Weekly Meal Plan April 15 – 22

Don’t waste time deciding what to make for dinner. We’re taking the guesswork out of it and scouring the blogosphere to bring you amazing meals that are sure to please the taste buds. Feel free to mix it, change it, rearrange it to suit your family. We’ve also found some side dishes and desserts to make it a complete meal! We’d love to know how it turned out as well, feel free to e-mail us with your input and your own recipes.

Sunday: Made With Love

Sunday is traditionally the day of big meals that all include the same special ingredient: Love! Treat your family with a feast made with love (and other delicious ingredients) from the options below.

• Baked Ham with Pineapple Mustard Glaze - Treat your family to something special with this baked ham and special glaze.
• Herbed Pork with Potatoes - 1 word – yummy!
• Fried Chicken, Candied Yams, Mac -n-Cheese & Collard Greens – This is truly a soul food Sunday meal!

Monday: Make it Meatless

You don’t have to be a vegetarian to enjoy a meatless meal. You don’t even have to tell the family there’s no meat in any of the options below!

• Roasted Eggplant Pizza – Delicious “pizza” sans meat – should I say more?!
• Garlicky Green Beans Stir Fry - no meat but full of yum.
• Red Quinoa & Asparagus Salad with Toasted Cumin Vinaigrette – There’s no lack of flavor, vitamins or nutrients in this dish. Dig in!

Tuesday: Take a Break

Even those parents who love being in the kitchen all day can use and appreciate a break. Take it easy today and choose an easy recipe that allows you to take a break from cooking all day but still provides your family with a healthy meal.

• Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup – Quick and Easy and still moderately healthy!
• Quick Sausage & Peppers – No grill necessary for you to enjoy delicious sausage and peppers for dinner.
• Spicy Cheeseburger Pizza – A completely new twist on the classic burger. Warning: You may never use buns again.

Wednesday: One Dish Wonders

Isn’t it great to have a home cooked meal without a sink full of pots and pans afterwards? Give your dishwasher a break with a One Dish Wonder from the list below.

• Chicken and Carrot Pilaf - A yummy and healthy one dish wonder!  This looks delicious and simple.
• Ham Cabbage and White Bean Soup – I can smell this cooking now – mouth watering! You can make this in a slow cooker as well.
• Overnight Breakfast Casserole – If you’ve never had breakfast for dinner, there’s no better way to start than with this.

Thursday: Taste the World

Ethnic foods are a great way to introduce your family to new cultures and traditions. Take tonight to savor in a dish from another country and maybe throw in a history lesson on the side!

• Lasagna Roll-Ups - If you’re craving Italian, here’s a simple solution.
• Greek Style Snapper – If you’re looking for something with a lot of flavor, try this Snapper Greek Style!
• Cheaters Chicken Enchilada Casserole- Bring the taste of Mexico to your home without all of the hard work.

Friday: Fun With Finger Foods

If you have picky eaters they’ll definitely enjoy tonight’s dinner! Forego the silverware and enjoy a night of finger foods (napkins optional.)

Saturday: Slow Cook It

Ah the wonders of a slow cooker. You have the benefit of a “cooked all day meal” without the hassle or mess. Treat yourself to another break by choosing one of the dinner ideas from below.

• Chicken Tortilla Soup - I’ve always wanted to try this myself, this week is just as good a time as any – it helps that this is mostly “open and dump” work.
• Beef Baracoa – An easy recipe with a few variation options to use over and over.
• Italian Sausage Meatball Soup - this looks fantastic, and time for enjoying soup often is winding down with Summer on its way.

Sides

Most dinner’s need a side dish. Here are a few suggestions to get you started.

Desserts

And what dinner is complete without dessert?! Help yourself to a sweet treat from below to make your night time routine complete.

• Cherry Fudge Cheesecake – The perfectly easy and quick dessert for a busy day/night!
• Mexican Wedding Cakes
• Cinnamon Swirl Brioche
• Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Brown Sugar Fudge
• Jam Swirled Cheesecake
• Pumpkin-Pecan Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing

If you have a recipe you think would make a great addition to our weekly meal plan, drop us an e-mail and we’ll include it in the upcoming weeks!