48 Weekly Dinner Plans

The general formula is to cook or prepare three big dinner batches on one day of the week and order in on Fridays. Lately, I've been able to make one batch on Saturday and two on Sunday and that works just fine - especially now that the littlest one is finally able to entertain himself with kitchen tupperware, pots and pans. Here is what we ate for dinner over a six month period:

December 27 - January 1

• Indian Food
• Chimi Churi Rice
• Tuna Cazuela x2
• Linguine
• Chicken Pie

December 20 - December 25

• Crab Cakes on Salad
• Mustard Chicken and Gruyere Potato Gratin
• Pizza x2
• Fish & Chips
• Christmas Dinner!

December 13 - December 18

• Ravioli with Bolognese Sauce
• Chili and Corn Bread x2
• Chicken atop Arugula Salad
• Pasta with Sausage
• Ham with Gruyere Potato Gratin

December 6 - December 11

• Salmon Burgers
• Pasta Carbonara
• Afghan Chicken and Cauliflower x2
• Chimi Churi Rice
• Ham with Roasted Root Veggies

November 29 - December 4

• Chicken Soup with Baked Acorn Squash 
• Pasta with Garlic Bread
• Roast Chicken and Broccoli x2
• Baked Polenta
• Ham with Roasted Root Veggies

November 22 - November 27

• Tuna Cazuela x2
• Pork Chops with Apple Sauce and Steamed Veggies
• Ravioli
• Chicken Satay 
• Date Night Out and Thanksgiving this week!

November 22 - November 27

• Tuna Cazuela x2
• Pork Chops with Apple Sauce and Steamed Veggies
• Ravioli
• Chicken Satay 
• A Date Night Out!

November 22 - November 27

• Tuna Cazuela x2
• Pork Chops with Apple Sauce and Steamed Veggies
• Ravioli
• Chicken Satay

November 15 - November 20

• BLTs
• Hard Boiled Eggs and Chickpea Salad
• Fish and Rice
• Fishermans Pie
• Roast Chicken and Veggies
• Pizza

November 8 - November 13 (This week I cashed in all my freezer dinners!)

• Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie with Beef Roast
• Macaroni & Cauliflower
• Pasta with marinara Sauce
• Fish & Chips
• Chicken Pie
• Lasagna

November 1 - November 6

• Puttanesca with Salad and Garlic Bread x2
• Duck Salad
• Broccoli and Cheese Quiche
• Crab Cakes on Salad
• Mustard Chicken, Spinach and Scallop Potatos

October 25 - October 30

• Salmon and Green Beans
• Mediterranean Wraps
• Puff Pastry Chicken with Roasted Root Veggies
• Enchiladas x2
• Tamales

October 18 - October 23

• Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna x2
• Pork loin stirfry with Rice x2
• BLTs
• Fish & Chips with Garlic Spinach

 October 11 - October 16

• Baked Polenta and Basil with Marinara Sauce
• Pizza
• Chicken and Rice Soup and Bread
• Spaghetti with Marinara Sauce
• Chicken and Rice Soup and Salad

October 4 - October 9

• Stuffed Cypriot Chicken with Cauliflower
• Stuffed Cypriot Chicken with Baked Asparagus and Tomatoes 
• Empanadas x2
• Ravioli and Garlic Bread
• Lemon Chicken Pasta

September 27 - October 2

• Carrot Ginger Soup, Chicken Provencal and Parsnip Chips
• Summer Lasagna x2
• Crab Cakes and Arugula Salad
• Chicken Provencal with Rice and Steamed Veggies
• Curried Chicken Salad Sandwiches

September 20 - September 25

• Chicken Satay and Gyozas x2
• Broccoli Orriciette with Melon and Prociutto Salad x2
• Jambalaya with Corn Bread and Arugala Salad x2

September 13 - September 18

• Pregnant Jools Pasta x2
• Empanadas x2
• Parma Pizza x2

September 6 - September 11

• Pasta with home made marinara sauce one night and Polenta another
• Beef Hash with Bacon and Butter Beans one night and Broccoli another
• Baked Salmon with Jazzed-up Rice one night and atop a Salad another

August 30 - September 4

• Summer Pasta with Heirloom Tomatoes x 2
• Chili and Corn Bread
• Grilled Sausages and Veggies
• Sausage and Veggies Curry with Naan Bread

August 23 - 28

• Orange Chicken and Rice
• Spinach and Gruyere Omelet 
• Cauliflower Macaroni x 2
• Chicken Pie x 2

August 18 - 21

• Baja Fish Tacos and onion rings
• Spaghetti and meatballs
• Ravioli with Garlic and Parsley Ciabatta
• Fried Rice and Roast Chicken

We were in San Francisco last weekend, so there was no weekend dinner prep- so I will be winging it with easy dinners for this short week and will get back to the meal planning on Saturday :)
 
August 9 - 14

• Empanadas with a side of Green Beans & Bacon
• Empanadas with Buttered Corn on the Cob on the side
• Crab Cakes with grilled Onions and Asparagus and Freshly-baked Pop-overs
• Crab Cake Sandwiches
• BLTs with California Avocado
• Bacon and Egg Chop Salad

August 2 - 7

• Chinese Chicken Salad with Crispy Wontons
• Chicken Cazuela with Arugula and Endive Salad
• Shepherd's Pie with Arugula and Bell Pepper Salad

I'm thinking that a berry cobbler or a trifle might be a nice way to lighten up the shepherd's pie.

July 26 - 31

• Asparagus and Onion Tart with Arugula and Smoked Salmon Salad (for 2 nights)
• Tri-tip Burritos with Black Beans and Amazing Guacamole
• Chicken Quesadillas
• La Maddalena Pizza with Heirloom Tomato Caprese Salad
• 1/2 & 1/2 BBQ Chicken Pizza

This week really turned out nice once I added in the freshly baked cookies, macaroons, and drinks like home-made lemonade and michaladas. I told my kids that the tart was a big cracker so they happily ate up the onion/asparagus pie- success!

July 19 - 25

• Tri-tip and Grilled Veggies
• Grilled Veggie Pasta with Parmesan
• Tray-Baked Chicken and Squashed Potatoes
• Curried Chicken and Chickpeas with Naan
• Chicken Satay and Gyozas
• Tri-tip or Chicken on Arugula Salad

This week is my attempt to increase the amount of iron in William's diet. It is a little more meaty than we usually eat so I felt the need to add more variety, hence the six different dishes...

July 12 - 17

• Mahi Mahi, Beet & Macadamia Nut Salad (for 2 nights)
• Pregnant Jool's Pasta with Arugula Salad one night and Endive Salad for the other
• Spinach and Feta Filo Pie with Cucumber Salad and Frangipane Tarts (for 2 nights)

We discovered the pairing of beets and toasted macadamia nuts as an accident four years ago; it is amazing! For the other two batch dinners, I am pulling my Jamie Oliver cook book off the shelf for his awesome recipes. This is going to be a great week of dinners!

July 5 - July 10

• White Chili with Cornbread (for 2 nights)
• General Tsao Chicken Legs with Japanese Fried Rice and Sunomono Salad
• Baked Salmon and Prosciutto-wrapped Asparagus spears
• Bacon, Cheddar, and Leek Quiche with Arugula Salad (for 2 nights)

Hope everyone had a happy July 4!

June 28 - July 3

• Spaghetti and Meatballs
• Pizza Party for Will's 1st birthday
• Party leftovers
• Baked Salmon and Asparagus
• Enchiladas x 2 nights

Sunday is William's first birthday (!) and we are having an Italian Pizza Party themed celebration. To give me time to set up the night before, I am pulling the extra meatballs from the wedding soup and extra marinara sauce from last week's polenta from the freezer to make spaghetti and meatballs.

 June 21 - 26

• Italian Wedding Soup and Soffioni di Ricotta for dessert
• Smoked Salmon on Salad with Toasted Baguette
• Fried Polenta topped with homemade Marinara and Palmiers & Gananche for dessert
• Italian Wedding Soup and Corn Bread
• Roast Chicken atop Salad with Corn Bread
• Baked Polenta, Mozzarella and Basil with a Side Salad

For variety, I serve different accompaniments with the main dish. I'll be serving the wedding soup with sliced baguette one night and with corn bread the next night. We'll have garlic bread with the polenta one night and a salad with the polenta dish the other night. I love all three of these dinners so I am looking forward to this week!

June 14 - 19

• Stuffed Bell Peppers and Salad for two nights
• Chicken Pie and Salad one night and Chicken Salad another night
• Butternut Ravioli with herb-butter and brown sugar
• Beef Ravioli and Salad

I had planned on making Chicken Soup, but Simon (my husband) put in a request for Chicken Pie. I am a sucker for making the food he asks for, hence the last second switch-a-roo. I also made some fantastic Persimmon and Chocolate Chip Muffins this week too.

June 11 - June 13

• Penne pasta with Italian sausage, roasted red bell pepper and basil
• Baked penne pasta with arugula salad
• Fish, chips, and sauteed garlic spinach

This is a short week as we just returned from our trip- we had a great time!

May 31- June 10

• I'm taking this period off from cooking as we will be in England for a family reunion!

May 24 - May 30

• Roast Chicken and Brussels sprouts one night and with potato another night
• Broccoli Orecchiette & Zucchini Salad one night, Arugula and Endive Salad another night
• Chicken Floutas with Black Bean Rice and Sour Cream
• Carrot cake cup cakes
• Frangipane Tarts

It is my little boy's second birthday so it is time to have some cupcakes!

May 17 - May 23

• Baja Fish Tacos
• Hamburgers and Cheeseburgers
• Pasta dish: Trapani-style Rigatoni with Grilled Endive salad one night and Arugula Salad another night
• Salad (two nights): Smoked Salmon atop Salad, Grilled Chicken atop Salad

Last week we were going to have the fish tacos but it was nearing 100F in our house and I couldn't bring myself to turn the oven on. You see, we live in a converted hay barn, originally built in 1898, that has no insulation to keep the place cool during hot spells and an old 1949 O'Keeffe and Merritt gas oven that radiates heat when turned on. We went to Wholefoods for dinner instead; now it is time to eat those tacos.

May 10 - May 16

• Pork Loin, yellow squash & green onions, grilled and served atop salad (Sat) Pork Loin in a stir fry (Mon)
• Chicken and Pork Pozole & Corn Bread (Sun & Tues)
• Fish & Chips (Thurs) Baja Fish Tacos (Wed)

This week I'll have no time on Tuesday and won't be home for dinner on Thursday so I've arranged the meal order to cater to our family's schedule. With a nice sunny week ahead, this Baja inspired dinner plan should be perfect! The pork loin is used in three dinners and cabbage is an ingredient in both the pozole (as a garnish) and the fish tacos.

May 3 - May 9

• Pasta with Veggies, Butter and Parmesan (Sat) Puglia Pasta (Mon)
• Chicken Dishes:  Udon with Chicken, Egg and Green Onions (Sun) Mustard Chicken with Snap peas and Mashed potatoes (Wed)
• Mexican Casserole and Arugula Salad (Tues & Thurs)
• Mushroom and Spinach Quiche for lunches
• Chocolate chip cookies

I admit that this week is not really the usual 3 batch dinner plan I use... However, when I made the chicken for the udon, I cooked enough extra chicken to use in the mustard chicken dinner later in the week. The pasta dishes are both so fast and easy that I will cook each on the night we eat them.The Mexican casserole is a true batch dinner and very well may end up to be three nights worth of dinner.

April 26 - May 2

• Tuna Cazuela
• Chicken and Veggie BBQ atop Bulgar one night, Chicken chopped salad another night
• Lasagna (sausage and grilled veggies)

April 18 -25

• Fisherman's Pie
• Easter BBQ
• Empanadas

April 12 - 17
Grilled Pizza!
Chicken Soup
Penne Pasta (with lots of chopped veggies hidden in the sauce)

April 5 - April 11
Grilled Sausages and Veggies
Roast Chicken and Summer Squash one night, Chicken Salad another night
Grilled Veggies with Butterfly Pasta tossed with Butter and Parmesan

March 30-April 4
Spaghetti with Meatballs and Garlic Bread, Meatball Sandwiches the second night
Cauliflower Macaroni, Salad (Fennel and radish one night, Arugula another night), and Stewed Plumbs
Chilli (using the leftover meatloaf) and Cornbread for two nights

March 23-29
Puff Pastry Dinners: Asparagus and Gruyere Cheese Tart, Langostino & Asparagus Newberg
Enchiladas: Chicken and Olive, Green Chili and Cheese
Meat Loaf and Gruyere and Potato Gratin
     Sugar Cookies with Lemon Glaze
     Macaroons dipped in Chocolate
     Brownies with Vanilla Ice Cream
*It was Spring break so I was home with the boys and of course, they alternated naps the whole time. As I was stuck in the house, I had a baking spree!

March 16-22
Jambalaya with an Arugula Salad with Sauteed Asparagus and Mushrooms on top
Pork Tamales (verde one night, red another) and Salad
Baked Polenta with Focaccia

March 9-15
Baked Salmon, Rice & Veggies, Zucchini Salad
Chicken Pie with Arugula Salad
Beef Hash, Black Eyed Peas &  Bacon, Baked Potato
Zucchini, Carrot, and Walnut Muffins

March 2-8
Roast Chicken and Vegetables (roots & brussels) one night and atop a Salad the next
BBQ Chicken Pizza (x2 nights)
Pork Loin with Asparagus and Green Onions one night and atop a Salad the next
Chocolate Chunk & Walnut Cookies

Feb 23-Mar 1
Left-overs from last week
Fish and Chips
Baked Chicken, Mushroom Risotto, and Palmiers & Gananche
Mustard Chicken and Creamed Spinach
Linguine Alla Puttanesca

Feb16-22
Baked Penne Pasta dish
Tamales (frozen from TJs) with rice, sour cream & salsa
La Maddalena Pizza
Quiche: Spinach, leek and gruyere cheese
Blueberry muffins

Feb 9-15
Wonton Soup
White Chili
Chicken Provencal
Banana, walnut, and chocolate chip muffins

• Notes: Each dinner should feed the family for two nights, for six nights of food. Have take out, pizza delivered, or left-overs for the seventh night. It saves $ if you meal plan, saves loads of clean-up time, and makes the rest of the week less stressful. I've been doing it for 7 months now and it as been a life-saver for our family.