95 family dinner meal ideas
What’s for dinner???
The most asked question in this household. Every day, after school, both my 6 & 8-year-olds ask me this question. It drives me bonkers because if I answer, they will most likely say “oh gross, I don’t like so and so”.
The joys of having kids! I swear, they have only gotten pickier recently, but too bad for them. I always say that I do not cook for them specifically, I cook for the family. If they don’t like an item, they can pick it out. However, they must eat a good amount of the meal in order to have any dessert. If you are interested in how I deal with picky eaters, I did create a video here: How To Deal With Picky Eaters
As you may know, thinking of new meal ideas can become a little daunting. There thousands upon thousands of recipes and to make it more challenging, there are multiple versions of 1 meal type. You can scroll forever just on Chicken Pot Pie recipes. How do you find the ONE for you and your family? Luck, recommendations or simply just picking one the top results?
My method? Pretty much just trying the top results. I click on a recipe, check the ingredients and decide if I have all of them and if myself/family will enjoy it. Another step to me selecting a recipe is how much prep or effort it will take to make and cook.
If you have been following my blogs, you know that I’ve been sharing most of the meal links that I can find in my posts:
$150/WEEK FOOD BUDGET – CANADA (JANUARY)
$150/WEEK FOOD BUDGET – CANADA (FEBRUARY)
$150/WEEK FOOD BUDGET CANADA (MARCH)
The problem with those blog posts is that you have to look at each one. I thought, why not have a blog post with all the links together. One quick little bit of information before I start. I wanted to share a select few food bloggers I do enjoy following. I don’t always use their recipes, but they are great for meal ideas too.
- Confessions of a Meal Plan Addict. Steph is a Canadian food blogger and she loves to incorporate many veggies in her meals. She even finds ways to be sneaky (by the way, my favourite recipe on her blog is the Sneaky Spaghetti sauce). If you like spicy food or enjoy adding a bit of a kick of spice, she has many options in her blog.
- I Heart Naptime – love following Jamielyn on Instagram and did you know she has a meal planning Facebook Group called Naptime Foodies? If I am in a funk and don’t have any ideas for meals, I’ll quickly jump over to her group page and see what she has listed on her plan for the week. If you can snag her cookbook, make sure to make her granola and banana coconut chocolate chip muffins.
- Happy Money Saver – Big fan here! I discovered Karrie when I bought her cookbook that has nothing but freezer meals/food/dessert (everything) recipes. The recipes are not only delicious, but the book offers the measurements you need if you want to double, triple or more your recipe. My favourite recipes in her cookbook are the Meatloaf & Pizza Crust.
- Mom On Time Out – Trish is a blogger that has a large number of recipes on her blog. You can search for any recipe, and she will most likely have it or some version that could work. Most recipes are easy to make and if you go to her blog, please search for the Dinner Rolls, they are easy and I make them all the time.
Ok, now let’s get to the meal ideas/inspirations and recipes.
Beef Options :
Lasagna
- Instant Pot by Simply Happy Foodie
- Roll-ups by Betty Crocker
- Traditional by Great Grub, Delicious Treats
- Casserole by Great Grub, Delicious Treats
Meatballs (for a super simple method, buy pre-made frozen meatballs)
- Honey Garlic by Fabulessly Frugal
- Italian by RecipeTin Eats
- Sweet & Sour by Lil Luna
- Swedish by Art and the Kitchen
- Crockpot Grape Jelly & BBQ Meatballs – ONLY 3 INGREDIENTS!
10. Chili
11. Taco Spaghetti by Plain Chicken
12. Homemade Hamburger Helper by Countryside Cravings
13.Tex-Mex Beef Rice Skillet by Yellow Bliss Road
14. Beef & Cabbage Stir Fry by Budget Bytes
15. Sloppy Joe Casserole by the Bakermama
16. Brown Sugar Meatloaf by Fox Valley Foodie
17. Pot Roast by Life Made Simple
18. Instant Pot Beef Stew by Life Made Sweeter
19. The Best Beef Street Tacos by The Berry Basics
20. Chili Dogs
21. 8 Minute Spicy Beef And Broccoli (Pressure Cooker)
22. Homemade Crunchwrap Supreme
23. Beef Barley Stew
25. Beef Soup
Pork Options
26. Brown Sugar & Garlic Pork by Dinner then Dessert
27. Creamy Pork Chops Joy in the Kitchen
28. Pulled Pork by Kevin & Amanda
29. Sweet & Sour Pork by Flavorite
30. Pork Carnitas by My Kitchen Escapades
31. Sweet Southern Slow Cooker Ham by Eat Pork
32. Fall Off the Bone Ribs by Tornadough
33. Ham Fettuccini Bake by the Country Cook
34. Ham & Hash Brown Casserole by Written Reality
35. Sweet Potato Ham & Corn Chowder by Cooking Classy
36. Slow Cooker Ham And Potato Soup
38. Ham and Pea Tetrazzini Casserole
39. Old School Coca-Cola Pork Loin
40. Hot Ham & Swiss Croissants
Poultry Options:
41. Chicken Carbonara by Busy Creating Memories
42. Slow Cooker Smothered Chicken Legs by Mommy’s Fabulous Finds
43. Crockpot Chicken Teriyaki by Fresh Family Recipes
44. Chicken Parmesan Casserole by Thriving Home
45. Honey BBQ Chicken Wraps by Tastes Better From Scratch
46. Simple and Crispy Baked Chicken Thighs by The Coffee Mom
47. Slow Cooker Cowboy Chicken and Rice by The Coffee Mom
48. Chicken Teriyaki Cobb Chicken Salad by The Berry Basics
49. Balsamic Chicken Penne (similar to Kelsey’s restaurant)
50. Creamy Parmesan Herb Chicken Mushroom (no cream option)
51. Classic Whole Roasted Chicken In The Oven
52. Spaghetti & Sneaky Sauce
53. Chicken Pot Pie
54. Chicken Quesadillas
55. Ground Turkey Sweet Potato Skillet
56. Chicken Caesar Wraps
57. Easy Creamy Crock-Pot Chicken Tikka Masala
59. One-Pan No Peek Chicken & Rice
61. Creamy Chicken Alfredo Bake
62. Instant Pot Recipes: Honey BBQ Wings made in an Electric Pressure Cooker
UPDATED (BONUS RECIPES) :
Seriously The Best Chicken Thighs
Other Options:
64. Easy Brie and Spinach Quiche by The Curious Frugal
65. Pizza Roll Ups
67. Addictive Sweet Potato Burritos
COOKBOOKS
I also tried multiple recipes from different cookbooks. Here are the ones I have tried with their page number from the book:
Seriously Good Freezer Meals – Happy Money Saver
68. Brown Sugar Meatloaf (p. 210) with Mashed Potatoes & Peas
69. Chicken Parmigiana (p. 139) with Fettuccini
70. Crescent Chicken Divine (p. 135)
Yum & Yummer : Ridiculously Tasty Recipes That’ll Blow Your Mind, But Not Your Diet! – Greta Podleski
71. Indian Coconut Curry Chicken with Rice (p. 152)
72. Cranberry Balsamic Roasted Pork Tenderloin (p. 190)
73. Maple Butter Sweet Potatoes (Y&Y p. 215)
Dinner Made Easy – Six Sisters’ Stuff
74. Taco Salad Casserole (p. 8)
75. Best Pork Chops (p. 58) with
76. Cheesy Chicken Quinoa Casserole (p. 154)
77. Slow Cooker Maple & Brown Sugar Pork Tenderloin (p. 115)
78. Slow Cooker or Instant Pot Beef Stew (p. 112)
79. Baked Taquitos (p. 109)
80. One Pan Taco Skillet (p. 132)
81. Fiesta Pork Chops (p. 170) with rice bake
82. Brown Sugar Honey Salmon (p. 17)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Come and Get It!: Simple, Scrumptious Recipes for Crazy Busy Lives – The Pioneer Woman
83. King Ranch Turkey (p. 196-198)
84. Slow Cooker Broccoli Cheese Soup (p. 176-177)
85. Pan Roasted Chicken Thighs (p. 185-187)
86. Corn Bread (p. 311-313)
87. Granola Bars (p. 5-7)
I Heart Naptime – Jamielyn Nye
88. Chicken Hot Pie (p. 110)
89. Baked Ziti (p. 122)
90. Coconut Banana Muffins (p. 46)
91. Broccoli & Bacon Salad (p. 77)
92. Breadsticks (p. 53)
93. Balsamic Carrots (p. 64)
94. Granola (p. 18)
95. Shredded Chicken Tacos (p. 140)
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