Every once in awhile someone will ask “Hey Mavis can you post a weekly menu plan?
The thing is, I don’t make a weekly menu plan for my household. Which is weird because I have total OCD and you would think anyone with OCD would have a menu plan, right?
Maybe I don’t like commitment, maybe I’m lazy, or maybe I just get distracted by all the cool recipes that pop up all over the place and I don’t want to be bound to a piece of paper telling me what to make on any given day of the week because like most of you, we are a busy family with kids in sports, vacations on the calendar and work deadlines.
So instead of a carved in stone weekly menu plan, how about a few meal plan ideas? Which is totally perfect for the fly by the seat of your pants type of person that is constantly getting distracted by shiny objects {or pretty recipe pictures} on an hourly basis. 😉
Here are my picks for this week:
Breakfast Ideas
- Blueberry Buckle – Time to pull those blueberries out of the freezer! {Pin it}
- Steel Cut Oatmeal with Apples and Brown Sugar – This will stick to your ribs. {Pin it}
- Chocolate Crepes with Bananas – Chocolate for breakfast? Yes please! {Pin it}
- Cinnamon Buttermilk Waffles with Pecans – Yummaroo. {Pin it}
Slow Cooker Ideas – Set it and forget it baby! 😉
- Crock Pot Baked Potatoes – Perfect for those nights you don’t feel like cooking! {Pin it}
- Lentil Stew with Sweet Potatoes – A great way to use up those sweet potatoes {Pin it}
- Southwest Chicken Chili – Use up leftover chicken {Pin it}
- Crock Pot Corn Chowder – This is one of my kids favorite soups {Pin it}
- Rustic Split Pea and Ham Soup – This can be made with leftover bacon as well. {Pin it}
Freezer Meal Ideas – Planning ahead is RAD!
- Simple Meatloaf Recipe – We always have a few of these on hand. {Pin it}
- Breakfast Burritos – Perfect for families on the go. {Pin it}
- Chicken Cacciatore – Easy and Delicious! {Pin it}
- Peach Crisp Recipe – Great for Pot Lucks and Gatherings {Pin it}
Salads – Great for Lunch and Dinner
- Asian Noodle Salad with Kale – This holds up for days! {Pin it}
- Mixed Grain Tabbouleh with Mint – Nice and light. {Pin it}
- BBQ Chicken Salad with Cranberries, Pecans and Apples – A great way to use up leftover chicken {Pin it}
- Ranch Pasta Salad with Broccoli, Spinach and Peas – Great to pack for lunch! {Pin it}
Cookies and Desserts
- Meyer Lemon Pudding Cake – Costco has Meyer Lemons!!! {Pin it}
- Apple Spice Cake – Yummalicious pretty much sums it up. {Pin it}
- The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies On the Planet – To pack in the kids lunch bags {Pin it}
- Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies – My husbands favorite {Pin it}
Canning Recipe of the Week
Meyer Lemon Marmalade – Lovely on toast and super easy to make. {Pin it}
What are YOU planning on making this week?
~Mavis
Looking for more recipes? Check out my recipes boards on Pinterest
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Trish says
I totally have to do the meat loaf thing. I bought the Zaycon hamburger for the first time about a month ago, split one 40 lb. box with a friend because this was my first time buying their beef. OMGoodness!!! Which I’d bought 4 40 lb. boxes! My 16 year old son is begging for hamburgers made from it (and I only have enough left now for one meal of burgers, thawing in the fridge). I have a box and a half (60 lbs.) of chicken coming in early Feb. here in NE Georgia, just used the last of my chicken for supper tonight and I THOUGHT for someone’s lunch tomorrow until said 16 year old athlete got hungry. Again…
On another subject, Happy New Year to you and yours! It took me a while to really consider it and get it right, but my new year’s resolution is that my hands will always smell like onion and garlic, and so will my house!
God bless!
Mavis Butterfield says
Happy New Year to you too! 🙂
Monique says
Hello Trish, can you share what is Zaycon hamburgers? And did you get the chicken from there too. I need better meats for family. For this year we are planning to work Whole Foods into budget. I use to live near a Western Beef, which is like a old fashion butcher store. I am willing to pay a little more for quality meats. Plus I think it is economical to buy meats in bulk. I am in North Carolina so that is close to GA, plus my mom is in Stone Mtn. Hopefully they ship.
Darlene says
Ooohh!!!! I’ve been waiting for this 🙂
Preppy Pink Crocodile says
I just want to toss out there that for me, making a meal plan (ideally if I can make it for two weeks out) is a HUGE $ saver, without even using coupons. It helps me focus on what I need for meals and also focus on how to be more efficient. So say if I roast a chicken, I know I already have meals planned around that for the week. I definitely don’t always stick to the meal plan though. But it’s a guide and I find my weeks always go better when I have one (even nights when I change things up). You might want to try it for a few weeks- could be something you find you enjoy.
KK @ Preppy Pink Crocodile
Margaret Thele says
Great recipes Mavis – doing the meatloaf and the marmelade for sure
Mavis Butterfield says
Great! I love them both. 🙂
Joy says
This is so awesome. I don’t meal plan either and it is basically becuase every time I come on your site I always want to make everything I see (and I usually do, in fact the crockpot corn chowder was already in my crockpot when I pulled this up!) Ha! I just wanted to let you know how much I am looking forward to these posts and I already printed three things to make from this one! THANK YOU!
Mavis Butterfield says
Yay! It’s nice to know I am not the only who who does not meal plan. 🙂
Shell says
I have good intentions of meal planning and then it goes out the window on the nights that I see something that looks better. I am definitely a foodie, so a lot of things look good. My biggest problem is getting busy and forgetting to eat and then I am really hungry. I guess it’s good that sometimes I do forget or I would be fat.I looove good food.
A says
please put me on your mailing list for 2015
Mom of 4 boys says
I have a severe meal planning phobia. I cannot commit to a certain meal each day, its just not possible. Since I felt like you read my mind about when you started this article, I was intrigued to continue reading. Yep, you’re a keeper! Thank you for great meal planning tips.