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  1. Tuesday, November 7, 2023

    Week 780 Dinner Menu

    Hello! We’re a little late this week, but better late than never!

    Week 780 weekly dinner menu from This Week for Dinner

    MONDAY:

    • $9 burger night at Barrel Republic (used to be $5 not too long ago…alas!)

    TUESDAY:

    WEDNESDAY:

    • Lemony Italian chicken pasta

    THURSDAY:

    • Santa Maria tri-tip with mashed potatoes and salad

    FRIDAY:

    • Leftovers

    SATURDAY:

    • Takeout night

    SUNDAY:

    • Smoked short rib, roasted potatoes and salad (we ended up going to Universal Studios last Sunday, so moving this to this week!)

    You know the drill…share your own meal plan in the comments below! Have a great week!


  2. Sunday, October 29, 2023

    Week 779 Dinner Menu

    Hello! Not only is Owen, my 12-year-old, excited to cook with me now, he actually popped right out of his room when I asked if he wanted to come plan a menu. He is such a great motivator for me these days!

    Week 779 weekly dinner menu plan

    MONDAY:

    • Hamburgers

    TUESDAY:

    WEDNESDAY:

    THURSDAY:

    FRIDAY:

    • Leftovers

    SATURDAY:

    • Eat out night

    SUNDAY:

    • Smoked short rib, roasted potatoes and salad

    Looking forward to seeing your menus!


  3. Sunday, October 22, 2023

    Week 778 Weekly Menu…and Hello Again!

    Hello everyone! It’s been a while. Probably the longest while of me disappearing from the blog, meal planning, cooking…all of it! It has been a crazy couple of months, with Cate heading off to college in the midst of it all. I truly have been barely cooking dinner at all, let alone planning ahead. I’m okay with that. We all go through seasons. And I’ve gotten more disciplined in other parts of my life, so just chalking it all up to balance and figuring out what that balance is.

    Week 778 weekly dinner menu from This Week for Dinner

    Owen, who is now in sixth grade, has been really cute cooking with me when we have gotten around to making dinner. So I’m going to get him a little more involved with the planning and cooking. So, here’s our first menu in a long while! And here’s to keeping it up going forward!

    MONDAY:

    • Breakfast for dinner: Pancakes and eggs

    TUESDAY:

    • Chicken Enchiladas Verde

    WEDNESDAY:

    THURSDAY:

    • Eat out after Owen’s first middle school orchestra concert!

    FRIDAY:

    • Leftovers

    SATURDAY:

    • Eat out

    SUNDAY:

    Can’t wait to see your weekly meal plan in the comments below! It’s been so long, excited to see your names and ideas again!


  4. Tuesday, August 15, 2023

    Week 777 Weekly Menu

    Hey everyone! I’m a little late this week. But better late than never! 

    week 777 weekly dinner menu plan

    MONDAY:

    • Eat out at Panera Bread

    TUESDAY:

    • Pancakes (because I’m just now planning the menu and it’s Tuesday at 3:30 pm and clearly I’m not getting to the store today!)

    WEDNESDAY:

    • Chicken Enchiladas Verde

    THURSDAY:

    FRIDAY:

    SATURDAY:

    • Family BBQ and swim party

    SUNDAY:

    • Leftovers

    Orange text. Black text


  5. Sunday, August 6, 2023

    Week 776 Weekly Menu

    I hope all of you are having a wonderful summer! Our summer travel is now officially done (and it was wonderful!) and we are all so ready to not eat out. Our family is in desperate need of the weekly menu and home cooked meals. Oh…and we saw Taylor Swift at SoFi in LA this week and I have to jump on the “WOW, THAT CONCERT!” bandwagon! Believe the hype. My goodness.

    Week 776 weekly dinner plan from This Week for Dinner

    MONDAY:

    TUESDAY:

    WEDNESDAY:

    THURSDAY:

    • Leftovers

    FRIDAY:

    SATURDAY:

    • Eat out night

    SUNDAY:

    • Smoked chicken with salad and corn on the cob

    Your turn to share your meal plans! I cannot WAIT to see your names and menus again!


  6. Saturday, August 5, 2023

    Ancho BBQ Sloppy Joe Recipe

    I have been meaning to share this Ancho BBQ Sloppy Joe recipe for ages. Then yesterday, Nate was clicking around Instagram and I could hear Adam Sandler and Chris Farley serenading us. It’s a sign. It’s time for Sloppy Joe.

    Photo of ancho bbq sloppy joe sandwich on a white plate with pickles

    This recipe for Ancho BBQ Sloppy Joe was one of the recipes that I adopted back from when we were ordering meal kits from Hello Fresh on a regular basis. My kids had never had Sloppy Joe sandwiches before – despite the fact that Manwich was my favorite meal in first grade, I somehow didn’t continue with cooking this food into adulthood. When this particular recipe turned up in our Hello Fresh box, I was unsure the kids would go for it. In the end the kids, Nate and I all loved this dinner and now the recipe is part of our rotation, even without getting the Hello Fresh kits.

    Verticle photo of an ancho bbq sloppy joe with pickles

    Not only is this recipe delicious, it is easy to throw together without any fancy ingredients. And now for the Ancho BBQ Sloppy Joes…

    Ancho BBQ Sloppy Joe Recipe
     
    Prep time
    Cook time
    Total time
     
    Originally tried this recipe from Hello Fresh and have added it to our regular rotation!
    Author:
    Serves: 4-6
    Ingredients
    • 4 tablespoons ketchup
    • 4 tablespoons classic BBQ sauce
    • 2 tablespoons water
    • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
    • 2 teaspoons beef concentrate
    • 2 teaspoons Ancho chili powder
    • 1 yellow onion, diced
    • 20 ounces ground beef
    • sliced pickles
    • hamburger buns
    Instructions
    1. In a mixing bowl, stir together ketchup, BBQ sauce, water, cornstarch, beef concentrate and chili powder.
    2. In a large skillet, heat a drizzle of cooking oil in pan and heat to medium-high. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
    3. Add ground beef, sprinkling evenly with salt and pepper. Break meat up and cook until browned, 3-5 minutes.
    4. Reduce heat to medium and add sauce mixture to the pan. Cook, stirring regularly, until sauce thickens and beef is cooked through, around 20 minutes.
    5. Serve on toasted hamburger buns with pickle slices.


  7. Sunday, July 2, 2023

    Week 775 Weekly menu

    Hello again! Unsurprisingly, the end of this school year got very busy and we have barely cooked at all over the last month. We officially have a high school graduate! It is hard to believe that Cate was only 2 years old when I started this blog. The time has felt both fast and slow. 

    Our whole family is tired of eating out and squeaking by in the dinner department, so we’re excited to get back into the planning and cooking groove. 

    Week 775 weekly dinner menu from This Week for Dinner

    MONDAY:

    • Leftover smoked brisket – maybe some delicious sandwiches?

    TUESDAY:

    • Cookout food!

    WEDNESDAY:

    THURSDAY:

    FRIDAY:

    SATURDAY:

    • Leftovers

    SUNDAY:

    • Smoked turkey breasts + fixings

    Your turn! Share those menus in the comments! 


  8. Monday, May 29, 2023

    Week 774 Weekly Menu

    Happy Memorial Day! Hope you all have some delicious food on the grill right now! This week is the quiet before the storm of graduation week, so going to really try to get some good cooking in!

    Week 774 weekly dinner menu from This Week for Dinner food blog

    MONDAY:

    • Memorial Day BBQ: Brisket + Fixings

    TUESDAY:

    WEDNESDAY:

    THURSDAY:

    • Enchiladas

    FRIDAY:

    • Leftovers

    SATURDAY:

    • Eat out night

    SUNDAY:

    • Indian food night (whatever I have in the cupboard to support the cause)

    Your turn! Throw those dinner plans in the comments below!


  9. Monday, May 22, 2023

    Week 773 Weekly Menu

    The roller coast has officially hit the top of the hill and we are starting the downward decent to the end of the school year, speeding up every day! It’s going to be fun! (And crazy. But fun!)

    Week 773 weekly dinner menu plan from This Week for Dinner

    MONDAY:

    • Grilled chicken, mashed potatoes and butter lettuce salad

    TUESDAY:

    • Mushroom swiss burgers

    WEDNESDAY:

    • Orchestra banquet at school – delicious local Mexican food!

    THURSDAY:

    • School open house AND a Lizzo concert…I can’t even begin to figure out how we’re doing dinner that night. 😉

    FRIDAY:

    SATURDAY:

    • Takeout night

    SUNDAY:

    • Smoked chicken, rice and grilled veggies

    your turn! Share menus! Thank you! Happy eating!


  10. Monday, May 15, 2023

    Week 772 Weekly Dinner Menu

    Hello! I truly cannot believe it’s time to plan another week of dinners. Here goes!

    Week 772 weekly dinner meal plang

    MONDAY:

    • Mother’s Day leftovers

    TUESDAY:

    • Chicken pot pie (I STILL haven’t made this but I am bound and determined)

    WEDNESDAY:

    THURSDAY:

    • Grilled salmon

    FRIDAY:

    • Speech and debate banquet for Cate

    SATURDAY:

    • Leftovers

    SUNDAY:

    • Takeout night

    Your turn! Share those meal plans in the comments! Have a great week, everyone!