Simple Weekly Menu
The start of this school year has me more exhausted than ever. I’ve been feeling the need to simplify my life even more lately, especially at mealtimes. A lot of people I talk to have a weekly meal plan that they eat and it got me thinking! I’ve never done that before because I can get sick of a food quickly but I thought it would make my life easier if I made a simple category for each day of the week with written out options of our tried and true favorite recipes. It’s been a big help so far and can help kick me out of decision paralysis! This is what I have so far and I plan on building on it as time goes on. I’ve added some free printables at the bottom for easy reference — feel free to screen shot or print! I would love to know if you have any favorites we can add to the list as well — please share! :)
Monday: New Recipe // Tried & True Easy
Sometimes our weeks are stressful and sometimes they are more relaxed. On weeks we have less going on, I’ll make a recipe I’ve been wanting to try and on weeks we have a lot going on, I'll make one of our tried and true easy meals. I’ll link our favorite easy recipes below.
sausage and bell pepper skillet
meat loaf (serve with baked potatoes since the oven is already on and frozen vegetables)
brie, apple, and bacon sandwiches with a side salad
bean pasta with tuna and trader joe’s vegan kale pesto
shrimp scampi (garlic, evoo, lemon) with shrimp and frozen veggies or zoodles
Tuesday: Grill or Roast Meat + Vegetable (add rice if needed)
This one is so simple. Pick a protein and veggie and dump them all onto the grill or a sheet pan and roast! I don’t want to offer a low carb meal to my kids, so if we are lacking carbs I will add microwave rice or some fruit.
Proteins: burgers, steak, sausage, chicken thighs, fish, pork tenderloin
Vegetables: brussels sprouts, butternut squash, carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, peppers, broccoli, onions, zucchini (best for grill).
Some of our favorite combinations so far:
Burgers // zucchini and onions // microwave rice // BBQ sauce (grilled)
Italian sausage links // fingerling potatoes // peppers // onions (great grilled or roasted)
Pork tenderloin // brussels sprouts or broccoli // served with jarred applesauce (roasted)
Chicken thighs // butternut squash // red onion // thyme (roasted)
Roasted broccoli // broiled salmon
Wednesday: Soup // Salad // Add Rotisserie
yellow pepper soup // top with bacon OR serve with rotisserie chicken
Roasted butternut squash soup
Pumpkin soup (recipe coming soon!)
Split pea and ham soup
Lamb stew (recipe coming soon!)
White chicken chili — I omit the cream and use EVOO instead of canola oil I also usually use a rotisserie chicken
Chicken noodle soup
Salad with buffalo chicken
Thursday: Tacos or Fajitas
black bean & sweet potato tacos
regular beef & cheese tacos with broccoli slaw
fajitas (grilled or in pan)
enchiladas verdes (recipe from the defined dish — I used canned roasted tomatillo salsa and added shredded zucchini)
Friday: Takeout + Movie Night
pizza
Thai
sushi
Chipotle
Saturday: Flexible (Date Night // Family Out // Leftovers)
Favorite babysitter dinners (can be made ahead of time, lower risk of choking):
Mexican chicken bake (recipe coming soon!)
Buffalo chicken bake
Sunday: Slow Cooker // Snack Board // Prep 1 Thing
Admittedly I am not the biggest fan of slow cooker meals! To me a slow cooker meal should be simple and not require a lot of finishing touches after it’s been cooking. This is what we’ve liked so far:
Pulled pork - I always take the sauce at the end and put it in a sauce pan and reduce and add to the shredded pork for a thick sauce. We serve it with broccoli slaw.
Asian short ribs - I like to serve this with green beans and microwave rice.
Tikka Masala - recipe from the defined dish
Salsa + chicken
Since I don’t need to fuss much about dinner with slow cooker meals, it frees me up to prep 1 thing for the freezer or for the week. I’m not great at meal prep but find I can usuaully talk myself into making one thing.
For the freezer:
waffles
pancakes
muffins
“uncrustables”
pizza roll-ups
zucchini bread
traditional meatballs
asian pork meatballs
For the week:
make a salad dressing
roast sweet potatoes and cook chorizo
hard boil eggs
make a breakfast bake (love this strawberry oatmeal one and I always double it)