What’s for Dinner – How to Generate Great Meal Ideas
What’s for dinner? Probably the worst part of cooking for me is figuring out what to make. Picky eaters, allergies, food availability, time constraints and a commitment to healthy food add to the challenge and can result in making the same trusted meals over and over again.
How do you get out of the rut and figure out “What’s For Dinner?”
Sundays or Mondays are when I think about the week ahead both in terms of what activities are going on and what we’re going to eat. By just thinking ahead I can usually come up with a pretty good sense of what I might make in the week ahead and what needs to come out of the freezer. A meal planning tool like this Weekly Meal Planner with grocery list comes in super handy.
Some weeks the ideas come fast and furious, often fueled by what’s in season (asparagus will be here soon!). Other weeks there is no spark and the ideas are few and far between. On those weeks, I try the following techniques:
1. Enlist Your Family in the Process
Not only do I try to get them to give me ideas, but I try to get them involved in the prep, cooking and cleaning process as well. Some weeks this works better than others!
My goal is to get everyone of my family members to have at least 5 to 10 recipes that they can confidently make without relying on recipes. My son (18) is our master perogy and BBQ guy. My daughter (16) is all about the pasta – she makes a great pesto pasta. And my hubby is king of ribs and stir fries. We’re getting there!
2. Get Visually Inspired
They say a picture is worth a thousand and words. Luckily for us there are a gazillion pictures of food all around us. It only takes a few minutes of browsing through cookbooks, magazines, google or pinterest to get my mouth watering and ideas flowing.
If you haven’t done so, try googling “meal ideas” using the images setting. Or try entering a list of whatever ingredients you have in your fridge right now. For example when I googled “broccoli, chicken and apples”, here’s what came up: “Kale Broccoli Chicken and Apple Salad”, “Chicken Apple Sausage and Broccoli Pasta”, “Chicken Salad with Apple and Broccoli”. It may not give me exactly what I want, but it may remind me that I have sausage in the freezer and could make…
Pinterest is another source for visual food inspiration. It’s a free online tool for sorting and storing your favorite ideas. You can make little file folders (boards) on different topics like “Breakfast ideas” “Potluck Dishes” “Main Dishes” “Amazing Food I’ll Likely Never Make But Like Looking At” and so on. If you are on Pinterest or decide to check it out, be sure to visit and follow my Pinterest Boards.
3. Keep a List of Go to Meals
At the front of my recipe binder where I file printed recipes and those that have been passed down or collected over the years, I keep a hand written list of our favorite, easy to prepare meals. It includes things like meatloaf, spicy chicken with spaghetti squash, goulash, broccoli soup, etc. with the page number and recipe book or website where I can find the recipe.
If I’m in a real rut and time is running out, I also have an Emergency Meal List. It reminds me that egg dishes, soup from leftovers, pasta veggies and beans or sandwiches make excellent dinners too.
4. Create Theme Days
Theme days are a great way to give everyone a heads up about what’s coming. It also let’s them know that they’re favorite is coming up soon – so if they don’t like Thursday leftovers, they’ll love pizza Friday. As the head cook, knowing what’s coming lets me wrap my head around what I need to take out of the freezer and what I might be able to prep ahead of time.
Meatless Monday – a big night for cheese, beans and eggs
Taco Tuesday – a night for some tacos or something like it – burritos, taco salad, enchiladas, quesadillas, etc.
Kid Friendly Wednesday – meals I know the kids will love (spaghetti, tortillas, hamburgers, homemade mac & cheese, etc.)
Quick & Easy Thursday (our busiest weeknight) – involves either a slow cooker meal, breakfast for dinner, soup or leftovers
Pizza Friday – (Homemade, of course) – our longest family tradition that we’re not ready to give up
Fend For Yourself Saturday – the day when everyone feeds themselves and others cook for me
Big Dinner Sunday – a traditional Sunday dinner with enough for left overs
5. Get Outside Help
When ideas are really hard to come by, it’s time to get a little reinforcement or help from others. In times like these – ask your friends, families or work colleagues for ideas. If you’re on Facebook – simply ask “What’s For Dinner?”
If all else fails, check out online meal planning resources like Eat Right Ontario. This free tool is offered by Registered Dietitians and gives you options to customize your meal plan. It can be printed, includes seasonal ingredients and even generates a shopping list. I’ve never used a formal meal plan system like this, but if I were more of a list person, I bet I’d like it!
What do you do when you’re trying to figure out “What’s for Dinner?
Sign up to get articles by Getty delivered to your inbox. You’ll get recipes, practical tips and great food information like this. Getty is a Professional Home Economist, speaker and writer putting good food on tables and agendas. She is the author of Manitoba’s best-selling Prairie Fruit Cookbook, Founder of Fruit Share, a mom and veggie gardener.
