Free Weekly Meal Plans – Week #1

Struggling to come up with dinner ideas to feed your family? These free weekly meal plans are here to take the stress away. Each printable menu comes with 5 main dishes, 2 or 3 side dishes, and a dessert.

In addition, I’m including a grocery list that includes every ingredient you’ll need. Menu planning just got a lot easier!

Meal Plan #1 includes Caramelized Onion Pork Chops, Ground Beef Goulash, Instant Pot Sweet & Spicy Chicken, Chicken Noodle Soup, and Taco Cabbage Skillet with Butterfinger Poke Cake for dessert. 

WHY USE A WEEKLY MEAL PLAN?

• ELIMINATE INDECISION – I can’t tell you how much time I used to waste scouring through cookbooks trying to decide what to make for dinner, sometimes at the last minute. Having a menu plan already decided every week is such a time saver!
• SAVE TIME – Having a complete grocery list all typed up saves all those last minute trips to the store because you’re missing a key ingredient. 
• HINDER IMPULSE BUYS – Planning ahead and having a menu plan also helps save money on all those impulse buys on emergency trips to the store. Tell me we’re not the only ones that end up buying junk food on those “quick trips”. 
• EAT HEALTHIER – I’ve found that when I don’t have a weekly menu plan in place, we end up eating out much more often. The cost of those meals adds up quickly, especially when you have a large family. Not to mention it’s not usually the healthiest option!
• LESS WASTE – In addition, when you have a grocery list customized to your menu, you don’t end up buying a bunch of ingredients that end up in the trash. 

If you want to create your own menu plan, you can always print out a blank menu plan with grocery list and use any recipes you like. 

Weekly Meal Plan #1

CARAMELIZED ONION PORK CHOPS

You only need 5 ingredients to make these flavorful pork chops. The onions turn so soft and sweet that even my non onion fans loved this dish!

I like to serve this dish with a green salad or frozen vegetables, but if you’ve got extra time, whip up some mashed potatoes!

GROUND BEEF GOULASH

This easy dish has been a family favorite for decades. Herbs and spices give it great flavor, and the corn adds a nice hint of sweetness.

Serve it over fluffy rice for a meal the whole family will love! We love it with cheddar cheese, but you can use any kind of cheese your family enjoys.

INSTANT POT SWEET & SPICY CHICKEN

Another simple dish served over rice, you can adjust the spice in this chicken to whatever your family is comfortable with. It’s made in the Instant Pot, so you just toss in the ingredients and walk away. Hooray!

I like serving it with a simple green salad or frozen vegetables. 

CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

You just can’t beat the comfort of a hot bowl of chicken noodle soup on a cold day. This recipe includes instructions for homemade noodles, and they are amazing! 

They really aren’t hard to make, but if you’re pressed for time, you can definitely use store bought. 

I always make homemade rolls to go with this soup, but you can also use frozen dough, canned biscuits, or store bought rolls or bread. 

TACO CABBAGE SKILLET

I love a good skillet meal that’s packed with protein and veggies, and this one fits the bill. The first time I made it, I was afraid my kids would turn up their noses, but they all love it!

Taco flavor for the win!

DESSERT FOR THE WEEK

BUTTERFINGER POKE CAKE

Guys, this cake is sinfully delicious. Totally worth tossing out your New Year’s resolutions for! haha

Make your job a little easier and download weekly meal plan #1!

Click below to download the meal plan for the week.