Weekly menu planning can be a total budget friendly and time saving habit – it can also be a bit of a pain. It is one of those things that after you commit to doing it for a while it becomes second nature. I have a bit of ritual when it comes to my weekly menu plan. On Sunday night, while my husband is planning his work week ahead, I pull out my menu planner, shopping list, my chore chart (for the kids and myself) and my blogging calendar. When you add it to a routine, it becomes easy to keep up with. These posts are for “This Week’s Dinner Plans” are meant to help facilitate your menu planning. Giving you either a whole week’s plan or just a few ideas. That’s why I add in every full recipe, so that you don’t even have to go anywhere else – unless you want to!
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
Roasted Tomato & White Bean Soup – The amazing depth of flavor you get just taking the extra step of roasting the tomatoes, onion, garlic and herbs with olive oil. And not just the flavor but the texture is vastly improved as well. This recipe for Roasted Tomato & White Bean Soup is perfect for a blustery fall or winter day. The Italian sausage makes it hearty enough to be a whole meal – or what I like to call an #EntreeSoup.
Roasted Tomato & White Bean Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 pints Cherry Tomatoes
- 2 White Onion cut into 8 even wedges
- 1 Whole Garlic Head top removed
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Pepper
- 1 tsp Dried Thyme
- 1 tsp Dried Oregano
- 1 tbsp Dried Basil
- ½ cup Olive Oil
- 1 tbsp Honey
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
- ½-1 cup Water depending on desired consistency
- 2 lb Italian Sausage
- 2 15oz can White Beans drained
- 1 cup Parmesan Cheese grated
- 1 cup Heavy Cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400degF
- On a parchment paper covered rimmed baking sheet, add tomatoes, onions, fresh basil and garlic. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, thyme, basil and oregano. Drizzle with olive oil. Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes (a small bit of charring is fine, but don't let it burn).
- Remove from oven and let rest 5 minutes. Then remove to a mixing bowl and let rest another 10 minutes.
- In a large stock pot over medium high heat, add sausage. Cook and crumble until no longer pink. Reduce heat to medium.
- Add Worcestershire, honey and half cup of water to bowl and then blitz with immersion blender. Keep blitzing until smooth. Add water until sauce is at desired consistency. Add to pot with sausage.
- Add beans and parmesan cheese to pot and let come just to a bubble. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer another 10 minutes.
- Service with a drizzle of heavy cream over top.
TUESDAY
Elote Crispy Chicken Tacos – Sometimes you just want a good ole chicken taco – and sometimes you want to make take taco night on an adventure and combine it with some bacon and elote style corn. And that is how these Elote Crispy Chicken Tacos came to be. With super simple ingredients and a little bit of time, you can make these flavor packed soft tacos any day of the week.
Elote Crispy Chicken Tacos
Ingredients
- 15 Flour Tortillas fajita sized
- 1 cups Cojita Cheese crumbled
- 2 15oz can Sweet Corn drained
- 1 bunch Cilantro chopped
- 1 tbsp Lime Juice
- 1 tsp Salt
- 2 tbsp Tajin divided
- 1 cup Sour Cream
- 1 tsp Cumin
- ½ lb Bacon cut into ½-inch pieces
For the Chicken
- 2 lbs Chicken Tenderloins
- 2 cups Buttermilk
- 4 cups Flour
- 2 tbsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Pepper
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
- Cooking Oil to make 1 inch deep in pan
Instructions
- Add chicken tenders and buttermilk in a bowl and let rest (at least 30 minutes, up to 8 hours) in refrigerator.
- In a large saute pan over medium high heat, add bacon and cook until crispy. Remove to paper towel covered plate. Reserve all grease in the pan.
- In a bowl, combine corn, cilantro, one tablespoon of tajin, lime juice, salt and half of cojita cheese.
- In a separate small bowl, combine sour cream, remaining tajin and cumin.
- Add flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, garlic and paprika to a bowl and stir to combine.
- Add enough oil to the bacon grease to be one inch deep. Once hot (around 350degF), begin frying chicken. Remove each piece of chicken from buttermilk and put right into flour mixture. Fully coat with flour and place right into hot oil. Cook for 4 minutes on each side and remove to a baking rack over a paper towel covered baking sheet. Repeat with remaining chicken tenderloins.
- Once all chicken is cooked and slightly cooled, cut each tenderloin into 3-4 pieces (about 1-inch chunks).
- Smear tortilla with sour cream mixture. Add 3-4 chunks of chicken to a tortilla. Spoon corn over top then add bacon and sprinkle with remaining cojita cheese.
WEDNESDAY
Turkey Smashburgers – Smashburgers are pretty popular these days – and with good reason. They are classic diner style burgers made from layering up smaller patties with cheese and piling on all the good burger toppings. As a result of the cooking methods for making these burgers you get these delightful crispy bits of both burger and cheese to add texture to the burger as a whole. Most commonly, smashburgers are made with ground beef but for this recipe I wanted to try something a little bit different and go for some ground turkey. So here is it – my recipe for Turkey Smashburgers – complete with bacon, cheese, lettuce, tomato and onion.
Turkey Smashburgers
Ingredients
- 9 slices Bacon cut in half
- 12 slice Pepper Jack Cheese thin-sliced
- ½ cup Mayo
- 1 Beefsteak Tomato sliced
- ½ Red Onion thin-sliced
- 6 leaves Green Leaf Lettuce
- 6 Kaiser Burger Buns
- Cooking Spray
For the patties
- 2 lb Ground Turkey
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Black Pepper
- 1 tsp Paprika
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tbsp Parsely
- 1 tbsp Dried Minced Onion
- ¼ cup Worcestershire Sauce
Instructions
- In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, add bacon. Cook until crispy and remove to a paper towel covered plate and keep warm. Reserve bacon grease in the pan.
- Preheat oven to 450degF.
- Combine ingredients for patties and form into 12 equal balls. Place two to three balls into the hot pan (with bacon grease) and use a wide flat spatula to press each down into thin patties (¼ inch thick). Cook for 3 minutes then flip and press down again. Let cook for 2 minutes then top with each with a slice of cheese and let cook another minute. Stack two patties together. Repeat with remaining balls.
- Open buns and lay them out on a parchment paper covered baking sheet. Spray buns with thin layer of cooking spray. Place in oven to toast for 5-7 minutes.
- Build the burger – smear top and bottom bun with mayo. Add double cheeseburger, then 3 pieces of bacon. Top with lettuce, tomato, and red onion. Place top bun and press down slightly to help hold it all together.
THURSDAY
Smoked Bangers & Mash – Some say don’t mess with the classics – but sometimes it’s totally worth it! I decided to try my hand at Bangers & Mash but add my own spin. I decided to make it in my Traeger and turned up with Smoked Bangers & Mash. The deep delicious Stout beer cooks down into a pan gravy to make an amazing top to this dish.
Smoked Bangers & Mash
Equipment
- Smoker or grill that can be used as smoker
- Large Cast Iron Skillet
Ingredients
- 6 Medium Russet Potatoes
- 8 Garlic Sausages
- 1 Yellow Onion sliced thin
- 4 Garlic Cloves minced
- 1 cup Beef Broth
- 12 oz Stout Beer like Guinesse
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Pepper
- 4 tbsp Butter
- 2 tbsp Avocado Oil
Instructions
- Prepare all of the ingredients. Preheat smoker to medium-high.
- Wrap each potato in aluminum foil, then use a fork to poke several holes into each potato. Place in smoker right away (during the preheat process).
- In a large cast iron skillet, over medium high heat, add avocado oil, onions, and garlic. Saute for 3 minutes then add beer and broth. Stir to combine. Then lay sausages over top. Loosely cover skillet with aluminum foil and transfer to preheated smoker. Close the lid and let cook for 40 minutes.
- Remove potatoes and skillet from smoker. Unwrap potatoes and add to a bowl. Add salt, pepper and butter, then mash potatoes, leaving them "rustic" or "chunky".
- Serve potatoes with sausage on top and ladle over onion gravy.
FRIDAY
BBQ Chicken Sheet Pan Nachos – Sheet pan meals are a favorite in my house, they are quick to put together, and easy to clean up! Sheet pan nachos are also just super fun to eat because who doesn’t love nachos. These BBQ Chicken Sheet Pan Nachos only got one complaint from the family – I didn’t make enough! Which is wild because this recipe makes two of the large sheet pans full of nachos!
BBQ Chicken Sheet Pan Nachos
Equipment
Ingredients
- 20 oz Tortilla Chips
- 1 Pint Maple Bourbon BBQ Sauce see recipe below
- 2 lb Chicken Thighs boneless, skinless
- 1 qt Chicken Broth
- 1 tsp Cumin
- 1 tsp Chili Powder
- 2 cups Mexican Blend Cheese shredded
- ½ Medium Red Onion sliced
- 1 cup Queso Fresco crumbled
- 2 Jalapenos sliced
Instructions
- Add chicken, chicken broth, cumin and chili powder to a sauce pan over medium-high heat. Let boil for 25 minutes.
- Start BBQ sauce, if making for this recipe.
- Preheat oven to 425degF
- Remove chicken from broth and cut into bite-sized pieces.
- Cover each baking sheet with parchment paper. On one baking sheet, start by adding half of the chips in a layer. Then drizzle with half of the sauce and sprinkle with half of the Mexican blend cheese. Next add half of the chicken. Repeat with second baking sheet. Put in oven to bake for 10 minutes.
- Remove from oven and sprinkle each with half of the queso fresco, red onions and jalapenos.
SATURDAY
Classic Biscuits & Gravy – One of my families favorite breakfast, brunch or dinner recipes is my Classic Biscuits & Gravy. I love it because it’s really easy to make and I almost always have the ingredients to hand to make it as it’s one of my go-to “what am I gonna make” recipes. The fam loves it because it is hearty and delicious, and almost always fills them up!
Classic Biscuits & Gravy
Ingredients
- 2 lb Ground Pork Sausage breakfast
- 4 tbsp Butter
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 4 tbsp Flour
- 1 tbsp Dried Tarragon
- 1 tsp Paprika
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1½ tsp Coarse Black Pepper
- 3 cups Milk
- 1 cups Heavy Cream
- 12 Prepared Biscuits see recipe below, or use store-bought
Instructions
- In a large saute pan over medium high heat, cook and crumble sausage until no longer pink. Push meat to one side of pan.
- Add butter and garlic powder to sausage grease. Once fully melted add flour and tarragon, paprika and onion powder, then whisk together. Let cook for 3 minutes.
- Whisk in milk, salt and pepper. Let cook for 3 minutes then incorporate sausage back into gravy. Cook another 3 minutes then stir in heavy cream. Let cook another 3 minutes then reduce heat to medium low.
- Let simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.
- **Prepare biscuits per recipe. I have added a Sourdough Discard recipe below. You can use freezer or refrigerator biscuits as well. Will need at least 12 biscuits for this. **
- Place 2 biscuits in a shallow bowl. Generously, ladle gravy over top.
SUNDAY
Sloppy Joe Sliders – Everything is infinitely better when served on a slider – especially these Sloppy Joe Sliders! You get all those classic comfort flavors of a sloppy joe, with the addition of some cheese and slapped on a slider roll. Your are going to get requests to make this super easy – done in 30 minutes – dinner over and over again. These sliders are a perfect weeknight meal or a great idea for #SliderSundays!.
Sloppy Joe Sliders
Ingredients
- 1 lb Ground Beef
- 1 lb Ground Pork
- ½ Small Yellow Onion minced
- 4 Garlic Cloves minced
- 1 15oz can Tomato Puree
- ¼ cup Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 tsp Cumin
- 1 tsp Chili Powder
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Pepper
- ¼ cup Maple Syrup
- ¼ cup Bourbon I use Jim Beam
- 6 slices Cheddar Cheese
- 12 Dinner Rolls
- 1 tbsp Everything Seasoning
- Cooking Spray
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350degF.
- In a large saute pan over medium-high heat, add ground beef, ground pork, onion and garlic. Cook and crumble until no longer pink. Reduce heat to medium.
- Add tomato puree, Worcestershire sauce, cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, maple syrup and bourbon. Stir to combine and cook another 5 minutes.
- Split dinner rolls to make a top and bottom. Place the bottom layer on a parchment paper covered baking sheet. Spoon meat mixture evenly over top of roll bottoms. Cover with cheese slices.
- Place roll tops over cheese. Spray with cooking spray and sprinkle with everything seasoning. Place in oven and back for 10 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let sit for at least 5 minutes before cutting to separate individual sliders. Serve 2-3 per person.
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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Thank you for these suggestions as sometimes it’s a pain to be creative, especially during the winter months. #WednesdayLinkUpParty
It sounds like a delicious week! I always ask too; though sometimes I meal plan just for the week and other times I’ll fill in other day of the month too (it often depends on the feedback; if everyone suggests something with pasta I try to split them up so we’re not eating the same thing day after day).