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
Food Portion Scoops – these are so super handy to make sure you are getting all of the portions you should be. This is key for the burgers and the meatballs as well as great for the sliders.
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
Cluckin’ Chicken Wraps – If you haven’t heard of Cluck sauce, you are in for a real treat with this recipe. The best way to describe it is taking the popular chicken tender dipping sauces and mixing them together – spicy mayo, bbq sauce and honey mustard. It is the perfect sauce to go with the crispy chicken tenders and fresh veggies packed into these Cluckin’ Chicken Wraps.
Cluckin’ Chicken Wraps
Ingredients
- 6 Extra Large Flour Tortillas
- 1 Medium Red Onion sliced thin
- 1 English Cucumber cut into strips
- 1 head Romaine chopped
- ½ lb Thick-Cut Bacon
- 18 Frozen Chicken Tenders
For the Cluck Sauce
- ½ cup Mayonnaise
- ¼ cup Dill Pickle Juice
- ¼ cup Honey BBQ Sauce
- 1 tbsp Sriracha
- 1 tbsp Yellow Mustard
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Pepper
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425deg (or temperature indicated on chicken tender package).
- Add sauce ingredients to a small mixing bowl. Thoroughly combine then cover and place in refrigerator until ready to build wraps.
- Line out bacon on a parchment paper covered baking sheet in a single layer. Cover with a baking rack (to keep bacon flat). Bake for 20 minutes (or until desired crispiness). Remove to paper towel covered plate. Let cool then cut in to small pieces.
- Cook chicken as directed on package. Remove from oven and cut into one inch pieces.
- To build the wraps start with a portion of chopped romaine. Then add red onions and cucumber strips. Next add chicken. Drizzle with cluck sauce and sprinkle with bacon.
- To roll up the wraps, fold the side in then roll up from the bottom, tucking the sides in as you roll. Slice in half and serve.
TUESDAY
Ranch Chicken Tacos – Want to have a little extra fun on your next taco night? Check out these super tasty super fun Ranch Chicken Tacos that are totally loaded with ranch flavors – ranch flavor on the chicken, ranch dressing, AND ranch chips all loaded up on a soft flour tortilla. The slow cooked chicken has such a burst of flavor – you will want to use the recipe for sandwiches, nachos, burritos or even a tasty chicken salad.
Ranch Chicken Tacos
Ingredients
- 2 lb Chicken Breast
- ½ cup Butter cut into 1 tbsp tabs
- 1 oz Ranch Powder
- 1 tsp Cumin
- 1 tsp Chili Powder
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
- 1 tbsp Garlic Powder
- 16 Flour Tortillas fajita sized
- 1 cup Iceberg Lettuce shredded
- ½ Medium Red Onion thinly sliced
- 1 cup Cheddar Cheese finely shredded
- 1 cup Cool Ranch Corn Chips lightly crushed
- 1 cup Ranch Dressing
Instructions
- Add chicken to slow cooker. Spread butter tabs evenly. Combine ranch powder, cumin, chili powder, onion, powder, and garlic powder. Sprinkle evenly over chicken. Secure lid and cook on high for 4 hours (or low for 8 hours).
- Remove chicken from slow cooker, and chop. Then return to slow cooker and stir with any juices.
- Start with a tortilla and add lettuce, onion and sprinkle of cheese. Next add chicken, drizzle of ranch dressing and sprinkle of crushed chips.
WEDNESDAY
Grilled Pork Ramen with Bok Choy – Making a real bowl of ramen at home is super easy and a great way to use up what you have on hand. One of the most wonderful things about ramen is that you can put together all sorts of different veggies and meats to create a delicious bowl – so you can really clean out that veggie drawer in the fridge! This go around I decided that I wanted to use up some pork chops, so I made Grilled Pork Ramen with Bok Choy.
Grilled Pork Ramen with Bok Choy
Ingredients
- 6 Eggs
- 8 Rice Ramen Bricks I use Lotus Foods
- 1 cup Scallions chopped
- 2 tbsp Sesame Seeds for garnish
For the Pork
- 8-10 Pork Chops boneless, about ½-in thick
- 1 tsp Ground Ginger
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Black Pepper
- 1 tsp Parsley
For the Broth
- 1 tbsp Oil
- 3 Garlic Cloves minced
- 2 tbsp Fresh Ginger grated
- 2 qt Broth chicken, or vegetable
- 1 qt Water
- 1 cup Soy Sauce or tamari, coco aminos
- ¼ cup Rice Vinegar
- 1 tbsp Fish Sauce
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 cup Carrots matchsticks
- 1 15oz can Sweet Corn drained
- 2 cups Bok Choy ends trimmed
Instructions
- Start water boiling for eggs. Preheat grill or grill pan to medium-high.
- In a large pot over medium high heat, add oil, garlic and ginger. Let cook for 3-4 minutes. Add broth, water, soy sauce, fish sauce, rice vinegar, and salt. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium. Add carrots and corn.
- Sprinkle both sides of pork chops with ginger, salt, pepper and parsley. Once grill/grill pan is heated cook pork for 6-8 minutes on each side.
- In a medium mixing bowl, create an ice bath (half full with ice then top with cold water). Once water for eggs is boiling, carefully add the eggs. Cook for 7 minutes, exactly. Remove to water bath and let sit until ready to create bowls.
- Add ramen bricks to large pot and cook for 8 minutes. Use tongs to help break up the bricks as they cook. Once the noodles are cooked and completely broken up, add bok choy, place lid on pot and turn off the heat.
- Remove eggs from ice bath and peel. Carefully cut in half, lengthwise.
- To build a ramen bowl, use tongs to get a portion of ramen and bok choy out of the large pot, then ladle the broth over top so that the ramen just floats. Place 1-2 pork chops on the side of the bowl, place one egg next to it. Sprinkle with scallions and sesame seeds.
THURSDAY
Sausage & Sweet Potato Hash – This recipe is a hard one to classify because it can be served for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner. It could be breakfast for dinner, lunch for brunch or what ever works for you. The easy ingredients and prep is what makes it even more perfect for you best back pocket “Hey, can you make a meal?” recipe. Sausage & Sweet Potato Hash is a simple but loaded with flavor recipe you will want to file away.
Sausage & Sweet Potato Hash
Ingredients
- 2 lb Sweet Potatoes peeled and cut to 1-inch cubes
- 2 lb Smoked Sausage cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 Yellow Bell Pepper cut in 1-in pieces
- 1 Orange Bell Pepper cut in 1-in pieces
- 1 Red Onion diced
- 2 Garlic Cloves minced
- 3 tbsp Avocado Oil
- 1 tsp Paprika
- 1 tsp Thyme
- 1 tsp Celery Salt
- 1 tsp Pepper
- 1 tsp Ground Mustard
- 6 Large Eggs
Instructions
- Add onion, sweet potato, bell peppers and garlic to bowl. Toss with two tablespoon of oil, celery salt, pepper, paprika and thyme.
- In a large sauté pan over medium high heat, pan fry the sweet potato mixture, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, add smoked sausage and cover with lid. Let cook for 10 minutes.
- In a separate pan over medium heat, add remaining oil. Once hot begin frying eggs to desired level of doneness. Salt and pepper, if desired. (It's best at an over easy or over medium)
- Add a portion of the hash to shallow bowl. Place a small layer of fresh Spinach over the top. Then gentle place a fried egg on top. Garnish with parsley, if desired.
FRIDAY
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.
SATURDAY
BBQ Pulled Pork Sliders – Sliders are such a fun way to serve up dinner. They are also great for get togethers and backyard BBQs! These BBQ Pulled Pork Sliders are so full of flavor and fun to eat. My kids and hubby can eat three or four of these delights. The pulled pork is also great for a make ahead meal or a way to use left over meat. There is something amazing about how much flavor and then tenderness you get from slow cooking a pork roast.
BBQ Pulled Pork Sliders
Equipment
- 1 Slow Cooker at least 6 qts
Ingredients
- 4 lb Pork Roast bonelesss or bone-in
- 2 tbsp BBQ Seasoning see recipe below
- 1 cup Orange Juice
- 1 4oz can Diced Green Chilies
- ½ Medium Yellow Onion thinly sliced
- 2 cups BBQ sauce see recipe below
- 16 Dinner Rolls halved
- Cooking Spray
For the Crunchy Slaw
- 1 cup Red Cabbage shredded
- 1 cup Green Cabbage shredded
- 1 cup Carrots shredded
- ½ Red Onion thinly sliced
- ½ cup Oil
- ¼ cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- ¼ cup Honey
- 1 tsp Celery Salt
- 1 tsp Caraway Seeds
- 1 tsp Pepper
Instructions
- Sprinkle pork roast with seasoning mix and place in slow cooker.
- Combine green chilies, onions and orange juice. Pour over top of pork roast. Secure lid and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
- Preheat oven to 425degF.
- At least one hour prior to end of cook time for pork, combine slaw ingredients in a bowl and place in refrigerator until ready to serve.
- Remove roast from slow cooker. Shred pork and toss with bbq sauce. Then spread out on a parchment paper covered baking sheet. Place in oven for 10 minutes.
- Place dinner rolls, inside face up, on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Lightly spray with cooking spray. Add to oven and cook for 5 minutes.
- Build the sliders with a portion of sauced pulled pork on toasted bun bottom. Then add portion of slaw followed by toasted top and secure with a long toothpicks.
Notes
SUNDAY
Meatball Mac & Cheese – Comfort food is a staple in my house. Some people have a more stringent definition of what comfort food is – but for me, it’s any food that makes you feel like you are home. Basically any types of food that you can taste the love in. This Meatball Mac & Cheese is exactly that.
Meatball Mac & Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 15oz can Diced Tomatoes
- 1 cup Cheddar Cheese
- 1 tsp Parsley
- 1 lb Short Pasta shells, macaroni, rotini, etc.
For the Meatballs
- 1 lb Ground Beef
- 1 lb Ground Pork
- 1 cup Pork Rinds crushed
- ½ cup Parmesan Cheese grated
- 1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
For Cheese Sauce
- 4 tbsp Butter
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 4 tsp Flour
- 2 cup Chicken Broth
- 1 cup Heavy Creame
- 2 cup Cheddar Cheese shredded
Instructions
- Prepare all of the ingredients. Preheat oven to 400def. Start water boiling for pasta.
- In a bowl, combine meatball ingredients. Form into 1-inch meatballs. Line out on a parchment paper covered baking sheet. Put in oven and back for 10 minutes.
- Add pasta to boiling water. Cook for 4 minutes less than directed on package. Drain in colander and rinse with cool water.
- In a saucepan over medium-high heat, add butter and garlic powder. Once melted, whisk in flour and cook for 3 minutes. Whisk in chicken broth and cook for 2 minutes. Whisk in heavy cream and cook for 2 minutes. Whisk in cheese and cook cook for 3 minutes.
- Add diced tomatoes to 13×9 baking dish. Pour pasta over top. Add cooked meatballs to dish. Pour cheese sauce over and stir to combine. Sprinkle with additional cheese and parsley. Place in oven and cook for 20 minutes.
- Let sit for at least 5 minutes before serving.
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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I was never good at planning meals. Usually I would be thinking about that nights dinner at lunch time. Then on the way home, stop at grocery store to pick up any items that I did not have. I was buying a gallon of milk about every other night. I went to the grocery store frequently! I would sure enjoy eating at your home this week!!
Thank you for sharing at Gma’sPhoto ge•ner•ic Linkup Party. I look forward to ‘seeing’ you next week!
https://gmasphoto.website/categories/linkup-parties/
Take care and best wishes
Debra | Gma’sPhoto
The meatball Mac and cheese looks delicious. We will be trying that soon. Thank you for sharing!