Shop Now for November (Day 1-10)

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PiBoIdMo officially begins on Saturday. Hooray! We even get an extra hour of sleep because of Daylight Savings Time.

As promised, I've compiled a Writers' Menu Calendar for the month of November. 

Below is the full menu including sides to round out each meal.

• If you've been following along, you should have 6 meals prepped and frozen. 
• If you've missed a few, you can still catch up using the freezer meals I've posted.
• Late to the party? Start here. It's not too late.

Assuming you're following the full menu, I've compiled a shopping list for days 1-10. You'll need to get these items by Saturday morning. You should already be stocked on the kitchen staples listed on How Not To Starve During PiBoIdMo.

Again, the numbers in brackets following the grocery item tell you which day the ingredient will be needed. Use the numbers if you make several small trips during the week, or if you've deviated from the Writers' Menu selections.

Places where I use convenience foods:

Day 1, I admit it. I use canned fruit cup. Go healthy with fresh fruits if you have the time.
Day 2, I do not make my own spaghetti sauce. Not yet anyway.

Day 2 and 8, I decided to use frozen meatballs, add raw hamburger to your list if you want to make yours from scratch.
Day 5, I use instant mashed potatoes. Don't judge me.
Day 8, buy ranch dip, or substitute homemade dip, plain sour cream, or even regular ranch dressing.
Day 17, I opt for canned tomato soup. I haven't had the time to try the recipes on my Pinboard, but you can if you are feeling adventurous.
Day 20, I use Tyson frozen chicken fingers, but I love the freezable recipe from America's Test Kitchen.
On Day 21 I have chosen to use a bottled stir fry sauce. Leave your favorite sauce recipe in the comments. I'd love to hear about it.

Places where I cook from scratch:

I prefer cooking raw vegetables instead of frozen. Substitute frozen vegetables as sides on the appropriate days, if you like.

Day 2, I made my own garlic bread. Frozen prepared garlic loaves work just as well.
Day 24 calls for the pancake recipe handed down from my grandmother. It's easier than you think. Make a note to buy mix if you opt out.
Day 28 calls for homemade French bread pizza. I'll never go back to frozen.

I'll finish up the directions and links for the first week of November and post them tomorrow. Thanks for following along!