This week’s meal plan leans easy, cozy, and family-friendly, with a nice mix of burgers, pasta, slow cooker chicken, tender meatballs, and fish tacos so dinner never feels too repetitive. It starts with the quickest dinner of the week, gives you a mostly hands-off slow cooker night in the middle, and saves taco night for Friday, which makes the whole week feel a little more fun.
A few helpful tips for the week
- The BBQ pulled chicken is a great one to count on for leftovers, so plan for an extra lunch or an easy second meal if you have some left.
- To make the week easier, prep the toppings ahead for the burgers and tacos. Chopping the vegetables and making the slaw or sauces in advance will help dinner come together much faster on busy nights.
- If you’re making the cottage cheese pancakes, you’ll use about 10 ounces of cottage cheese, which means you’ll have about 6 ounces left from a standard 16-ounce container. Use the rest to make a simple cottage cheese fruit bowl in the morning, or add it to cottage cheese scrambled eggs later in the week.
- For the mahi mahi tacos, you’ll likely buy a small can of chipotles in adobo and won’t use all of it. Freeze the extra in 2 small freezer bags for later, it’s an easy way to avoid waste, and it works really well for future tacos, marinades, or sauces.
- If you’re serving the Greek chicken burgers with tzatziki sauce, check my tzatziki sauce recipe before shopping to make sure you have all the ingredients on hand.
- You’ll need 4 burger buns for the Greek chicken burgers, but it makes sense to buy 8 so you can use the extra buns for the BBQ pulled chicken later in the week.
Breakfast idea
Cottage Cheese Pancakes: These pancakes have crispy edges, tender centers, and a nice boost of protein, which makes them a great breakfast to have in the mix for the week. They’re especially good with fresh fruit and maple syrup.
Dessert Idea
Lemon Brownies: These lemon brownies have the chewy texture of a brownie with the bright, tangy flavor of a lemon bar, all finished with creamy icing. They’re simple, cheerful, and a really good dessert for spring.
Shopping List
This shopping list includes everything you need to make all five dinners, plus the breakfast and dessert included in this week’s plan. Click the button below to print it and take it to the store.
Produce
- 1 pound yellow onions
- 8 ounces mushrooms
- 1 small bag slaw mix
- 1 jalapeno
- 1 avocado
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 lime
- 1 lemon
- 1 small bunch fresh dill
- 1 small bunch fresh cilantro
- 1 small bunch fresh basil
- 1 small bunch fresh thyme, or use dried
Meat, Poultry and Fish
- 2 pounds boneless chicken breasts
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 ½ pounds mahi mahi fish fillets
Condiments and Spices
Olive oil
Light brown sugar
Granulated sugar
Powdered sugar
Italian seasoning
Smoked paprika
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Dried oregano
Ground cumin
Kosher salt
Ground black pepper
Plain breadcrumbs
All purpose flour
Baking powder
Vanilla extract
Dairy & Refrigerated Items
- 8 large eggs
- 4 ounces feta cheese
- 1 (16 ounce) container cottage cheese
- 1 small container sour cream
- 1 small container ricotta cheese
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup gruyere cheese
- 1 small wedge fresh parmesan cheese
Grains and Pasta
- 8 ounces pasta, any preferred shape – plus more to serve with Ricotta meatballs
- Small corn tortillas, 10 count
- 8 burger buns
Canned, Jarred, and Boxed
- 1 small carton vegetable stock
- 1 small bottle BBQ sauce
- 1 small jar mayonnaise
- 1 small jar sundried tomatoes
- 1 small bottle white wine, optional
- 24 ounces marinara sauce
- 1 small can Peppers in Adobo Sauce (7 oz)
- 6 ounces white chocolate bar
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