Imagine with me: your day is non-stop from the time you crawl out of bed until you finish homeschooling or pick your kids up from school around 4. And then you have a little driving all over town to do for extra-curricular activities. Somehow, you forgot to plan a meal for tonight and things have been so crazy you haven’t even had a chance to think about dinner until one of your kids asks their favorite question, “What’s for dinner?” Then panic sets in because you have no idea what’s for dinner.

Here are your criteria:

• inexpensive
• easy
• fast
• crowd-pleaser
• paleo (or whatever other diet you’re following)
• if it can be made with on-hand ingredients, even better

Seems like a tall order, maybe impossible. But it’s not!

Maybe you’re like me and this, unfortunately, is not such an imaginary scenario.

As much as I preach meal planning and generally do a very good job with this task, I do sometimes fall into that “imaginary” scenario described above. (Not tooting my own horn here – there are many things I am very BAD at, but meal planning just happens to be something I can do well – usually.)

Today, for example. As I write this post, which you will see in a couple of days, I’ve turned to today in my planner and see that the dinner line is blank. What? I’ve planned all the other days. Why did I not plan tonight? Did the pages stick together? I honestly have no idea what happened, but the bottom line is that I do not have a plan for dinner tonight. There is food in my house and I can make something. I may not want to, but I can. It would be very rare in our modern society that your cupboards would actually be bare, meaning that you can find something to prepare. Remember:

• It doesn’t have to be gourmet
• It doesn’t have to even go together (eggs + hot dogs + apple slices + celery sticks = weird, but edible)
• It doesn’t have to be hot
• It doesn’t have to be typical dinner food

Here are some general guidelines:

• Find a protein source – anything! Meat, eggs, canned tuna, you name it (to keep it paleo, I wouldn’t recommend a soy based food, but if that’s what you eat then go for it).
• Add some plants – mostly vegetables is preferred, but if you only have fruit, that’s fine. Just get some plants. Canned fruits, vegetables, those little packets of applesauce, frozen fruits and veggies, got dandelions in your yard? Pick those greens! Ok, so maybe that’s a stretch, but there are many edible plants that are likely growing around your house if you want to really think outside the box.
• Add something flavorful. Scour the spice cabinet to flavor it up. Got any sauces in your fridge? Mustard, mayonnaise, coconut aminos, hot sauce, pickle relish, you get my point.

Meal ideas:

• Hash: heat up your big skillet and add in ground beef, pork, chicken, turkey, sausage, etc. and add in whatever vegetables you have on hand, season it up.
• Scramble: real similar to a hash, but the base protein is eggs. In this case, cook the vegetables first, then add in eggs at the end.
• Soup: You know how I always suggest you have some broth in your freezer? This is when that comes in real handy. Melt your broth, add in your meat, vegetables, potatoes, rice, cauliflower rice, etc. Again, season as desired.
• Simple things can actually make a nutritious meal: think tuna salad, hard-boiled eggs (can you make them deviled with mayo, mustard and relish for something slightly fancy?), celery with almond butter
• Sheet pan supper: Roast meat and vegetables together at 400 degrees. Just google it – recipes abound!
• Charcuterie board: This can be anything! Nuts, dried fruit, fresh fruit, raw veggies, deli meat, cheeses (if you do dairy), olives, dips, etc. Kids typically LOVE this!

Is your brain full of ideas? I hope so! Many of us have been known to say, “We have nothing for dinner,” when in reality, we probably have lots of things for dinner if we just think outside the box a little bit.

A little checklist for those super crazy, hectic days:

1. Stop, don’t panic and know it’s going to be ok
2. Take a few deep, cleansing breaths: in through your nose, hold for a second or two, then out through your mouth. If you can, hold your tongue to the roof of your mouth during the inhale which activates the vagus nerve and aids in the relaxation response.
3. Think: how much time do you have? What protein do you have on hand? Which fruits or vegetables?
4. What would you eat if you were eating out? Pizza? Can you add Italian spices to some ground beef, zucchini and mushrooms and make it taste like pizza? Chinese? Stir-fry some chicken and vegetables in coconut oil and add coconut aminos for a quick sauce.

And if all else fails, you can go out to eat. Just do your best to stick to your eating plan. And don’t beat yourself up. The rise in stress from feeling guilty about this one dinner out is far worse than the possibility of receiving a poor quality meal every once in a while. Just know, you likely can make something at home if you are committed to doing so. But choosing to go out every once in a while doesn’t make you a failure in any way. It’s just a choice! Own it!