Free Weekly Meal Plan – Family Dinner Menu Ideas (Week 2)
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Free Weekly Meal Plan – Family Dinner Menu Ideas (Week 2)
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Today is a MEAL PLAN MONDAY! It feels like it was yesterday when I published my first meal plan – hard to believe that it’s already been a week :) Now we are on week 2 of my FREE weekly meal plans, and if you missed the previous one, here’s the link for a free meal plan for week 1.
To recap, my free weekly meal plans feature the following:
- 5 yummy dinner recipes that are easy to make!
- Pictures of the recipes, so you can visualize what you’ll be cooking!
- Shopping list with all recipe ingredients!
- A tasty dessert recipe for a weekly sweet treat!
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FREE Family Meal Plan – Week 2
Monday Dinner Idea – Roasted Chicken Legs And Thighs With Potatoes
Roasted chicken with potatoes is a universally liked classic recipe! I am using the dark meat (chicken legs and thighs) because it’s more forgiving – it doesn’t dry out like chicken breast, and makes enough juices to flavor the potatoes. Just throw everything on the baking sheet, and check back in an hour to get a delicious dinner out of the oven!
Recipe link: How To Make Roasted Chicken With Potatoes
Tuesday Dinner Idea – Cajun Dirty Rice With Ground Beef
This is not a typo :) If you haven’t heard of “dirty rice”, it is a classic Cajun and Creole dish. It’s called dirty rice because white rice gets a “dirty” color from other ingredients.
This recipe is very easy to make – just stir-fry cooked rice with ground beef, vegetables and seasonings. It’s a great one-dish meal – and the less dishes you need to wash, the better!
Recipe link: Cajun Dirty Rice Recipe With Ground Beef
Wednesday Dinner Idea: Portobello Pizza
This “pizza” is using a large portobello mushroom cap as a pizza crust, making a low-carb and gluten-free alternative to pizza! Portobello mushroom cap is topped with fresh mozzarella cheese, fresh basil leaves and cherry tomatoes.
All you need to do is to assemble the pizzas and bake them in the oven – so easy, healthy and delicious!
Recipe link: Portobello Pizza With Cherry Tomatoes, Fresh Mozzarella And Basil
Thursday Dinner Idea – Grilled Salmon Salad
This healthy main dish salad is a great way to get more fish into your diet! Grilled or pan-fried salmon fillet is served on top of delicious salad made with lettuce, tomatoes and onions with extra-virgin olive oil and vinegar dressing.
Recipe Link: Grill Salmon Main Dish Salad Recipe
Friday Dinner Idea – Pasta With Chicken, Mushrooms And Asparagus
This is as healthy of a pasta recipe as it can get! Pasta is mixed with cooked chicken breast, asparagus, mushrooms, tomatoes, minced garlic and olive oil. You can use any pasta shapes, as well as any kind of pasta – regular, whole-wheat or even gluten-free.
Recipe Link: Pasta Recipe With Chicken, Mushroom And Asparagus
Weekly Dessert Idea: Chocolate-Covered Strawberries
Everybody loves chocolate-covered strawberries, and you no longer have to go to a gourmet shop to get them. Did you know that making chocolate-covered strawberries yourself is really easy? All you need to do is melt the chocolate chips in a microwave and dip the strawberries in that melted chocolate!
Recipe Link: Chocolate Covered Strawberries Recipe
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Meal Plan Shopping List
Roasted Chicken Legs And Thighs With Potatoes
- 2 lbs chicken legs and/or thighs
- 2 lbs potatoes
- 2 tbsp chicken seasoning mix
Cajun Dirty Rice With Ground Beef
- 2 cups rice
- 1 lb ground beef
- 2 onions
- 2 carrots
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 can (15 oz) green peas, drained
- 1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp Cajun seasoning
- ½ tsp salt
Portobello Pizza
- 1 container (8 oz) fresh mozzarella
- 4 large portobello mushroom caps
- 1 package (8 oz) cherry tomatoes
- 1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
- 1 small bunch fresh basil leaves
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
Grilled Salmon Salad
- 1 lb salmon fillets
- 4 cups salad greens
- 4 tomatoes
- 1 onion
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp vinegar
- 1½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
Pasta With Chicken, Mushrooms And Asparagus
- 1 lb pasta
- 1 lb skinless boneless chicken breast, sliced into 1-inch pieces
- 1 lb mushrooms, sliced
- 1 lb asparagus, trimmed and chopped
- 1 can (14 oz) chopped tomatoes
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 1½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
Chocolate-Covered Strawberries
- 1 package (1 lb) strawberries
- 1 package (8 oz) chocolate chips
- 1 tbsp butter
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Great meal plan, perfect for this time of the year! Need to try the chicken and potatoes recipe!
Thanks Mira! Chicken and potatoes recipe is a great choice, it’s so easy and tasty ? Let me know how it turned out!
I’m ALL OVER that dirty rice – love your meal plans!
Thanks Sue! That dirty rice is such a fun recipe, so easy too!
This is a genius idea, Melanie! Super convenient! Salmon salad is a go-to for me, so I MUST try yours! Can’t wait to follow along with all your weekly meal plans – and thanks for doing all the thinking and planing for us procrastinators! ;) Cheers, girlfriend!
Thanks Cheyanne! I’m also normally a procrastinator when it comes to meal planning, but by publically committing to posting a weekly meal plan I can’t procrastinate anymore ? In the long run, these meal plans really save a lot of time and money!
I love your weekly meal plan! You sure have thought of everything perfect to include right down to the shopping list! I’m definitely a sucker for chocolate covered strawberries!
Thanks Rachelle! Aren’t chocolate covered strawberries amazing? They are also pretty healthy compared to other desserts! ?
Yum!! I love cajun dirty rice, it looks like a really delicious meal plan!! :D
Thanks Lorraine! Cajun dirty rice is one of my favorites!
A fantastic selection of delicious meals to choose from Melanie. :-)
My personal favourite this week, from this selection, one I’m pinning for future is your portobello pizza. Cherry tomatoes, basil leaves, mozzarella that’s such a tasty combination. And when you put it all in a portobello mushroom, I can only imagine it’s total yum!! :D
Thanks Neil! Yes, this portobello pizza tastes as good as it looks! Can’t go wrong with fresh yummy toppings like fresh mozzarella, basil leaves and cherry tomatoes!
Love your meal plans! Is it okay if I start with the chocolate covered strawberries? :)
Strawberries are healthy, so why not start with them ?
I do so much better when I have a menu planned out for the week. Thanks for sharing some great ideas! Of course, those strawberries need to be on my menu!
Thank Kathy, I’m glad you like my menu! And yes, those strawberries are a MUST!
Heck yeah! I’m loving the ideas here, Melanie…especially the dirty rice. I have a soft spot for anything Cajun or Creole! I’m thinking we need a dirty rice night around here soon…thanks for sharing the idea. Hope your week is off to a great start! :-)
It seems like a lot of people in the comments especially like the dirty rice ? No wonder, as this recipe is quick, easy and so tasty!
It’s such a good idea to have a weekly meal planner. A great way to save time and money! I haven’t ever used a meal planner but I know I should – it’s just with older adults living in the house I never know how many will be home for dinner. You have some great suggestions here; I’m loving the chicken and potatoes cooked on the same tray and the mushroom pizza looks simple but tasty xx
That cajun dirty rice sounds delicious! I feel like that would disappear quickly at our house!
Everything looks delicious. I would love to have all of the meals during the week.
Another great meal plan Melanie! I’m loving the portobello pizza and the chocolate covered strawberries!