Weekly Meal Plan {One Sweet Mess}

I’m excited to launch this weekly meal plan series on One Sweet Mess. I decided to start planning a weekly menu after arriving home from the grocery store more often than I’d like to admit with a load of food items but not a single group of ingredients to create an actual meal.

I’m pretty crafty in the kitchen and love to improvise when necessary, but when you want to make marinara and come home with everything but the tomatoes, changes need to me implemented. After a few short weeks of creating weekly menus and making grocery lists, the effort has proven to be extremely beneficial. Not only does it save me time and money (loads of money!), but it has also kept my sanity intact.

Life gets hectic. Trust me, I know. Since I’m all ready doing the legwork and planning a weekly menu for myself, I thought I would take the information I gather and turn it into a printable menu/grocery list to make your lives easier too. Everything is mapped out and ready for you to use. All you have to do is print the recipes and the grocery list and you’re golden.

Every Friday I will feature a new 5-day menu with a corresponding grocery list. The grocery list is divided into categories: dairy, meat, canned goods, produce, etc. I even list the items you should have on hand and stocked in your pantry. If you need help stocking your pantry, visit The Pantry section to help guide you.

My goal is to make your trip to the grocery store a heck of a lot easier and maybe even a little more enjoyable. Most of all, I want you to enjoy your time in the kitchen. Cooking shouldn’t cause panic attacks.

 

I hope you love this series as much as I do. I’m still learning as I go along, so I’m always open to suggestions. If there’s something that would be helpful to you, please feel free to leave me a comment and I’ll try to integrate it as best I can.

With that being said, pop a bottle of vino and get in the kitchen!

Monday

Chicken Enchilada Skillet | www.themessybakerblog.com

Chicken Enchilada Skillet | This one-pot meal comes together in under 30 minutes. It’s loaded with bold flavor, hearty chunks of chicken, and fresh veggies. It tastes great served over white rice.

Tuesday

Lemon Risotto | www.themessybakerblog.com

Lemon Risotto | This creamy rice dish is bright, vibrant, and extremely filling. A little white wine gets added to the dish for an extra burst of flavor. If you find yourself without a bottle of white wine, you can substitute extra chicken stock.

Wednesday

Chipotle Barbecue Lamb Kabobs

Chipotle Barbecue Lamb Kabobs from Chocolate Moosey | I love a good lamb dish, and these kabobs grill up in no time. Feel free to add your own variety of veggies to the kabobs, just make sure you add the items to your grocery list. Since this is a weeknight meal, I replaced the homemade bbq sauce that the recipe lists for a bottle of your favorite store-bought sauce. If you’re feeling like an over achiever, go head and make the homemade bbq sauce, but, again, you’ll need to add the items to the grocery list if you decide to go that route.

If you’re unable to locate lamb, or you’re not a fan, you can use a tender cut beef instead–a sirloin tip would make a great substitute.

Thursday

Mediterranean Chicken & Grilled Veggie Salad with Hummus and Lemon Tahini Dressing

Mediterranean Chicken & Grilled Veggie Salad | Ah, it doesn’t get much easier than a salad. Grilled chicken and seasonal veggies make this salad into the main course that it is, and a dollop of hummus adds flair. The only unusual ingredient–though not so uncommon these days–is tahini, but I had no problem finding a jar at my local grocery store. If you can’t find tahini, feel free to replace the homemade Lemon Tahini Dressing with your favorite Greek dressing.

Friday

Jalapeno Popper Pizza

Jalapeno Popper Pizza from Damn Delicious | This pizza is a delicious twist on the classic jalapeño popper appetizer. Since Friday is all about easy food, this pie is sure to be a crowd pleaser. Since it’s Friday, we’re going to take advantage of the pre-made pizza dough at the grocery store.

Printable Menu + Grocery List

Week of August 3rd 2015 Meal Plan + Grocery ListClick here for this week’s weekly menu and grocery list. For more meal plans, visit The Menu section.