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50 Quick and Easy Dinner Ideas

Looking for Quick and Easy? Check out my easy Chili Bar which will also give you leftovers! Or my Potato Bar, perfect for Fall!

50 Quick and Easy Weeknight Meals

Easy and Cheap Simple things to make for dinner when you are tired and hungry.

Do you sometimes feel totally overwhelmed by making dinner? And so you order out, go through the drive through or buy expensive frozen meals? I have done that all myself, over and over and over. And it is a huge waste of time and money. And often, it is not incredibly special, or tasty, or good for us! But it needs to end and so does the feeling of overwhelm.

I am not sure where or when it happened, but somewhere along the line, everything got out of hand. I know that when we watch TV from the 1950’s and 1960’s like The Donna Reed Show (one of my favorites) or Leave it to Beaver the Mom, who was a homemaker, made a full meal every night, from scratch! Then, women fully entered the workforce, or stayed at home homeschooling, or side hustled, or managed the terribly busy life of a family. And yet, was still expected to make the Perfect Family meal, every. Single. Night! It is not realistic you might say, and I totally agree!

Unreal Dinner Expectations

I find that this unrealistic expectation can cause an increase to the budget that is not available, be very time consuming with a lot of prep and cleanup and is not great for our waistlines either! It is just too much! To pay for, to plan for, to make, to eat! Now trust me, I am not saying never have a well-balanced big meal. I am just saying that many nights, instead of calling take out, or trying to be everything to everyone, we can simply make a meal that is small, will sustain us and our families, is tasty, and will be much more affordable and easy that going for takeout or fast food.

And really, these meals all work well. With a few basic ingredients, you can sustain your family for the night! It’s funny because looking back I remember being shocked one time at my grandmother’s house at her choice of dinner. Every time we had ever gone to our grandparent’s house, we had a big, well rounded meal.

One night when I was 16 and my brother was 18, we decided to surprise our grandparents. So, we drove the 45 minutes to their house, went in, gave them big hugs, and asked if they had had dinner yet. They said that they had just finished dinner. I looked at the dining room table and there was nothing on it. I went into the kitchen hoping to glean a little of the leftovers and found their dinner. They had literally made chocolate chip snack cake and had two large pieces. I asked if they had had anything else for dinner, and they said no. I was shocked!

50 Quick and Easy Dinner Ideas

We ended up going out to dinner, my grandpa’s treat of course. When I asked further questions, I remember that my grandma said that you do not always have to eat a big full meal. Sometimes something simple and tasty will suffice. And since I remember that moment 35 years later, it must have made a big impact. LOL.

Eating on an Airplane

A few years ago, I was on a plane and a couple across the aisle from me were unpacking their lunch. Almost everyone else on the plane had $15 airport meals with them. But this couple, I would guess in their fifties unwrapped two sandwiches, a shared bag of chips, and a bag of carrot sticks. The sandwiches really stuck out to me because of their simplicity. Each sandwich appeared to be on basic packaged sandwich bread, had one piece of meat that looked to be bologna, and that was it. I would guess that they had mayo or mustard or something. But they were simple. And, the couple was so content. They ate their meal, they didn’t need something grand or expensive. And they didn’t need to have something Pinterest perfect. They just needed a meal to sustain them.

And many times, that is all we need too. Yes, it is nice to have a grand dinner, a special dinner, a tasty dinner. But sometimes, all we need is simple sustenance. So with that in mind, I have created a list for you of dinners that are super simple, inexpensive, decently tasty, and will get you through to the next day. All without a lot of thought, prep, energy, money, or mess! I hope you enjoy them and that they make your life easier.

Quick and Easy Dinner Ideas

1. Grilled Peanut Butter Sandwich and a piece of fruit.
2. PB&J with Sliced Green Apple and Sunflower Seeds inside.
3. PB&J with Banana inside. <– Amazing Texture and Flavor!
4. Grilled Tuna Sandwiches with Cheese, and Fruit
5. Tortilla, ground beef, cheese, and salsa. In the microwave.
6. A Bowl of Popcorn and peanuts. Carbs and Protein! The Best of Both Worlds! 🙂
7. Rice with scrambled Eggs.
8. Scrambled Eggs and toast with tomatoes
9. Pancakes and nothing else.
10. French Toast and Nothing Else
11. Scrambled Eggs and Refrigerator Cinnamon Rolls
12. Club Sandwiches
13. Tuna and Corn Chips
14. Cold Cereal
15. Hot Cereal
16. Yogurt and Granola
17. A can of soup and toast
18. Grilled Cheese and Canned Tomato Soup
19. Catch as Catch Can- Or Refrigerator Clean out- I put everything available on the counter and let my family choose first come first serve. This method also gets people to the table quickly.
20. TV Dinners
21. Fish Sticks and Fries
22. Baked Potato with Cheese
23. Easy Baked Potato with Canned Chili and Cheese
24. Baked Potato with Broccoli and Cheese
25. Hot Dogs and carrots
26. Hot Dogs chopped up in Mac and Cheese
27. Mac and Cheese with broccoli mixed in
28. Hamburger Helper, can of green beans, and can of mandarin oranges
29. Sloppy Joes and bagged salad
30. Ham Steak with Peaches and Scalloped Potatoes
31. White Bread Hamburgers
32. Polska Kielbasa, Red Cabbage, and refrigerator biscuit dumplings
33. Chili Bar
34. Frozen Pizza and Bagged Salad
35. Fried Bologna Sandwiches with Lettuce and Tomato, and canned fruit
36. Simple Tacos or Burritos
37. Simple Quesadillas
38. Scrambled Egg Quesadillas
39. Enchiladas with Rotisserie chicken
40. Hot Sandwiches
41. Rotisserie Chicken and Baked Potatoes
42. Spam and Cheese Sandwiches
43. Quick Fried Rice
44. Tuna or Chicken Noodle Casserole
45. Planned Leftovers <– I always cook with an extra meal or two in mind.
46. Refrigerator Soup Pot <–Simply throw the veggies and meat in the fridge into the soup pot and let them cook.
47. Salad Bar
48. Fried Potatoes and Hamburger Patties
49. Cheesy Fried Potatoes with ham
50. Toast with Peanut Butter

I hope these simple ideas have inspired you to go for something quick, easy, and affordable for dinner instead of takeout, and that you enjoy some new ideas, while enjoying some old favorites.

50 Quick and Easy Dinner Ideas

Since I am always looking for quick and easy ideas to help my family out, what is your favorite simple meal? Please share in the comments below!

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