Monthly Menu and Recipes for Meal Planning (December)
Weeknights are so much easier when they are planned in advance. This monthly menu with recipes has meal ideas for the whole month of December. It is a great way to relieve some of the stress of the weeknight meals.
What are Monthly Menu Plans?
Here are the monthly menu dinner ideas and recipes for December’s meal plan. This menu plan includes main dish recipes for easy dinners with a few mentions of side dishes for the entire month of December. I do my menu planning for weeknights only, and Friday nights are usually something quick and easy. All you need to do is add in the sides you desire, and you are set. I hope this guide is helpful for you and your whole family.
Since we will celebrate Christmas this month, there will be lots of cooking and planning this month. We always have a Christmas brunch for our family gathering. I will share some of those Christmas brunch menu ideas in the coming weeks.
I will also send out reminders of the weekly menus each Monday in my weekly newsletter. If you would like to receive these reminders, along with other recipes and information, please join here.
The 5 Easy Candy Recipes are so delicious and super easy! Peanut Butter Fudge is one of the recipes, and it is delicious and so easy!!
Menu Tips
Tips for Using This Monthly Menu:
- Print or take a photo of the meal plan for December and keep it visible.
- It is a great idea to keep certain staples on hand (baking items, seasonings, etc.)
- Buy in bulk when possible.
- Look at the monthly meal plan and make a grocery list of all items you can get in advance. If possible, buy all of these items once instead of making multiple grocery trips.
- It is a good idea to keep a master list of the main grocery items you use on a regular basis. Having a ready made grocery shopping list can save you time, and help you remember items you need to purchase.
- Set aside time at the beginning of the month for meal prep, to prepare food (cut vegetables, divide bulk items and freeze when necessary, etc.)
- Look at your weekly meal plan over the weekend, and write out your weekly shopping lists so you can make one trip to the grocery store or farmers markets to get fresh produce and other items you will need.
- Remember that this is just a guide with recipe ideas – use what you want and skip the rest.
.
.
Monthly Menu for December
This full month of ideas includes some of our favorite meals. Enjoy these delicious recipes!
| Date | Meal | Information or Link |
|---|---|---|
| 12/1 | Corn Dogs | |
| Weekend | ||
| Weekend | ||
| 4 | Smothered Hamburger Steak | Directions |
| 5 | Pan Fried Tilapia with Bell Pepper Salsa | Link to Directions |
| 6 | Crock Pot Broccoli Cheese Soup | Link to the Recipe |
| 7 | Farmer’s Market Chicken | Link to the Directions |
| 8 | Nachos with Rotel Cheese Dip | |
| Weekend | ||
| Weekend | ||
| 11 | Chicken Pot Pie | Link to the Recipe |
| 12 | Slow Cooker Lemon Shrimp Linguini | Link to the Recipe |
| 13 | Chili Cheese Dog Pizza | Link to the Recipe |
| 14 | Chicken & Dumplings | Link to the Recipe |
| 15 | BLTs | |
| Weekend | ||
| Weekend | ||
| 18 | Baked Salmon | Serve with Green Beans & Couscous. |
| 19 | Soft Tacos | Serve with rice, & refried or black beans. |
| 20 | Stuffed Bell Peppers | If you have extra taco meat left from yesterday, you can use it for filling. |
| 21 | Cauliflower Pizza | |
| 22 | Tamale Casserole | Link to the Recipe |
| Weekend | ||
| Weekend | ||
| Christmas Day | ||
| 26 | Baked Potato Bar | Serve with butter, sour cream, chives, bacon, and any other toppings you wish. |
| 27 | Leftovers | |
| 28 | Spaghetti | |
| 29 | Breakfast for Dinner | |
| Weekend | ||
| New Year’s Day | Black-Eyed Peas, Cornbread, Cabbage, Ham, etc. | Link to Ham Link to Cornbread |
Favorite Cooking Products
Here are some of my favorite cooking items I will be using this month.
As we move into the Christmas season, we are going to need all the extra time we can get. I hope this monthly menu planner for December saves you lots of time.
Please share your own meal plans, suggestions, feedback, and any other quick and easy favorite recipes you love. I love to try new ideas!
There are such a wide variety of meals and ideas on Pinterest. I have found so many wonderful new recipes this way and have pinned many of them on Pinterest boards. If you are looking for other ideas, here is a link to my Main Meals Board.
Related Posts
How to Make a Quick and Easy Loaded Potato Casserole
How to Make a Crowd Pleasing Green Chili Rice Dish
Until next month,
Thank you so much for including my Chili Dog Pizza this month! I hope you enjoy it as much as my family did. Happy Holidays to you and yours!
We loved it, especially my husband! Thanks for sharing it!
Sounds like a good meal plan. I like your making some pretty unique dishes including chili cheese dog PIZZA. I love vegetable cauliflower pizza. It was the recipe that sold me on becoming a Pampered Chef consultant years ago. (I’m not one now anymore, but their products became well loved over those.)
Thank you! The Chili Dog Pizza is from another blogger’s site. It is amazing! We really like it! I love the cauliflower pizza too! It is one of our go-to meals.