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Welcome back! Thanks for checking out this week's meal plan. For those of you who are new, the next few paragraphs are about my plans and some friendly reminders. You may want to check those out along with my tips for Pinterest meal planning and list-making on Google Keep. For those who have already read these reminders, scroll down for week two's fabulous recipes and grocery list!
You'll notice that many of my plans will include recipes that have similar ingredients or, better yet, make creative use of leftovers to help minimize your grocery list and the amount of time you need to spend in the kitchen on those busy weeknights.
You'll also notice that I only have dinners planned for Monday through Friday. I'm a realist. I know that we're all busy and the chances of you actually getting to a home-cooked meal every weeknight are low. So feel free to rearrange plans and postpone as needed to fit your busy life. Go pick up take-out when you need to save your sanity and save one of these for the weekend. Managed to actually make each of these throughout the week? Great job! When you're at a loss for what to make over the weekend, go treat yourself to a dinner out - you earned it!
Final note. I don't know how big your family is. You're going to want to look through the recipes and adjust amounts as needed - make sure you adjust your grocery list accordingly. Keep in mind that for plans that call for leftovers, you'll want to make sure to make more than enough of the original recipe to create leftovers. Essentially, any time I'm doing something in a crock pot, I'm making at least twice what I need so I have leftovers.
Week-long meal plans that are practical and delicious! Bonus? The grocery list is done for you - split into staples you should have in your freezer/fridge/pantry and additional items to purchase by the week. Pin to have all of the recipes at your fingertips for later!
Meal Planning on Pinterest
I typically plan out the menu for my week on Pinterest. I have a board called "This Week's Menu" and I update it over the weekend or sometime before I plan on doing my grocery shopping. By pinning all of the recipes in one place for the week, it's just a few clicks to get the ingredients added to my grocery list (I use Google Keep), and a quick click each day to find my dinner recipe.
Rethink your leftovers with stuffed shells. A surprising mixture of leftovers and household staples results in something simple and delicious.
We utilized some of the leftovers from Week 3's menu plan as well as a simple crockpot french dip recipe to create this simple yet delicious weeknight meal. Truly, you can use whatever you have on hand! For the filling, heat up some sort of meat, whether beef, chicken or Italian sausage, you can't go wrong. Cook it down/drain excess liquid and wilt in some spinach and melt in some cheese. Stuff the shells, top with whatever you're craving or have on hand and bake!
Tuesday: Steamed Mussels with french bread, roasted fingerlings and salad
Get this simple special occasion recipe and more at Yelena's blog, Cooking Melangery
Simple and decadent, these steamed mussels in a white wine sauce with onions and tomatoes are perfect for your next special occasion. Recipe and image from Cooking Menagery.
Mussels can be kind of intimidating but when I saw this recipe on Pinterest I knew I had to give it a try for Valentine's day. So easy and so incredibly delicious. Toasted french bread and roasted fingerling potatoes are perfect for soaking up all of the incredible flavor from the white wine sauce with onions and tomatoes. I'd eat this every week.
Wednesday: Crockpot Brown Sugar & Balsamic Glazed Pork Tenderloin with steamed broccoli
This go-to pulled pork recipe and more can be found on Laura's blog, Laura's Sweet Spot.
A crock-pot favorite from Laura's Sweet Spot. This brown sugar and balsamic glazed pork tenderloin is a perfect weeknight meal for a busy family.
Can I just start by saying that, holy cows, I would drink this glaze straight up. I could put it on literally everything, it's that good. A few simple steps and you've got loads of delicious pulled pork ready to enjoy as is or repurpose into fabulous leftovers (hint - make extra, you're going to want leftovers). Save any extra glaze you have as well, you'll want that for Friday!
For the broccoli, I just steamed some broccoli and stirred in a melted butter, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper and garlic powder mixture - super easy and yummy side that still lets this pork be the star of the show.
Thursday: Crispy Sheet Pan Lemon Parmesan Garlic Chicken & Veggies
Get this sheet pan meal and other fabulous recipes at Karina's blog, Cafe Delights.
We all know sheet pan meals are all the rage right now, but sometimes they can seem lacking in the flavor department. This fabulous recipe doesn't cut any corners or sacrifice flavor for simplicity.
Friday: BBQ Pork Nachos
Leftover crockpot pulled pork is the star of the show in this easy weeknight meal. Cast iron BBQ pulled pork nachos are what I imagine they serve daily in heaven.
This has no recipe as it was just a delicious concoction we created to use up some of the pulled pork from Wednesday night (told you that you were going to want to have leftovers!). Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. In a cast iron skillet, place a layer of tortilla chips on the bottom. Top with pulled pork and drizzle some more of that incredible glaze over. Sprinkle on some diced onion and topped with shredded cheddar cheese. Bake until cheese is melty and bubbly. Pull from oven and top with chopped tomatoes, lettuce and any other favorite nacho toppings!
Grocery List
Note: This may seem like an incredibly long list of ingredients, but the majority of items you should already have in your freezer, refrigerator or pantry. If you don't, go stock up so you don't need to add them to your grocery list every week. Once you get these items stocked up, the only things you should need to add to your grocery list are those listed in the "Additional Items" section. Serve with a side salad.
ADDITIONAL ITEMS
- 2 1/2 lbs. mussels, well scrubbed and debearded
- 6-7 roma tomatoes
- fresh parsley
- fingerling potatoes
- baby potatoes
- french bread
- shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 - 3 lbs pork tenderloin
- broccoli
- green beans
- tortilla chips
STAPLES (ITEMS YOU SHOULD HAVE IN YOUR FRIDGE/PANTRY ALL THE TIME)
- onions
- garlic
- butter
- white wine
- bay leaf
- salt
- pepper
- ground sage
- red pepper flakes
- garlic powder
- brown sugar
- cornstarch
- balsamic vinegar
- olive oil
- soy sauce
- salad mix/romaine lettuce
- baby spinach
- salad dressing of choice
- jumbo shell pasta
- pasta sauce
- eggs
- lemon juice
- bread crumbs
- parmesan cheese
- boneless chicken breasts