Monday thru Friday Slow Cooker Meal Plan




(meatless) Monday: Pesto Lasagna
Tuesday: Super Simple Cranberry Roast
Wednesday: Traditional Minestrone Soup
Thursday: General Tso's Chicken
Friday: Puffy Pizza Casserole

--->  For the complete meal plan and coordinating grocery list, please see my meal plan page.   <--- data-blogger-escaped-b="">

The Verdict:

Our week runs SO MUCH MORE SMOOTHLY when I take the time to write out a menu and grocery shop for all of the food either on the weekend or the week before. It does take a bit of planning, I know, but I do think you'll find that the hectic meal-making hours will be easier if the groceries are already in the house. 

The slow cooker already forces you to meal plan, so just by using it (somewhat) regularly you're already way ahead!!

have a great week!

Do you love this article?

Please share it with your friends!


Posted by: Stephanie O'Dea | A Year of Slow Cooking at September 20, 2013

Sign up for the A Year of Slow Cooking newsletter and get the Top Ten Reader Favorite Recipes sent directly to your inbox!

What they say about this article

  1. My weeks always go better when I plan out the meals too. As a single woman, having that crockpot cooking while I'm at work makes coming home SO wonderful! Walking in to a fabulous, healthy meal that I can turn around and take for lunch the next day is hugely helpful in eating right and keeping on budget.

    ReplyDelete
  2. thank you so much for sharing!! this would be a great cookbook idea. mon-fri meal plans with grocery list!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I use SpringPad to store all of my recipes. Then when I do meal plans, I just click the "copy ingredients to shopping list" option from each recipe. It's so easy!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Stephanie - are these meals freezer-friendly? i.e., may I prepare them in advance and store in ziplocs and just put the contents in day of cooking? Thanks for this, the recipes look great!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Liza,
    not really. The cranberry roast is a great candidate, and the chicken can be put together outside of the frozen veggies. Here are the freezer-friendly prepare-in-advance meals:
    http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2012/02/slow-cooker-tv-dinners.html

    I hope this helps a bit!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I do my meal planning once a week too, and it keeps us from eating out all the time!

    ReplyDelete
  7. OMG! Love this! Will you do more of these type of posts?

    ReplyDelete
  8. This is great, and just in time for next week.I'm going to give it a try!!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Absolutely! Thank you so much and Happy Friday!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous9/20/2013

    Love this! Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Could you figure out how to add categories to your recipes so that I can search by time of cooking. The four recipes don't really fit my week. I need to put it in the crock before I go to work, and leave it there all day.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Oh my goodness! I LOVE this post! Can you post something like this or share your planned meals every week??!! :D I just signed up for ziplist (THANK YOU!!) I can't wait to do the shopping next week! :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. I have always menu planned and shopped off a list for exactly the reason you gave. It makes things easier during the week. To be honest I would love to have a cook who would do all this for me since I typically don't enjoy cooking but if I am doing it I want it as stress free as possible which means planning ahead AND having great recipes to follow AND using a crock pot ... Which is why I follow YOU ! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  14. I am using this plan this week and I have to say it has been so wonderful having the thinking, always the hard part, done for me. Went shopping with the list. Assembling the recipes has been easy. Did the lasagna prep the night before and dropped it into my slow cooker. Came home from a 6 mile run to a finished meal. Sweet. Please keep posting your menu plans. They make my life much easier.

    ReplyDelete