Next Week’s Meal Plan: 5 Vegetarian Family-Friendly Recipes
One of my strategies for keeping our budget in check is to have about a 50/50 mix of meaty and meatless dinners each week. But when I’ve busted my budget — say, after moving into a new house and splurging on a new dining table — a week of meatless dinners can save me.
This week’s meal plan is full of new-to-us vegetarian recipes that use inexpensive staples to keep our grocery budget low. Each recipe is hearty enough for cool fall weather and will satisfy both adults and kids alike.
Welcome to This Week’s Meal Plan
Planning my weekly meals is a habit I enjoy. Since I’m frequently asked by friends and family what I’m cooking for dinner each week, I thought it’d be useful to share my weekly meal plan here. Whether you’re just learning to meal plan and looking for a real-life example of how this works or you’re an old pro on the hunt for inspiration, here’s a peek at how I’m feeding my family this week.
New to meal planning? Start here.
Monday: Cheesy Vegetarian Lasagna
I mean, come on! It’s cheesy lasagna! Who cares if there is no meat in it? My kiddos certainly won’t. We’re having a shredded romaine and grated carrot salad that my oldest kid loves to make and eat on the side.
Tuesday: Roasted Mushroom and Poblano Tacos
We usually do a meatless black bean and sweet potato taco on meatless weeks, so I’m very excited to try this mushroom version. For the kids, they’ll get the same smoky roasted mushrooms but served inside a cheesy, melty quesadilla, which is easier for my 3-year-old to eat.
Wednesday: Red Lentil Soup
Red lentil soup is my coziest craving that needs to be satisfied immediately. Luckily this version is soup-er (get it?) mild and we’ll jazz up adult bowls with yogurt and oil-soaked red chili flakes. I’ll serve with apple slices and bread for dipping on the side for my little diners.
Thursday: French Onion Frittata
This is the second time in about a month’s time that this frittata has been on our meal plan. Last time I wasn’t sure if it’d pass — my daughter claims she’s an onion hater, but she devoured this and asked for it again.
Friday: Polenta Crust Pizza
Okay, can we discuss how ingenious this polenta pizza crust is? Polenta cooks up super quickly, but you could easily get the pre-cooked polenta tubes and slice them into rounds for mini pizzas too!