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Family Meal Plan March 16

The past week was a banner of unique days. Sunday is the “Ides of March.” Saturday was Pi Day, which won’t come again for 1000 years. Friday was Friday the 13th, and also my birthday. Monday will be back to a normal day, one full of wishing for spring to arrive a little faster. As I worked on creating this week’s meal plan, somehow it became loaded up with cozy slow cooker dinners. Winter hasn’t shaken it’s grip on us so I’m giving in and sticking with hearty meals for the week ahead.

Tuesday brings us St. Patrick’s Day! We are hosting a family feast and I’m excited to share a lovely dinner with family. We will pick out a craft or two for the little ones to work on, take a peek here to see what I might make.

Dinner planning made easy. Here's a weekly menu post full of healthy recipes.

Pin this image and save it in a place you will remember for when you start thinking about what to make for dinner in your home.

On the menu…

Sunday: Chicken cutlets with mushrooms and pearl onions (recipe), roasted asparagus, barley with parsely

Monday: Rustic Chickpea Stew with Apricots and Turnips (recipe) Another meatless Monday meal to serve over couscous.

Tuesday: Corned Beef, cabbage, carrots and potatoes. Love this recipe that finishes with baking the corned beef in the oven with a mustard glaze. Plus our Irish Soda Bread, Dubliner cheese and my sister will surprise us with one of her delicious desserts.

Wednesday: Chicken and Sweet Potato Korma (recipe) in slow cooker. White rice on the side made ahead of time and nann bread.

Thursday: C.O.R.N. {for anyone new, this means Clean Out Refrigerator Night}

Friday: Chef salad

Saturday: Dinner out

Sunday: One more beef stew before winter lets us go. I’ll be trying the one in The Kitchn cookbook (affiliate link)

 I hope you all have a fun St. Patrick’s Day and enjoy the week ahead! I’ll raise a glass of Guinness and toast you all who spend a little time reading here. Thank you!

Monday meal plan to help organize family dinner

For more recipes, see three years of past dinner menus here,

my Pinterest board here, or OrgJunkie for a link-up of meal plans.

 

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Monday Meal Plan 3/9

How are you doing with your resolution to meal plan this year? Hopefully it’s making the dinner time dance a little easier in your home. Sometimes your meal plan can get derailed when life changes course. Dinner invitations are accepted, kids get sick, grocery delivery gets delayed. Stuff happens and it’s helpful to have some favorites planned as a back up.

18 Dinner Ideas When you Don’t have Time to Cook:

  1. Omeletes
  2. Quiches (keep a crust in the freezer)
  3. Scrambled Eggs
  4. Oatmeal
  5. Super salad (hard boiled eggs, cheese, or bacon to make it a meal)
  6. Grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup
  7. BLT
  8. Buffalo Chicken Wraps
  9. Peanut butter and jelly sandwich
  10. Quesadillas with whatever is left in the fridge
  11. Stir fry veggies and chicken or flank steak. Keep them in freezer ready to go.
  12. Pasta with sauce and green olives (my personal favorite pre kids)
  13. Tacos. Super fast with black beans.
  14. Frozen pizza
  15. Tuna or chicken salad on greens
  16. Hot dogs or sausages
  17. Leftovers (also known as C.O.R.N.)
  18. When in doubt…cold cereal.

Fast and Easy dinner ideas for when there's just no time to cook

Pin this post so you have a quick cheat sheet for those soccer nights and times when meal planning goes awry. Another way to get ahead of the week of meals? Do some Power Cooking! Prep on Sunday or when you have a pocket of time. Stash some stuff in the freezer and you are good to go when the week gets a little bumpy.

On the menu this week…

Sunday- Soy Ginger Pot Roast was amazing!

Monday- Cheddar and Broccoli Quiche, stewed tomatoes and toast. {Meatless Monday}

Tuesday-Sloppy Joe’s , summer squash and salad

Wednesday- Orange Hoisin Chicken in slow cooker (from this cookbook) with steamed broccoli

Thursday- C.O.R.N.

Friday- To be determined…it’s my birthday. Should I cook or shouldn’t I cook?

Saturday- Date night!

Monday meal plan to help organize family dinner

For more recipes, see three years of past dinner menus here,

my Pinterest board here, or OrgJunkie for a link-up of meal plans.

 

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Monday Meal Plan March 2nd

Hey look. It’s snowing. Must be a Sunday night in Boston. Here’s to dreaming of days without snow pants and grilling without gloves on. Anyone else ready for a big thaw this month?

On the dinner menu this week there is a mix of new recipes and family favorites. Last week I shared my two favorite new recipes in this post. I’ll continue to share the winners, and if there are any big losers too.

Sunday: Chicken Satay Bites from the Weelicious Lunches cookbook. Told the kids it was “peanut butter chicken” and they were sold.

Monday: Autumn Chopped Salad. Skipping the bacon to keep it a Meatless Monday meal. Will add hardboiled eggs to up the protein content.

Tuesday: Fish sandwiches, corn and salad. We use haddock, dress it in panko and pan fry it in coconut oil. Super fast and a winner.

Wednesday: Slow cooker sausage and spaghetti dinner. More salad

Thursday: Family favorite chicken nuggets, oven baked fries and roasted broccoli.

Friday: Pizza night! (with bread maker dough)

Saturday: Thai night! Thai Butternut Squash soup and chicken pad thai.

Sunday: Soy Ginger Pot Roast, snow peas and sweet potatoes.

Monday meal plan to help organize family dinner

For more recipes, see three years of past dinner menus here,

my Pinterest board here, or OrgJunkie for a link-up of meal plans.

 

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Monday Meal Plan February 23rd

As we head into the last week of February, I’m ready to say goodbye to winter and think about the spring menus ahead. It’s nearly time to start mapping out our garden and dream of early micro-greens. We have room for more raised beds this year and may finally plan out a flower fairy garden with Madison. Let your mind wander and think spring as we move closer to the days of March.

On the menu this week is a repeat Sunday favorite from Dinner: A Love Story. A continued attempt to include more vegetarian meals into our menu. Family favorite for busy sport nights. A new attempt at bread making.

Overnight bread

Beautiful rosemary sea salt bread {recipe from The Cookie Rookie}

 

On the family meal plan…

Sunday: Pomegranate Pork Loin with Cabbage

Monday: Continuing the one-pot trend I mentioned last week with Coconut Chickpea Curry from The Kitchn Cookbook. If you are not following a Meatless Monday tradition, this is a similar chicken option that looks divine.

Tuesday: Taco (tuesday) with either leftover pork or ground turkey. Avocado, rice, and veggie toppings for all. And lots of cheese.

Wednesday: Celebrating a friend’s birthday with dinner. Before bed, I’m going to put this recipe together, Rosemary Sea Salt Bread. It looks amazing and will go perfect with a chicken dinner.

Thursday: Whole Chicken in a slow cooker. Testing out this Lemon Garlic Chicken recipe.

Friday: Pizza night.

Saturday: Parent Talk’s annual Go Green party with friends!

Easy crockpot lemon garlic chicken

Slow cooker lemon garlic chicken {recipe from No 2 Pencil}

 

Congrats to Francine who won this month’s giveaway for Brown Eggs and Jam Jars! Enjoy!

Monday meal plan to help organize family dinner

For more inspiration, see three years of past dinner menus here,

my Pinterest board here, or OrgJunkie for a link-up of meal plans.

 

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Monday Meal Plan Feb 16th

Once you get into a routine of meal planning, it gets easier once you do it at the same time each week. Throw in a massive snowstorm and that routine gets a little shaken up. We decided to get out of the house with some of our summer beach friends. Dinner at one of the few open restaurants was delightful, both the food and to think about warmer days ahead.

On to menu planning for this week. The latest food trend is a focus on one pot meals. While not new, it certainly can make dinner prep easier. The new Martha Stewart cookbook One Pot: 120+ Easy Meals from Your Skillet, Slow Cooker, Stockpot, and More can provide lots of easy dinners for a busy night. I picked a “one pot” meal from a recipe bundle I received for preordering the Brown Eggs and Jam Jars cookbook. Doesn’t it look delicious!

One Pot Greek Chicken

Dinner Menu

Monday: Roasted Chicken and Squash over Polenta (bumped from Sunday in favor of Sweet Basil’s)

Tuesday: Baked Salmon, Roasted Asparagus and Orzo

Wednesday: No meat for Ash Wednesday. JJ asked for egg cupcakes. Take a quiche recipe and bake crust free in muffin cups.

Thursday: One-Pan Greek Chicken and Barley Bake

Friday: Pizza night with bread maker pizza dough

Saturday: Whole Skillet Chicken, spinach salad. Make chicken stock in crockpot.

Sunday: Pork Tenderloin and roasted winter veggies.

 

p.s. The there’s still time to enter to win Brown Eggs and Jam Jars cookbook. Stop over here and leave a note!
Monday meal plan to help organize family dinner

For more inspiration, see three years of past dinner menus here,

my Pinterest board here, or OrgJunkie for a link-up of meal plans.

 

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Monday Meal Plan Feb 9th

If you live in the Boston area, we really didn’t need the groundhog to tell us we have six more weeks of winter. With another snowstorm coming, I’m not sure we will even see the ground in six weeks. At least we will have warm food in our bellies and dreams of our warm vacation this past week. Thank you to my wonderful in-laws for taking care of us, especially while Daddy and I escaped for 24 hours for some blissful quiet time. A dose of the beach did wonders for us all.

As this week’s meal plan came together, there were so many recipes I kept coming back to that featured chicken thighs. In The Kitchn Cookbook, they call them the Next Big Thing and I have to agree. Chicken thighs are hard to overcook, full of flavor and often less expensive per pound than chicken breasts. Our kids generally eat chicken thigh recipes more consistently than chicken breast recipes so I’ll count that as another win.

Healthy white bean and mushroom stew

On the menu…

S: Italian spaghetti and roasted asparagus

M: Skillet Roasted Cauliflower and Sausage Rigatoni {new recipe}

T: White bean and mushroom stew. Our vegetarian pick of the week. A repeat recipe that is making a comeback.

W: Coconut Chicken Curry slow cooker. I picked the same recipe to make the week I came home from vacation last year. It is my all time favorite slow cooker recipe from Aimee at Simple Bites. I have been sharing her recipes for years with friends and adore her family style of cooking. Her first cookbook, Brown Eggs and Jam Jars: Family Recipes from the Kitchen of Simple Bites, is releasing this week and I can’t wait for it to grace my doorstep.

T: C.O.R.N.  {also known as Clean Out Refrigerator Night}

F: Pizza night

S: Valentine’s Day! Date night in with some beef tenderloin, creamed spinach and oven baked fries. Plus a really good bottle of red wine.

S: Roasted chicken thighs and squash over polenta. Another new recipe from The Kitchn cookbook.

Weeknight dinner roasted cauliflower and sausage rigatoni

 

Monday meal plan to help organize family dinner

For more inspiration, see three years of past menus here, my Pinterest board here, or OrgJunkie for a link-up of meal plans.

 

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Monday Meal Plan Jan 26th

As the snow apocalypse is upon us, I wonder if meal planning will be in vain this week. Will we have power? No school? After braving the grocery store today and witnessing empty shelves, I can say we can tuck ourselves in for the week and not go hungry. Just keep the power on please, we would like warm dinner after playing out in the snow all day.

On the menu…

Monday: Codfish with herbed wine sauce, (I’ll poach it in the sauce) spinach and rice

Tuesday: BLIZZARD WARNING! Teaming up with the neighbors and they are making the short ribs and we will make the cornbread, green beans and pappardelle. Plus plenty of homemade cookies!

Wednesday: Madison’s birthday dinner!!! Chicken nuggets, roasted asparagus and mac n cheese. And cake.

Thursday: Chicken Couscous Stew and popovers

Friday: Pizza night (bread maker pizza dough)

Saturday: Cabbage Soup with Sausage (with a little extra seasoning based on the reviews)

Superbowl Sunday: Calzones, salad and nachos!

 

Stay warm everyone. Enjoy being snowed in.

 

Monday meal plan to help organize family dinner

For more inspiration, see three years of past menus here, my Pinterest board here, or OrgJunkie for a link-up of meal plans.

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Monday Meal Plan Jan 19th

I hope the long weekend has afforded every some time to rest and relax with family today. On the meal plan this week we are adding in more meatless meals, and yes, my husband is on board. It’s one of our family goals for 2015 to eat less meat. We know it’s healthier, economical and generally better for the environment. Now we just have to come up with some meatless meals that will appeal to the whole family…

On the menu this week…

Monday: Spinach and cheddar quiche. Kids will get it crust free cooked in our muffin tin.

Tuesday: Veggie Minestrone Soup (recipe from Not Your Mother’s Slow Cooker Cookbook).

Wednesday: Applegate Hot Dogs and carrot sticks. Kids favorite easy meal as I dash off to the Parent Talk Camp Fair. 

Thursday: Date Night! Kids will get Turkey Meatballs from the The Fresh 20 Cookbook, steamed green beans and pasta shells.

Friday: Dinner with friends. Maybe we will do our pizza night and I’ll bring the dough.

Saturday: Afternoon birthday party followed by dinner out!

Sunday: Shepherd’s Pie. I’ve never made it! So curious if my kids will eat this. I may make theirs in a cupcake tin.

 

What’s ahead on your menu? 
Monday meal plan to help organize family dinner

For more inspiration, see three years of past menus here, my Pinterest board here, or OrgJunkie for a link-up of meal plans.

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Dinner Meal Plan January week 2

Old man winter arrived this week so the dinner plans include lots of comforting and hearty meals. I’m excited to test out a couple of new recipes, including a fast way to roast a whole chicken. Last week’s meal plan highlights were the pork ragu (so yummy!) and the impromptu Autumn Chopped Salad we threw together when friends joined us for dinner on a CORN night.

“CORN” night is my night off from cooking and our chance to use up leftovers. We started this at least a year ago and it stands for Clean Out Refrigerator Night. Do you do this in your house? Is it just leftover night, or do you call it “must-gos” as my friend Lori does in her house. Whatever you call it, it’s a great way to use up the extras in your fridge and limit the food waste that can easily happen.

Superbowl dessert idea.

From my Instagram this week. Go Pats! Get those fun cupcake helmets here.

On deck this week…

Sunday: Roasted tomato white bean chili is simmering away. Love having dinner all ready to go and enjoy Sunday dinner with family.

Monday: Swordfish, spinach and rice

Tuesday: Roast chicken from The Kitchn Cookbook. I’ve never done a skillet roasted whole chicken but I’m imagining it will taste amazing. I have lots of leftover thyme and oregano from Saturday’s dinner so I plan to stuff the bird with them and make the kitchen smell delicious! Sweet potatoes on the side and salad.

Wednesday: Waldorf Chicken Salad Sandwiches

Thursday: C.O.R.N.

Friday: Pizza Night!

Saturday: Eye of the Round Roast, asparagus, polenta

Sunday: Chicken Chili and cornbread  {Patriots game day!}

 

Monday meal plan to help organize family dinner

For more inspiration, see three years of past menus here, my Pinterest board here, or OrgJunkie for a link-up of meal plans.

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Monday Meal Plan Jan week 1

Are you ready to commit to meal planning in 2015? If it’s one of your resolutions, I wish you luck and welcome any questions you have. This is the third year of meal planning here on the blog. Writing out the plans every Sunday and sharing it has held me accountable, but also better organized heading into the week ahead.

Soup makes a great freezer meal. Cook in bulk

 

One new resolution I have is planning further out in our week ahead. I love spending time on Sunday dinners, but sometimes it’s hard to come up with a good recipe, and the ingredients, on a busy Saturday. The second resolution I have is to stay on top of what we already have on hand to create a meal. You will see two freezer meals on this week’s menu after taking inventory this week.

On the menu…

Sunday: Chicken Pad Thai. so, so yummy to start the week off with one of our favorites and also have enough left over for lunch.

Monday: Grilled Mahi Mahi with Mango Salsa, sautéed kale and pasta shells

Tuesday: Turkey Soup (freezer meal) and popovers

Wednesday: Lazy Bolognese (freezer meal) with spaghetti and roasted cauliflower

Thursday: C.O.R.N. {Clean Out Refrigerator Night}

Friday: Family pizza night with homemade pizza dough from the bread maker

Saturday: Patriots Game Night with friends. I may make the amazing pork ragu from Dinner A Love Story again. Last time we made it for friends it was a winner for both the kids and adults.

Sunday: White Bean and Roasted Tomato Chili: new recipe I’m trying from the delightful The Kitchn Cookbook. This has been my bedside reading and there is a ton of information in it for both novice and advanced cooks.

 

If you are an avid meal planner, what would be your ONE tip to share with someone just starting out?

Monday meal plan to help organize family dinner

For more inspiration, see three years of past menus here, my Pinterest board here, or OrgJunkie for a link-up of meal plans.

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