Extended Meal Plan

Things have been busy to say the least since Natalie was born and that has affected how we eat. Normally, I don't like to eat monotonously, but planning unique menus for each week is more work than I need right now. Instead, I created a basic menu that repeats for 4 weeks. I make a super-sized grocery list, stock up on food, process or prepare some of it, and the result is this:
A freezer full of food - some of it ready to go, some of it just pre-portioned.

Here is the meal plan:

U - Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes
M - Mojo Chicken, Black Beans, Rice, Yellow Sauce
T - Pork Chops (or Pork Loin Roast), Broccoli, Steamed Carrot coins
W - Spaghetti, Salad, Garlic Rolls or Italian Sweet Bread
R - Chicken Stir Fry, Egg Rolls
F - Vegetable Bean Soup, Cresent Rolls
S - BBQ Chicken, Biscuits, Baked Beans, and Scalloped Corn

I chose the meals based on cost, cooking method and freeze-ability. I split the majority of the work between two days - shopping day and cooking day. On the cooking day, I made 4 meatloaves, 4 meals worth of spaghetti sauce and 4 of vegetable bean soup, and portioned 20lbs of dark chicken quarters. For the pork chops, I bought a whole pork loin and cut off the chops. I left once piece whole to roast. Also, I made two batches of cookie dough, portioned and frozen to bake later and a batch of dog treats - because I was in the kitchen anyway and can make them out of things I would otherwise throw away (and Mako likes them). It was a tiring day! But living is easy for the next four weeks!