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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 #88
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
St. Patrick’s Day is this week. It such a fun holiday!
You can make it extra fun by serving some green food like Green Smoothies or Roasted Green Beans, or by using some green food dye to make green pancakes or green milk. We also have some fun rainbow-colored food like Fruit Kabobs and Fruity Pebble Treats that kids will go crazy over.
And be sure to check out our dessert this week, Slice and Bake St. Patrick’s Day Cookies. They require some work and time, but they’re so cute and fun!
For more fun St. Patrick’s Day foods, check out our collection of St. Patrick’s day 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!
Monday
Green Chili Smothered Burritos
Pull Together Canned Items In Your Pantry To Make Super Easy Green Chili Smothered Burritos. This Flavorful Meal Comes Together In A Pinch!
We love to top these with sour cream and homemade Guacamole. So simple and yummy! And, we’ll never refuse a generous serving of our favorite Spanish Rice on the side.
Tuesday
Chicken Pesto Pasta
This Chicken Pesto Pasta is filled with bow-tie pasta, chunks of chicken, cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic and pesto making it a dinner idea that is sure to please.
Our Caesar Salad Cups pair perfectly with this scrumptious dish! They’re on the menu as one of our featured sides this week and you don’t want to miss them! They’re both fun and yummy!
wednesday
Yogurt Pancakes
These yogurt pancakes are quick, easy and delicious! The yogurt adds a bit of sweetness and makes these pancakes so soft and fluffy. Use vanilla yogurt, greek yogurt, or any flavor of yogurt you like!
We love topping our yogurt pancakes with banana slices and our too-good-to-pass-up Buttermilk Syrup. Sometimes we whip up an Orange Julius or Fruit Smoothie to serve on the side to complete the meal.
Thursday
Cheesy Ham and Potato Soup
This Cheesy Ham and Potato Soup is simple and DELICIOUS!! With potatoes, ham, cheese, scallions, and yummy spices, this soup is FULL of flavor!
We can’t eat this soup without also having Pretzel Rolls. They’re one of our sides this week, and, if you haven’t tried them, you’ve got to find out what you’ve been missing. Salty, soft and delicious–they’re honestly amazing!
Weekend
Easy Shepherd’s Pie
Easy Shepherd’s Pie – This classic dish is homemade comfort food at its best. It has a rich beefy base, loaded with vegetables and a thick, buttery potato topping.
We love to eat this savory dish with Oven Roasted Vegetables or Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots and Potato Rolls or Crescent Rolls. All together, they make a super satisfying meal!
Sides of the week
Our Top Two Choices
Caesar Salad Cups are a quick, simple and tasty side dish or appetizer. They’re mini salads in a cup and great for parties and get togethers!
If you don’t want to make the individual wonton cups, no problem! You may prefer making our traditional Caesar salad with homemade Caesar Salad Dressing and Homemade Croutons.
Pretzel Rolls have a soft center and a chewy crust topped with sea salt. They taste just like pretzels!
If you love these pretzel rolls, you’ll also love our Soft Pretzels. They’re just as yummy as the soft pretzels you can get at the mall or at a baseball game, but you can make these at home and for a whole lot cheaper than you can buy them!
Dessert of the WEek
Slice and Bake St. Patrick’s Day Cookies
Slice and Bake St. Patrick’s Day Cookies are the perfect treat to make for the March holiday and one that the kids will go nuts over!
For more St. Patrick’s Day Desserts, try:
Or check out our entire collection of St. Patrick’s Day Desserts!
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!
