Free Weekly Meal Plan – Family Dinner Menu Ideas (Week 2)

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Free Weekly Meal Plan – Family Dinner Menu Ideas (Week 2)

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Free Weekly Meal Plan


Today is a MEAL PLAN MONDAY!  It feels like it was yesterday when I published my first meal plan – hard to believe that it’s already been a week :)  Now we are on week 2 of my FREE weekly meal plans, and if you missed the previous one, here’s the link for a free meal plan for week 1.

To recap, my free weekly meal plans feature the following:

  • 5 yummy dinner recipes that are easy to make!
  • Pictures of the recipes, so you can visualize what you’ll be cooking!
  • Shopping list with all recipe ingredients!
  • A tasty dessert recipe for a weekly sweet treat!

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FREE Family Meal Plan – Week 2

Monday Dinner Idea – Roasted Chicken Legs And Thighs With Potatoes

how to make chicken legs with potatoes

Roasted chicken with potatoes is a universally liked classic recipe!  I am using the dark meat (chicken legs and thighs) because it’s more forgiving – it doesn’t dry out like chicken breast, and makes enough juices to flavor the potatoes.  Just throw everything on the baking sheet, and check back in an hour to get a delicious dinner out of the oven!

Recipe link: How To Make Roasted Chicken With Potatoes

Tuesday Dinner Idea – Cajun Dirty Rice With Ground Beef

how to make dirty rice with ground beef

This is not a typo :) If you haven’t heard of “dirty rice”, it is a classic Cajun and Creole dish.  It’s called dirty rice because white rice gets a “dirty” color from other ingredients.

This recipe is very easy to make – just stir-fry cooked rice with ground beef, vegetables and seasonings.  It’s a great one-dish meal – and the less dishes you need to wash, the better!

Recipe link: Cajun Dirty Rice Recipe With Ground Beef

Wednesday Dinner Idea: Portobello Pizza

How To Make Portobello Pizza

This “pizza” is using a large portobello mushroom cap as a pizza crust, making a low-carb and gluten-free alternative to pizza!  Portobello mushroom cap is topped with fresh mozzarella cheese, fresh basil leaves and cherry tomatoes.

All you need to do is to assemble the pizzas and bake them in the oven – so easy, healthy and delicious!

Recipe link: Portobello Pizza With Cherry Tomatoes, Fresh Mozzarella And Basil

Thursday Dinner Idea – Grilled Salmon Salad

how to make healthy grilled salmon salad

This healthy main dish salad is a great way to get more fish into your diet!  Grilled or pan-fried salmon fillet is served on top of delicious salad made with lettuce, tomatoes and onions with extra-virgin olive oil and vinegar dressing.

Recipe Link: Grill Salmon Main Dish Salad Recipe

Friday Dinner Idea – Pasta With Chicken, Mushrooms And Asparagus

how to make pasta recipe with chicken mushrooms asparagus

This is as healthy of a pasta recipe as it can get!  Pasta is mixed with cooked chicken breast, asparagus, mushrooms, tomatoes, minced garlic and olive oil.  You can use any pasta shapes, as well as any kind of pasta – regular, whole-wheat or even gluten-free.

Recipe Link: Pasta Recipe With Chicken, Mushroom And Asparagus

Weekly Dessert Idea: Chocolate-Covered Strawberries

How To Make Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Everybody loves chocolate-covered strawberries, and you no longer have to go to a gourmet shop to get them.  Did you know that making chocolate-covered strawberries yourself is really easy?  All you need to do is melt the chocolate chips in a microwave and dip the strawberries in that melted chocolate!

Recipe Link: Chocolate Covered Strawberries Recipe
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Meal Plan Shopping List

Roasted Chicken Legs And Thighs With Potatoes

  • 2 lbs chicken legs and/or thighs
  • 2 lbs potatoes
  • 2 tbsp chicken seasoning mix

Cajun Dirty Rice With Ground Beef

  • 2 cups rice
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 2 onions
  • 2 carrots
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1 can (15 oz) green peas, drained
  • 1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
  • 4 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 tbsp Cajun seasoning
  • ½ tsp salt

Portobello Pizza

  • 1 container (8 oz) fresh mozzarella
  • 4 large portobello mushroom caps
  • 1 package (8 oz) cherry tomatoes
  • 1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
  • 1 small bunch fresh basil leaves
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp pepper

Grilled Salmon Salad

  • 1 lb salmon fillets
  • 4 cups salad greens
  • 4 tomatoes
  • 1 onion
  • 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tsp vinegar
  • 1½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp pepper

Pasta With Chicken, Mushrooms And Asparagus

  • 1 lb pasta
  • 1 lb skinless boneless chicken breast, sliced into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 lb mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 lb asparagus, trimmed and chopped
  • 1 can (14 oz) chopped tomatoes
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 6 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp pepper

Chocolate-Covered Strawberries

  • 1 package (1 lb) strawberries
  • 1 package (8 oz) chocolate chips
  • 1 tbsp butter

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22 Comments

  1. This is a genius idea, Melanie! Super convenient! Salmon salad is a go-to for me, so I MUST try yours! Can’t wait to follow along with all your weekly meal plans – and thanks for doing all the thinking and planing for us procrastinators! ;) Cheers, girlfriend!

    1. Thanks Cheyanne! I’m also normally a procrastinator when it comes to meal planning, but by publically committing to posting a weekly meal plan I can’t procrastinate anymore ? In the long run, these meal plans really save a lot of time and money!

  2. A fantastic selection of delicious meals to choose from Melanie. :-)

    My personal favourite this week, from this selection, one I’m pinning for future is your portobello pizza. Cherry tomatoes, basil leaves, mozzarella that’s such a tasty combination. And when you put it all in a portobello mushroom, I can only imagine it’s total yum!! :D

  3. Heck yeah! I’m loving the ideas here, Melanie…especially the dirty rice. I have a soft spot for anything Cajun or Creole! I’m thinking we need a dirty rice night around here soon…thanks for sharing the idea. Hope your week is off to a great start! :-)

  4. It’s such a good idea to have a weekly meal planner. A great way to save time and money! I haven’t ever used a meal planner but I know I should – it’s just with older adults living in the house I never know how many will be home for dinner. You have some great suggestions here; I’m loving the chicken and potatoes cooked on the same tray and the mushroom pizza looks simple but tasty xx

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