Planning out the week’s meals is something I do every Sunday for my family. I do this for a few different reasons – one it helps me get into the mindset of a new week ahead. Two it gives me the opportunity to look through the freezer, fridge and pantry to see what might need to be used up, what do I already have on hand, and what do I need to get from the store. I also try to think ahead of how can a double prep something one night to use another night, or say when a recipe calls for half an onion – I make sure to make something that needs the other half within a few days.
I also like to check in with the family to see if they have anything they have been specifically craving or wanting to try something new. Sometimes this is a fruitful ask and sometimes I get bupkitz. But I still try to ask because I also get the ‘don’t forget I’m going to dinner with a friend this night’ or ‘just please no more rice/pasta/whatever’. This is all valuable info for making a dinner menu plan for the week ahead. I also like to use a menu planner with a grocery list – like this one – to make things that much easier.
Tools You May Need
To have success with the recipes this week – here are few items that I think you may consider adding to your kitchen if you do not already have them.
A Good Sharp Chef’s Knife – this week’s menu has a few recipes that really need good knife cuts
An Extra Large Saute Pan – also called an “Everyday Pan”, these are perfect one pan meals.
A Grill Pan – I use this to give those beautiful grill lines to sandwiches, meats, and tortillas. It’s just that something extra.
Here is my plan for the week ahead. I have included the links to the original posts (you can find more info about substitutions, and processes in the full posts), as well as the full menu right here so that you don’t have to go anywhere if you don’t want to.
MONDAY
Smoked Sausage & Mozzarella Pasta – Need a simple but flavor packed weeknight meal? Then you came to the right post. You can think of this like an adult version of hot dogs with mac and cheese. By replacing the hot dogs with smoked sausage and the cheddar with mozzarella. Then add in a little kick from some red pepper flakes. This recipe for Smoked Sausage & Mozzarella Pasta is going to make your average weeknight a little bit extra special.
Smoked Sausage & Mozzarella Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 tbsps Oil
- 2 lbs Smoked Sausage cut in ½ inch slices
- 2 lb Rigatoni Pasta
- 1 tbsp Red Pepper Flakes
- 1 tbsp Parsley Flakes
For the Mozzarella Cheese Sauce
- 4 tbsp Butter
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
- 4 tbsp Flour
- 2 cups Milk
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Paprika
- 2 cups Mozzarella Cheese shredded
- 1 cup Heavy Cream
Instructions
- Start water boiling for pasta. (salt if desired)
- In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, add oil. Once hot, add sliced sausage pieces. Fry them until slightly browned then remove from heat.
- Add pasta to boiling water and cook as directed on the package. Drain in colander and return to pot, away from heat.
- In a sauce pan over medium-high heat, add butter, garlic powder, and onion powder. Once melted add flour and cook for 3 minutes. Whisk in milk and let cook for 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Add salt and paprika. Then whisk in cheese one handful at a time until fully incorporated. Lastly add heavy cream and stir to combine. Let bubble another two minutes.
- Add cooked sausage and cheese sauce to pot with cooked pasta. Stir until fully coated.
- Serve with sprinkle of red pepper flakes and parsley.
TUESDAY
Rolled Chicken Tacos with Queso – Rolled tacos or taquitos are a fun twist on a typical taco. You get the lovely texture of the baked or fried tortillas, with plenty of cheese and chicken inside. Along with a fantastic and super easy homemade queso for dipping – your family is going to love this one. Rolled Chicken Tacos with queso needs to be on your next dinner menu.
Rolled Chicken Tacos with Queso
Ingredients
- 18 8in Flour Tortillas
- 2 cups Mexican Blend Shredded Cheese
- Cooking Spray
For the Roasted Chicken
- 6 Leg Quarters
- 3 tbsp Taco Seasoning see recipe below
- 1 cup Chicken Broth
- ¼ cup Oil
For the Homemade Queso
- 3 cups Chicken Broth
- ¼ cup Cornstarch
- 1 tbsp Taco Seasoning see recipe below
- 1 4oz can Diced Jalapenos
- 3 cups Sharp Cheddar shredded
Instructions
- Add oil, chicken broth and taco seasoning for chicken to a gallon zipper bag. Smoosh it around until well combined. Then add chicken legs. Smoosh around again, to coat chicken pieces. Seal and place in refrigerator to marinate for at least 4 hours (up to overnight).
- Preheat oven to 375degF.
- On a baking rack, over a parchment paper covered baking sheet, line out chicken legs. Bake for 30 minutes. (or until thickest part reaches 165degF, internally).
- Remove chicken from oven. Then remove meat from the bones. Chop into small pieces.
- Spray a baking rack (over a parchment paper covered baking sheet) with oil.
- Add portion of cheese and chicken to center of flour tortilla. Tightly roll up (leaving ends open) and line up on baking rack. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Once done, spray (generously) with cooking spray. Place in oven for 15 minutes.
- To make the queso, add one cup of chicken broth to a large measuring cup, along with cornstarch and taco seasoning. Whisk until thoroughly combines. Add to a small sauce pan over medium high heat. Bring just to a bubble then add remaining chicken broth and jalapenos.
- Reduce heat to medium and let thicken for 5 minutes (whisking occasionally). Then add cheese, one handful at a time, until fully melted in.
- Serve up 3-4 tacos with a dish of queso for dipping.
Notes
WEDNESDAY
Classic Orange Chicken – Adding to my ever growing list of Chinese takeaway at home recipes, this recipe is a classic! This time around, I am tackling the crispy chicken coated in a delicious orange sauce with an Asian flair and little kick. Classic Orange chicken is a staple on almost any American Chinese food menu and going to be one you will want on your meal rotation for sure!
Simple Chow Mein – One of the classic staples of Chinese takeout is the Simple Chow Mein. Sometimes you want it with a meat mixed in and sometimes you have it with just the noodles and veggies. Either way, being able to make this dish at home, is going to make you a real home cook superstar when you want to recreate a whole Chinese takeaway meal at home – or what we like to call in our house – #ChineseFakeaway.
Classic Orange Chicken
Ingredients
- Oil for frying
- 2 stalks Green Onion chopped
- 1 tbsp Toasted Sesame Seeds
For the Chicken
- 1½ lb Chicken Thighs, boneless, skinless cut into 1-inch chunks
- 2 Large Eggs beaten
- 1 tsp Ground Ginger
- 2 cups Flour
- ½ cup Cornstarch
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Ground Ginger
For the Asian Orange Sauce
- 1½ cup Orange Juice
- ¼ cup Soy Sauce
- ¼ cup Honey
- ¼ cup Rice Vinegar
- 1 Zest of Large Navel Orange
- 2 tbsp Corn Starch
- 1 tbsp Grated Ginger
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
Instructions
- Combine all sauce ingredients a small sauce pan. Bring just a bubble over medium-high heat. Then reduce to medium low and let simmer.
- In a large mixing bowl, add cut chicken. Combine ginger and beaten eggs. Pour over chicken and toss to evenly coat. Combine flour, cornstarch, salt and ginger. Add flour to bowl and toss to evenly coat.
- Add enough oil to a frying pan to be about ½ inch deep and put over high heat. Once up to at least 375degF, start add coated pieces of chicken (shake a little to separate). Do not over crowd the pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side. Remove to a baking rack over paper towels on a baking sheet. Repeat till all chicken in cooked.
- On a large serving dish, pile crispy chicken, then pour orange sauce over top. Sprinkle with green onions and sesame seeds. Serve with rice or noodles.
Simple Chow Mein
Ingredients
- 2 lb Yakisoba Noodles
- 3 Garlic Cloves minced
- 1 14oz bag Classic Coleslaw Mix shredded cabbage and carrots
- 1 cup Bean Sprouts
- 3 Green Onions chopped
- 1 lb Cooked Meat ie chicken, bbq pork, beef, shrimp – optional
- 3 tbsp Oil divided
- ⅓ cup Soy Sauce
- 1 tbsp Cornstarch
- ¼ cup Oyster Sauce
- 1 tbsp Sweet Garlic Chili Sauce
Instructions
- Prepare the noodles as directed on the package(s). Drain and set aside.
- In a large saute pan over medium high heat, add two tablespoons of oil Once hot, add garlic, half of green onions and coleslaw mix. Saute for 3 minutes then add cooked noodles. Continue to saute for another 3 minutes.
- Combine remaining oil, soy sauce, chili sauce, oyster sauce and cornstarch. Add to saute pan and toss with noodles to evenly coat.
- Add bean sprouts and cooked meat (if using). Continue to saute for another 3 minutes as sauce thickens. Remove from heat and stir in remaining green onions.
THURSDAY
Easy Bratwurst Rolls – Sometimes dinner needs to be so simple, you don’t even really need to do much to get a great meal on the table. This recipe for Easy Bratwurst Rolls is exactly that. Very little effort is put into what ends up being a fantastic meal. There are two real bright spots of this recipe – the caramelized onions and the homemade horseradish mayo.
Easy Bratwurst Rolls
Equipment
Ingredients
- 12 Bratwurst
- 12 Bread Rolls hoagie or outdoor rolls
- 1 Medium White Onion halved and sliced ¼inch thick
- ½ cup Butter
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 tbsp Minced Garlic
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Pepper
- 1 tsp Parsley
- 12 oz Lager Beer
- ½ cup Spicy Brown Mustard
For the Horseradish Mayo
- ⅔ cup Mayonaisse
- 1 tbsp Creamy Horseradish
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Pepper
- 1 tsp Paprika
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine ingredients for horseradish mayo, Cover and place in refrigerator until ready to make the rolls.
- In a large saute pan over medium high heat, add butter. Once melted, add onions, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, parsley and minced garlic. Stir to coat all with butter. Let saute for 3 minutes
- Reduce heat to medium, add bratwurst on top of the onions. Pour in lager and cover pan. Let cook 10 minutes then turn over eat bratwurst. Then cook another 10 minutes.
- Place grill pan over medium high heat. Split each roll and spray with cooking spray. Place each on hot gill pan and toast to desired doneness.
- To build the roll – smear one side of roll with horseradish mayo. Then top with caramelized onions and a bratwurst. Then drizzle with mustard.
FRIDAY
Spicy Mac & Cheese Pizza – Sometime dinner just needs to be fun and different. We don’t have to be grown up allllll the time, right? This recipe for Spicy Mac & Cheese Pizza is just that – a lot of fun and makes you feel like a kid a bit. The added kick of the jalapenos is just enough to keep you on your toes. And if needs be…only put them on one of the pizzas, so the kids can have the other one.
Spicy Mac & Cheese Pizza
Ingredients
- 2 Pizza Dough refrigerated or see recipe below
- 1 Jalapeno sliced
- ½ lb Bacon
- 1 cup Cheddar Cheese shredded
For the Mac & Cheese
- 1 lb Small Pasta shells or elbows
- 3 tbsp Butter
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
- 3 tbsp Flour
- 2 cups Milk
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp White Pepper
- 1 tsp Ground Mustard
- 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1 cup Heavy Cream
- 3 cups Cheddar Cheese shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425degF. Start water boiling for pasta.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment and lay out slices of bacon in a single layer. Cover with a baking rack (this prevents curling). Back for 20 minutes. Remove bacon to paper towel covered cutting board, bloat excess grease. Then chop to bacon bit sized pieces.
- Spread out pizza dough (one recipe on each of two parchment paper covered baking sheets). Bake for 10 minutes and then remove from oven. (It will not be cooked through but will have a crust developed).
- Add pasta to boiling water. Cook as directed on package. Drain in colander, rinse with cool water and return to pot (away from heat).
- In a sauce pan over medium-high heat, add butter, onion powder, and garlic powder. Once melted whisk in flour and let cook for 3 minutes. Whisk milk, ground mustard, salt, pepper and paprika. Let cook another 2 minutes before whisking in heavy cream. Once incorporated and thickened, add cheese – stirring regularly to fully melt and combine.
- Add cheese sauce to cooked pasta and toss to coat.
- Spread half of mac & cheese on each par-cooked pizza crust. Sprinkle each with half of bacon, half of the jalapeno slices and half of additional cheese. Return to oven and cook for 10 minutes more. Let cool for at least 5 minutes before slicing to serve.
SATURDAY
Chicken & White Bean Soup – A creamy hearty soup loaded with plenty of chicken, white beans and veggies – this recipe for Chicken & White Bean Soup is going to be enjoyed any night of the week. The simplicity of the ingredients is what makes it such and inviting dish. You can’t get much more “home cooking” then theses classic rustic flavors all in a hot soup.
Chicken & White Bean Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp Butter
- 1 White Onion minced
- 2 tbsp Minced Garlic
- 1 cup Carrot fine diced
- 1 cup Celery fine diced
- 2 tsp Rosemary
- 2 tsp Thyme
- 2 tsp Sage
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Pepper
- ¼ cup Flour
- 2 lb Chicken breast or tenders
- 1 qt Chicken Broth
- 1 qt Water
- 3 15oz can Great Northern Beans drained, divided
- 2 cups Heavy Cream
- 2 cups Kale rough chopped
Instructions
- In a large stock pot over medium high heat, melt the butter. Add onions, garlic, carrots and celery. Saute about 5 minutes. Then add thyme, rosemary, sage, salt and pepper. Sauce another 5 minutes then add flour. Cook for 5 minutes more.
- Then add chicken, water, chicken broth and one can of bean. Bring just a bubble, and reduce to heat medium. Continue to cook for 30 minutes.
- Remove chicken from soup and chop/shred to desired size.
- Remove half of soup to a large mixing bowl. Use an immersion blender to blitz till smooth. Add heavy cream and blend together before adding back to the pot. Add remaining beans and let simmer for 10 minutes more. Stir in kale and remove pot from heat. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.
SUNDAY
Pork Bahn Mi – A bahn mi is a popular Vietnamese style sandwich made a crusty baguette and loaded up with meat, vegetables and a mayonnaise based sauce. It is also usually spicy, but not always. This recipe is for a flavorful Pork Bahn Mi that has deliciously marinated lemongrass roasted pork, a crunchy citrus daikon slaw and a spicy mayo on a grilled baguette.
Pork Bahn Mi
Ingredients
- 6 6 inch French Baguette
- 1 Jalapeno sliced
- 1 English Cucumber cut in half and then thinly slice lengthwise
- ¾ cup Mayonnasie
- ½ cup Sriracha
- Cooking Spray
For the Pork
- 3 lb Pork Roast
- 2 tbsp Lemongrass minced
- 2 tbsp Oil
- 2 tbsp Rice Vinegar
- 1 tbsp Grated Ginger
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp White Pepper
For the Daikon Slaw
- 1 cup Shredded Carrots
- 1 cup Shredded Cabbage
- 1 Lemon juice and zest
- 1 cup Shredded Daikon Radish
- ½ Red Onion thinly sliced
- ½ cup Fresh Cilantro chopped
- ¼ cup Oil
- ¼ cup Rice Vinegar
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Pepper
- 1 tsp Ground Ginger
Instructions
- Add all ingredients for the pork marinade to a gallon zipper bag and combine. Add pork roast and seal bag. Place in refrigerator to marinate for 4 hours (up to 24hours).
- Preheat over to 400degF.
- Place marinated pork on a baking rack on a parchment paper covered baking sheet. Bake in oven for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for at least 10 minutes before thinly (a meat slicer works great for this).
- In a bowl, combine ingredients for the daikon slaw. Thoroughly mix together then cover and place in refrigerator until ready to build the sandwiches.
- In another smaller bowl, add mayonnaise and sriracha and mix thoroughly. If you have a squeeze bottle, add spicy mayo to bottle and place in refrigerator until ready to make sandwiches.
- Over medium high heat, heat up grill pan or frying pan. Cut each baguette in half and spray each side with cooking spray. Grill each piece of bread and set aside.
- Add 5-6 slices of pork to bottom bread, add 4-5 slices of cucumber, then a portion of slaw, drizzle with spicy mayo, a few jalapenos slices and place top bread on. Use two long toothpicks then slice in half.
Do you have any tips for making a dinner menu plan each week? Which one of these recipes do you plan to add to your dinner menu plan this week?
Now Let’s Get Cookin’!
I love to link up my posts to lots of blogs around the internet – check out this Ultimate Handy Linky Party List to find some of the places I share to!
Estelle Forrest self-published this cookbook after a lot of playing around in the kitchen. You can purchase your own copy here:
AVAILABLE IN PRINT OR KINDLE eBOOK VERSIONS
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