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 #31
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 😬🤪
| Fish Taco Bowls | Cilantro dressing, Chipotle Aioli, and Mango Salsa can all be prepped in advance. |
| Chicken Fajita Alfredo | Slice peppers and onions. Could cook the chicken, pepper and onion mixture ahead of time; when ready to eat, add chicken to pan to heat through and proceed with step 4 (adding your cream and parm cheese.) |
| Beef and Cheddar Sliders | – |
| Hot Honey Chicken Bowls | Slice zucchini and squash. Shred carrots. Cook rice. |
| Pesto Tortellini Pasta Salad | Slice cherry tomatoes. Cook tortellini. |
Recipe Links, Side Ideas & Helpful Tips
Fish Taco Bowls
from Get Inspired Everyday
Spicy, sweet, creamy, fresh, healthy, low-carb, DELICIOUSNESS! Truly, what more can you ask for?!!
FYI:
- NOTE! Recipe is listed for 8 servings; because that’s not typical, I’m pointing it out. Adjust if needed.
- Yes, there are quite a few ingredients and prep steps, but the sauces can be made ahead of time and there is truly so much great flavor, that it’s worth the effort!
- There are options for grilling or baking the fish which is awesome AND there are recommendations for various fish which is helpful.
- The recipe includes making your own aioli BUT, in the notes, you can find instructions for using store-bought mayo instead, which I love!
SIDE IDEAS:
- So much going on here, you really don’t need a separate side! However, you could add rice if you wanted to bulk them up (or instead of using the cabbage.)
Chicken Fajita Alfredo
from Plain Chicken
This is one of those quick and simple “basic” recipes that you’ll want to hang onto! Creamy and delicious, perfect for a busy weeknight meal, and also easily adjustable.
FYI:
- Perfect meal for adjusting to your family’s taste preferences AND/OR for what you have available: Add more or less veggies; change out the protein to steak or shrimp; adjust your heat level; make your own fajita seasoning; substitute milk and sour cream if you don’t have heavy cream; colby jack instead of parm cheese.
- Personally, I don’t love this as a leftover meal though because the fat from the cream separates.
SIDE IDEAS:
- Side salad
- Roasted corn
Beef and Cheddar Sliders
from Plain Chicken
These guys take just a few minutes to prep and then you put them in the oven to do their thing while you get some quick chores done! Pop open the oven and prepare yourself for some juicy beefy melty cheesy little nuggets of goodness.
FYI:
- You can assemble the sandwiches ahead of time, leaving the glaze off until you’re ready to bake. I personally wouldn’t do this more than 1 day ahead though so the sandwich doesn’t get mushy.
SIDE IDEAS:
- Fries
- Cole Slaw
- Potato Salad
- Fried Okra
- Side Salad
Hot Honey Chicken Bowls
from Jar of Lemons
Spicy chicken, buttery avocado, crunchy sweet carrots, juicy zucchini, tart lime, cool ranch 🤯 You might be thinking these ingredients are a bit weird to combine, but they’re not, they’re perfect!!! There’s such a great amount of contrasting flavors and textures that it all just works!
FYI:
- This dish is Spicy! But can be adjusted by reducing the amount of sriracha, cayenne and red pepper flakes.
- Pssstt… I don’t always bother with the oven baking and rather take out the chicken, cook the veggies until crisp-tender and then add the chicken back in and toss with the sauce. 🤫
SIDE IDEAS:
- No sides needed, got your carbs, proteins, and veggies in one bowl!
Pesto Tortellini Pasta Salad
from Baker by Nature
This summery pesto pasta salad has way more potential than just side dish status. It also works perfectly for lunch meal prep or a quick on-the-go dinner! Oh ya, and it only requires 5 ingredients and about 10 minutes!!!!!
FYI:
- Sliced Salami or Grilled Chicken would be a great addition to mix in.
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 💜
SAVE / PIN THIS POST
SAVE THIS POST TO REFER BACK TO THROUGHOUT THE WEEK
Copy & Paste the URL into your fave notes app:
https://momentsandmeals.com/weekly-dinner-plan-31/
-OR-
Click to Pin the image to your Pinterest board.
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.
