Menu Plan Monday-A History

So, I never really thought I would actually be one to menu plan, but between trying to save money & be healthier by eating out less, having LOTS more variety of food from my new-found couponing addiction, and a little motivation from a new blog I discovered, I decided to attempt a plan for the week for first time at the beginning of August.  
This was it: 
Monday: Zuccini Pasta Bake/Casserole (the ingredients made 2, so one is in the freezer & ready to go for another day! YAY!)

Tuesday: Marinated Chicken Breasts & Salad

Wednesday: Baked Potatoes

Thursday: Leftovers or skillet meal from freezer

Friday: Homemade Pizza

(Saturday & Sunday we have some tentative plans and might not need meals at home, so those are TBD). 

At the time, I as so unsure about how things would go. But we were very pleasantly surprised! We managed to stick to our plans for the rest of the month with no fast food and no unplanned eating out or grocery store runs!  That was HUGE for our family.  By the end of the month, I was even starting to get fancy with trying out at least one new recipe each week complete with recipe links and pictures:

Monday: Chicken Cordon Bleu  with parmesan crusted zucchini

(They turned out pretty well, if I do say so myself! See...)

Tuesday: Shredded beef tacos, black beans, chips & salsa

Wednesday: Leftovers if there is enough or Orange Chicken Stir Fry

Thursday: Scrounge--clear out the fridge

Friday: Airport food court!! Then, no menu plan for 9 days!! :) 

If you haven't tried menu planning, I encourage you to give it a try!  For lots of inspiration & ideas, head over to orgjunkie.com and check out Menu Plan Monday!