Shrimp & Pork Fried Rice, Sweet and Sour Pork, Crab Rangoon. Image from Divine Domesticity.

Monday – Amish Meatloaf, side of veggies of your choice

• Time saving tip: When buying ground beef in bulk, portion out one and two pound portions into freezer bags. The day before making, pull out a two pound portion to thaw in the fridge.

Tuesday – Cornflake Crusted Baked Chicken, side of potatoes

• Time saving tip: On a weekend where you are prepping ingredients, add half a box of cornflakes to a freezer ziploc bag and use a rolling pin to crush the flakes into small pieces. Store in the freezer for future use.

Wednesday – Mom’s Gourmet Grilled Cheese Sandwich, side of tomato soup

• Ingredient Swap: I would recommend using a nice whole grain bread or white bread instead of sourdough. Sourdough has a very strong smell when used on a grilled cheese sandwich, which kids (and adults) might find too much to handle. (I found this out when I was pregnant and made a grilled cheese with sourdough.)

Thursday – Lemon Chicken Spaghetti Toss, side of garlic bread

• Recipe tip: Be careful to not overcook your chicken pieces. Tough and chewy chicken is the worst!

Friday – Avocado Tacos (Vegetarian), side of Mexican Rice

• Time saving tip: Store a large freezer bag with diced onions in your deep freeze. If you take the time to cut a bunch of onions over the weekend, you can save yourself the time (and maybe a few tears!) when using onions in recipes through out the month.

Saturday – Shrimp & Pork Fried Rice, Sweet and Sour Pork, Crab Rangoon (Mix and match according to family size)

• Time saving tip: Make the rice for the Fried Rice a day (or a few days) ahead of time.

Sunday – Cinnamon Belgian Waffles, side of scrambled eggs and turkey bacon

• Time saving tip: Make several batches of waffles over the weekend. Store in the freezer. When ready to use, pop a few into the toaster and you are set to go.