Welcome to the very first Evolving Table Weekly Dinner Guide. My hope is that these help you have a more deliciously easy and stress-free week of dinners.
Unlike traditional meal plans, this guide isn’t meant to be rigid. You don’t have to make every single recipe. Think of it as a little extra inspo for a few nights of the week, with room to rotate in your favorite go-tos, a frozen pizza night, or even takeout on the others.
Each week you’ll find:
- 3 curated dinners with a mix of cuisines, proteins, and veggies
- Simple prep-ahead instructions
- Dietary substitutions if you’re avoiding gluten or dairy
- My favorite section, Halfway Homemade, where I share store-bought swaps for those nights you’re in a pinch
You’ll also occasionally see Big-Batch recipes that last for days or freeze well, plus ideas for Nextovers — leftovers repurposed into an easy dinner the next night.
To kick things off, this first one is a Realistic Reset for this second week of January. Think higher protein, veggie-packed meals that are still cozy enough to snuggle up with. 🥰
This Week’s Dinner Guide (January 11-17)
Dinner 1 | Sheet Pan Everything Bagel Chicken & Potatoes
Juicy chicken, tender potatoes, roasted broccoli, and a crunchy everything bagel topping all bake up on one pan, then get finished with a simple 2-ingredient cream sauce that makes it SOOOO good!
Dinner 2 | Bang Bang Crispy Salmon Rice Bowls
Flaky salmon bites, crisp veggies, and a 2-ingredient coconut rice all get drizzled with a sweet and spicy sauce. They’re perfect for picky eaters who get to mix and match as they please, or make an amazing meal prep recipe!
Dinner 3 | Chicken Parmesan Meatball Soup
With juicy meatballs, penne pasta, a savory tomato broth, and plenty of parmesan cheese, it’s got all the best parts of Chicken Parmesan in a quick and easy-to-make soup.
Note: The longer the soup sits, the more broth the pasta will soak up. For leftovers, cook the soup with half the pasta, then add the rest when reheating.
Meal Prep Tips
- Everything Bagel Chicken: Cut broccoli into florets. If cutting potatoes, do so no more than a few hours in advance and store them in a bowl of water. Make the cream sauce.
- Salmon Bowls: Cook the coconut milk rice. Cube the salmon. Make the bang bang sauce.
- Meatball Soup: Prep the meatballs. Chop the onion. Cut the zucchini and refrigerate with a paper towel for no more than 24 hours.
Dietary Substitutions
Gluten-Free: If you are a true Celiac, always, always double-check your labels as hidden wheat can sneak in!
- Everything Bagel Chicken: You’ll need a GF Panko. (I love the Aleia’s brand of breadcrumbs!)
- Salmon Bowls: make sure you’re using a GF soy sauce or tamari (I love San-J’s Tamari and No Soy Soy Sauce!)
- Meatball Soup: You’ll need a GF penne pasta (look for rice varieties so they don’t fall apart as easily!) and a GF Italian breadcrumb. (Once again, Aleia’s has an amazing one.)
Dairy-Free: In addition to subbing any butter for oil or a DF butter alternative.
- Everything Bagel Chicken: Skip the cream cheese sauce or use a plant-based cream cheese plus milk combo.
- Salmon Bowls: Naturally dairy-free.
- Meatball Soup: The parmesan is a little trickier to replace in the meatballs. You can skip it, use a dairy-free alternative, or go with a classic meatball recipe that doesn’t include parmesan.
Make it Lighter: If you’re easing back into lighter meals this week, these small tweaks can help without sacrificing flavor.
- Everything Bagel Chicken: Skip the cream sauce, or reduce by half. You could also sub the cream cheese for Greek yogurt.
- Salmon Bowls: Coconut milk rice can be made with light coconut milk or subbed with plain rice if preferred.
- Meatball Soup: Reduce the amount of pasta and bulk it up with more zucchini, yellow squash, or red peppers.
Halfway Homemade (Store-Bought Shortcuts)
- Everything Bagel Chicken: Buy a bag of pre-cut broccoli florets instead of chopping from scratch.
- Salmon Bowls: Use pre-cooked rice or microwave rice packets. Grab matchstick carrots or shredded carrots from the produce section.
- Meatball Soup: Use store-bought chicken or turkey meatballs.
