Meal Plan 36: August 27 - September 2

Back to school. Piano lessons. Karate practice. Soccer practice... It's the busiest time of year! Make it easy with these great dinner ideas!

Collage of main dishes for this week's meal plan.

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📅 Food Holidays
🫑 What's in Season?
💭 Tips for success
🍹This week's cocktail
August 27
August 28
August 29
August 30
August 31
September 1
September 2
📚 Related recipes

📅 Food Holidays

August 27 National Pots de Creme Day. Have you ever made this rich treat? Give it a try!

🫑 What's in Season?

Make the most of these fresh flavors.

Apples
Blackberries
Grapes
Figs
Melon
Nectarines
Pears
Plums
Pumpkin
Potatoes
Tomatoes
Bell pepper
Corn
Eggplant
Green beans & Wax beans
Okra
Pineapples
Winter squash
Zucchini and yellow squash

💭 Tips for success

Make enough pot roast for leftovers - you'll need it for the Shepherd's Pie.
Save time by buying the mashed potatoes for the shepherd's pie all ready made from the deli section.
Clover leaf rolls freeze like a charm. Make extra every time you make them and freeze for use during the holidays when things get crazy!
Leftover Ranch Chicken? Spoon it into a casserole dish, top with biscuit dough, and bake at 375 for 20 minutes for an easy chicken pot pie.
Freeze any leftover cornbread every time you make it. When Thanksgiving rolls around you'll have what you need for the dressing.
When it comes to back to school breakfasts consider quick breads. You can make them on the weekends, slice them, and freeze with wax paper between the slices. They'll thaw in minutes and be ready to go.

🍹This week's cocktail

Apple Cider Sangria

If you're in the mood for fall flavors this apple cider sangria will hit the spot!

August 27

A closeup of a slice being removed from a pizza.

Homemade Pizza

You can make this easy pizza dough and let it rise in the refrigerator for up to a week. Make your favorite pizzas whenever you want!

All you need is a side salad and some beer!

Overhead view of a bowl of green beans, tomatoes, potatoes, and red onions created for the feature image of this post.

Green Bean Salad

Delicious, crispy contrast to the rich pizza! Green bean salad is so easy to make and stays good for days.

M & M's Cookies

Big, chewy m & m's cookies with crispy edges are irresistible!

August 28

Casserole with a serving taken out showing the inside texture.

Cowboy Casserole

Cowboy Casserole is made with ground beef, tater tots, and everything else your kids love! It's SO good!

Close up of the finished cabbage side dish.

Fried Cabbage & Bacon

This is a classic! Fried cabbage and bacon is so good - you can even make it into a main dish by slicing in some smoked sausage.

Close up of Boston cream cake showing the gooey ganache glaze.

Boston Cream Poke Cake

Tender cake with pockets of vanilla pudding and a shiny ganache topping is so good! Boston Cream Poke cake has all the flavor of the old fashioned dessert without all the work.

August 29

Closeup of meat and vegetables in the slow cooker.

Pot Roast

This perfect pot roast is so full of old fashioned goodness! It's got every thing from potatoes to carrots! Make extra because you'll want leftovers for Tuesday's meal!

Clover Leaf Rolls

These easy clover leaf dinner rolls are old fashioned buttery goodness! They rise high and light - soft and fluffy. Freeze leftovers for another time!

slice of chocolate pie with a cherry on top optimized for the recipe card

Chocolate Cream Pie

Homemade chocolate cream pie from scratch can be made no bake by using a crumb crust. Ultra rich and fudgy!

August 30

Texas 2-Step Chicken

It doesn't get a lot easier than this Texas 2-Step Salsa Chicken made with picante sauce! You can assemble it up to 2 days ahead of time and bake when ready. Serve with rice.