MEAL PLAN WITH RECIPE LINKS – 05/29 – 06/04/21

Welcome to my weekly meal plan! Each week I like to share the meal plan that I will be using for my family for the upcoming week. I do this because I think that having a meal plan is really important for many reasons. Some of those reasons include saving money, wasting less food and having less stress when it comes time to figure out “what’s for dinner?”! I try to stick with a meal plan that is simple to make things a little easier during our busy weeks. I hope that this can help you with some ideas of what you might want to make this week.

• Saturday – 05/29/21
  • Tonight we will be having pork chops for dinner. As a placeholder on my meal plan, I have the recipe for Creamy Herbed Pork Chops. However, often if I am looking to make this meal quicker, I don’t make the sauce. I simply season the pork chops with the Montreal steak seasoning and saute them in butter. They come out delicious! I prefer the bone-in pork chops for this recipe. As a side dish, I will be making Peas & Pasta.

• Sunday – 05/30/21
  • I have been trying to make more of an effort to make simple meals on Sundays. I am usually tired out by the end of the weekend so having something easy to cook is helpful. Tonight I am making Penne with Broiled Chicken. This one is just something I made up one day and everyone really liked it. I just cut up some chicken breast into bite size pieces. Toss the chicken with a little bit of olive oil, and garlic salt. Then I broil it until just a little bit crispy. In the meantime, I boil up some penne pasta. I then toss the penne pasta with a little bit of olive oil and mix in some shredded mozzarella. I serve the chicken on the side for those who want to add it. One of my children doesn’t eat chicken, otherwise I would just mix it all together.

• Monday – 05/31/21
  • Tonight I will be making a Rib Eye Steak. For the steak, I just marinate it in Montreal steak seasoning, olive oil, and red wine vinegar. Since the weather is nice, I will through the steak on the grill to cook it. In the winter, I cook in the oven under the broiler. For a side dish, I will be making a bagged salad (the type from the food store with toppings and dressing), and Vegetarian Tater Tot Casserole.

• Tuesday – 06/01/21
  • Every Tuesday, we do some type of Mexican theme. For tonight, I will be making Chicken Chimichangas with Sour Cream Sauce. I have never actually made the sauce that goes along with this recipe, I just short-cut it and serve sour cream on the side. I will also be making a side dish of Chickpea Salad.

• Wednesday – 06/02/21
  • We usually rotate some type of seafood on Wednesdays. This week we are having flounder. I use the frozen flounder that comes in a large bag from BJs. With the flounder, I will be frying it on the stove, first breading it with egg and breadcrumbs. I have found that increasing the temperature of the oil helps with keeping the fish in one piece (so it doesn’t fall apart when you flip it over). For sides, I will just be making a box of flavored rice. I don’t have one in particular but will get something from the store. I usually get some type of Uncle Bens or Zataranins type rice. And then I will be doing a frozen vegetable on the side. I always keep some of the steam-fresh type vegetables on hand.

• Thursday – 06/03/21
  • Thursday’s we usually do some type of soup and grilled cheese, or breakfast for dinner. This is the night that I go food shopping, so I try to keep things simple. Tonight we will be having Crock Pot Potato Soup and grilled cheese. For the Crock Pot Potato Soup, I just put into the crockpot: 1 32 ounce bag of potatoes, peppers, and onions, 1 can of cream of mushroom soup, and 32 ounces of vegetable broth. Then I just let it cook all day on low. We eat it just as it is, but if you would like it creamier, you can add 8 ounces of cream cheese at the end. When dinner time comes, I just have to cook up some grilled cheese sandwiches, and dinner is done!

• Friday – 06/04/21
  • Tonight we will be having a barbeque night. This means most likely it will rain! On the grill, I will be making some brats and grilled boneless chicken thighs. For the chicken thighs, I just toss them in some barbeque sauce and throw them on the grill. For side dishes, I will be making some Mexican Bean Salad and Classic Macaroni Salad.

Thanks so much for checking in! If you would like to hear the podcast version of this meal plan you can find it at Lola’s Frugal Life Podcast! Also, be sure to check out my other blog posts on this site!