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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 #71
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 Green Chile Enchiladas are so easy to make ahead of time.
We love to freeze them and save for later. I love giving these enchiladas (frozen) to new moms so they have a simple and delicious dinner for their families.
Other favorite enchilada recipes are our Red Cheese Enchiladas and our Beef Enchiladas.
Serve with our famous Spanish Rice!
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
Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas
Corn tortillas stuffed with chicken, cheese, green chile enchilada sauce, sour cream, and green chiles, topped with more sauce and cheese! These enchiladas are a family fav!
We love eating these enchiladas with Crock Pot Pinto Beans and Sour Cream Rice. We promise you’ll love this meal!
Tuesday
easy lasagna
Our family’s favorite lasagna recipe – not only because it’s delicious but because it’s so EASY! With beef, Italian Sausage, three cheeses, and tons of seasonings, you know this recipe is going to be a hit!
Try pairing this lasagna with Crockpot Green Beans, one of our sides this week. You could also serve Easy Garlic Knots and Caesar salad with our homemade Caesar Salad Dressing. Your mouth will thank you.
wednesday
ham and cheese quiche
A super easy ham and cheese quiche recipe to whip up for breakfast! Grab some store-bought pie crust dough and get started on this tasty breakfast meal everyone is going to enjoy.
For the perfect combo of breakfast foods, try serving Breakfast Potatoes and Fall Fruit Salad with this savory quiche. It’s sure to put a smile on everybody’s face.
Thursday
Pineapple Chicken
Hawaiian Pineapple Chicken that is full of flavor and chunks of juicy chicken, pineapple, peppers and onions. Everyone will love this flavorful chicken dish that is simple to make!
We like eating this chicken on top of rice whether it be Crock Pot Rice, Homemade Fried Rice, Cauliflower Rice, or steamed white or brown rice. Sometimes we even break out the chopsticks to make this meal extra fun.
Weekend
loaded pulled pork cups
Savory and delicious Loaded Pulled Pork Cups have all of the tasty flavors of a BBQ dinner in one convenient bite!
These yummy pulled pork cups go great with Layered Pasta Salad, one of our featured sides this week. You’ll have a complete and delicious meal with these two quick-and-easy-to-prepare dishes.
Sides of the week
Our Top Two Choices
Layered Pasta Salad is a dish that is appealing to both your tastebuds and your eyes! This beautiful Layered Pasta Salad is filled with your favorite ingredients including pasta, chicken, peas, lettuce, celery, and more.
We have so many other pretty and easy salad recipes including 7 Layer Salad, Favorite Broccoli Salad, Waldorf Salad and Kale Salad. Check out our collection of Fall Salad Recipes for all of our favorite salads this time of year.
Crock Pot Green Beans – just a few ingredients make the yummiest green beans ever! This simple side dish has become one of our go-to side dishes for any meal!
If you’re looking for other yummy ways to prepare green beans, try our Roasted Green Beans, Fried Green Beans, Green Bean Bundles and Easy Green Bean Casserole. They’re all a delicious way to serve green beans!
Dessert of the WEek
PUMPKIN CINNAMON ROLL CAKE
A buttery, cinnamon cake with cinnamon, brown sugar and pumpkin puree swirls, topped with a sweet pumpkin spice glaze. This Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Cake is what pumpkin spice dreams are made of!
For more CINNAMON ROLL DELICIOUSNESS, try:
- Easy Cinnamon Rolls
- Maple Bacon Cinnamon Rolls
- Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Bites
- Nutella Cinnamon Rolls
- Cinnamon Roll Cake
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!