What’s for Dinner: Our Weekly Meal Plan (Week #2)

Another week, another chance to take the guesswork out of dinner time! As promised, I’m back with five more family-tested meals that keep our crew of eight happy and my evenings stress-free.

If you missed last week’s meal plan, you can check it out here. Planning our dinners a week in advance has honestly been such a game-changer for our family. No more standing in front of the fridge at 5 p.m. wondering what on earth to make, and no more last-minute grocery store runs.

This week’s lineup includes Bang Bang Chicken Bowls, Crockpot BBQ Beef with Peach Slaw, Enchilada Bowls, a classic Meatloaf Dinner, and our family’s absolute favorite chili recipe. Each meal comes with a complete shopping list and easy-to-follow instructions—because let’s be honest, complicated recipes just don’t work on busy weeknights.

Let’s dive into this week’s menu and make dinner one less thing to worry about!

Our Meal Plan this Week:

Meal #1: Crockpot BBQ Beef w/ Peach Slaw

Shopping List:

• 3–4 lb chuck roast or beef shoulder
• 1 ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 cup beef broth
• ¾ cup BBQ sauce
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 (20oz) bag frozen sweet potato fries
• 2 ripe peaches, diced
• ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
• ¼ red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 ½ cups coleslaw mix
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp honey
• Juice of 1 lime
• Salt and pepper to taste

How to Make It:

1. Pat roast dry and season with salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika.
2. Heat olive oil over medium-high. Sear roast on all sides until browned.
3. Place seared beef in crockpot & add broth, BBQ sauce, apple cider vinegar, & Worcestershire.
4. Cook on LOW in a slow cooker for 8 hours or HIGH for 4–5 hours.
5. Once tender, remove roast & shred with two forks. Return shredded beef to pot with juices.
6. Air fry sweet potato fries according to package.
7. In a bowl, combine diced peaches, red onion, cilantro, and coleslaw mix.
8. Mix in Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, honey, lime juice, salt, and pepper.
9. Toss to coat, and chill until ready to serve.
10. Layer sweet potato fries in a bowl. Top with BBQ beef. Finish with a generous scoop of peach slaw. Drizzle with extra BBQ sauce if desired.

Check out our feature post for this recipe here.

Meal #2: Classic Meatloaf Dinner

Original Recipe by Spend with Pennies

Shopping List:

• Medium onion diced
• 1 teaspoon butter
• 2 eggs
• ¾ cup milk
• ¾ cup Italian bread crumbs or seasoned breadcrumbs
• 2 pounds lean ground beef
• 1 tbs ketchup or chili sauce
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 2 tbs chopped fresh parsley or 2 tsp dried parsley
• 1 tsp kosher salt (to taste)
• ½ teaspoon black pepper

MEATLOAF SAUCE

• ½ cup chili sauce see note
• ½ cup ketchup
• 2 tbs brown sugar optional

How to Make It:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking pan w/ aluminum foil & spray w/ cooking spray.
2. Cook onions in butter over medium low heat until tender. Let them cool completely.
3. Combine eggs, milk, & breadcrumbs. Let the mixture sit for 5-10 min.
4. Add the ground beef, cooked onions, 1 Tbs ketchup or chili sauce, Italian seasoning, parsley, and salt & pepper to the bowl. Mix until just combined.
5. Form a 8″x4″ loaf on the prepared baking pan and bake for 40 min.
6. Combine the chili sauce, ketchup, brown sugar (if using) to make Meatloaf Sauce. Spread mixture over the meatloaf and bake for an additional 15 – 30 min or until the meatloaf reaches an internal temperature of 160°F*. Broil for 1-2 min if desired.
7. Let the meatloaf rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Meal #3: Bang Bang Chicken Bowls

Original Recipe by I Am Homesteader

Shopping List:

• 1 ¼ cups mayonnaise
• ⅔ cup Thai sweet chili sauce
• 2 tbs honey
• 2 tsp Sriracha
• 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut 1 in cubes
• 1 tbs vegetable oil
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 4 cups white rice
• 2 cups red cabbage, sliced
• 1 large carrot, julienned
• 1 medium cucumber sliced
• 1 large avocado, thinly sliced
• fresh cilantro, chopped
• sesame seeds

How to Make it:

1. In bowl, add mayo, Thai sweet chili sauce, honey, & Sriracha. Stir to combine. Set aside.
2. In large bowl, combine oil, paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
3. Add cubes of chicken. Gently toss to coat.
4. Place chicken in a single layer into the basket of the air fryer.
5. Air fry* at 400°F for 11-12 minutes, flipping halfway, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
6. To a large bowl, add cooked chicken. Add ½ cup of bang bang sauce, tossing to coat.
7. To assemble, set out 4 medium-sized bowls. To each bowl, add 1 cup of rice, ½ cup of cabbage, ¼ cup of carrots, & ¼ cup of cucumbers. Top with equal portions of avocado & cooked bang-bang chicken.
8. Garnish with remaining bang bang sauce, cilantro, & sesame seeds. Serve immediately.

Meal #4: Epically Easy Enchilada Bowls

Shopping List:

• 2 lbs ground beef
• Taco seasoning (2 packets of your fave mix)
• Can of refried beans
• Rice
• Enchilada sauce (small can of fave brand)
• Chopped cilantro
• Avocado
• Sour cream or Greek yogurt
• Tortilla chips
• Salsa

How to Make it:

1. Brown ground beef (or ground turkey) and cook with taco seasoning.
2. Cook refried beans and rice (follow instructions on packaging).
3. In a bowl, add a layer of refried beans, layer of rice and layer of beef.
4. Drizzle enchilada sauce over the top (we are generous with our drizzle).
5. Finish off your bowls by adding your toppings of choice. We went with avocado, sour cream, salsa, cilantro & a few chips.
6. Dig in. It’s that easy 🙂

Meal #5: Our Family Favorite Chili

Shopping List:

• 1-2 pounds ground beef
• 1(28 oz) can diced tomatoes with juice
• 1(6 oz) can tomato paste
• 2(15 oz) cans dark red kidney beans, rinsed & drained
• 1 can green chilies, 4 oz.
• 1 large yellow onion chopped
• 1 pepper seeded & chopped
• 2 cups beef stock
• 1 tbs minced garlic
• 1½ tbs dried oregano
• 1 tbs ground cumin
• 1 tbs paprika
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• ¾ tsp cayenne pepper
• Fresh bread rolls for serving

How to Make it:

1. Heat a large stockpot over medium-high heat to brown the ground beef.
2. Add the chopped onion and pepper for about 5 minutes or until onions are translucent.
3. To the stockpot, add in the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, beans, chilies, and beef stock. Season with garlic, oregano, cumin, paprika, basil, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Stir to blend, then cover and simmer over low heat for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Chili can be served at any time, though the longer the chili simmers, the better it will taste.
4. Cut tops off of the bread rolls and pull out some of the inner bread. When ready to eat, spoon chili inside the bread bowl, top with favorite toppings and enjoy!

You can check out our featured recipe post for our family’s favorite chili here.

Until Next Week!

I hope these five meals give you some fresh inspiration for your own dinner table! Meal planning doesn’t have to be perfect or Pinterest-worthy—it just needs to work for your family.

I’d love to hear from you! What are your go-to easy family meals that everyone actually eats? Drop a comment below and share your favorites—I’m always looking for new ideas to add to our rotation.

Be sure to check back next week for another round of simple, family-friendly dinners. Together, we can make weeknight meals a little easier, one week at a time!