Weekly meal plan: 5 easy meals for the week ahead, including mango chicken tacos that will make you feel like you're at the beach

A new batch of weekly meal plan recommendations are here, with easy, low-stress meals your whole family will enjoy. We promise, these five recipes will get you through this week ahead easily and deliciously.

We’ve been hearing your requests for more vegetarian options in our meal plans, so for each non-plant-based meal we’ve suggested, we’ve also given some easy tweaks to make it vegetarian. You’re the boss, and we want to make these recipes work for you. Don’t be afraid to switch out ingredients that aren’t part of your diet for ones that are. Usually, it’s a huge success.

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 even 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: Mango Mojo Chicken Tacos at Sweet Cayenne; Chicken Tikka Masala recipe at Chelsea’s Messy Apron

Related: Our Weekly Meal Plan archive

We had one of those quick pantry-cleanout dinners the other night and came up with a twist on this Basil Pesto Pizza at Inside the Rustic Kitchen. We used store-bought naan bread instead of homemade pizza crust (because, time) and added roasted cauliflower, yellow onions, and pine nuts to ours. They were delicious. That said, our kids would be happy to skip the veggies and add pepperoni to theirs. That’s the beauty of DIY pizza night.

My kids have loved Chicken Tikka Masala since they were in high chairs, but oof — takeout Indian isn’t cheap. So I’m excited about this Chicken Tikka Masala recipe at Chelsea’s Messy Apron. You won’t have to make a special trip to an international market for your spices, and it cooks relatively quickly for Indian food. I’d go ahead and double the curry so you have leftovers to serve with a fresh bowl of rice for lunch. (Veg substitute: Use sautéed tofu instead the chicken.)

If you’re been following our meal plans for long, you know my family loves a good #TacoTuesday recipe. I love how light these Mango Mojo Chicken Tacos at Sweet Cayenne are. Plus, we can cook the chicken in a slow cooker or Instant Pot–yay! I’ll serve these up for dinner and imagine we’re sitting beachside and sipping a margarita. Perfect. (Veg substitute: Skip the slow cooker/Instant Pot and use the same spices on roasted cauliflower instead.)

OMG, I love these Thai Sweet Chili Turkey Meatballs at Will Cook for Smiles — especially if you serve them in lettuce wraps with some cole slaw mix on top. Yum! Or, just serve a “finger food” dinner and let these be your main course with a veggie tray, fresh fruit, and maybe a bag of chips as sides. Your kids will love it. (Veg substitute: Use vegan meatballs from the frozen section of your supermarket instead of turkey.)

I love a good spring pasta dish when the weather’s nice outside, and this Spring Harvest Pasta at North Coast Eats looks so good. Of course, you can sub in whichever spring veggies are fresh and in season where you live. And if you are craving more protein in yours — add extra peas, tofu, or pulled chicken.

What’s better than a chocolate milkshake? These Chocolate Banana Milkshakes at Simply Blended Smoothies. We’ll skip the expensive ice cream shop trip and make these at home instead. Yum.