Coming up with a dinner plan isn’t easy. So, let the grocery store help as you stroll up and down the aisles.
The grocery store is a place of abundant food choices that can be put together into tasty and easy dinners. Here are some tips of how to make use of all the information there.
Make a 3-Day Dinner Plan with On Sale Foods
Most of us get slightly or very overwhelmed with planning a week of dinners. After all, coming up with 7 meals is a lot of work. Planning 3 dinners is much easier and it is a great start. Here’s how the grocery store can help…
Dinner #1. Chicken breasts or thighs cooked on the grill, with corn-on-the-cob and a green salad. Fresh strawberries for dessert. A grocery store offers a sale price on chicken every week, along with seasonal vegetables and fruits.
Dinner #2. Salmon or tilapia baked in the oven with herbs and fresh lemon slices, with a baked sweet or white potato and green beans. Fresh apple or applesauce for dessert. A grocery store offers a sale price on frozen fish every week, along with seasonal vegetables and fruits.
Dinner #3. Chicken Quesadilla with salsa, avocado, and canned black beans warmed up with chopped onions. Fresh mango slices or canned mandarin orange slices for dessert. Re-purpose leftover chicken from Dinner #1. Cook more than you need with a plan to use it again a couple/few days later.
Make a Batch Dinner and Eat It Twice in One Week
Beans & Corn Tortilla Baked Dinner. Canned beans are a bargain at the grocery store every day. They’re a top choice for quality nutrition, too. In a 13 x 9 inch baking pan, it’s easy to make layers of salsa, corn tortillas torn into small pieces, canned and drained black or kidney or pinto beans, repeat, and then sprinkle with 1/2-1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese. Bake it until warmed through, about 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees. Add a leafy green salad and also canned pineapple tidbits for dessert. Then, reheat it another day for dinner.
Macaroni & Cheese Dinner. Dry pasta like macaroni or rotini pasta is a bargain at the grocery store every day. Also dairy case shredded cheese is often on sale. This healthier Mac & Cheese Recipe is homemade with only simple, nutritious ingredients and it could not be easier to make. Add steamed broccoli or Brussels sprouts or a shredded cabbage & carrot salad and a fresh pear for dessert. Then, reheat any leftovers for another dinner along with a green veggie and canned tuna or salmon.
Make Dinner with Eggs
Fresh eggs are a basic, nutritious food at every grocery store every day. They can be a favorite dinner choice, especially for busy families who love breakfast-for-dinner. For example, here are some options: poached eggs over whole wheat toast; scrambled eggs with a side of roasted veggies; egg-y French Toast with pecans and a fruit salad; or a homemade frittata with a sliced tomato and cucumber salad. Here’s an Easy Egg Frittata Recipe to add to your upcoming meal plan.
Dinner Planning is Easier When You Partner with Your Grocery Store
On a busy day, it’s not easy to make a plan for dinner – until you partner up with your grocery store. Take a thoughtful, undistracted look at the store ad as you walk in the door because there are probably dinner ideas looking back at you. Pick out some basic and versatile foods like eggs, pasta, canned beans, canned fish, fresh and frozen fruit, fresh and frozen veggies. Here are a few Mediterranean Menu and Recipe Ideas that will get you started. And, please let me know if I can help with an Individual Nutritional Counseling Session.