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Here is the deal. Every Friday morning I hand you five easy dinners for the week ahead, one treat for the weekend, and a one page shopping list you can print and carry into the store. This is week three. Five different proteins, five nights, and a pantry that pulls double duty: the soy sauce and honey from Monday go right into Friday’s salmon glaze, and one run for chicken broth covers Wednesday and Thursday. Print the list, shop over the weekend, and dinner is handled Monday through Friday.
Why This Week Works
- It is built for a busy week. Two of these cook in the air fryer, one is a single skillet, and one is a single pot.
- Five different proteins. Chicken Monday, turkey Tuesday, cod Wednesday, sausage Thursday, salmon Friday. Nobody is staring at the same plate twice.
- The pantry overlaps on purpose. The soy sauce and honey you buy for Monday’s ginger chicken go into Friday’s salmon glaze, and the chicken broth covers Wednesday’s piccata sauce and Thursday’s soup.
- Fish twice and nobody complains. Cod piccata tastes like a restaurant dinner and the salmon is sweet and sticky, so even the fish skeptics come around.
- Thursday is soup night. The Zuppa Toscana makes six servings, so Friday’s lunch is already sorted.
- Friday is the fast one. The salmon is fifteen minutes in the air fryer, which is exactly what you want by Friday.
Monday: Sticky Ginger Chicken
Make your favorite Chinese take out at home with this Ginger Chicken. Sweet, spicy, savory, and ready in under 25 minutes! Easy Air Fryer Sticky Ginger Chicken (Best Recipe)
Serving note: Serve it over a scoop of rice. The chicken cooks in the air fryer, so the only pan you wash is the little one for the sauce.
Tuesday: Turkey Burgers
This is the BEST turkey burger recipe, juicy and never dry thanks to a savory secret sauce mixed right in. An easy grilled turkey burger ready in 45 minutes. The BEST Turkey Burger Recipe
Serving note: Toast the buns, put out the lettuce, tomato and cheese, and let everybody build their own. Oven fries or a bagged salad on the side.
Wednesday: Cod Piccata
Cod piccata is flaky pan fried cod in a bright lemon caper butter sauce, ready in just 25 minutes. An easy, restaurant quality seafood dinner! Easy Cod Piccata Recipe
Serving note: Spoon that lemon caper sauce over everything on the plate. Rice, pasta, or a hunk of crusty bread all soak it up.
Thursday: Zuppa Toscana
This easy Zuppa Toscana is a creamy Olive Garden copycat loaded with Italian sausage, tender golden potatoes, and kale, ready in one pot in 45 minutes! Easy Zuppa Toscana (Olive Garden Copycat)
Serving note: This one is a whole meal in one pot. Crusty bread for dunking, and the leftovers are even better reheated for lunch Friday.
Friday: Asian Glazed Salmon
Asian glazed air fryer salmon is a sweet, sticky 15 minute dinner with caramelized edges and a tender, flaky center. So easy and packed with flavor! Asian Glazed Air Fryer Salmon Recipe
Serving note: Fifteen minutes in the air fryer. Steam some green beans while it cooks and dinner is on the table before anybody asks what is for dinner.
The Treat: Candied Grapes
Candied Grapes coated in sparkling sugar with a crackly shell and juicy burst inside. Three ingredients, no candy thermometer, the perfect party snack. Candied Grapes
Serving note: Make these Saturday afternoon and let them set while you do something else. A lighter treat after a week of real dinners, and the kids think they are candy.
The Shopping List
One page, grouped the way the store is laid out, with a box next to every line so you can check things off as they land in the cart. Print it Saturday morning and go.
Get These Plans in Your Inbox
A new plan goes up here every Friday morning. If you would rather have it land in your inbox than remember to come looking for it, grab one of the free recipe packs and you are on the list.
