Midweek Menu Meal Plan: 2.25.26

Oven Fried Chicken: Don’t crowd the pan — Leave space between each piece so the heat can circulate and crisp the breading instead of steaming it. Work in batches if needed.

Crock Pot Baked Beans: Want more heat? Add cayenne, red pepper flakes, chipotle, or candied jalapeños. Bump up the veggies with diced red and green peppers. Add turkey bacon, cooked ground sausage, or beef to turn it into a main dish.

Cucumber Tomato Avocado Salad: Easily swap herbs with dill, oregano, thyme, or mint and add extra veggies like spinach, arugula, or romaine. Toss in some grilled chicken or shrimp. Add cheese like feta, blue cheese, or mozarella,

Creamed Corn Cornbread Muffins: Toss in some cheese, green chiles or jalapeños, fresh herbs like chives or rosemary, and add some fresh corn kernels.

Ham & Cheese Croissant Casserole: Serve with a side of your favorite jam or jelly!

Beef And Bean Soup: If you don’t have cannellini beans, you can use white navy beans, or you can try adding cooked barley to make beef barley soup. This recipe is sometimes called “hamburger soup,” but you can change out the beef for ground sausage or ground turkey.

Greek Pasta Salad: Prep the salad and dressing separately if making ahead and toss just before serving to avoid soggy pasta.

Grandma’s Apple Crisp: Choose apples with structure. Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, Fuji, and Jonagold hold up well during baking. Mixing varieties gives the best flavor.