Weeknight Meal Plan: 7 Dinners for the Week (Menu #123)

My weekly menu plans gather delicious dinner recipes, simple side dishes, and a few desserts to inspire your meals and help make the week run a little smoother—one recipe at a time.

What a week it has been — really, what a year. 2020 is shaping up to be intense.

As if the coronavirus pandemic wasn’t enough, Utah experienced an earthquake two days ago. It was the first earthquake I’ve been through. At first I thought a plane was flying over the house: a sudden loud noise and a low rumble. Then the rumble grew into shaking. Our whole house shuddered, things rattled, and light fixtures swung. It only lasted about 10–15 seconds, but it felt much longer. And yes—I was in the shower when it happened.

I’ve stayed relatively calm through this whole virus situation, but that earthquake unsettled me in a way I didn’t expect. I felt a deep, lingering fear I hadn’t felt in a long time. It followed me all day; I wandered around distracted and didn’t even do any stress baking. My mom felt the same way. At the same time, I was so grateful that my family was safe, our home remained standing, and no one was hurt. It could have been a lot worse.

These past months have reminded me how fragile life can be. We need to love people every single day.

Now, let’s talk food—because that always helps.

For this week’s menu plan I included several dinners that use common pantry staples. As I mentioned earlier this week, these recipes are easy to adapt based on what you have on hand. No fresh or frozen chicken? Use canned chicken. No garlic cloves? Garlic powder works. Be flexible and make substitutions that suit your pantry.

I hope you’re staying safe. We’ll get through this, and hopefully come out kinder, stronger, and more compassionate. ♡♡