{ Includes Links to 15 Recipes }
When it was time to create a menu for May, I asked my family what dinners they would like. I’m not so sure that was a great idea, but here it is — a menu full of requests from my family. I’ve filled it in with some easy-looking crockpot meals for my late work days and a few new recipes.
Now that warmer weather has finally arrived (well, sort of — the temps dropped down near 30°F last night), my husband is excited about using the grill again! I’m excited about eating grilled chicken again — Yum!
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How much do we spend?
My monthly spending seems to naturally come in around $400, some months a little more or less. This amount feeds 3 adult-size people very well. Doing one big monthly shop and only popping into the store once or twice for milk and fruit saves my family at least $75/month compared to previous averages when I have shopped weekly. Having our older son at home with us for April-June has only added a few dollars to the $400 budget.
What do we eat besides dinner?
Breakfast – Not much. Sometimes eggs and bacon on the weekend, maybe once or twice a month.
Lunch – Leftovers, pb&j, lunchmeat sandwiches, crackers & cheese.
Snacks – Fruit, crackers, nuts, tortilla chips.
I usually do not make desserts, but I will plan at least a couple this month to take to family dinners. My family will be absolutely thrilled! 😉
The Plan
We will have some of these dinners twice. I’ve also left some open nights. We have a couple of away-from-home family dinners on the calendar, and we’ll probably have leftovers at least once or twice. The highlighted links you see in the menu will take you directly to the website for each recipe. If you want to see photos of the linked recipes in one place, you can visit my Pinterest board for main dish recipes. I’m always pinning new recipes, so following my board is a great idea if you’re looking for dinner inspiration.
- Fish fry, homemade onion rings (dinner at the cabin)
- Brats, raw vegetables (dinner at the cabin)
- Shish-kabobs (dinner at the lake)
- *new menu item* Beef Piroshki (will make these to eat on the way to the lake, did not get to make in April as I had planned)
- Cheeseburgers, frozen fries or chips, raw carrots & celery (twice)
- One-pan roasted smoked sausage, chicken & vegetables (twice)
- Grilled BBQ chicken legs, roasted vegetables (twice)
- Cheeseburger Macaroni Casserole, green beans
- Copykat Chef Boyardee-style beefy mac & cheese, peas
- Nachos
- Tacos w/fried shells (twice)
- Spaghetti, peas or salad, garlic bread
- Cold tuna-macaroni salad, peas
- *crockpot meal* Slow Cooker Lasagna – a new favorite, SO easy!
- *crockpot meal* Red beans & rice
- *crockpot meal* General Tso’s Chicken, fried rice
- *crockpot meal* pork butt (Paula Deen style), green beans
- *new recipe* *crockpot meal* Slow Cooker Salisbury Steak, mashed potatoes
- *new recipe* *crockpot meal* Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken, fried rice
- *new recipe* *crockpot meal* Crockpot Smoked Sausage & Hashbrown Casserole, roasted or frozen vegetables
- *new recipe* White Cheese and Chicken Lasagna, garlic bread
- *new recipe* Chicken Paprikash, pasta or potatoes, roasted vegetables
- *new recipe* One Pan Chicken & Broccoli
- Smothered Baked Chicken Burritos – For my family, this was THE biggest new recipe hit of March. Use her Shredded Chicken recipe and add these refried beans
- Oriental chicken salad (prep everything early & throw together for a fast dinner)
Please leave a comment or email me at [email protected] with any questions you might have! If you like this menu, click on one of the sharing buttons below to share on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.
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Thanks for including us on your menu plan! Hope you enjoy our Chicken Paprikash! Our family devoured it! 🙂
I’m looking forward to trying it! Thank you for visiting!
Hello! Found you this morning over at Sits Girls and love the menu plan. I get burned out sometimes and just like new ideas of recipes to fix that are cheap! Thanks for the help-I’ve printed several recipes and can’t wait to try them!
blessings,
The How-to Guru {Shan Walker}
Hi Shan! I’m glad you found something you could use from the menu plan! 🙂 Thank you for the visit and the wonderful comment!
Thanks found a new recipe to try
Awesome! I’m glad you found something to help you! 🙂
Hi Julie,
That burger looks amazing!
Thanks for bringing your post to Blogger’s Pit Stop.
Janice, Pit Stop Crew
Hi Janice! That photo always reminds me of my older son’s perfect burger. 🙂 Thank you for visiting!
Hi Julie – Thanks so much for sharing your menu plan with the Let’s Get Real party.
Hi Gaye! This month’s menu is about as real as it gets at my house… family favorites! Thanks for the visit!