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 #30
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 😬🤪
| Chicken Parmesan Sliders | Grate/shred cheeses if using blocks of cheese. Cook chicken. |
| Porkolt with Egg Noodles | Dice onion. Prepare and cook the beef. |
| Baked Fish with Lemon Cream Sauce | Chop shallot. |
| Pappardelle Pasta with Rosemary Portobello Sauce | Slice shallots and mushrooms. |
| Southwestern Chopped Salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing | Slice bell pepper. Make salad dressing. |
Recipe Links, Side Ideas & Helpful Tips
Chicken Parmesan Sliders
from The Slow Roasted Italian
Cheesy, saucy, garlicky handheld YUM! I’ve made these for a potluck before and they were such a hit! But they are also fantastic for a weeknight dinner!
FYI:
- Consider making the chicken ahead of time to make dinner time even faster.
- Easily substitute frozen breaded chicken patties/nuggets.
SIDE IDEAS:
- Caesar salad
- Sauteed broccolini
- Air fryer parmesan zucchini
Porkolt with Egg Noodles
from Tastes Better from Scratch
Hearty and SO flavorful! This beautiful bowl of comfort food takes some time but is so worth it.
FYI:
- This dish takes a while to make because it requires slow roasting beef for about 2 hours. Cook it over the weekend if you don’t have time during the week, this way you can simply cook your egg noodles and warm up the beef the night you’re ready to eat.
- DOUBLE IT UP An ideal dish for doubling to make leftovers or freezing half.
SIDE IDEAS:
- Spaetzle instead of egg noodles (this recipe gives you an idea of how to make it if you don’t have a spaetzle maker)
- Buttered corn
- Crunchy dill pickles
- Roasted Brussels sprouts
Baked Fish with Lemon Cream Sauce
from Recipe Tin Eats
A delightful, quick recipe with minimal dishes! Perfect for busy weeknights!
FYI:
- Serve with veggies or a side salad to keep this a light and low-carb meal.
SIDE IDEAS:
- Asparagus
- Mashed potatoes
- Angel hair pasta
- White rice
Pappardelle Pasta with Rosemary Portobello Sauce
from Family Style Food
A whole lot of luscious flavors in a relatively simple dish, ready in about 30 minutes! This is a vegetarian dish but can easily be adjusted for meat-lovers, win-win!
FYI:
- Add spinach or zucchini for extra veg power.
- Add steak or chicken if you prefer to make this a heartier meat dish.
- You mayyyy consider doubling up the sauce ingredients if you like your pasta dishes saucier!
SIDE IDEAS:
- Roasted broccoli, zucchini, or tomatoes
- Side salad with a balsamic vinaigrette
- Crusty bread and seasoned olive oil for dipping
Southwestern Chopped Salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing
from The Garden Grazer
Each bite is a burst of freshness in your mouth! Another delicious vegetarian dish that is light but filling, and is well-suited for adding meat protein if you prefer.
FYI:
- If you find the dressing to be too thick, simply add a little water (a tablespoon at a time) and shake it up.
- Add grilled chicken, shrimp, or steak
- I love to sprinkle tortilla strip salad toppers or leftover crushed tortilla chips for more crunch!
- This makes a good lunch too! Store the beans and veggies together, then just spoon over lettuce in the morning and take some dressing on the side.
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.
