Time marches on.  Well, it must as we’re already talking about March and what to eat this month.  Craziness!  I, for one, am excited to see if “In Like A Lion And Out Like A Lamb” is true of this month.  It seems that lately I’ve been thinking “Man, this is soup weather!”  And as much as I like soup, I’m ready to say “Man, this is Grilling out weather!”.

Whatever the weather does, I’ll be ready to eat through the month.  Well, I will with this menu plan!  It really is the best way to save money in the kitchen.  Intentional spending is key – even if the menu plan is filled with high-end organics, expensive cuts of meat and fancy meals.  Far better to have a plan than to accidentally overspend just because you didn’t stop to plan.

For me, the start of this month is going to be a bit strange.  My husband will be out of town for a few days and that’s really rare.  I’ve noticed that my motivation to cook when he’s gone plummets dramatically!  That’s okay – I’ll just account for that and plan for really simple meals like Take N Bake pizza and Mac & Cheese.  That’ll be life at our house!

Don’t want to take the time to plan?  Use this one!  Want to come up with your own?  That’s okay too — there’s a blank calendar included.  Check out the new meal planning book ‘The Extraordinary Art of Meal Planning‘ for tips on how to meal plan.  But just do it!

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!

Recipes in this menu plan:
Fajitas
Kung Pao Shrimp
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Meatloaf
Sloppy Joes
Meatball Subs
Teriyaki Chicken Rice Bowl
Cheeseburgers (I make these on the griddle in the winter time)
Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Slow Cooker Creamy Spaghetti
Beef Stroganoff
Vegetable Soup
Taco Salad
Glazed Pork Chops
French Dips
Pizza
Slow Cooker Corned Beef & Cabbage
Oven Roasted BBQ Pork Tenderloin
Spaghetti & Meatballs
Stuffed French Bread
Oven Drumsticks
Tacos
Crispy Shrimp Pasta
Broiled Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs
Steak Bites
Philly Cheesesteak Crescent Ring
Slow Cooker Italian Chicken
Crock Pot Smothered Pork Chops
Slow Cooker Barbeque Beef Sandwiches
Smoked Sausage & Potato Hash
Ham & Cheese Bake

It’s 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!

How can I make this even easier?
To make things easier, 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!

Jayme is a wife to 1 and a mother to four little boys. She tries to coupon, builds a smart stockpile, and always meal plans. 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.

If you love this, check out more posts: