15-Minute Dinners for When You Don't Have Time to Cook (Weekly Plan & Shopping List!)

Our column, ThePrep, has everything you'll need to make meal planning and meal prep as easy as can be. Sign up here to get a meal plan delivered to your inbox every Saturday!

Hi everyone! My name is Carolyn Malcoun, and I'm the senior food features editor at EatingWell. I'm making a guest appearance in ThePrep this week as part of our spotlight, It's 5:15 p.m.—What's for Dinner? I'm happy to be here!

I don't know how it happened, but it's Labor Day weekend already. Our 11-year-old daughter, Lila, went back to school on Wednesday, and we're looking forward to a low-key weekend. But I know my life will be very hectic next week—Lila joined the school field hockey team and also plays soccer. She will have practice or a game every night of the week, sometimes twice. Needless to say, there will be a lot of juggling happening. And having a healthy, nutritious meal on the table that we can all eat together is important—it's the one time each day we know we will all sit down together and connect. Sometimes we take turns sharing a "rose," "bud" and "thorn" (the best part of our day, what we struggled with and what we're looking forward to, respectively), or simply just tell each other silly jokes. To get dinner on the table faster and more easily, I crafted my dinner plan around 15-minute meals all week.

Your Meal Plan

Just because dinner is ready in 15 minutes doesn't mean I have to sacrifice flavor or nutrition, like with Wednesday's Miso-Glazed Salmon. Since I always have frozen salmon portions, miso and soy sauce on hand, I can easily whip up this recipe any time. If I'm lucky, I'll remember to thaw extra salmon and cook up a double batch to flake over salads for extra protein the rest of the week. To make an easy and nutritious side dish, I like tossing green vegetables like broccolini with oil, salt and pepper and spreading them on a sheet pan. I'll pop the veggies on a rack in the bottom third of the oven, and they'll cook up nicely while the salmon broils. In addition to protein, salmon also delivers anti-inflammatory omega-3 fats, both of which are helpful for Lila's muscle recovery after practice and for keeping my husband and I feeling our best too. And the broccolini and corn on the cob provide lots of fiber—a nutrient that does everything from lower our risk of heart disease to help us maintain good gut health.

Monday: Peanutty Soba Noodles with sliced mango
Tuesday: Spicy White Bean & Spinach Salad with whole-grain baguette
Wednesday: Miso-Glazed Salmon with roasted broccolini (see above) and Microwaved Corn on the Cob
Thursday: Chicken & Cabbage Salad with Nuoc Cham Dressing with sliced pineapple and whole-grain baguette
Friday: Mushroom Lettuce Wraps with brown rice

Something to Sip On

Lila adores watermelon, so it's a fruit we often have in the fridge. But since we're only a family of three, we've been making mocktails and cocktails that feature watermelon (particularly since it's a hydrating fruit) to help get through it before it goes bad. A favorite at our house is this Watermelon Mint Mocktail. It's super refreshing, plus adding mint gives it mojito vibes. And it's easy to turn into an adult beverage with a shot of rum or tequila.

Get the Recipe: ​​Watermelon Mint Mocktail

What's Cooking This Weekend

Summer is my favorite time of year to make sweet treats, because who doesn't love fruit desserts like cobblers and crisps? We grow strawberries, raspberries and blueberries in our garden, so we usually have some in our freezer, if not ready to pick fresh. I was asked to bring a dessert to a friend's barbecue this weekend, and I can't wait to make a big fruity cobbler. It may feature the gigantic peaches I like to get at a nearby farmstand or the rest of our blueberries—or maybe even both, because why not?

Try a Recipe: 13 Fruity Cobblers, Crisps & Crumbles You'll Want to Make All Summer Long

I wish you all a great week, and if you have any questions or requests for future newsletters, please let me know by emailing ThePrep@eatingwell.com. And don't forget to add a recipe review if you try one!