Stay at Home Mom Dinner Ideas a handy resource For SAHMs to refer to when they are planning their weekly meal plans. The list contains dinners that are healthy nutritious and fun for kids and your entire family.
While raising a healthy family is concerned, the food that you serve has to be healthy, wholesome, balanced & nutritious. And this is what I focus on too when I think of “What to cook for dinner tonight?”
And I feel accomplished when I see my kids excited and interested in eating the food on their plate. Feeding healthy food is imperative but having kids eat it with a smile is what I aim for while I cook meals in my kitchen.
Stay at Home Mom Dinner Ideas
Of course I win some and fail on some days too to bring a smile on their faces with the meal on their plate. But as far as I achieve this 70 percent of the times, I am happy with myself.
And so I have put together my ideas of healthy dinners that I frequently make at home for my family. I really hope that you find this list helpful & resourceful too. Also here is the link to posts on easy to cook meals that you would want to have a look into.
| 1. Falafel Sandwich with pickled salad |
| 2. Chicken Lasagne |
| 3. Pasta in Alfredo Sauce |
| 4. Mushroom & 3 Peppers Pizza |
| 5. Chicken Rice Burrito |
| 6. Classic Chicken Salad |
| 7. Grilled Chicken with rice |
| 8. Chicken Curry with flat bread |
| 9. Spicy Chicken Wraps |
| 10. Sautéed vegetables with whole wheat crackers and noodle soup |
| 11. Sourdough bread with coconut stew |
| 12. Pan fried fish in lemon butter sauce with mashed potato |
| 13. Macroni with cheese |
| 14 Chicken Fried Rice |
| 15. Classic Veg Burgers |
| 16. Basil Chicken Sandwich |
| 17 Mexican Rice with grilled fish |
| 18. Cheesy Chicken quiche |
| 19. Chicken in Mushroom Sauce served with rice |
| 20. Quinoa Salad with nuggets |
| 21. Classic Shepherds Pie |
| 22 Oven roasted stuffed potato, grilled chicken with flat bread |
| 23. Boiled corn on the cob, mixed green salad and grilled Cheese/Chicken |
| 24. Creamy Broccoli Soup with fried rice |
| 25. Vegetable Noodle Bowl |
| 26 Vietnamese Chicken with fried rice and garnished with cashews |
| 27. American Chopsuey |
| 28. Spinach corn Pizza |
| 29. Spaghetti in Italian Tomato Sauce |
| 30. Mushroom Quesadilla |
| 31 Stuffed Meaty Peppers |
| 32. Mint Chicken Kebabs with Indian Flat bread |
| 33. Grilled chicken salad in Tortilla wrap |
| 34 Coconut based Tom Kha Soup with variety of toppings |
| 35. Creamy Mushroom Soup bruschetta |
| 36. Chicken in Schezwan sauce with burnt garlic noodles |
| 37 Pasta ravioli in tomato sauce |
| 38. Lamb Curry with fermented flatbread |
| 39. Vegetables in hot garlic sauce with burnt garlic noodles |
| 40. Minced Lamb Burger with freshly steamed vegetables |
| 41. French onion soup with pull apart garlic & cheese bread |
| 42. Spinach Cheese with Indian flatbread or rice |
| 43. Grilled Cheese Sandwich with veggies or Meat |
| 44 Savoury Crepes with Indian spiced chicken |
| 45. Chickpea Flour Savoury Pancakes loaded with veggies |
| 46. Sweet & Sour Raw Papaya Salad with Kidney Beans & Spinach Cutlet |
| 47. Pan fried Chicken with mushrooms and roasted chilli potato |
| 48. Burmese Khaosuey |
| 49. Steamed vegetables, mash potato, and meat steak |
| 50. Pan fried Eggplant with Spanish rice |
| 51. Beetroot Risotto |
| 52. Mix Vegetable Casserole with Garlic Noodles |
| 53. Cheesy Baked Vegetables with Toasted Bread. |
1. Pita Hummus & Falafel
Having its origins in the Middle Eastern cuisine, Pita Sandwich is loved by people from all over. This is one wholesome meal rich in fibre and protein. Additionally, Pickled and fermented salad takes it a notch higher on its health quotient. I love it served with green olives.
My kids love hummus and it is used as a dip and spread at my home. I do make variants like beetroot hummus and recently tried the sweet hummus too although I did not quite like the sweet version too much.
2. Chicken Lasagne
It is one of the most loved dinner recipes at my home. The cheesy flavourful lasagna just out of the oven is to die for. And my kids like all the other kids love cheese. However, I am not a great fan of dairy and hence make this as an occasional treat. But I can really recommend the baking dish I use especially to bake my lasagne at home.
3. Pasta in Alfredo Sauce
The creamy Alfredo sauce pasta loaded with pepper mushrooms and corn is my go-to dinner for days I am super tired. The ease with which I can quickly dish out a yummy meal like this is something I really love.
Added veggies make sure that I am balancing the carb overload with goodness and richness of fresh seasonal vegetables. And if you are liked the bowl I have served the pasta in, you can fetch it here.
4. Mushroom, Corn & 3 Peppers Pizza
Another favourite with kids is the pizza with mushroom sweet corn and pepper toppings. I use homemade sourdough base for making this pizza and that’s my healthy touch to the recipe.
5. Chicken Rice Burrito
This Mexican delight is sure to please the taste buds of kids and adults alike. I usually make this on a Friday evening to get started on the weekend mood. Kidney beans, sour cream, avocado slices, and some salad along with chicken and rice seasoned with Mexican seasonings add up to a great meal in the burrito bowl too.
6. Classic Chicken Salad
This classic salad is a healthy and delicious meal for a light evening supper. One can be creative & experiment with lots of vegetables and dressings as per your mood to go with the chicken. I usually like the southwest chipotle dressing along with grilled chicken and iceberg lettuce. My go-to add ons are onions, cherry tomato, peppers.
7. Grilled Chicken with rice
This simple and easy to make dinner is something I make often at my home. I love the taste as much as I am impressed with the nutritional constitution of grilled chicken with veg fried rice. This wholesome meal is something we all at home love to eat.
There are days when I want to eat millet rice for their whole-grain properties. And so I cook kodo millet rice topped with roasted peanuts and lemon juice.
8. Chicken Curry with flatbread
This is an Indian curry that I make and is very popular all around the globe now. The basic onion garlic ginger tomato roasted well in the clarified butter makes up for an awesome curry. This is a specialty at my home and I usually make this for a party or get together at my place too. This goes awesomely well with the rice or flatbread as an accompaniment.
9. Spicy Chicken Wraps
Wrap the leftover chicken or freshly pan-fried chicken with dip or spread of your choice. Throw in some green salad and voila you are done. I usually love to have it with hummus or pesto sauce that I make at home. It goes well with hung curd dip or avocado smash too. You can also use mayonnaise in this too.
10. Whole wheat crackers or toast and noodle soup
A quick and easy dinner soup with a slice of multi grainer whole wheat toast. Sometimes I do accompany it with chicken nuggets if kids want to eat something more.
11. Sourdough bread with coconut stew
The healthiest combination of whole wheat sourdough or seeded sourdough along with the curry your choice. I Love the coconut-based stew with mixed veggies. You could also make a pesto sauce with vegetables of your choice. I used coconut milk for this preparation.
12. Pan-fried fish in lemon butter sauce with mashed potato
This is one easy and healthy dinner option on my list. Pan-seared fish with easy lemon butter sauce and team w\it with fries or mashed potato. I sometimes also serve this with flavoured rice & side with the salad for those hungry nights. And for my family salad is the freshly steamed veggies with salt & pepper.
13. Macaroni with cheese
The traditional English recipe is loved by kids and adults. I love to make this for my kids too and I use my ceramic baking dish as a cook and serve the dish.
14 Chicken Fried Rice
Easy colourful and yum dinner that my kids love. Rice with carrots, beans, spring onions, garlic, egg, and chicken makes up for a balanced and all-time favourite meal in my house. I also make a homemade schezwan sauce to make it fiery hot for myself and this is how I like to eat it.
15. Classic Veg Burgers
I love this meal because I can make it all at home from scratch. Starting with the buns to the patty inside, it is all homemade. Also, another point I like about making burgers at home is the versatility of fillings. From the humble potato patty to exotic mushroom, from kidney beans to grilled chicken, from fried chicken to fish, there is no limit to the kind of fillings you can use to make your burgers patty.
16. Basil Chicken Sandwich
A basic chicken pan-fried in the pesto sauce and loaded in the panini or sub or your choice and voila the dinner is ready to serve. I usually serve this with homemade kimchi salad that my kids enjoy.
17 Mexican Rice with grilled fish
Fish marinated with Indian whole spices and grilled to perfection. Plate it with a bowl of Mexican rice and garnish it with the fresh herbs.
18. Cheesy Chicken quiche with French fries
Cheesy chicken quiche made with love and personalised for my younger one. See the happiness on the face and excitement in his eyes. All my hard work is so worth it when I see this at the end of the day 🙂
19. Chicken in Mushroom Sauce served with rice
Chicken in Mushroom and pepper sauce can be served with rice or bread of your choice. All of us at my home love the flavour of mushrooms and I get loads of them in my weekly grocery. I personally love them for their antioxidant properties.
20. Quinoa Salad with potato or chicken nuggets
This protein-rich dinner is what I have added recently to my list. I tried it recently too and I must say I loved the way I felt after my dinner. It’s light on the stomach and rich in nutrition too. Quinoa is a whole grain and that adds on to its attractiveness too.
21. Classic Shepherds Pie
22 Oven-roasted stuffed potato, grilled chicken with flatbread
Oven toasted potato with cheese and corn and peppers or cheese and mushroom stiffing really tastes great. I usually use Indian Spices to make this and serve it with grilled chicken and flatbreads.
23. Boiled corn on the cob, mixed green salad and grilled Cheese/Chicken
This is again a protein-rich and nutritious dinner option I have on my list. And I cam prepare this with very few ingredients that I always find in my pantry. I just need fresh greens cucumber tomato for a healthy salad along the side.
24. Creamy Broccoli Soup with fried rice
Fresh Broccoli Soup with vegetable fried rice makes up for a colourful and fun meal for my kids. I use fresh almond milk to make the broccoli soup.
25. Vegetable Noodle Bowl
Again a quick-fix dinner for those days when I am extremely tired. A bowl full of vegetables and noodles.
26 Vietnamese Chicken with fried rice and garnished with cashews
A lovely recipe of diced chicken and vegetables of your choice tossed up in the oyster sauce and garnished with fried cashews. It goes well with our basic burnt garlic fried rice.
27. American chopsuey
Fried Noodles with vegetables and pineapple in the tomato sauce. I love it with a fried egg on the top.
28. Spinach corn Pizza
Basic whole wheat thin crust topped with spinach and corn in thick Alfredo sauce… Season it well with fresh herbs like rosemary and sweet basil and it’s ready. And yes its a no tomato sauce pizza.
29. Spaghetti in Italian Tomato Sauce
This is a traditional recipe I use to toss perfectly cooked spaghetti to the Italian seasoning tomato sauce with olives and parmesan cheese. It is a simple and yum recipe however I do feel the need to add on a good spice of protein to it. So I serve it along with chicken salad usually.
Also, there are times when I don’t feel like cooking the sauce and then I use this readymade sauce and the dish comes out flavourful and fresh.
30. Mushroom Quesadilla
31 Stuffed Meaty Peppers
I love lamb and cheese-filled red and yellow peppers and this is a wholesome meal in itself. I just dot need any accompaniments with this because it is so full of flavours and cheese just melting in your mouth.
32. Mint Chicken Kebabs with Indian Flatbread
Chicken marinated with mint curd garlic ginger green chillies and whole spices is one of my favourites. And I cook this often along with white flour Indian bread called Naan.
33. Grilled chicken salad in Tortilla wrap
This one is usually made with leftover grilled chicken in my refrigerator. Toss it with some salad greens and use a hung curd honey dip or mustard dressing or even some mayonnaise and wrap it up in toasted tortilla wrap.
The best part of making this is that you can use a variety of salad in this wrap starting from cucumber tomato onions to lettuce corn mushrooms, from a spicy salsa to a thousand island dressed baby spinach leaves. Go creative and make your own version of this.
34 Coconut based Tom Kha Soup with variety of toppings
It is a Thai preparation with Thai paste and coconut milk as a base. I like to cook this with vegetables and not with meat. Having this soup is a very satisfying experience. Actually speaking its not just a soup but fills you up like any other one pot meal.
35. Creamy Mushroom Soup bruschetta
Again this is a winters delight at my home. Creamy mushroom soup along with fully loaded and grilled to perfection bruschetta.
36. Chicken in Schezwan sauce with burnt garlic noodles
Dry chicken tossed in schezwan sauce along with Burt garlic noodles makes up for a spicy and fiery dinner. Thankfully my kids have now grown up to be ok with my love for schezwan sauce. However often I do take out some chicken for the younger one to be served in mild garlic sauce.
On days when I am feeling more productive in the kitchen, I like to make some mushrooms in hot garlic sauce too.
37 Pasta ravioli in tomato sauce
I like to make this pasta when I am completely at leisure and so if I really see I end up making this only once per quarter. Pasts filled with spinach and ricotta cheese and then boiled till perfection. The last is to cook up some fresh tomato basil sauce.
38. Lamb Curry with fermented flatbread
I make this Indian spiced lamb curry more often called as mutton curry and serve it with Indian flatbreads.
39. Vegetables in hot garlic sauce with burnt garlic noodles
This one is an easy meal for me. A basic hot garlic sauce with available vegetables and mix vegetable noodles and it is done. So fuss in eating and no fuss in cooking too. It is a win-win at my house.
40. Minced Lamb Burger with freshly steamed vegetables
A burger loaded with spiced minced lamb patty is to die for. I do ensure my kids are eating the veggies along with this, and so I make steamed vegetables with salt and pepper.
41. French onion soup with pull-apart garlic & cheese bread
An out and out home-prepared French soup with pull-apart garlic cheesy bread. It’s a warm soulful meal.
42. Spinach Cheese with Indian flatbread or rice
Spinach curry cooked Indian way alone with Indian flatbread is a very healthy and yummy option for dinner in my home. I usually load this with cottage cheese or tofu basis the availability.
43. Grilled Cheese Sandwich with veggies or Meat
Sandwich bread with tomato cucumbers boiled potato capsicum lettuce & grilled with cheese to perfection. Serve this with a hot mint and coriander dip and tomato sauce. Divine.
44 Savoury Crepes with Indian spiced chicken
This is my go-to dish when I have dry Indian spiced leftover chicken. I just Make the crepes and throw in some green onions and chicken and that’s it. Go as creative as you want with a side salad or salsa dip that goes along really well.
45. Chickpea Flour Savoury Pancakes loaded with veggies
I use chickpea flour to make savoury pancakes for kids. And since its a dinner meal I load it with all kinds of veggies inside the batter. Chopped Spinach, grated carrots, sliced cucumbers, onions coriander, spring onion greens and sometimes beetroots too. Cook the butter in a pan with clarified butter/ghee till brown and the dinner is ready.
46. Sweet & Sour Raw Papaya Salad with Kidney Beans & Spinach Cutlet
I make the raw papaya salad the Thai way with peanuts and soya sauce. And I just love the sweetness and balanced sourness of this salad. This goes really well with the kidney bean & spinach cutlets.
47. Pan-fried Chicken with mushrooms and roasted chilli potato
Chicken cooked in a pan with spices of your choice and served with sautéed mushrooms and roasted potato. This makes up for a great dinner meal for my family and I love how healthy & nutritious my kids eat.
48. Burmese Khaosuey
Another coconut milk-based dish on my list. This is of Burmese origin and is again a one-pot meal. This can be cooked with chicken or with vegetables of your choice. This is served with some noodles too to make it filling.
49. Rice and Lentil One pot meal with clarified butter (called Khichdi in India)
One pot meal cooked the Indian way. Rice and lentils cooked together and then tempered with ghee, cumin seeds and chilli powder. This is again a comfort food and is great for the stomach as it is full of fibre and rich in proteins too. My kids love to have this with yogurt.
50. Pan-fried Eggplant with pasta
Sliced eggplant marinated with the spice mix and seared on a pan. I usually serve this as a side to vegetable rice or pasta.
51. Beetroot Risotto
Rice, butter, olives, fresh cream, beetroot and spices. This is all you need to cook up the red storm.
52. Mix Vegetable Casserole with Garlic Noodles
Mix vegetable casserole spiced and seasoned your way and served with very versatile vegetable noodles is a great dinner option for moms who worry about how to feed vegetables to their kids. I make this often too and yes the veggies go in their tummies too.
53. Cheesy Baked Vegetables with Toasted Bread.
I love this one and I am good eating baked vegetables along as my dinner. However, I do keep an option of a dinner roll handy for kids to have their carbs too.
These were my top favorite stay at home mom dinner ideas. If you have any other suggestions, I would love to know more. Fell free to drop in your suggestions in the comment section below.