Figuring out what’s for dinner is so much simpler with meal plans and easy recipes. Whether you’re trying to get your family to eat more vegetables or you need a quick dinner idea. Planning ahead helps.
While I love writing out my own meal plans I know that’s not the case for everyone. I spent years posting weekly meal plans along with our fun link parties and honestly I’ve missed it. I have pulled together a bunch of my past meal planning menus to get get us started but mostly I wanted to have a place that you can pin and come back to to find regularly updated, seasonally appropriate, meal plans instead of trying to scroll back through my past posts.
I also hope this will keep me more on the ball about doing it myself. When I know what our dinner menu is it makes it so much easier for me to fight through my hanger. I’m focusing mostly on dinner since that is the hardest for me (and I think most families bring to figure out meal planning) but I’ll also have treat and breakfast and lunch ideas too!
Meal Planning Resources
- How to Get Started Meal Planning
- My Favorite Meal Planning Sheets
- My Recipes Page
- Imperfect foods box – I love ordering ahead and helping to reduce the waste from foods that don’t make it to grocery stores due to cosmetic issues or surplus
And if you are doing this for weight loss I absolutely loved the unique approach I got with this app program! I wanted to share because it was the first program that I felt really got to the heart of my healthy habits and made a point to address what I was eating, how I moved but more than both of those my thoughts and attitudes. Use the free trial option (I think it’s for 14 days) and if it’s not for you it just be sure to cancel before they charge you, but I ended up signing up last year and I loved it.
What’s for Dinner Week 23
Teddy went back to school last week and had a great week! Here’s the cutie in his uniform.
Monday
Tuesday
- Chicken Fricassee
- Mashed Potatoes
- Garlic Green Beans
Wednesday
- Wine Sausage Tomato Basil Pasta
- with fresh homemade pasta
Thursday
Friday
- Butter Chicken
- Cheater Naan – pan frying disks of this dough
Treat
What’s for Dinner Week 23
Teddy went back to school last week and had a great week! Here’s the cutie in his uniform.
Monday
- Tuscan Chicken in my Instant Pot with pasta
Tuesday
- Big Chicken Salad. I use this salad as a base, added some leftover cooked chicken, parmesan and orzo pasta I cooked up. It was really tasty!
Wednesday
- Shrimp and Grits – I just sautéed the shrimp in olive oil and butter in my Instant Pot then removed it and cooked 1 cup of grits with 3 cups of water for 10 minutes with an 8 minute NPR. Stired in some milk and a big handful of cheese. Then I salted it and added one shake of pepper flakes.
- Lemon Spinach
Thursday
Friday
- Corned Beef – we are cooking up the extra corned beef we grabbed during St. Patrick’s. I will be doing it in the Instant pot. So quick and easy. I updated my post with the direction on how to do that (or it also has crock pot directions).
- Cabbage
- Red Potatoes
Treat
What’s for Dinner Week 22
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Treat
What’s for Dinner Week 21
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
- Corned beef and Cabbage
- Red potatoes
- Key Lime Pie (recipe coming soon)
Thursday
Friday
Treat
What’s for Dinner Week 20
Birthday boy and his solar system cake. Sun in the middle obviously and all the planets. We just did a quick presents with masks and spread out cupcakes on the porch cousins and grandparents.
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
- Chicken Fricassee with Mashed Potatoes
Friday
Treat
What’s for Dinner Week 19
Monday
Tuesday
- Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Baked Potatoes
- Marinated Zucchini
Wednesday
- Salmon Club Sandwiches
- Fry bread – I just pan fry this dough
Thursday
Friday
- We’re having a Chinese New Year feast that my mom is making but if you want something to celebrate, these wontons are total comfort food!
Treat
- Magic Cookie Pies are quick and easy enough for the kiddos to make!
What’s for Dinner Week 18
Monday
Tuesday
- Chicken Curry
- Roasted Cauliflower
Wednesday
- Pasole
- Fry bread – I just pan fry this dough
Thursday
- Cantonese crackling Chicken – this will be new for use I’m excited to try it!
- Garlic Green Beans
Friday
- Lasagna – I have been craving this so bad
- Balsamic Salad
Treat
- Chocolate Covered Strawberry trick – I’m excited to bring sugar back into my diet wahoo I’m looking forward to these
What’s for Dinner Week 17
I just saw that Imperfect Foods gave me a special link good through Jan. 31, 2021 if any one wants to try it out it will give you $20 in free groceries. I have been ordering from them regularly for months now and love it. The quality is great. There is no minimum. YOU pick what you want to order it’s not one of those mystery box things. And you help to save food trash. Most of the items are surplus so there’s no actual imperfection. Everything I have gotten has been WAY better than what my local grocery store usually gives. If you want to give it a try here’s my link and it should give you $20 credit.
Monday
- Zucchini Lasagna
- Salad
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
- Chicken Sausage
- Grilled Zucchini
Friday
- Fan fried Tilapia
- Brussels sprouts and Bacon
Treat
- Do yourself a favor and make this delicious Guacsalsa. It’s soooooo good!
What’s for Dinner Week 16
I’m still whole30-ing I hope to write up some tips and favorite recipes when I’m done with it all but here’s what we’re having this week.
Monday
- Apricot and Fish Packets – sooooo good
- Boys will get cous cous and I’ll eat some yummy Brussels sprouts
Tuesday
- Ginger Chicken with Pineapple – we used less dates and a squeeze of lemon juice and it was so good
- Rice
- Roasted broccoli – broccoli tossed in oil oil and sprinkled with garlic salt and then in the air fryer until crisp
Wednesday
- Chinese Meatballs – my mom makes these delicious big lions head pork meatballs with a cabbage broth. I will corner her for the recipe and make a post. But in the meantime this recipe looks similar.
Thursday
- Hobo Foil Packets – but I’ll leave the creaminess out of my bundle for whole30
Friday
Treat
- Chocolate covered strawberries are a delicious and light option. It’s a tiny bit of chocolate and a lot of fruit plus so easy with my little tip.
What’s for Dinner Week 15
What a week. I’ve been good sticking to Whole30 so it’s all roasted nuts and plantain chips and avocados for me but if you need some stress food might I suggest some spinach artichoke dip?
Monday
- Turkey and Bacon Quiche – I’ll make a regular one for the boys and do a crustless, milk/cheese less version for me
- Marinated Zucchini
Tuesday
- Butter Chicken – this is my very favorite recipe but my mom is giving a whole 30 butter chicken recipe a try
- Air fryer roasted broccoli and cauliflower
Wednesday
- Shepherd’s Pie – I will be tweaking my classic recipe to make it Whole 30 compliant by using ghee instead of butter, broth instead of milk, skipping the cheese, making my own gravy instead of using a gravy mix and swapping out peas instead of corn.
Thursday
- Zuppa Toscana – I will leave out the cream to make this whole30 friendly.
Friday
Treat
- Chocolate covered strawberries are a delicious and light option. It’s a tiny bit of chocolate and a lot of fruit plus so easy with my little tip.
What’s for Dinner Week 14
My mom and I are both desperate for a reset so we talked about doing a round of Whole30. I think we might just do it! So a few of these recipes will be new to use but I’m excited to share and find new recipes.
Monday
- Lasagna Soup – So easy, I decided last minute to do this so instead of the crock pot I just did it all on the stove and it worked out great
- Caesar Salad
Tuesday
- Chicken and Two Potatoes – for whole 30 I’ll just leave off the cheese and only use olive oil
- Air fryer roasted broccoli
Wednesday
- Fajita Salad – I’ll use the marinated beef in my and will just stir fry it with spray oil, throw it on a bagged salad mix. Easy peasy
Thursday
- Sausage and Shrimp Stir Fry – this is the first time I’m trying this recipe but it looks yummy!
Friday
- Guilt Free Cashew Chicken – another new recipe but looks good and is Whole30 friendly, I’ll update my thoughts next week when I come to update this post!
Treat
- Butterscotch Banana Bread – I’ll make some for the boys, they looooove this recipe. Not Whole30 lol.
What’s for Dinner Week 13
Monday
- Turkey Bacon Quiche – instead of hash browns I some spaghetti squash I had in the freezer. No one knew and it was a bit more nutritious.
- Avocado Ranch Salad
Tuesday
- Hamburgers not totally sure what kind yet
- Rosemary Potatoes
- Marinated Zucchini
Wednesday
Thursday
- Indian Chicken Curry
- Air Fried Green Cauliflower from our Imperfect box
- Rice
Friday
Treat
- Homemade donuts are super fun to make we love these s’mores mini donuts!
What’s for Dinner Week 12
We have been trying out the Imperfect Foods box and I am in love. You are able to pick everything that goes in your box, no surprises at all. Also most of the imperfections I ended up with were “surplus” which just means there was extra. Some were smaller but for the green peppers we actually preferred the smaller size.
If you want to use my referral link to try it out you will get $10 to spend oh and that’s the other thing, there is no set price you just pay for what you want. I sit with it open along side my normal grocery store and only got things that were the same price or less. The quality was outstanding and I love that they send you an email after your order is delivered to let you know how much your order has helped reduce food waste!
Monday
- Tilapia – just cooked in a skillet with some garlic salt
- Lemon Quinoa and Zucchini Salad
Tuesday
- Lasagna – this is our very favorite comfort food
Wednesday
Thursday
- Butter Chicken
- Roasted Green Beans
- Cheater Naan – just use this recipe pull into discs and cook in a frying pan with spray oil
Friday
- Fancy Ramen – No peanut butter this time just curry and some zucchini noodles that I had frozen
- Instant Pot Soft Cooked Eggs
- Air Fried Shrimp
Treat
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- banana bread muffins – this is great for breakfast or a snack or even dessert!
What’s for Dinner Week 11
This week Teddy took it upon himself to take down all the Halloween decorations (score!) and put up a Thanksgiving tree. It’s got pie, pumpkins, turkeys and lollipops.
I really love it. It may have to be a new Thanksgiving tradition!
Monday
- Corn Beef Stuffed Baked Potatoes – use leftover corned beef (we have some in the freezer from last time we made it), cheese sauce (I just use the sauce I make for Mac and cheese).
- Air-fried broccoli (just toss with olive oil and garlic salt)
Tuesday
- Beer Battered Fish (totally just using the frozen Costco ones)
- Garlic Roasted Potatoes (skipping the rosemary this time)
- Quickie green beans
Wednesday
- Cheater Navajo Tacos – but instead of oil frying I’ll pan fry, or maybe try air frying since I don’t feel like dealing with all the grease
- Homemade refried beans – this are the best ever!
Thursday
- Turkey – I swear by the cooking in a bag method, so juicy and really hard to overcook
- Mashed Potatoes
- Green Bean Casserole
- Sweet Potato Casserole – I’ll take pics and post after
- Rolls
- Pie – still figuring out which one
Friday
- Leftover Thanksgiving Turnover – this is hands down the easiest and my favorite thing to do with Thanksgiving leftovers
More Turkey Leftover Ideas!
I have a big post of ideas for using thanksgiving leftovers but here are a few of my favorites!
- Turkey Tortellini Soup – this is so flexible so if you don’t have exactly the same leftovers you can adjust to what you have on hand
- Turkey Bacon and Spinach Quiche – this is perfect for when you are tired of Thanksgiving food but still have stuff left because it takes completely like something else!
- Turkey Artichoke Alfredo – swap the chicken in the recipe for turkey and you’re good to go
Treat
- Cinnaburst bread – this is great for breakfast or a snack or even dessert!
What’s for Dinner Week 10
Totally random but this apple peeler is totally the best if you cook with apples and need to peel, core, and slice, it works for other foods too. Teddy and I made apple butter.
Monday
Tuesday
- Chicken Fricasse in the crock pot
- Mashed Potatoes
Wednesday
Thursday
- Cowboy Burgers
- Rosemary and Garlic roasted potatoes (I’ll do them in the air fryer)
Friday
- Coconut Cilantro Pork Ribs
- Cous Cous
- Garlic Green Beans
Snack Idea
Treat
What’s for Dinner Week 9
We’re loving our new Hocus Pocus board game. It’s so stinking fun and I don’t think I’ve ever played a game that is truly collaborative.
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Monday
- Creamy Bacon and Clam Fettuccine just a few ingredients and so so tasty
- If you feel like being an overachiever, I highly recommend this homemade pasta recipe. SOOOO good.
- Make a loaf of 5 minute artisan bread
Tuesday
Wednesday
- Cream of Mushroom Soup – this recipe is SOOOOO good and so easy
- Parmesan Dinner Rolls
Thursday
- Zucchini Lasagna – just as comforting and the real deal but with a great dose of veggies and less empty carbs
- Caesar salad
Friday
- Lemon Butter Tilapia one of my favorite quick fish recipes
- Mac and Cheese
- Garlic Green Beans
Lunch Idea
- Guava and Cheese empanadas – the perfect salty sweet combo
Treat
- Blueberry Muffins with Streusel topping these are so good and reheat great
What’s for Dinner Week 8
Halloween week!
Monday
- Stuffed Shells – this recipe is SO good it’s a bit more involved than my speedy recipes but it freezes well so I like to make a double batch and put one in the freezer to bake up later
- Pizza Salad
Tuesday
- Crock Pot Balsamic Beef Roast – the flavors of this are SO SO good
- Mashed Potatoes
- Garlic Wilted Spinach – I’ll leave out the lemon this time
Wednesday
- Creamy Shrimp and Pesto zoodles – I’ll do half zucchini noodles made with my favorite spiralizer and half regular pasta just since the boys like that SOOOO much better than all zoodles but also because it just feels heartier.
- Fresh Bread – I have some dough left in the fridge ready to be baked up. I love that it keeps up to 2 weeks. Makes everything so convenient.
Thursday
- Chicken Sausage – this is one of my favorite cheats I keep them on hand all the time for a quick and easy protein
- Bacon with Shaved Brussels Sprouts – so flavorful and when you cook it this way it’s way easier to control and make sure they don’t get overcooked.
Friday
- Oven Fried Chicken – love how juicy and crispy this is
- Broccoli Slaw
Lunch Idea
- Croquettes – instead of the bacon I’ll add in some ground beef seasoned with garlic salt for a delicious lunch idea.
Treat
- Harvest Munch Mix – Perfect for Halloween this is super fun to make and makes for a festive snack
What’s for Dinner Week 7
Monday
- Wontons – this is the ultimate comfort food. I love making a huge batch and freezing some for easy meals later on. Plus Teddy loves helping make the wontons using this kind of press since his little fingers haven’t quite mastered the folding technique in the video. Bonus points for being a one dish meal complete with protein and veggies!
Tuesday
- Corned Beef in the crock pot – this is my dads favorite and we were lucky enough to find some roasts at Costco so we gave him them for his birthday. Why yes we did give him raw meat for his birthday gift bwahahah.
- Cabbage just boiled in water and some of the liquid from the corned beef
- Boiled red potatoes
Wednesday
- Hobo Foil Packets – these are so fun. I know a lot of people do these while they camp but we enjoy them on the grill or even in the oven. It’s fun to let everyone prep their own packets to their own level of pickiness, errr I mean tastes haha. This is another great low maintenance, one pan dish complete with carb, protein and veg.
Thursday
- Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplings – don’t tell my sister I’m making this or she’ll come eat it all! It’s so good and so easy. I can’t wait!
- Salad
Friday
- Coconut Curry Lentil Soup – quick and easy and full of flavor but not spicy at all
- Naan made from my favorite refrigerator dough
Breakfast Idea
- Quick Waffles – once I tried this recipe I’ve never used a box mix again. First off it’s crazy delicious but more than that it’s super easy!
Treat
- Cranberry Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies – these are crazy good and I’m sooooooo excited that cranberries are finally showing up in grocery stores again. These are my favorite!
What’s for Dinner Week 6
This week is all about making the most of a rotisserie chicken. Just grab one at the store, Costco’s are my favorite, and make it work for you. Alternatively you can just bake up some chicken pieces to get you started. And to make the post of your chicken make sure you see my tips of how to cut a chicken (or turkey) to get the most meat out of it!.
Monday
- Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese – super yummy twist on classic Mac and cheese, the topping is so delicious! I use one chicken Breast for this
- Avocado Maple Pecan Salad
Tuesday
- Chicken Bacon and Spinach Quiche – Use about 1/2 cup worth of the scraps/wing meat you know the pieces that are pulled of the bones at the end, make sure to do that so you get the most out of your bird!
Wednesday
- Chicken and Quick Biscuits – I’ll use the chicken quarters and make a gravy with the drippings, flour, butter, and milk (pretty much like how I make cheese sauce but with the drippings and a half spoonful of better than bouillon instead of cheese)
- Grilled Zucchini
Thursday
- White Chicken Chili – I’ll use the other chicken breast
- 3 Ingredient Cornbread
Friday
- Homemade Pizza – I’ll stuff the crust with string cheese and do cheese for the kids and meatball for me and Daniel.
- Baby carrots and peppers
Lunch Idea
- Chili Cheese Pigs in a Blanket – Such an easy fun treat. If you don’t have any chili on hand just skip it and do cheese dogs in a blanket!
Treat
- Berry Cream Crumble – okay the pictures for this are so awful and old, but trust me it’s such a yummy one. Hopefully I’ll have new pictures to update that post with after this week!
What’s for Dinner Week 5
Monday
- Crock Pot Beef and Onion Gravy served over egg noodles – this is one of those dump it in the crock pot and it’s done at dinner for you recipes. So easy
- Peas with a little butter and salt
Tuesday
- Oven Fried Chicken – total comfort food without all the mess and grease. Just make sure to follow the instructions.
- Mac and Cheese
- Lemon Spinach
Wednesday
- 15 Minute Pasole
- Fry bread made from my favorite no-knead dough (just pinch some off and fry I’ve done both with some oil and just some spray oil in a pan both are tasty)
- Side salad
Thursday
- Fish packets – the kids love eating this straight out of the packet and I love how it’s easy to to prep it all and cooks up fast.
- Rosemary Potatoes
Friday
- Cowboy Hamburgers
- Air fried frozen French fries (they turn out so much better than in the oven and no mess like deep frying)
- Garlic green beans
Lunch Idea
- Throw some of the leftover crock pot beef into regular ramen packets. So so good! This can also be used for another dinner idea. I like to add some spinach too to if I have some on hand.
Treat
- Mini apple pies – so cute and easy the kids can help with this one.
What’s for Dinner Week 4
Monday
Tuesday
- Pan Fried Tilapia – just sprinkle some garlic salt on and cook it over medium heat with a little spray oil
- Broccoli Slaw
Wednesday
- Chicken and Artichoke Alfredo
- Want to make your own pasta? This is my favorite homemade pasta recipe. If you have a kitchen-aide, this attachment makes creating. your own pasta a breeze.
Thursday
Friday
- Lasagna
- Leftover idea: Use leftovers to make this super good lasagna soup or double the batch and freeze half for an easy meal in the future!
Lunch Idea
- Vietnamese Spring Rolls
- The full recipe of Broccoli Slaw makes a lot and keeps all week so great for lunch too!
Treat
What’s for Dinner Week 3
Monday
- Butter Chicken –
- Rice – I just make it in my rice cooker
Tuesday
- Kielbasa and Sweet Potato Hash
- Bag Salad Mix – probably Sunflower Mix
Wednesday
- Teriyaki Salmon
- Wilted Lemon Spinach
- Cous Cous
Thursday
- Chicken Coconut Lentil Soup
- Naan – Made from no-knead bread, just roll out a section into a pancake like piece and pan fry. Easy and delicious
Friday
- Pizza – this week
- Salad
Lunch Idea
Treat
What’s for Dinner Week 2
Monday
- Split Pea and Ham Soup
- No-Knead Artisan Bread
Tuesday
- Seafood Mac and Cheese
- Spinach Salad
Wednesday
- Creamy Crock Pot Swedish Meatballs – I love the Ikea packet with Costco Meatballs SO easy!
- Mashed Potatoes or if you’re trying to be healthier Mashed Cauliflower
Thursday
Friday
- Pizza – this week
Lunch Idea
- Curry Puffs – not spicy but so yummy, everyone in our family loves these! And they reheat great.
Treat
- Banana Butterbeer Muffins – this are good for dessert or breakfast :)
What’s for Dinner Week 1
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Lunch Idea
Treat
- Apricot Hand Pies – these are great for breakfast, snack, or even dessert
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