Weekly Menu Plan Week 41 is all about favorites like chili, schmancy tacos, beef stew, FABULOUS cheeseburgers, and shrimp pasta! Can I get an Amen-Yum?!
Oh my word! Can you believe that it’s the end of January already? I’m having a really hard time with that at the moment. Maybe that is because the landscape of our winters have changed this year. Winter was once a respite between soccer seasons, but no more. Gone are the days of stolen weeknight hours and leisurely weekends spent on the slopes. Now our weeknights and Saturdays are spent in dry, sweaty gymnasiums. Rather than hearing the rustling of wind in the trees while watching the snow fall, we’re enveloped in a cacophony of thumping basketballs. Not quite as idyllic as a day on the slopes, but fun for the boys nonetheless.
Spending close to twenty hours a week in a gym means the dinner either has to be made in an Instant Pot pressure cooker or in my trusty crock pot. Beyond that, menu planning is key to us eating delicious dinners at home. The Weekly Menu Plan Week 41 is full of dinners that are easy to make ahead of time or throw together on busy weeknights.
One of my favorite things about teaching my boys to cook is that sometimes they volunteer to cook dinner! Such is the case with Son #1’s Soon-to-be-Famous Chili. His chili recipe is thick and meaty, just the way a chili should be. He whips up a big pot of chili and lets it simmer for dinner. The next day, the leftover chili makes great burrito filling, taco salad topper, or nacho fodder. Boy, I love cooking a single meal the easily morphs into so many others. Especially when I wasn’t the one to cook it!
I take my tacos very seriously, so believe me when I tell you that Taco Tuesday is extra delicious this week! Jenni/Pastry Chef Online’s Beef Cheek and Cabbage Tacos are the bomb dot com. She takes a cheap, tough cut of meat (beef cheeks), slowly braises them in tasty liquid until they’re tender. The simple cabbage topper is just perfect along with homemade guacamole, and served on homemade flour tortillas.
Holy guacamole is all I can say about Jenni’s Smashed Bacon Double Cheeseburgers! I mean, just look at that handsome guy! She uses a burger iron to get the perfect crust and sear on the grass fed beef burger. She calls it possibly the best burger ever, and I have to agree! All it needs is a side of spicy sweet potato oven fries to sweeten the deal. Hubba-hubba!
Sarah/The Chef Next Door serves up a hearty Chuck Wagon Beef Stew on Thursday. Tender beef, potatoes, and carrots are such a classic. I suggest placing the leftovers in a stoneware baking dish and topping them with mashed potatoes before baking them Shepherd’s Pie style another night.
I’m crushing on Cheryl/Pook’s Pantry’s Garlic Shrimp. This simple, Spanish-inspired dish can be served in larger portions for dinner, or small plate tapas style for parties. Whatever you do, be sure to have a thick slice of bread at-the-ready to sop up the tasty sauce.
Cheryl’s Citrus Sunshine Cooler brightens up even the dreariest of winter days. Fresh brewed tea mixed with orange juice, sliced citrus fruits, and mint is sure to bring the feeling of warm, summery days to the forefront. I like keeping a pitcher of this sunny bevy in the fridge to sip on all week long.
I’m a firm believer in ending every week on a sweet note to bring a smile to my family’s faces. One of our favorites is my Banana Cream Pie with Chocolate Crust. The chocolate cookie-like “sable” crust is the perfect accompaniment to the creamy custard, freshly whipped cream, and toffee pieces scattered over top. This pie recipe is a keeper!
Which recipes will you be keeping from Weekly Menu Plan Week 41?
We want to know what you’re craving!
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