FREE Meal Plan #31 {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 #31

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

What makes Red Velvet waffles red? The red color in red velvet cake is caused by a chemical reaction between the vinegar and buttermilk which then causes the red color to come out in the cocoa powder.

For a deeper red, many add red food coloring (like in this weeks Brinner recipe). You can also use red beet root powder.

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 beef stew

This Mexican Beef Stew is a twist on a classic. It’s hearty, comforting, filled with vegetables, and tender beef.

While Dinner Rolls always pair well with stew, the spices in Mexican Cornbread pair even better! You can also serve it with Homemade Tortilla Chips crushed on top.

Tuesday

Creamy White Sauce Penne Pasta

Super simple and delicious Creamy Garlic Penne Pasta recipe packed with flavor. This dish is perfect by itself or you can add chicken too!

This dish is usually meatless, but you can easily turn it into Chicken Penne Pasta simply by adding cubed chicken (I usually like to keep some on hand)!

wednesday

Red Velvet Waffles

Delicious Red Velvet Waffles made from scratch and topped with berries and syrup – the perfect fun and festive breakfast recipe! They’re simple and easy to make, and are just slightly crispy on the outside and light and soft on the inside.

You can top this with whipped cream and fresh berries if you’re eating it for dinner, or homemade vanilla ice cream if you’re eating it as a dessert.

Thursday

Pork and Broccoli Stir Fry

If you love Asian food, you’ll love this simple and delicious Pork and Broccoli Stir-fry!! It is PACKED with flavor!!

One of the sides of the week this week is Cream Cheese Rangoons. They are perfect to serve with this flavorful stir fry!

Weekend

Chicken Fried Steak

This chicken fried steak is the ultimate comfort food, and can be served for dinner OR breakfast! It is best served hot and crispy with a creamy coat of rich gravy.

Crock Pot Creamed Corn – another side on the plan this week – is perfectly paired with this Chicken Fried Steak!

Sides of the week

Our Top Two Choices

Your weekend dinner wouldn’t be complete without rich flavorful Crock Pot Creamed Corn! It’s creamy, buttery, and cheesy. Everyone’s favorite side dish!

If you don’t have time to make it in the crock pot, we also have a classic Creamed Corn recipe made in a skillet! The ingredients are essentially the same.

Delicious Cream Cheese Rangoons are filled with cream cheese, garlic, and green onions, then baked to crisp perfection!

They’re somewhat similar to our Cream Cheese Wontons, but baked instead of fried! Both are some of our favorite Asian Appetizers.

Dessert of the WEek

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcakes

Devilishly rich chocolate covered strawberry cupcakes topped with a ganache smothered strawberry are the perfect way to say “I Love You!”

For more Strawberry Desserts perfect for Valentine’s Day:

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!