Monday Menu — Five Easy Family Friendly Meals This Week 🍽️
Monday Menu time, y’all — and this week I have five easy, family friendly meals lined up that are going to get dinner on the table without killing yourself in the kitchen. I’ve got my menu planned, my groceries ordered, and I am organized and ready to go. If dinner stress is already creeping in on a Monday, this is for you.
📋 A note from Stephanie: My weekly Monday Menu has grown into something bigger — my Weekly Meal Plans, where every week comes with a full dinner lineup, a printable grocery list, and a downloadable PDF. I’m keeping these Monday Menu posts up for the ideas and the memories — but if you want the whole plan in one place, that’s where to find it now.
Sunday/Monday: The Easiest Chicken Pot Pie You’ll Ever Make
I actually already made this one over the weekend — and I am telling you, it is about the same effort as throwing a frozen pot pie in the oven but it tastes a thousand times better. Three cans of cream soup, frozen mixed veggies, cooked chicken, and a refrigerated pie crust. One pan, one bowl, into the oven at 350 for 45 minutes. Perfect comfort meal, perfect weeknight option. Get the full recipe here.
Monday Night: Stir Fry Night (Choose Your Own Meat)
Tonight I’m making stir fry — and because some of us like shrimp and some of us like chicken, I am doing two separate pans so everyone gets to choose their own meat. If your family is simpler than mine and they all agree on one protein, you can absolutely do this in one pan. I’m serving it over rice and if I have frozen egg rolls hiding in the freezer — which I’m pretty sure I do — those are getting added to the spread. This is a true one-pan weeknight meal (or two-pan in my house, but let’s not talk about that).
Tuesday: Mediterranean Turkey Bowl
My Mediterranean turkey bowl is so good, y’all. Ground turkey with lots of wonderful flavors and seasonings, loads of veggies, and I’m serving it two ways — over sweet potato for some of us and regular baked potato for others. That way my family can pick and choose whichever one they like best. It’s healthy, it’s filling, and it feels a little fancy for a Tuesday. The Kitchn has a great overview of Mediterranean diet cooking if you want to explore more of this flavor profile — it’s the same inspiration behind Jason’s eating this year.
Wednesday: Tortellini Soup with Sourdough Focaccia
I need to just go ahead and say it — this tortellini soup is probably one of my most requested recipes. Every single time I make it, everyone wants to know what’s in it. And when they find out how easy it is, they cannot believe it. It is one of those soups that tastes like it simmered all day and took maybe 25 minutes. I’m going to try making some sourdough focaccia bread to go with it this week using Pearl — but any crusty bread, rolls, or whatever you have on hand would be absolutely perfect.
Thursday: Make Your Own Taco Nacho Night
We’re ending this week the easy way with make-your-own nacho night. Tortilla chips, taco meat, and toppings — and everyone builds their own plate. This is the meal that requires the least amount of effort and produces the most enthusiasm at the table. I’ve got taco seasoning, mild pico de gallo, and Taco Bell shells, and I already have everything else I need. Take it easy, get it done, and call it a week.
And a little heads up — the end of this week, the full weekly meal plan with the shoppable grocery list will be on my website. If you see my videos this week and like what we’re having, you can use that plan for next week with your own family. All easy. All good.
Find all the tools and pantry staples I use every week on my Shop My Kitchen page!
Want the full weekly plan in one place? Head over to my Weekly Meal Plans page for every week’s menu, grocery list, and printable PDF.
Monday Menu FAQ — Five Easy Meals for Busy Families
How do you plan a Monday Menu for a family of seven?
I start with what’s already in the fridge and freezer, then build around proteins I already have or picked up during the week’s grocery run. I aim for a mix of comfort food, something a little lighter, and at least one night where dinner basically builds itself — like taco nacho night. Five meals gives the family a full week of dinners without me having to think about it every single day.
What makes a good family friendly weeknight meal?
Fast, familiar, and flexible. Fast means it comes together in under an hour. Familiar means the kids aren’t going to revolt at the table. Flexible means different family members can customize it to what they like — like choosing shrimp or chicken in the stir fry, or picking sweet potato versus regular baked potato with the turkey bowl. When everyone gets a say, dinner goes a lot more smoothly.
What is a Mediterranean turkey bowl?
It’s ground turkey cooked with lots of Mediterranean-inspired seasonings and vegetables — think cumin, garlic, fresh herbs, zucchini, cherry tomatoes — served over a base like baked potato or sweet potato. It’s a lighter, high-protein weeknight dinner that feels satisfying and a little different from the usual rotation. It’s become a regular in our house because it’s healthy, easy, and everyone actually eats it.
Can you make tortellini soup ahead of time?
Yes — with one caveat. If you’re making it ahead, add the tortellini right before serving rather than cooking it in the soup ahead of time. Tortellini gets soft and mushy if it sits in liquid for too long. Everything else in the soup can be made ahead, refrigerated, and reheated — just drop the tortellini in fresh when you’re ready to eat.
What should I serve with taco nacho night?
The beauty of nacho night is that the toppings ARE the sides. Pico de gallo, shredded cheese, sour cream, jalapeños, guacamole if you’re feeling fancy — just put it all out and let the family go. If you want something extra on the side, a simple iceberg salad with ranch takes about three minutes and makes everyone feel like they had a vegetable.
More Monday Menus at the Longstreth Table
- Monday Menu — Pot Roast, Iowa Pork Tenderloin Sandwich & Breakfast for Dinner — last week’s lineup that had everyone asking for the Iowa sandwich recipe.
- Monday Menu — Toast With the Most, Tuna Noodle Casserole & Boursin Orzo — one of the most popular menus we’ve shared.
- Weekly Meal Plan for a Family — April 26–May 2, 2026 — the full shoppable grocery list version of this week’s plan.
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Monday Menu — About Stephanie Longstreth
Stephanie Longstreth is the home cook, mom, and storyteller behind StephanieCooksForACrowd.com. She cooks for a family of seven in Florida — five kids, two cats, and one husband who appreciates a good meal. Four of her children came home through adoption, and family stories are woven into everything she makes and shares. Find her crowd-friendly recipes, sourdough journey, and real family life on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest @stephaniecooksforacrowd.