It’s hard to believe that it’s the eighth week of the year and this is only the second menu plan I am working on. Despite my pledge that I was getting back to menu planning, I haven’t. I’ve been winging it and it isn’t working for our family. And speaking of my family, there are a few affiliate links within this post. If you click on them, my family will receive a tiny portion of the sale at no additional cost to you. I use affiliate links to help keep the blog running and appreciate any sales made through these links.
The last several months have been chaotic for us and we’re finally slowing down. I have more time to plan and prepare. That feels good. I sat down on Sunday afternoon with a notebook and a few great cookbooks to plan this week’s menu. I love to use cookbooks as a reference guide to prepare my own recipes. This week, I’m working from 100 Days of Real Food by Lisa Leake. I’m tweaking her recipes to suit my family’s taste buds.
Monday: Lemon Garlic Chicken served with couscous and tomato-mozzarella salad. Fancy for a Monday, right? But kicking the week of with something tasty is a great way to get into the swing of things.
Tuesday: Turkey Taco Night {Please tell me you have Taco Tuesday at your house, too!}
Wednesday: The Best Whole Chicken in a Crock Pot This recipe is included in Lisa’s cookbook, but also on her website. I skip the paprika because I never have it on hand; my chicken always tastes amazing!
Thursday: BBQ Chicken Quesadillas from Lisa’s cookbook. Using the leftover chicken from Wednesday night, we’ll have quesadillas with homemade barbecue sauce. And maybe some homemade guacamole, too. That sounds good.
Friday: Easy Shrimp Scampi. This time, I plan to photograph the recipe and share it with you. Shrimp scampi is one of my favorite recipes to make. It’s perfect for busy weeknights or a Friday night when you don’t feel like cooking a fancy meal.
Saturday: Homemade pizza. We are huge pizza fans and love making it every week. We use homemade dough, but store bought pesto in the winter. You win some, you lose some!
Sunday: Baked Macaroni and Cheese. Some people call this Macaroni Casserole, but the word casserole grosses me out. I’m weird like that, so I drop the casserole and call it what it is: baked macaroni and cheese. I use my Lobster macaroni and cheese recipe as a guideline, but tweak it a bit at the end.
With The Boy back in school {fingers crossed for no snow days this week!}, I plan to whip up a batch of the best chocolate chip cookies this week. While I love having a helper in the kitchen, it’s easier {and far less messy!} to make them myself!
What’s on your menu plan this week?
