Planning a Month of Food

So, when I decided to tackle meal prepping for my dad, I found that there are certainly some constraints to what can and cannot be done.  My main two concerns were, budget and time.  I wanted to stay within a $300 budget, so about $10 per meal for a month.  Disclaimer: my dad still works full time, so he pays for all the ingredients himself.  He is planning on retiring soon though, so we wanted to stay within a modest budget and see how things went.  I also did not want to take more than 3 days to prepare everything.  I have 3 kids, and a husband, and a family business which also need my attention.  So, I came up with sets of meals that could use many of the same ingredients, or prepped items, to make a full range of meals.  Then I could shop in bulk while still offering a good range of flavors and variety.  

We eat from every food group, but most of this should be adaptable for vegetarians, vegans, or pescatarians : )

Menu ideas:  These can be grouped into categories with similar main ingredients

Rice dishes:

Risotto w/ Peas and Grilled Shrimp

Risotto w/ Asparagus and Grilled Chicken Thighs and Fresh Thyme

Mongolian Beef w/ Carrots and Sticky Rice

Beef and Pasta:

Lasagna w/ Spinach and Meat Sauce 

Baked Rigatoni w/ Vodka Sauce and Italian Sausage

Beef Bourguignon 

Potatoes: 

Shepherd's Pie w/ Lamb

Mashed Potatoes w/ Kielbasa, Onions and Peppers

Scalloped Potatoes

Corn, Crab, and Shrimp Chowder w/ Poblano Peppers and Chives

Clam Chowder

Sides:

Corn Grits w/ Bacon and Cilantro

Brussels Sprouts w/ Red Onions, Balsamic and Bacon

Butternut Squash, Carrot and Sweet Potato Puree w/ Thyme and Rosemary

Shopping List:  Covers what is needed for the above recipes

3 pounds ground beef

2 pounds boneless lamb

4 pounds chuck roast beef

1lb Italian sausage

1lb kielbasa

1lb of bacon

2lbs frozen shrimp

1lb frozen clams in Juice

1lb crab chunks

1lb frozen peas

1lb frozen corn

1lb prozen pearl onions

1lb mushrooms

2lbs carrots

1lb of fresh spinach

1 bundle of fresh cilantro

2lbs of asparagis

2lbs of brussels sprouts

3 poblano peppers

1 sweet red pepper

1 green pepper

1 head of celery

2 bundles of green onions or scallions

4lbs arborio rice (or sushi rice)

10lbs of potatoes

1 large butternut squash

2 sweet potatoes

2lbs grits

1 package lasagna noodles

1 package rigatoni

1lb mozzarella cheese

1lb parmesan cheese

1lb gruyere cheese

1lb cheddar cheese

2lbs ricotta cheese

half and half, milk or cream

Pantry Staples:  

better than bouillon organic chicken flavor

better than bouillon organic beef flavor

butter

onions

garlic

salt

pepper

garlic powder

thyme (fresh if possible)

chives (fresh)

rosemary

Whew!  Recipes to follow, I promise!

Follow this link to my post about reheating using the Instant Pot>  reheating-frozen-meals-using-instant-pot