Monday Menu has meal ideas that are simple, easy and delicious every week! Hearty Chili Mac Casserole, a long time classic, and Farmhouse Egg Salad are the center of this week’s family suppers that all your of family is guaranteed to love. And as always, I’ve got tips and tricks that show you how to how to shop for and make these dinners with ease.

This Week’s Secret To Success

The meals chosen every week for Monday Menu don’t just come together by chance. Each dish is chosen purposefully, not just by asking “would they taste good together” but also by considering whether or not they make real meals that work. Meals that are easy to shop for, make the most of your time in the kitchen, and meals that your family will look forward to!

I love spending the time planning these meals for you so you don’t have to! But I also get really excited about sharing the little secrets that make these meals winners so that you can put together your own dynamite meals when you need to.

So what makes this week’s meal ideas work? The secrets are shared ingredients, make ahead options and versatility!

Chili Mac Casserole is an ideal dish for making ahead of time. Prep your pasta ahead of time and store in a zip top bag until you’re ready to use it, or make the whole dish ahead of time. Don’t want to deal with leftovers? Freeze half the recipe to make another week’s meal planning simple.

For your egg salad, go ahead and boil those eggs ahead of time. Peel them, cover and store in the fridge until the time is right. This cuts your prep time way down!

The strawberry salsa and strawberry muffins both use fresh strawberries so you can buy that larger container of strawberries. Fewer ingredients to buy makes your grocery store trip shorter, and buying larger portions is less expensive per berry than buying smaller.

RELATED RECIPES: 7 Light & Refreshing Strawberry Recipes

Lastly, if you’re not feeling the popcorn bar this week, put a pin in it for later. Serve any leftover coleslaw with your egg salad and use the strawberry salsa as a yummy snack with cinnamon pita chips. Your family will love that!

Dessert This Week

We’re going big with dessert this week by making this Old Fashioned Coconut Ice Box Cake. It delivers a wonderfully delicious classic cake that’s soaked with sour cream and coconut milk, but starts with just a boxed cake mix! Some weeks just call for cake. (It’s also a great reason to have friends over for coffee!)

Here’s What We’re Snacking On

This Sunday kicks off March Madness. And since we’ve got big basketballs in our family, I’m going to make sure we’re ready to go with a fun, but easy-to-put-together popcorn bar. Just 1-2 toppings, no toppings or all the way, a popcorn bar lets your friends and family build their ideal bag of popcorn!

Making Breakfast Easy

There’s nothing better than a big, fluffy muffin packed with fresh fruit for both a leisurely weekend breakfast or that weekday breakfast on the go! These Farm-Style Buttermilk Strawberry Muffins are guaranteed to deliver on both counts! Plump red strawberries, rich buttermilk and just the right amount of “home” will have you making these muffins again and again. Plus, these muffins work are perfect for this week since we are already buying strawberries for our fruit salsa to go with dinner #2.

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