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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 #54
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
Our Hashbrown Egg Cups for this week’s “brinner” combine two stellar breakfast dishes … Hash Browns and Eggs! These are also great for quick, on the go breakfasts.
You can also make these as a casserole (8×8 or 9×9 dish) rather than individual portions.
We love to pair this with one of our delicious smoothies like our Aloha Tropical Smoothie or our Favorite Peach Smoothie. For more summer smoothies, click HERE.
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
Cheese Crisp
A Cheese Crisp is a crunchy open-face quesadilla that is an Arizona favorite!! They are quick, easy, and perfectly dippable.
We have our Black Bean and Corn Salsa as a side of the week specifically to go with this Cheese Crisp—but don’t feel like you have to limit yourself! Our classic Homemade Salsa and Simple Guacamole also pair phenomenally.
Tuesday
Sausage Alfredo
Creamy Sausage Alfredo packed with smoky sausage is a family favorite. This delicious meal is on the table in only 30 minutes!!
If sausage isn’t you’re style, you can still use our Homemade Alfredo Sauce on any style of pasta with any type of protein (or omit the meat completely). Chicken Alfredo is another one of our favorites!
wednesday
Hash brown Egg Cups
Hash brown egg cups are a creative and yummy way to combine two tasty breakfast foods into one. These are perfect for a breakfast gathering with friends and family.
These would also taste delicious with some Homemade Salsa. Be sure to check out the tip of the week for even more ideas on making/serving this brinner dish!
Thursday
Pulled Pork
This delicious and easy Pulled Pork recipe is one that is made in the slow cooker and takes just minutes to prep!
The Potato Salad (another side on this week’s plan) is perfectly paired with this classic backyard BBQ entree.
And there are so many ways you can serve leftovers besides on a bun! Try Loaded Pulled Pork Cups, Pork Stuffed Sweet Potatoes, or throw it on some Loaded Nachos!
Weekend
Baked Chicken Drumsticks
Oven baked chicken drumsticks are a healthy alternative for fried chicken lovers! They are seasoned to perfection and baked, not fried!
If you have any leftover Potato Salad from Thursday, it would go great with your chicken this weekend. We also love to serve our drumsticks with Coleslaw, Fruit Salad, or Mashed Potatoes depending on the season/occasion.
Sides of the week
Our Top Two Choices
Black Bean and Corn Salsa is one of our favorite dips and appetizers. It’s great with any Mexican dish or served with tortilla chips!!
It’s on the plan this week to be paired with the Cheese Crisp, but trust me when I say it’s hard not to snack on it and eat it all in one sitting—especially with some Homemade Tortilla Chips!
This Homemade Potato Salad is simple, flavorful and filled with chunks of potatoes, eggs and olives! It’s the perfect addition to any BBQ or picnic and is so creamy and tasty, it will wow everyone who tries it.
If you’re not a potato salad fan and need another summery side salad for this week, you should definitely try Broccoli Salad, Macaroni Salad, or Easy Pasta Salad.
Dessert of the WEek
No Bake Cheesecake
This NO BAKE cheesecake is the perfect recipe for summer. With a delicious graham cracker crust, and a creamy vanilla cream cheese mixture, you can top it with anything and everyone loves it.
For more No Bake Desserts, try:
- No Bake Oreo Cheesecake
- No Bake Strawberry Shortcake
- Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies
- No Bake Chocolate Oat Bars
- No Bake Chocolate Cheesecake
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!