Some weeks, cooking dinner feels fine.
And some weeks… life is lifing, your energy is gone by 4pm, and even thinking about dinner feels like too much.
That’s exactly why I created Cooking Burnout Club. Not for the weeks when you’re motivated, inspired, or excited to try something new, but for the weeks when you still want to feed your family good food without draining whatever energy you have left. These recipes are built for real life, not your best, most productive self.
This week’s meal plan is what I call extra lazy meals. And I mean that in the best possible way. These are the dinners you keep on hand for weeks you already know are going to be heavy. Minimal prep. Very few steps. A lot of Instant Pot and air fryer reliance. The kind of meals where you’re not chopping a million things, not standing at the stove forever, and not second-guessing every step.
This is the meal plan you reach for when you still want to cook at home, but you need dinner to meet you where you’re at. Low energy, low effort, still really good food.
Welcome to the Cooking Burnout Club.
Here’s what we’re cooking this week:
Instant Pot BBQ Chicken Thighs with Ranch Slaw and Rice
This Instant Pot BBQ chicken thighs recipe is one of those dinners that feels almost too easy. You can use frozen chicken thighs, the ranch slaw is literally just slaw and ranch, and the rice is frozen. Minimal prep, very few steps, and a solid, comforting dinner with barely any effort.
Instant Pot Chickpea Pasta
This Instant Pot chickpea pasta is one of the easiest dinners in this meal plan. Chickpea pasta, water, and marinara cook together in the Instant Pot, then frozen spinach gets stirred in at the end. Minimal prep, very few steps, and a solid dinner when energy is low.
Everything Bagel Salmon with Green Beans and Quinoa
This everything bagel salmon is a true sheet-pan dinner. The salmon and frozen green beans cook together in the oven with almost no prep. I recommend serving it with Instant Pot quinoa, which tastes much better than store-bought frozen quinoa and still keeps this meal very low effort.
Air Fryer Chicken Tacos
This is a go-to low-energy dinner. Air fryer chicken tacos made with juicy chicken thighs, very little prep, and a short cook time. Once the chicken is done, taco night comes together fast.
Want more weekly meal plan ideas?
Remember, you don’t have to cook every night or follow this plan perfectly for it to be helpful. These meal plans are here to support you, not pressure you. If you need more easy dinner ideas, you can explore past Cooking Burnout Club meal plans and pull what works for you this week.
