This week’s meal plan is all bowl dinners, Monday through Friday, and every single one comes together in 30 minutes or less. We are talking taco bowls, teriyaki, Korean beef, chipotle chicken, and a slow cooker burrito bowl that basically makes itself while you go about your day.
If there is one dinner format my family never complains about, it is a bowl. Everyone builds their own, nobody picks around what they don’t like, and I am not standing at the stove making four different plates. With 8 kids, that kind of flexibility that get’s dinner on the table!
These Weekly Meal Plans save dinnertime each week and only cost about $72 in groceries! If you struggle figuring out what to make for dinner, make sure to check out Easy Summer Meal Plan, Easy & Simple Meal Plan for Busy Weeknights and One Pan Meal Plan.
Why This Meal Plan Works
- Every dinner is a bowl — everyone customizes their own and there are zero complaints at the table
- All five dinners use pantry staples and simple ingredients from any regular grocery store
- Four of the five dinners are ready in 30 minutes or less — the fifth goes in the slow cooker and does the work for you
- Built around affordable proteins like ground beef and chicken, that are easy to find and budget-friendly to buy in bulk
- Great for meal prep — cook a big batch of rice on Sunday and it covers the whole week
- Leftovers reheat beautifully for school lunches and quick next-day meals
Print Shopping List
Save time and money by checking your pantry, fridge, and freezer before heading to the store. You might already have several of these ingredients on hand — especially the soy sauce, brown sugar, and canned goods. Buying your chicken and ground beef in larger family packs and splitting them between recipes is one of the easiest ways to keep this meal plan under budget.
Monday – Taco Rice Bowls
Monday nights call for something fast and foolproof. These taco bowls take 30 minutes, use ingredients I always have on hand, and every single one of my kids eats them without negotiation. That alone makes it a weeknight winner. Let everyone build their own bowl and dinner is done.
Estimated Cost: $11.78, $1.96 per Servings
Tuesday – Chipotle Chicken Bowls
My boys love Chipotle but we are not spending $15 a person to feed this family. These bowls have that same smoky, bold flavor and cost a fraction of the price — made at home in about the same time it would take to drive there and back. Same taste, way less money.
Estimated Cost: $20.61, $5.15 per Servings
Wednesday – Teriyaki Chicken Bowls
Midweek is when everyone is tired and I need dinner to be easy. This teriyaki bowl comes together with pantry staples, the sauce takes two minutes to whisk together, and it tastes like something you ordered out. Nobody is complaining on a Wednesday night with this on the table.
Estimated Cost: $12.48, $2.08 per Servings
Thursday – Korean Beef Bowls
Ground beef is one of the most budget-friendly proteins you can buy, and this recipe makes it taste anything but ordinary. Bold, saucy, and ready in 20 minutes — this one has become a regular Thursday request in our house. My boys go back for seconds every time.
Estimated Cost: $13.48, $2.25 per Servings
Friday – Slow Cooker Chicken Burrito Bowl
Friday is not a cooking day in our house. I put this in the slow cooker in the morning and by dinner time it is done. The chicken shreds right in the pot, everyone builds their own bowl, and I did not stand at the stove once. That is a perfect Friday.
Estimated Cost: $13.64, $2.27 per Servings
Breakfast – Cracker Barrel Pancakes
Weekend breakfast should feel like a treat without being complicated. These taste exactly like the ones from the restaurant — soft, buttery, and worth every bite. My kids think I ordered them somehow. The secret is the buttermilk and they make the fluffiest stack every time.
Estimated Cost: $2.75, $0.69 per Servings
Dessert – Cinnamon Bundt Cake
This is the cake I make when I want the house to smell amazing and I don’t want to spend two hours baking. Simple ingredients, easy method, and it comes out tender and warmly spiced every time. A slice with coffee after the kids are in bed is one of my favorite things.
Estimated Cost: $6.99, $0.58 per Servings
Check out our Lazy Day Cooking Club if you love to stock your freezer with easy meals. Spend just a few minutes getting things started earlier in the day, and let the slow cooker handle the rest so dinner is ready when you get home.
Meal Prep Tips
- Cook your rice once. Make a large batch of white rice or brown rice on Sunday and store it in the fridge. It reheats in minutes and covers every bowl dinner this week.
- Prep your proteins by day. The ground beef recipes (Monday and Thursday) are fast enough to cook fresh. Marinate the chipotle chicken on Monday night so it is ready to go Tuesday.
- Set the slow cooker before school. Friday’s burrito bowl goes in the slow cooker in the morning — 10 minutes of prep and dinner is done before you even think about it.
- Set up a toppings bar. Put shredded cheese, sour cream, salsa, and cilantro in small bowls and let everyone build their own. My kids eat so much more when they feel like they made it themselves.
- Double a batch for the freezer. Korean beef and the burrito bowl chicken both freeze beautifully. Make extra and you have a future easy dinner already done.
What to do with Leftovers
In a house with 8 kids, we do not waste food. The good news is every single one of these bowl dinners turns into something just as good the next day. Here is how we use up the leftovers:
- Taco Rice Bowls – Leftover seasoned beef is amazing in a quick taco salad the next day or stuffed into bell peppers with a little cheese on top.
- Chipotle Chicken Bowls – Shred the leftover chicken and wrap it in a flour tortilla with cheese for the easiest school lunch quesadilla.
- Teriyaki Chicken Bowls – Chop leftover chicken and toss it into fried rice or serve over noodles for a completely different meal with zero extra work.
- Korean Beef Bowls – Spoon leftover beef into lettuce wraps for a lighter lunch or stir it into ramen noodles with a soft-boiled egg for something the older kids love.
- Burrito Bowl Chicken – Scramble leftover chicken into eggs with a little salsa and wrap it in a tortilla for the best breakfast burrito the next morning.
FAQs
Yes — this meal plan is one of the easiest to prep in advance. Cook a large batch of rice on Sunday and store it in the refrigerator. Chop any vegetables you want to use as toppings and keep them in airtight containers. You can also brown the ground beef ahead of time and refrigerate it for up to 3 days. The slow cooker burrito bowl chicken can even be made ahead and frozen — just thaw overnight and reheat.
Absolutely. Ground turkey works in place of ground beef in both the taco bowls and Korean beef bowls for a leaner option that is often cheaper. Bone-in chicken thighs are usually less expensive than boneless and work great in the slow cooker — just remove the bones before shredding. Watch for sales and stock up when prices are low.
Long-grain white rice is the classic choice and the most budget-friendly. Jasmine rice adds a slightly floral flavor that pairs especially well with the teriyaki and Korean beef. Brown rice works great for a heartier, more filling bowl. For the fastest option, buy microwavable rice pouches — they are ready in 90 seconds and are a lifesaver on busy nights.
Easy Side Dishes
We hope this bowl dinner meal plan makes your week a little easier and a lot more delicious. If you try any of these recipes, leave a star rating and let us know which bowl was the family favorite — I love hearing which ones your kids request again. And if you are looking for more weekly meal plans, we add a new one every week so there is always something fresh to try!
See How We Calculate Recipe Cost (cost per serving explained).
These recipes look great…as usual. Is there a way to make any (all) of the meals more diabetic friendly? Would like to see more of those type of meals or at least conversions available. Thanks!