What's Cooking?

I'm working on my meal plan for the rest of December. It's always a challenge to ensure that we have enough around the house (my husband absolutely panics if we're short on fruits & vegetables), but not wasting while we're traveling & out & about.

Here's what's up for the rest of the month (we have salad & fresh veggies with every meal, so I don't mention it with the menu):

• Monday (12/9) - adults will have leftover pizza, kids will have leftover tacos.
• Tuesday (12/10) - Grilled chicken + pasta. Our go-to staple.
• Wednesday (12/11) - Spaghetti & meatballs (from the freezer)
• Thursday (12/12) - Oven baked chicken risotto. My favorite "cheater" risotto.
• Friday (12/13) - Leftovers (risotto or meatballs)
• Saturday (12/14) - M & I are attending a birthday party, & eating there.
• Sunday (12/15) - homemade pizza.
• Monday (12/16) - Some sort of casserole that I have in the freezer. Can't remember what I made. ;-)
• Tuesday (12/17) - Leftover pizza
• Wednesday (12/18) - Leftover casserole.
• Thursday (12/19) - Whatever is left in the fridge. Clean out before we leave.
• Friday (12/20) - Tortellini & chicken (from the freezer)
• Saturday (12/21) - I'm meeting a friend who is in town, & the boys will make sandwiches or something.
• Sunday (12/22) - Eat up whatever is left in the fridge.
• Monday (12/23) - Eating in Portland with my sister, after our flight.
• Tuesday (12/24) - Christmas Eve! Contributing $ to our family potluck, since we can't bring anything. We usually have ham.
• Wednesday (12/25) - Christmas dinner! My mom cooks.
• Thursday (12/26). We'll be at the beach for the first time in four months. No clue what's in the freezer, but we'll eat something from there, & pick up any fresh ingredients as needed. Likely, chicken & pasta.
• Friday (12/27) - Ditto the freezer comment above, & add in goat cheese crostini.
• Saturday (12/28) - my parents will be visiting. We'll either make burgers or steak.
• Sunday (12/29) - my parents + my sister/nephews will be visiting. We're getting a couple of pizzas + salads, & will be having some sort of appetizer with the kiddos.
• Monday (12/30) - grabbing dinner at the airport before our flight home.
• Tuesday (12/31) - New Year's Eve! I'll poll the crew & see what kind of fun/fancy dinner they'd like. Maybe homemade pizza + dessert. :-)
• Wednesday (1/1) - I have the day off of work, so I'm thinking chicken marsala casserole.
• Thursday (1/2) - Leftovers
• Friday (1/3) - Tilapia + pasta side dish
• Saturday (1/4) - May try my hand at Lubia Polo again (Persian recipe that M's mom makes).
• Sunday (1/5) - I'll try a new stuffed peppers recipe. 

What about you? Do you have all of your holiday meals (and those wedged between) all planned out? How are you planning on spending your December grocery budget? I am fairly certain that we'll be over, but I'll do my best to keep the spending in check!