my family – you should have one that works for yours!

What if I don’t cook every night?
Awesome!  I don’t either – we often have leftovers 2-3 night/week.  Just take this basic plan, cut out some meals and make leftovers part of your plan!

What if I don’t want a particular meal on a specific night?
Awesome!  Just take this basic plan and swap meals around.

What if I don’t eat beef?  Or chicken?  Or pork?
Awesome!  Just take this basic plan, remove the foods you won’t eat and put in foods you will eat.

What if I don’t know how to make that meal?
Awesome!  Included are the links for the recipe that I usually use.

What if we always have pizza on Friday nights?
Awesome!  (Can I come over?)  Just remove my Friday meals and put in pizza.

What if I don’t like your recipe?
Awesome!  Use whichever recipe you normally use and just use this basic plan as a suggestion.

What if I have my own monthly menu plan?
Awesome!  Care to share it?  Share it down below in the comments so that we all can see it and be inspired!

What’s cool about this menu plan?
Breakfast & lunch are simple and repetitive while still providing variety.  For dinners, I try to have a lot more variety each week – some beef, some chicken, and some pastas.  That way you won’t get too bored.  There are also plenty of ways to save time when using this menu plan.

Examples:  When prepping chicken at the beginning of the month, make enough for the other recipes and freeze it for future use.  When making ground beef, brown 2-3 times the normal amount and freeze that. Check out these easy crockpot instructions for bulk cooking chicken and bulk cooking ground beef. It makes it super quick to pull meals together!

Recipes in this menu plan:

Breakfast Recipes:
Breakfast Popsicles
Sausage Breakfast Casserole
Sausage Bagel Sandwiches
English Muffins (top with butter, cream cheese, peanut butter or jelly)
Breakfast Burritos
French Toast Sticks
Scrambled eggs
Cereal
Pancakes
Cinnamon Rolls
Waffles
Fried Eggs
Bagels (top with butter, cream cheese, peanut butter or jelly)
Baked Oatmeal

Lunch Recipes:

Tortilla Roll Ups
Easy Skillet Nachos
Chicken Nuggets
Soup Ideas: Baked Potato Soup, Slow Cooker Ham & Bean Soup, Slow Cooker Ham & Potato Soup, Cheesy Veggie Chowder, Chicken Noodle Soup, Chicken Tortilla Soup, Ham & Bean Soup, Slow Cooker Chili, Taco Soup, Vegetable Soup, Broccoli Cheese Soup
Bean & Cheese Burritos
Summer Sausage, Cheese & Crackers
Macaroni & Cheese
Chicken Salad Sandwiches
Mini Pizzas
Cheese Quesadillas
Cobb Salad
Peanut Butter & Jelly
Egg Salad

Dinner Recipes:
Fajitas
Pizza Chicken Bake
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Meatloaf
Chicken Noodle Casserole
Meatball Subs
Teriyaki Chicken Rice Bowl
Cheeseburgers
Baked Sweet Hawaiian Chicken
Slow Cooker Creamy Spaghetti
Chicken Pot Pie
Vegetable Soup
Taco Salad
Glazed Pork Chops
Fiesta Chicken
Pizza
Sweet Asian Chicken
Pork Tenderloin
Spaghetti & Meatballs
Stuffed French Bread
Oven Drumsticks
Tacos
Broccoli Alfredo Stuffed Shells
Honey Garlic Broiled Chicken Thighs
Chicken Cordon Bleu Crescent Rolls
Slow Cooker Chicken Tikki Masala
Slow Cooker Italian Chicken
Crock Pot Smothered Pork Chops
Slow Cooker Barbeque Beef Sandwiches
Brautwurst

Jayme is a wife to 1 and to four little boys. She coupons, but isn’t super extreme about it. She price matches and loves it! While she likes to cook, she’s in the stage of life where simple is usually better. She never knows how many hands she’ll have free at dinner time. You can find her at No Regrets Living.

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