Meals for the Week: Healthy + Simple Dinner Ideas + Tips

Today I’m sharing meals for the week – healthy + simple dinner ideas + tips for you! This has been a popular request and I’m hoping I can try to do this regularly for you. My goal is to share the meals with you on Sundays when you are preparing for your week so you can get your grocery shopping list together and plan ahead.

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Meals for the Week:

My Tips for Healthy + Simple Dinner Ideas

Weather Forecast & No Repeats

When I plan out our meals I like to consider what things we all enjoy and what we haven’t had recently so we don’t get sick of the same old things! I also look at the weather… may sound strange but when it gets warmer I don’t feel like eating heavier meals that you would typically make on colder days.

However if rain is in the forecast I may consider some of those options! Do you ever consider the weather when you are meal planning?

Brainstorm & Write it Down

I like to get old school and write it down. You may prefer adding to the notes section of your smart phone. Either way I find that when I write it down I’m more likely to stick to the plan and stay organized.

Schedules, Activities & Be Realistic

Look at your schedule for the week and see what after school or work activities you have planned. I know this sounds like common sense but it needs to be said…Don’t set yourself up for meal planning failure. Trust me I’ve been there. Scheduling meals that are time consuming aren’t going to be feasible if you have activities scheduled after work that prevent you from being home to prepare them.

This is why it’s always easier for so many of us to grab take-out. I’m not opposed to it and we definitely partake in take-out every now and then but when I plan out our meals for the week based around our activities this is less likely to happen.

However I will say that life gets busy and sometimes you have to be realistic and flexible. Don’t beat yourself up if you can’t follow through one of the nights because something comes up – it’s ok! Be kind to yourself and remember you are doing the best you can!

Variety is Key

When planning our meals for the week I like to make sure we have a variety of options – fish, chicken, pork and beef. This won’t work for everyone since I know many have diet restrictions, allergies, etc. However wherever you are at with the food you consume it’s nice to make sure you prepare your food different ways so you don’t get bored!

Simple + Healthy Ideas

One of my sweet readers messaged me and told me she had meal preparation difficulty – she would get the food home and wasn’t sure how to prepare it and combine with other side dishes. She likened it to “writers block” but with food preparation – such an accurate analogy! I’m hoping these options give you some ideas that are healthy for you and your family. So many of you have thanked me for sharing our weeknight dinners on IG and it makes my heart sooo happy to know what I’m sharing can be helpful to you! I’ve added lots of veggies to the meals and you can follow along on IG stories with me when I make them this week.

Meals for the Week

Come cook with me this week! I shop at Trader Joe’s, Sprouts, Barons & Albertsons. This week the Mahi burgers, alfredo sauce and cauliflower pizza crust will all be from Trader Joe’s. Saturday and Sunday are usually out to dinner to leftovers depending on what we have going on. I like to focus on the busy weeknights – those are what we all need help with!!

You can shop all of my kitchen essentials below – like my favorite pans. When you are done cooking and want to get your kitchen extra clean I have a blog post about my tips + tricks and products I love – head here. Curious about our kitchen + sources – head to this post.