Family Dinner Ideas

Family Dinner Ideas 

I have found coming up with Family Dinner Ideas one of the hardest parts of meal planning. I can’t explain it but I like being able to offer my family a variety of different meals. This is also compounded by having a child who is pretty fussy and I have to try entice him to eat. I think its great if you have a week or two week cycle of meals that keeps everyone happy. That would be a dream! For us though, I am constantly trying to come up with new ideas and new meals that will make everyone want to eat.

 

Now that I’m working I find I just don’t have the time to dedicate to planning different meals. I just don’t have the time to sit down and research meals and then go off and spend hours buying everything from different shops. In an attempt to try free up some of that time I have put together a list of Family Dinner Ideas that I can turn to.

Not sure what to make the family for dinner tonight - check out these family dinner ideas. Over 40 to help you work out what to feed the family tonight.

My Family Dinner Ideas 

I don’t eat sea food or shellfish or anything out of the water. It’s just the way I am. And that is a different story for a different day! So, this list of Family Dinner Ideas doesn’t include any of those types of meals. Consider those bonuses to this list that you can keep up your sleeve!

 

Where I make reference to mince, I’m talking about beef mince.

 

I haven’t divided this list up into weeks because it’s entirely up to you. How you plan your meals for a week will depend on your schedule and what you have in the fridge.

 

I also haven’t included many slow cook meals, stews and curries. If there is a need for an updated list in the future then I will include these.

 

 

If you have anything to add to this list, please let me know. Drop a comment below or send me an email at michal@allthingsmomsydney.

If you have a recipe that you would like to share, send it over to me and I’ll put it up on the site. With due credit of course 🙂 

 

Easy Family Dinner Ideas that won't take you all night to make and are based on things you have in the house or can easily find at the shops.

40 Family Dinner Ideas 1 – 20

 

  1. Beef Mince Lasagna. I generally buy this from our local store because the time it takes to make it is ridiculous.
  2. Lamb Chops with mash and steamed veg.  I always cover my lamb chops in a mint jelly if I BBQ them because it makes an awesome sweet stickiness.
  3. Crunchy Chicken Tacos. I won’t lie, I buy the kit from the shops, the one with the crunchy chicken mix and the kids LOVE it!
  4. Easy Pasta Pomodoro. It’s just spaghetti with tinned tomato. Granted if you want to make it the longer way here is a recipe from BonAppetite.com.  If you do visit that site, you have got to check out their French Onion Soup, it looks amazing.
  5. Stir Fry Vegetables with Teriyaki Beef Strips. 
  6. Spaghetti Bolognese.
  7. Carmelised onion and sweet potato frittata.  You can get the recipe from Kidspot.com 
  8. Crumbed Chicken Breast, Cous cous and Steamed Vegetables. I get ready made crumbed chicken breasts and I get enough so that we can have them for dinner and then I cut the cooked ones into strips for the kids to have for lunch the next day.
  9. Bangers and Mash with peas.

  10. Baked pork chop  You can get the recipe over at the FoodNetwork.Com
  11. Roast Lamb and roast veg. People often baulk at the idea of having to make a roast but it’s really easy, especially if you are home in the afternoon with the kids and you’re stuck doing the washing or something else. 
  12. Chicken with sun dried tomato sauce. You can find the recipe over at Damndelicious.net
  13. Cottage Pie (shepherds pie or potato pie) I’m old fashioned and like my cottage pie with mince and mashed potato on top. You can also hide all sorts of veg in the cottage pie.
  14. Pumpkin Butternut and Feta Cannelloni 
  15. Thai Green Chicken Curry and Rice 
  16. Lamb Pitas with Tzatski 
  17. Chicken tenders with mash and veg

  18. Bacon, cheese and butternut frittata  You can get the recipe over at Delish.com  
  19. Mongolian Beef. An easy go to recipe is at DinnerThenDessert. 
  20. Chicken Strips in Lemon and Herb Sauce with Rice and Steamed Veggies. 

     Easy Family Dinner Ideas that won't take you all night to make and are based on things you have in the house or can easily find at the shops.

    40 Family Dinner Ideas 21 – 42

     

  21. Mince Tacos
  22. Chicken Pasta Thankfully chicken and pasta can be combined with almost anything. Whether it’s pesto or broccoli or lemon. Here is an easy pasta recipe from BestRecipes.com.au.
  23. Steak and Salad
  24. Roast Chicken, potatoes and veggies
  25. Beef Mince Cannelloni
  26. Quesadillas. Here is a vegetarian option from ThisWeekForDinner but there is no way I would be able to get the kids to eat black beans but I would add cheese.
  27. Stir Fry Vegetables with Honey and Soy Sauce Chicken
  28. Chicken Wraps 
  29. Zucchini and egg plant gratin. You can find the recipe at Kidspot.com.au
  30. Meat Balls with mash or spaghetti or fresh bread.
  31. Sausage and butternut pasta.

  32. Gnocchi. I just add a store bought sauce and then some bacon but you can add whatever your kids will like. Or keep it vegetarian by adding pumpkin.
  33. Chicken kebabs with salad and fresh bread.
  34. Butter chicken with rice. I buy a cook in sauce and just chop up the meat and fry it all together. I know a lot of people are sceptical about feeding this to their kids because they’re worried its too hot but if my two can handle it I’m sure yours can too. Even my husband can which says a lot about it not being hot at all.
  35. Lamb Korma I buy a cook in sauce and just chop up the meat and fry it all together.
  36. Loaded baked potatoes with cream cheese and chives
  37. Lamb strips with tzastiki and flat bread
  38. Chicken quinoa taco bowl You can get the recipe over at Gimmesomeoven.com 
  39. Bacon rolls
  40. FriedPork chops with slaw.

  41. Mushroom risotto. I have never been able to get my family to eat mushrooms but if I could this is one meal I would love to make. I found this easy recipe over at Taste.com.au one of my favourite sites for recipes. I buy a cook in sauce and just chop up the meat and fry it all together.
  42. Vegetable cous cous. All I do is cut up some of our favourite veggies and add them to the cous cous. The kids love butternut and red capsicum so those are a must and sometimes I add in some feta. If I can get away with it I cut up some zucchini into tiny squares, steam and throw that in too.

 

 

Meal Planning 

 

If you’re thinking about trying Meal Planning, I can assure you that it saves a lot of time and money. If you don’t know where to start read the incredible guest post on Meal Planning .  You can also check out how I did when I started by reading Meal Planning Week 2 and Meal Planning Week 3 .  Otherwise, click on the image below to take you to Week 5 and 6.

 

Meal Planning Week 5 and 6