FREE Meal Plan #79 {With Printable Grocery List}

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Save yourself some time, money and stress by using this FREE Meal Plan that is full of amazing recipes. Each plan includes 5 dinner ideas, 2 side dishes, 1 dessert and a shopping list making meal planning easier than ever!!

A graphic showing multiple meal plans with printable grocery lists.

WEEKLY MEAL PLAN #79

Each week, I share with you a FREE meal plan that consists of 5 dinner ideas (Monday-Thursday plus one Weekend meal), 2 side dishes, and 1 dessert!

Included is a grocery list with EVERY ingredient you need for all the items on the meal plan.

This is meant to help simplify menu planning, shopping, and cooking so you can more easily enjoy meals with your family throughout the week!

TIP OF THE WEEK

Snowball Cookies are often used as a holiday cookie, but can still be a tasty treat for January!

They are often referred to as “Mexican Wedding Cookies“.

Make a chocolate version of them by adding 1 /2 cup cocoa powder in with the dry ingredients! Don’t forget to dunk in a warm cup of Mexican Hot Chocolate and let it melt in your mouth. ENJOY!

BENEFITS OF MEAL PLANNING

There’s nothing worse than the dread every time a family members asks, “What’s for dinner??” And your answer is “I have no clue.” Having a meal plan for the week eliminates that completely, which is the number one benefit in my book!

Besides having a game plan in place, there are several other benefits of meal planning, including:

Cost: When you have a plan set in place, and a specific list of groceries, you eliminate cost wasted on impulse items or produce that never gets used.
Decrease Waste: No wasted money, and no wasted food! Having a set grocery list will help to avoid both of those issues.
Variety: Our meal plans specifically include a lot of variety, with Mexican, Italian, Breakfast for Dinner, and so much more! You can expose your family’s palates to all kinds of meals.
No Indecision: Did you know there’s such thing as “indecision fatigue”? The idea is that when you can’t make a decision on something (like what to make for dinner) it actually makes you mentally fatigued. When dinners are already planned out, though, you avoid indecision completely!
Health: When you plan for/anticipate making well-rounded meals, you’re much more likely to actually make them rather than defaulting to convenient boxed meals, or unhealthy fast food!

As you can see, there are so many benefits to meal planning!

And if you want to create your own menu, be sure to check out all our recipes and visit our recipe pages, including: Main Dish, Side Dishes, Desserts, Appetizers and Breakfast!

Monday

Taco Casserole

Delicious Taco Casserole is like a taco salad in casserole form! This taco bake is perfect for dinner or your next potluck.

We love topping this yummy casserole with Homemade Salsa or Taco Salad Dressing and serving Spanish Rice on the side. It’s a favorite Mexican meal in our house!

Tuesday

Lemon Asparagus Pasta

This Lemon Asparagus Pasta is so simple, yet packed with amazing flavor! Made from penne pasta, mixed with asparagus, and covered in a cheesy sauce with just a hint of lemon.

Roasted tomatoes, one of our featured sides this week, pairs well with this light yet filling dish. We also love to have store-bought or homemade Italian Bread to make this a complete and delicious meal.

wednesday

Breakfast Egg Cups

Deliciously cheesy Breakfast Egg Cups have a crispy crescent roll bottom layered with eggs, bacon and cheese on top!

Breakfast Potatoes and a light smoothie go great with this meal. Some of our favorite smoothies to serve with this dish are an Orange Juice Smoothie, Banana Smoothie or Blueberry Smoothie. They’re all so yummy!

Thursday

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

This creamy, delicious Chicken Pot Pie Soup can be made on the stovetop or in a crock pot! It has all your favorite vegetables, big chunks of chicken, and even a delicious heart-shaped pie piece on top.

A great side to go with this mmmm good soup is our moist and flavorful zucchini muffins. They’re on the menu as one of our sides this week, and we just know you’re going to love them!

Weekend

Cheesy Chicken and Rice Bake

EASY Cheesy Chicken and Rice Bake is a simple, deliciously homey dinner that is perfect for freezing and sharing!

We like to serve salad with Creamy Pesto Dressing or Parmesan Crusted Zucchini on the side. It’s a meal the whole family is going to love!

Sides of the week

Our Top Two Choices

Juicy Roasted Tomatoes are the yummiest and easiest appetizer or side dish. Roasting them (with a little olive oil, basil and parmesan) brings out every delicious flavor!

Some of our other favorite roasted vegetables to serve as sides are Roasted Broccoli, Roasted Brussel Sprouts and Oven Roasted Vegetables. Roasting is a healthy and easy way to cook your veggies!

These soft and flavorful Zucchini Muffins are a family favorite! The kids will never even know they’re filled with zucchini!

Some of our other healthier muffin recipes are Blueberry Muffins, Bran Muffins, Banana Crumb Muffins and Healthy Apple Muffins. They may be healthy, but they also taste amazing!

Dessert of the WEek

Snowball Cookies

Buttery soft snowball cookies loaded with crunchy pecans. Not only are they simple, but they’re also the best holiday cookie in the world!

For more Fun cookies, try:

Download the Meal Plan!

Click the link below to download this week’s FREE Meal Plan!

And remember – if you want to create your own menu, be sure to check out all our recipes and visit our recipe pages, including: Main Dish, Side Dishes, Desserts, Appetizers and Breakfast!