Meal Planning Made Easy- 4 Weeks of Simple Dinners Part 2

Having inspiration can make meal planning much easier! These 4 easy weekly meal plans from our family are full of dinner ideas for you! Check out Part 1 of Meal Planning Made Easy to get four MORE weeks of simple dinners!

It’s one of my kids’ favorite questions to ask. And honestly, it’s one that I used to frequently ask myself at 5pm from the middle of the grocery store.

You know the one.

If you’re anything like me, it’s the question that can leave you wide-eyed, thinking, “You mean these people want to eat tonight?”

The question that manages to perplex you sometimes. The one that causes you to make unplanned trips to the grocery store, extra stops at the fast food drive-through, and last-minute calls to your favorite local takeout joint.

It’s the question that wrecks your best attempts at a budget and causes you too much stress.

I know, because I’ve been there too many times.

One thing I’ve learned over the years is that I don’t have to live like this! And you don’t either. The solution is really so simple.

I’ve written about how to create a weekly meal plan. It’s also important to realize there are different ways to meal plan, and it’s helpful to find a meal planning method that works best for you.

But no matter how you do it, having a meal plan each week can reduce stress, cut down on waste in your grocery budget, and eliminate the overwhelming question, “What’s for dinner?”

Having a plan means you already know what’s for dinner before the day even starts.

And having inspiration makes meal planning way more fun, so I thought I’d share 4 weeks of an actual meal plan from my own home.

Here are a few things to keep in mind about these 4 easy weekly meal plans:

I’ve found that it’s easier to stick to my meal plan if the meals are simple and easy to prepare, relatively inexpensive, and if my family enjoys them. So you won’t find elaborate, time-intensive meals here. There’s nothing wrong with those, but they don’t fit our lifestyle right now.

I only make a meal plan for our dinner meals. We typically eat the same few things for breakfast, and our lunches are simple (sandwiches, fruit, yogurt, cheese, etc.).
We are a family of 5, and our kids are currently ages 4.5, 2.5, and 14 months. Many of the meals I make end up feeding us twice for dinner. Obviously, if you have a family with three teenagers, you may need to adjust quantities to have enough leftovers.

Week 1:

Sunday: Pizza after church

Monday: Chicken cacciatore with salad

Tuesday: Leftovers

Wednesday: Rice-a-roni with chicken and bell peppers

Thursday: Leftovers

Friday: Pesto pasta with salad

Saturday: Tilapia with carrots and baked potatoes

Week 2:

Sunday: Breakfast for dinner (with these pancakes, scrambled eggs, and bacon)

Monday: Homemade pizza margherita

Tuesday: Leftovers

Wednesday: Pressure cooker BBQ chicken chili

Thursday: Leftovers

Friday: dinner out

Saturday: Spaghetti with salad

Week 3:

Sunday: Leftovers

Monday: Creamy chicken noodle soup and parmesan herb biscuits

Tuesday: Leftovers

Wednesday: Pesto ravioli with salad

Thursday: Bean, corn, and cheese quesadillas with beans and rice

Friday: Leftovers

Saturday: Takeout pizza

Week 4:

Sunday: Slow cooker chicken tacos, beans, Mexican rice

Monday: Leftovers

Tuesday: Minestrone and dinner rolls

Wednesday: leftovers

Thursday: Roasted red pepper pasta with salad

Friday: leftovers

Saturday: Macaroni and cheese with salad

Just remember, meal planning doesn’t have to be complicated! In fact, it shouldn’t be. By including easy, tried and true recipes in your plan, you’re setting yourself up for success. Use these easy weekly meal plans as a guide to get started.

Having an answer to the question, “What’s for dinner” allows you to save time, money, and sanity! I hope these 4 easy weekly meal plans give you a little bit of inspiration and show you how simple meal planning can be.

You can get my FREE weekly meal plan printable here!

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