It feels like life comes at us fast and hard at back to school season. The lazy days of summer are winding down, and there is an amped up level of stress as routines start back up.
One thing that helps make things way less stressful for me is to take some time to meal plan for the week ahead. This way, I am not standing in front of the fridge at 5:30pm wondering what to cook for dinner while the kids stare at me and complain that they are going to “staaaarve.”
I’m happy to share my meal plan for the coming week with you, and hopefully it helps you manage your own week a bit better as well. So, grab your pen and paper, or open up that AnyList app and make a shopping list for the week ahead.
Top Image: Asian Rice Noodle Salad with Shrimp from Hip Foodie Mom;Late Summer Vegetable Soup by Martha Stewart; Grilled Salmon Tacos with Blueberry Coleslaw from Beautiful Eats & Things
This post contains affiliate links and sales may generate a small commission to support our work at no additional cost to you.
We are jumping right back into #Meatless Monday with this classic Late Summer Vegetable Soup from Martha Stewart. This is one of my favorite recipes from an Everyday Food issue circa 2008, and it is just perfect for a busy August night. All of these veggies will be easily found at your local market, farmer’s market or maybe even in your very own garden. I don’t think you need anything else with this soup, but if you have kids with bigger appetites, you can consider grilling up some grilled cheese sandwiches to serve along side.
Related: 7 upgraded grilled cheese sandwiches
Tuesdays are forever taco night for my family, though they could eat tacos every day of the week to be honest. Next week, I am going to make good use of those blueberries I froze last month, and throw together these Grilled Salmon Tacos with Blueberry Coleslaw that Andy over at Beautiful Eats & Things shared this past June. Not only do these look amazing, but they are so good for you! Blueberries are full of antioxidants and phytoflavinoids, and are also high in potassium and vitamin C. Salmon is a good source of protein that is loaded with vitamin B12, potassium and other nutrients like iron and vitamin D. I love eating food that not only tastes good, but is super good for you.
Related:The best authentic Mexican food blogs you should follow
How beautiful is this Asian Rice Noodle Salad from Hip Foodie Mom? My kids absolutely love rice noodles and I am always looking for new recipes to try that incorporate them. This dish has both tofu and shrimp, which makes it easily adaptable to the vegetarians in your home. I suggest spreading it out as DIY dinner and letting your family create their own bowl. Everyone loves a good DIY night.
Related: DIY dinners the whole family will love
It feels like Thursdays are usually the busiest night in our home. I have grown to depend on my Instant Pot on the busiest nights because I can just pop the ingredients in, push start and walk away for a long period of time. When I open it up, like magic, dinner is ready to go right on the table. One of my family’s very favorite Instant Pot recipes is this Instant Pot Kalua Pig from Nom Nom Paleo. This does pressure cook for 90 minutes, so you can prep everything and set the delayed start if your pot has one. If not, I have totally pushed start right when I leave for 3pm pick up and just let it sit on warm until we all hit the house. It still turns out great.
I recently had to upgrade to an 8qt Instant Pot because I have big people (it’s odd how the more you feed them, the more they grow – heh). I picked up this Instant Pot Pro 10 in 1 model during the last Amazon Prime Day event and I am super happy with it (not just because of the sexy black color). It’s much bigger and I can double up recipes to feed my teens. If you are looking for a new model, this one is still on sale on Amazon.
These Chicken Alfredo Biscuit Pizzas from Simply LaKita are a fun, easy recipe to pull together at the end of a busy week. Rather than trying to rollout pizza dough, I love that these are made with canned homestyle biscuits (which according to my daughter are the best food ever made). I tend to grab a rotisserie chicken to keep in my fridge every week for quick after school protein snacks, but it would be perfect for these pizzas too. Serve it up with a crisp green salad and a side of put your feet up – you deserve it.
Related: Rotisserie chicken recipes that save you so much time
Follow our Weekly Meal Plan Ideas for Families board on Pinterest @CoolMomEats for even more ideas!
I put these weekly meals plans together based on recipes I am actually cooking for my family, and with you in mind. If you have suggestions, tips or recommendations for recipes or other food bloggers I should check out please comment here, or shoot me a message in our Recipe Rescue group on Facebook. – Lisa
