Make one recipe, or make them all! You can easily swap the recipes in and out for the days of the week that work for you.
π Below the menu plan is a bonus Valentine's Day Dinner menu if you're looking to make a special dinner and dine-in for the holiday next week! π
This is a great make-ahead dinner. The casserole can be assembled and refrigerated for 24 hours prior to baking (add 10-15 minutes to the baking time if baking chilled). I've also frozen the baked and cooled casserole with good results to thaw and reheat for an easy dinner.
There are some crossover veggies in this soup and the Shepherd's pie baked potatoes, which is a great way to use up fresh or frozen veggies. The vegetables in this soup can be varied, depending on what you have on hand, as well.
The topping for these potatoes can be made with any type of ground meat - not just ground beef. The potatoes can be baked and the topping made ahead of time and refrigerated to assemble and bake when needed.
This is one of my favorite meals to make because the leftovers make such great lunches. We often serve this with naan bread (homemade or storebought) and cottage cheese (sounds weird, but it's tasty!). This recipe works well with ground turkey, ground chicken or ground beef.
This is a great meatless meal option and can be assembled up to 24 hours ahead of time to bake when needed. It can also be frozen (prior to baking). Thaw in the fridge and add 15-20 minutes to the baking time if baking chilled.
Chicken can be subbed for the shrimp for this recipe, if that is your preference. Don't skip the mango salsa - it's the best part (and leftovers save well in the fridge for several days).
Thanks for all your feedback on these menu plans that you sent back via email last week! I have a whole list of suggestions, and I'll try to keep making these menu plans as helpful as possible!
We still serve fondue on Valentine's day some years, but on non-fondue years, we do a family candlelight dinner, and my kids (even in their teen years) think it's so fun!
Here is a menu we've used in the past that is probably my kids' favorite for a "fancy" family dinner - and I love it because almost everything can be prepped in advance:
Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes(these can be prepped a day or two ahead of time and refrigerated until ready to bake - just add a minute or two onto the baking time)
Ice cream and hot fudge, for serving (hot fudge can be made days in advance and stored in the fridge)
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