Quarterly Dinner Menu

OK, here it is, the quarterly dinner menu.

We have a few more convenience foods than I would like in here, but sometimes you have to do that when you work. I hate that. I'm hoping to move away from that as I get more in the habit of double cooking and processing things the night I make them.

Quick meals that are purchased on the March budget
Brisket for sandwiches, served with fries
Chicken sandwiches and tater tots
Lasagna
Chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese

Quick meals on April budget
Chili Mac
Spaghetti x2
Cook 5 lbs hamburger meat
Hamburger Helper x2 (3 boxes per)
Taco Salad x2

Quick meals on May Budget
Chili Cheese Dogs and Fries
Grill 5 lbs hamburgers
Brisket for Fajitas x2
Chicken Sandwiches, tater tots
Hamburger Helper

Quick meals on June Budget
Cook 5 lbs hamburger meat
Hamburger Helper x2
Grill 5 lbs hamburgers x2
Goulash Mix x2 (everything but the pasta)
Sloppy Joes

The more of the scratch quick meals I get in the freezer, the less convenience foods I will have to rely on when we get a call at dinner time.

Mar 16 Goulash, corn, bread
Mar 17 Breakfast
Mar 18 Chicken and Rice
Mar 19 Chuckwagon Stew
Mar 20 Leftover Night
Mar 21 Chicken Casserole
Mar 22 Beef Roast
Mar 23 Beans
Mar 24 Chicken Pot Pie
Mar 25 Beef Stroganoff
Mar 26 Annual pizza night (tax refund)
Mar 27 Chili Mac
Mar 28 Corned beef sandwiches
Mar 29 Lasagna
Mar 30 Rotisserie Chicken (have to go to Pueblo for the day)
Mar 31 Hamburger Helper
Apr 1 Beef Casserole
Apr 2 Chicken and Rice
Apr 3 Tuna Gravy
Apr 4 Pork Chops
Apr 5 Sour Cream Chicken
Apr 6 Beef Pot Pie
Apr 7 BBQ Pork Sandwiches
Apr 8 Chicken Casserole
Apr 9 Brisket
Apr 10 BLT's
Apr 11 Anonymous Chicken Meal (That means I didn't get anything planned)
Apr 12 Ham
Apr 13 Beef Casserole
Apr 14 Roast Chicken
Apr 15 Mexican Lasagna
Apr 16 Ham and Fried Potatoes
Apr 17 Hot Dogs
Apr 18 Pork Roast Sandwiches
Apr 19 Salisbury Steak
Apr 20 Chicken and Rice
Apr 21 Beef Pot Pie
Apr 22 Beans
Apr 23 Fried Chicken
Apr 24 Hamburgers on Grill
Apr 25 Spam Sandwiches (Hush, I have a houseful of rednecks!)
Apr 26 Turkey
Apr 27 Beef Casserole
Apr 28 Ham Steak
Apr 29 Turkey Sandwiches
Apr 30 Beef Casserole
May 1 Polish Sausage and Potatoes
May 2 Chicken on Grill
May 3 Smothered Steak
May 4 Ham Casserole
May 5 Chicken and Gravy over Biscuits
May 6 Steak and Eggs
May 7 Ribs
May 8 Turkey and Stuffing Casserole
May 9 Cheeseburgers on Grill
May 10 Ham
May 11 Stuffed Baked Potatoes (Ham, broccoli and cheese)
May 12 Roast Chicken
May 13 Groulash
May 14 Beans
May 15 Marinated Chicken Breasts on Grill
May 16 Pork Roast
May 17 Swiss Steak
May 18 Chicken Pot Pie
May 19 Spaghetti
May 20 Hot ham and swiss sandwiches
May 21 Chicken and Rice
May 22 Steaks on Grill (Probably just round steak, but still)
May 23 Sausage and Cheese Biscuits
May 24 Teriyaki Chicken
May 25 Taco Salad
May 26 Pork Chops
May 27 Chicken Sandwiches and Tater Tots
May 28 Brisket
May 29 Breakfast
May 30 BBQ Chicken on Grill
May 31 Pork Roast
June 1 Chuckwagon Stew
June 2 Roast Chicken
June 3 Pork Stroganoff
June 4 Beef Casserole
June 5 Chicken Sandwiches, Tater Tots
June 6 Brats on Grill
June 7 Meatloaf
June 8 Chicken Alfredo
June 9 BBQ Beef Sandwiches
June 10 BLT's
June 11 Roast Chicken
June 12 Cheeseburgers on Grill
June 13 Beans
June 14 Sour Cream Chicken
June 15 Chicken Fried Steak
June 16 Polish Sausage and potatoes
June 17 Chicken and Rice
June 18 Beef Casserole
June 19 Italian BMT's (or as close as we can come to what Subway has)
June 20 BBQ Chicken on Grill
June 21 Salisbury Steak
June 22 Chicken and Gravy over Biscuits
June 23 Calzones
June 24 Beef Pot Pie
June 25 Pork Chops
June 26 Chicken Fajitas
June 27 Beef Casserole
June 28 Teriyaki Chicken
June 29 Goulash
June 30 Pork Roast

Each dinner is served with two veggies (often the combined veggie portions are larger than the entree portion), not counting potatoes. We also supplement protein servings with beans or deviled eggs, and add bread often. This way we can reduce the amount of meat we serve, both for the purposes of being frugal, but to help keep our cholesterol lower. Since we are on such a tight budget, we often aren't able to buy the leanest cuts of meat, but we do what we can to trim the fat and reduce cholesterol intake. My DH is not a happy camper if we don't have meat with dinner, but it doesn't seem to matter how much meat. So I can take a cup of chicken and put it in a casserole, and he's happy. I just supplement the protein and we're good.

To make sure that we use frozen food before it gets icky, at the end of each quarter I go through my freezer and plan first from what is left in there, so that I am assured it is getting used (I just have to make sure I rotate). Then as I buy on sale I replace what's been used, but nothing, in theory, ends up getting lost in the bottom of the freezer.