Quick Dinner Ideas

Here’s this week’s edition of “Quick Dinner Ideas.”

To me, “quick” dinner ideas doesn’t necessarily mean a meal you can throw together in five minutes. To me, the quick part comes before dinner time by:

  • having a plan for this week’s dinners
  • having the ingredients on hand–(a.k.a. a trip to the grocery)

That is the biggest hurdle to jump in having a quick dinner. Once you do that, for the most part you are set!

For those nights however, that you literally may have minutes to spare, plan a few super simple dinner ideas:

  • light all beef kosher hot dogs (nitrate free if you can find them)
  • pasta
  • scrambled eggs
  • frozen veggie burgers
  • burritos with whatever fillings I have on hand
  • frozen chicken, veggie and pasta “dinner in a bag” from the freezer section of the grocery
  • a crockpot meal that you started in the morning and is ready at dinner time
  • keep raw veggies and fruits on hand to add to a less than ideal dinner

Check out my post 10 Ways to Make “Making Dinner” Easier.

To help with menu planning and grocery shopping, be sure to check out my free printables:
Dinner Planner and Grocery List Printable
Weekly Meal Planner
Printable Grocery List

Sometimes we get in a rut for breakfast and lunch, so here’s some ideas to get you started:

Breakfast Ideas:
(Any combination of the following)
French toast
Cereal
Fruit
Waffles
Toast
Eggs
Oatmeal
Poptarts
Egg whites and spinach (hubby’s choice)
Pancakes
English muffins
Muffins
Baked oatmeal
Breakfast cookies
Quiche
Cinnamon rolls
Pumpkin pancakes
Baked eggs and cheese casserole
Toasted peanut butter & banana sandwich
Coconut Quinoa Granola

Lunch Ideas:
(We like to add fruit and/or carrots to any of these “entrees”)
Pasta  (my kids love it)
Ravioli
Macaroni and cheese
Vegetarian corn dogs
Vegetarian hamburgers
Hot dogs (We like Hebrew National)
Chicken, turkey or ham sandwiches
Graham crackers and milk
English muffins
Peanut butter and fluff sandwiches
Whole wheat toast
Soup
Yogurt or cheese sticks, crackers
Leftovers

Okie doke, on to this week’s quick dinner ideas:

, Quick Dinner Ideas, Joyful Homemaking

Chicken Burritos
Grocery list:  Chicken, tortillas, rice, lettuce, tomatoes, taco seasoning, black beans, ranch dressing, taco sauce and sour cream

, Quick Dinner Ideas, Joyful Homemaking

Garlic Chicken Spaghetti 
Grocery list:  Angel hair pasta, chicken, sundried tomatoes, olive oil, mushrooms (I omit), garlic, chicken broth, white wine (optional), fresh parsley, basil, red pepper flakes, Parmesan cheese

, Quick Dinner Ideas, Joyful Homemaking

Chef Salad
Grocery list: Salad greens (I use romaine lettuce), ham, turkey or bacon, eggs, tomatoes, green onion, Swiss and/or Cheddar cheese, dressing

, Quick Dinner Ideas, Joyful Homemaking

Quiche and Banana Bread
Grocery list: Pie crust, eggs, bacon, (I also add broccoli), onion, milk, parsley, thyme, Mozzarella and Cheddar cheese, and banana bread ingredients

, Quick Dinner Ideas, Joyful Homemaking

BLT Pasta Salad
Grocery list: Pasta, bacon, ranch dressing, onion, tomatoes, garlic bread and salad ingredients

, Quick Dinner Ideas, Joyful HomemakingTaco Salad
Grocery list: Tortillas, ground beef, taco seasoning, lettuce, tomato, Cheddar cheese, sour cream and taco sauce or Italian dressing

Hope you have a great week!

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2 Comments

  1. Thank you for including lunch ideas! Sometimes I get so tired of fixing the same thing I forget that there are other ideas out there. Your chef salad looks delicious, going to have to try that this week!

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