Dinner Tips: Conquer the 'What's for Dinner?' Dilemma (Updated)

Do you ever wake up with that daunting question? What am I going to make for dinner? That question follows you all through the day; what am I going to make for dinner? Your kids ask, mom, what’s for dinner? Your husband calls and asks, what’s for dinner? Maybe it’s just me, but that question is tough to answer sometimes because…I DON’T KNOW! So let’s talk about ways to make this question a little easier to answer. These are some of my favorite tips that I use weekly and sometimes daily!

Meal prep

This is the planner in me. I love to have a plan, but sometimes as a mom of young children, it’s hard to buckle down and make a plan. Recently this has been my focus. Meal prepping saves us money and minimizes the amount of cooking I have to do during the week. Meal prepping also aids in weight loss, as the concept of meal prepping is normally used to prep healthy food. If you have time on the weekend, make a couple of casseroles and freeze them for busy days. 

Social media

Social media platforms have been a major help to me when figuring out what to cook for dinner. My preferred platforms are Instagram and Pinterest. I find an account that I like, follow it and bookmark or copy the link to a featured recipe. To help keep me organized, I utilize the notes app in my phone, make a section titled dinner and drop a link to a recipe I want to try. Doing this will create a catalog of recipes you can try and help you diversify your meals.

Go-to list

This point goes hand in hand with the point above. Make a list of meals that are easy and that you know your family enjoys, keep the ingredients to most of those meals in stock and when you’re in a crunch and don’t know what to cook, refer to your go-to list. Here are a few suggestions:

• Spaghetti 

• Tacos

• Sloppy joes

• Fettuccine Alfredo

• Hamburger Helper 

• Fajitas

• Quesadillas 

• Red Beans and Rice 

• Dirty Rice

• Macaroni and cheese

• Burger and fries

Freezer meals are okay as well. Make it easy on yourself, especially in the busy season of life. 

Don’t forget that you can also make breakfast for dinner every now and then; your kids will love it!

Invest

Invest in cookware that will make cooking easier and a more pleasant experience. Here are a few of my favorites that I use weekly and sometimes daily:

• Air fryer

• Air fryer Silicone Liner

• Crockpot

• Dutch Oven

• All in One slicer and grater

• Food Scale

• Ceramic Cookware

• Wooden Cutting boards

• Wooden Utensil Sets

• Food Storage Containers

Find recipes that you can dump and go. Meaning you can throw it into the crock pot, air fryer or oven and go do something else instead of having to stand over the stove for a substantial amount of time. Here are a few of my favorites: Slow Cooker Roast, chicken dinner, easy chicken tortilla casserole

Don't forget the CleanUp

This is probably my least favorite part of cooking, the cleanup! Everyone has dined sufficiently and now all I can think about is how long it's going to take me to clean everything up. These few items help make this daunting task a bit more bearable.

• My two absolute favorite sponges:

  • Scrub Mommy

  • Magic Eraser

• Do not bypass this recommendtion: is you hand wash dishes, but a little bit of white vinegar in your hot soapy dish water and it will help degrease your dishes and keep them shining!

Encouragement

My hope is that I made answering this daily “what’s for dinner” question a lot easier. Do your best to take the time and plan out your week or even next two weeks to help you conquer this task. Remember as always, YOU GOT THIS!

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