- Click here to get your copy of this week’s Excel Weekly Meal Plan.
The weather forecast shows warmer days than we had last week, with snow and/or rain most days. If you’re doing last-minute shopping on Christmas Eve, that looks like the best day, weather wise.
We’re having our annual Reindeer Games party on December 23rd, with a big pot of meatballs in tomato sauce, as the main hot dish. Our family gets together to play silly games, eat snacks, and exchange small gifts. It’s lots of fun!
Keith suggested prime rib for Christmas Eve (instead of tourtière), and we’ll have turkey for Christmas dinner, with all the traditional side dishes and desserts.
The Weekly Plan
Here is our plan for the week starting Sunday, Dec 21, 2025. There are links for some recipes, and others are made “freestyle”.
- Note: Beside each recipe, I show the number of times that we’ve made this recipe, since I started keeping track in 2015.
Sunday — Sheet Pan Pork Chops & Brussels Sprouts ( 129 times )
- Prep: 0.25 hr, Cook: 0.33 hr
Monday — Avgolemono Greek Lemon Soup ( 19 times )
- Total time: 15 minutes
Tuesday — Meatballs With Tomato Basil Sauce ( 2 times )
TIP: frozen fully cooked meatballs
- Prep: 0.00 hr, Cook: 3.00 hr
Wednesday — Prime Rib ( 90 times )
- Sous vide, then broil
Thursday — Turkey ( 39 times )
- Christmas Dinner
Friday — Turkey ( 39 times )
- Boxing Day – Leftovers
Saturday — Quesadillas ( 80 times )
- Total Time 15 minutes
Food Celebration Days
Almost every day of the year has a food celebration that we can enjoy, or ignore! Here are a few of the food days for the upcoming week, with recipe ideas for you.
Sunday Dec 21st – Winter Solstice – 10:03 AM
Winter officially starts on Sunday morning, even though it’s felt like winter for several weeks already!
Do you have favourite recipes to make on a cold winter day? Here are a couple of our winter favourites
- This Slow Cooker Osso Buco simmers in the slow cooker all day, and it’s wonderful aroma fills the house! This delicious meal has warmed us up, on many winter nights.
- Even though this recipe is named Oven Roasted Autumn Medley, always think of it as a winter supper. It takes about 45 minutes from start to finish, and you can adapt the recipe to use your favourite vegetables and meat.
Tuesday Dec 23rd – Festivus
If you were a fan of the old TV show, Seinfeld, you might be familiar with the Festivus holiday (Wikipedia). Festivus was started in 1963, by author Daniel O’Keefe, as an alternative to Christmas commercialism. Festivus became popular in December 1997, when it was featured in a Seinfeld episode, written by O’Keefe’s son, Dan.
- So, when you gather around the Festivus pole, to air your grievances, enjoy a hearty meatloaf, like they did on Seinfeld.
Wednesday Dec 24th – Christmas Eve
Do you have a traditional Christmas Eve meal, based on your cultural background? Or have you made your own Christmas Eve traditions?
Where Keith and I grew up, there was a large French Canadian population, and many of our friends had tourtière on Christmas Eve. Keith loves it, so we usually have one, along with hot and cold finger food, for Christmas Eve..
- You can try the French Canadian Tourtière recipe that Keith uses. It’s adapted from “Company’s Coming Casseroles”, by Jean Paré. The recipe makes 2 pies, so we usually freeze one, to enjoy later.
Tip: To create your own meal plan, get my free Excel Weekly Meal Planner template.
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Weekly Meal Plan 2025-12-20
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