Menu planning for the week

I really enjoy cooking, but when I get busy or have a big week of running, it's one of the first things I shove off my list of things to think about. I hate picking out recipes and grocery shopping, because I get so overwhelmed by the millions of options on Pinterest, have trouble finding healthy but tasty recipes that don't have numerous or odd ingredients, and feel like grocery shopping is such a time suck. And at that, I need to make sure that the guy at the Greek place will still say, "Oh, so you're trying something new?" when I get something different than my standard Greek salad. 
But, when the stars align, I do meal plan, grocery shop, and cook food that does taste good and is pretty good for us. I had some extra time this past week because of rest week, so when Friday came around and I realized how many takeout meals we'd had, I took the time to pick out several delicious looking recipes on Pinterest and make out a grocery list. I even went to the store on Saturday morning so that I could start cooking said meals that evening.
Here are the meals I picked out. I've already made the first two, so those are my pictures. I'll share my thoughts on those underneath the link. Saturday: Cheesy Baked Spaghetti Squash Boats with Grilled Chicken | Skinnytaste

This takes a bit of time between roasting the spaghetti squash and cooking the chicken, but it was really good. It looks like a lot of cheese, but I used reduced fat mozzarella and probably used less than 1/4 cup between the two halves. I needed to add a little salt to the chicken, but other than that both Tim and I were pleased and ate it all up!

Sunday: Tuscan White Beans with Spinach, Shrimp and Feta | Skinnytaste 

This was fabulous! It was super healthy and had every food group I could want in a healthy and filling dinner. It uses balsamic vinegar and chicken stock to create a base, and that is soaked up by the onions, spinach, and shrimp, adding a lot of depth of flavor. I'm not a big fan of sage, so I just left that out. Plus, fresh herbs that can only be used in one recipe for the week add a few dollars that can be saved at the store.

Monday: Skinny Slow Cooker Mexican Shredded Beef

I'm going to serve these with lettuce wraps (instead of tortillas), avocados, and salsa verde. This should reflect our lack of following the meatless Monday plan that I set out at the beginning of the month. We essentially go meatless at least once per week anyways, and because I'm out of school today I wanted to use the slow cooker. I'm afraid of leaving it on while I'm away from the house.

Tuesday: Baked Chicken Milanese with Arugula and Tomatoes | Skinnytaste 

I adore the peppery flavor of arugula, so I'm looking forward to that element alone.

Wednesday: Loaded Bowl

We've had the loaded bowl a few times before, and it is super healthy and flavorful at the same time. Without meat, it gains its flavor from lime juice and tomatoes and also has black beans and avocados in with the quinoa. I'm only saving it for Wednesday to put a spacer between two nights of chicken dishes.

Thursday: Chicken and Summer Vegetable Tostadas

Friday: Hmm...hopefully we'll have something leftover. I just realized I only went through Thursday.

I will update as we make our way through these meals, but I'm looking forward to all of them.

Do you meal plan? How many days in advance do you shop? Who does the cooking in your house?

And the most pertinent of all: do you leave the house with the slow cooker on?!