Meal Planning – Dinners for the Week

The weekends I am in New York, I really try to take advantage of the time I have not spent unpacking and cleaning up after a weekend trip, but in planning the meals ahead. I thought that I would share my meal plan this week for you guys—maybe it will help in your own planning!

I prepped everything for the meals I plan to make this week on Sunday, so that when I get home from work each evening, I just need to cook the meals—everything is chopped and in their own separate bags (I find chopping and measuring to be the most time consuming).

Sunday - Roasted Chicken, Basil Mashed Potatoes and Roasted Carrots and Parsnips

I prepped the meal for Sunday when I did the rest of the meal preps, as Alex and I were going to a County Fair on the West Side of Manhattan—I would not have time to prep when we got home, so I laid everything out before we left (and cooked the chicken), so I just had to reheat and finish the meal—total prep time before dinner was on the table after we got home from the fair was 30 minutes!  

Monday – Avocado and Cheese Paninis with Tomato Soup

This sandwich is our go-to for a quick meal. I often use a mix of cheeses on the grilled cheese (cheddar, Monterey jack and mozzarella) and will substitute the avocado for turkey bacon quite frequently. I don’t have a Panini press, so I just butter the bread on both sides, add the cheese and avocado, place on a frying pan (over medium high heat) and add weight to the top of the bread to flatten (I use a large pan for the weight). I turn over about five minutes into cooking. 

This time, I decided to make my own soup, but it was so easy that it might as well of come from a can and it was delicious—even Alex liked it. He called it “his favorite”!

INGREDIENTS

28 ounce can of San Marzano tomato puree

1/3 cup of heavy cream

Garlic salt (generous)

Salt (dash)

Dried basil (generous)

DIRECTIONS

1.       Mix all ingredients in a sauce pan.

2.       Serve warm. 

Tuesday – ChickenPot Pie

I will use almost all of the Sunday night leftovers for this meal. I have already cut up the chicken, leftover parsnips and carrots and put in a separate bag. The rest of the meal is also prepped. Instead of making a crust for the pot pie, though, I am taking the easy way out and making chive/parmesan biscuits using Bisquick—easy and tasty. 

Wednesday – Dinner Out

Andy often plays soccer on Wednesday, so I usually end up taking Alex out to dinner, just the two of us. I love these evenings with just us—we often stop for ice cream on the way home (if the weather is nice).

Thursday – Penne Shrimp Pasta in a Parmesan & Red Pepper Cream Sauce

I have never made this meal before, but I figured I would try it—it has pasta and a cream sauce and is topped with cheese, so hopefully Alex will like it!

Friday – Pizza

I am not above throwing a frozen pizza in the oven. I usually buy just a basic frozen cheese pizza and top with turkey pepperoni and slices of fresh mozzarella because it makes me feel as if I am making it semi-homemade, even though I am really not. But, by the time Friday rolls around, I am spent and this is about all I can muster to do.