Theme Night Menu Plan

This post contains affiliate links.

We came up with a fun theme night menu plan a few years ago and it worked really well for us. Life got crazy busy, we threw in a major move, and I had all but forgotten about it.

We are about to start a new school year and I need a menu plan in place so we can keep our trips to the drive-thru to a minimum. I remembered our old menu plan and decided to revamp it to fit our current schedule.

Typical weekly menu plans, where you decide on a recipe for each night, don’t work for me. Spaghetti might have sounded good when I wrote the menu, but not so much when the planned night arrived. (I have to be in the mood for a particular food to enjoy it. Not saying that’s a good thing, just keeping it real!)

Our theme night menu assigns a food category to each night. I choose our meals based on what is in our fridge & pantry that week. I try to keep staples on hand for each category to make it easier – tortillas, pasta, tomato sauce, etc. – so that several recipes are interchangeable. I keep track of it all in my beautiful Mama Miss planner – in pencil of course, for when I change my mind.

An overview of our themes

Mexican Monday – This could more accurately be called Tex-Mex Monday, but it doesn’t roll off the tongue as easily. I try to find little ways to brighten up Monday since it seems to be a more difficult day for everyone, so I serve our favorites on this night.

Italian Tuesday – I attend a ladies’ Bible study off and on throughout the year on Tuesday night. Italian food is simple and quick – add some garlic bread and salad or green beans, and I’m done!

One Pot Wednesday – This a new category for us. Starting mid-October, Sweetpea and I will be heading to church for Christmas play practice an hour & a half before the rest of our gang. I learned the hard way last year that I need to have dinner made ahead of time. I am sticking to meals that can be made in one pot – casseroles, stews, and crockpot recipes.

Thrifty Thursday – Meals on this night will be focused on inexpensive ingredients or using up leftovers. I jokingly tell my husband that we are having CORN for dinner – Clean Out the Refrigerator Night.

Pizza Fun Friday – We tried several homemade pizza crust recipes before we found this delicious New York Style Pizza Crust. It is so yummy and almost foolproof! I double the recipe for the seven of us to make individual pizzas, and there is enough dough left over for a dessert pizza.

My Theme Night Menu Plan

I am linking to some of my favorites, and I will also try to add my own recipes as I get a chance. I tend to just throw things together without knowing exact measurements.

~Mexican Monday~

Sides: Spanish rice, chips & fresh salsa, guacamole

• Burritos
• Nachos
• Quesadillas
• Tacos
• Cheese Enchiladas
• Chicken Enchiladas
• Fajitas
• Carne Asada
• Taco Salad
• Carnitas
• Salsa Verde Beef

~Italian Tuesday~

Sides: salad, green beans, garlic bread

• Spaghetti
• Lasagna
• Baked Ziti
• Pesto Pasta
• Skilletini
• Ravioli
• Tortellini
• Chicken Parmesan
• Fetuccine Alfredo

~One Pot Wednesday~

• Chicken Pot Pie
• Chicken Spaghetti
• Beef Stew
• Chili
• Soup
• Crockpot Meals

~Thrifty Thursday~

• CORN – Clean Out the Refrigerator Night (made with leftovers)
• Breakfast – burritos, biscuits & sausage gravy, pancakes, stuffed french toast
• Sandwiches
• Salad & Baked Potatoes
• Cheeseburger Macaroni

~Pizza Fun Friday~ 

• Pizza
• Stromboli
• Calzone
• Cheese Bread
• Dessert Pizza – brown sugar cinnamon, s’mores

Check out more tips for Feeding the Homeschool Family from the iHomeschool Network bloggers.