Coming up with dinner every.single.day. can be such a struggle. Many people have a hard time coming up with dinner ideas for one night let alone a whole week.
These weekly dinner plans are created to help you get one thing off your to-do list. Shop once for the week with the convenient grocery list and you’ll have the ingredients and meal choices ready to go for the week.
Visit the WEEKLY DINNER PLANNER archive for more meal planning ideas!
Table of Contents
👇🏻 SCROLL for Recipe Links, Tips & Additional Info 👇🏻
How To Use the Meal Plans
People are typically put off by commitment but if you give yourself a guideline with the flexibility and permission to make changes as needed, you’ll be more likely to stick to it. That’s why flexible meal plans work.
I give you 5 suggestions and you pick 3-5 meals for your week. Each week I scour through my collections of recipes from a variety of amazing food bloggers, recipe sites, cookbooks and personal recipes to thoughtfully create a weekly dinner plan that is easy and delicious. Pick 3-5 of them for your week based on what works for your schedule and include days for eating out, leftovers, etc.
Use the order of the meals as a guideline. You’ll notice dinners are not listed as Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, etc. and that’s on purpose. I don’t want you to feel restricted. That sense of “I HAVE to do this” is what makes people stop meal planning. Keep things flexible and be realistic with your expectations and schedule.
Make mindful adjustments as needed. Sometimes, you need to consider foods (i.e. meats) that need to be used by certain days. For example, if you planned on making steak fajitas on Tuesday, but now it’s Tuesday and you can’t or don’t want to, think about your ingredients for a minute. Check your steak, if the date is good til tomorrow then just make sure you make that meal tomorrow. Otherwise, throw it in the freezer and plan to make it on Friday instead (just take it out the day before to thaw.) This will become second nature as you continue meal planning.
Grocery shop for the week. Get all your groceries for the week so you have everything on hand. This will save you so much time and extra money spent on impulse purchases.
Dinner Plan #8
Meal Prep Tips
These are some basic prep steps you can do before the week starts to get ahead of the game! Do some, do them all, whatever works for you! I just barely make it to the grocery shopping part, so actual meal prep is a stretch for me personally but I hear it’s super-efficient 😬🤪
| Instant Pot Minestrone | Chop carrots, celery, onion & cabbage. They can all be stored together as they’ll be put into the IP at once. Don’t mince garlic in advance as it becomes too strong; also, frozen crushed garlic is supremely convenient. |
| Salmon with Avocado Greek Salsa & Orzo | Chop cucumbers, tomatoes, and olives, but I suggest you don’t mix them yet. The salsa is best fresh, but if you really want to make the whole thing ahead, I’d recommend only 1 day in advance, omitting the avocado until the end. |
| Swedish Meatballs, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans | Make meatballs in advance and make the sauce the day of. You’ll miss out on a bit of the flavor from making the sauce in the same pan the meatballs were cooked in, but if time-saving is important then it’s a-OK to do this! |
| Pizza Pasta Bake, Salad | Boil your pasta and assemble the casserole, then cover and refrigerate. When ready to eat, take the casserole out as you preheat your oven and bake as instructed, adding 5-10 minutes to the bake time as needed. |
| Bean & Cheese Burritos | Not much to prep ahead here unless you want to make the full burritos ahead of time, freeze, and then reheat to eat. For this, the recipe mentions baking frozen burritos for 45 minutes which is far out of my patience zone. I’m more of a -microwave for a few minutes and then get the tortilla crispy in the oven/air fryer- type of gal 😬. |
Recipe Links, Side Ideas & Helpful Tips
Instant Pot Minestrone
from Pinch of Yum
FYI:
- Though this recipe takes about an hour, it’s mostly Instant Pot cooking time and therefore “inactive” so you can be doing other things.
- There are notes in their post on how to make on the Stove Top AND Slow cooker if you prefer.
- Yes, it uses bulgar, which I think is awesome, but there is also a note about replacing with traditional pasta.
- Just read their notes for other helpful info, Pinch of Yum is one of my fave food blogs as they do an amazing job of thoroughly testing recipes, giving alternatives, and info, etc.
Salmon with Avocado Greek Salsa & Orzo
from Cooking Classy
FYI:
Don’t have/don’t want to grill the salmon?
- Air Fryer – 400°F for 7-11 minutes (9 mins is usually perfect for “average” size piece.)
- Oven – 375° for 10-15 minutes
- Saute – Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the salmon (skin side up if it has skin) about 4 minutes. Flip, reduce heat to medium, and cook 4-5 minutes.
NOTE: In either instance, your specific appliances, the thickness of your salmon, and your preference on how well done you like your salmon will affect the cooking time. Use a thermometer to check for doneness (145°F) or use a fork to see if the thick side flakes easily and is opaque. Add another 1-2 minutes of cook time as needed.
- Don’t like feta cheese? (or any of the particular ingredients in the salsa?) Don’t be afraid of leaving out or substituting ingredients in a recipe, make it your own! I bought the feta and served it separately because my mom likes it, but I don’t.
SIDE SUGGESTIONS: (not included in shopping list)
- I’ve used Near East Pearled Couscous instead of orzo in this dish and it’s a great alternative.
Swedish Meatballs, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans
from The Recipe Critic
FYI:
- I’m suggesting this with Mashed Potatoes but you can also do Rice, Egg Noodles, or boiled Baby Potatoes.
- Don’t substitute pre-made or frozen meatballs here. Part of the flavor of Swedish Meatballs is the seasonings in the meat mixture itself.
Pizza Pasta Bake, Salad
from Salt and Lavendar
FYI:
- I love this bare bones recipe because it can be ridiculously simple, but also easily customizable. Add any of your favorite pizza toppings to this Pizza Pasta Bake.
- You can do “sections” of your baking dish, i.e. the top right has mushrooms and sliced onions, bottom right has peppers and crumbled Italian sausage, etc. Or if you have smaller bakeware available, split the pasta into individual portions and everyone can put their own toppings without “touching” everyone else’s. (Can you tell I have with a picky eater? 🤪)
- If you haven’t tried Turkey Pepperoni, you should. It’s equally delicious but healthier and much less greasy!
Bean & Cheese Burritos
from House of Yumm
FYI:
- I included sour cream in the shopping list because I always serve these types of burritos with a dollop of sour cream on top.
- This is a great recipe to double and freeze half and for another time.
SIDE SUGGESTIONS: (not included in shopping list)
- Chips & Salsa or Guacamole (listed on grocery list)
- White rice or Mexican rice
- Corn; like Alexia Mexican-style Street Corn or a can of Fire-roasted Corn; or if you’re feeling up to it, this recipe for Esquites
Hope this helps make dinner time less stressful for you this week! If you have questions or feedback let me know in the comments or email me, I’d love to hear from you 💜
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