This week, we’ve got something special for you for our weekly meal plan recommendations: all five recipes were picked by my own 8 year old. S you know they’re all kid-approved!
(Don’t worry, I’ve approved them too.
From pizza-stuffed pasta shells to a sheet-pan ribs recipe (what?!), we’ve got five dinners that will get you through the week ahead. So grab a pen, make your shopping list, and stock up on ingredients before the weekend’s over to make your weeknights that much easier.
And if it’s easier for you to do all that planning from your inbox, be sure to sign up for our weekly meal plan emails. You’ll love them, promise!
At top: Pizza-Stuffed Pasta Shells from Dinner at the Zoo; Sheet Pan Ribs recipe from The Endless Meal
We start our week off with Meatless Monday and this Vegan Chickpea Curry at Yummy Taste Food spoke to my eight year old right away. Chickpeas have become our go-to replacement for chicken when we’re going meatless, and the whole family loves it. If you haven’t tried it yet with your kids, an easy Indian curry like this one from Liv’s recipe is mild, delicious, and a great starting point.
My family is all about Taco Tuesday (and Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday TBH), so I like to vary things up with this recipe for Fish Tacos with Pineapple Salsa from at My Sugar Free Kitchen. Full confession: I sometimes just use the frozen fish from the supermarket — but be sure not to skimp on that pineapple salsa recipe. Yum!
How genius are these Pizza-Stuffed Pasta Shells from Dinner at the Zoo? It’s like the ultimate kid-friendly dinner. But I like it too, because you can sneak a few veggies (peppers, olives, or mushrooms) down underneath all that cheesy goodness.
The ease of this recipe from The Endless Meal for Sheet Pan Ribs with Green Beans and Potatoes makes it a great dinner to add to your regular rotation. It takes just 10 minutes to prep, but be sure you’ve set aside the two hours you’ll need to let this one slow cook.
Related: 7 easy sheet pan dinner recipes. Because, just one pan to wash.
Use up your leftover chicken by Friday in this scrumptious 3-Cheese Pesto Chicken Pasta Bake at Powered By Mom. (Yes, clearly my kid has a thing for pasta, as you can tell from the choices here.) You can also prep it ahead of time and freeze it for a smart make-ahead meal on a busy weeknight. It’s easy to double for bigger families, making for great leftovers too. That checks all the meal-planning boxes for me!