Meal Plan Monday: Welcome March

We said goodbye to February this weekend and welcomed March with a family trip to the Golden Gate Bridge and the Children's Discovery Museum. We ended the evening with dinner with my 91 year old young grandmother. All in all, it was a good day. We got back on the meal planning track last week, as my body recovered from being sick and my energy returned. This week, we are back on track with good-for-you meals that include a few surprises.

If you like my meal plans, you can follow along with then even easier! I've created printable files so you can print out my meal plan for the week or a blank planning page to write you own! Either way, I hope my weekly meal plan helps you better plan your own meals and gives you suggestions and inspiration to not fall into a cooking rut!

Weekly Dinner Plan (March 2nd-8th) PDF || Blank Weekly Dinner Plan PDF

Monday
Pasta alla Norma
Pasta alla Norma is perfect for Meatless Monday, and a great way to introduce a new food to the kids. Tender eggplant is tossed with a tomato sauce and pasta, then dressed with fresh basil and grated cheese. I have tried to introduce eggplant to the kids only once before, in the form of an eggplant lasagna, and it was a huge fail. I think this pasta will be a more gradual introduction to the vegetable and hopefully more successful.
This pasta dish with eggplant, tomato, and basil was first introduced to me while watching The Chew on TV. To see Mario Batali make this dish, and how easy it looks, inspired me to add it to my meal rotation this week.

Tuesday
Chipotle Garlic Flank Steak
Black Bean Salsa
Green Salad
Who says Taco Tuesday needs to be in a tortilla? We get the feel of tacos without the added carbs by making a few of our favorite components from taco night and eating it protein-style. Be sure to come back tomorrow for my Chipotle-Garlic Marinade recipe!

Wednesday
Breakfast for Dinner
Steak, eggs, and hash browns
I'm hoping that Tuesday's steak will render us with a little leftover for steak and eggs. Some days you need an easy dinner, and what is easier than a few fried eggs and crunchy, golden hash browns?

Thursday
Homemade Calzones
Spinach and Artichoke Calzone from A Mind-Full Mom
Sausage and Cheese Calzone
My secret for making homemade pizza calzones on a weeknight: Make the dough in advance! Make the dough the day before, and let it rest and rise in the refrigerator overnight. When you are ready to make dinner, let the dough rest on the counter for 30 minutes while you chase the kids and prep the rest of the ingredients, then roll, stuff, and bake for another 20 or so minutes.

Friday
Sweet and Spicy Orange Glazed Salmon from Yesterfood
Sautéed vegetables 
Whether or not you are celebrating lent, this salmon recipe just looks tasty! I'm on the lookout for another go-to salmon recipe, since it is one of my family's favorites.

Saturday
Pan-Roasted (or Grilled) Pork Chops
Potato Wedges
Homemade Applesauce
What's better on the weekend than a nice home-cooked meal? By the way, just because its the weekend doesn't mean I want to slave over the stovetop making applesauce. Check out this Crock Pot Applesauce Recipe from I Heart Naptime.

Homemade Applesauce also gives me the perfect excuse to bake up this Applesauce Spice Cake from Splash of Something. I think if I omit the frosting, it will make a perfect breakfast treat to take us into next week.

Sunday
Shrimp and Vegetable Stir-Fry
Steamed brown rice
Ending the week with a quick and healthy stir-fry over brown rice. This will also give me the chance to clear out my produce drawer and get me set for the next week.

As always - I want to know what your week looks like! Have a craving to see something specific in my meal rotation? Drop me a comment! Be sure to join in on the conversations we have on Facebook so I can get to know you better!