Meal planning is one of those things that I’ve never been 100% successful at. I always start with the best intentions and somehow after a short while I fall back into old habits.
It’s always the same story:
We get all excited, plan out a week of meals and buy all the ingredients. For a whole week, we eat delicious pre-planned meals and there’s no eating out. (That means $$ saved!!) Then comes week two and then life happens and we forget to plan the meals for the week and then it’s over.
Who wants Chick Fil A?
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Save this Instant Pot Meal Plan for later!
I Finally Have a Plan
So this year, I’m making it a goal to meal plan. Once I make it a goal, it’s ON!! I’m going to try to be as intentional as possible to stick to a meal plan every month.
By putting these meal plans together every month, it will make it easier to know exactly what to cook each day and what ingredients to have on hand. I also really feel like the Instant Pot can help me keep up with a monthly meal plan.
Time to Conquer This Meal Planning Thing
Ok, so with 5 children and life in general, I have to be realistic. Maybe I won’t be able to follow the plan perfectly. Maybe you won’t either. The beauty of it is, you can tweak it when you need to and you can move things around to suit your needs. The key is to try to be as consistent as possible and when you go off track, just try to get back on it as soon as possible. Let’s be as intentional as possible and we can conquer this meal planning thing together!!
April 2020 Instant Pot Meal Plan
We welcome April amidst uncertainty and being at home. It’s because of this that I did my best to include easy recipes with few ingredients in hopes that you will at least be able to use it as a guide for your planning this month. I hope you stay safe and are able to use this meal plan to help you get through the month!
You can still get the March Meal Plan if you need it.
Right below the list of recipes, you can find the link to the printable/clickable menu calendar. You’ll also find links to all my previous monthly meal plans. Enjoy!
Main Dishes
April 1Salsa Chicken from One Happy Housewife
A very popular recipe that’s fast, easy, and so versatile. The perfect busy weeknight meal!
April 2Taco Soup from One Happy Housewife
A wonderful dump-and-go meal that’s loaded with taco flavor, requires very little prep, and uses easy to find ingredients.
April 3Macaroni and Cheese from One Happy Housewife
The absolute BEST Instant Pot Mac and Cheese! A blend of four cheeses make it the creamiest and cheesiest.
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April 4Cheesy Ground Beef and Ric from One Happy Housewife
An incredibly easy and hearty family-friendly meal that’s oh so cheesy and delicious.
April 5Spicy Cajun Pasta from One Happy Housewife
A super easy weeknight dinner with a wonderful kick of cajun.
April 6Chicken and Dumplings from One Happy Housewife
Tender, tasty chicken, sweet veggies, and dumplings. This is the epitome of comfort food.
April 7Beef & Macaroni Casserole from One Happy Housewife
This deliciously creamy beef and pasta casserole is the perfect hearty and filling meal for those busy weeknights.
April 8Spaghetti & Meatballs from One Happy Housewife
This super easy Spaghetti & Meatballs recipe requires no prep and is ready in minutes.
April 9Cheesy Beef Taters from Awe Filled Homemaker
This one is really great for either a side dish or a main dish – your choice! Kid friendly!
April 10Tomato Soup from One Happy Housewife
This wonderfully delicious and creamy tomato soup is infused with basil and lightly sweetened with honey.
April 11Broccoli Cheese Soup from One Happy Housewife
The combination of broccoli, carrots, cream, and cheddar make for a hearty soup that’s amazingly creamy and flavorful.
April 12Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork from One Happy Housewife
Made with only 4 ingredients this fall apart delicious pulled pork is so tasty and versatile.
April 13Chicken Alfredo from One Happy Housewife
A quick and easy pasta dish made with a homemade Alfredo sauce that’s incredibly rich and creamy.
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April 14Beef Stew from Retro Recipe Box
Enjoy this comfort classic loaded with tender chunks of beef and vegetables.
April 15Beef & Bowtie Pasta from One Happy Housewife
A fast and simple pasta dinner that even the most picky of eaters will devour.
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April 16Meatball Soup from Make Ahead Meal Mom
A warm and hearty meal that your family will love!
April 17Red Beans from One Happy Housewife
These wonderful beans are nutritious, filling, and flexible. Can be used for red beans and rice, burritos, tacos, and so much more.
April 18Bean Soup from One Happy Housewife
A hearty, filling and delicious classic Honduran recipe that’s full of Latin flavor.
April 19Potato & Peas Curry (Aloo Matar) from Piping Pot Curry
This quick and easy Instant Pot recipe delivers a warm bowl of potatoes and peas in a delicious curry.
April 20Spaghetti and Meat Sauce from One Happy Housewife
A tasty traditional Italian pasta dish that will be loved by the whole family and can be served in minutes.
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April 21Mexican Ground Beef Casserole from Two Sleevers
Enjoy this quick and easy family-friendly meal that’s loaded with ground beef, rice, and beans and seasoned to perfection.
April 22Chicken Soup from One Happy Housewife
This hearty, healthy, homemade chicken soup is so tasty and loaded with nourishing vegetables and spices.
April 23Taco Pasta from One Happy Housewife
The perfect hearty meal for a busy weeknight, this easy and delicious pasta dish is kid-approved and will be ready in no time.
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April 24Spaghetti in Pesto Sauce from Piping Pot Curry
Spaghetti tossed in pesto sauce with sun-dried tomatoes and a drizzle of lemon juice.
April 25White Chicken Chili from One Happy Housewife
A super easy and crazy delicious dump and start creamy chicken chili loaded with hearty white beans, chicken, corn, tomatoes, and green peppers.
April 26Tuna Casserole from One Happy Housewife
A classic comfort dish made fast from scratch thanks to the pressure cooker.
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April 27Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce from Ministry of Curry
This easy dump meal makes an absolutely creamy and delicious pasta.
April 28Chicken Curry Soup from Paint the Kitchen Red
A hearty, satisfying, creamy curry chicken soup brimming with the flavors of India.
April 29Cheeseburger Mac from One Happy Housewife
A super hearty and flavorful, from scratch pasta casserole made fast.
April 30Minestrone Soup from Spice Cravings
Easy, tasty, and healthy, this minestrone soup has the perfect blend of hearty vegetables, tomato broth and beans.
Side Dishes
Mashed Potatoes from One Happy Housewife
Cooked and seasoned to perfection, these mashed potatoes are so fast and easy to make.
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Parmesan Risotto from One Happy Housewife
A creamy and delicious side dish that is simply irresistible.
Jasmine Rice from One Happy Housewife
Quick, easy, and perfect white rice every time!
Brown Rice from One Happy Housewife
A simple and healthy side-dish for the Instant Pot.
Salsa Rice from One Happy Housewife
An incredibly easy and delicious side dish that makes a perfect companion for any meal, especially Mexican inspired dishes.
Desserts
Flan from One Happy Housewife
A heavenly dark caramel blankets this rich, creamy and silky smooth flan.
Lemon Cake from One Happy Housewife
Drizzled with a sweet lemony glaze, this wonderful lemon cake is the perfect refreshing dessert.
Turtle Lava Cakes from One Happy Housewife
These deliciously decadent mini cakes are overflowing with a molten chocolate center, caramel and pecans.
Coconut Cake from One Happy Housewife
This cake is loaded with coconut goodness and is the perfect sweet treat to share with friends and family.
Arroz con Leche from One Happy Housewife
This traditional Hispanic dessert is so creamy, rich and delicious. Simple ingredients and so quick and easy to make.
Get the Printable Instant Pot Meal Plan
I’ve put together a handy printable calendar so you can get a full monthly view of the plan. The PDF has clickable links as well so you can download it and keep it on your computer to visit all the recipes. The printable/PDF is available to my subscribers. If you’re not a subscriber yet, sign up below so you can have access to my entire collection of printables.
Instant Pot Accessories!
There are so many accessories available for the Instant Pot. So many, that it is hard to know what to get and what is unnecessary. To make things easier for you, I have put together a list of my most recommended accessories. I also explain how to best use each accessory and where to purchase them, click here to check it out.
More Instant Pot Meal Plans
I’ve been creating my Instant Pot Meal Plans for quite some time and have accumulated over a year’s worth of meal plans. I’m making all of my previously published meal plans available to you via the list of links below. You can access each month of the year by simply clicking on the one you want to look at, the link will then take you to the recipes for that particular month.
Since I carefully select each recipe for each month, every month has a unique list of recipes. Browse through each month to see all the different recipes and get ideas for creating your very own meal plans. Feel free to peruse each of the months!
- January Instant Pot Meal Plan
- February Instant Pot Meal Plan
- March Instant Pot Meal Plan
- April Instant Pot Meal Plan
- May Instant Pot Meal Plan
- June Instant Pot Meal Plan
- July Instant Pot Meal Plan
- August Instant Pot Meal Plan
- September Instant Pot Meal Plan
- October Instant Pot Meal Plan
- November Instant Pot Meal Plan
- December Instant Pot Meal Plan
Don’t forget to check back at the end of each month for the updated Meal Plan!
How long can I keep the jars in the refrigerator?
Hi Gary! Not sure what jars you are asking about. Let me know.
I bought my pot a few months ago but never have tried to use it. But I am now! Several of your recipes intrigue me. Thank You!
Hi! I’m happy to hear you will finally start using your new pot! Thanks for stopping by the blog. Happy cooking!
Hi Valerie, I’m finally going to start using my pot. Been kinda afraid of it, but your tomato soup recipe looks absolutely yummy. Wish me luck! Karen M.
Hi Karen! You got this! The tomato soup is easy and delicious! Have you watched my how-to video yet? If you haven’t, you should start there! Here’s the link just in case: https://www.onehappyhousewife.com/how-to-use-the-instant-pot/
Love this! Just wish the foods were diabetic friendly 🙁
Hi Kristie! I hope you can at least find some recipes that work for you. Thanks for stopping by!
This is a fabulous collection of recipes for folks to make their life easy. Thank you so much for including my Quinoa Salad, Valerie! 💕
Thank you Sonal!! Your salad looks delicious!! Thanks for stopping by the blog!
So helpful, thanks!
Glad to hear it was helpful Lizzy! Thanks for stopping by!
I have loved the monthly meal plans. Did we lose the ability to go back to a prior month’s meal plan? I was trying to go back to November’s meal plan but only the December calendar shows up. I thought all the prior month’s plans appeared before.
Hi Krista! The actual recipes for previous meal plans are still available in list form with clickable links, right here on this page. After the last recipe for this month, you’ll find the buttons for the previous months, they’re hot pink buttons. We did remove the actual pdf calendars to make it easier for people to print just this month’s. If you feel like you can still use the actual calendar for previous months then let me know and we will upload them again after Christmas. Thanks for stopping by!
I would like to still have access to the previous months calendars. Thank you for all your work on this site.
I just found this page last week. I have already made a few recipes from it! So far all of them have been a hit. When will you post Octobers menu?
So happy you found the blog! The October Meal Plan is ready! Enjoy!
Happy to subscribe to your recipes. I LOVE my Instant Pot, but sometimes my imagination limits me.
Hi Ann! Thank you so much for stopping by! I hope this meal plan makes it easier for you to plan more meals! Have a great day!
Vegetable steamer would be awesome!
Yes, Linda! So useful!!
Love the giveaway of all of the instant pot accessories, especially the silicone egg bite maker.
Lots of great accessories!!! Thanks for stopping by the blog!
Looking forward to the giveaway results!
Can’t wait to see who wins! Lots of goodies! Thanks for stopping by Meeta!
This looks neat! Just got one for Christmas and eager to try it out.
You will love it once you start using it!
I’m new to the site. Just wanted to thank you for all the time and effort you put into it. I still consider myself a newbie and learn alot from sites such as this. My only wish is that the giveaway included us Canadians. Maybe in the future?
Hi Sue Marie! You are so welcome and I’m glad you find the blog helpful! I’m sorry Canada isn’t included in this giveaway, we love our Canadian friends! Hopefully, we’ll be able to include you in a giveaway soon!
Pretty darn cool…i only cook one or two meals in the instant pot for the week, but this is easy enough to pick and choose! Thank you!
Glad you like it! Yes, definitely use it to suit your needs. It’ll make it easy to pick several meals for each week! Happy cooking!
Love this.
Thanks Pam! Glad to hear it!