Weeknight Dinners: a healthy mediterranean diet meal plan
What is Weeknight Dinners?
Weeknight Dinners is a weekly Mediterranean diet meal plan program that helps users make easy weeknight dinners for one. It also works for couples and families. Designed by a Registered Dietitian and Culinary Nutritionist, Weeknight Dinners helps busy people like you eat well when there’s no time left in the day. Each week members gain access to a seasonal menu, a complete shopping list, a prep-ahead batch cook guide, and 4 simple and delicious well-balanced recipes that can be assembled in 10 minutes or less.
Designed to help you get back in the kitchen and feed yourself well, Weeknight Dinners will help you:
Eat well, guilt-free
Avoid overwhelm
Save time
Save money
What’s included in the meal plan program?
Each week, this weekly online dinner meal plan will give you everything you need to cook and feed yourself well, including:
4 new recipes created by a Registered Dietitian and Culinary Nutritionist every week
Weekly grocery lists
A Sunday batch cook guide to walk you through meal prep
Easy plant-based meals that work for packable lunches or quick dinners (double the plan for both)
Full nutrition breakdown of each recipe
Access to all previous meal plans
Support from a Registered Dietitian
Access to the private Weeknight Dinners Facebook community
A 26 page Welcome Kit with everything you need to get started (think pantry guide, kitchen hacks, tips for eating alone, and much more)
An invite to a monthly members-only virtual meet-up with founder and dietitian Kelly! Hosted the 1st Tuesday of every month at 5:30 pm pst / 8:30 pm est
How does Weeknight Dinners work?
Step one: Become a member. You’ll gain instant access to your weekly online meal plan and receive a newly curated menu every Friday.
Step two: Follow the batch cook / prep-ahead guide. Spend an hour on Sunday cooking your way through the batch cook guide.
Step three: Enjoy healthy dinners all week long. Prepare easy weeknight dinners in less than 10 minutes Monday to Thursday. Eat well and enjoy.
Why batch cook?
Batch cooking and prepping ahead for an hour or so on Sunday is a great way to set yourself up for the week ahead. With Weeknight Dinners, you’ll keep things simple – simple cooking techniques and simple recipes (think farro or brown rice, roasted vegetables, and baked chicken). You’ll then add herbs, spices, dips, and sauces at mealtime to complete the dish and have variety throughout the week. Some quick-cooking items, like fish and shrimp, are cooked at mealtime. This healthy batch cooking plan is streamlined and simple, making it great for beginners.
What are the recipes like?
Weeknight Dinners is a plant-based meal plan program derived from the Mediterranean diet. Focus is placed on fresh, seasonal, whole foods. All ingredients are minimally processed, and no refined sugar is included. Chicken and seafood are used more than lamb and beef, and nearly 50% of the meals are vegetarian.
Weeknight Dinners meals are easy weeknight recipes that are filled with fiber, lean protein, and healthy fats — they’re anti-inflammatory, energizing, and delicious. They’re also packed with color and flavor to improve your health and keep you interested in whole-food-based eating and home cooking. I have no doubt, these plant-based dinner ideas will leave you feeling satiated and satisfied.
Some favorite dishes include lemon chicken, cauliflower tacos, a vegetarian mezze platter, baked white fish with tomatoes, kimchi fried rice, and, of course, seasonal market salads.
Is Weeknight Dinners paleo, keto, and Whole30 approved?
Weeknight Dinners isn’t a diet — it’s a lifestyle. Restriction isn’t a focus of the program, because, well, it’s not sustainable. And, quite frankly, it’s not fun. With that being said, food groups are not removed, and food is not demonized. Gluten is used, and so is dairy. Not every day, but it is incorporated at times (substitutions are provided when appropriate).
Why the Mediterranean diet?
The Mediterranean diet has been named the healthiest diet for five years running, and it was just awarded the title again in 2023. Numerous studies have shown the Mediterranean diet promotes heart health, supports balanced blood sugar levels, promotes gut health, protects brain function and cognition, promotes weight loss and weight maintenance, and more. Year after year, the benefits of the Mediterranean diet are supported through scientific research.
Although the Mediterranean diet doesn’t follow strict rules or regulations, it does promote a whole food diet rich in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, beans and legumes, fish and seafood, and heart-healthy fats. Dairy and eggs are consumed weekly, poultry is consumed in moderation, and red meat is consumed infrequently. Seasonal produce is encouraged and herbs and spices are used in excess. Essentially, it’s a sustainable and balanced approach to cooking and eating.
What if I’m gluten free, dairy free, pescatarian, or vegetarian?
No problem! You’ll find substitution suggestions on batch cook recipes and individual recipes when appropriate. Just note the nutrition breakdown reflects the original ingredients.
What is the nutritional information for the Weeknight Dinners meals?
All Weeknight Dinners plans are built to 1,600 calories a day. Meals account for 85% of calories, and snacks cover the remaining 15%. That means your Weight Dinners recipes are 450 calories. The macronutrient breakdown of meals is 50% carbs, 20% protein, and 30% fat. That means your meals are 56 g carbohydrates, 23 g protein, and 15 g fat.
The Weeknight Dinners macronutrient profile is well-balanced and backed by current scientific literature. It’s also derived from the Mediterranean diet — which has helped millions live long, robust lives. With this meal prep guide, you can cook and eat with ease knowing that you’re preparing healthy weeknight dinners.
A weekly average with a 10% range is used. But don’t stress — all will balance out each week. More calorie options and dietary preferences to come!
Why did you create Weeknight Dinners?
I created Weeknight Dinners to help others improve their relationship with food. I’m very comfortable in the kitchen, and I wanted to design a program and sustainable meal plan that would help others increase their confidence in cooking and eating. I also wanted to build something that was whole-food-based, practical, and delicious. Weeknight Dinners was an opportunity for me to combine my culinary knowledge with my nutrition education.
About Kelly
Kelly Powers, MA, RD is a Registered Dietitian who specializes in culinary nutrition, the Mediterranean diet, and sustainable behavior change. She completed her graduate degree in Food Studies at the American University of Rome, where she spent 15 months embracing Italian food culture and the Mediterranean way of life. Kelly is an advocate for intuitive eating and practical shifts in consumption. She offers 1:1 nutrition coaching services to busy professionals and families. She also offers a healthy pantry makeover service. Her meal plan program, Weeknight Dinners, helps people find more ease and joy in cooking and eating. Kelly also works as a consultant to companies, start-ups, and brands in the food and wellness space. You can learn more about Kelly here and you can join Weeknight Dinners here.
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Paying subscribers receive:
Exclusive recipe drop every Saturday morning
Once monthly one-week meal plan
Nutrition education and resources
Weekly Five Things post
Access to all past recipes on the website
Unpaid subscribers receive a recipe drop once monthly and my weekly Five Things post.
This post was written by Kelly Powers, MA, RDN. Kelly is a Registered Dietitian and Culinary Nutritionist who takes a holistic approach to nutrition and health. She is a recipe developer with a food blog highlighting whole foods, simple recipes, and her life in San Francisco. Kelly is the creator of Weeknight Dinners, a weekly meal plan program that helps users get back in the kitchen and feed themselves well. Kelly specializes in meal planning, the Mediterranean diet, and sustainable behavior change, helping her clients reach their health goals while improving their relationship with food.