Sitting outside at the end of September to type out this meal plan feels like a gift. Although we officially welcomed fall last week, mother nature isn’t ready to let go of sunshine filled days. (who knew Canada would be so warm in September?) We have a few leaves showing the golden hues of fall, but I’m pretty content with enjoying the fresh air and pushing off boot season a little longer.
As I put together this week’s meal plan I found myself going back to some tried and true recipes. There is nothing wrong with planning repeat dinners each week, or each month. If you take some time to create a cheat sheet of favorites, it can make meal planning so much easier. I would say our go to favorites each week are:
- pizza night
- meatballs
- tacos
- soup
- egg dish
- slow cooker
If I start with a general outline of favorites, I can quickly assign dinners to each weeknight. Luckily, each of these offers an opportunity to get creative if there is time. On the nights when sports cut into the usual dinner prep hour, I know it needs to be crock-pot night. If I plan a more creative (ingredient heavy) recipe, I make sure I have some time in the afternoon to prep the meal. (Nap time prep is the best when it’s 5:30 and everyone is STARVING.)
Slow Cooker Cashew Chicken from The Cookie Rookie
On to this week’s menu…
Sunday: Beef chili and cornbread (although missing Trader Joe’s cornbread mix terribly). Perfect for game day. And hockey games at 6:10 at night.
Monday: Meatless Monday Spinach and cheese frittata. Avocado and toast on the side.
Tuesday: New recipe! Slow Cooker Cashew Chicken from The Cookie Rookie. Long grain white rice cooked in the pressure cooker-prep before we leave and turn on once we get back from gymnastics.
Wednesday: Spicy shrimp and yogurt (recipe from Dinner A Love Story cookbook) with basmati rice and sautéed snow peas. Kids usually nix the rice so they can have some Naan bread on the side.
Thursday: Meatballs and spaghetti and roasted broccoli.
Friday: Pizza night! We discovered nitrite-free pepperoni sticks last week and they are a new favorite of the kids to snack on while we make dinner.
Saturday: Out on the town with my Mom in town! Maybe in Niagra Falls since we have to go back to the border to get some missing paperwork…such is our life lately.
What are your helpful tips for making dinner and meal plan each night? Leave a note below and I may feature it next week!
For more inspiration, see three years of past dinner plan here, my Pinterest board here, or OrgJunkie for a link-up of weekly meal plans.
Your menu plan sounds delicious. The crock pot cashew chicken is a recipe I need to try. I make cashew chicken in the skillet, but it would be nice to have a crock pot cooking option too.
I often prep dinner right after lunch so I can get dinner on the table a little quicker. Tonight we will be having chicken pot pie soup, so I’ll cut all the veggies and make the pie crust for the pie strips right after lunch so I can just add the items to the pot to simmer and roll and slice the pie dough for the top and bake. I’m often busy right before dinner so the little bit of planning ahead makes it so much easier to get dinner done before everyone is starving.
Chicken pot pie sounds delicious as I look out at a drizzly sky today. Thanks for your tip to prep ahead!