Five Favourite Weeknight Dinner Ideas
I don’t know about you, but 5pm is a hard time of day in our house. Everyone is tired from the day, hungry, and slightly whiny. My brain is fried from thinking all day, and I don’t want to make any more decisions, or do anything that requires too much skill.
With all this in mind, I try to keep dinners very simple during the week.
And since I know this is a common struggle, in this blog post I’ve put together a round-up of simple dinner ideas that you can pull inspiration from, too.
I also really recommend having a list somewhere of “go-to” easy recipes that you can turn to when it’s time to plan meals for the week- no more than, say, 10-20 recipes is great. You can update this seasonally, or whenever you like. But it’s nice to not have to re-invent the wheel every week.
So here are five meal ideas, along with specific recipes that are currently on my dinner list that make for easy, fast, uncomplicated weeknight eats.
01. Sheet pan protein & veggies
I love a recipe that I can just throw in the oven, all at the same temperature, and let it roast to savoury perfection. If you don’t want to make an extra side of grains, I recommend going for some starchy veggies like yams or potatoes as well as some non-starchy veggies, so you’re getting the satisfaction of the carbohydrates without dirtying another pan. I love doing this with chicken thighs or salmon!
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02. Tacos of any kind
You can make super fast chicken tacos by purchasing a rotisserie chicken and a pre-cut coleslaw mix. I love to add guacamole, lime, salsa and pickled onions if I have them for flavour. Turkey, black beans, pan-fried fish or lean ground beef also make great fillings, and you can serve a simple salad on the side for extra veggies.
I like to buy the sprouted grain wraps, or, when I have a bit more time, make my own tortillas!
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03. Bowls (with crock-pot protein)
We love a good bowl! I like to do a base of both a grain AND a green- like, brown rice and spinach, for instance, and then top with tons of fresh veggies (tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, bell peppers, shredded carrots, etc.) and a plant-based or meaty protein. A dressing, of course, is key here. And extra toppings like seeds, pickled veg, sprouts, seaweed flakes, etc. are recommended.
You can find all of my favourite healthy dressing recipes HERE for just $5.
I love doing a protein in the crock pot to save time-something like chicken shawarma or even pulled pork or beef so that it’s hot and ready at dinnertime. I find this kind of recipe slightly more time-consuming to prep, but it’s easy to prep a LOT at once, so it lasts for a couple nights. So essentially you get two nights of really delicious dinners for the price of one. Win.
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04. Stir-fry
What would a list of weeknight dinners be without stir-fry??
I’m partial to an extra-veggie heavy tofu stir-fry with savoury peanut-y dressing, but you can also make very simple stir-fry with ground turkey, beef or cubed chicken. I like serving mine with either white rice or buckwheat soba noodles.
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05. Instant pot chili
Ok, you don’t HAVE to have an instant pot to make chili, but for a weeknight dinner I recommend it because it cooks SO much faster, and you get that same “been simmering on the stove for hours” flavour. I usually make my chili very mild (kid-friendly) and mix up the protein each time I make it for variety. It’s also a great way to incorporate those fibre-rich beans, and it tends to be more filling than the average soup. I love chili.
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So there you have it- 5 of the easiest meal ideas for a weeknight that are family-friendly, healthy and quick to prepare. I hope you found some inspiration to add to your dinner queue this season!