Menu Plan Monday 2012 ~ Summer Menu Plan ~ 2012 ~ July

For the most part, June's Summer Menu Plan went well.  While we weren't able to get to Costco for our bulk meat order, but managed to work with what we had in the freezer along with the help of a few sales.

We enjoyed a few new recipes as well as some tried and true favorites.  We even had a couple of things sneak their way onto our menu even though they weren't planned...but that's part of the reason I didn't plan for a full 30 days!  I also didn't manage to get to every recipe I planned.  But I usually don't manage to get to every recipe when I plan a week's menu, either.

Again this month, we'll be cooking on a tight budget.  We'll be using as much as we can from our pantry and freezer.  We'll also be trying to keep away from take-out as much as possible.  Though, I do see a take-out pizza night in our near future (I'm pretty sure I have a coupon around here somewhere!) and McDonald's at the mall food court at least once this month!

Since I'm still working on watching my weight, I'll be preparing healthy, low-calorie meals when possible along with many, many salads.

Here are some of the meals we'll be enjoying this month:

• Bean Burritos.  This will be a great meal when I need something quick and easy.  There's no meat and I'll probably omit the guacamole, so that should keep the calories pretty low.  I'm still on the look out for low-calorie wraps, but since Joe does 90% of the shopping it's been a challenge.  

• Corn Dog Casserole, corn on the cob, grilled potatoes.  This is a carry-over from last month, we just didn't get around to making it.  I've added Jiffy corn bread mix to our shopping list, so we'll be having this soon!  Since I'm serving this with corn on the cob and potatoes, we'll get a couple nights out of this casserole!  Making the most out of turning that oven on in this heat!  

• Tuna Tomato Pasta.  I saw this recipe last month, but wanted to wait to post it in our July Summer Menu Plan before trying it.  I've never been real sure about canned tuna being heated in a recipe, but since trying Tuna Noodle Casserole for the first time, I'm inspired to give this recipe a try!  

• Pesto Orzo.  This appeared in last month's menu and was last in our line-up of meals for the month.  In fact, I doubled the recipe (to come soon) and took it to a graduation party over the weekend.  I went back for seconds after swimming in the pool for a couple of hours!  We were sent home with some leftovers, so we'll be using them up this week.  

• Sweet 'n' Sour Meatballs, buttered noodles, steamed vegetables.  Grace's Aunt Barb had surgery over the weekend and isn't really up to cooking right now.  I'll make this to take over one night for dinner and since it makes a lot, I'll leave the leftovers there for the boys to reheat for another night.  

• Lima Beans and Ham over rice.  Here's another recipe I didn't get around to making.  I have the ingredients, I just keep forgetting to soak them overnight.  We WILL BE having this sometime this month!  

• Sloppy Joes, Corn on the Cob, breaded egg plant.  It's been a long time since I've made Sloppy Joes for dinner (fried egg plant, too!) so I'm sure we'll really enjoy this dinner!  Hopefully, my zucchini plants will start producing soon, since I like to "hide" some in my sloppy joe mixture!  

• Taco Salad.  I'm in the mood for fast food, it's an addiction (much like my Diet Pepsi addiction) that I need to give up.  Taco Salad is a good compromise because you can make it as healthy (or non-healthy) as you like.  I find that just a little bit of the taco meat, some fat-free refried beans, and some jarred salsa on top of my salad is enough to beat the take-out cravings...at least for a little while!  :)  

• Whole Chicken in the Crock Pot, mashed potatoes with cauliflower, peas.  It's been a while since I've made this, since Joe prefers it baked in the oven...that's not happening in this heat!  Usually, I cover the chicken in a bunch of spices (as shown in the link).  This time, I think I'll just add a sprig or two of rosemary from  the garden.  

• Simply Tomato Sauce served over pasta.  This is one of the meals I didn't plan for last month but it ended up on the table anyway!  I'm glad it did, since it saved me from having to cook for a few nights!   Even after serving this for a few nights in a row, I still had some sauce left to freeze!  

• Loaded Mashed Potato Pie.  I'll use the leftover Mashed Potatoes with Cauliflower to make this delicious dinner.  I'll serve a nice green salad on the side.  

• Tuna Salad wraps, cucumber salad.  This is the perfect light meal for a hot summer day.  I'll make this the night before so it's nice and chilled in time for dinner!  

• Balsamic Chicken over pasta.  We made this last month and it was a hit!  I let it cook in the crock pot while Joe and I did some yard work and Grace played in the pool.  When we walked into the house, it smelled amazing!  We ended up eating dinner early because we couldn't wait to see how if it tasted as good as it smelled....it did!  We loved it so much, it's appearing on our July menu plan, too!  

• Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad.  Here's another light meal that I'll put to use on one of those hotter July days!  If I time it right, this would go great with leftover pizza from our take-out pizza night!  

• Hamburgers, baked beans, grilled potatoes.  Summer comfort food for me!  I love hamburgers year round, but nothing like a burger hot off the grill!  Mmmm!  

• Low-Calorie Vegetable Soup (Crock Pot), salad, leftover grilled potatoes.  I have a bag of coleslaw mix in the fridge that I'll put to use in this soup. 

• Pork Tenderloin, Oven Roasted Vegetables. I'm not a huge fan of pork, but will buy it occasionally when it's on sale.  I haven't decided how we'll prepare this yet, but I know I'll serve Oven Roasted Vegetables on the side!  

• Breakfast for Dinner.  Pancakes or French Toast are always a hit with Grace, so at least one night this month will be a breakfast for dinner night!  

So there are some of the meals I'm planning to prepare this month.  You can see I didn't plan out 30 different meals, instead, I just picked 18 meals.  This will allow for spur of the moment changes.  You know, when you see something on Pinterest and just can't wait to try it!  Also, I figure there will be several no-cooking nights this month:  Leftovers, dinner with friends, the rare dinner out.


Now that you know what we're eating this month, please share your menu ideas in the comment section of this post!

Need more menu planning inspiration? Follow me over to Menu Plan Monday hosted by I'm an Organizing Junkie! Or, if you like what you see here, you can check out my past menu plans.

This post has also been linked to On the Menu Monday hosted by Yvonne at Stone Gable.  If you haven't visited Stone Gable yet, be sure to grab a glass of sweet tea and browse through stunning photos of Yvonne's delicious recipes and beautiful tablescapes.

Check back next week as I recap this week and share what recipe we've prepared from the July Menu Plan!