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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 #17
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
Don’t be intimidated by dessert this week! Funnel Cakes are delicious and really quite simple to make. So much so, they have quickly become a family tradition.
Here are a few tips to help you & your family enjoy them too!
- The oil needs to be HOT.
- Squeeze bottles work better than funnels when pouring the batter into the oil.
- Use both tongs & a spatula when cooking … Tongs to submerge in oil, metal spatula for flipping. Makes it go a whole lot easier!
- Toppings are endless on these yummy cakes too. Might we suggest chocolate sauce, caramel, and powdered sugar.
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
Mexican Chicken Corn Soup
This Delicious Mexican Soup is filled with chicken, corn, tomatoes, cheese, & lots of seasonings! It’s full of Flavor and Made in 20 Minutes!
I love to crunch up some tortilla tips on top of this soup. And if I have time, I’ll even make Homemade Tortilla Chips!
Tuesday
Skillet Lasagna
Skillet Lasagna is a comforting and cheesy one pot meal. It takes just 30 minutes and is perfect for dinner any night of the week!
Either of the sides of the week on the meail plan will pair perfectly with this skillet Lasagna. You could even turn the Homemade French Bread into Cheesy Garlic Bread to go with it!
Wednesday
Pumpkin French Toast Sticks
These Pumpkin French Toast Sticks are so quick and easy to make, there’s no reason not to try them! Each bite is filled with cinnamon, sugar, & just the right amount of pumpkin!
You can cut up the Homemade French Bread (on the meal plan this week) to make these french toast sticks! Or use whatever bread you have on hand.
Thursday
Baked Spaghetti Squash
Learn how to perfectly cook spaghetti squash every time with this fabulous recipe! Tender strands of spaghetti squash mixed with cheese, tomatoes, and a little bit of basil, both healthy and delicious!
This dish is naturally meatless, but if you prefer to include some protein, Oven Baked Chicken would make the perfect addition.
Weekend
Crock Pot Ribs
Juicy BBQ ribs cooked in the crock pot is the best and easiest dinner idea! Great for a small family, big family, or cooking for a crowd!
If you actually prefer the grill to the crock pot, I highly recommend our Dr. Pepper Ribs!
Sides of the week
Our Top Two Choices
Delicious and healthy Parmesan Crusted Zucchini is made from zucchini spears coated in parmesan cheese and baked to perfection. It’s a great side dish for any meal.
In fact, they pair great with either the Skillet Lasagna or the Crock Pot Ribs this week!
Homemade French Bread is so soft and tasty!! Serve with butter on the side of your entree or use it as an ingredient in another recipe. It’s so versatile!
I would almost encourage you to make a double batch of this bread because it can be used with nearly any and all of the dishes this week!
- Sop up your Mexican Chicken Corn Soup with it
- Serve it with butter on the side of your Skillet Lasagna (or turn it into Cheesy Garlic Bread!)
- Cut it up into strips to make Pumpkin French Toast Sticks
- Serve it on the side of your Crock Pot Ribs
Dessert of the Week
Funnel Cake
Everyone loves the funnel cakes from the carnivals and fair. Now you can make them at home with this easy funnel cake recipe. Top it with powdered sugar, fruit, whipped cream, chocolate, caramel or all of the above!
If you like funnel cake, you might even like to try Churro Funnel Cake!
For more of our favorite fried desserts, 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!
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE PDF!
