January Meal Challenge

Well, I admit it, I had slacked off in the meal prep area of life pretty badly. We were cycling through the same dinners over and over again and I knew it was time for a change. So, I gave myself a challenge for January: not to repeat a dinner meal. It meant lots of variety and a few new meals to try. It was a fun challenge and my family enjoyed it! (lots of "These meals are great!" comments)

Now that it's January 31st, I can safely say: I did it! It took some ingenuity at times, especially when I wanted to use left overs (we mostly ate them for lunches) and a few kind of cheats (for instance, it was okay to have hotdogs again because they weren't bacon wrapped chili dogs).

So, here's my list:

1st: Taco Salad
2nd: Lentil Chili Soup
3rd: Meatloag with Garlic Noodles
4th: Chicken Breasts with Baked Sweet Potato and Rice
5th: Super Nachos
6th: Asian Chicken Salad
7th: Bacon-wrapped Chili Dogs

8th: Fried Rice
9th: Mixed Up Soup (just a bunch of stuff thrown in chicken broth)
10th: Spaghetti with homemade Meatballs
11th: Plain old Hotdogs (Jon and I had a date night---went to see The Hobbit and had nachos, red vines and soda while there)
12th: Biscuit-topped Turkey Potpie
13th: Baked Tilapia with Broccoli and Cauliflower
14th: Pulled Pork Sandwiches
15th: Fish Tacos
16th: Pork Chops with Green Beans and Garlic Noodles
17th: Pot Roast with Potatoes & Carrots and Spinach Salad
18th: Chicken Noodle Vegetable Soup with Sourdough Bread
19th: Football Party at friends' house
20: Fried Egg Sandwiches
21st: Chicken Enchiladas
22nd: Beef Stir Fry
23rd: Omlet
24th: Stuffed Pork Chops
25th: Pizza
26th: Steak with Mashed Potatoes and Peas (had a little helper with the potatoes)

27th: Hamburgers with a Broccoli, Cabbage and Carrot Salad
28th: Mac & Cheese
29th: Spaghetti (I say this counts as not repeating because I didn't make meatballs. Wink wink.)
30th: Pancakes
31st: Shepherds Pie