After the blitz of holiday parties, family gatherings, all the cookies, and maybe a touch too much nog, I'm ready for a breather — both from indulgent meals and cooking. Right after the holidays I always crave dinners that are light and fresh, and come together with the most minimal effort possible, which means my meal plan is filled with weeknight soups, salads, noodle bowls, and skillet meals.

Skillet Dinners

When you don't totally feel like cooking but crave something wholesome and healthy-ish, there's no better place to start than with a skillet meal. As the name suggests, the whole meal comes together in a single pan for easy cooking and quick cleanup. This lineup sticks with lean meat, fish, and plenty of veggies to recharge post-holiday.

Weeknight-Friendly Soups

There are soups meant to simmer on the back of the stove all day long, and then there are the gems created with quick and comforting weeknight dinners in mind. This lineup of recipes is decidedly in the latter group.

Dinner-Worthy Salads

If you overindulged during the holidays and have a serious hankering for all the veggies, get these hearty dinner salads in your meal plan immediately. They'll satisfy your need for a dose of greens and are plenty filling to serve as dinner.

Rice and Noodle Bowls

Bowl food is my go-to choice whenever I want a dinner that's quick and easy to pull together and filled with lots of fresh ingredients. Follow these recipes as they're written or use them as inspiration to create your own rice or noodle bowls.