If you’ve followed the blog through the years (almost 11 if you can believe that!), you know that I’m a big believer in meal planning. And while I don’t always remember to post my meal plan on the blog, I’m always meal planning at home. It saves me money at the grocery store, lowers my food waste, and keeps me sane in the late afternoons, knowing I don’t have to figure out what’s for dinner!
You can check the Weekly Menu Archives for more ideas, if nothing on this week’s plan sounds good.
Monday: Deli Sandwiches w/ Chips
I think one of the lies people tend to believe when meal planning is that every meal has to be “fancy” or new. It doesn’t. My go-to meal, whenever I’ve just been grocery shopping, is either deli sandwiches or store-bought pizza. I pick up some hoagie rolls (a nice treat since my husband and I are used to diet bread) and some freshly sliced deli meat. We serve it up “Subway” style and let the kids choose their toppings, and whether or not to toast their sandwich in the oven. Easy peasy and so good.
Tuesday: Turkey Sloppy Joes w/ Roasted Potatoes and Melon
Since starting a calorie-restricted “diet”, I have LOVED swapping ground beef for ground turkey. I actually prefer it to beef. I tend to make my own sloppy joe sauce, as I find most of the store-bought varieties contain a spice combo I don’t care for. My sauce is basically a combination of ketchup, mustard, vinegar, brown sugar, garlic, and spices.
Wednesday: Deep Dish Pizza
Pizza is one of my favorite splurges – especially homemade pizza! And let me tell you – my family wants some form of pizza on every one of my meal plan rotations. This deep dish variety, prepared in round cake pans is one of our favorites. (And only comes in around 500 calories per serving, which is pretty good for pizza!)
Thursday: Best-Ever Ranch Chicken with Salad and Orzo
I seriously love this chicken. And it’s so so hard to mess up. (Even if you’re like me and tend to over-cook your chicken!) This stays juicy!
Friday: Cashew Chicken w/ Rice
This meal caused me to realize that it’s time for me to start making more food. While my girls are still eating typical sized portions, my growing boys are definitely beginning to have an increase in their appetite. I tend to have my family dish up their dinner “buffet style” – and my husband and I typically dish up last. On this particular evening, when my husband and I went to get our meat, there was about a Tablespoon of meat left in the Instant Pot! I guess my kiddos really like this one!
Saturday: Mississippi Chicken with Cauliflower Mash and Green Beans
Mississippi Roast is all over the internet – and we love using the same basic preparation with all kinds of meats. Here’s the basic idea: Toss a roast, pork, or chicken breasts in your slow cooker. Add a packet of ranch dressing seasoning mix, butter, and pepperoncini peppers + a bit of their juice. The meat shreds up and is great served on top of mashed potatoes or cauliflower. (I like to make up a bit of spicy gravy with some of the juice in the slow cooker!)
Sunday: Quick and Easy Pasta e Fagioli Soup
We’re a pastor’s family, and Sundays tend to be a little hectic. Because we live so far from our church, we typically eat out on Sunday afternoons. Towards this end, I like making our Sunday suppers a bit lighter. This soup can be prepared with ground sausage as stated, or you can sub ground turkey.
Weekly Treat: Bear Paw Cookies
We’re not eating a lot of treats right now, but my daughter really wanted to make cookies after school this past week. She made these, and they were delicious!
Okay everyone, hope this week’s menu sparked an idea or two for you. Happy meal planning! (If you plan to make something from the list, leave a comment and let me know!)
