Hi, Reader,

For years, I treated my meal plan like it was written in stone. If the plan said Taco Tuesday, we were having tacos on Tuesday, even if we had a mountain of leftover soup from Monday night.

This is ridiculous, right? But I did it!

Then one day I had an epiphany: the meal plan works for ME, not the other way around. The whole point is to make my life EASIER, not to create another rule I have to follow.

Now I plan with built-in flexibility:

• One "leftovers night" per week (usually Sunday)
• I switch days around if needed
• I double recipes on purpose to have leftovers
• I purposely plan for the same protein in multiple meals

Real Life Example: When I make slow cooker whole chicken, I plan THREE meals from it.

1. Roasted chicken dinner (Monday)
2. Chicken tacos with shredded chicken (Wednesday)
3. Chicken soup with leftover chicken and veggies (Friday)

One ingredient, three completely different meals. That's what I call working smarter!

Here are 10 more recipes to double for another night—either as a second of the same meal or for creating a new dish!

10 Flexible Recipes For Easy Meal Planning

Cook Once, Eat Twice

Slow Cooker Whole Chicken Use the shredded meat for tacos, chicken salad, pasta dishes, or soups. Plus, those cooking juices make an incredible base for gravy or can be turned into liquid gold chicken stock! Get the Full Recipe Pin It for Later

Tender Slow Cooker Brisket The tender meat is dreamy for BBQ sandwiches, even leftovers! It's also freezer friendly so plan on stashing some for another busy week later this month. Get the Full Recipe Pin It for Later

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Nachos Make a big batch on Sunday and enjoy pulled pork nachos, sandwiches, and bowls all week long. The flavors actually improve after a day or two in the refrigerator! Get the Full Recipe Pin It for Later

Leftover-Friendly Soups

Slow Cooker Chicken Soup Make a big batch and enjoy chicken soup recipes all week long for lunches and those weird nights when everyone has a different schedule. Get the Full Recipe Pin It for Later

Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Soup This soup actually tastes better the next day! Make a big batch on Sunday and enjoy easy lunches all week. It freezes beautifully for up to 3 months – just remember to leave some headspace in your containers. Get the Full Recipe Pin It for Later

Simple Cream of Tomato Soup A soup that literally takes 15 minutes to make—for real! But it also reheats well and is the perfect addition to a hot sandwich. Get the Full Recipe Pin It for Later

Use-What-You-Have Meals

Chicken Fried Rice Faster and fresher than takeout with simple ingredients you likely already have on hand. Use whatever vegetables you have in the fridge, swap out the protein, or adjust the seasonings to match your family’s preferences. Get the Full Recipe Pin It for Later

Pasta Fagioli Soup Another soup that's easy to customize. Swap out the beans, use sausage in place of the ground beef, or leave out the meat and sub in veggie broth for a vegetarian soup. And use whatever small pasta you have in the pantry! Get the Full Recipe Pin It for Later

Versatile Proteins

Best Oven Baked Easy Chicken Leg Recipe Check out the recipe for how to make legs in the slow cooker for a hands-off meal. Chicken legs go great with pretty much any side and leftovers are super yum in the chicken fried rice dish I just shared! Get the Full Recipe Pin It for Later

Lemon Pepper Pork Chops When the pork chops go in the pan to start cooking, I put the leftover marinade in a separate small pan and let it cook, too. This makes a perfect basting sauce for the last minute of cooking the chops and is so yummy to serve alongside! Get the Full Recipe Pin It for Later

Free Resources for You

• ​Free 20-page Meal Planning 101 Guide​
• ​Ready, Set, Sourdough - Free guide on how to get started with sourdough!
• ​Sourdough Starter video course - Create your own sourdough starter with these 7 daily videos (day 7 is making the loaf of bread!)
• ​Crocktober: 31 Days of Crock-Pot Recipes - Free download with all 31 recipes.

A Few of My Favorite Things...

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Thank you for being here! I so appreciate you,

Melissa