If deciding what to make for dinner every night is taking up more mental space than it should, here is our weekly family dinner plan for a little inspiration.
I usually decide our dinners before I place our grocery order because having the week mapped out makes everything feel easier. It helps us shop with a plan, use what we already have, and avoid having to make another decision at the end of a long day.
Of course, the plan can still change. Thursday is intentionally flexible, one meal is getting a second and final chance, and I am cooking extra on Friday to make a future week easier. That is what realistic meal planning looks like in our home.
Here is what our family of five is eating this week.
Monday: Gizdodo
My husband cooks on Mondays, and this week he is making gizdodo. If you have never had it before, gizdodo is a Nigerian dish made with gizzard and fried ripe plantain tossed together in a flavorful pepper sauce.
I love starting the week with a meal that I do not have to cook. Knowing that Monday dinner is already handled takes one responsibility off my plate and gives me a softer start to the week.
If you would like to try it, watch this gizdodo recipe from Kikifoodies.
Tuesday: Spaghetti and Meatballs
Tuesday is spaghetti and meatballs. Ironically, for my family spaghetti and meatballs is probably one of our least favorite meals but I keep it in rotation because it’s just so easy! The key is making sure the spaghetti has the right amount of toughness and sometimes I definitely do overcook it!
For a good step-by-step recipe, try Natasha’s Kitchen’s spaghetti and meatballs with homemade marinara sauce.
Wednesday: Jambalaya, Take Two
On Wednesday, I am trying jambalaya again.
I made it a couple of weeks ago, and my husband jokingly told me that it tasted like four different meals. I am still not completely sure what that means, but I knew it was not a compliment!
Still, I do not want to remove a new recipe from our rotation based on one attempt, especially when the issue may have been the particular recipe or the way I prepared it. So jambalaya is getting one more chance this week.
If it works, great—we may have found another meal to add to our dinner rotation. If it still tastes like four different meals, we are officially retiring it and moving on. Not every recipe has to become a family favorite.
This time I am thinking of using this crockpot version because that will probably help all the seasonings marry a bit more so that it doesn’t taste like 4 different meals!
Thursday: Leftovers
Thursday is our regular leftovers night. I use it to clean out the refrigerator and make sure we eat what is already there before cooking more food for the weekend.
If there are several small portions left, everyone may end up eating something different—and that is completely fine. Leftovers night is less about creating a perfectly coordinated dinner and more about reducing food waste, saving money, and giving me one night away from cooking.
No new recipe is needed for Thursday. We are simply using what we already have.
Friday: Nigerian Fish Stew and Okra
On Friday, I am making Nigerian fish stew and okra. I am also going to see if I can make enough to freeze because I already know we will need this meal again in a couple of weeks.
Freezing meals is actually something I’m trying to get better at. My husband is good at cooking in bulk and then freezing the rest but I typically just cook for the week. This is one of my favorite ways to make meal planning work beyond the current week.
For the fish stew, watch Sisi Jemimah’s Nigerian fish stew recipe. For the okra, I’m just blending the okra to create a draw for the fish stew.
Saturday: Mac and Cheese
Saturday’s dinner is mac and cheese. It is simple, comforting, and exactly the kind of meal that works well for a relaxed weekend evening. I love baked mac and cheese but my family prefers stovetop. I don’t mind because it reduces steps for me but I think this week we’ll go baked.
I like using Smokin & Grillin with AB’s mac and cheese recipe.
Sunday: Jollof Rice
We are ending the week with Nigerian jollof rice. Sunday feels like the right day for it because I can take a little more time with dinner, and it gives us a warm, familiar meal to close out the week.
If you want to make this for yourself you can use Sisi Jemimah’s smoky Nigerian party jollof rice recipe as a guide.
Our Full Dinner Plan at a Glance
- Monday: Gizdodo
- Tuesday: Spaghetti and meatballs
- Wednesday: Jambalaya
- Thursday: Leftovers
- Friday: Nigerian fish stew and okra
- Saturday: Mac and cheese
- Sunday: Nigerian jollof rice
This week’s meal plan has a good mix of familiar meals, Nigerian favorites, one freezer-friendly dinner, and one recipe getting a final chance to earn a place in our rotation.
That is the heart of meal planning for me. I am not trying to create seven perfect dinners. I am trying to make the week easier, use our groceries wisely, and remove some of the daily mental load of feeding a family.
I will let you know whether the jambalaya redeems itself this week! Come back next week for another realistic family dinner plan—and to see which meals actually made it to the table.
What is one dinner you are planning for your family this week?
