Do you ever get the “What’s for dinner?” question? I get it all the time. We finally get home at the end of a fabulously long day and then we realize we have…
NO DINNER PLANS!
Then we try to rack our brain of things that we have on hand to throw together really quick.
This is the place I found myself WAY TOO often and decided to do something about it! Here are some tips on some way easy ideas on how to not to get in that position ever again!
(If you want the cute cliff notes, just click to the link on the left side, tell me where to
email it, and you’ll have a nice little PDF file of all of this.)
1. Simple Organization
One of the first steps is to decide what day of the week it is. Then decide what you are craving. Once this is established, you can narrow down your list of what to make.
Don’t feel like you need to do something NEW every week! Rotate through a generic schedule, even if for one month so there is less thinking about what to prepare and make.
Craving Something Specific?Mexican Italian American Greek French Asian Hot & spicey Sweet & savory Sometimes this can immediately trigger certain foods you can whip up or dial for. |
2. Decide what type of night it will be.
| Make Your Own Potato bar Tacos Salad | Outside Grill Picnic Open fire | Got Time to Prepare Crock pot Bake night prior |
| Breakfast For Dinner Scrambled eggs Omelets Breakfast casserole | Take Turns Making Dinner Kids make dinner Spouse makes dinner Family makes dinner | Got No Time to Prep Crock pot Store bought prep items |
3. Write It Down
Simply write down what a simple week could look like for your dinners, then KEEP that paper and use it next week or the week after. After two-three weeks of keeping your meals, you have yourself a plan that works for you and your family.
4. Dinner Ideas
Once you master the recipes, reference this chart for quick meal ideas!
On The Grill Burgers Hotdogs Sausage Links Shish-k-bobs Chicken Tofu Fish Pork chops Pork tenderloin Steaks Beef Vegetables Take the Meat & Make: Sliders Tacos Enchiladas Quesadillas Cold wraps Sandwiches Fajitas Saute Shrimp Boiled Shrimp Rice, beans, sausage Red beans & rice Spaghetti – beef Spaghetti – chicken Jambalaya Seasoned rice Rice pilaf | Sandwiches & Wraps Any type of wraps Chicken wraps Bacon Lettuce Tomato Sloppy Joes Reubens Chicken salad Tuna salad Chicken-strip wraps Bread Pita Flat bread Wrap Salads Taco salad Fruit salad Egg salad Tuna salad Spinach salad Black bean soup Split pea & ham soup Vegetable Potato Soup Beef stew Taco soup chicken noodle Chicken and Dumplings Goulash | Crock pot Meals Pulled Chicken Pulled Beef Roast & veggies Spaghetti & Meatballs Meatball subs Spaghetti sauce Chili Chili dogs Lasagna Chicken Enchilada Italian pot roast Santa Fe Chicken Salsa Chicken Chicken Fajitas Baked (night prior?) Chicken: with dressing Chicken: with seasonings Tilapia Salmon Flank steak Chicken strips Pepper steak Meatloaf Teriyaki Grilled Chicken Baked Ham Pot roast Baked coconut shrimp Chicken parmesan Spaghetti Mexican Lasagna Chicken & pasta Stuffed shells Veggie pizza Beef enchiladas Chicken enchiladas Fish enchiladas Chicken curry Chicken, ginger, honey Chicken & wild rice |
