How to Avoid Asking Yourself “What’s For Dinner?”
URRGG…. If you are like me, this is one of the questions I dread after a long stressful day at work. The last thing I want to do is use more brain power on deciding what to make for dinner.
“Do we have the ingredients? Do I need to stop at the store again? Are there other ingredients in the refrigerator I need to use before they go bad?”
Now don’t get me wrong, I love the cooking dinner aspect. I normally put on my favorite music or podcast and RELAX. Or I’ll get to spend quality time cooking with my fiancé. There are other times when I put on Chopped and pretend like I’m competing alongside the contestants. Anyone else do this??
But that last-minute question of “what are we going to have” is what I dread. Most of the time it means having to stop at the grocery store for additional ingredients or ordering take-out, which isn’t the most cost effective or healthiest option. So, to help us avoid this question, here are some tips and tricks to make dinner planning easier. Click on the link below to download my free Dinner Planning Kit to help you stay organized. It includes templates for a favorite recipe list, a recipe card, a dinner menu, and a grocery list!
Make a list of your go-to dinners and keep it with your recipes.
- Having a list of your favorite dinners saves time so you don’t have to re-think about what you have made before. Just glance at your list and choose what sounds good! Use the “My Favorite Recipes” template from my Dinner Planning Kit to get your list started!
- It takes so much time searching the internet trying to find the same recipe you made before, so stay organized and keep your trusted recipes in a binder or recipe box.
- If you prefer using your phone for recipe storage, take pictures of the recipes and save them on Google Drive or the Apple iCloud. You can also look into downloading apps to store your recipes on. Recipe Keeper and Cookmate are two apps to try out!
Choose 4-5 recipes you want to make for the week and write them down!
- Pick 3 easy-to-make meals from your go-to list. These will be the meals you make when you get home later than you planned or had a stressful day.
- Only plan 1-2 new meals to prevent overwhelming yourself. It’s okay to eat your favorite dinner week after week, but it’s also fun to spice it up! If you love the new meal, add it to your Favorite Recipe List.
- Choose recipes with like ingredients so you can pre-chop ingredients to reduce the time it takes to make the dinner.
- Use the “Dinner Menu,” included in my Dinner Planning Kit, to plan out what you will be making each day!
Buy ingredients that make your life easier
- Buy pre-chopped vegetables. Sure, we can buy fresh bell peppers, broccoli, onions, and snap peas to chop and put in a stir-fry…. Or we can buy the frozen stir-fry mix to save us so much time ?
- Below are some time saving swaps to make cooking dinner easier and faster.
| Instead of… | Save time with.. |
| Fresh Whole Vegetables | Frozen Vegetables, Pre-Chopped Fresh Vegetables, or Steamable Frozen Vegetables |
| Dry Beans | No Salt Added or Rinsed Canned Beans |
| Block Cheese | Shredded Cheese |
| Heads of Lettuce | Bagged Salad Mix |
| Dry Brown Rice | Microwaveable Brown Rice |
Do you need some easy dinner ideas to bulk up your recipe collection? Stay tuned for my Teriyaki Chicken and Brown Rice Bowls, Black Bean Burrito Bowls, Stuffed Pesto Chicken and 5 Ingredient Spaghetti and Meatballs recipes!
Don’t for get to snag my free Dinner Planning Kit and stop asking “What’s for dinner?”
The struggle is real! Thanks for the suggestions and encouragement. I think most of us battle this to some extent. I love the planning kit as well! <3
I’m glad you found it helpful and you like the planning kit!
Such a great list of ideas! I have found frozen veggies in place of fresh veggies has especially been a great swap during this pandemic time-I can shop less often!
Thank you! Frozen veggies and fruit were such a lifesaver during the pandemic!
I have that same problem every day at 4 PM…thank you for all the great tips! Great photo of the cat btw 🙂
It’s the worst having to think of something to make for dinner that late in the day! The cat just expressed my feelings too puurrfectly 🙂