Meal Plan Monday: Wrapping up March and Hello April

I'm a little late getting my weekly meal plan out to you guys, some weekends just get away from you! This past weekend, we celebrated the Teenager's 15th birthday with a night out at the restaurant of his choosing, and ended with ice cream. I've been trying to get some important blogging tasks accomplished (like setting up Google Analytics), and I connected with a great group of bloggers for a Blog Staycation and I'm working on mapping out my blogging goals for the rest of the year. I don't want to divulge any spoilers, but let's just say there will be a few changes coming throughout the rest of the year!

Monday

Fettuccine with Mushroom Marsala

Baby Greens Salad

The most successful meatless Monday dishes that I serve in my house all have one thing in common - they all contain pasta. Since we usually are eating pasta once a week, I like to switch it up. There are so many great pasta varieties: whole wheat pastas, pasta with added vegetables, pastas with extra protein, etc. 

 

Tuesday

Crunchy tacos

Pinto beans

Since we ended up going out to dinner last week, we still have all the stuff for tacos this week. Ever since we showed our boys The Lego Movie, they want Taco Tuesday every week!

 

Wednesday

Apricot Ginger Pork Chops (based off of this chicken recipe)

Potato Salad

Steamed vegetable 

Boneless Pork Loin Roasts are on sale for $4 a pound this week, so I think I will buy one and stretch it for a couple meals. A 2 pound pork loin is good for at least 3 dinners in our house, it can be sliced for boneless pork chops one night, then cut into strips or cubes for stir-fry or stew.

 

Thursday

Baked Parmesan Chicken Strips

Fresh fruit

Raw vegetable sticks

When asking for dinner ideas for the week, I got a request for chicken nuggets. These baked parmesan chicken strips are my answer to that! Bread chicken breast with seasoned panko bread crumbs and real parmesan cheese, then bake until golden brown. Serve with your kids' favorite sauce and plenty of fresh fruit and veggies to snack on.

 

Friday

Leftovers/Clean out the fridge night: Planning leftovers into our weekly rotation is such an easy way to save money. Cook extra of the things that will reheat well (like the glazed pork chops and the chicken strips) and put a quick side together by cleaning out the produce drawer.

 

Saturday

Sweet and Sour Pork Stir-Fry

Steamed Rice

I'm planning a bit of a girl's day during the day with plant shopping and pedicures, so dinner has to be simple. Remember that pork loin that I already portioned? Toss it together with some veggies and pineapple to create a quick meal. The best thing about making this dish at home (besides the calories saved): No crazy red color that is bound to stain at least one kid's shirt!

 

Sunday

Easter Sunday - We always have a big family dinner with relatives, somewhere other than my house. Each of the families is in charge of bringing part of the meal and the host is in charge of the protein. Last Easter, I brought éclairs for dessert.

Print this week's meal plan as a PDF

Weekly Dinner Plan March 30 -April 5 || Weekly Dinners Planning Sheet (Blank)

Tell me, what are some of your family Easter traditions? Do you serve ham, or something else?