Menu Plan.

Every other Thursday, during Prater Ellis' morning nap, I sit down at our desk & do the following: balance our checkbook, pay our bills, plan our menu & grocery shopping list for two weeks. I've decided to start posting our menu plan because I know how much I love to find new recipes through others' blogs & in hopes that we can all share-the-wealth when it comes to easy, inexpensive, & fast menus that please ourselves & our families!

When we were first married, I did not menu plan & it was an unorganized mess: we were missing ingredients to make complete meals, we were not eating items before they were expiring, we were spending too much money on the groceries we were buying because there was no organized plan of what we would eat & when we would eat it. Obviously, we do not stick to our two week menu plan religiously - basically it is just a helpful tool for me to buy the ingredients for X amount of meals while also guaranteeing that we don't eat chicken nuggets with macaroni & cheese every night (our go-to college/comfort food). It has worked wonderfully for us.

(Binder that holds recipes that I find online/in magazines for safe-keeping.)

I print the following list off every other Thursday & post it on the side of our refrigerator for easy access.

Friday, the 13^th, Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs with Jellied Toast

Friday, the 13^th, Lunch: Sandwiches with Chips

Friday, the 13^th, Supper: Taco Soup

Saturday, the 14^th, Breakfast: Pancakes

Saturday, the 14^th, Lunch: Sandwiches with Chips

Saturday, the 14^th, Supper: Honey-Mustard Pork Chops with Easy Cheesy Potato Casserole & Sister Shubert Rolls

Sunday, the 15^th, Breakfast: Muffins

Sunday, the 15^th, Lunch: Sandwiches with Chips

Sunday, the 15^th, Supper: Lemon, Parsley, & Parmesan Chicken Pasta with Sister Shubert Rolls

Monday, the 16^th, Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs, Bacon with Biscuits & Gravy

Monday, the 16^th, Lunch: Sandwiches with Chips

Monday, the 16^th, Supper: We go to dinner at my in-laws every other Monday night

Tuesday, the 17^th, Supper: Crispy Baked Chicken with Micro-Mashed Potatoes & Sister Shubert Rolls

Wednesday, the 18^th, Supper: Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches with Curly Fries

Thursday, the 19^th, Supper: Chicken Nachos with Mexican Rice

Friday, the 20^th, Supper: Poppy Seed Chicken with Green Beans & Sister Shubert Rolls

Saturday, the 21^st, Breakfast: Muffins

Saturday, the 21^st, Lunch: Sandwiches with Chips

Saturday, the 21^st, Supper: We take my Aunt Jenny out to eat (restaurant of her choice) on the third Saturday night of every month

Sunday, the 22^nd, Breakfast: Cereal

Sunday, the 22^nd, Lunch: Sandwiches with Chips

Sunday, the 22^nd, Supper: Slow Cooker Tender Roast with Carrots & Potatoes, Macaroni & Cheese, & Sister Shubert Rolls

Monday, the 23^rd, Supper: Philly Cheese Steaks with Curly Fries

Tuesday, the 24^th, Supper: Slow Cooker Picante Chicken with Brown Rice & Sister Shubert Rolls

Wednesday, the 25^th, Supper: Slow Cooker Fiesta Chicken & Rice

Happy Thursday! Tomorrow is my honey's Friday off & Monday is a holiday for him, I am looking forward to a 4-day weekend with my two loves!