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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!!
WEEKLY MEAL PLAN #92
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
Do you have leftover ham from Easter dinner? If so, that’s fantastic! Two of our recipes this week call for chopped ham.
One of those recipes is Strata. This breakfast casserole is layered with milk, eggs, ham, cheese and bread. It’s best when made the night before and refrigerated until it’s time to bake it.
The other recipe is Ham and Bean Soup. The ingredients call for low sodium chicken broth. This is because ham tends to already be quite salty and you don’t want to have an overly salty soup.
Both of these recipes are great ways to use up that leftover ham!
BENEFITS OF MEAL PLANNING
Thereโs nothing worse than the dread every time a family members asks, โWhatโs for dinner??โ And your answer is โI have no clue.โ 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 familyโs palates to all kinds of meals.
- No Indecision: Did you know thereโs such thing as โindecision fatigueโ? The idea is that when you canโt 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, youโre 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
Slow Cooker Barbacoa
With only 5 minutes of prep, this Beef Slow Cooker Barbacoa is tender, savory, and perfect for filling tacos or burritos!
We love to eat this moist meat with store-bought or homemade Flour Tortillas, shredded cheese and Guacamole. If you want to spice it up, make our Homemade Salsa with a little extra jalapeno to go with it.
Tuesday
Italian Pork Chops
These Italian Pork Chops require just a few ingredients and are baked in the oven with loads of veggies. Have it ready and on the table in just 30 minutes!
This recipe already includes veggies for a well-rounded meal, but we like to eat this dish with Creamy Garlic Penne Pasta on the side. Both of these delicious recipes are quick and easy to make!
wednesday
Breakfast Strata Recipe
This breakfast strata is great for brunches, holidays, or a yummy family breakfast!! With buttery layers of bread, ham, cheese, and egg, this Strata recipe is guaranteed to please any crowd!
This breakfast casserole is a filling meal that goes great with Easy Fruit Salad, one of our featured sides this week. It includes some of our favorite fruits and has a light dressing that goes on top for a touch of added sweetness.
Thursday
Coconut Curry Chicken
Delicious Coconut Curry Chicken is packed with flavor! Serve with rice or bread for a perfect chicken curry meal.
We love to serve this curry with Crock Pot Rice. It’s one of our sides of the week and we love it because it turns out soft and fluffy every time!
Weekend
Ham and Bean Soup
Easy ham and bean soup is perfect for using up leftover ham. It is warm, hearty, and full of savory flavors!
We love serving this tasty soup with warm Homemade Bread, Easy Yeast Rolls or Cheddar Bay Biscuits. They all go great with this soup!
Sides of the week
Our Top Two Choices
Easy Fruit Salad makes the perfect side dish to any meal! Colorful, healthy, delicious, and filled with all your favorite fruits!
We love all the yummy fruit that is in season (or will be soon!). If you love fruit as much as we do, check out our Fruit Kabobs, Mini Fruit Tarts and Fruit Smoothie. They’re all fun ways to serve fruit!
No need for a rice cooker when you have a crock pot in your cupboard! Follow our recipe for Crock Pot Riceโit’s the easiest method!
If you’re wanting a low-carb option, try our Cauliflower Rice or if you’re wanting to add some flavor, try our Lemon Rice or Coconut Rice. You can’t go wrong with any of these options!
Dessert of the WEek
Sugar Cookie Bars
Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars are one of everyoneโs favorite cookies in bar form! Theyโre quick, and perfect for sharing.
For more Sugar Cookie Goodness, try:
- Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies
- No Roll Sugar Cookies
- Lemon Sugar Cookies
- Amish Sugar Cookies
- Sugar Cookie Blossoms
- Brown Sugar Cookies
Download the Meal Plan!
Click the link below to download this weekโs FREE Meal Plan!
And remember โ 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!