EASY PREP FOR QUICK WEEKNIGHT DINNERS FEAT. LAURA’S LEAN BEEF

I was asked by Carusele to participate in the #LaurasLean campaign, sponsored by Laura’s Lean. Although I have been compensated, all opinions are my own.

I have talked on my page so many times about how life-changing and important meal prepping is. I’ve shared many different techniques that I use periodically, depending on whatever stage of life we are in!

I’ve loved pre-making freezer meals for after baby comes, making breakfasts ahead to save time in the mornings, prepping the time-consuming ingredients to start the week off right, and more. Today, I will be sharing how I brown up Laura’s Lean Ground Beef at the beginning of the week to use throughout the week for quick weeknight dinners!

We love Laura’s Lean in our home. The choice to purchase their products has been an easy one for us! First of all, we love using them as a better-for-you alternative to other beef you find in the grocery store. When you choose to buy Laura’s Lean for your family, you’re choosing the balance of taste and nutrition. This means you are feeding your family beef that is free of antibiotics, GMOs, and added hormones!

THE GROUND BEEF MEAL PLAN

Our plan for the week is to keep things EASY. My husband started a new job, my two year old is in a non-sleeping phase, and I am exhausted from it all! When I get home from work, knowing that dinner is halfway (or more) done already, it helps me to relax and be present.

For my family of 3, we mainly cook meals that prepare enough food for 4-8 people. This helps us to have leftovers for lunches, and a night where the microwave makes dinner when we do a leftovers smorgasbord! I decided to cook up 3 pounds of 96% lean Laura’s Ground Beef to help make dinner for the week!

I love separating the beef out into individual recipe sizing so I know I will have enough dedicated for all the recipes. You could even just put it all in a big container and use it as needed if you’re really short on time. I labeled each glass container with the meal I would use it for and sorted the amount I needed specifically into each dish. (Be sure to cool completely before refrigerating!)

Since I am using the ground beef all within the first 4 days of cooking, I am keeping it in the refrigerator. If you want to pre-cook more than a week’s worth, you can definitely do that! I suggest freezing the cooked ground beef into 1 pound portions in freezer storage bags and pulling them out the night before you need to use them.

Monday- Beef Nacho Bar

Or Taco Bar. Or Quesadilla Bar. Basically, it could be anything you put taco meat into! We did nachos this night, but I packed up tacos for my lunch the next day! I love just reheating the ground beef, adding in taco seasoning, and then sitting the toppings out. We all make our own plates and it’s a win/win all around!

As a matter of fact, I could have done tacos or nachos or something of the like all week long if it were up to me! (And it kind of is, but I assume my husband would get sick of it.)

Tuesday- One Pot Chili Pasta

This was my favorite meal of the week! I thought it was an easy, minimal dish dinner that came together in around 20-25 minutes! I am a huge chili fan, so I’m always down for trying new chili variety. My husband said he loved the addition of pasta to give it a different vibe. You can find the recipe link in the comments section of this post!

Wednesday- Beef Enchiladas

This ooey gooey option for taco flavored beef is always a family favorite! You can easily make this meal by adding some taco seasoning to your Laura’s Lean ground beef, mix in some shredded cheese and about 1/4 of a can of your favorite enchilada sauce.

Add this mixture to corn or flour tortillas (whichever you prefer!) Roll up the enchiladas and place seam down in a casserole dish. Once you have all your beef mixture used up, pour the rest of the can over the top, sprinkle as little or as much cheese as you prefer, then bake at 350 degrees until heated through and bubbling. For me, it usually takes 15-20 minutes!

If you want an even EASIER weeknight, then you can make up the enchiladas and cover in the refrigerator overnight, then just pop them in the oven when you get home and you can have dinner on the table in less than 20 minutes! SERIOUS #momgoals.

Thursday- Slow Cooker Taco Soup

This slow cooker soup is probably considered a chili vs. a soup, but it’s commonly called a soup. Everyone has a recipe out there that you could look up, but I have used and perfected mine, so I thought I would share it as well! You can find my recipe at the bottom of this page.

I love that you can make this recipe on a budget and it can feed a crowd! Sometimes I will cut this recipe in half to only make 3-4 servings, but other times, I will make it going into the weekend so we can have it for lunches super quickly. You can also freeze flat in a freezer storage bag or individual servings in jars or storage bowls!

Friday- Leftover Buffet

I remember as a kid, my mom would call this “Free Night” and we could pick what we wanted. Sometimes it meant some leftover pasta with a few pizza rolls or a meal we loved that we get to eat again. I thought my mom was so cool for letting us have Free Night. Now I know my mom was just exhausted and worked hard to make an abundance of food so she could have ONE NIGHT OFF FROM COOKING. Sneaky mom move that I am totally stealing!

I hope this ground beef meal prep/week of ground beef meal ideas helps you with worry-free dinner making! Laura’s Lean Beef is always a winner in our home, and these meal ideas are just the beginning! Be sure to add Laura’s Lean to your next online grocery order or pick up in store the next time you make your trip!