Here's what to cook next week
A 7-day meal plan + grocery list
Good news guy. I’ve got dinner figured out for you next week!! No weekend meal planning for you! We’re celebrating the release of The Simplified Cookbook with a FULL 7-day meal plan (full of yummy, stupid-easy dinners)! Every meal has fewer than six ingredients and takes less than fifteen minutes to prep. These are some of my absolute favorites. I can’t wait to hear what you think when you make them yourselves!
Your Week of Simplified Dinners
Monday: Coca-Cola Pot Roast
This is so easy that I can throw it together while making lunches on a busy school morning. The slow cooker does all the work while you're out conquering your day.
INGREDIENTS
3 to 4-lb chuck roast
1 yellow onion
1 (16 oz) bag baby carrots
1 lb small potatoes
1 (12 oz) can Coca-Cola
1 (2 oz) packet onion soup mix
DIRECTIONS
Spray your slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray or use a liner (you'll thank me when it's time to clean the slow cooker).
Quarter onion and halve potatoes.
Put chuck roast, onion, carrots, and potatoes in slow cooker. Add Coca-Cola and onion soup mix.
Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.
Tuesday: Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas
Taco Tuesday with a twist! All the flavor of sizzling restaurant fajitas without the fanfare (or the mess).
INGREDIENTS
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
3 bell peppers
1 red onion
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 (1 oz) fajita seasoning packet
8 flour tortillas
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Slice chicken, peppers, and onion into strips.
Put strips in a gallon-size plastic bag. Add olive oil and fajita seasoning. Shake bag to fully coat each strip.
Arrange seasoned ingredients on a baking sheet in a single layer.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. If you like your chicken a little extra brown, turn the broiler on at the end (just keep an eye on it so nothing burns).
Warm tortillas by placing a stack of them in the microwave wrapped in a wet paper towel for 30 seconds. Serve fajitas with warm tortillas.
Wednesday: Egg Roll Bowls
This satisfying bowl is super easy to make, kid and picky husband approved, and packed with fiber and protein. I make this a few times a month and save the leftovers for lunch.
INGREDIENTS
1 lb ground pork
2 (14 oz) bags coleslaw
3 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
DIRECTIONS
Brown ground pork over medium heat. Add coleslaw and cook mixture until slaw is partially cooked down and soft, about 3 minutes.
In a small mixing bowl, stir together soy sauce, sesame oil, and garlic. Pour into the skillet.
Continue to cook about 3 minutes, until coleslaw is fully cooked down.
Thursday: Crunchy Ranch Chicken
Y'all aren't even ready for this recipe. It's going to become a home run, five-star hit in your house just like it is in ours.
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups cornflakes
1 (1 oz) packet ranch seasoning
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. If you have one, add a wire rack on top to allow chicken to crisp on the bottom.
Put cornflakes in a ziplock bag and crush them to small bits.
Add ranch seasoning and Parmesan cheese to the bag. Close bag and shake to mix.
In a small pan or in the microwave, melt butter and put it in a medium bowl.
Cover chicken with plastic wrap and pound to about 1/4-inch thick using a meat mallet.
Dip each chicken breast first in melted butter, coating both sides, allowing any excess to drip off, then shake it in the bag with dry mix, fully coating each piece.
Lay chicken on wire rack atop baking sheet.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
Friday: Baked Feta Pasta
A version of this recipe—created by Finnish blogger Jenni Häyrinen—went viral on TikTok for good reason! It's so easy to make and absolutely delicious. Perfect for ending the week on a comforting note.
INGREDIENTS
1 (8 oz) block feta cheese
2 cups cherry tomatoes
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 (16 oz) box bowtie pasta
1/4 cup chopped basil, for topping
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
Place feta cheese in center of baking dish, and place the tomatoes around the feta.
Drizzle olive oil over entire dish, then add salt and black pepper to taste.
Bake for 30 minutes, then remove and stir.
While feta and tomatoes are baking, boil bowtie pasta according to instructions on the package until al dente. Drain pasta and add to the baking dish, stirring thoroughly to combine.
Top with chopped basil.
Saturday: Taco Turkey Skillet
My mom made this for our family once and it was an absolute home run. Plus, it got my family to eat zucchini! They didn't even realize it.
INGREDIENTS
1 lb ground turkey
2 zucchini
1 (1 oz) packet taco seasoning
1 (15 oz) can black beans
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
DIRECTIONS
Brown ground turkey in a skillet over medium heat until it is cooked through.
Chop zucchini and add it to pan.
Add taco seasoning and stir.
Drain and rinse black beans. Add them to the pan.
Cook on low to allow flavors to combine, 3 to 4 minutes. Then top with shredded cheese. Remove from heat.
Serve with your favorite taco-type toppings.
Sunday: Chicken & Rice Casserole
If my kids have a favorite weeknight dinner, this is it. I'm not entirely sure why, but we serve it with canned cranberry sauce. It's tradition. This makes great leftovers for Monday's lunch as well.
INGREDIENTS
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 cups chicken broth
1 (10.5 oz) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 (10.5 oz) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 (10.5 oz) can condensed cream of celery soup
2 cups uncooked instant rice
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, sliced into 10 to 12 pieces
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
Cut chicken breasts into cubes.
Mix chicken broth, condensed soups, and rice in a large bowl. Add cubed chicken.
Pour mixture into baking dish.
Place butter slices evenly across top of the mixture.
Cover and bake for 60 minutes, until chicken reaches internal temperature of 165 degrees. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.
Why This Meal Plan Works
In The Simplified Cookbook, I talk about how the most challenging part of feeding my family has always been decision fatigue. When I decided to stop reinventing the wheel every day and instead rely on a rotation of tried-and-true meals that just work, dinnertime became so much more enjoyable.
This meal plan follows the same philosophy. It's designed to:
Minimize decisions: Once a week, you know exactly what you're making each night.
Reduce shopping trips: One grocery run gets you everything you need for the week.
Keep it simple: Every recipe has minimal ingredients and prep time.
Provide variety: From Mexican-inspired dishes to Asian flavors to comfort food classics, there's something for everyone.
Create intentional leftovers: Several of these recipes make excellent next-day lunches.
I can’t wait to hear what you guys think. I’ll meet you guys in the comments! Let me know which of these your fam loves the best!
xo, Emily
I never make comments but honestly I am obsessed with this cookbook! I preordered and just received. This is actually good foodI can make, and my kids will eat. There is something really different and accessible about it.
I made a whole meal plan for this week (which is my least favorite thing to do and rarely gets done) and my kids promptly told me they don’t like any of the meals I’m going for. Then your book arrived today and Super Simple Pasta it is for tonight, which is wonderful since I have about 25 minutes available to cook. Thank you!