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 14'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 (aka save you money) 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. Also, think about how you can integrate some of the week's ingredients into your lunches! If you like to meal prep for your lunches at the beginning of the week, I found some great containers for that here on Amazon (affil.).
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.
This week's meal plan is all about repurposing leftovers to make easy, healthy and delicious weeknight meals.
In the spirit of full disclosure, melaniewinters.com is a compensated affiliate meaning we may make a small commission when you click on/purchase something through the ad links in this post. It doesn't change the cost at all for you but does help us keep on keepin' on.
This week is going to be about large batches and easy, repurposed leftovers. After the holidays, I always exhale and think to myself, "alright things are going to slow down now, and I'm going to have time for x, y, z...". Here we are though, already into February and busier than ever. Basketball has started, work has picked up, events are quickly filling up the calendar, and the first thing to go are the home-cooked meals. This week's menu plan is geared towards getting at lease a semi-homemade dinner on the table every night with as little effort as possible.
A flavor packed meatball with Brussels sprouts and tomato sauce is an easy and delicious way to start off your week.
Easy, delicious and full of greens, this is the perfect way to get through a Monday. Make extra meatballs to repurpose on Wednesday!
Tuesday: 25 Minute Lemon Garlic Butter Salmon
This 25 minute sheetpan dinner from Carlsbad Cravings prooves that easy and healthy can still be insanely delicious! Image and permissions provided by Jen at Carlsbad Cravings.
25 minutes to a healthy and delicious seafood dinner?! Yes, please! Make extra broccoli to use on Thursday.
Wednesday: Leftover Meatballs with Spaghetti
Simply boil up some spaghetti noodles, reheat Monday's meatballs and add some more of your favorite pasta sauce if needed. Serve with a side salad.
Thursday: Sweet Potato Noodles with Broccoli and Bacon
Ready in minutes, this sweet potato faux pasta recipe is a dinner you won't feel guilty about going back for second (or thirds).
Using the leftover broccoli from Tuesday makes this dish even easier! Just cook up the bacon and the rest is ready in minutes.
Friday: White Bean Artichoke Basil Wraps
This white bean artichoke basil mix makes for the perfect filling for a wrap. Image and permissions from Lindsay at Pinch of Yum.
This 10 minute white bean artichoke toast recipe makes the perfect filling for a wrap dinner! Either make extra bacon for Thursday's meal and add that to the wrap, or thaw some frozen chicken breasts, marinade with Italian dressing and bake/grill up. Or, you know, just keep it vegetarian - your call! Serve it on toast as shown in the recipe, or put it in your favorite tortilla for a healthy yummy wrap.
Grocery List
Staples (Items you should always have on hand)
- olive oil
- salted butter
- salt
- pepper
- lemon juice
- dijon mustard
- honey
- soy sauce (GF if you're trying to keep your week gluten free)
- crushed red pepper
- dried parsley
- onion powder
- dried dill
- paprika
- pepper
- garlic
- eggs
- red onion
- yellow onion
- fresh baby spinach
- parmesan cheese
- Prego Three Cheese pasta sauce
- chicken broth
- chickpeas or white beans
- canned or jarred artichoke hearts
- bacon
- chicken breasts
Additional Items
- fresh Brussels sprouts
- fresh broccoli
- sweet potato
- fresh basil
- mild Italian sausage
- Wild Alaskan Salmon Fillet
- Monterey Jack Cheese
- Panko (GF if you're trying to keep your week gluten free)
- walnuts
- wheat bread, tortillas or GF bread/wrap of your choice