It’s time to get a head start on your meal plan for next week. From a one-bowl vegan dinner that the kids will love to the most delicious pork chops, we’ve got five weeknight dinners that will get you through the week. So grab a pen, make your shopping list, and stock up before the weekend’s over.

Top: Pork Chops with Roasted Pears, Sage, and Shallots at Simple Bites | Spinach Basil Pesto Risotto by Heather Christo at Pioneer Woman | Slow Cooker Mississippi Roast, Photo by Melina Hammer for The New York Times

Related: Meal plan: 5 easy dinners from a skinny slower cooker keeper to your new favorite stir fry.

 

Cool Mom Eats weekly meal plan: Our favorite kid-friendly vegan dinner, Spinach Basil Pesto Risotto by Heather Christo at Pioneer Woman

Spinach Basil Pesto Risotto | Heather Christo at Pioneer Woman

We’re kicking off #MeatlessMonday this week with my favorite of all the kid-friendly vegan dinners we rounded up. I love this recipe for vegan Spinach Basil Pesto Risotto by Heather Christo at Pioneer Woman and make it nearly weekly because it’s so easy. And a one-bowl meal packed with spinach that my kids gobble up? I’m in. And remember: If dairy is okay in your house, you can always add cheese too.

 

Cool Mom Eats weekly meal plan: Get seasonal with this delicious recipe for Pork Chops with Roasted Pears, Sage and Shallots at Simple Bites

Are you enjoying the flavors of autumn as much as I am? I’m loving apples and cider, pumpkin and, with this recipe, pears and shallots too. But more than its great flavor, this recipe for Pork Chops with Roasted Pears, Sage, and Shallots at Simple Bites is simple to prepare. Serve these with a side of rice or mashed potatoes (sweet potatoes if you’re like me!) and fall dinner perfection is done.

 

Cool Mom Eats weekly meal plan: One of our all time favorite slow cooker meals, Mississippi Roast by Sam Sifton at The New York Times

Slow Cooker Mississippi Roast | Photo by Melina Hammer for The New York Times

I’m obsessed with this recipe for Slow Cooker Mississippi Roast by Sam Sifton at The New York Times. What is Mississippi Roast, you ask? It’s the most delicious pulled beef recipe that comes together in the slow cooker after all of four minutes of prep if you skip the browning step. And, yes, it will still be delicious if you do. Trust me: I know, having made this many times. Serve over egg noddles with a side of steamed broccoli. Yum.

Related: Meal plan: 5 easy dinners from a sheet pan salmon dinner to a no-cook lifesaver.

 

Cool Mom Eats weekly meal plan: Chinese Chicken Lettuce Wraps at PopSugar

Chinese Chicken Lettuce Wraps  | Nicole Perry for PopSugar

By Thursday, it’s time for a dinner pick-me-up and these Chinese Chicken Lettuce Wraps at PopSugar are just the thing to get everyone excited for the end of the week. They come together in about 20 minutes and are fun to eat too. If you think that your family will need more heft, add a side of rice. Easy breezy.

 

Cool Mom Eats weekly meal plan: This Mediterranean Spiced Salmon by Jessica Gavin is a healthy end of the week meal... so that you can eat whatever you want over the weekend. (Right?!)

Mediterranean Spiced Salmon and Vegetable Quinoa | Jessica Gavin

Caroline recently shared her tips for how to cook salmon perfectly (as in, no more oozing white stuff) and included this recipe for Mediterranean Spiced Salmon and Vegetable Quinoa by Jessica Gavin that is an end-of-week lifesaver. Follow our instructions for how to cook quinoa perfectly and you have a perfectly healthy meal that means you can have a less than perfectly healthy dessert. (That’s how it works, right?)