53 Meal Ideas for Your Meal Planning: Plus Variations

Do you want to start meal planning so that you do not have to deal with the question of “What’s for Dinner” any longer?  Or, maybe you just want to spend a few hours, one day a week asking yourself that same question and then save money at the grocery store by only purchasing what you need.

Do you need a list of meal ideas to get you started?  If so, I’ve got you covered!  You can take the list I have below and plan your meals each week, helping to save you time and money.

Breakfast

  1. Oatmeal
    1. with Brown sugar
    2. with Fresh fruit
    3. with Yogurt
    4. with Chocolate
    5. with Peanut Butter
  2. Eggs with Bacon and Toast
  3. Eggs with Sausage and Toast
  4. Eggs with Ham and Toast
  5. Omelets
    1. with cheese
    2. with veggies
    3. with meat
    4. with everything (cheese/veggies/meat)
  6. French Toast
  7. Pancakes
    1. Chocolate Chip Pancakes
    2. Blueberry Pancakes
    3. Half-Dollar Pancakes (Fun for Kids)
    4. Cinnamon Roll Pancakes
    5. with Fresh Fruit
  8. Cinnamon Rolls
  9. Breakfast Casserole
  10. Cereal
    1. with Fresh Fruit
  11. Cinnamon Toast
  12. Pop-Tarts
  13. Yogurt
  14. Biscuits & Gravy
  15. Biscuits
    1. with Jelly
    2. with Eggs & Bacon
    3. with Eggs & Sausage
    4. with Eggs & Ham
    5. with Eggs & Steak
    6. with Eggs, Bacon, and Cheese
    7. with Eggs, Sausage, and Cheese
    8. with Eggs, Ham, and Cheese
    9. with Eggs, Steak, and Cheese
  16. Breakfast Burritos
  17. Bagels
    1. with Cream Cheese
    2. with Strawberries and Nutella
    3. with Eggs (cheese)
    4. with Eggs and Bacon (cheese)
    5. with Eggs and Sausage (cheese)
    6. with Eggs and Ham (Cheese)
    7. with Cinnamon Cream Cheese and Apples
  18. Waffles
    1. with cool whip
    2. with Chocolate
    3. with Berries
  19. Muffins
    1. Bran
    2. Chocolate Chip
    3. Blueberry
    4. Apples and Cinnamon
    5. Banana
    6. Banana Nut
  20. Granola Bars
  21. Breakfast Parfaits 
  22. Oatmeal Smoothies
    1. Peaches and Cream
    2. Blueberry Muffin
    3. Peanut Butter and Bananas
    4. Cherry Vanilla
    5. Apple Cinnamon

Lunch

  1. Sandwiches (Lunchmeat and Salads)
    1. Turkey
    2. Ham
    3. Bologna
    4. Egg Salad
    5. Tuna Salad
    6. Chicken Salad
    7. Ham Salad
    8. Bologna Salad
    9. Club
  2. Wraps
  3. BLT
  4. Grilled Cheese
  5. Soups
  6. Salads
    1. Grilled Chicken
    2. Crispy Chicken
    3. Chef 
    4. Kale Salad
    5. Avocado Salad
    6. Caesar Salad
  7. Pizza Bowls
  8. Taco Salad
  9. Burritos
  10. Burgers
    1. Pizza
    2. Ranch
    3. Taco
    4. Pork
    5. Turkey
  11. Grilled Chicken Sandwiches
  12. Crispy Chicken Sandwiches
  13. Hot Ham and Cheese Sandwiches
  14. Sloppy Joes
  15. Quesadillas
    1. Cheese
    2. Chicken
    3. Beef
    4. Steak
  16. Sliders (any type of sandwich or burger can be used)
  17. Loaded Nachos
  18. Peanut Butter Sandwiches
  19. Egg Sandwich
  20. Hard-Boiled eggs
  21. Broccoli & Bacon Mac-n-Cheese
  22. Chicken Tenders
  23. Patty Melts

Supper

  1. Lasagna (I make ours with Pizza Sauce and no Cottage Cheese!)
  2. Spaghetti
  3. Alfredo
  4. Stuffed Shells
  5. Stuffed Peppers
  6. Fried Pork Chops
  7. Grilled Pork Chops
  8. Baked Pork Chops
  9. BBQ Pork Steaks
  10. Cheesy Bacon Ranch Chicken  (Super Easy and baked in the Oven)
  11. Fried Chicken
  12. BBQ Grilled Chicken
  13. Smothered Pork Chops
  14. Braised Pork Loin in Gravy  (A favorite of the Husband and easy to make)
  15. Rib-eye Steaks
  16. New York Strip Steaks
  17. Pot Roast
  18. Mississippi Pot Roast
  19. Italian Beef (put in the crock-pot in the AM and it’s done when everyone gets home)
  20. Taco Casserole
  21. Burritos
  22. Tacos
  23. Salmon Patties  (Our argument is which is better with this, fried potatoes or mac-n-cheese?)
  24. Pizza
  25. Glazed Chicken
  26. Glazed Ham
  27. Mustard Ham  (a dish my grandma used to make. It’s a family favorite.) 
  28. Glazed Pork Chops
  29. Salt-cured Country Ham Steaks  (My all-time favorite!)
  30. Ham Steaks
  31. Hamburger Steaks in Gravy (super easy like Grandma used to make)
  32. Burgers
  33. Enchiladas
  34. Chicken and Dumplings (I make my dumplings from scratch.  It’s easier than you may think.)
  35. Chili
  36. White Chicken Chili
  37. Vegetable Soup
  38. Taco Soup
  39. Potato Soup (I make a loaded potato soup that is cheesy!)
  40. Fried Catfish
  41. Grilled Tilapia
  42. Baked Spaghetti
  43. Breakfast for Supper (We do this and the kids love it!)
  44. French Bread Pizza  (One of my Husband’s favorites)
  45. Chicken Noodle Soup (Made with Egg Noodles.  Another favorite of my Husband.)
  46. Homemade Chicken Pot Pie
  47. Philly Cheese Steaks on Sweet Hawaiian Bread (a family favorite)
  48. BBQ Pulled Pork
  49. Meatloaf
  50. BBQ Grilled Ribs
  51. Oven-Baked Western Style Ribs.  (a favorite of my Husband.)
  52. Beef Stew
  53. Sheet Pan Shrimp Boil

These are just some that came to mind off of the top of my head.  These are all actual meals that we cook around this house.  Our Kids that are still in the house are ages 16, 12, and 2.  My older kids that have moved out already are 25 and 22 and they still love Mom’s cooking and miss some of the meals that they grew up with.  My Chicken and Dumplings are a smash hit everywhere they go and I have had nephews text me asking how to make them as I do.  (It’s super easy and was passed down to me by my grandma.)

Hopefully, you can take this list and use it to get ideas for your menu plan.  I guess I could have included side dishes but that seems to be the easiest thing to come up with, especially with all of the canned food items that are available on the market; however, if you would like a list of side dishes to use in your meal planning, just ask.  I’d be glad to make one.

Remember, you can change up any meal with the type of bread that you use. From Croissants to Panini, Sweet Hawaiian, French, Italian, English Muffins, Potato, Pita, and more. You do not have to use the same bread all of the time. You will find your favorites and those will be the ones that you will end up sticking with. Our household loves different cheeses and breads.

Enjoy!