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 #28
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 😬🤪
| Mushroom-Stuffed Chicken Breast | Slice mushrooms (if buying whole). |
| BLT Chopped Salad with Basil Green Goddess Dressing | Mix dressing. Cook and crumble bacon. Chop bell peppers. Red onion and tomatoes are better chopped fresh, though they can be prepared the night before if you’d like. |
| Stuffed Peppers | Cut and clean bell peppers. Cook rice. Cook ground meat. Shred cheese if using block cheese. |
| Mexican Zucchini Burrito Boats | Cook rice. Chop bell pepper. Dice jalapeno/poblano pepper. Shred cheese if using block cheese. Cook the filling mixture. |
| Pan Seared Scallop Pasta with Creamy Bacon Sauce | none. |
Recipe Links, Side Ideas & Helpful Tips
Mushroom-Stuffed Chicken Breast
from Recipe Tin Eats
Juicy, garlicky, cheesy stuffed chicken breasts loaded with veggie goodness! Not the quickest meal, but doesn’t take too long and it’s totally worth it!
FYI:
- Save the rest of the spinach for the Stuffed Peppers recipe (below.)
SIDE IDEAS:
- Side salad with a simple balsamic vinaigrette
- Rice or risotto
- Mashed potatoes
- Sauteed green beans
BLT Chopped Salad with Basil Green Goddess Dressing
from Lauren’s Latest
Full of yummy veggies and tossed with a creamy, summery, basil dressing, this is a fantastic lunch but also a perfect light dinner.
FYI:
- Add grilled shrimp or chicken for extra protein and a more filling meal.
- Diced cheddar cheese is also particularly delicious in this salad.
- About a half pack of bacon is used for this salad; the other half can be used in the Scallop Pasta recipe below.
SIDE IDEAS:
- Garlic breadsticks
- Crusty bread with seasoned olive oil for dipping
- Soup
- Fried calamari
- Mozzarella sticks
Stuffed Peppers
from Downshiftology
Stuffed peppers are always a favorite! If your family doesn’t have a go-to recipe, there are so many variations you can find. This one uses spinach, Italian seasoning, and Monterey jack cheese, for a tasty and healthy dinner that makes great leftovers.
FYI:
- This recipe calls for white rice. The Zucchini Boats recipe (below) calls for brown rice. If you’re making both, choose one or the other and make enough for both recipes so you only have to cook rice once.
SIDE IDEAS:
- Side salad
- Buttered corn
- Extra rice
Mexican Zucchini Burrito Boats
from Making Thyme for Health
Perfect for meatless Mondays and to eat up that summer zucchini! These Burrito boats are simple to make and super flavorful.
FYI:
- You can also add cooked ground meat to your filling.
SIDE IDEAS:
- Chips with salsa, guacamole and/or queso.
- Cilantro lime rice.
- Sweet & Spicy Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Pan Seared Scallop Pasta with Creamy Bacon Sauce
from Sprinkles and Sprouts
Luscious pasta and seared sweet scallops make for a light but comforting meal that your taste buds and tummy will thank you for!
FYI:
- Substitute shrimp for the scallops if you prefer.
- About a half pack of bacon is used for this pasta; the other half can be used in the BLT Salad recipe above.
SIDE IDEAS:
- Side salad
- Broccoli, green beans, or squash
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.
