Beginner’s Guide to Meal Planning: Weekly Templates & Tips

Meal Plan 101

This week’s free meal plan follows the same practical approach as my other weekly meal plans. Inside you’ll find seven satisfying dinners, plus ideas for breakfast, lunch, and snacks. The plan also includes meal-prep suggestions and a grocery list so you can spend less time deciding what to cook and more time enjoying meals together.

Download the complete meal plan with tips and the shopping list here: Week 101 Meal Plan (PDF). You can also read the meal ideas and tips below for inspiration.

Dinner Recipes

• Sunday: Easy Lasagna or Instant Pot Lasagna with Copycat Olive Garden Salad
• Monday: Creamy Cavatappi Pasta with leftover salad
• Tuesday: Instant Pot Chicken Tacos or Crockpot Salsa Chicken
• Wednesday: Chicken Asparagus Stir-Fry with Instant Pot Brown Rice or Instant Pot White Rice
• Thursday: Burrito Bowls made with leftover chicken and rice
• Friday: Lemon Baked Cod with Roasted Red Potatoes
• Saturday: Chicken Marsala with Roasted Asparagus and Red Mashed Potatoes

Breakfast Ideas

• Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal
• Blueberry Lemon Coffee Cake
• Asparagus Frittata

Lunch Ideas

• Leftover chicken from tacos or crockpot salsa chicken
• Leftover lasagna
• Air Fryer French Bread Pizzas

Snacks & Treats

• Mango Smoothie
• Lemon Cheesecake Bars
• Blueberry Muffins

Tips for This Week’s Meal Plan

• Sunday: Make a large salad to serve both Sunday and Monday. Extra greens work well as toppings for tacos or burrito bowls later in the week.
• Tuesday: Cook plenty of the taco chicken so you can reuse it for burrito bowls on Thursday.
• Wednesday: Cook extra rice to save time and make burrito bowls the next day.
• Grocery and money-saving tips: Swap asparagus for any preferred vegetable in the stir-fry. Buy enough red potatoes to roast and mash. Use leftover spaghetti sauce and cheese from the lasagna to top air fryer pizzas.