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 #34
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 😬🤪
| Korean Steak Sandwich with Jalapenos and Garlic Mayo | Slice bell peppers, onions, and jalapenos. Grate cheese. |
| Simple Instant Pot Beef and Noodles with Gravy | – |
| Baked Honey Mustard Chicken with Potatoes & Green Beans | Prepare honey mustard sauce. |
| Salmon Burgers with Slaw | Make salmon burgers; they reheat well. Prepare slaw (up to 1 day ahead for best texture.) |
| Spicy Sausage and Pasta Casserole | Dice onion. Slice green onion. Slice sausage. |
Recipe Links, Side Ideas & Helpful Tips
Korean Steak Sandwich with Jalapenos and Garlic Mayo
from Kitchen Sanctuary
These Korean Steak Sandwiches are a fabulous flavor explosion in your mouth!
FYI:
- Yes, there are quite a few ingredients here, but man almighty these are worth it!
- Tiger bread is of Dutch origin and is made using a rice paste that gets brushed onto the top of the loaf before baking, adding a distinct flavor and creating a notable cracked pattern. Substitute a crusty white bread, baguette, or hoagie roll.
- Use ginger paste or crushed frozen ginger cubes instead of grating fresh ginger.
- In a pinch, use a small container of plain apple sauce instead of grating a fresh apple.
SIDE IDEAS:
- Spicy cucumber salad
- Fries
- Baked pears
Simple Instant Pot Beef and Noodles with Gravy
from Moments and Meals
A no-fuss, rich, saucy, and comforting dinner in 3 easy steps!
FYI:
- Make sure to use the frozen noodles as directed!!
- If you’d like a slow cooker version, this one has stellar reviews (though I haven’t personally tried it myself):
SIDE IDEAS:
- Green beans and mushrooms
- Green peas and bacon
- Buttered corn
- Side salad
- Dinner yeast rolls
Baked Honey Mustard Chicken with Potatoes & Green Beans
from The Novice Chef
This simple recipe for sweet, tangy, and juicy Honey Mustard Chicken is quick to prep and mostly hands-off. Perfect for busy weeknights!
FYI:
- The homemade honey mustard sauce makes this recipe extra delish, but if you don’t feel like making it from scratch, just use your favorite bottled version!
SIDE IDEAS:
- Oven-roasted or mashed potatoes
- Green beans
- Asparagus
Salmon Burgers with Slaw
from Pinch of Yum
Quick, delicious, and minimal ingredients make these Salmon Burgers a perfect choice for a light and healthy dinner.
FYI:
- I wouldn’t consider this “5-ingredients” as advertised… but whatever, it’s still minimal/basic ingredients.
- For a heartier meal, these would be delish atop a bun with lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and red onion.
SIDE IDEAS:
- Roasted potatoes.
- Cucumber tomato salad.
- Crunchy carrots.
Spicy Sausage and Pasta Casserole
from 4 Sons ‘R’ Us
Spicy, creamy, cheesy – EASY! There are probably hundreds of variations of this style recipe. It’s a quick casserole dinner that’ll feed a large family or make leftovers for another busy night.
FYI:
- Don’t feel obligated to transfer to a casserole dish and broil the cheese. Yes, it makes for a delicious golden melty/crunchy cheese topping, BUT you can certainly save yourself a dish if you want. Add your cheese directly to the pan at the end and give it a few minutes to melt.
SIDE IDEAS:
- Roasted broccoli.
- Corn on the cob.
- Seasoned black beans.
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.
