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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 #72
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
Pecan Pie Bars are an easy variation of the real deal.
They freeze really well, so you can make them days in advance! Take them out of the freezer and bring to room temp…they’ll taste fresh as can be. Takes a little stress away from all the baking on Thanksgiving Day.
Don’t forget to try our Pecan Pie recipe as well as our Pecan Pie Cheesecake & Mini Pecan Pies!
Click HERE for even more Thanksgiving pies and desserts.
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
CrockPot Chicken Enchilada Soup
Perfectly spiced, creamy Crockpot Chicken Enchilada Soup is an easy slow cooker favorite, perfect for busy days!
For the perfect comfort food meal, try serving this creamy soup with Crescent Rolls, Homemade Cornbread or Mexican Cornbread.
If you want to go a healthier route, this soup pairs well with our Southwest Salad or Taco Salad and, of course, you can omit the meat for quicker and simpler preparation.
Tuesday
Creamy Sausage Penne Bake
Cheesy Creamy Sausage Penne Bake is a simple, delicious and hearty dinner recipe. It makes a tasty and filling weeknight meal!
This yummy baked pasta goes great with Quick Caprese Salad, Antipasto Salad or Tomato Mozzarella Salad.
And we always love bread with Italian dishes! Some of our favorites that go well with this meal are Italian Bread, Focaccia Bread and Olive Garden Breadsticks. Yummy food = Happy family.
wednesday
Cream Cheese French Toast Bake
Cream cheese French Toast Bake is slightly toasted on top, soft in the middle, and each bite is bursting with rich cream cheese. Just add your favorite fruit!
We love to serve this decadent dish with Fruit Kabobs or a healthy Fruit Smoothie. To add a little protein, try serving Bacon in the Oven or Breakfast Sausage on the side.
Thursday
Roasted Turkey
How to Roast a Turkey – All the tips and tricks you’ll need to make a turkey full of flavor. It’s great for Thanksgiving but really for any holiday.
Since it’s Thanksgiving Day, we’re featuring both of our Thanksgiving Dinner sides of the week today. We love sweet potatoes on Thanksgiving and one of our favorite ways to prepare them is Mashed Sweet Potatoes.
And you can’t forget the stuffing! Be sure to try our Traditional Homemade Stuffing this year. We just know your guests will love it!
Weekend
Thanksgiving LEftover Casserole
Stuffing, turkey, and mashed potatoes come together to make this hearty Thanksgiving Leftover Casserole. It’s the best way to enjoy Turkey Day leftovers!
Looking for more ideas on how to use all of that leftover turkey? Good news! We’ve got a whole collection of Leftover Turkey Recipes. This collection includes everything from Turkey Cranberry Sandwiches to Turkey Noodle Soup and so much more!
Sides of the week
Our Top Two Choices
Buttery smooth Mashed Sweet Potatoes that elevate any meal you’re making. With maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, butter and more, you will love the combination of sweet and savory these potatoes have to offer.
If you’re looking for other ways to serve sweet potatoes, you’ve come to the right place!
Check out our Easy Sweet Potato Casserole, Baked Sweet Potato Cubes, Candied Sweet Potatoes, Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows and Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes. You can’t go wrong with any of these!
Would Thanksgiving be the same without stuffing? This Traditional Homemade Stuffing recipe, made with sourdough bread, is exactly what you need to pair with your Thanksgiving turkey!
If you’re looking for a heartier stuffing, try our Sausage Stuffing, Cornbread Stuffing or Chicken Stuffing Casserole. They’re great for Thanksgiving or any time of the year!
Dessert of the WEek
Pecan Pie Bars
With a buttery shortbread crust and caramelized pecan filling, it’s impossible not to love these sweet and nutty Pecan Pie Bars!!
For more PECAN PIE GOODNESS, 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!
