Weekly Meal Plan #9: Easy Late-Summer Dinners

This week’s meal plan is for that time of summer when you still want easy dinners, but the days are starting to feel a little busier again.

You’ll find a cold pasta salad, a simple pork tenderloin, a fun taco pizza, slow cooker chicken, and crispy air fryer fish sticks. It is a nice mix of quick meals, make-ahead options, and one slow cooker dinner to help you get through the week without staring into the fridge wondering what to make.

As always, move the meals around to fit your schedule. If one night is extra busy, use the slow cooker dinner. If it is too hot to cook much, make the pasta salad. If Friday feels like a fun dinner night, the fish sticks are ready for that.

Don’t forget to check out my Week #8 meal plan if you missed it.

The Daily Dinner Line-Up

Meal Prep & Money-Saving Tips

• Bacon shortcut: Monday’s BLT Pasta Salad uses cooked bacon. Cook the bacon earlier in the day or the night before so the salad comes together faster at dinnertime.
• Taco meat prep: Brown the ground beef for Wednesday’s Taco Pizza in advance and refrigerate it. Then pizza night is mostly just assembly.
• Pickle jar plan: Thursday’s Crockpot Pickle Chicken uses mini pickles and pickle juice. Buy one jar and use the extra pickles for snacks, burgers, sandwiches, or lunch plates.
• Chicken thigh savings: Boneless skinless chicken thighs are great for slow cooker meals and are often more budget-friendly than chicken breasts. They stay tender and juicy while they cook.
• Fish stick prep: Bread the fish sticks earlier in the day and keep them chilled until you are ready to air fry. It makes Friday dinner feel much easier.
• Pantry check: Before shopping, look for pasta, breadcrumbs, flour, taco seasoning, taco sauce, ranch mix, brown gravy mix, Dijon mustard, brown sugar, mayonnaise, and basic spices. You may already have several of these on hand.
• Leftover plan: Use leftover pork, taco pizza, or pickle chicken for easy lunches. The pork can go into wraps or salads, the chicken can go over rice or potatoes, and leftover pizza is always a win.

Easy Swap Ideas

• Pasta shape swap: Use rotini, penne, shells, or whatever short pasta you already have for the BLT Pasta Salad.
• Lettuce swap: Use romaine, iceberg, or baby spinach instead of Boston lettuce.
• Lighter dressing: Use plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream in the BLT Pasta Salad dressing.
• Add protein: Add grilled chicken or hard-boiled eggs to the BLT Pasta Salad to make it feel more like a full dinner.
• Pork swap: Use pork chops or chicken breasts instead of pork tenderloin, but adjust the cooking time as needed.
• Mustard swap: Use yellow mustard or whole grain mustard instead of Dijon for the pork tenderloin if that is what you have.
• Taco pizza meat: Use ground turkey or ground chicken instead of ground beef.
• Taco sauce swap: Use salsa instead of taco sauce on the pizza if the taco sauce is already open in your fridge.
• Milder pizza: Leave off the jalapeños or use canned jalapeños for a milder flavor.
• Pizza toppings: Add black olives, lettuce, green onions, avocado, or extra tomatoes to the Taco Pizza after baking.
• Chicken cut swap: Use boneless, skinless chicken breasts instead of chicken thighs for the Crockpot Pickle Chicken, but check for doneness since they can cook faster.
• Serving options: Serve the Crockpot Pickle Chicken over mashed potatoes, rice, egg noodles, buns, or baked potatoes.
• Fish swap: Use haddock, pollock, or another mild white fish instead of cod for the fish sticks.
• Breadcrumb swap: Use panko, gluten-free, or crushed crackers for the fish sticks.
• No air fryer: Bake the fish sticks in the oven if you do not want to use the air fryer.
• Lemon swap: Serve the fish sticks with lime wedges instead of lemon if that is what you have.

Master Grocery List: Week 9 Dinners

Note: This shopping list covers all 5 main dinners. If you plan on making the weekly bonus recipes, be sure to check those recipe links and add those ingredients to your list.

Meat and Seafood

• 1 package of bacon (for Monday)
• 1 ½ lb pork tenderloin (for Tuesday)
• 1 lb lean ground beef (for Wednesday)
• 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (for Thursday)
• 1 ½ to 2 lb cod fillets (for Friday)

Produce

• 1 pint of cherry tomatoes (for Monday)
• 1 head of Boston lettuce (for Monday)
• 1 red onion (for Monday)
• 1 bunch of fresh cilantro (for Wednesday)
• 1 jalapeño (for Wednesday)
• 2 tomatoes (for Wednesday)

Dairy and Refrigerated

• 1 container of sour cream (for Monday)
• 1 package of butter (for Thursday)
• 1 block of marble cheese or cheddar cheese (for Wednesday)
• 1 carton of eggs (for Friday)

Bakery

• 1 Refrigerated pizza crust or pizza dough (for Wednesday)

Pantry

• 1 package of bowtie pasta (for Monday)
• 1 jar of mayonnaise (for Monday and Tuesday)
• 1 bottle of lemon juice (for Monday)
• 1 bottle of extra virgin olive oil (for Tuesday)
• 1 bottle of Dijon mustard (for Monday and Tuesday)
• 1 package of brown sugar (for Tuesday)
• 1 jar of taco sauce (for Wednesday)
• 1 packet of taco seasoning mix (for Wednesday)
• 1 packet of ranch seasoning (for Thursday)
• 2 packets of brown gravy mix (for Thursday)
• 1 jar of mini pickles
• 1 package of plain breadcrumbs (for Friday)
• 1 package of all-purpose flour (for Friday)

Spices and Seasonings

• Garlic powder (for Friday)
• Onion powder (for Friday)
• Paprika (for Friday)
• Salt
• Black pepper

Grab Your Free Printable Shopping List & Meal Plan

To make your week even easier, I’ve put together a printable PDF pack of this exact meal plan and the complete grocery list.

A little planning at the start of the week makes dinner feel so much easier when everyone is hungry and you need something simple.