Skinnytaste Dinner Plan — Week 88
This week’s Skinnytaste dinner plan features simple, family-friendly meals with fresh flavors and straightforward preparation. I’ve included some easy weeknight dishes and one of our household favorites: Breaded Pork Cutlets with Lime. If you don’t eat pork, boneless chicken works perfectly as a substitute. With basil still thriving in my garden, the Instant Pot Tomato Basil Soup is a highlight — comforting, aromatic, and ideal with garlic bread.
Meal planning helps streamline grocery shopping and keeps weeknight dinners stress-free. I use a meal planner to map out dinners and to build a shopping list before heading to the store. My breakfasts are usually quick and simple — eggs with fruit, a smoothie, or avocado toast. We are a family of four; when recipes yield extra, we save portions for lunches or enjoy them as leftovers the next day. If you want to browse past weekly meal plans, you can find them in the meal plans archive.
This Week’s Menu
- Monday: Instant Pot Tomato Basil Soup with garlic bread
- Tuesday: Grilled Steak Fajitas
- Wednesday: Chicken Thighs with Artichokes and Feta Cheese, served with a simple salad
- Thursday: One Skillet Chicken with Bacon and Green Beans
- Friday: Breaded Pork Cutlets with Lime, with brown rice and a green salad
- Saturday: Dinner out
- Sunday: Pasta with Italian Chicken Sausage, Escarole and Beans
These meals are designed to be flexible: swap proteins based on preference, double recipes for extra lunches, and use seasonal produce where possible. Many of these dishes come together quickly and reheat well, making them great candidates for meal prep.
Shopping List
Below is a consolidated shopping list organized by recipe to make grocery shopping simpler. Quantities will depend on the number of servings you plan to prepare, so adjust amounts as needed.
Instant Pot Tomato Basil Soup
- Olive oil
- Unsalted butter
- Celery
- Carrots
- Onions
- All-purpose or gluten-free flour
- Reduced-sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth for vegetarians)
- Reduced-fat (2%) milk
- Whole plum San Marzano tomatoes, with juice
- Fresh thyme
- Fresh basil
- Bay leaves
- Parmesan or Romano cheese rind (optional)
- Grated Pecorino Romano cheese
- Garlic bread
Grilled Steak Fajitas
- Flank steak
- Garlic
- Cumin
- Scallions
- Onions
- Bell peppers (assorted colors)
- Olive oil
- 6″ flour tortillas
Chicken Thighs with Artichokes and Feta Cheese
- Skinless, boneless chicken thighs
- Marinated artichoke hearts
- Garlic
- Oregano
- Feta cheese
- Fresh chopped parsley
- Lemon juice (optional)
- Salad greens
One Skillet Chicken with Bacon and Green Beans
- Center-cut bacon, chopped
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Shallot
- Garlic
- Low-sodium chicken broth
- Dry white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc (or use broth for Whole30/Paleo)
- Fresh thyme
- French green beans
Breaded Pork Cutlets with Lime
- Thin-sliced lean pork sirloin cutlets (or thin chicken cutlets)
- Seasoned salt (for example, adobo)
- Egg whites
- Sazon seasoning (homemade or packaged)
- Seasoned breadcrumbs
- Olive oil
- Lime wedges for serving
- Brown rice
- Romaine lettuce
Homemade Sazon (if making your own)
- Ground coriander
- Ground cumin
- Ground annatto seed (achiote) or turmeric
- Garlic powder
- Kosher salt
- Oregano
Pasta with Italian Chicken Sausage, Escarole and Beans
- Pasta
- Olive oil
- Onion
- Garlic
- Uncooked Italian chicken sausage, removed from casings (for example, Al Fresco)
- Fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth
- Cannellini beans
- Escarole
- Grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
- Crushed red pepper (optional)
Tips for the Week
- Prep vegetables in advance to speed up weeknight cooking—slice peppers, chop onions, and wash greens the night before.
- Leftovers from Monday’s soup and Sunday’s pasta reheat well and make easy lunches.
- If you follow dietary restrictions, swap ingredients as suggested: use vegetable broth for a vegetarian soup, or substitute chicken for pork in the cutlets.
- Store fresh herbs like basil in a glass of water in the fridge or on the counter to extend freshness and keep them handy for garnishes.
Enjoy a week of flavorful, approachable dinners that are easy to prepare and family-approved. Adjust portion sizes and ingredient choices to fit your household’s preferences and dietary needs.