Always Know What’s For Dinner | Meal Plan Menu

Enjoy flavors from Asia, Mexico, Egypt, and Louisiana in this week’s meal plan menu. With a dinner line-up like this, you’ll never have to ask, “What’s for dinner?” any more!

  • By Jackie Sun
  • May 4, 2018

Every day, as dinnertime draws near, the ever persistent question pops in your head, “What’s for dinner?” Even if you are a skilled chef, this question haunts your days. It comes up in the morning, disrupting your work flow, and nags you in the late afternoon, when you are feeling tired and just don’t want to think.

It would be so much easier to just pick up the phone or open an app and order take-out . . .

Fortunately, there is another way. A healthier way. It’s the answer to the “What’s for dinner” question, and it ensures that you and your family can enjoy quick and easy dinner recipes.

And that answer is . . . our weekly meal plan service! That’s right – we eliminate the “What’s for dinner” question from your day, because we do all the thinking and planning for you. While you are using your brainwaves to focus on other important things in your life, we come up with easy dinner ideas that we know you and your family will love.

The best part is that you won’t have to do the last-minute dinner scramble anymore. You can sit back, open up your Cook Smarts weekly meal planner, and have unique dinner recipes right at your fingertips. Meals that are meant to get you out of your dinner rut and make cooking fun again. Take this week, for instance. We’re bringing you flavors from Asia, Mexico, Egypt, and Louisiana right to your dinner table.

So go ahead – simplify your life and let us do the meal planning for you.


“My subscription is about to renew and there are no questions about the incredible value this service provides to my family. I’m pretty good about wearing #bossypants when I need to, but having someone else tell me what to make every week has been life-giving!“

— Nicole M. (Member since Mar 2016)


All meals come with gluten-free, paleo, and vegetarian options, as well as a grocery list and optional weekend prep steps.


Meal Planning Tips

Efficiencies:

  • One bunch of cilantro can go a long way. Utilize its fresh flavors in a variety of meals this week so that none go to waste. Sprinkle on ginger salmon, use as a base for tomatillo salsa, and toss with a Cajun-style pasta.

Make-Ahead:

  • Tuesday’s tomatillo salsa can be kept for up to a week in the fridge, so we highly recommend making it over the weekend when you have some spare time. (Just try not to eat it all with tortilla chips before Tuesday comes along! 😉 )

Leftovers:

  • Double up on the sesame ginger sauce for Monday’s salmon dish, so you can easily have a stir-fry sauce or salad dressing on hand. It’ll go well with any leftover vegetables and proteins from the week. Turn leftover odds and ends into a stir-fry or salad with the help of our Stir-Fry Guide and 50 Simple Salads infographic.

On the Menu

MONDAY | Ginger Salmon Foil Packets with Green Beans, Carrots & Sesame Noodles

This is one of the easiest ways to cook salmon – tightly wrapped in a foil packet for tender, flaky fish every time (even if it’s cooked for a few minutes too long). Infuse flavor into salmon, green beans, and carrots with a homemade sesame ginger sauce. Then enjoy it all over simple sesame soba noodles for an Asian-inspired meal that is light, healthy, and flavorful.

Paleo folks will be using bok choy, asparagus, and carrots in their foil packets for a bit of springtime crunch, while vegetarians will still be able to experience the flavors of the sesame ginger sauce but tossed in a Sesame Tofu Noodle Bowl instead.

TUESDAY | Grilled Steak with Tomatillo Salsa, Tortilla Chips & Mexican Street Corn

Charred aromatics are blended into an incredibly flavorful salsa for this summery meal with Mexican-inspired flavors – Grilled Steak with Tomatillo Salsa. A handful of tortilla chips is the perfect complement to chargrilled salsa, and nothing rounds out this meal better than Mexican Street Corn-on-the-Cob. (Note: We’ve included both grill and stovetop / oven directions in the recipe, so you can cook depending on the weather.)

Our Paleo recipe swaps out Mexican Street Corn for a crisp romaine and avocado salad with tangy paprika vinaigrette. Vegetarian folks will be having Grilled Portobello Tacos with Tomatillo Salsa instead of steak, although these delicious tacos can definitely be enjoyed by meat-eaters as well!

WEDNESDAY | Ful Medames with Poached Eggs & Pita Bread

Ful Medames is a rustic Egyptian dish composed of fava beans, and was requested by some of our community members. To turn this simple dish into a hearty dinner, we bulk it up with lentils and include spinach for added nutrition. Poached eggs, pita bread, and a drizzle of good olive oil highlight the flavors of this tasty vegetarian dish.

For anyone eating gluten-free, make sure the pita breads are gluten-free. The Paleo option will also work for gluten-free folks! It is a versatile Farmer’s Market Skillet packed with a bunch of veggies (sweet potatoes, green beans, bell peppers, onions, tomatoes) and topped with poached eggs.

THURSDAY | Cajun Andouille Sausage Penne

This skillet pasta comes together fast and uses just a few dishes (that means easy cleaning – woo-hoo!). It gains heat from the sausage and Cajun spice mix, but gets balanced with the cool textures of zucchini and bell peppers, herbal notes of cilantro, and creaminess of mild cotija cheese.

Gluten-free members can still enjoy the same flavors but with gluten-free penne pasta. Those wishing for a low-carb route can try our Paleo recipe for Zucchini Boats with Cajun Andouille Sausage. And our vegetarian option substitutes sausage with pinto beans for a filling dish with all the Cajun flavors.

Weekly Meal Plan Menu | Week of 5/7/18 via Cook Smarts

We do more than create meal plans. We create memories around the dinner table.


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