If you’re like me, you sometimes find yourself in a meal-planning rut, fixing the same menu items over and over.
In an effort to mix things up a little bit, I’m adding a new feature to my blog: a weekly menu plan. Hopefully, my family’s weekly menu plan will give you some ideas for your own dinner table. Who knows? You just might find your new favorite recipe.
Monday – Spaghetti and Meatballs. I had originally planned a cookout for Monday, but since I had just harvested some extra tomatoes from the garden, I mixed up some homemade spaghetti sauce instead.
Tuesday – Crockpot Jambalaya. This is our busy day this week, complete with afternoon piano lessons and evening AWANA kickoff, so I decided to try this new Jambalaya recipe. Hopefully, the crockpot version will taste just as yummy.
Wednesday – Roasted Chicken. This meal is a definite staple at our house, namely because I can use the leftovers in so many recipes. If you haven’t ever roasted a whole chicken before, just preheat the oven to 500 degrees, cover the chicken with seasoned salt, place it in a covered Dutch oven, and cook for one hour.
Thursday – Lasagna Roll-Ups. The beauty of the roll-up version of this Italian staple is that it’s so easy to modify. Don’t like meat? Don’t add it. Can’t eat cheese? Leave it out.
Friday – Calzones. Mmmmm, mmmmm, mmmm. That’s all I have to say about this one!
Saturday – Chicken Pot Pie. Use the leftovers from your roasted chicken in your favorite chicken pot pie recipe.
Sunday – Tatertot casserole, crockpot style.
Where did you get the magnetic paper for your meals?
Check out this how-to post, where I add links for the products I used to create a magnetic menu plan: http://2019.simplelifeandhome.com/2012/10/01/menu-planning-made-easy-in-four-simple-steps/
Thanks for including my crock pot jambalaya recipe a try! I hope your family likes it as much as we do. It does require a little additional labor of love, but totally worth it. Here is an additional tip to make it quicker: Upon your arrival from home you’ll need to add the rice to the crock-pot and let it cook… the last 30 minutes is when you add the shrimp. This is the best most authentic way to get the cajun flavors in the rice. I’ve also learned a “cheat” way… remove as much of the liquid as possible and cook the rice in a rice cooker with the jambalaya juices! Add the shrimp to the crock pot at the same time you are cooking the rice in the rice cooker. Mix the cooked rice in the crock pot and let it marry together a little longer then serve!
Thank you, Katie. Great tips, all. We are just sitting down to the table to try it now! I’m always looking for new crockpot recipes to help out on those extra busy days, and I think this one will make the list!