Five Dinners, One Less Thing to Worry About
Five Dinners for a Brutal Week
For the week that is actively trying to end you.
Two slow-cooker dinners you load in the morning, one pot that does everything, fried rice from whatever is left, and a beefy tomato macaroni that cannot fail. Nothing here needs you to be at your best.
Slow Cooker Chicken
Load it before work. It is not lying about cooking itself.
Beefy Tomato Macaroni
Twenty minutes of light supervision, one pot.
Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken Bowls
Jar of salsa + chicken + slow cooker. That is the whole job.
Fried Rice
Seventeen minutes, uses up stray vegetables, tastes like a reward.
Slow Cooker Sausage and Peppers
Friday does the work while you finish the week.
The Shopping List
Every ingredient from all 5 recipes, grouped by store section. (D1–D5 = which dinner needs it. Quantities are per recipe — check each before you shop, and skip what your pantry already has.)
Produce
- 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1 cup frozen peas and carrots, thawed
- 1 medium yellow onion, sliced
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
- 2 large onions, sliced
- 3 bell peppers (mixed colors), sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 green onions, sliced thin (whites and greens separated)
- 4 cloves garlic, sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- Cooked rice, shredded cheese, sour cream, avocado, and cilantro, for bowls
- Salt and black pepper
Meat & Seafood
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 cups beef broth
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs (or breasts)
- 2 pounds Italian sausage links (sweet, hot, or mixed)
Dairy & Eggs
- 1 cup shredded cheddar
- 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
Pantry
- 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup salsa
- 1 jar (16 ounces) salsa
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 12 ounces pasta
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 3 cups day-old cooked white rice (cold, straight from the fridge)
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
Spices & Seasonings
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- Salt to taste
Everything Else
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- Hoagie rolls, for serving
Prep-Ahead Moves
- Sunday: cook a batch of rice and refrigerate it — Thursday’s fried rice NEEDS day-old rice anyway.
- Slice Friday’s peppers and onions Sunday; store in a zip bag so Friday is pure dumping.
- Shred Monday’s leftover chicken before you put it away — Wednesday-you will not have the will.
Leftover Strategy
- Monday’s chicken intentionally makes extra: it can slide into Wednesday’s bowls or Thursday’s fried rice.
- Salsa chicken freezes flat in bags for the NEXT brutal week. They keep coming.