After a while, even my most exciting recipes start to get a little boring.
But, there are a ton of places you can go for some fresh new dinner ideas, but having so many options can just make things even more overwhelming.
So I've come up with a few ideas to keep on meal planning and eating at home so we can continue to save money.
With these stuck in a rut dinner ideas, you'll be less tempted to use your same old recipes all the time.
Because when you don't get stuck in a dinner rut, you'll be more apt to keep with your meal planning.
And with these dinner rut ideas, you'll continue to save money by eating at home.
If you are stuck in a dinner rut, I’m going to show you how to get out and never get back in one again!
Mix Things Up
Just because you’re busy, doesn’t mean you have to have the same dinner rut recipes every night.
Our meals have three core ingredients: protein, starch, and vegetable. Sometimes this might vary, but for the most part, this is our standard dinner. We tend to stick with what we know.
This means whenever we see pork chops our mind thinks apple sauce, or whenever we look at chicken we immediately think chicken alfredo.
Make a list of proteins, starches, and vegetables and put each one in a jar.
Each night, have your kids or even your husband pull one out of the jar.
These might be the same “boring” foods, but you’re eating them differently. It's these stuck in a rut dinner ideas that can help you get unstuck!
Consult The Packaging
I will bet that you have at least 12 recipes in your pantry right now.
Your pasta boxes and soup mixes have recipes right on them! For years, I’ve been guilty of ignoring the packaging.
If you’re looking for a new recipe, look no further than your pantry! Don't get stuck in a dinner rut when you have new ideas at your fingertips.
In a pinch, these can make great and quick get out of dinner rut recipes.
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If you find yourself at a loss for something new to make, open up your pantry and start looking at your packaging until you see something that sounds good.
These dinner rut recipes are usually pretty easy and straightforward to make.
Try Some Copycat Recipes
There is something so tempting about restaurant foods, and you can easily make all of them right in your kitchen!
Popular restaurant foods such as chicken parmesan and fish tacos are so easy to make at home, and they’ll be less expensive than eating out.
If you’re stuck in a rut and thinking about going out to eat instead, think of your favorite restaurant dish and see if you can make it yourself with these dinner rut ideas.
You'll want to try this T.G.I. Friday’s Potato Skins Recipe for sure!
Here are over 50 of the Best Restaurant Copycat Recipes On The Internet!
See What Your Friends Are Eating
Asking your friends and family for dinner rut recipes is a great way to get some inspiration for your meals.
If you don’t find a new recipe hidden in their plan, it might make you think of one of your own!
You never know what you might discover by merely asking what your neighbor is having for dinner tonight.
If you don’t want to bother your friends, try looking on Instagram or Facebook to see if they’ve posted pictures of what they’re eating tonight.
It's these stuck in a rut dinner ideas that will help inspire you to try something new.
Get Lost On Pinterest
Pinterest is a wormhole for recipe lovers! With just one simple search, you can easily fall down the rabbit hole of recipe inspiration.
I have an entire Pinterest board dedicated to yummy recipes.
BONUS DOWNLOAD
Want to plan your weekly meals with less hassle?
Download these FREE Meal Plan Templates and you'll get your meals and shopping list organized in just minutes.
Revisit Old Meal Plans
If you don’t keep your old meal plans, you need to start so you don't get stuck in a dinner rut!
Whenever you’re out of ideas for dinner, or they just don’t sound that great anymore, you can easily reference these meal plans for dinner rut ideas!
It may feel like you were in this dinner rut forever, but there was a time you enjoyed the meals you made.
Go back through your old meal plans to find hidden gems. There are probably recipes on there you forgot you had!
Getting out of a dinner rut is hard. Between finding new ways to spice up your old recipes, and finding something new to make, it can be exhausting.
With these stuck in a rut dinner ideas, you'll be less tempted to use your same old recipes all the time.
Because when you don't get stuck in a dinner rut, you'll be more apt to keep with your meal planning.
And with these dinner rut ideas, you'll continue to save money by eating at home.
If you follow these tips, you’ll not only get you and your family out of this rut, but you’ll never end up in a dinner rut again!