Realistic Dinner Ideas: An Answer to the Age Old Question, "What's For Dinner?"

Everyone wants to know what's for dinner, and as a busy mom I too would like to know. It can be exhausting to try to think up what to make, as finding the brain power to be creative in the kitchen at the end of a long day can be frustrating. I have often googled "What should I make for dinner"and have scrolled through countless lists of "Easy Dinner Recipes", and "Quick Dinner Ideas"only to find unhelpful options such as "Herb Sea Scallops with Cheesy Risotto"and, "Authentic Pad Thai With Homemade Pad Thai Sauce" topping the lists. I am sorry, but I am not making my family either of those things on a random Tuesday night, especially when my two year old will happily eat cold chicken nuggets that he found on the floor from yesterday's lunch.

Sometimes we need a little inspiration, so here is a REALISTIC list of dinners you can whip up in a flash with ingredients you most likely already have on hand. These meal ideas are healthy and delicious options that I am confident your family will enjoy.

CHICKEN DINNERS	BEEF DINNERS	PORK/SEAFOOD DINNERS	VEGETARIAN
Chicken and veg sheet pan, rice side	Quick stroganoff	Slow cooker pulled pork sandwiches	Black bean falafel burgers
Chicken fried rice	Steak and eggs	Slow cooker pork loin with potatoes and carrots	Lemony quinoa and bean salad
Breaded chicken with pasta	Grilled steak on a salad with goat or feta cheese and tomatoes	Loaded baked potato soup with bacon or ham	Spaghetti with marinara sauce, vodka sauce, or alfredo sauce
Chicken and dumplings	Tacos or taco wraps	Fried spam and noodles with cheese (we call this poor man's pasta)	Vegetarian lasagna
Chicken noodle soup	Pot roast with potatoes and carrots	Pork and beans over rice	Grilled cheese and tomato soup
Mexican rice with chicken (breast or thighs)	Beef goulash (with egg noodles)	Pork fried rice	Quesadillas with cheese and beans, side of sour cream and guac
Grilled chicken on a salad (add ins: boiled eggs, cucumber, tomatoes, onions, bacon...)	Beef and broccoli with fried or white rice	Breakfast for dinner (bacon, ham, eggs, toast or pancakes)	Vegetarian curry with rice
Baked chicken sandwich topped with bacon and cheese, side salad	Meatloaf with mashed potatoes and veg	Breaded (or non-breaded) pork chops with homemade blueberry sauce, side potatoes or salad	Mac and Cheese with peas
Lemon garlic chicken with noodles or rice and broccoli	Homemade hamburgers	Sausage zucchini boats or sausage stuffed squash	Vegetable barley soup with homemade crusty bread
Quick chicken pot pie	Meatball subs	Stuffed pepper soup with sausage	Baked feta pasta (try it topped with arugula!)
Marinaded chicken using salad dressing	Beef and barley soup	Lemon, or honey glazed, salmon and asparagus	Homemade pizza (with toppings of choice) and side salad
Chicken curry with rice	Chili and homemade cornbread
Buffalo chicken wraps with avocado
Chicken enchiladas or chicken enchilada soup

Sometimes when we try to think of what to make for dinner, we cannot think of ideas outside of the normal things we make for our families (What do people make for dinner other than spaghetti and burgers?) I wish this list helps inspire you when you cannot think of what to make for dinner or while you are meal planning.

What are some of your family staples? My favorite go-to is always a sheet pan meal. We like kielbasa, broccoli, carrots, and a side of white rice.

See you next Monday!

Mary