2024 Dinner ideas

[dpswift]

What are your go to dinner ideas? It is that time of year where I am bored everything. Trying to find meals to keep us from running out to restaurants

 

[#1hoosierfan]

I get most of my dinner ideas from Pinterest

 

[Praying Colonel]

In our regular rotation:
Chicken Quesadillas with Guacamole
Veggie (refried beans, lettuce & tomatoes)Tacos
Veggie (onions, peppers and spinach) omelettes
Pesto Salmon with roasted spaghetti squash

 

[Magical2017]

Tonight it is chicken marsala with roasted veggies (WW version). I try to have go-to items on hand for chicken chili, tacos, breakfast for dinner, and things to prepare in the air fryer. I supplement with a new recipe once in awhile. We also have a pasta night and crock pot night here and there or will do a make-your-own pizza night. I love pork or chicken carnitas and find the store-bought crock pot sauces to be better than mine, so I use those.

 

[NYCgrrl]

Go to dishes..roast a chicken, have a dinner with slices of it and your fav sides.
Turn the rest into coronation salad served in an avocado half, various soups (tortilla soup is a current favorite), stir fry, cut up chicken with egg noodles. On its own, one chicken could easily serve this single person for a week so I often stick a bit of it in the freezer for another day.

Smothered pork chops or chicken pieces are always nice. I put a bit of summer’s bounty in the freezer a few months back so have a goodly collection of side dishes to fall back on: ratatouille, eggplant parmigiana (baked,not fried), tomato confit, caponata, etc.

 

[barkley]

i'm burned out too

just looked in the freezer for inspiration to meal plan this upcoming week and i think it will be-

sunday-pressure cook a corned beef for reubins

monday-leftover corned beef gets chopped and made into hash for breakfast food night

beyond that??????

pasta bake

something with chicken (if decent weather maybe grilled leg/thighs) w/carribean rice and black beans

lamb hotpot?

 

[TwoMisfits]

My 1st suggestion would be - what are you not making that you are running out to get? I'd start by making those meals...

Like my Super Bowl Sunday meal this year was requested by my boys. They love Subway's meatball subs. If you get party meatballs from Trader Joes (which are dairy free), and cook them in a nice jarred marinara, you can build a fake out Subway sub.

I get a roll, layer on fresh spinach (baby or regular - this keeps the meatballs from collapsing the sub), raw red onion, and pickled banana peppers (ie, what you can order as veg there), then add a line of the meatballs and sauce and then let the boys finish with mozzarella and parm (and I use nutritional yeast). It is their favorite "fake out" meal I make...and I tend to add a fresh fruit and veg side to the planned dinner, so probably even healthier (and cheaper) than Subway...

So, if you're going out for subs, figure out how to make your own. Burgers or Chinese - same. You get the idea.

 

[barkley]

My 1st suggestion would be - what are you not making that you are running out to get? I'd start by making those meals...

Like my Super Bowl Sunday meal this year was requested by my boys. They love Subway's meatball subs. If you get party meatballs from Trader Joes (which are dairy free), and cook them in a nice jarred marinara, you can build a fake out Subway sub.

I get a roll, layer on fresh spinach (baby or regular - this keeps the meatballs from collapsing the sub), raw red onion, and pickled banana peppers (ie, what you can order as veg there), then add a line of the meatballs and sauce and then let the boys finish with mozzarella and parm (and I use nutritional yeast). It is their favorite "fake out" meal I make...and I tend to add a fresh fruit and veg side to the planned dinner, so probably even healthier (and cheaper) than Subway...

So, if you're going out for subs, figure out how to make your own. Burgers or Chinese - same. You get the idea.

we've done this for years (esp when we had 2 kids at home). figured out the top items we got prepared and how to have the stuff on hand-

same plan as your's with the subway meatball subs (except i get the big bags of meatballs at costco)

kids were really into tacos and burritos so i would cook up and preseason ground beef to freeze in containers (still do this for quick nachos)-no need to defrost b/c it cooks quick from frozen in the microwave

tonight we are actually getting mod pizza but normally i have some boboli crusts and jarred sauce on hand (free for all on toppings w/whatever we have)

recently we've been snagging a few different bags of the trader joe's asian foods to keep in the freezer-super quick and easy (costco also has boxes of individual bags of chicken fried rice and chow mein-those are always in our freezer).

 

[dpswift]

Go to dishes..roast a chicken, have a dinner with slices of it and your fav sides.
Turn the rest into coronation salad served in an avocado half, various soups (tortilla soup is a current favorite), stir fry, cut up chicken with egg noodles. On its own, one chicken could easily serve this single person for a week so I often stick a bit of it in the freezer for another day.

Smothered pork chops or chicken pieces are always nice. I put a bit of summer’s bounty in the freezer a few months back so have a goodly collection of side dishes to fall back on: ratatouille, eggplant parmigiana (baked,not fried), tomato confit, caponata, etc.

Great ideas. I have been wanting to make chicken tortilla soup, but my daughter is pressing for gumbo. I will have to try the baked eggplant

 

[SandyinMonterey]

I was in a slump for a long time. It's difficult for me to come up with menu planning. We're a family of 3 all with very different tastes. Husband likes red meat, daughter leans towards the vegetarian side and I reside to eat whatever I make for them. I've tried several new recipes this winter that have gone over well. They really seemed to like Jambalaya and and sausage/peppers/onions. I'm going to try making Minestrone soup this week and serve with bread sticks and salad. I find most new recipes to try from AllRecipes and Taste From Home. I don't like a recipe that has too many steps and too many ingredients. I have an excellent chicken tortilla soup recipe for the crock pot that is so easy. My sister just made it and loved it. Let me know if you want it.

 

[NYCgrrl]

I was in a slump for a long time. It's difficult for me to come up with menu planning. We're a family of 3 all with very different tastes. Husband likes red meat, daughter leans towards the vegetarian side and I reside to eat whatever I make for them. I've tried several new recipes this winter that have gone over well. They really seemed to like Jambalaya and and sausage/peppers/onions. I'm going to try making Minestrone soup this week and serve with bread sticks and salad. I find most new recipes to try from AllRecipes and Taste From Home. I don't like a recipe that has too many steps and too many ingredients. I have an excellent chicken tortilla soup recipe for the crock pot that is so easy. My sister just made it and loved it. Let me know if you want it.

When there were more residents in the house I used my crockpot all the time but whenI gave up my 8 quart version (great for stock making and holiday cooking) and purchased a 1 or 2 qt thinking it was more in tune with current lifestyle, I’ve never used it?! Somehow I think the electric pressure cooker took its place.

Still, hit us with your slow cooker version please. Maybe I’ll rethink the dusty box’s contents

ETA one of my keys to menu planning is following the supermarket circulars. I love getting a bargain and sometimes it takes me in directions I wouldn’t have thought of on my own.

 

[luvnwdwgal]

I cook pretty much 365 days a year other than leftovers. I have a list of meals on my phone that we like and I keep a pretty good selection in our freezer of beef, pork, chicken, ground turkey, salmon filets, shrimp, plus a few convenience foods like chicken patties and fish filets for quick and easy meals. I love making soups in the winter and I also use the crockpot a lot.

 

[dpswift]

I was in a slump for a long time. It's difficult for me to come up with menu planning. We're a family of 3 all with very different tastes. Husband likes red meat, daughter leans towards the vegetarian side and I reside to eat whatever I make for them. I've tried several new recipes this winter that have gone over well. They really seemed to like Jambalaya and and sausage/peppers/onions. I'm going to try making Minestrone soup this week and serve with bread sticks and salad. I find most new recipes to try from AllRecipes and Taste From Home. I don't like a recipe that has too many steps and too many ingredients. I have an excellent chicken tortilla soup recipe for the crock pot that is so easy. My sister just made it and loved it. Let me know if you want it.

That would be great. My husband doesn’t eat a lot of pasta but the amount in soup is fine. I am currently working my way out of a rut. I am currently trying new recipes

 

[dpswift]

When there were more residents in the house I used my crockpot all the time but whenI gave up my 8 quart version (great for stock making and holiday cooking) and purchased a 1 or 2 qt thinking it was more in tune with current lifestyle, I’ve never used it?! Somehow I think the electric pressure cooker took its place.

Still, hit us with your slow cooker version please. Maybe I’ll rethink the dusty box’s contents

ETA one of my keys to menu planning is following the supermarket circulars. I love getting a bargain and sometimes it takes me in directions I wouldn’t have thought of on my own.

Agree as the size of your household but goes down dinner strategies change. My large crockpot lid handle broke off but I still use it for stock and pulled pork. The cost of a new one of that size is crazy

 

[3rd_time_the_charm]

Cooked chicken + bagged Asian Salad kit + Peanut Sauce (optional) - make a wrap - tastes like Applebee's Chinese chicken wraps.

 

[dpswift]

Cooked chicken + bagged Asian Salad kit + Peanut Sauce (optional) - make a wrap - tastes like Applebee's Chinese chicken wraps.

Great idea

 

[disney4us2002]

Do you enjoy cooking or just want something quick that will fill the hole, lol?

I always hated cooking every night when my kids were little and picky. So much that I declared when the youngest left for college that I was resigning and my dh could cook or we'd be eating sandwiches or cereal every night. That lasted about a month. These days I'm enjoying trying new meals. I follow quite a few cooks and/or chefs on Instagram and gets tons of ideas every week. Many post a new recipe daily with videos and pictures. If you have an Instagram account, I suggest The Cozy Cook. Her recipes always turn out and she has a wide variety of choices. She also has a website with the same name, no spaces and add dot com.

 

[dpswift]

Do you enjoy cooking or just want something quick that will fill the hole, lol?

I always hated cooking every night when my kids were little and picky. So much that I declared when the youngest left for college that I was resigning and my dh could cook or we'd be eating sandwiches or cereal every night. That lasted about a month. These days I'm enjoying trying new meals. I follow quite a few cooks and/or chefs on Instagram and gets tons of ideas every week. Many post a new recipe daily with videos and pictures. If you have an Instagram account, I suggest The Cozy Cook. Her recipes always turn out and she has a wide variety of choices. She also has a website with the same name, no spaces and add dot com.

I cooked daily when the kids were small. When they got older I was working afternoons so my cooking fell off. I am now getting back into cooking

 

[dpswift]

My 1st suggestion would be - what are you not making that you are running out to get? I'd start by making those meals...

Like my Super Bowl Sunday meal this year was requested by my boys. They love Subway's meatball subs. If you get party meatballs from Trader Joes (which are dairy free), and cook them in a nice jarred marinara, you can build a fake out Subway sub.

I get a roll, layer on fresh spinach (baby or regular - this keeps the meatballs from collapsing the sub), raw red onion, and pickled banana peppers (ie, what you can order as veg there), then add a line of the meatballs and sauce and then let the boys finish with mozzarella and parm (and I use nutritional yeast). It is their favorite "fake out" meal I make...and I tend to add a fresh fruit and veg side to the planned dinner, so probably even healthier (and cheaper) than Subway...

So, if you're going out for subs, figure out how to make your own. Burgers or Chinese - same. You get the idea.

That was definitely my plan. Making meals so we would not be going out

 

[dpswift]

I was in a slump for a long time. It's difficult for me to come up with menu planning. We're a family of 3 all with very different tastes. Husband likes red meat, daughter leans towards the vegetarian side and I reside to eat whatever I make for them. I've tried several new recipes this winter that have gone over well. They really seemed to like Jambalaya and and sausage/peppers/onions. I'm going to try making Minestrone soup this week and serve with bread sticks and salad. I find most new recipes to try from AllRecipes and Taste From Home. I don't like a recipe that has too many steps and too many ingredients. I have an excellent chicken tortilla soup recipe for the crock pot that is so easy. My sister just made it and loved it. Let me know if you want it.

The recipe would be great