FREE Meal Plan #87 {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!!

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WEEKLY MEAL PLAN #87

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

Mexican Casserole is on the menu this week. If you haven’t tried this dish yet, you’re in for a yummy surprise! This casserole is layered with chicken, rice, and cheese and is packed with flavor.

The recipe calls for Mexican rice. If you have some leftover Mexican rice from another meal that is sitting in your fridge, that’s perfect! If not, try our phenomenal homemade Spanish Rice. It is one of Lil’ Luna’s most popular recipes.

If you’re not up for making homemade rice, a Mexican or Spanish rice box mix is totally fine! Just be sure the rice is already cooked before making the casserole.

It also calls for salsa and taco seasoning. If you have a few extra minutes, we promise our Homemade Salsa and Taco Seasoning are well worth the effort!

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 Casserole

This Mexican casserole is an easy weekday dinner idea that is full of Spanish rice, chicken, and melty cheese. It’s flavorful and everyone will love it!

We like to top this dish with sour cream, Guacamole and Pico de Gallo. We also serve Easy Refried Beans or Easy Fruit Salad on the side. The whole family will love this Mexican meal!

Tuesday

Lasagna Soup

Everything You Love About Lasagna (Noodles, Meat, And Cheese), Minus All The Things You Don’t (Layering, And Tons Of Time)! This Lasagna Soup Is Easy, Filling, And Beyond Delicious!!

Sides that pair well with this soup are Caesar salad and breadsticks or Cheesy Garlic Bread. All together, you’ll have an Italian feast that will leave everyone’s bellies full and happy!

wednesday

Sweet Potato Breakfast

Whip up this easy sweet potato breakfast for a filling and healthy meal! You’re going to enjoy every flavorful bite of this colorful breakfast.

This dish is so filling on its own, but we always love to have a little something on the side. Toast made with our homemade bread with honey butter is a great option! Or, you may want to try our Blueberry Muffins or Healthy Apple Muffins.

Thursday

Chinese Lemon Chicken

This Chinese Lemon Chicken is simple to make with sweet and tangy Asian flavor. It’s amazing served over rice or noodles!

Cream Cheese Wontons are one of our featured sides this week and they go great with this lemon chicken! We love to eat them with homemade Sweet and Sour Sauce. They’re great as an appetizer or to eat with the meal.

Weekend

Pot Roast & Gravy

This Crock Pot Roast Recipe is one of our favorite Sunday dinners. It takes only 3 minutes of prep time and then the slow cooker does the rest! The chuck roast ends up being SO tender and full of flavor from the brown gravy, Italian, and ranch dressing mix!

This pot roast goes great with Parmesan Potatoes, our other featured side this week. And don’t forget some Honey Glazed Carrots and Homemade Dinner Rolls for the perfect Sunday dinner!

Sides of the week

Our Top Two Choices

Crispy fried Cream Cheese Wontons are filled with cream cheese, lemon and garlic pepper, paprika & fried to golden perfection!

Some of our other favorite Asian appetizers are Fried Egg Rolls, Asian Meatballs and Egg Drop Soup. We even have a collection of our best Asian Appetizers where you’re sure to find plenty of crowd pleasers!

Simple and delicious baked Parmesan Potatoes are the perfect side dish, made from cubed potatoes coated in parmesan and a few simple seasonings.

These potatoes are definitely one of our favorites, but we have so many other great potato recipes that you’ve also got to try! At the top of our list are Oven Roasted Red Potatoes, Best Mashed Potatoes, and our crazy popular Funeral Potatoes. You can’t go wrong with any of these recipes!

Dessert of the WEek

Andes Mint Cookies

Andes mint cookies are chocolate and mint perfection. The best part is they are crazy quick & easy to make!!

For more Mint Amazingness, 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!