Large Family Meal Planning Week 253
Meal planning is a must at my house. It is the key to getting dinner on the table for my large family.
We made our move to San Antonio mid- September. Believe me, I’ve been cooking 6 to 7 nights a week, I have just not had time to always share my meal plan with you guys.
I’ve missed that!!
Here is what large family meal planning looks like at my house.
Large Family Meal Planning
Shepard’s Pie– this was delicious and we had it last night for dinner. It was so wonderful to make it already assembled and just pop it in the oven. I heated up some rolls and dinner was done. Shepard’s Pie is an all in one meal with your meat, veggies and potatoes all in one dish! It was a real hit!! The recipe and grocery list for this is in our October freezer meal pack.
Crockpot Apple Butter Pork Chops– these are so delicious and taste just like fall. You can make homemade apple butter or buy store bought. I will serve these with steamed rice and broccoli.
Chili Mac and Cheese– this is another recipe that we assembled Sunday night in our freezer meal assembly. We double our batch of chili and froze half of it for chili and cornbread and then used the other half to make chili mac. Our video shows just how easy it was to make two meals out of one. Such a helpful solution for busy week nights!
Quick and Easy Spaghetti– this is a go to at our house. A meal that never fails and is super easy to whip up. Served with a side salad.
Crack Chicken Pasta– this is a freezer meal recipe that is on our September meal plan, but we had already eaten the one that was in the freezer so I made a new batch Sunday night and we ate it with a side salad. Such a simple dinner to make and everyone loves it! Kelsey (my husband’s daughter) came over with the kids for dinner on Sunday night and she helped me make dinner…. and cut her finger on a vegetable peeler. š
Leftover Soup– so… I have been saving leftover meats and leftover sauces. Each night after dinner I take the leftover meat and add it to a bucket in the freezer. I also add any tomato based or starchy based sauces, broths, etc., that I have leftover from our dinners. The bucket filled up pretty quickly. I am going to thaw it and add water and cook it on the stove or in the slow cooker all day and make a soup. I might add some veggies, but I did not freeze in veggies in it. I might serve it over noodles or just serve it by itself.
Grocery Budget
Eating at home is a great way to save money. Essentially, if you need to cut any spending out of your monthly budget, your grocery bill is the first place that you can do that.
Another way that I save money is by doing all of my grocery shopping online. It keeps me from impulse shopping and I do not check out until my online shopping cart meets my budget needs. AND, I don’t have to manage kids while in the grocery store. This is huge for busy mama’s or any large family. I place my order, use the app to tell them I am on my way and then they load the groceries in my car. You read that right… they load the groceries for you!Ā AndĀ get $10 off your first order of $50 or more!
Make Ahead Freezer MealsĀ
Grab ourĀ October Freezer Meal PlanĀ and assemble seven meals in less than an hour! The meal plan gives you the shopping list, recipes and assembly instructions. If you love comfort food, you will love the October meal plan.
Join our FB group Get Dinner on the TableĀ and you can watch our assembly meal video and see just how easy it is to make these recipes. And, you can see my husband and I having fun cooking together!
Warning, I am just a real mama with no makeup on, my hair on top of my head and a muffin top prepping meals. We keep it real around here!!
Meal Ideas
I would love to know what you’re cooking this week! I love sharing our lists of great ideas for dinner time as we all work hard at menu planning.
How do you make it easier? Do you do a themed night each week, like taco night, meatless night, Instant Pot night, breakfast for dinner night, etc?
Do you utilize freezer cooking? That has been a huge help for me as our family has grown.
Are you a person who does monthly grocery shopping to make planning your meals easier?
I would love to know more about what’s working at your house and where your dinner struggles are.