This Mom's Menu for October 2018

Hey there and welcome to my first ever monthly menu post!

OK, I know, it's really not that exciting. But it is something different, so be sure to let me know what you think. What do you like and what would make it better?

I may have picked the worst month to start this monthly meal plan post because October is kind of an unusual month for us. 

My kids have a two-week fall break for the first two weeks of October. We also have two small trips planned. For one, we are headed to St. Louis for about 4 days. My husband (AKA the family tightwad) challenged me to keep the entire trip around the $500 dollar mark. 

With that in mind, we are only eating out once during that trip. I will share all about the trip and how we (hopefully) kept it within our budget in a future post, so if you're curious, be on the lookout for that!

The other trip is to a family retreat for a long weekend. The meals are all provided and part of the activities so cooking isn't going to happen. We go every year, and I usually take some low carb snacks, but otherwise, it has been pretty tough to stay keto the entire time. 

I didn't include breakfasts or lunches in my meal plan graphic, but here is the plan: 

• Week 1 - The kids will be home on fall break. Breakfasts this week will be Keto McGriddles and Waffles. These are their favorites and they are both great for batch cooking since they reheat so well. For lunches, I have stocked up on Quest Pizzas and Burger Patties from Sam's Club. 
• Week 2 - We leave for our trip to St Louis early on Wednesday Morning, so I am going with the McGriddles again because they can be eaten easily on the road. The rest of the week we will just be eating the hotel breakfasts. Lunches this week will be Lunchmeat wraps on low carb tortillas and Leftovers. 
• Weeks 3 & 4 - The kids will be heading back to school this week. The plan as of now is to make a breakfast casserole and have things for homemade Lunchables on hand for both of these weeks. 

Here are all the recipes that we will be using this month. You can also find them all on my Monthly Menu Pinterest Board, so be sure to follow me there as well! Also if you don't see a recipe, then it's probably something I am working on for a future post!

• Meatballs - This link won't be live until 10/4 so be sure to check back if it's not yet active!
• Easy Low Carb Marinara 
  
• Sheet Pan Salmon with Asparagus 
• Thai Peanut Curry with Chicken and Cauliflower Rice
• Cauli Mac
• Kentucky Hot Brown Casserole
• Taco Seasoning
• Instant pot crack chicken 
• Chicken broccoli alfredo soup
• Upside down pizza casserole
• Keto Southern Style Meatloaf
• The Best EVER mashed cauliflower
• Keto Cajun Chicken "Pasta"
• Loaded cauliflower casserole with chicken
• Creamy chicken taco soup
• Keto Fried Fish
• Keto Hushpuppies
• Keto Coleslaw
• Chicken Pot Pie
• Crispy Chicken Thighs
• Cauliflower rice pilaf
• Keto Mongolian Beef
• Enchiladas
• Chicken Parmesan 

Be sure to let me know how you like this new monthly meal plan format, and if you are familiar with St. Louis - tell me where we should eat while we are visiting!