Menu Plan Monday!!

Hi!! Happy Monday!!
How was your weekend?? 
We ended up getting TONS of rain on Saturday and then the temperatures dropped significantly and we got our first SNOW on Sunday! The kids were so excited and wanted to go out and play in it SO bad- but it was FRIGID. Like so cold it wouldn't have even been fun for them. We are supposed to get some more snow this week and I am hoping it gets just a smidge warmer so they can go (attempt to) build snowmen and make lots of snow angels!

We have a pretty standard week ahead of us- and my focus is to get a fairly easy (and budget friendly) meal on the table every night! Here is what I have planned for our family to eat this week! 

Monday: Meatball Sub Sandwiches and Side Salads
For tonight's dinner, I am using some ground beef I got on sale yesterday at my local Fresh Thyme market and making some super easy meatballs (I use this recipe!) for meatball sub sandwiches! This meal is enjoyed by my whole family- which is not usually the case :) There is always at least ONE person at the dinner table that declares the meal "gross" or is gagging on every bite- HA! So- for my sanity's sake- I try to plan a couple meals every week that I know EVERYONE will enjoy! 

Tuesday: Crock Pot Refried Black Bean Burritos
We are having a meatless meal for Tuesday night's dinner and I am making refried black beans in the crock pot!  My best friend gave me this recipe about 5 years ago (Hi Tara!!!) and since then- this is the only way we eat refried beans anymore- the canned refried beans aren't bad- but these are SO MUCH BETTER!  Here is how you make them:

"Refried Beans" in the Crock pot!

3 cups of dry pinto or black beans (rinsed)

1 onion, peeled & halved

8 cups of water

4 tsp salt

1 3/4 t pepper

2 T minced garlic (I use granulated when I'm in a hurry)

1/8 t ground cumin

Put all the ingredients in a crock pot and cook on high for about 8 hours. **Use a crock pot liner if you have one for easier clean up!** After the beans are soft, drain, reserving the liquid. Mash beans with a potato masher or use an immersion blender to reach the desired consistency. Add liquid, a bit at a time, to desired thickness, remembering they will thicken with time. Add salt and pepper to taste and enjoy! 

(I also add some salsa and cheese to mine and often garlic salt)

I will usually double this recipe and freeze several portions for other meals! 
I am going to use the black beans along with cheese, avocado, sour cream and salsa- to make a killer bean and cheese burrito. I also plan on making some Mexican rice- to either put inside the burrito or on the side!
SO easy, inexpensive and DELICIOUS!

Picture Source

Wednesday: "Easy Dinner Night"- Spaghetti-Os, Applesauce and Green Beans
Aaron has a dinner meeting on Wednesday night- so that means I am doing the least amount of work possible when it comes to dinner :) Luckily- Aldi makes great products like these organic spaghetti-Os (that are quite tasty!) which allows me feed my kids an easy dinner I don't feel too guilty about :) Along with their spaghetti-Os, the kids will have some applesauce- LOVE Aldi's big tub of organic unsweetened applesauce!! and some steamed green beans. Totally what my kids call and "easy dinner" and perfect for a night that daddy won't be home!

Thursday: Peppercini Pork Sandwiches and Steamed Broccoli

So- these "peppercini pork sandwiches" are a spin off of the Pioneer Woman's Drip Beef recipe- which you can find here! Basically- I just sub out the chuck roast that Ree's (oh didn't you know? The Pioneer Woman and I are totally on a first name basis! HA!) recipe calls for and I use a center cut pork loin roast. I picked one up earlier this week at my local Fresh Thyme Market for 1.77/lb- which is such a great price!! The other change I am going to make is instead of using beef consommé- I am just going to add a little bit more water and a beef boullion cube. I am only doing this because I forgot to pick up beef consommé and I am too lazy to go to the store for it! The peppercinis are PERFECT in this recipe- and it makes such a YUMMY sandwich. We love to use the leftovers for pork tacos- which will be on next week's menu!

 Source: Pioneer Woman

Friday: Pizza Night!!
Friday is always pizza and movie night at our house! We love to use the pizza "kit" from Aldi! It is SO easy and one pizza feeds my girls and one pizza feeds my husband :) (I usually have a salad or sandwich for dinner since I avoid eating dairy products). My girls like plain cheese and Aaron puts mushrooms and pepperoni on his pizza.  If you are at Aldi- and are interested in trying one of these pizza kits- they are over by the dry pasta and spaghetti sauces!!

Saturday: Turkey Burgers, Seasoned Potato Wedges and Steamed Green Beans
Since it is going to be freezing here all week- I thought I would bring a little summer to our weekend and have one our favorite meals we eat ALL the time during the summer- grilled turkey burgers! Lucky for me- my husband will grill in any kind of weather- so I know he won't mind firing up the grill in 20 degree weather to make our burgers! HA! I have some leftover russet potatoes from a roast I made last Sunday- so I am going to slice those up and make some oven baked potato wedges. Since Ina Garten cannot do wrong in my opinion- I am going to follow her recipe when I make them! A yummy and fairly easy meal for a low key weekend night- sounds good to me! :)

source

Sunday: Grilled Turkey Sausage, Mac N Cheese and Steamed Peas
We really like the turkey kielbasa from Aldi- it is pre-cooked- so all you have to do is broil it, or you can brown it in a skillet on the stove top or grill it! My kids are NUTS about macaroni and cheese- so I am going to be the "best mom ever" and make that with some steamed peas to go alongside our turkey sausage. Definitely nothing fancy- but I know it will be tasty and get eaten up by my crew! Momma doesn't need any battles on Sunday night before we head back into the school/work week! HA!

What's on your menu for the week? Are you a "regular" meal planner? Or is it a new goal of your's for the New Year? I know for us, budget wise, eating out is not an option- so planning our meals out for the week is SO helpful!! My kids and hubby get HANGRY right around 5:30 pm every night- so it is in my best interest to have a plan of action for dinner! HA!

If you are trying out any new recipes this week- share them with me!! I ALWAYS need new recipes!!

Hope you have a great day!!

I am linking up with Laura today!