Dinner Recipes, Fall Meal Plan #1

What to cook for dinner this week:

1.) Slow Cooker Pot Roast with Roasted Potatoes, Green Beans and Bacon, and Sautéed Vegetables 2.) Perfect Roast Chicken with Vegetable Rice Pilaf 3.) Cuban Chicken and Rice with Sautéed Vegetables and tortillas 4.) Vegetarian Spaghetti Carbonara 5.) Leftover Pot Roast Soup 6.) Cocktail: Perfect Cuban Mojitos

If you’re not familiar with this blog, here’s the basic idea behind each weekly meal plan: Alittle advance planning and meal prep work every day is the key to getting delicious, wholesome, good for you, home cooked meals on the table several nights of the week. A little = a lot.

On this page, you’ll find a meal plan for the week. Each meal is designed to build on the previous night’s efforts by using leftover ingredients. You’ll also find a preparation schedule and grocery list.

Meal Prep, Day by Day

Day #1

What’s for Dinner Tonight: 5-Ingredient Slow Cooker Pot Roast with Roasted Potatoes, Microwave Green Beans with Bacon , and Sautéed Veggies

For me, “Day #1” is usually a Sunday, and it’s the day with the most heavy lifting when it comes to meal prep for the rest of the week. I am always so grateful to myself for taking a couple of hours on Sunday to make getting dinner on the table that much easier the rest of the week.

Whatever day of the week you choose as your “Day #1”, here’s your meal prep task list:

Early in the day, follow the pot roast recipe instructions to add the roast to the slow cooker and let it cook for about 8 hours. After dinner reserve leftover pot roast AND the leftover cooking liquid. You’ll use both in Leftover Pot Roast Soup on Day #5.
Make 1 & 1/2 times the recipe for Roasted Potatoes, using 5 lbs of potatoes and 2 packets of onion soup mix. Reserve the leftover potatoes for Leftover Pot Roast Soup on Day #5.
Double the recipe of Green Beans with Bacon. Reserve 1 cup leftover beans for Vegetable Rice Pilaf on Day #2. Save any other leftover beans for Leftover Pot Roast Soup on Day #5.
Make a total of 6 cups of sautéed veggies tonight. Serve one third of the vegetables for dinner tonight. Reserve one third of the vegetables for Vegetable Rice Pilaf on Day #2. Reserve the remaining third of the vegetables to serve alongside Cuban Chicken and Rice on Day #3.

Day #2

What’s for dinner tonight: Perfect Roast Chicken, Vegetable Rice Pilaf, and Bread (optional)

Roast one or two chickens, depending on how big the chickens are, how much you believe your family will eat, and whether or not you’d like to have some leftover roast chicken meat in your refrigerator or freezer.
Make Vegetable and Rice Pilaf using the leftover Green Beans with Bacon and Perfect Sautéed Vegetables you reserved from last night’s dinner.
I also like to serve this meal with a few slices of sourdough or French bread. If you choose to do the same, use the leftover bread to make croutons to top the Leftover Pot Roast Soup on Day #5. You might even want to prep the croutons while the chicken is roasting, sliding them into the oven as you pull the chicken out.
After dinner, pick all leftover chicken from the bones and use the chicken bones to make ultra simple chicken broth, letting it simmer on the stovetop or in the slow cooker overnight. Reserve 3 cups of the chicken broth for Cuban Chicken and Rice on Day #4 and the rest of the broth for Leftover Pot Roast Soup on Day #5.

Day #3

What’s for dinner tonight: Cuban Chicken and Rice, Tortillas (optional), and Sautéed Vegetables

Use some of the homemade chicken broth you made earlier in the week for this simple one-pot meal.
Reheat the remaining Sautéed Vegetables that you cooked on Day #1 in the microwave and serve alongside Cuban Chicken and Rice.
If you’ve never made homemade tortillas, I encourage you to try it. They are much easier than you might think, and infinitely better than anything you can purchase.
Consider serving tonight’s meal with a Classic Cuban Mojito.

Day #4

What’s for dinner tonight: Vegetarian Spaghetti Carbonara

In this vegetarian version of spaghetti carbonara, caramelized portabella mushrooms and smoked mozzarella replace the bacon for a dish that even meat eaters will love.
The recipe calls for dried pasta, but homemade fresh pasta is even better. If you’ve never made homemade pasta but want to try your hand at it, here’s a pasta making picture tutorial that will take you through the process, step-by-step.

Day #5

What’s for dinner tonight: Leftover Pot Roast Soup

Tonight’s soup will be on the table in less than 30 minutes and is your reward for all the leftovers you made earlier in the week. Use leftover pot roast and the reserved pot roast liquid, roasted potatoes, green beans with bacon, sautéed veggies, and chicken broth to make this warm and comforting soup in a flash.

This Week’s Featured Cocktail: The Perfect Cuban Mojito

Useful Equipment:

Suggested Recipes for the Baker:

Shopping List, Weekly Fall Meal Plan #1

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*Does not include ingredients for suggested baked goods.

4 – 7 lbs beef chuck roast, depending on how many people you’re serving and how many leftovers you want. For a family of 4, you’ll need 4 lbs for this week’s meal plan.
One 2-4 lb whole roasting chicken (If you want leftover roast chicken meat for lunches this week, purchase two chickens.)
1 & 1/2 lbs (approximately 18 slices) thick cut bacon
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 cup chopped parsley
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
3 yellow onion
2 shallots
8 oz portabella mushrooms (large or baby)
1 red (or any color) bell pepper, seeded and diced
9 cloves of garlic
5 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes
24 oz (1 lb) cut green beans, fresh or frozen
Enough vegetables to make 6 cups of sautéed vegetables (suggested: asparagus, bell peppers, carrots)
1 lemon
One 1oz packet dry ranch dressing mix
Three 1oz packet dry onion soup mix
10 oz dried spaghetti noodles
1 tsp ground thyme
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried herbs for leftover pot roast soup (such as thyme, oregano, rosemary, or Italian seasoning)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 & 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
25 oz jar mild pepperoncinis
1 & 1/2 cups (15 oz) black beans (see note)
1 tbsp tomato paste
One 15-oz can diced tomatoes
A couple dashes of Worcestershire sauce (optional in leftover pot roast soup)
2 cups long grain rice
1/2 cup chopped dry roasted almonds (optional ingredient in rice pilaf on Day #2)
1 cup frozen peas
1 loaf French, Italian or Sourdough bread (optional to serve with Roast chicken and rice pilaf on Day #2)
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
6 tbsp butter
5 large eggs
7 oz smoked mozzarella cheese, grated
5 oz grated parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper
1 tsp granulated sugar

Ingredients for Cuban Mojito (2 drinks): 12 fresh mint leaves, 2 limes, 1 & 1/2 tbsp sugar, 4 oz white rum, 1 cup club soda

NOTES: This week’s meal plan includes making homemade chicken broth from the bones of the roast chicken on Day #1. If you would rather purchase prepared chicken broth, you’ll need 8-10 cups for this week’s meal plan. (Rice pilaf calls for 2 cups chicken broth or water.)

For Cuban Chicken and Rice on Day #3, you can use a 15 oz can of black beans (included in the shopping list), or opt to cook a batch of dried black beans in the slow cooker. Ingredients for cooking dried black beans not included in shopping list. Click here for recipe and ingredients.