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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 #18
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 this week’s Prime Rib! An extra little tip: When purchasing a prime rib roast, plan on one pound per person, or two people per rib bone. Look for well marbled meat as the fat will ensure a juicy flavorful roast.
Also, consider having the butcher tie the rib bones to create a rack for the meat to stand on when cooking.
You can also buy boneless prime rib roast (Eye of the Rib Roast or sometimes Ribeye Roast). Keep in mind this will change the cook time in most recipes and the lack of bones may affect the overall depth of flavor.
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
Dorito Casserole
Everyone loves this crunchy and flavorful Dorito casserole. It’s layered with lots of meat, cheese and (of course!) nacho cheese flavored Doritos!
This recipe calls for taco seasoning, and I like to use Homemade Taco Seasoning. Usually I’ll whip up a big batch and keep it on hand to use in ALL my Mexican recipes!
Tuesday
Crockpot spinach tortellini soup
Easy Crock Pot Tortellini and Spinach Soup is a hearty soup filled with cheese tortellini, spinach, tomatoes, and lots of spices!!
This soup is an entire meal on its own! But it doesn’t hurt to have some dinner rolls on the side. It would also pair nicely with the Fall Fruit Salad on the plan for this week!
Wednesday
Chorizo and Eggs
Spicy and rich chorizo and eggs makes the yummiest breakfast to start your day! Serve them with tortillas or use it in breakfast burritos and tacos.
If you have the time, homemade tortillas are SO good with this dish! You can also pick up some extra potatoes this week and make Breakfast Potatoes to serve with your chorizo.
Thursday
Orange Chicken
Skip the takeout and eat in with this incredibly tasty orange chicken dish! Sweet and spicy pieces of tender chicken in every bite.
Serve this over a bed of Crock Pot Rice (my new favorite way to cook rice), or some Cauliflower Rice!
Weekend
Prime Rib
Perfect prime rib, seasoned with a delicious garlic marinade and cooked in the oven. A secret trick will give you the most tender and juicy meat you’ve ever made!
Both sides of the week (Oven Roasted Red Potatoes and Fall Fruit Salad) would pair excellently with this Prime Rib! You could also add a vegetable side like Parmesan Asparagus or green salad!
Sides of the WEek
Our top Two Choices
Fall Fruit Salad is full of seasonal fruit and dressed in a bright honey, orange, and poppy seed dressing!
Because it’s made with seasonal fall fruit that’s more sturdy than summer berries, this fruit salad will actually keep longer than your average berry-filled fruit salad. Make it towards the beginning of the week and enjoy all week long!
It requires just a small handful of ingredients to make delicious Oven Roasted Red Potatoes. These crispy, seasoned potatoes will add flavor to any meal.
These potatoes were born to be served with the Prime Rib on the plan for this weekend! But you could also whip them up early and serve them as breakfast potatoes with your Chorizo and Eggs on Wednesday.
Either way, you’ll love these savory taters!
Dessert of the week
Pumpkin Brownies
The yummiest Pumpkin Brownies you will ever taste! Pumpkin, chocolate, and spices unite to make one pan of deliciousness that will sure to satisfy anyone’s pumpkin addiction.
For more pumpkin + Chocolate 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!
