Yikes, here we are, another month into 2021… Can you believe it?! I’m popping in with our monthly meal plan today (and a free printable if you scroll down to the bottom). I have to be honest, we didn’t really stick to last month’s meal plan BUT we did *mostly* stick to meals I had planned….. Basically we didn’t have the planned meals on the exact days I planned, but it did help to have the ideas listed out ahead of time so we have something to work with.

Breakfast is pretty much the same each week… We tried switching to pancakes on Fridays last month, but the kids really missed muffins SOOOO we’re going back to muffins!

• Monday: Oatmeal
• Tuesday: Scrambled Eggs (with toast or in burritos)
• Wednesday: Homemade Granola with Yogurt
• Thursday: Oatmeal
• Friday: Muffins
• Saturday: Cereal
• Sunday: Smoothies and Granola

Lunches are a little less routine… We tried to eat the same lunches each week, but it just seems to work best to plan leftovers, sandwiches, quesadillas or snack lunches (crackers, cheese, fresh fruit and veggies, popcorn, whatever we can pull together quick).

Mmmmkay, let’s get to this month’s dinner plan:

1. Easy Chicken Parmesan
2. BBQ Chicken Sandwiches
3. Slow Cooker Beef Carnitas
4. Zuppa Toscana Soup
5. Homemade Pizza
6. Lasagna (freezer meal!)
7. Chicken Enchilada Soup
8. Spaghetti with Meat Sauce
9. Taco Style Stuffed Shells
10. Beans & Cornbread
11. Oven-Fried Chicken
12. Homemade Pizza
13. Breakfast for Dinner
14. Slow Cooker Beef Stew
15. Baked Tilapia (Chicken Nuggets for the Kids!)
16. Beef Enchiladas (freezer meal!)
17. White Chicken Chili
18. Cheesy Potato Soup
19. Homemade Pizza
20. Mexican Pot Roast
21. Crockpot Chili
22. Chili Dogs
23. Chicken, Green Beans & Potatoes
24. Pasta Bake
25. Sesame Chicken & Chow Mein
26. Homemade Pizza
27. Breakfast for Dinner
28. Beef & Vegetable Soup
29. Spaghetti & Meatballs
30. Chicken Cordon Bleu
31. Beans & Cornbread

We tried a few new things last month, and while some worked, others just didn’t. Here’s an update…

• I tried to simplify the meal plan a bit by having a Mexican themed meal on Tuesdays. Ehhhh, this didn’t really make a difference. We mixed meals up as we wanted and had Mexican themed meals when we had lettuce and tomatoes on hand!
• I planned alternating meals on Wednesdays (using the crockpot is an extra win!). Again, mixing meals up through the month made this another ehhhh…
• I moved pizza night to Fridays (we’ve been having a family movie night for a couple of months and pizza is just a good idea with a movie!). This one is working and staying the same!
• I’m going to actually plan to eat leftovers on Saturday nights in order to clean out the fridge before a new week begins. This one was a big NOPE! We either didn’t have leftovers on Saturday nights because we ate them for lunch through the week or didn’t want the extra mess to clean on a Saturday night (they’re usually a busy night with Sunday prep!).
• ANDDDDD I’m actually planning to serve the kids something different when we eat fish… We’ve pretty much never done this, but they just really can’t get behind seafood right now and they still need to eat. If we catch some fish locally this summer, they’d totally be on board with fried fish for dinner! This one worked. We got to enjoy the baked tilapia we enjoy, and the kids actually ate dinner! Win-win and happening again this month!

Well, friends, there you have it… An entire month of dinners planned (and lots of links if you need some inspiration!). And one more little note of encouragement… We are a normal family that changes things around as needed (or just as wanted!). If we have leftovers or takeout, we’ll save the planned meal for a different night! Here’s our FREE meal planning printable if you want to plan meals for the whole month too, or use our meal planning inserts to keep your meal plan handy when you’re on the go!