Coming up with dinner every.single.day. can be such a struggle. My weekly dinner plans are created to help you get one thing off your to-do list and have less stress at dinner time!
Visit the WEEKLY DINNER PLANNER archive for more meal planning ideas!
Table of Contents
Dinner Plan #27
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 😬🤪
| Pesto Baked Cod with Asparagus | nothing; unless you plan to make your own pesto |
| Beef Noodle Stir Fry | Slice mushrooms. Dice carrots. Chop broccoli. Prepare sauce. |
| Almond Chicken Satay with Basmati Rice | Juice limes. Dice chicken. Slice bell pepper (if making salad.) |
| BLT Sandwiches | Slice and saute onions. Prepare chipotle mayo. |
| Buffalo Chicken Spicy Nachos | Cook and shred chicken. Prepare Buffalo sauce mixture and combine with shredded chicken. Dice celery (store in water). Shred cheese if using block cheese. |
Recipe Links, Side Ideas & Helpful Tips
Pesto Baked Cod with Asparagus
from The Roasted Root
Herby, nutty pesto is a simple way to make a quick and easy meal super flavorful. This recipe is based on using your fave store-bought pesto so it’s truly a super quick weeknight meal, but there is also a recipe link to make your own basil pesto if you prefer!
FYI:
- THIS RECIPE REQUIRES 30 MINUTES OF MARINATING. However, I’ve made it with only about 10 minutes or marinating as the oven preheated and it was still delicious.
- Halibut, Flounder, and Rockfish are equally good choices
- You could also make these in the air fryer instead of the oven. Air fry at 400°F for about 10 minutes depending on the thickness of your filets.
SIDE IDEAS:
- Couscous; we like Near East’s Roasted Garlic & Olive Oil Pearled Couscous
- White or Basmati Rice; make a double batch a serve the other half later in the week with the Almond Chicken Satay
Beef Noodle Stir Fry
from Damn Delicious
Easy, savory, stir fry made in 30 minutes is perfect for a busy weeknight! This recipe uses basic, core ingredients you should hopefully have in your pantry to make a delicious and flavorful sauce!
FYI:
- TIME SAVER: Buy a bag of pre-cut stir-fry veggies or frozen Asian veggies instead of the individual ones listed in the recipe.
- TIME SAVER: Frozen squares of crushed garlic and ginger paste are perfect in this recipe.
SIDE IDEAS:
- Side salad with ginger dressing
Almond Chicken Satay with Basmati Rice
from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe
Basic ingredients but lots of flavor, on a stick! I like to serve this with rice, but it can easily be a low-carb meal served with the Cucumber salad included in the recipe card.
FYI:
- DON’T FORGET to reserve some of the marinade to use as a dipping/drizzling sauce. (I’m the WORST at remembering to do this.)
- Don’t feel like spending time skewering? Buy chicken tenderloins instead and grill them as is!
SIDE IDEAS:
- Basmati, White or Brown Rice
- Broccoli
- Sugar Snap Peas
BLT Sandwiches
from The Endless Meal
This is not your standard BLT sandwich. Oh no. This is a glorious, savory, finger-licking rendition that will leave you so satisfied, you’ll wonder where it’s been all your life.
FYI:
- I’ve recently turned to Air Frying bacon and it turns out perfectly crispy and not greasy! 360°F for 6 minutes (Ninja Foodi.)
- Add a fried egg or avocado for extra yumminess.
- Make this a burger! Swap the bread for a hearty bun and add the rest of the ingredients on top of a juicy beef, chicken, or turkey burger!
SIDE IDEAS:
- French fries
- Chips
- Cole Slaw
- Fresh fruit
Buffalo Chicken Spicy Nachos
from Moments and Meals
These nachos are delightfuly spicy, saucy and cheesy and make for a great dinner when you want something light but satisfying.
FYI:
- TIME SAVER: Buy a rotisserie chicken instead of poaching chicken breasts.
SIDE IDEAS:
- Celery and carrot sticks with ranch
- Bleu Cheese wedge salad
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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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. 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.
