4 Week Dinner Meal Plan to Make Your Life Easier

I recently shared how we cut cost on food in a reel over on my Instagram. In the reel I shared how I use a four week dinner meal plan on a monthly rotation. This allows me to never have to think about what’s for dinner and have an easy plan in place for grocery shopping every week.

Many of you were interested in my meal plan, so I’m compiling the 4 weekly meal plans into this post. A couple things to note:

1) I’m eating dairy-free because my baby has CMPA (cow’s milk protein allergy). The first week of the meal plan isn’t dairy free, but weeks 2-4 are more dairy free than not. If any of the meals in this plan do have dairy in them (because my husband and older son are still eating dairy) I just leave the dairy out of my portion of the meal. If the meal is impossible to avoid dairy, I just make myself an easy meal like a chicken burger or something else easy that night while my husband and son eat the main entree I cooked. That’s why most of the meals are dairy free but some have dairy in them.

2) This meal plan includes 5 meals and a grocery list for each week. We usually have leftovers several times each week, so there aren’t 7 meals per week. We often have plenty of leftovers for lunches as well.

Okay, I think that’s all you need to know. Here we go!

Meal Plan Week 1:

Meals:

• Tortellini’s with Red Sauce and green salad (we buy pre-made tortellini’s at Costco but you could also buy them at your local grocery store) – *I like to have at least one super simple meal each week that doesn’t require much effort or cooking for evenings that time is crunched and we just need something fast. This is our ultra simple meal for this week*
• Teriyaki Chicken and Rice – https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/instant-pot-chicken-teriyaki-bowls/
• Sheet Pan Sausage Meal: https://www.budgetbytes.com/sheet-pan-chicken-sausage-dinner/ 
• Chicken and Biscuit Casserole: https://www.budgetbytes.com/chicken-and-biscuit-casserole/
• Burritos (No recipe here – I just cook the ground turkey (or beef) and diced onions in a skillet with taco seasoning. I warm the black beans in a sauce pan. Cook the rice in an instant pot or sauce pan, or if I’m really feeling pressed for time I heat up a microwave pouch of rice. Put the meat mixture, beans, and rice into the tortillas, top with salsa, cheese, and sour cream, and squeeze lime juice on top of the filling for extra flavor. Roll up the burrito and enjoy 🙂

Grocery List:

produce:

• lime
• white onion
• 1 small red onion
• 1 yellow onion
• 3 bell peppers (1 red, 2 any color)
• 2 heads fresh broccoli
• 1 sweet potato 
• green onion
• 3 large carrots
• 3 celery stalks
• bagged salad mix (to go with the tortellini) or head of romaine or spinach and make your own salad 
• garlic (cloves or a jar of pre-minced garlic)

meat:

• ground turkey
• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 4 fully-cooked chicken sausage links
• 1 lb ground chicken

dairy:

• mexican cheese
• shredded cheddar cheese
• butter
• buttermilk (1/2 cup)

frozen:

• 1 cup frozen corn

dry goods:

• salsa
• 1.5 cups uncooked jasmine rice
• burrito size flour tortillas
• 1-2 cups brown or white rice to go in burritos
• all purpose flour
• baking powder
• 1/2 tsp sugar

cans/bottles/jars/seasonings:

• 1 can black beans
• your favorite red sauce to go with the tortellinis
• 2 cups teriyaki sauce
• 3 cups chicken broth
• sesame oil or olive oil
• salt
• pepper
• garlic powder
• ground ginger
• dried oregano
• taco seasoning
• red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp rubbed sage

packaged food:

• tortellinis

Meal Plan Week 2:

Meals:

• Chicken Tortilla Soup Instant Pot: https://www.feastingathome.com/instant-pot-chicken-tortilla-soup/
• Naan and Chicken Tikka Masala (we buy this at Costco – 2 large containers of the chicken masala so we use one, freeze the other for next month’s meal plan. Costco also sells a large pack of naan or you can buy a smaller package at the grocery store) *this is our ultra simple meal for this week*
• Turkey Taco Skillet – https://www.lifeisbutadish.com/turkey-taco-skillet/
• Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs and Vegetables – https://fitfoodiefinds.com/instant-pot-honey-garlic-chicken-thighs/
• Aidell’s Sausage Hoagie with Sautéed Peppers and Onions – no recipe for this one, I just dice up the sausages and warm them in a skillet, chop up bell peppers and onion and sauté those with the sausages and throw it all into a hoagie roll 

Grocery List: 

produce:

• 1 small red bell pepper
• 2-3 colored bell peppers of choice (for sausage hoagie rolls)
• 2 avocados 
• 3 limes 
• 2 onions 
• celery
• carrots (1-2 cups diced)
• jar of minced garlic or 7-8 cloves of garlic
• celery (1 cup chopped)
• cilantro

meat:

• 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts
• 1 package Aidell’s sausage 
• 1 lb ground turkey
• 2 lbs chicken thighs skin on

dairy:

• shredded mexican cheese (1 cup)
• sour cream (optional) to top the chicken tortilla soup
• shredded cheese (optional) to top the chicken tortilla soup

dry goods:

• naan
• tortilla chips (to go with the turkey taco skillet if desired)
• hoagie rolls
• tortilla strips (to top the soup)
• 1 cup dry black beans (for the soup)

cans/bottles/jars/seasonings:

• 1 12oz jar mild salsa
• black beans
• honey
• chili garlic sauce
• 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
• 4 oz can mild chilis
• olive oil
• 4 cups chicken stock or broth (I like to use better than bouillon chicken base)
• salt
• cumin
• chili powder
• dried oregano
• 1 can black beans (for the turkey taco skillet)
• soy sauce or tamari (I used coconut aminos for the honey garlic chicken thighs because soy hurts my baby’s tummy and it tasted great)
• optional: sesame seeds

pre-packaged food:

• pre made chicken tikka masala from Costco (I’m sure you could find similar options at a regular grocery store if you don’t shop at Costco)

Meal Plan Week 3:

Meals:

• Mediterranean Chicken – https://www.themediterraneandish.com/one-skillet-mediterranean-chicken-recipe/
• Spaghetti and Green Salad – no recipe here, just cook the spaghetti noodles according to the package. In a skillet cook 1-2 lbs ground turkey or beef (I always use turkey because it’s healthier) add red spaghetti sauce of choice to the meat and top the noodles with the meat sauce. Enjoy with a green salad. 
• White Chicken Chili – https://therealfooddietitians.com/slow-cooker-white-chicken-chili/ (can use instant pot or slow cooker for this meal)
• Beef Burgers on Brioche Buns, Waffle Fries, and Watermelon (or seasonal fruit) – you could also do a frozen pizza and green salad here. *this is our ultra simple meal for this week*
• Shrimp Scampi: https://cafedelites.com/garlic-butter-shrimp-scampi/ (serve over angel hair pasta)

Grocery List:

produce:

• cilantro
• 3 large lemons 
• 2 limes
• parsley (chopped)
• 4 small tomatoes
• salad mix (to go with the spaghetti)
• 1 medium bell pepper (any color)
• 1 small jalapeño
• 1 medium red onion
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 4 tbsp minced garlic
• 6 garlic cloves (for garlic I usually just use a jar of pre-minced garlic I buy in the produce section and dump in 1-2 spoonfuls of minced garlic instead of mincing the cloves)

meat:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 1-2 lbs ground turkey (or beef) for the spaghetti 
• burgers

frozen:

• 1.25 lbs frozen shrimp (could also buy fresh but frozen is cheaper)
• optional: frozen pizza (if opting for a frozen pizza instead of hamburgers)

dairy:

• butter/margarine for dairy free 
• cheddar cheese for burgers
• crumbled feta cheese

frozen:

• fries (if opting for hamburgers and fries instead of pizza this week)
• pizza (if opting for the pizza instead of the hamburgers and fries)
• 1 and 1/4 lbs large shrimp prawns (shelled) with tails on or off

dry goods:

• red pepper flakes
• hamburger buns (or brioche buns) if making hamburgers this week
• spaghetti noodles 

cans/bottles/jars/seasonings:

• red pasta sauce (to go with the spaghetti – pick your favorite)
• green olives (sliced)
• extra virgin olive oil
• 1 can full fat coconut milk
• 1 14 oz can white beans (optional – for the chili)
• dry white wine
• chicken broth (2.5 cups – once again I use chicken base better than bouillon)
• dried oregano
• ground cumin
• chili powder
• italian seasoning
• salt
• pepper
• crushed red pepper

Meal Plan Week 4:

Meals:

• Instant Pot Mac and Cheese: https://thesaltymarshmallow.com/instant-pot-mac-and-cheese/ 
• Beef Burgers on Brioche Buns, Waffle Fries, and Watermelon (or seasonal fruit) (same as week 3 – could do chicken burgs, salmon burgs, or turkey burgs to switch it up)
• Chicken Caesar Salad Wraps: (no recipe here, I just mix a store bought caesar salad mix with diced grilled chicken and roll it up in burrito sized flour tortillas.) *this is our ultra simple meal for this week*
• Pulled Chicken Sandwiches on Brioche Buns and Sweet Potato Fries: https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/instant-pot-shredded-chicken/ I add bbq sauce to the shredded chicken and sandwich it between a brioche bun with sweet potato fries for a side. 
• Fettuccini and Green Salad: https://www.budgetbytes.com/chicken-alfredo/

Grocery List:

produce:

• in season fruit (as a side with burgers)
• shredded carrots to go in green salad (optional)
• green romaine mix (or whatever type of green salad you like with dinner)
• caesar salad mix
• 4 garlic cloves
• optional: chopped parsley for garnish (for the chicken alredo)

meat:

• 3 lb chicken thighs 
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1.3 lbs)
• chicken breasts to cook and dice to throw into the caesar salad mix (or buy pre-cooked grilled chicken strips or diced)
• 2-3 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts

frozen:

• sweet potato fries
• waffle fries
• frozen beef burgers (or turkey burgers, chicken burgers, or salmon burgers)

dairy:

• 2 cups shredded cheddar
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• 1/2 cup shredded parmesan (for the instant pot mac and cheese)
• 3/4 cup grated parmessan (for the chicken alfredo)
• heavy cream
• 1/2-1 cup milk
• 4 tbsp butter
• sliced cheddar cheese to go on burgers

dry goods:

• 8 oz fettuccini noodles
• 16 oz elbow macaroni 
• brioche buns (or hamburger buns if that’s what you prefer)
• large flour tortillas

cans/bottles/jars/seasonings:

• 1 tsp hot chili sauce
• 2 cups bbq sauce
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup chicken stock
• garlic powder
• garlic salt
• salt
• pepper
• smoked paprika
• italian seasoning
• cooking oil