Meal Plan #86

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 #86

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

Making your own bread bowls this week is going to be much easier than you may think.

A few tricks to keep in mind:

• Remember to “score” the dough to ensure even rising.

• Use an egg wash before baking to create that crisp shiny finish.

• Don’t throw away the inside of the bread bowl After scooping out the middle, use that bread to make crumbs or croutons for other recipes!

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!

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BEEF ENCHILADAS

Shredded Beef Enchiladas are made with just 6 ingredients! This easy dinner idea is a crowd pleaser filled with corn, beef, green chiles, and cheese, and covered in red sauce.

We love having Black Bean and Corn Salsa with store bought or homemade tortilla chips with this dish. We also love to serve our favorite Mexican rice, Homemade Spanish Rice. We think you’ll get raving reviews with this meal!

Creamy Chicken Orzo

This Creamy Chicken Orzo is made with simple ingredients and can be on your table in 30 minutes. It’s a meal the whole family will love!

This dish is one of our faves when served with Italian Bread or Olive Garden Breadsticks and a side salad with Creamy Pesto Dressing or Tomato Mozzarella Salad. This meal will leave everyone satisfied.

Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Deliciously fluffy Chocolate Chip Pancakes are perfect for even the biggest kid. Whip them up for breakfast or dessert!

We love having a sweet stack of these pancakes with Homemade Whipped Cream and, to balance out the sweetness, we usually serve them with a side of bacon or sausage. It’s such a fun breakfast-for-dinner meal!

Meatball Soup

Veggie loaded Meatball soup is filling and delicious. Your entire family will love and devour this kid-friendly dish!

The only thing that could make this meatball soup better is serving it in homemade bread bowls. They’re on the menu as one of our featured sides this week and we just know they’re going to be a hit!

Popcorn ChickeN

Crispy, delicious popcorn chicken is a family favorite!! Not only is it easy to make but it’s a hit with the entire family making dinner a cinch!

You know what goes great with this popcorn chicken? Crock Pot Mac and Cheese! It’s one of our sides this week and it’s delicious! The kids (and adults) are going to love this meal!

Our Top Two Choices

These homemade Bread Bowls are surprisingly easy to make. Crusty on the outside, soft on the inside, they make a perfect vessel for your favorite soup!

Some of our other favorite bread companions for soup are Sourdough Bread, Focaccia Bread and French Bread. Be sure to check out our collection of yeast bread recipes as well as baking tips so all of your bread can turn out just right!

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Everyone loves a good slow cooker recipe, and this Crock Pot Mac and Cheese is so simple, cheesy, and delicious!

We LOVE mac and cheese! Be sure to check out our other versions of it including Fried Mac and Cheese, Homemade Mac and Cheese and Mac and Cheese with Ham. They’re all recipes the whole family will love!

Strawberry Butter Cake

Easy layered Strawberry Butter Cake whips up with only 5 minutes of prep. It’s a family favorite that can be enjoyed all year long!

For more STRAWBERRY SWEETNESS, try:

• Strawberry Cake
• Strawberry Cookies
• Easy Strawberry Shortcake
• Strawberry Nutella Pizza
• Strawberry Shortcake Poke Cake

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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!

CLICK HERE FOR ALL MEAL PLANS.