Dinner, Decided: Week 3 Meal Plan
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As always, I’ve done the planning for you! The recipes are intentionally paired to reuse ingredients throughout the week, helping you get more out of your grocery haul while reducing food waste. You’ll notice ingredients like peppers, onions, rice, cilantro, and fresh herbs making multiple appearances, but each meal has its own unique flavor profile, so nothing feels repetitive.
This week’s menu also balances cooking methods to keep things manageable. You’ll start the week with a comforting one-pan dinner, enjoy a few quick bowl meals, let your sheet pan do the work on Thursday, and finish the week with Slow Cooker Pulled Pork that’s perfect for sandwiches and even better as leftovers over the weekend. Whether you wrap up the pork in a tortilla, serve it in a rice bowl, or have it in sandwiches or sliders, it’s a great protein ready to go during busy weekends!
With Dinner, Decided you’re getting:
- Tested, developed, and retested recipes that work
- Ingredients overlap (cook once, eat twice theory)
- Leftovers get repurposed in creative ways.
- Grocery spending stays reasonable.
- Full shopping lists with swaps and substitution ideas
- Food waste is minimized.
- Most importantly…Dinner decisions are already made!
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- ✔️ Variety (yay nothing boring!): Protein and fiber-packed meals all week long: Mediterranean-inspired flavors, fresh Salsa Verde Chicken bowls, Tex-Mex sheet pan fajitas, and BBQ pulled pork sandwiches. The variety keeps dinner exciting!
- ✔️ A mix of cooking methods: I feel like this also helps keep the week interesting but also all the methods are so easy. This week is designed to fit into a busy schedule. You’ll have a comforting stovetop dinner, customizable bowl meals, an easy sheet pan recipe, and a slow cooker meal that practically cooks itself. No two nights feel exactly the same but the prep work is low.
- ✔️ Family-friendly, balanced proteins and customizable. Bowl meals and fajitas make it easy for everyone to build their own plate, while pulled pork sandwiches are always a crowd-pleaser. Whether you’re feeding picky eaters or letting everyone choose their favorite toppings, these meals are flexible enough to work for the whole family.
- ✔️ Leftovers with a purpose and don’t feel repetitive: The Slow Cooker Pulled Pork lands on Friday for a reason! You’ll have plenty left over for easy weekend lunches, sliders, tacos, nachos, quesadillas, or loaded baked potatoes.
- ✔️ A little something sweet. To round out the week, the Salted Pretzel Cookie Dough Date Bark is an easy no-bake treat that satisfies your sweet tooth without turning on the oven. Make it ahead and enjoy it throughout the week whenever you need a little pick-me-up. Don’t forget to try some of my other sweet treat favorites: Dark Chocolate Quinoa Bark, Monster Cookie Energy Bites, and/or my Protein Chocolate Mousse!
Free Download for Week 3
Bye boring dinners, hello realistic meal plan that utilizes all of your groceries. Less trips to the store, strategic planning, protein-centered meals, and a sweet treat that is both satisfying and tasty!
Dinner, Decided: Week 3 Meal Plan
Monday
- Serving Suggestion: Pick up some tzatziki at the store and serve alongside my Cucumber Tomato Salad!
Tuesday
- Serving Suggestion: Make sure to pick up your favorite Tex-Mex toppings and ingredients for these bowls (rice, beans, avocado, salsa, pickled onions, etc). You can use leftover toppings and ingredients with the Flank Steak Fajitas on Thursday too!
- Recipe Note: If you would rather make an “all-in-one” type meal for Tuesday’s meal, follow my Instant Pot Chicken Burrito Bowl recipe where the rice, beans, and chicken all cook together in the Instant Pot.
Wednesday
- Serving Suggestion: Enjoy leftover Cucumber Tomato Salad from Monday in these bowls!
Thursday
- Serving Suggestion: Top them with your favorite Tex-Mex toppings like guacamole, salsa, cilantro, and sour cream to take these Sheet Pan Flank Steak Fajitas to the next level!
- Swap Notes: You can totally swap the steak for chicken if you’d like! If using chicken thighs or breasts, the cook time will increase to ~25 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
Friday
- Serving Suggestion: The shopping list is written to enjoy this Slow Cooker Pulled Pork in slider buns, but feel free to swap buns for tortillas or baked potatoes, or use the pork on top of a nice green salad. If you’re enjoying the pulled pork in sliders, don’t forget to grab some easy sides to enjoy with them – like coleslaw, baked beans, or cornbread!
- Serving Size Note: This recipe makes a lot of pulled pork… which is perfect for leftovers heading into the weekend! If you find yourself with too much leftover (is that even a thing??) I highly recommend freezing leftovers (I personally love using Souper Cubes for this!)
Sweet Treet
Shopping List
For this week’s complete shopping list, my tips, swaps, and more, grab the ✨free✨ download!
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Dinner, Decided: Week 1 Meal Plan
This week I’m kicking off Dinner, Decided with recipes I have on repeat at home. The goal was never “here’s another meal plan.” Personally, my biggest struggle is figuring out what to make. The recipes and cooking were never the problem. The planning and decisions were.
Dinner, Decided: Week 2 Meal Plan
When choosing the meals for this week, my goal was to repurpose ingredients but keep flavors feeling fresh all week. I think this week’s meals provide a lot of opportunities for ingredient overlap without feeling repetitive.
