7-Day Family Meal Plan {Dec. 14-20}

Tips for this Week’s Meal Plan

• Purchase a loaf or two of sandwich bread and set aside 2 slices to use for the Swedish Meatballs. Use the rest of the bread to use grilled cheese and/or garlic toast.
• Feel free to use ground beef for the Swedish Meatballs rather than ground turkey.
• Use heavy cream for the Tomato Soup and Tortellini soup.
• Use Yukon gold potatoes to make mashed potatoes, white bean soup, and sausage and potatoes.
• Use kale for white bean and tortellini soup.
• Serve soups with garlic toast, fresh bread, or just a salad.
• Feel free to swap the Italian salad for a kale salad, as you will have kale on hand for the soups.
• Use leftover pizza sauce and cheese to make pita or bagel pizzas for lunches.
• For stovetop tomato soup, saute onions, celery, and carrots in a bit of olive oil over medium heat until the onions are softened. Once the onions begin to soften, add in the garlic, oregano, thyme, and tomato paste and sauté for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add broth, canned tomatoes, salt, pepper, bay leaf, and crushed red pepper flakes if using and bring to boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30-35 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the lid, remove the bay leaf, and then using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth. Stir in the cream and heat until warm.
• For the Smoked Sausage with Potatoes: If you don’t have an Instant Pot, layer the ingredients for the smoked sausage and potatoes in a large slow cooker and cook on high for 2-3 hours or on low for 4-6 hours.