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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 #22
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
On this week’s plan, we have our delicious Caldo de Pollo for Mexican night. We like to think of this as a Mexican version of Chicken Noodle Soup but with Mexican Rice in place of noodles.
Need to get a great Mexican Rice to use for this dish? Try ours HERE!
You can also alter the spice level in this soup, too. As is, it’s not overly spicy. But if you like some heat, you can crank it up by using jalapeños, red chili flakes, a splash of hot sauce, or cayenne pepper.
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
Caldo de pollo
Hearty and delicious caldo de pollo is a homey chicken soup filled with Mexican spices and flavors. It is warm, comforting, and SO yummy!!
Be sure to see this week’s tip of the week for our favorite Mexican Rice that we use for this recipe!
Tuesday
Pasta Carbonara
A creamy, delicious and flavorful pasta dish filled with cream cheese, parmesan, garlic and bacon. For only having a few ingredients, this Pasta Carbonara has big flavor!
You could easily serve this week’s Wedge Salad alongside this pasta carbonara. Another one of my favorite (and simple) side salads for this dish is the Arugula Salad!
Wednesday
Baked Eggs
Baked eggs are your new breakfast best friend! It takes only minutes to whip up, and it comes out perfectly cheesy and delicious every time.
Round out your breakfast dinner by serving some Bacon (made in the oven) or Breakfast Sausage, paired with an Easy Fruit Salad.
Thursday
Barbecue Chicken French Bread
Delicious Barbecue Chicken French Bread is loaded with chicken, cilantro, cheese, avocados and ranch dressing. It is a quick & easy FAV!
If I’m feeling ambitious, I’ll sometimes even make Homemade French Bread for this dish! It’s way better than a store bought loaf!
Weekend
Fried Chicken
You can’t go wrong with delicious buttermilk fried chicken! It’s great for picnics, barbecues, holidays and more. Plus – it’s easier to make than you think!!
You can’t have Fried Chicken without a side of Potato Wedges (one of our sides of the week)! And don’t forget the Fry Sauce.
Sides of the week
Our Top Two Choices
This fresh Wedge Salad is a classic. It’s crisp and refreshing, smothered in creamy dressing and topped with crumbles of cheese and bacon.
If you’re not a fan of the homemade bleu cheese dressing, you can always substitute it for Homemade Ranch Dressing!
Crunch Potato Wedges are perfectly seasoned and garnished with parmesan. You won’t be able to stop at one!
Because they’re already seasoned, a dipping sauce is not required, but it never hurts to have a little bit of Fry Sauce, ketchup, or Honey Mustard to enhance the flavor!
Dessert of the week
Pistachio Dessert
A delicious Pistachio pudding dessert with layers of crushed Sandies Cookies, cream cheese/cheesecake layer, pistachio pudding layer and topped with whipped cream!
For more festive layered desserts, try:
- Peppermint Brownies
- White Chocolate Lasagna
- Peppermint Chocolate Delight
- Christmas Trifle
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Delight
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!
