How to get out of a dinner rut!

Do you ever feel like you eat the same few meals every. single. week? I know that I defintley do! I try my best to make new recipes buuut I also make crockpot chili wayyy more often than I would like to admit!!

I mean, my list of go-to recipes are GOOD, but after having them for 3924 months in a row…they get old (I think my husband would agree! haha)

When I find myself in a cooking rut and just can’t seem to figure out what to make, here are the exact things that I do! Hopefully some of these tips will help you switch up your meal plan & make you excited to make (and eat) dinner again! Don’t forget to scroll down to the last tip for the free printable too!

Find a recipe with your favorite ingredient.

Think of any ingredient that you enjoying eating, or maybe look and see what is on sale at the grocery store and then search for “____ recipes” on Pinterest. I know this seems pretty basic, but this method is a lot more helpful than searching for “easy dinner ideas” because you’ll find something that actually sounds good!

For example, I knew I had sweet potatoes, so I searched for “sweet potato dinner recipes”. I found SO many new ideas! Everything from BBQ Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes to Shepherd’s Pie with Sweet Potato Topping to even Sweet Potato Gnocchi! YUM.

Use what’s in your pantry!

This is my favorite trick! I bet if you look in your pantry or freezer right now you will find a few forgotten ingredients that you could use as inspiration for your next meal! Inventory your fridge, freezer and pantry to see what you have and then do a quick search for recipes with those ingredients and see what you find. This tip is great because it not only forces you to come up with a new dinner idea but also will save you a lot of money–especially if you do it regularly!

Browse your favorite cookbooks or blogs

If you have some GOOD cookbooks, they are a great place to help you get out of a dinner rut! My all time favorite cookbooks are from Skinnytaste and her blog is equally as great! I also like “The Oh She Glows Cookbook” and “Real Life Dinners”. Find a few cookbooks or blogs that you like and trust

Recreate a favorite meal from a restaurant!

I’m kind of a nerd– but I love looking at my favorite restaurant’s menus online and getting inspiration from them! If you think something sounds good, but aren’t sure how to recreate it–just type it in google and see what you can find! 🙂

This menu from my favorite brewery has given me so many new ideas for Mac & Cheese, Tacos and Sandwich variations!

Challenge yourself to make _ new recipes!

One of my goals for my 30 Before 30 challenge was to try 54 new recipes– one for each week of the year. I set this goal specifically to help me break out of my cooking/ dinner rut! And now, halfway through the year, I can defintley say it is helping!! We have tried at LEAST one new recipe every week–if not two or three! Setting a goal like this turns cooking into more of a fun challenge instead of something you dread doing 🙂

Keep a master list of family faves!

I’ve been keeping a list on the side of the refrigerator of all the new recipes I’ve made (and liked 😉 ). This helps me keep track of them for my 30 before 30 goal AND gives me a list of recipes that I already know my family likes so I can add them into our monthly rotation. I even added a spot where you can write the source where you found the recipe–because if you’re anything like me you might remember a great recipe that you tried but then you can’t find it anywhere when you want to make it!! There are two versions of the printable–one says “Family Favorites” and the other says “Favorite Recipes”–just print the page you prefer!

Click here for your free printable!