For the month of March I’ve planned hearty and filling meals, easy slow cooker dishes, and comforting classics for my family dinners.
Is it just me or did january seem like the longest month ever, and Feburary tried to make up for it by flying by in the blink of an eye?!? I have a super busy month planned for March, so it was really important that I get a good handle on my meal plan early, and today I am sharing it with you!
For the month of March I’ve planned hearty and filling meals, easy slow cooker dishes, and comforting classics for my family dinners. We are also embracing seasonal holidays like St. Patrick’s day with a traditional Irish-American dish, and fish and seafood on Friday’s for Lent.
I use Plan to Eat to quickly organize my family favorite recipes and organize them into meal plans and generate shopping lists! If you have a Plan to Eat Account send me a friend request (my username is HomeinFLX), I’d love to exchange recipes!
I plan for the month but shop for the week. Since I have already set aside the time to meal plan, I find it easier to plan for the whole month, kind of a once and done thing. The other nice thing, after each month, is planned for the year, you are done. You can repeat weeks or whole months if you would like. I also purchase some things for the whole month, especially if they are on sale, but the majority of the grocery shopping is done weekly.
This month I am trying something new! I am providing you with a rough estimate of the cost of the meals! I used the Walmart grocery app to, these weekly costs are meant to serve as a guideline for you, and do not include pantry staples such as spices, salt, and oil etc. Please keep in mind there may be regional price differences and you could likely get meal ingredients for less at discount store such as Aldi or Sav-A-Lot.
THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE MARCH MEAL PLAN
- We eat fish or seafood on Friday’s during Lent.
- This meal plan doesn’t include breakfast or lunches because in my experience, the majority of families have personal preferences on what they eat for breakfast and lunch.
- My family is not bothered by chicken a couple of nights in a row, but we generally don’t eat red meat multiple days in a row, just personal preference!
- I plan dinner for everyday, but often skip at least one day a week to use up leftovers.
- My meal plan is pretty flexible, and I consider it a “guideline” not a rule, and one you can ignore at will. Craving tacos on Monday and have all the ingredients of hand? Go for it! I’ve never had the meal planning police knock at my door for observing Taco Tuesday on another day of the week ? Have fun with it, meal planning is supposed to make your life easier, not cause stress. Really the only time I strictly follow my meal plan is when fresh perishable food is involved, like seafood.
Dinners Week 1:
Walmart Grocery Pick Up Price: $85.00
- S-Classic Baked Ziti with Italian bread and tossed salad
- M-Braised Cabbage With Potatoes And Smoked Sausage
- T- Easy Homemade Mac and Cheese Recipe with steamed broccoli and
- W-Crockpot Pork Chops with applesauce and leftover mac & cheese
- T-Homemade Pepperoni Pizza with fruit
- F- Simple Broiled Haddock with rice pilaf and cole slaw
- S-Taco Casserole with cornbread
Dinners Week 2:
Walmart Grocery Pick Up Price: $82.00
- S-Southwestern Fiesta Chicken over rice
- M-Pork Tenderloin with Honey Garlic Sauce with baked potatoes, and frozen veggies
- T- Roast Chicken x2 for leftovers to use in chicken and dumplings
- W-Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplings
- T- Sweet Potato Chili Recipe with corn bread
- F- Fish Tacos with rice pilaf
- S-Classic Homemade Beef Stew served with rolls, and salad
Dinners Week 3:
Walmart Grocery Pick Up Price: $79.00
- S-Baked Spaghetti with garlic bread, and salad
- M-Slow Cooker Italian Beef Sandwiches
- T- Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage with carrots
- W-Reuben Sandwiches, with chips and fruit
- T-Bacon Cheeseburger Pasta Skillet with roasted cauliflower
- F- Shrimp Scampi with asparagus
- S-Monterey Chicken
Dinners Week 4:
Walmart Grocery Pick Up Price: $65.00
- S-Family Favorite Chicken Noodle Casserole with applesauce
- M-Homemade Sloppy Joes with green beans
- T- Beef Tips and Gravy Over Noodles with corn
- W-Parmesan Crusted Chicken with roasted brussels sprouts
- T-Slow Cooker Angel Pork Chops with steamed spinach
- F- Beer Battered Fish, with cole slaw and fries
- S-Vegetable Beef Soup, with bread
Dinners Week 5:
Walmart Grocery Pick Up Price: $40.00
- S-Easy Sesame Chicken with brown rice asian veggie medley
- M-Beef Stir Fry with Noodles with
- T- Crock Pot Ham & Bean Soup with tossed salad
March Monthly Meal Plan
It's still decidedly winter here in Upstate New York, so this month we will be eating hearty and filling meals, easy slow cooker dishes, and comforting classics.
Classic Baked Ziti from Scratch
Rich and gooey with its layers of pasta, homemade red sauce with Italian sausage, and three types of melty cheese.
Braised Cabbage With Potatoes And Smoked Sausages
This Braised Cabbage with Potatoes and Smoked Sausages is the kind of down home dish that’s tummy filling and simple to prepare. Sweet green cabbage is braised in bacon drippings then cooked with slices of smoked sausage and tender Yukon Gold potatoes.
Easy Homemade Mac and Cheese Recipe (Stovetop)
This Easy Homemade Mac and Cheese Recipe is made with 8 ingredients in 15 minutes on the stovetop (no baking required)!
Crock Pot Pork Chops (With Video)
Crock Pot Pork Chops are the easiest slow cooker recipe ever. Toss and go. Toss it all in the crock pot and you return to perfectly tender, melt in your mouth pork cooked in the most spectacular sauce.
Pepperoni Pizza
Easy homemade Pepperoni Pizza with homemade pizza dough and pizza sauce. Don’t let homemade pizza intimidate you because it is SO fast, EASY and delicious!
Simple Broiled Haddock Recipe
Haddock fillets are simply seasoned and broiled for an easy friday night meal.
Taco Casserole
This Taco Casserole Recipe is loaded with all of your Mexican favorites and topped with Doritos, Fritos, or Tortilla Chips! It’s easy to assemble days ahead of time and bake later for an easy dinner!
Southwestern Fiesta Chicken | Easy Chicken Dinner Recipe
Perfect for throwing together on a weeknight, and it’s a million times better than anything you’ll get at a restaurant!
Pork Tenderloin with Honey Garlic Sauce
Pork Tenderloin seasoned with a rub, seared until golden then oven baked in an incredible Honey Garlic Sauce until it’s sticky on the outside and juicy on the inside!
Easy Roast Chicken Recipe
Simple Roast Chicken flavored with garlic, butter and herbs, then oven roasted to a golden, crispy, and juicy perfection!
Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplings
Juicy chicken breasts cook to tender perfection in the slow cooker in a rich creamy sauce. Shortcut dumplings make this delicious comforting meal effortless.
Sweet Potato Chili Recipe
Hearty And Filling Sweet Potato Chili That Is Full Of Yummy Black Beans, Ground Beef And Flavor. You’re Going To Love This Different Take On A Classic Chili Recipe
Fish Tacos Recipe with Best Fish Taco Sauce!
Every month I like to add a recipe that is a little more "extra". These Fish Tacos fit that bill, they require special ingredients and are a little out of the ordinary. If my budget needs a little wiggle room, these will be swapped out for fish sticks.
Best Classic Homemade
Classic Homemade Beef Stew is the ultimate comforting dish on a cold day. It's so easy to make with the perfect fall-apart tender meat the entire family will love.
Favorite Baked Spaghetti
Baked Spaghetti Casserole is a great twist on a family favorite!
Slow Cooker Italian Beef Sandwiches
A handful of ingredients are all you need to pull this amazing dinner off. Great for game day or an easy weeknight dinner!
Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage
Celebrate St. Patrick's Day with Corned Beef and Cabbage, made in the Instant Pot!
Reuben Sandwich Recipe on Marble Rye
We always have left over corned beef whenever I make corned beef and cabbage. Ths year I am planning on using it up with easy deli style reuben sandwiches.
Bacon Cheeseburger
It doesn't get much tastier than Bacon Cheeseburger Pasta! This easy weeknight dinner is a great spin on an American Classic and cooks in less than 30 minutes.
Shrimp Scampi Recipe
This is a family favorite, and a nice change of pace from fish on Friday.
Monterey Chicken
This Monterey chicken is a Chili’s copycat that features seasoned chicken breasts smothered in barbecue sauce, cheese, bacon and tomatoes. An easy dinner option that the whole family will love!
Family Favorite Chicken Noodle Casserole
This quick and easy creamy chicken and noodle casserole is loaded with veggies, and perfect for a cold winter night.
Sloppy Joes
Homemade sloppy Joes are surpisingly easy to make, and always a hit at my house.
Beef Tips and Gravy Over Noodles
Rich and hearty this slow cooker meal is great on days when you want to come home to a cooked meal.
This Parmesan Crusted Chicken Recipe is so Good!
This Parmesan Crusted Chicken requires only a few ingredients. It makes for a super simple weeknight meal
Slow Cooker Angel Pork Chops
This is such a great weeknight meal. It couldn't be any easier. Just dump everything in the slow cooker and let it work its magic!
Beer Battered Fish Recipe - Food.com
I use to think fried fish was too difficult to make at home, but it turns out it really isn't. The key is to make sure your oil is at the right temp before your put your battered fish in!
Vegetable Beef Soup
This easy soup is delicious, hearty and satisfies the family!
Crispiest Chinese Sesame Chicken
This is my oldest daughter's favorite meal! Crispy Sesame Chicken is easy to make with super crispy batter and delicious sesame sauce you’ll skip the takeout and done in just 30 minutes!
Beef Stir Fry with Noodles
This Beef Stir Fry with Noodles can be made in just 20 minutes! Tender beef, fresh veggies, and noodles tossed together in a delicious savory sauce.
Ham and Bean Soup
I love a hearty bean soup, this one is made in a slow cooker and perfect for busy days when you can't tend to a kettle on the stove.