Easy Family Menu +recipes for leftovers | Little Dairy On the Prairie

This Easy Family Menu the perfect way to plan meals for a family. It’s so easy you’ll be cooking a roast one day, and repurposing the leftovers and making it into two brand new meals! Cook once, eat twice!

four images- a sandwich with eggs, cheese, and ham, mashed potatoes with roast beef and gravy, a grilled cheese sandwich cut in half, and a grilled chicken cut into slices

Meal planning can be a little overwhelming. Heck, the whole idea of having to get dinner on the table five nights this week is overwhelming.

Take a deep breath! I’ve totally got you covered and I’m going to show you exactly how to make dinner not only EASY, but exciting again!

My favorite menu planning trick is to cook once, and eat twice, or three times! It’s basically doing batch work in the kitchen. And it saves SOOOOO much time!

So, for this Easy Family Menu we’re going to make roast beef and then turn it into not just one, but two other meals! That’s three meals out of one roast beef! It’s the BEST!

I always build my family menus around cooking meat once, and using the leftovers in at least two other recipes! I have a feeling you’re going to get hooked on this method!

Make-ahead breakfast recipe

My breakfast recipe for this Easy Weekly Family Menu is a make-ahead recipe, which is a game changer! Make it the night before and put it in the fridge and bake it in the morning.

a sheet pan with baked breakfast sliders made on rolls

Ham Egg & Cheese Breakfast Sliders

Easy Ham Egg & Cheese Breakfast Sliders are a make ahead portable breakfast that’s perfect for busy mornings! Quick savory sandwiches that bake while you get ready for the day!

Check out this recipe

Main dish recipe ideas

Go ahead and use these five recipes on any day that fits your schedule. This sandwich is perfect for a quick and easy recipe.

You are seriously going to fall in love with this roast beef, and then use it a few more days later in the week! Leftovers are the BEST!

Plus, I’ve repurposed it into a Mexican dinner and another sandwich! And I’ve got a grilled chicken recipe too. (You can use the leftover to make Hawaiian Chicken Pizza or Chicken Pasta Salad).

You’re going to need a slow cooker (I have this one and love it) for this week’s recipes and slow cooker liners really make cleanup easier too! {Affiliate Links}

The only thing better than a toasty grilled cheese sandwich filled with gooey melted cheese on the inside, is a Parmesan Crusted Grilled Cheese Sandwich with the most incredible crispy garlic Parmesan crust on the outside! Today I’m beyond excited to share my Parmesan Grilled Cheese Sandwich with you guys! I’ve always been a HUGE lover of grilled cheese sandwiches because who could ever resist ooey gooey cheese nestled between golden brown buttery bread? Not me! Let me tell you though, the crust on my Parmesan Grilled Cheese Sandwich is so stinkin’ divine! It’s so good your going to sink back into your chair, close your eyes and fall in love! Something magical happens when you combine the soft melted cheese on the inside with that crispy, golden brown, buttery and cheesy crust on the outside! Well, by now you know that I married a dairy farmer and have lived on this stinky ol’ farm for almost twenty years! I can’t believe it’s been that long since I agreed to live here with all these cows, flies, crazy hours, and pretty much be joined at the hip with this farm! After I met Justin and he told me he was a dairy farmer I think my heart sunk a little! He was a really great guy but I just didn’t want to be married to a filthy dirty, no days off, muck boot wearing dairyman! Right after I decided my heart didn’t need to be sunken I told him that I’d actually been supporting him for many, many years! I was convinced I was single handedly supporting the entire dairy industry with my love of cheese! I can pound more cheese in a month than most people can pound in a whole year. Surely Justin was getting his a portion of my hard earned money I spend on cheese! I’m seriously an addict. After I’ve been on vacation for a few days I start to really crave salty cheese! I add it to every single meal I make; pasta, scrambled eggs, cheese burgers, salads, mashed potatoes, and even pancakes (don’t knock it till you try it, it’s good)! I’ll take cheese any way I can get it! But I have to admit that ultra comforting Parmesan Crusted Grilled Cheese Sandwiches will always be at the top of my list of favorite meals! It has not one, but two or more kinds of cheese and you can’t beat that! Parmesan Grilled Cheese Sandwiches are still the same old super simple to prepare sandwich you fell in love with as a kid with a fun little twist! Tips for making Parmesan Crusted Grilled Cheese Sandwiches Use soft butter Spread the butter one more time after you add parmesan cheese just to help everything to stick. Grill sandwich over medium heat so the bread doesn’t get browned before the cheese melts. Serve with jam...trust me it’s so flipping tasty! How to customize your Parmesan Crusted Grilled Cheese Sandwich Use a variety of cheeses; Swiss, cheddar, pepper jack, provolone, or a combination. Add meat; deli ham, roast beef; grilled chicken, or bacon Switch up the seasonings used in the Parmesan crust; garlic salt, Salad Supreme, Mrs. Dash’s seasonings Parmesan Crusted Grilled Cheese Sandwiches really are the ultimate comfort food! I pretty much made them twice in the last 12 hours because I happen to think they make a pretty darn good breakfast too! If you want to help me support myself and the rest of the dairy industry whip up a Parmesan Crusted Grilled Cheese Sandwich! Oh, and I’d love to know what’s your favorite kind of cheese to use in grilled cheese sandwiches and what else you pile on it! Leave me a comment and share your ideas!

Parmesan Crusted Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Parmesan Grilled Cheese Sandwiches are everything you love about the classic plus they have the most scrumptious buttery garlic and parmesan crust on the golden brown outside! I know you are going to love it…a lot!

Check out this recipe

mashed potatoes and shredded roast beef with chopped parsley

Classic Slow Cooker Roast Beef

Check out this recipe

Loaded French Dip Sandwich (Slow Cooker)

A good sandwich should drip all down your hands! You will need to roll your sleeves up for this one! It’s meaty, cheesy and juicy!

Check out this recipe

Slow Cooker Beef Carnitas

Get a head start on the week with Slow Cooker Beef Carnitas! This beef comes out of the slow cooker bursting with flavor and extra tender. These carnitas are so versatile you can serve them to your family all week and they will never know!

Check out this recipe

Sliced grilled chicken showing how juicy it is, garnished with cilantro on a black plate

Citrus Grilled Chicken

Citrus Grilled Chicken is extra JUICY and loaded with the not one, but three different kinds of citrus! Orange, lemon, and lime come together to make this recipe fresh and so flavorful! It is delicious eaten with rice, in tacos, or added to salad to turn it into a main dish!

Check out this recipe

Easy side dish recipes

Both of these side dish recipe would be fantastic with the roast beef the first time you make it or with the French Dip sandwich!

Buttery Garlic & Bacon Peas

Check out this recipe

a black bowl with mashed potatoes and a layer of melted cheese on top with a wooden spoon and fresh parsley

Cheesy Mashed Potatoes with Cream Cheese

Cheesy Mashed Potatoes have three different kinds of cheese, including cream cheese that makes them extra creamy! They’re amazing on their own, but you can always add garlic or top them with bacon!

This mashed potato recipe is the best because it can be made ahead of time then baked in the oven, microwaved, or even heated in the slow cooker!

Check out this recipe

Easy Weekly Family Menu dessert recipes

If you don’t already know this about me…dessert is my favorite part of the day! It’s what I plan first!

I’m giving you a super moist chocolate cake recipe and a rhubarb dump cake recipe if you’re looking for a fruity dessert!

a white plate with a square of texas sheet cake topped with chopped walnuts

Zucchini Texas Sheet Cake

This cake is everything you love about classic Texas Sheet Cake, just better thanks to zucchini! And don’t forget about the scrumptious warm icing, it seals the deal!

Check out this recipe

a bowl with rhubarb fillilng topped with cobbler crust and vanilla ice cream

Rhubarb Dump Cake

Blueberry Rhubarb Dump Cake has the perfect mixture of tangy rhubarb, sweet juicy blueberries, and a crunchy topping! Adding a scoop of vanilla ice cream is like adding icing to the cake! Oh, and since this only takes 6 ingredients it's easy as pie to make!

Check out this recipe