Hi everyone, look at me, early with the May 2012 Monthly Meal Plan! LOL!  I know I’ve been posting these right at the last minute, but this month I actually had a little breathing room so thought I’d get it out a few days early for you! I haven’t had a whole lot of time to add in our Weight Watcher’s meals, so I apologize for that. Maybe I can get to it this summer once school’s out and we’re on break.

may2012

Download the May 2012 Monthly Meal Plan:

 

Each time I post this, I get a few of the same questions, so I wanted to answer them for you all:

How strictly do you follow your plan?

Honestly, the answer varies from week to week! I do try to do my grocery shopping using my list on the weekend, so that I’m prepared for the up coming week. But there are days when I simply don’t feel like having what I have on the list for that day, or when I just straight up don’t feel like cooking!

On those days, I’ll usually just swap that meal out with another day’s so  I don’t get too far off track. Sometimes we’ll order out, or have left overs depending.

My meal plan definitely keeps me on track, but I also allow myself some wiggle room! After all, I’m only human ;o)

 

Do you have a good smoothie recipe?

Yes, I do! I’m kind of lazy when it comes to smoothies, I buy the family packs of Yoplait or Jamba Smoothies they have in the grocery store for days when I need a quick breakfast. Just add milk or orange juice and voila!

For days when I have a little more time…

Fruit Smoothies:

Ingredients:

  • 1 banana (frozen is better, but I will work at room temp.)
  • 2 cups frozen strawberries (Again, room temp is okay)
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt (We prefer frozen yogurt)
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • Optional: 2-3 tablespoons honey to taste (The plain fruit can be a bit sour, but the orange juice helps with this, so try it before adding honey)

Directions:

Add all ingredients into a blender and mix until smooth! Pour into glasses and serve!

This usually serves my 4 kiddos and me, but they all get half glasses. If I need a little more, I’ll just add in some more milk or juice. It makes the smoothie a bit runny, but no one seems to mind and it’s cheaper that way!

Note: Really you can use any type of fruit you prefer! Some of our favorites alternatives to above:

  • Mango, peach, & banana.
  • Raspberry, Blueberry, and Strawberry

Hope the meal plans help relieve a little bit of mom-stress this month!

18 Comments

  1. Thank you so much for posting your meal plan every month. I am in a rut – especially when dealing with lunch. I’m going to follow your plan 100% this month to switch things up a bit 🙂

    Missy
    1. Hi Lauren,
      Sometimes our weekends are left overs, I don’t plan much on my calendar because weekends are always up in the air here! Some days we’re running around, sometimes we’re home, so I just leave those days open kind of.

      erica
    1. Hi Lori,
      There are 6 of us and I tend to spend around $00 per month on groceries, sometimes more depending. But I’m not the best with coupons and stuff, so that’s just me! I have basic supplies in my pantry, then just purchase whatever else I need each week, mostly produce since it goes bad quickly.

      Also, we get our beef from my husband’s grandma’s farm, so I don’t buy my meat there.

      erica
  2. We’ve started making “green” smoothies by adding spinach or kale to our fruit smoothies – you can’t taste the veggies but you get all the benefits – I also add flax seed oil or milled flax seed for the omega 3’s.

  3. I just discovered your site/blog this past week and just discovered the menu plans today. What a relief/blessing this is!! Also, THANK YOU for creating a monthly plan that is budget-friendly for a large family, free of charge!

    Tasha
  4. Just wondering what you use in your bread crumb mixture for pork chops and marinade for grilled pork chops. This meal plan is a life saver. So many family favorites!!
    Thanks,
    Caterina

    Caterina Mangano
  5. Hi, I couldn’t see what your grocery budget was per month, but were limited to certain amount $ a month so I want to make sure I don’t go hog wild. We have 5 kids and I’ve been loaded with guilt lately about the “sugar” they’re getting in cereal etc. I think these ideas will really help. Thanks so much for posting this, especially the editable one! I’m so excited to have some more options that seem to be somewhat healthy. I was paying for one that only provided a dinner menu although they gave a shopping list for whatever store you pick with prices.

    Angela McCourt

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