Are you running out of dinner ideas? Me too! I use a handy monthly menu printout of my family’s favorite meals, but even this gets a little dull. I’m feeling the need to change it up a little. So I was looking at my list of favorite menus and thinking of some ways to add some variety. Here are some ideas I came up with that still let me fix my family’s favorites, but with a few variations.
1) Remember to keep it healthy, inexpensive, and balanced.
2) Balance out entrees, such as chicken 3 times per week, fish twice a week, red meat once a week, and maybe a meatless meal once a week. Pasta dishes are great meatless, but you could still add a little hamburger or chicken if your family prefers meat.
3) Add variety with your side dishes, especially the starch or grain part of the meal. Have potatoes, but on another night, try sweet potatoes. Try different kinds of rice or couscous. We recently tried couscous and I love it.
4) Try some new vegetables. Edamame? I’ve heard of it, but never tried it before. It is a vegetable, right? Seriously, we have started grilling vegetables, and just about any kind of vegetable. They all taste great on the grill!
5) Experiment with different cooking methods. What I mean by this is using different appliances other than the stove and oven, such as the slow-cooker, electric grill, outdoor grill, and even the microwave. I don’t know about you, but I feel like I have every small cooking appliance you can think of. I use some more than others. Maybe we should all pull out some of those appliances we haven’t used in a while and try something different. Most of them even come with their own recipes in the manuals.
6) Experiment with seasonings and marinades. These can totally change the flavor of an ordinary piece of meat. Depending on the spices, you could make your entree more italian with basil or oregano. You could make your entree more mexican with cumin or red pepper. Try ginger and garlic for an oriental dinner. There’s tons of options here. Just look through the spice section at your grocery. You don’t even need to buy the premixed seasonings. Just experiment and make your own. One of my favorites is lemon or lime on shrimp or fish. Yum!
7) When all else fails, pull out one of your cookbooks you haven’t used for a while. Find a recipe you’ve never tried. It doesn’t have to be complicated, just something different. I love seeing my huge collection of cookbooks in my pantry, but honestly, I don’t actually use them as much as I did when my kids were younger. Actually, I used to love trying new recipes. Maybe I’ll get those out again.
Well, are you inspired to try something new and different for dinner? I hope so. I’ve barely covered the surface of possibilities.You might also want to read my previous post about Menu Planning And Grocery Shopping and Easy 30 Minute Meals. Please leave comments and let me know your own creative ways to add variety to your family meals.
Have a wonderful summer day!