Dinner idea list

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.

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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

diary-614149_1920Simply 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

barbecue-123668_1280Once 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
Stove Top & Skillet

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
Use:

Bread

Pita

Flat bread

Wrap

Salads

Taco salad

Fruit salad

Egg salad

Tuna salad

Spinach salad
Soups (stove or crock pot)

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

 

 

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