Simple Dinner Ideas: How to Build Easy Meals with Dinner Builders
Dinner is more than deciding what recipe to make.
It’s making the most of what you have, finding flavors you enjoy, and having a plan for getting dinner on the table without the nightly “What are we having?” scramble.
Dinner Builders give you a flexible way to plan and create dinners that work for your life, your kitchen, and your budget.
What if you Didn’t Have to Figure out Dinner from Scratch Every Night?
That’s the idea behind Dinner Builders.
Instead of starting with a recipe and trying to decide what sounds good, start with a dinner theme. Choose the kind of dinner that fits your night; maybe pasta, casserole, tacos, slow cooker, or another favorite. Then use the Dinner Builder to help you decide what to make.
Here’s How it Works
- Choose your theme. Decide what kind of dinner fits your night. Maybe it’s Meatless Monday, Taco Tuesday, Pasta Wednesday, or Slow Cooker Saturday.
- Open your Builder. You’ll find plenty of combinations and ideas to get you started.
- Choose your ingredients. Use the grid to decide what to make. Go straight across a row or choose your protein, vegetable, flavor and carb from different columns. You can use what you already have or make a simple shopping list for what you’re missing.
- Make dinner. That’s it. You have a plan for dinner.
Here’s a mini example:
| Protein | Vegetable | Flavor | Carb |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | Broccoli | Lemon Garlic | Potatoes |
| Shrimp | Peppers | Soy Ginger | Rice |
Chicken + Broccoli + Lemon Garlic + Potatoes
One week can become:
Shrimp + Peppers + Lemon Garlic + Potatoes
Next week
Ready to try it yourself?
Check out my free Dinner Builders for more mix-and-match combinations you can use to figure out dinner with what you have on hand.
Use the Dinner Builders to Plan out Your Week
You don’t have to plan out dinner 7 nights in a row, but these dinner builders can help you decide what to make when you don’t have the time. Choose a few Builders that work well for you and give them a place in your week. For example:
Tips for Making Dinner Builders Work for You
Start with what you have. Before making a shopping list, take a quick look in your fridge, freezer, and pantry. You may already have most of what you need for tonight’s dinner.
Choose a few themes you love. You don’t need a different Builder for every night. Pick a few that fit your household and rotate them throughout the week.
Keep your favorite staples on hand. A few dependable proteins, vegetables, grains, sauces, and pantry staples can turn a Builder into dinner without much extra shopping.
Don’t be afraid to swap. If you don’t have an ingredient—or don’t like it—change it. The Builder is a starting point, not a set of rules.
Plan for leftovers. Cook a little extra when it makes sense and use it in another dinner later in the week. That’s another easy way to save time, money, and food.
One Builder, Hundreds of Dinner Possibilities
Dinner Builders aren’t a list of dinners you make once and move on from. They’re designed to give you lots of ways to use the same basic theme again and again.
Change the protein. Swap the vegetables. Try a different flavor. Use what’s already in your refrigerator or pantry.
The result? You can come back to the same Builder week after week without eating the same dinner over and over.
And because you’re choosing what works for you, Dinner Builders can help you:
- Plan ahead without a rigid meal plan
- Use what you already have
- Waste less food
- Shop with a purpose
- Work within your budget
- Cook the right amount for the people at your table
Whether you’re cooking for one, two, or a whole family, the Builder helps you choose portions and ingredients that make sense for your household.
Dinner doesn’t have to be complicated. You just need a place to start.
Imagine Dinner Already Having a Place in your Week
Once you get into the habit of using Dinner Builders, figuring out what’s for dinner becomes one less thing to worry about. You know what kind of dinner you’re making, you have ideas to choose from, and you can use what you already have instead of starting a new shopping list every night.
You can plan ahead without being locked into a rigid meal plan, use up ingredients before they go to waste, and make dinners that fit your household, your schedule, and your budget. Instead of wondering what’s for dinner, you’ll have a way to know.
Are You Ready to Try a Dinner Builder?
Start with my free Dinner Builder Collection and see how much easier it is to figure out what’s for dinner.
