7 Family Dinner Ideas

Every Sunday I sit down and do a quick meal plan for the week.  I write out 7 meal options for me to make at home and schedule my grocery pick up accordingly.  Then I pick out the dinner that sounds best or works best for that night.  We usually get take out one night and I like picking the dinner that works for that day vs mapping out every single day.

The kids are still helping with dinner and in the kitchen, but we're not currently assigning anyone to help me with the menu for the week.  That was fun for two months, but it was a lot of work to collaborate with that whole process.  I'm taking a little break and will do it again later in the year.  I think it's a fun routine to try, but it felt like too much work to do that every month.  It was also more expensive to have everyone picking their favorite meals for the week vs using up the food we already had on hand.

Let's talk about diner ideas:

1. DIY Salad Bar!  Chop up all your favorite veggies, make some crescent rolls and add in your favorite protein.  Chicken strips, Rotisserie chicken or a grilled chicken would be perfect.  None of my kids ever make a salad.  They skip the lettuce and just load up on veggies, protein and rolls.  Yum!  I love this dinner because it leaves me with leftovers for lunch all week.

2. Taco Salad.  We don't have taco Tuesday every week, but I'd say we have tacos a couple times a month.  I love making fresh pico and all the sides.  The kids usually have a soft taco, nachos or a taco bowl while I make a big taco salad.  This is a great meal for leftovers.

3. Leftover night!  If I've cooked a lot then we will have a leftover night.  I reheat all the leftovers in the oven and then we go through the buffet line to eat the leftovers that look best to us.  I usually send everyone through the line first and I'll finish up whatever is left.  This will ensure that your leftovers don't grow moldy in the fridge and save you money!  If we don't have enough leftovers for a full dinner then we'll do a leftover lunch on the weekend.

4. Breakfast for dinner.  I make some kind of carb (pancakes, waffles, cinnamon roll bites or toast) and then do eggs, bacon, turkey sausage and fruit or smoothies.  The kids would eat this meal every single week.  

5. Comfort food - green beans, mashed potatoes, ham & pineapple.  Yum.

6. We love these Member's Mark Southern Style Chicken Bites and Waffle Fries from Sams.  They give Chick-fil-A vibes for a fraction of the cost.  I think the chicken is under $12 and the fries are under $10.  Both bags are gigantic and will last us 3 meals if we serve other fruits and veggies as sides.  I do find that they bake a long time to get everything crispy.  Almost double the time that's on the bag to get everything crispy.

We did the Tyson chicken tenders from Sams that are also good with tator tots and salads.

I love having an easy protein on hand like these chicken bites or chicken tenders.  They are easy to bake and are so much cheaper than eating out.

7. Happy grilling season!!  I love when Kevin grills the protein and then I take care of the sides.  We'll do brats, hot dogs, burgers, chicken and more.  Then I plan one hot side, fruits and veggies and maybe some chips or potato salad.  This combo will be on repeat now through the fall.

I hope you finish this post with a new meal idea or two for your family!