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New Year 5-Day Meal Plan

January 2, 2023

8 min. read

Happy New Year!

If you’re looking for a fresh start in 2023, you’ve come to the right place! We’re ringing in the new year with some brand new recipes and a weekly meal plan builder that you can personalize to suit your own resolution goals.

Whether you’re set on preparing more home-cooked meals, eating healthier, or spending less money, we have tips and tricks to help you out. Keep reading to explore our suggestions on five different food-themed goals, then check out the printable resources at the bottom of the page to build your own personal meal plan!

Theme #1: Quick and Easy Meals

If weeknights tend to be fairly hectic in your household, you may consider any time you manage to cook dinner a “win” in your book. If that’s the case, then you may find comfort in some 30-minute meals like the recipe featured below. With little prep and a whole lot of “yum,” you can get dinner on the table in no time!

Here are some time-saving tips for your day-to-day meal planning:

Consider deciding your meals in advance so you can fit them into your weekly schedule.
Look ahead at your chosen recipes to see if there are steps that can be prepared in advance.
Choose a few pre-cooked or quick-prep ingredients at the grocery store whenever possible.

Featured Recipe: Rotisserie Chicken Tuscan Mac and Cheese

Serves: 6 • Calories: 845 • Total Time: 25 Mins • Cost: $40

This recipe uses precooked rotisserie chicken breast paired with a quick cream sauce and 7-minute pasta for a hearty winter meal that is ready in under 15 minutes!

Healthy Eating Tip: Stretch this dish into 8 servings (and have enough for leftovers!); then serve each portion with a side salad for extra nutritional benefit.

Quick & Easy Prep Tip: Leave the bread slices out for a few hours to stale slightly and/or prepare the seasoned breadcrumbs up to 1 day in advance to cut down on prep time.

Budget Saving Tip: Swap the Asiago and Romano cheeses for pre-grated parmesan cheese or substitute your favorite jarred cream or blush pasta sauce for the homemade version.

Theme #2: Healthy Eating

Coming off of the holidays, you may feel as though your diet could use an upgrade. Now is a great time to start incorporating more fresh fruits and veggies into your meals, cooking recipes from scratch, and being mindful of calorie intake or the nutritional value in the foods you’re consuming.

Here are a few healthy eating tips for the new year:

Eat the rainbow: be sure to incorporate plenty of colorful fruits and veggies into your diet.
Practice portion control: determine the proper ratio of the various food groups for your body.
Start small: a slow and steady lifestyle change is often easier to maintain than a large or drastic one.

Featured Recipe: Chopped Salad with Chicken

Serves: 6 • Calories: 617 • Total Time: 25 Mins • Cost: $40

Chopped salads were all the rage in 2022! Finely chopping all the ingredients to the same size makes these salads easier to enjoy and helps to distribute the flavors evenly. This fun and healthy recipe uses leftover rotisserie chicken meat, bacon, mini mozzarella balls, and hearty sesame seed croutons made from Martin’s Big Marty’s Rolls!

Healthy Eating Tip: Eliminate or cut back on the bacon for a low-fat option (otherwise—this recipe already has plenty of nutritional value!).

Quick & Easy Prep Tip: Leave the rolls out overnight to stale slightly; prepare the croutons and dressing in advance to make preparation on the day of a breeze!

Budget Saving Tip: This recipe shares the remainder of the rotisserie chicken from recipe #1 to save time and money, but you may also choose to cook the chicken from scratch if that is cheaper.

Theme #3: Stress-Free Recipes

We’re all for simplistic meals that require little-to-no cleanup. If you hate spending time in the kitchen or dread doing the dishes, you might appreciate some crafty one-pot or one-pan meals. Our recipe featured below uses a single sheet pan to cook a robust all-in-one dinner for four people.

Here are some go-to recipe tips for easy prep and cleanup:

Try to limit to 2-3 protein options per week; cook extra on the first night of each (if possible) to save time the following night.
Prep ingredients like marinades and sauces or chopped veggies in advance to cut back on evening prep time. Multitask by prepping other ingredients while the oven or pan is preheating.
Incorporate more one-pan, one-pot, or slow cooker meals into your weekly routine.

Featured Recipe: One Pan Sausage and Veggies

Serves: 4 • Calories: 722 • Total Time: 50 Mins • Cost: $20-30

These smoked turkey sausages and roasted assorted veggies are just the fix for a cold January evening. With some light prep and a 9×13” baking sheet, you can have dinner roasting in the oven in under 20 minutes, then spend the cooking time getting ahead on cleanup or other household chores while you wait.

Healthy Eating Tip: Using turkey sausage cuts back on the fat intake, but you can also substitute with other alternative options or try cutting the sausages into medallions to reduce the portion size.

Quick & Easy Prep Tip: Trim heartier veggies, like the green beans and broccoli, in advance to save on prep time. (Wait to cut the potatoes and peppers until ready to cook, so they stay fresh.)

Budget Saving Tip: This recipe is already fairly inexpensive, plus it uses similar ingredients to other days,’ so you can purchase in bulk to save more money.

Theme #4: Budget-Friendly Foods

While ready-to-eat and prepared food options save time and effort, they can be a bit tough on the wallet. You can typically stretch your dollar further by preparing meals from scratch or buying ingredients in bulk.

Here are some budget-saving tips for your weekly meal plan:

Pair together meals that use similar ingredients, like meat and produce, so you can buy in bulk.
Buy fruits and veggies when they are in season; shop at local farmer’s markets for additional cost savings.
Consider stocking up on items when they are on sale and freezing them for future use. Opt for frozen versions of certain fruits and veggies when it is more cost effective and suits your recipe.

Featured Recipe: Fennel and Sausage Stuffed Peppers

Serves: 4 • Calories: 562 • Total Time: 45 Mins • Cost: $20-30

These colorful stuffed peppers are both hearty AND healthy, and perfect for a home-cooked winter meal. Made with country sausage, sliced fennel, and fresh sage, the Martin’s 100% Whole Wheat Potato Bread stuffing is baked inside of individual hollowed-out bell peppers, making for a fun and convenient serving presentation.

Healthy Eating Tip: These stuffed peppers are already fairly healthy and filled with plenty of veggies! You can choose to swap the sausage for sautéed mushrooms or leafy greens for an all-vegetarian option.

Quick & Easy Prep Tip: Leave the bread slices out to stale slightly or bake them the night before (then skip step 2); cook the crumbled sausage in advance to save time.

Budget Saving Tip: This recipe is already low-cost as it uses only a handful of ingredients and repurposes items from previous nights.

Theme #5: Skillful Cooking Techniques

Did you take on cooking as a new and exciting hobby in 2022? If you’re looking to expand on your culinary expertise or are trying to widen your palate by embracing new foods and flavors, then this theme is all you! Seek out new recipes that stretch your knowledge and get you outside your comfort zone.

Here are some skill-building recipe tips for adventurous eaters:

Choose at least one new ingredient or flavor each week to try for the first time.
Use holidays and special occasions as an excuse to go all out with your best showstopper recipes.
Browse the 800+ ideas in our recipes archive to find creative ideas to add to your meal plan!

Featured Recipe: Steak Sandwich with Goat Cheese Butter

Serves: 4 • Calories: 725 • Total Time: 40 Mins • Cost: $30-40

Don’t be intimidated by this restaurant-worthy sandwich idea. The sliced steak and marinated mushrooms on a Martin’s Big Marty’s Roll is as easy to prepare as it is delicious to devour. Fancy and foolproof—a great combination.

Healthy Eating Tip: Opt for a leaner cut of meat and be sure to trim the fat prior to cooking.

Quick & Easy Prep Tip: Marinate the steaks up to one day in advance and leave the butter out to soften to help save time.

Budget Saving Tip: Swap the ribeye for a cheaper cut of meat such as chuck steak, or choose USDA Select or Choice over Prime to help save money.