The Cupboards Are Bare in this Shoe.....

The bummer about shopping once a month is that as we near the 25th, 26th, 27th.....I have to get very creative in my cooking. I was making Chicken Noodles Soup last night, and realized I was all out of noodles. What to do? Ramon Noodles....perfect! Some months I do better with my planning: we seem to have plenty of yummy meals all the way to the end, but this month I miscalculated the leftovers and home cooked meals we'd need.

I am one of those moms who does pretty much cook 365 days a year, three times a day. We eat all of those meals together at the kitchen table. ("Eating Out" is often a frozen pizza.) I do love eating in. I don't really love cooking, but I do love eating as a family and connecting. (I find with the ages of our kids, eating at a restaurant isn't very relaxing, plus as I calculate the cost vs. eating at home I always feel like I wasted my husband's monthly check.)

I think eating at home is important. I think it produces good, healthy eaters. My kids aren't picky, and neither is my husband....that is a huge help. He rarely gives me that look, "Wow, this is really not good Love." And when he does he finds a way to eat it anyway. Later I find him making his own 4th meal around 10 pm, usually a PB&J.

All this said, this is the time of month I begin dreaming. I keep a notepad next to my bed at night and jot down meal ideas and shopping lists for next month. Last night I must have been feeling especially hungry because I completed my meals for next month very quickly. I'm ready to say goodbye to October and hello to November, hello to new food!

Here are my November meals in no particular order. I plan four to five meals a week, and with leftovers and nights of cheese toast and soup, we usually have enough.

You're more than welcome to get a little inspiration from me. Warning: I am not a gourmet chef, I am a get-it-done cook.

(I only plan the main course as I can quickly throw together sides from my canning cupboard and freezer. Also, my meals are less this month with Thanksgiving and a planned trip to the beach where we will either cook and fix at the hotel or use our Entertainment Book to find cheap eats as we travel.)

Ham and Cheese Croissants
Cheesy Artichoke Chicken Bake
Spaghetti and Bread
Fondue Night
Pizza
Crock Pot Lasagna
Turkey!
Turkey Pot Pie
Funky Homemade Pizza, gluten free
French Toast
Quiche
Tuna Melts and Soup
Roast and Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
Tacos

Turkey and Gravy on Toast
Sausage Meal with Noodles
Frozen Pizza Night
Lentil Casserole
Hamburger Helper Meal, a night-off option...easy!