Planning a week’s worth of dinner can be intimidating. No worries, I have taken care of all the dirty work. Right down to the shopping list. Ready? Good.

• Meatloaf, rice and peas, green beans (Time saver: make two meatloaves and freeze one for another night)
• Caramelized garlic chicken, steamed broccoli, baked potatoes
• Spaghetti with marinara, tossed salad
• Raspberry pork chops, sauteed cabbage, steamed mixed vegetables (use a frozen mix containing squash, carrots, cauliflower etc)
• Chicken fingers, ranch potato wedges, carrot raisin salad

Fish in a white sauce with vegetables and topped with mashed potatoes.

• Fisherman’s pie, fried green corn
• C.O.R.N. That’s right, it’s Clean Out Refrigerator Night. Contain your excitement kids, you’ll get to experience it again next week, too!

The Grocery List

Not included in the grocery list are standard pantry items: flour, yeast, sugar, and cooking oil (usually olive, sometimes vegetable). Determine the amount of each item based on the size of your family. All of the linked recipes come from my site Home Ec 101and easily serve a family of 4 – 6 with leftovers eaten at lunch and one night of the week.

Spices will be listed,as what is considered common can vary by region and ethnicity. Simply cross off those you already have. Ready?

Meat:

ground beef
1 whole chicken or equivalent weight in leg quarters or split breasts
boneless skinless chicken breasts
pork chops
whiting or cod

Dairy Case:

butter
eggs
half and half
milk
OJ
yogurt

Frozen:

Spring or California Mix vegetables (squash, zucchini, carrots, cauliflower)
peas
greenbeans or mixed vegetables for the Fisherman’s pie

Produce:

broccoli
cabbage
carrots
garlic
lemons for lemon juice
onions
parsley (optional)

Dry Goods:

breadcrumbs
chicken bouillon or Better Than Bouillon
olive oil
raisins
rice
seedless raspberry jam
spaghetti noodles
2 (minimum) 28oz cans crushed tomatoes
2 (minimum) 14.5oz cans diced tomatoes

Spices:

balsamic vinegar
basil
dry mustard
garlic powder
Italian seasoning
onion powder
oregano
paprika
sage
thyme
poultry seasoning or Cajun Seasoning