Here are your weekly menus for the month of March. I have added an extra week to compensate for the one I am missing in February. I have tried to make these menus diverse and easy. If there is anything you do not like or do not want to cook please check out the categories on this webpage and pick what you prefer. You will find over 1000 recipes. Thank you!
Eggplant Lasagna
Lentil Brown Rice Patties with Avocado Salsa
Shrimp and Coconut Soup with Crusty Bread
Baked Chicken Thighs with Fennel and Tomatoes
Taco Pizza
Monday’s eggplant lasagna takes some time to assemble so I would suggest you make it the day before and simply bake it when you are ready to eat. It also freezes beautifully so if you like you could cook it and freeze it ahead of time. Simply thaw and heat before dinner time. This is a great meal that will pack nicely in lunch boxes for school and work.
Tuesday’s patties also freeze excellently well. I like making a bunch of these at a time and wrapping them individually before I freeze them. This way I only take out the quantity that I will be needing for dinner. These patties are super easy to make and they pack tons of nutrition and flavor. If you cannot find avocados you can make any other kind of salsa to top these.
Wednesday’s soup is very easy to make. It will take you less than 30 minutes to have dinner on the table. Please make sure to use deveined shrimp for this (and for any other meal you cook with shrimp). You can purchase it all cleaned up already in order to save time. Serve this wonderful and silky soup with some fresh crusty bread for a very satisfying and delicious meal.
Thursday’s chicken is also quite easy to prepare. You will need to do some light prepping but dinner should be ready within 30 to 40 minutes. This is a very tasty and elegant dish that goes very nicely with rice or couscous. If you have any left overs send them to school or the office the next day. You can send them as is or make sandwiches out of the meat.
Friday’s taco pizza is easy peasy. Go ahead and use store bought pizza dough and salsa if you like. This will save you a lot of time. Prepping the toppings will take a little bit but all in all this is no big deal. Great way to end the week and start the weekend.
Black Eyed Pea Chipotle Chili
Mussels with Spicy Tomato Sauce
Orzo Salad
Carne Asada Tacos
Hoisin Glazed Chicken Meat Loaf
Monday’s chili recipe is made with black eyed peas and chipotle peppers. As all chilies it tastes better the second day so don’t be afraid to make this ahead of time. This also freezes quite well so you can make a double batch and freeze half of it for future use. Serve your chili with cornbread or corn chips.
Tuesday’s recipe can be made in less than 30 minutes. The longest you will take for this is prepping and cleaning the mussels. I used frozen mussels on the half shell that were ready to go so that could be a way to cut on time. You can serve these with pasta or as I did with a nice chunk of crusty bread. If you dislike mussels you might want to try this shrimp and pasta recipe instead.
Wednesday’s pasta salad is loaded with veggies and flavor. It is very easy to make and will keep in the fridge for a couple of days. This salad packs very well in lunch boxes for school or work. I used whole wheat pasta but you can use regular pasta if you prefer. On that note, I also used Orzo which is a small melon seed like pasta. However, any small pasta will do for this.
Thursday’s carne asada tacos are really simple to make. In this recipe I have you marinate the meat but the truth is you can simply season it with some lime, cumin and salt and pepper and cook it. Of course the marinade will make the meat tenderer and will add flavor but it is not really crucial. You can also use store bought salsa if you have no time to make your own. I use my homemade salsa that lasts for a couple of weeks in the fridge.
Friday’s chicken meatloaf can be made a day ahead and baked before dinner time. It is not at all complicated to make and it packs tons of flavor. This is a moist and tender meatloaf that is different than your usual beef one. Serve it with mashed potatoes if you like.
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Shrimp Fried Rice
Roasted Cornish Hens
Sweet Potato Ground Beef Casserole
Tacos al Pastor
Monday’s chicken soup is comforting and delicious. Although the recipe calls for making chicken stock you can cut corners by using store bought. You can also use rotisserie chicken for this. I also use store bought tortilla chips for this. Whatever you decide, you will enjoy this hearty soup.
Tuesday’s shrimp fried rice requires one day old rice so you are going to have to make it a day ahead. This will help the rice dry up in the fridge and will render you a better dish. Once you have all your ingredients prepped this meal cooks very quickly. You can substitute the shrimp for ham, pork, beef or chicken if you prefer.
Wednesday’s Cornish hens require marinating but you can do this overnight. The longer they are in the marinade the tastier they will be. If you have time to marinate them in the morning then go ahead and do so. These are small and cook considerably faster than a whole chicken. They are also delicious and fun to eat. Serve them with your favorite side.
Thursday’s sweet potato casserole can be made a day ahead and then baked before dinner. This is a great meal that will freeze very nicely. It is also delicious to pack into lunch boxes for school or the office. If I have any of this left over I like freezing it in individual portions for days when I have no time to cook.
Friday’s tacos al pastor requires overnight marinating for the pork. These tacos are quite spectacular in flavor but they do take some work. If you simply do not have time to deal with this I suggest you cook a couple extra Cornish hens on Wednesday and make soft chicken tacos with them (okay . . soft Cornish hen tacos).
Italian Wedding Soup with Crusty Bread
Catfish with Tomatoes and Capers
Potato Tacos
Baked Spiced Chicken Thighs
Rigatoni and Meatballs
Monday’s soup is made with Italian meatballs. I always make a couple of batches of these and freeze them. This is an activity that is fun with kids. Have them roll meatballs for you. They love it. This week we will make two meals with meatballs –this soup and some pasta on Friday. Once you have the meatballs this is a very easy soup to make.
Tuesday’s meal is ultra-easy to make. It requires a bit of prepping but does not take much time to be ready. You can use any white mild fish for this recipe. Serve it with Mexican rice if you like.
Wednesday’s potato tacos require mashed potatoes. These tacos are incredibly easy to make and really nice. You will be making a super easy salsa to serve these with. These need to be eaten almost immediately as they will get soggy.
Thursday’s chicken thighs are rubbed in a bunch of spices and then popped into the oven. This is a wicked easy recipe that delivers tons of flavor. Serve your chicken with your favorite side.
Friday’s dinner will be easy to make becasue you already have the meatballs. The sauce will be ready in less the 30 minutes and you cna cook the pasta at the same time as the sauce is simmering. This is a great pleaser. Kids and adults alike love it.
Chicken Fingers with Honey Mustard Sauce
Crock Pot Pot Roast with Mashed Potatoes
Baked Fish with Feta Cheese
Chickpea Curry Stew
Roasted Garlic Pizza
Monday’s chicken fingers are made with sesame seeds and honey. They are baked and are very good. Kids and adults love them. I like serving them with honey mustard sauce for dipping. Make your favorite side for these.
Tuesday’s pot roast cooks in the slow cooker. All you need to do is brown it and add all the ingredients. Let it cook while you are gone and dinner will be ready when you get home. Serve it with mashed potatoes or rice.
Wednesday’s fish is very easy to make. You can use any white fleshy fish. Dinner will be ready in no time. This goes very nicely with steamed or sautéed veggies.
Thursday’s chickpea curry stew is super easy to make. You can use canned chickpeas to save time. This meal freezes very well so you can make it in advance and thaw it before dinner. You can also make it the day before and simply heat it. This is one of those dishes that taste better the day after they are cooked.
Friday’s pizza is made with roasted garlic and spinach. It is quite extraordinary. The longest you will take is roasting the garlic which can be done a day ahead. Go ahead and use store bought pizza dough to make this easier for you.