I get so tired of trying to figure out what to cook for dinner at 4pm – and no groceries in the house.  In an effort to ease my mind I sat down and jotted down a 30 day menu.  I’ve done this before with the expectation that I have to follow it day by day.   Inevitably, I always stray here and there and never gave myself wiggle room.  This time around I decided I would give myself room to move – and stick to the menu week by week.  So, we are over a week in and it is working well.  Groceries for the week are planned by what’s on the menu – I am not worrying about lunches because we always have left overs.  Another thing that has helped is to group dinners together in the same week that have similar ingredients or buy ingredients that will save and work later in the month. And, of course, buy the basics – milk, bread, cereal, oatmeal, smoothie stuff, whatever.

Challenge: Write out your menu – realistically.  Stick to it 5-6 days of the week and see if this simple act of planning and organization help remove dinner anxiety.

Here is my 30 day menu:

1. Easy Quesadilla (Rice, Beans, Cheese)
2. Caprese Pasta Salad
3. Rice Bowl (California Veg Blend over Rice and Soy, Sesame oil)
4. Tostada (using ingredients from Quesadillas)
5. Garden Burgers
6. Soba Noodle Stir Fry
7. Paninis (Left over goes into stir fry veg)
8. Black Bean Enchilada Pasta
9. Pizza (Cheese carry out)
10. Stir Fry (Asian Style Veg Blend and Rice, Tofu)
11. Falafel Salad (Greens, Falafel, Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Feta) and Pita Bread
12. Left Overs 🙂
13. Vegetarian Chili Cheese Dogs (Veg: like Tofurkey Italian or Morning Star)
14. Soup and Sandwich (Summer Veg Soup and Veg Reuben)
15. Taco Salad (Greens, Fritos, Rice, Cheese and black beans, sweet corn base)
16. Frozen Cheese Ravioli with red sauce, side salad, bread
17. Garden Burgers (Southwest style using left overs from 15)
18. Cheese Pizza and side salad
19. Coconut Curry Soup and bread/crackers
20. Onion, peppers, mushroom Fajitas
21. Falafel wraps (Pita, feta, romaine, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, yogurt sauce, Falafel)
22. Fried Rice Bowl (Fried vegetables and rice)
23. Nachos (Black bean, cheese, rice base)
24. Soup and Sandwich (Cauliflower and adult grilled cheese – pesto, tomato and cheese)
25. Baked Potato Bar
26. Vegetarian Enchiladas (cheese, spinach)
27. Garden Pasta
28. One Pot Veg Chili Mac 
29. Panini (Grilled Veg or Portabello/Cheese)
30. Burritos (Rice, Beans, grilled veg left over from Panini)