Happy Saturday! Here is Week 17 of my weekly dinner plan, organized to make grocery shopping and meal prep easier. I use a printed meal planner to map dinners for the week, track food and exercise, and make efficient shopping lists. For convenience, I’ve included the SmartPoints values next to each recipe because I am following Weight Watchers at the moment. If you follow a different plan, you can adjust portions and ingredients to meet your targets.
Meal planning saves time, reduces food waste, and simplifies weeknight cooking. My breakfasts are usually quick — eggs with fruit, a smoothie, or avocado toast — and dinners are planned with leftovers and lunches in mind. We are a family of four, so larger recipes often become lunches or next-day meals. Below is the week’s menu with notes for servings and SmartPoints, followed by a consolidated shopping list grouped by dish to make your trip to the store straightforward.
Skinnytaste Dinner Plan (Week 17)
Notes and tips: Plan for leftovers by storing extra portions in single-serving containers for easy weekday lunches. When a recipe makes more than needed, refrigerate or freeze portions to reduce cooking time later in the week. Swap ingredients to suit dietary needs — for example, choose whole-grain pasta or cauliflower rice, and adjust cheese and oil quantities to lower points if desired. Preparing a simple salad base at the start of the week, then adding proteins and dressings per meal, helps keep salads fresh and fast.
- Pasta (your preferred shape)
- Fresh broccoli florets
- Garlic
- Grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
- Olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Fresh ground pepper
- 2 (about 16 oz total) skinless, boneless chicken breasts
- Reduced-sodium taco seasoning
- Cumin
- Canned black beans
- Chunky salsa
- Romaine or red leaf lettuce
- Reduced-fat Mexican cheese blend
- Buttermilk (or powdered buttermilk)
- Small jalapeño
- Fresh cilantro
- Hass avocado
- Garlic
- Lime
- Cumin
- Fresh ground pepper
- Kosher salt
- 1 1/2 lbs sirloin tip steak (or similar cut)
- Salt
- Garlic powder
- Cumin
- Onion
- Tomatoes
- Rice
- Short-grain brown rice
- Rice vinegar
- 8 oz cooked shrimp
- Cucumber
- Fresh chives
- Avocado
- Reduced-sodium soy sauce
- Mayonnaise
- Sriracha sauce
- Furikake seasoning (optional)
- Shredded 2% cheddar cheese
- Light Laughing Cow cheese or similar spreadable light cheese
- Celery
- Green onion
- Carrots
- Salt
- Black pepper
- 5 (about 3 oz each) thin boneless chicken breast cutlets
- Reduced-fat crackers (crushed) such as Ritz
- Frank’s hot sauce
- Lemon juice
- Light butter
- Garlic powder
- Cooking spray
- Red onion
- Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
- Apple cider vinegar
- Kosher salt
- Fresh ground black pepper
- Tomato
- Garlic powder
- Dried oregano
- Cucumber
- Hass avocado
- Chopped romaine lettuce
Shopping tips: Check what you already have at home before shopping to avoid duplicates. Buy produce in season when possible and choose frozen vegetables or shrimp as an economical backup. If you’re cooking for fewer people, consider halving recipes or freezing extra portions for a busy week later on. Labels such as “reduced-sodium” or “light” are useful when you’re tracking SmartPoints or aiming for lower sodium and calorie intake.