Coming up with dinner every.single.day. can be such a struggle. It can be hard 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 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 #20
Meal Prep Tips
These are some basic prep ideas 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 😬🤪
| Blackened Salmon with Mango Salsa and Avocado, Basmati Rice | Prepare blackened seasoning mix. Prepare mango salsa (up to 1-2 days ahead.) |
| Satay Chicken Noodle Salad | Prepare satay sauce. Cook pasta, toss with a touch of sesame oil before refrigerating. Make chicken. Grate carrot. Chop peanuts. |
| Cuban Beef Picadillo | Dice onion and pepper. |
| Easy Creamy Tuscan Shrimp with Gnocchi | – |
| Chicken Avocado Burritos | Cook and/or shred chicken. Shred cheese if using block cheese. |
Recipe Links, Side Ideas & Helpful Tips
Blackened Salmon with Mango Salsa and Avocado, Basmati Rice
from The Modern Proper
FYI:
- Deliciously vibrant and spicy salmon. It can easily be eaten on its own to make a fantastic low-carb meal, or with some fragrant Basmati rice.
- You can easily make this with single-serve portions of salmon instead of one large piece.
- You can also air fry your salmon if you don’t feel like using the oven. Cook at 390° for 7-10 minutes (depending on the thickness.)
SIDE SUGGESTIONS:
- Couscous
- Edamame
Satay Chicken Noodle Salad
from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe
FYI:
- This simple, flavorful salad is delicious made fresh, and even better the next day! It’s the perfect weeknight meal and a great meal prep recipe.
SIDE SUGGESTIONS:
- Spring rolls
- Crab rangoon
- Soup (Tom Kha Gai would be my pick, though I’d order take out sooner than making it 😜)
Cuban Beef Picadillo
from Laylita’s Recipes
FYI:
- Picadillo is a traditional Cuban dish with layers of flavors from beef, potatoes, olives, capers, raisins, tomato sauce, and plenty of seasonings. This is one of those dishes that, though it’s very traditional, it’s made differently depending on region, family, availability of ingredients, etc. Besides the variation in seasonings, one of the main differences is the use of potatoes and raisins. Some picadillo recipes include them, some don’t. This particular recipe does, and it’s absolutely worth a try if you haven’t had it before!!
SIDE SUGGESTIONS:
- White rice
- Fried plantains
- Side salad
Easy Creamy Tuscan Shrimp with Gnocchi
from Salt and Lavendar
FYI:
- Rich and creamy with the fresh, sweet summery flavors of tomatoes and basil! I actually love these shrimp served over fluffy gnocchi. It is oh so decadent and comforting!
SIDE SUGGESTIONS:
- Sliced zucchini and squash
- Garlic roasted broccoli
Chicken Avocado Burritos
from OMG Chocolate Desserts
FYI:
- Super simple and super fast, this is an ideal busy weeknight dinner. These handheld burritos are also ideal for nights you need to eat on the go!
- Use a rotisserie chicken for faster prep, or poach and shred your chicken ahead of time.
- Pepper jack would be a great substitute if you want to give these burritos a nice kick.
- I like to add tortilla strips to these burritos for a nice little crunch.
SIDE SUGGESTIONS:
- Fresh fruit
- Tortilla chips
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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